Chapter 39

Whenever you see tremendous personal problems in your private lives, such as those the parents of ... have been called upon to face, you must remember that these afflictions are part of human life; and, according to our teachings one of their wisdoms is to teach us the impermanence of this world and the permanence of the spiritual bonds that we establish with God, His Prophet, and those who are alive in the faith of God. You must always remember that the Manifestations of God, Themselves, were not immune to suffering of the most human nature; and that from the hands of their relatives, they drank the bitterest potions, Baha'u'llah even being proffered poison by His half-brother, Mirza Ya?ya. Beside their afflictions, our afflictions, however terrible for us, must seem small in comparison.

Regarding your personal affairs, the Guardian will pray that your cherished hopes may be fulfilled; and that the way may open, if you both desire it, for you to serve together the Faith you are so deeply attached to. Never lose heart, and always remember that the power in this Cause is of a nature not understood or accessible to those who have not our faith in Baha'u'llah.

Letter of 30 August 1951

30 August 1951

The progress being made in Africa is truly miraculous, as if a special benediction from on High is being extended to this work... He (the Guardian) feels sure that the work in Uganda will now go forward rapidly. The news from Dar is wonderful too... The racial question all over Africa is very acute, but, while being wise and tactful, believers must realise that their standard is far from that of the white colonials. They have not gone there to uphold the white man's supremacy, but to give the Cause of God to, primarily, the black man whose home is Africa.

Letter of 11 November 1951

11 November 1951

Many times the young Baha'is these days seem to be living the lives of soldiers, and in a way the pioneers are the soldiers of Baha'u'llah, going out to plant the banner of His dominion in far corners of the earth!

Letter of 5 October 1952

5 October 1952

What the Master meant in the words you quoted is simply that joy gives one more freedom to create; if the Prophets, the Master Himself, and the Guardian, had less problems and worries, They could give forth a great deal more creatively to the Cause. When He said that "grow to be as a fruitful tree" he meant that, by lifting burdens from the Guardian and trying as much as possible to do our share of the work of the Faith, we would help Shoghi Effendi to develop his full powers as Guardian and, through the Covenant, the Cause would spread its shadow over all men. This we have seen happen in the last 30 years, but that does not mean we must not try to our utmost to help him by our lives and our services.

Teaching is an individual matter; one has to sense when it is right to go further in revealing the Source of our Message; no rules exist, really, for such things.

Letter of 3 March 1955

3 March 1955

As we almost never attain any spiritual goal without seeing the next goal we must attain still beyond our reach, he urges you, who have come so far already on the path of spirituality, not to fret about the distance you still have to cover! It is an indefinite journey, and, no doubt in the next world the soul is privileged to draw closer to God than is possible when bound on this physical plane.

Letter of 6 March 1955

6 March 1955

As regards the questions you have asked, as Baha'u'llah says categorically that God commanded Abraham to offer up Isma'il, as far as we are concerned, it is Isma'il who was the intended sacrifice.

In view of the great antiquity of Genesis, it is quite possible that at some period the names were changed, and the error was propagated.

Whatever happened, we Baha'is must follow the words in our own Scriptures as being the most authentic.

In the Tablet of the Holy Mariner, the Youth means Baha'u'llah, Himself.

Letter of 12 January 1957

12 January 1957

In the Baha'i Teachings it is made quite clear that when one is ill, one should seek the best available medical advice. This naturally leaves a person free to choose what they consider good in medical opinion. If you and ... feel that she is improving under the care of your own doctor, and ... is willing to wait and be patient and see if she goes on making progress, there can surely be no objection to her doing this. There are a great many as you know mental diseases and troubles at present, and the one thing Baha'is must not do is take a defeatist attitude toward them. The power in the Faith is such that it can sustain us on a much higher level in spite of whatever our ailments might be than other people who are denied it. This however does not mean that we should ignore medical opinion and treatment. On the contrary, we should do our best to procure the opinion of specialists and competent doctors.

Letter of 15 August 1957

15 August 1957

You should not allow the remarks made by the Baha'is to hurt or depress you, but should forget the personalities, and arise to do all you can, yourself, to teach the Faith.

Baha'u'llah enjoins work on all. No one need ever be ashamed of his job.

