Part 17
The more we study the present condition of the world, the more deeply we become convinced that there just cannot be any way out of its problems except the way of God, as given by Him, through Baha'u'llah. The early Persian Baha'is gave their lives for the Cause; the Western believers have been spared this necessity, but their comfort, to some extent, they must sacrifice if they are going to discharge their moral obligation to tortured humanity, and bring to it the message of the Father. Once the friends start out to win the goals set in their Plan, they will find the Divine confirmation sustaining them and hastening its consummation. This is what happened in the American Seven Year Plan and the Indian Six Year Plan, and the same spiritual assistance will certainly be vouchsafed the English believers, once they arise with faith and confidence, to do their work.
In regard to the question you raise in your letter of June 9th about the "Paris Talks", the Guardian does not advise your putting the suggested footnote, as we cannot be absolutely sure, unless we see the Persian text, that what you propose is really what the Master means. The present translation cannot be considered accurate in all its details, obviously, and as at the moment the Persian text is not available, he suggests you either put no footnote at all, or one stating that the meaning is obscure and future re-translation will clear up such passages.
You may be sure that his ardent prayers will be offered on behalf of all the British Baha'is, that Baha'u'llah may aid them to fulfil His work and may open the doors of servitude and guide them on their way. He will also pray for you and your fellow N.S.A. members, for your strength, protection and guidance in fulfilling your many important tasks.
P.S. Regarding Mr. ... financial affairs; there is naturally no objection to his receiving his own money, but he should have no communication with his family, and should arrange for your N.S.A. to receive his money and deliver it to him. The Guardian is very pleased that he has taken the right, courageous, Baha'i course of action in his life, and will certainly pray for his happiness and protection.
There is no ambiguity about the Master's attitude towards psychic forces; He very strongly warned the believers against using them.
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers,
I grieve to learn of the slow progress of the Six Year Plan which the English believers have so nobly conceived, and which, I pray and hope, will be triumphantly consummated. The Plan constitutes a direct and grave challenge to the English Baha'i community in its entirety. It should be regarded as the greatest collective enterprise ever launched by the followers of the Faith of Baha'u'llah in the British Isles. It is thus far one of the most significant undertakings embarked upon by the members of Baha'i National Assemblies during the opening years of the second Baha'i century. To it, as already observed, the immediate destinies of the community of the English believers are linked, and on it must depend the future orientation and evolution of the institutions which the members of that community are labouring to erect for the diffusion of the principles and the establishment of the Faith of Baha'u'llah in their country. It must not, it cannot, fail. The attention of the entire body of the believers must be continually focussed upon it. No sacrifice can be deemed too great for its successful prosecution. All must arise harmoniously, co-operate and lend their share of assistance. May the spirit of Baha'u'llah enable them to achieve signal success.
Shoghi
Letter of 18 December 1945
18 December 1945
Dear Baha'i Sister,
The beloved Guardian has instructed me to acknowledge the receipt of your two letters dated Aug. 11th and Nov. 9th and to answer them on his behalf. Their enclosures were also received....
He was very pleased to hear that you have had eight new Baha'is since Convention and hopes that this is only a foretaste of the conversion of souls in far greater numbers in the years lying ahead of us.
The Six Year Plan is of the utmost importance, and he urges your Assembly to continually keep reminding the friends of the necessity for sustaining their efforts through arising personally to serve and through giving generously that others may serve in their place.
In this connection he hopes you will use the services of Marion Holley, now Mrs. David Hofman, to the full. She is a gifted speaker and writer, and has had invaluable experience in America as a member of the National Teaching Committee, during the Seven Year Plan. Both she and Mr. Hofman are wholly dedicated to the service of the Cause, and eager to do all in their power to help accomplish the goals of your Six Year Plan.
He was happy to hear that the Summer School was held successfully. Now that the war is over, and conditions gradually returning to normal, he hopes that the British believers will exert their utmost in serving the Cause and spreading its message. Although from time to time they will receive the help of outside Baha'is, the major responsibility is theirs, and the lion's share of the work will naturally fall to them as both their privilege and their duty.
He assures you one and all that his ardent prayers sustain you in your labours for the Faith and he feels sure that with sufficient effort on the part of all, and the Power of God which inevitably sustains self-sacrificing service in His Path, the goals can be gloriously achieved....
