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1924-11- 27 to USNSA
USBN January 1925 insert
To my dear friends and fellow-workers, the members of the American National
Spiritual Assembly
c/o the Secretary, Mr. Horace Holley, New York City, U.S.A.
My Friends and Fellow-Workers:-
The letters which our able and devoted friend, Mr. Horace Holley, has
addressed in your behalf to the Greatest Holy Leaf and myself have all been
received, and, together with their enclosures, read with the closest attention. It
is indeed highly gratifying to observe that notwithstanding the strain and stress
of the critical period through which our beloved Cause is passing, the elected
representatives of the friends in America have, with unflinching faith, undaunted
courage, and conspicuous ability, perse[r]vered in their task and fulfilled their
arduous duties.
The splendid contribution you have made to the efforts of your fellow-
workers in England in connection with the Conference on the Living Religions
within the British Empire, we all heartily appreciate and regard as a fresh
evidence of the growing power and solidarity of the Cause of God. Both in the
admirable paper which you arranged to be drafted and prepared, and in the person
of your devout, trusted and talented President, who performed his duty with
absolute fidelity and high distinction, you have rendered the Cause of Baha'u'llah
a fresh and distinguished service. May the results achieved lend a fresh impetus
to the onward march of the Cause in the West.
The recent measures you have adopted in view of the necessity of promoting
fuller confidence and a greater measure of understanding and cooperation between
the body of the believers and the local and National Assemblies, will, I am
confident, be of the greatest value, and indicate clearly that you are fully aware
of the true position, the privileges and responsibilities of every Baha'i
Assembly.
We all long to hasten by wise and effective measures the completion of the
Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, and we fervently supplicate the All-Bountiful to bless richly
our Teaching work that our numbers may be reinforced in time by men who with
sufficient means at their disposal may voluntarily and abundantly support this
vast and noble endeavor. I trust that you will encounter no further obstacles in
receiving the necessary support to meet the immediate needs of this Universal
House of Worship as decided at your recent general gathering in Chicago.
The Star of the West, the latest issues of which I have read with genuine
satisfaction, has admittedly made a notable advance towards the ideal which the
Master has set before it. Articles on broad humanitarian lines, well-conceived,
adequately treated, and powerfully presented, should have their proper place in
every issue together with such accounts of the History and the teachings of the
Cause as will portray to the Baha'i and non-Baha'i alike the unique beauty as well
as the compelling power of the Baha'i spirit. Matters political and partisan in
character should be carefully avoided as they would eventually lead to
entanglements that would be not only futile but positively harmful. As regards the
Persian Section: I feel that in view of the severe restrictions imposed on the
friends in Persia its temporary suspension would be well-advised, particularly as
it makes such a disproportionate demand on the meagre resources of the friends in
America.
The increasing efforts displayed by my beloved brothers and sisters in
America, both individually and collectively, and the action taken by you in
constituting regional Teaching Committees are of vital importance to the spread of
the Cause in the present stage of our work. I feel that we should all collaborate
in widening its scope, intensifying its influence, assuring its continuity, and
endeavoring to subordinate every other activity to this most urgent and vital
task. It is our bounden duty to do all in our power to give the Cause from day to
day a fuller publicity, to maintain and stimulate the interest aroused, and to
concentrate at the same time our attention on a chosen few, endeavoring tactfully
and persistently to make of them earnest and unreserved supporters of the Baha'i
Faith.
I am deeply conscious of the manifold and unavoidable difficulties that
confront you in your labors for the administration of the affairs of the Cause.
Vast distances; personal professional pre-occupations; insufficient number of
capable and experienced teachers, unhampered by the necessity of earning their
means of livelihood; the inadequacy of the means at your disposal, financial and
otherwise; the prevailing tendencies in the general thought, sentiment, and
manners of the people in whose midst you work - all these, though insuperable
obstacles at present, will, if we stand steadfast and faithful, be one by one
removed, and pave the way for the ultimate ascendency of the Cause and the
fruition and triumph of our labors.