"THEIR DAILY SUSTENANCE"

In his last message to the British Baha'i community as a whole the Guardian wrote:

May they, as they forge ahead along the high road leading to ultimate, total and complete victory, receive as their daily sustenance, a still fuller measure of the abounding grace, promised to the believers of an earlier generation by the Centre of the Covenant, the Author of the Divine Plan, Himself, on the occasion of His twice-repeated visit to their shores, and which has been unfailingly vouchsafed to themselves, in the course of over three decades, since the birth of the Formative Age of the Faith and the rise of its Administrative Order in their homeland.

Shoghi

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

BIOGRAPHIES

These biographies appear strictly in the order the names first appear in the text of the book. Where a fuller report is published elsewhere, a summary only is given together with a reference to the other material.

*NAME* Dr. John E. Esslemont Edward T. Hall Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper George P. Simpson Miss Ethel J. Rosenberg Dia'u'llah As_gh_arzadih Lady Blomfield Rev. George Townshend Mrs. Isobel Slade Mrs. Louise Ginman Miss Florence Pinchon Mrs. Claudia Coles Sister Grace Challis David Hofman Mrs. Lilian Stevens Miss Evelyn Baxter ?asan M. Balyuzi Frank Hurst Mrs. Mary Basil-Hall Albert and Jeff Joseph Dr. R. St. Barbe Baker Miss Jessica Young Lady Kathleen Hornell Mrs. Ursula Samandari Mrs. Marion Hofman Miss Una Townshend Joseph Lee Mrs. Dorothy Ferraby Philip Hainsworth Walter Wilkins Mrs. Alma C. Gregory Robert Cheek Mrs. Joan Giddings Hugh and Violet McKinley Dr. Lutfullah Hakim Fred Stahler Mrs. Prudence George John L. Marshall Mrs. M. Olga K. Mills Alfred and Lucy Sugar Charles N. Dunning Miss Claire Gung Mrs. Lizzie F. Hainsworth Miss Margaret Sullivan Cyril and Margaret Jenkerson Richard H. Backwell Miss Ada Williams Mrs. Constance Langdon-Davies George K. Marshall Mrs. Marguerite Preston Bernard Leach, CH, OBE Samuel Scott John Ferraby Mrs. Florence "Mother" George Musa Banani 'Ali Na_kh_javani ?assan and Isobel Sabri Arthur Norton Eric Manton Dr. Abbas and _Sh_omais Afnan Edmund Cardell Dr. John G. Mitchell Miss Irene Bennett Miss Dorothy Wigington Ernest W. Gregory Dr. Ernest S. Miller Ian Semple Miss Jean Campbell John Craven

DR. JOHN E. ESSLEMONT, Hand of the Cause of God

Born in 1874 and accepted the Faith in early 1915, Dr. Esslemont was elevated to the rank of Hand of the Cause of God after his passing on 22 November 1925 and linked by the Guardian with George Townshend and Thomas Breakwell, on the passing of George Townshend, as "One of three luminaries shedding brilliant lustre annals Irish, English, Scottish Baha'i communities". He was "Vice-President" of the first National Assembly from October 1923 until November 1924. For fuller details of his life and works read "Dr. J. E. Esslemont" by Dr. Moojan Momen. (Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1975-B130.)

EDWARD THEODORE HALL

First heard of the Faith in 1910 in the Salford, Lancashire area and with his wife Rebecca, her brother John Charles and his wife Hester Ann Craven, made contact with Sarah Ann Ridgway, one of the earliest British Baha'is, and later established the second Baha'i Group in the British Isles. In 1912 Mr. Hall and Mr. Craven went to Liverpool and met 'Abdu'l-Baha at the boat. Five Tablets from the Master were received. In 1922 the first Spiritual Assembly was formed in Manchester with E. T. Hall as Secretary. He also "represented" Manchester on the first National Spiritual Council in 1922, and was a member of the National Assembly until 1928. He was entrusted by Shoghi Effendi with part of his early diaries and later maintained a close correspondence with the Guardian for many years. His book, "The Baha'i Dawn; Manchester" paints a vivid picture of the early days of the Faith in Lancashire. Through Mr. Hall's correspondence with the Editor of the 'John O'Groats Journal' (Mr. R. J. G. Millar) frequent reviews and letters were published for nineteen years until the Editor's retirement. He passed away on 5 December 1962 aged 82.