P.S. He was delighted to hear of the welfare of the German believers. Reports of a similar nature had already reached him, but no figures had been given.
[From the Guardian:]
Dearly beloved co-workers,
I am anxiously waiting for the news of the progress of the Six Year Plan, upon which the future orientation of the collective activities of the English believers depends, and with which the immediate destinies of their Faith are interwoven. No sacrifice is too great to ensure its success. The utmost effort, vigilance, perseverance and self-sacrifice are required to carry it to a successful conclusion. If the friends, individually and collectively, play their part and exert their utmost, the abundant blessings of Baha'u'llah will be fully vouchsafed, and the strength of the Plan will mark a glorious chapter in the history of the Faith. I appeal to the entire community to dedicate itself to this sacred and urgent task, the greatest collective enterprise ever undertaken by the followers of Baha'u'llah in the British Isles.
Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi
Letter of 21 February 1946
21 February 1946
ASSEMBLY SHOULD EXPLAIN TO ... OWING HIS BROTHER'S SECESSION FAITH ADHERENCE ISLAM PARTICIPATION POLITICS AND ASSOCIATION WITH HIS OTHER BROTHERS AND MOTHER WHO HAVE FLAGRANTLY DISOBEYED MASTER'S WILL COMMUNICATION WITH HIM AND THEM FORBIDDEN. ASSEMBLY SHOULD EXERCISE UTMOST VIGILANCE THIS VITAL MATTER OTHERWISE AS MASTER REPEATEDLY WARNED CONTAMINATING INFLUENCE WILL SPREAD AND IMPERIL STRUCTURE FAITH. CABLE HIS RESPONSE SHOW UTMOST FIRMNESS.
SHOGHI
Letter of 5 March 1946
5 March 1946
OVERJOYED RECENT DECISIONS TEACHING CONFERENCE ARDENTLY PRAYING SPEEDY REALISATION CHERISHED HOPES URGE SUPREME UNITED CONTINUOUS EFFORT CABLING ONE THOUSAND POUNDS FURTHERANCE NOBLE AIMS SIX YEAR PLAN DEEPEST LOVE.
SHOGHI
Letter of 12 March 1946
12 March 1946
INFORM ... APPRECIATE HIS ASSURANCE PRAYING STEADFASTNESS BLESSINGS.
SHOGHI
Letter of 22 March 1946
22 March 1946
Dear Baha'i Sister,
Your letters dated Sep. 6th and Nov. 6th 1945 and Jan. 2nd, Feb. 8th and 19th 1946, have been received together with their enclosures, and the beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer them on his behalf.
He has been delighted to see, through your letter and reports sent by other Baha'is, that the Teaching Conference in Manchester was such a success, and he feels this marks a turning point in your Six Year Plan. Now that goal towns have been chosen, the friends must concentrate all their forces and resources on establishing Assemblies in them as soon as possible. He feels sure that once the signs of success become evident all the believers, tired and depressed after so many years of war and privation, will become vitalised with optimism and enthusiasm and drive forward unitedly towards the complete victory of their plans.
He was delighted to hear that Miss Townshend and Mr. Lee have arisen as pioneers, and he wishes you to please assure them of his special prayers for the success of their devoted labours.
He was also very happy to hear you have found a place to hold your Summer School; this is such an important Baha'i activity that even if the expenses are such as to necessitate its being subsidised by the National Fund it does not matter.
He advises you to send half of the Russian books in your possession to the Baha'i Bureau in Geneva. Mrs. Lynch can distribute them from there, as required, to other centres.
He feels it would be an excellent means of serving the Cause and enhancing the prestige of the British Baha'is if you can send a delegate to the Spiritual World Congress to be held in Brussels.
We are sending ... the Haifa News Letter direct from here; thank you for sending his address. The Guardian suggests if you have not already done so, that you send the address of the Dutch Baha'i to Mrs. Lynch, so that travelling believers can be put in touch with him.
He is eagerly awaiting more good news of the progress of your Six Year Plan, and assures you all that he will ardently pray for its speedy and complete success in the Holy Shrines.