As to the projected prayer-book, I feel the need for a specially prepared
compilation of the prayers of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha designed for the
general public which would both prove of value for devotional purposes and act as
a fresh incentive to eager and inquiring minds. I am enclosing copies of prayers
which you may have not yet received and trust to send you more in future. I should
be glad to receive any particulars you might wish me to consider in this
connection.
Our untiring and devoted sister, Dr. Moody, (the handmaid of the Most High),
has had to her profound regret to discontinue for a time the invaluable and unique
services she has been rendering to the Cause in Persia. She is proceeding to
America, and will familiarize you with the deplorable state of affairs in that
unhappy country. You will get first-hand information from her regarding the
present condition and activities of our long-suffering friends in Persia, and she
will take counsel with you as to the best way to meet the needs and serve the
Cause of Education in Tihran. I hope and pray that as soon as circumstances
permit, the friends in America may enable Dr. Moody to take back with her to
Persia suitable, capable and ardent collaborators who will contribute their
distinct share towards the uplift and the advancement of their brethren and
sisters in that land.
Concerning the magazine "Reality," I feel we must make it unmistak[e]ably
plain to those in charge of it that the Baha'is would gladly and gratefully
respond to the invitation to cooperate with those that are responsible for it
immediately they are fully satisfied that nothing is or will be published by them,
whether in the magazine or elsewhere, that would, however indirectly, prejudice or
reflect upon their conception of what the Baha'i Movement is or stands for. Should
this be refused, and unfriendly and harmful matters be published against them, the
attitude of all of us should be a definite refusal to help and absolute non-
interference, as well as the absence of any form of retaliation which will instead
of achieving our end defeat our purpose. We should leave him in the hands of God.
Page 2
As to the suggestion of the Annual Convention being held next summer at
Green Acre, I believe it to be both wise and helpful, and trust that it will forge
another link between the Baha'is as a body and its founders and trustees, and will
serve to draw them closer and closer to the outward form as well as to the spirit
of the activities of the friends in America.
The financial help extended recently by the friends in America to their
fellow-workers of the Faith in Qadiyan, Punjab, has given us all intense
satisfaction and made us deeply grateful. Their contribution has immediately been
forwarded to them through the National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma, and
will, I am certain, enhance the prestige and the influence of the Cause.
I feel that the conditions are now favorable for the circulation of the Will
and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha only in manuscript form and among recognized
believers in America. Every such believer should be trusted with a single copy
with the express understanding that no duplicate copies or extracts of it be made
or published anywhere.
The suggestion made by my dear and able friend, Mr. Horace Holley, as to the
compilation of an annual "Baha'i Year Book" is extremely valuable and timely. I am
much impressed by it, and feel that an immediate start should be made. I believe
it can best be now undertaken under the direction and supervision of your Assembly
until the time should come for the friends in the East and particularly Persia to
participate effectually in its development. I trust you will send me a copy of the
skeleton of the material you propose to include, and I shall here attempt to fill
up any gap and render any assistance I can to make it as comprehensive, as
attractive, and as authoritative as possible.
I am sending through my dear brother, Mr. M. Mills, various relics and
Tablets of our beloved 'Abdu'l-Baha, the only and priceless treasures of the
devoted gardener of Baha'u'llah's Shrine, Ustad Abu'l-Qasim Khurasani, who has
offered them to be preserved on his behalf in the Archives of the friends in
America. I am hoping to be able to send you in future precious additions to what
the Archives Committee has already collected, and may I in this connection express
to those who have conceived so admirable a plan my profound admiration and
heartfelt gratitude.
I wish to assure you in conclusion of my readiness and genuine desire to
help you and serve you to the utmost of my ability. I fully realize the enormous
burden that weighs on your shoulders, and am constantly mindful of the distinct
and eminent share you are contributing to the advancement of the Cause. I wish you
from the depths of my heart entire satisfaction in your glorious work. Our beloved
Master is surely watching from the Realm Beyond over His children whom He nurtured
and loved so well, and will certainly guide you in every step you take, and crown
your patient efforts with signal success.
Your brother and fellow-worker.
(signed) SHOGHI
Haifa, Palestine,
November 27, 1924.
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