MRS. THORNBURGH-CROPPER

One of the first Baha'is of the West and possibly the first Baha'i resident in England. Her early Baha'i life is described in "The Chosen Highway" and in "The Baha'i World", Vol. VIII, pp. 649-51. She was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly for its first two years and it was in her house in Westminster that the first meeting of the "All-England Baha'i Council" was held on 6 June 1922. She passed away on 15 March 1938.

GEORGE PALGRAVE SIMPSON

Was associated with the Administration of the Faith in the British Isles from its earliest days. Elected as Chairman of the first "Spiritual Council" and President of the "National Spiritual Assembly" in 1923. He also served as the Assistant Secretary and the Treasurer for some years. All the early letters from the Guardian were addressed to him and the file copies of his letters to the Holy Land, some to the Guardian and others to the various secretaries, as well as the Minutes in his handwriting, give us our closest insight into the conditions obtaining in the 1920's. At one stage he felt obliged to resign from the National Assembly but was still called upon to remain as its Treasurer and attend the meetings! He served the Cause with great distinction until his death on 31 August 1934. (See letter 30 September 1934.)

MISS ETHEL JENNER ROSENBERG

"One of the pioneers of the Baha'i Cause in the Western World". Having first embraced the Faith in 1899 she soon afterwards went to Akka, subsequently visiting many times both Akka and Haifa for months at a time, learning from and assisting the Master in translating and transcribing the Teachings. Beloved by all the members of the Holy Family, her passing in November 1930 at the age of 72 evoked a cabled tribute from Shoghi Effendi, who knew her well in England and welcomed her in Haifa after the passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha. She was the one entrusted to bring the robe of Baha'u'llah to England, and was a member of the National Assembly from 1923-1927. ("Baha'i World", Vol. IV, p. 263.)

DIA'U'LLAH ASGHARZADIH, Knight of Baha'u'llah

Born in 1880 into a Baha'i family which emigrated to I_sh_qabad when he was fifteen years old, Dia'u'llah was throughout his life an active Baha'i. His first pilgrimage was in 1903, his second was seventeen years later, after which he settled in London, and his third was at the time of the passing of the Master when Shoghi Effendi gave him the task of making copies of the Master's Will from the original. He was a member of the National Assembly for various periods between 1925 and 1941 and settled in Jersey as a Knight of Baha'u'llah in 1953 at the age of 73. He passed away in Jersey in April 1956. ("Baha'i World", Vol. XIII, p. 881.)

SARA, LADY BLOMFIELD (SITARIH KHANUM)

For fuller details of her devoted services to the Cause it is necessary to refer to "The Chosen Highway" and "The Baha'i World", Vol. VIII, pp. 651-6. Born in Ireland of a fearless Protestant mother and a strong Roman Catholic father, she understood from an early age the tragedy of religious intolerance which led her to search for Truth until she found the Baha'i Revelation. She was held in high esteem in the London society of the late "nineties" but she herself was always looking for the Promised One. She was a great friend and admirer of Basil Wilberforce, Archdeacon of Westminster. Not only did she place her home in Cadogan Gardens at the disposal of the Master during His London visits but she accompanied Him to Paris. While He was in America she went to Mount Pelerin, in Switzerland, to edit the rough notes of "Paris Talks", had them sent to Him for correction and had the book published in time for His second visit when He signed and gave away many copies. She accompanied Shoghi Effendi when he returned to Haifa after the passing of the Master and wrote the letter which was later published as "The Passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha". She was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly for eight of its first eleven years. She passed away on the last day of 1939 and a remarkably fine obituary in the magazine "The World's Children" of March 1940 was headed "Lady Blomfield--Apostle of World Unity".