Your Assembly's labours are very deeply appreciated....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers,
The enterprise launched by the English Baha'i community in the opening years of the second Baha'i Century is of tremendous significance, and will, if successful, mark not only the inception of a glorious chapter in the history of the Faith in the British Isles, but will constitute a landmark in the spiritual awakening of its people. The forces which such a consummation will release none can estimate sufficiently at present. The task is colossal, but the reinforcing power of Baha'u'llah, who is watching over it and is ready to bless and sustain it if its prosecutors arise to play their part, is likewise immeasurable. The recent Teaching Conference is but the initial stage in this mighty, this collective, and indeed historic undertaking. The goal towns which have been selected should be regarded as the chief objectives requiring the immediate and concentrated attention of its zealous promoters. Every consideration should be subordinated to the paramount need of establishing at any cost and by every means possible, vigorously functioning assemblies at these centres. No effort should be wasted, all must arise to lend their assistance; no sacrifice is too great to ensure the completion of the first stage of this noble enterprise. Unity, perseverance, self-sacrifice, will guarantee its success. Obstacles may arise, set-backs will no doubt occur, but the unconquerable spirit animating the English believers must ultimately triumph.
Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi
Letter of 24 April 1946
24 April 1946
ADVISE NOT PURCHASE AT PRESENT. RENT IF POSSIBLE BEFITTING ROOMS CENTRAL POSITION.
SHOGHI
Letter of 24 April 1946
24 April 1946
KINDLY AIRMAIL TWO PHOTOGRAPHS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR "BAHA'I WORLD".
SHOGHI
Letter of 26 April 1946
26 April 1946
URGE FOCUS ATTENTION SIX YEAR PLAN SUBORDINATE EVERY ACTIVITY PARAMOUNT ISSUE TEACHING FACING ENGLISH BELIEVERS.
SHOGHI
Letter of 30 April 1946 (Convention)
30 April 1946 (Convention)
DEARLY BELOVED ENGLISH BELIEVERS REMEMBERED SHRINES PRAYING ARDENTLY SUCCESS DELIBERATIONS CONVENTION SUPREME CONTINUOUS EFFORT REQUIRED ENSURE SUCCESS PLAN CONCENTRATION ATTENTION RESOURCES ENTIRE COMMUNITY PROMOTION PARAMOUNT AIM INDISPENSABLE GREATER SACRIFICES DEMANDED ENSURE ULTIMATE VICTORY EAGERLY AWAITING NEWS PROGRESS HISTORIC ENTERPRISE.
SHOGHI
Letter of 8 May 1946
8 May 1946
WHATEVER NOT SPECIFIED ARTICLES ASSOCIATION LEFT DISCRETION NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.(39)
SHOGHI
Letter of 10 May 1946
10 May 1946
APPRECIATE MAIL HAIFA PHOTOGRAPH ALL MEMBERS LAST YEAR'S NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR BAHA'I WORLD.
SHOGHI
Letter of 22 May 1946
22 May 1946
APPROVE DROP CARDIFF SUBSTITUTE ANY TOWN DEEMED ADVISABLE PRAYING SPEEDY SUCCESS URGE PERSEVERANCE LOVING APPRECIATION.
SHOGHI
Letter of 29 May 1946
29 May 1946
Dear Baha'i Brother,
Your letters (and those previously written by Mrs. Ferraby as secretary) dated March 19th and 21st; April 12th and 23rd; and May 2nd and 11th, as well as their enclosures, have all been received, and the Guardian has instructed me to answer them on his behalf.
Regarding the various points which have been raised in these letters.
As he already informed you by cable, he sees no objection to substituting some other town for Cardiff if that has proved too unpromising....
People who for years have ceased to either attend meetings or show the slightest interest in the Cause can be dropped from the voting list; but any who are unable to attend meetings, but still consider themselves to be Baha'is and are desirous of keeping up their contact with the Faith, should naturally be kept on the voting list.
He feels at the present stage of the Cause's development in England it is perhaps wiser not to make any hard and fast rules about the boundaries of towns for assembly purposes. However, you should bear in mind that in the future some proper delineation will be necessary.
As to the question of the Publishing Trust about quoting excerpts from some of the Meditations; there is no objection to this at all.
He hopes you will be able to find some suitable quarters in London for your Baha'i Centre; he considers that at the present time, with the heavy and essential teaching programme you have undertaken, it is out of the question to purchase headquarters.
The Guardian takes the keenest interest in your Six Year Plan, and he wishes me to point out to you certain things in this connection: if the important goals of new Assemblies are to be achieved, he feels you will have to organise the work on a new basis. England now stands, one might say, on the brink of a new phase of its Baha'i life; the long years of war are over, the friends are not only awakened to a sense of their responsibilities, but have increased in numbers, in zeal, and in unity; there is a growing number of people who are anxious to do pioneer work. What is needed is a planned and consistent form of teaching and administrative support of the activities your Assembly is inaugurating.