GEORGE TOWNSHEND, Hand of the Cause of God

First corresponded with 'Abdu'l-Baha about 1918. The Master wrote to him "It is my hope that thy church will come under the heavenly Jerusalem". For very many years he tried to bring to the clergy of the Church of Ireland and particularly the senior ones, the realisation of Baha'u'llah as Christ returned in the Glory of the Father. In spite of his important books, "The Heart of the Gospel" and "The Promise of All Ages", no one in the church responded and in 1947 the Guardian called upon him to resign from the church. He complied immediately and moved with his wife and two children to a small bungalow in Dundrum near Dublin. He was one of the founder members of the first Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Dublin and in 1951 was elevated to the rank of Hand of the Cause. For many years he gave distinguished services to the Guardian, not least of which was the writing of the introduction to "God Passes By" and his presentation on behalf of the Guardian of his paper "Baha'u'llah's Ground Plan for World Fellowship" to the inaugural meeting of the World Congress of Faiths in 1936. The pamphlet he wrote to all Christians under the title "The Old Churches and the New World Faith" was sent out to 10,000 so-called "responsible people" in the British Isles on the occasion of his resignation from the church, and his last book "Christ and Baha'u'llah" was described by the Guardian as "his crowning achievement". He participated in the Inter-Continental Conference, Stockholm, Sweden in July 1953 and passed away in March 1957 at the age of 81. ("Baha'i World", Vol. XIII, p. 841.)

MRS. ISOBEL SLADE

It has not been possible to trace exactly when Mrs. Slade became a Baha'i but she did tell the story of how she heard of the Faith from a visiting American believer and wished to go on pilgrimage to see the Master. Before her plans were made she heard of His passing and she went in the early 1920s. In the year 1926 there is a record of her being a "substitute" member of the National Assembly elected to "represent" the London community. From the following year the delegates elected the National Assembly from the national electorate and Mrs. Slade served as a member for fourteen of the following nineteen years. She was, in different years, Chairman, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary. She was a "last ditch" pioneer to Edinburgh to form the first Assembly there in 1948. To the end of her long life she would delight her visitors with fascinating stories of her experiences in the early days of the Faith in the British Isles and she passed away in September 1972 at the age of 98. The Universal House of Justice cabled: "PASSING ISOBEL SLADE SEVERS ONE FEW REMAINING LINKS EARLY CAUSE BRITISH ISLES DEPRIVES COMMUNITY OUTSTANDING BELIEVER STOP HER UNFLAGGING SUPPORT CAUSE GOD MORE THAN HALF CENTURY COMPRISING MEMBERSHIP NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY PIONEER VISITING TEACHER SIX YEAR PLAN CONSTANT DEVOTION DUTY HIGH MORAL STATURE RENDER HER SHINING EXAMPLE FUTURE GENERATIONS STOP EXPRESS RELATIVES FRIENDS LOVING SYMPATHY ASSURE PRAYERS SACRED THRESHOLD AMPLE REWARD PROGRESS SOUL ABHA KINGDOM."

MRS. LOUISE GINMAN

Also referred to later as "Louise Charlot". Became a Baha'i in Burlingame, California about 1910, and came to England late in 1919. She served on the London Spiritual Assembly for a period; pioneered to Oxford, and then to Bristol where she died in February 1963 at the age of 92.

MISS FLORENCE E. PINCHON

Little is known about Miss Pinchon's early life but she was mentioned as being active in the Faith with Dr. Esslemont and Major Tudor Pole during the First World War (See "Baha'i World" Vol. XIV, pp. 370-2). "Floy" had a most lucid pen and in addition to contributing to Baha'i and non-Baha'i magazines, wrote "The Coming of the Glory", and "Life after Death". She travelled as a Baha'i teacher before the Second World War but suffered from indifferent health for many years before her death in Bournemouth in March 1966.

MISS CLAUDIA STUART COLES

Having accepted the Baha'i teachings in Washington, D.C. was one of its most loyal and enthusiastic adherents. Moved to London, England in 1920 and was for eleven years a member of the community, serving for a period as secretary of the National Assembly. She died in London on 25 May 1931. ("Baha'i World", Vol. IV, pp. 263-4.)

SISTER GRACE CHALLIS

Sister Challis was a Quaker when she heard of the Faith from Dr. Esslemont and she accepted it at the gathering of the Bournemouth Baha'is called to hear of the passing of the Master. Always an active teacher of the Faith, she also served on the National Assembly for fifteen of its first eighteen years, mainly as its Chairman. She passed away in Bournemouth in October 1948.