He feels the time has come when the British Baha'is' resources are sufficient to enable them to embark on their teaching campaign in a manner similar to that already followed by the American and Indian Baha'is. In other words pioneers who volunteer for work, if they are not able to support themselves, should be supported by the National Fund until they either find work or their task is completed.
Likewise travelling teachers should be assisted financially to carry out the "projects" assigned to them. The friends should not for a moment confuse this type of support with the creation of a paid clergy. Any Baha'i can, at the discretion of the N.S.A., receive this necessary assistance and it is clearly understood it is temporary and only to carry out a specific plan. Baha'u'llah Himself has not only enjoined on everyone the duty of teaching His Faith, but stated if you cannot go yourself, to send someone in your stead. The National Assembly, through and with its Teaching Committee, should take immediate steps to get pioneers out into the goal towns and teachers circulating about, to not only support and inaugurate the new work, but to stimulate the existing Assemblies and groups, and help them to expand.
He hopes that your Assembly, unitedly and with complete dedication to the great work that lies ahead of you, will concentrate all your forces on the teaching work. You may be sure he will pray for your success in the Holy Shrines, and that all the British Baha'is may realise to the full their historic responsibilities and arise to discharge them....
P.S. Your letter of May 29th has since been received and the extra photos of N.S.A. members will be forwarded to America.
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers,
The activities of the English Baha'i community in pursuance of the Plan, which in its scope and potentialities is wholly unprecedented in the history of the Faith in the British Isles, are now approaching a critical stage, and will, if not relentlessly expanded and consolidated, fall far short of their ultimate objective. They have now entered the third year of their Plan, and the work that still remains unaccomplished is considerable, but not beyond what their united and sustained endeavours can accomplish. The utmost support, if the Plan is to yield its promise, should be continually and increasingly extended to every pioneer, both moral and financial, who will arise to contribute his or her share to its success. All the institutions of the Faith so laboriously erected since the inception of the Formative Age, most of the financial resources of the community that have been accumulated, the deliberations of the elected representatives of the entire body of the believers, both local and national, should henceforth be dedicated to the vital requirements and noble aims of an enterprise which, if successful, will pave the way, and provide the necessary agencies, for the proclamation of the Faith to the masses throughout the British Isles.
The Faith is too circumscribed at present, its resources too limited, its range too restricted, and the number of its active supporters too few, to allow a systematic and nation-wide campaign designed to awaken the masses, to be effectively inaugurated. The present Plan is but a stepping stone that must lead eventually the English believers to execute so tremendous and meritorious an undertaking. The duties and responsibilities now facing them must, however, be fully discharged. No time or effort should be wasted. All, young and old, must be aroused to a new consciousness of their collective responsibilities. A greater measure of self-sacrifice, a greater audacity, a greater reliance on the sustaining grace of Baha'u'llah, are required to lend the necessary impetus to the progressive unfoldment and ultimate fruition of this dynamic process which the followers of Baha'u'llah, labouring in the heart of a world encircling empire, have set in motion. May signal success crown their historic labours.
Shoghi
Letter of 7 June 1946
7 June 1946
National Youth Committee
Dear Baha'i Sister,
Your letter dated May 16th and written on behalf of the National Youth Committee, was received, and the beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He is very happy to see that the Baha'i Youth of the British Isles are now organised and working with enthusiasm for the spread of the Faith there. He feels that they have a great and important role to play during the next few years in fulfilling the objectives of the Six Year Plan.
Young people, being, for the most part, freer than the older believers, are in a position to arise as pioneers and move to new towns as settlers. A great number of the pioneers in America, who left their native cities, and often their native land, in order to fulfil the Seven Year Plan, were young people--some of them so young that the Spiritual Assemblies they helped to establish they were themselves not yet old enough to be elected to!
The Guardian has enjoyed very much meeting Capt. Philip Hainsworth, who had the unique privilege of being in Haifa for over a month, and he feels sure that upon his return to England he will lend great impetus to both the Youth and teaching work.
He heartily approves of your "Youth Bulletin" project and urges you to place special emphasis on articles that are of pertinent interest to young people, such as those dealing with the economic, social and moral aspects of society.