DAVID HOFMAN

A member of the Universal House of Justice since its formation in 1963, he became a Baha'i in the Maxwell home in Montreal in 1933, when he began corresponding with the Guardian. Returning to England in 1936, he was elected to the British National Spiritual Assembly and was the Secretary during some of its most crucial years. He was the first Manager of its Publishing Trust and played a vital role on the National Teaching and Africa Committees of the Six and Two Year Plans. He served almost continuously on the National Assembly until his election to the Universal House of Justice. David and Marion Hofman pioneered during the Six Year Plan in Northampton, Birmingham and Oxford and during the Ten Year Crusade in Cardiff and Watford. Throughout his years of devoted service to the British community he was always in demand as a most accomplished speaker and convincing teacher.

MRS. LILIAN STEVENS

Was a founder member of the first Torquay Spiritual Assembly in 1938; was for many years its secretary and in spite of prolonged illness remained a great servant of the Faith. She passed away on 1 January 1958.

MISS EVELYN BAXTER, Knight of Baha'u'llah

Born around 1883 of missionary parents, accepted the Faith in 1923 and served with absolute devotion throughout the remainder of her life. She was for many years a member of the London Spiritual Assembly and served for six years on the National Assembly. Throughout her Baha'i life she corresponded frequently with the Guardian and responded to his overseas pioneer call when she became a Knight of Baha'u'llah for the Channel Isles in September 1953. She had already pioneered in the Six Year Plan to Birmingham, Nottingham, Hove, Oxford and Cardiff. She died on 21 August 1969 and the Universal House of Justice cabled: "DEEPLY GRIEVED PASSING KNIGHT OF BAHA'U'LLAH EVELYN BAXTER. AMONG FIRST PIONEERS SIX YEAR PLAN HER LONG FAITHFUL SERVICE BRITISH BAHA'I COMMUNITY PROVIDES EXAMPLE DEVOTION FORTITUDE". ("Baha'i World", Vol. XV, pp. 456-7)

?ASAN M. BALYUZI, Hand of the Cause of God

He was first elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the British Isles in 1933 and served continuously until 1960, when he retired in order to devote his whole time to the work of the Hands of the Cause. He served at the World Centre, and travelled to South America and throughout Canada in 1961. Mr. Balyuzi was Secretary of the first Summer School Committee in 1936, on the National Teaching Committee in 1940 and Chairman of the National Assembly almost every year from 1942 until his retirement. He was elevated to the rank of Hand of the Cause in 1957, and has made invaluable contributions to the literature of the Faith with his trilogy, "Baha'u'llah", "'Abdu'l-Baha" and "The Bab"; his "Edward Granville Browne and the Baha'i Faith", his pamphlet on "Baha'i Administration", and "Mu?ammad and the Course of Islam". (See page 490)

FRANK HURST

An early worker in the Trade Union Movement in Britain, Frank was an outspoken sympathiser of the Faith for over twenty years before actually accepting it in Bradford in 1939. He died in Leeds in 1949.

MRS. MARY BASIL-HALL (PARVINE)

Daughter of Lady Blomfield, she was active in the Faith from her youth, particularly during the visit to Britain of the Master Whom she served with such devotion, and Who bestowed upon her the name "Parvine" on His first visit in 1911. She served for five years on the National Spiritual Assembly and for a short time on the National Teaching Committee of the Six Year Plan. At her passing the National Assembly cabled the Guardian, "PARVINE GLORIED IN SUCCESS PLAN PASSED TO ABHA KINGDOM MORNING 28TH" (April 1950).

ALBERT AND JEFF JOSEPH

Associated with the Faith from the very beginnings of the Administration in the British Isles, the Joseph brothers gave long and outstanding service to the Cause. Jacob (later "Jeff") was Chairman and Albert (then Ibrahim) a member of the first "Spiritual Council" of the Baha'is of Manchester. Jacob was a member of the first "All-England Baha'i Council" in 1922 and of the first National Spiritual Assembly in 1923. Both were mentioned in and received some Tablets from the Master and both were warmly regarded by the Guardian for their services to the Faith. Jeff died in August 1969 in Manchester and Albert in August 1978.

RICHARD ST. BARBE BAKER, O.B.E., LL.D., FOR.D.I.P. (CAMBRIDGE)