Assuring you, and all the members of your Committee, of his loving prayers for the success of your labours....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved bless your meritorious endeavours, guide every step you take in the path of service, aid you to extend the range of your activities, and enable you to promote, by every means in your power, and in a most effective manner, the vital interests of a Plan with which the immediate destinies of the members of the English Baha'i Community, both young and old, are so inextricably interwoven.
Your true brother, Shoghi
Letter of 18 June 1946
18 June 1946
Dear Baha'i Brother,
The beloved Guardian has instructed me to send you the following copy of a cable he sent the N.S.A. on the 7th of this month: "DELIGHTED LATEST REPORT TEACHING ACTIVITIES. PRESENT YEAR CRUCIAL FORTUNES PLAN. CONCENTRATE 5 MOST PROMISING GOAL TOWNS, ALSO EXERT UTMOST RE-ESTABLISH TORQUAY, BOURNEMOUTH ASSEMBLIES. SUCCESS IMMEDIATE PLAN WILL NECESSITATE INCREASE CONVENTION DELEGATES BRITISH ISLES TO TWICE 19. UPON CONSUMMATION ENTIRE PLAN FURTHER INCREASE TO THREE TIMES 19 WILL BECOME ESSENTIAL. CABLING FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS FOR TRAVEL SETTLEMENT PIONEERS. PROSPECTS BRIGHT, REDOUBLED EFFORTS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL, EXERTION YOUTH VITAL. FORTHCOMING GATHERING SUMMER SCHOOL SHOULD DEVOTE SPECIAL ATTENTION REQUIREMENTS PLAN. ARDENTLY PRAYING TRIUMPHANT SUCCESS FIRST STAGE COLLECTIVE EFFORT DEARLY BELOVED ENGLISH BELIEVERS".
In the first draft of this cable sent you a word was left out, namely "twice" before the "19" in reference to the first increase of the number of convention delegates. This was corrected the same day by cable.
The Guardian has so far received no acknowledgment of the receipt of this long cable and he is anxious to know if it reached you safely? Also the five hundred pounds which was forwarded by cable, through Barclays Bank, to your name?
Assuring you of his loving prayers on your behalf....
P.S. He was very happy to hear that the N.S.A. is now united, and that sources of misunderstanding and uneasiness have been entirely cleared up.
Letter of 6 July 1946
6 July 1946
DELIGHTED BRIGHT PROSPECTS ACHIEVEMENT THIS YEAR'S GOAL WILL CONSTITUTE TURNING POINT FORTUNES PLAN LANDMARK BRITISH BAHA'I HISTORY SUSTAINED CONCENTRATION ESSENTIAL CONVEY PIONEERS TRAVELLING TEACHERS ASSURANCE LOVING APPRECIATION ABIDING GRATITUDE NOBLE RESPONSE URGE EXERT SIMULTANEOUSLY EFFORTS ESTABLISH THIS PIVOTAL YEAR NUCLEUS FUTURE ASSEMBLY BOTH SCOTLAND IRELAND PRAYING CONTINUALLY INCREASING EVIDENCES NATION-WIDE EXPANSION PROGRESSIVE CONSOLIDATION DEARLY BELOVED ENGLISH BAHA'I COMMUNITY.
SHOGHI
Letter of 2 August 1946 (Summer School)
2 August 1946 (Summer School)
OVERJOYED PRAYING EVER INCREASING SUCCESS DEEPEST APPRECIATION HIGH ENDEAVOURS.
SHOGHI
Letter of 25 August 1946
25 August 1946
DELIGHTED URGE UTMOST SACRIFICE PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS GOAL TOWNS PRAYING SUCCESS.
SHOGHI
Letter of 12 October 1946
12 October 1946
Dear Baha'i Brother,
Your letters dated June 1st and 26th and July 20th and 25th, together with their enclosures, have been received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
Regarding the various points you raised.
Unless the Russian "New Era" is hopelessly bad, the Guardian advises it nevertheless be made use of, as it will be some time before the funds of the Cause can be used for a new edition. If the mistakes are mostly in the nature of mistranslations of certain important terms it might be possible for you, in conjunction with Mrs. Lynch, to have printed or mimeographed a list of errata, and stick it in the book, in this way Russian-speaking people will not be denied some literature on the Faith, however inadequate.