Title: Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand
Author: Shoghi Effendi, 1897-1957
Language: English
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Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand


by Shoghi Effendi



Edition 1, (September 2006)



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                                 CONTENTS


Baha’i Terms of Use
Part I
Letters to Individuals, before April 21st, 1926.
   (1) June 22nd, 1923
   (2) May 8th, 1925
   (3) May 9th, 1925
   (4) May 21st, 1925
   (5) May 28th, 1925
   (6) November 4th, 1925
   (7) December 5th, 1925
   (8) March 4th, 1926
   (9) April 3rd, 1926
Part II
Letters to Individuals, April 21st, 1926--April 21st, 1934.
   (10) August 12th, 1926
   (11) August 12th, 1926
   (12) August 25th, 1926
   (13) September 18th, 1926
   (14) October 23rd, 1926
   (15) November 3rd, 1926
   (16) January 11th, 1927
   (17) January 30th, 1927
   (18) May 13th, 1927
   (19) June 4th, 1929
   (20) October 4th, 1930
   (21) May 18th, 1931
   (22) December 17th, 1931
   (23) April 29th, 1933
   (24) September 1st, 1933
Part III
Letters to Individuals, May 1934–1957.
   (25) June 13th, 1934
   (26) December 22nd, 1934
   (27) January 21st, 1935
   (28) February 5th, 1935
   (29) May 20th, 1936
   (30) September 30th, 1936
   (31) December 7th, 1936
   (32) November 8th, 1937
   (33) May 17th, 1938
   (34) December 20th, 1938
   (35) March 20th, 1939
   (36) August 3rd, 1941
   (37) December 19th, 1947
   (38) November 23rd, 1949
   (39) December 18th, 1949
   (40) June 11th, 1952
   (41) January 6th, 1955
Part IV
Letters to Bahá’í Institutions.
   (42) March 31st, 1926
   (43) May 14th, 1926
   (44) January 7th, 1935
   (45) September 26th, 1935
   (46) April 26th, 1936
   (47) June 10th, 1936
   (48) November 17th, 1936
   (49) January 31st, 1938
   (50) November 2nd, 1938
   (51) March 22nd, 1939
   (52) April 19th, 1941
   (53) April 25th, 1941
   (54) April 18th, 1942
   (55) May 12th, 1944
   (56) December 18th, 1949
   (57) June 28th, 1950
   (58) November 1st, 1950
   (59) March 1st, 1951
   (60) June 16th, 1954
   (61) July 24, 1955
   (62) June 13th, 1956
   (63) September 5th, 1956
   (64) April 4th, 1957
   (65) May 20th, 1957
   (66) June 27th, 1957
   (67) July 19th, 1957
   (68) August 30th, 1957
   (69) September 9th, 1957
Part V
Telegrams to New Zealand.
   (70) January 22nd, 1949
   (71) December 29th, 1949
   (72) December 29th, 1949
   (73) December 30th, 1953
Part VI
Statements on Various Subjects.
   ALCOHOL (74)
   EVOLUTION (75)
   “HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(76)
   “HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(77)
   “HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(78)
   “HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(79)
   PHILOSOPHERS (80)
   SCOUTING (81)
   SOUL, MIND AND SPIRIT (82)
Appendix: Notes
   Note 1. (Letter No. 1)
   Note 2. (Letter No. 1)
   Note 3. (Letter No. 2)
   Note 4. (Letter No. 2)
   Note 5. (Letter No. 15)
   Note 6. (Letter No. 16)
   Note 7. (Letter No. 16)
   Note 8. (Letter No. 23)
   Note 9. (Letter No. 33)
   Note 10. (Letter No. 37)
   Individual Addressees
   Institution Addressees



Dedicated to the memory of Shoghi Effendi in commemoration of the
twenty-fifth anniversary of the formation of the National Spiritual
Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand.



“AROHANUI”


The word “Arohanui” is a Maori word and, as with many Polynesian words,
there is no direct translation into English. The literal meaning is “big
love”, or “much love” or “great love”. And, like most words in most
languages, it has several meanings. In naming this book, “Arohanui:
Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand”, “Arohanui” is used in its
more expressive meaning, “enfolding love”, or “that love which binds a
community together”, or “that love which creates bonds of mutual trust and
loyalty”, or “that love which builds and carries forward culture or
civilization”.



Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand

Bahá’í publishing trust
Suva, Fiji
Approved for publication by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís
of New Zealand Inc.
(c) 1982 BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING TRUST SUVA, FIJI ISLANDS



    “You are destined to achieve great things for our beloved Cause
    and my constant prayer is that your vision may be clear, your
    purpose unshaken, your zeal undiminished, your hopes undimmed. Let
    not obstacles and disappointments, which are inevitable,
    dishearten you and whenever you are faced with trials recall our
    Beloved’s innumerable sufferings.”


    From a letter to the first New Zealand Bahá’í dated August 12th, 1926.

The letters in this compilation were written by various secretaries of the
Guardian at his specific direction. Spelling and other inconsistencies are
a reflection of the fact that different secretaries were used. Those
passages actually written by the Guardian himself are printed in italics.

The messages are numbered sequentially for the convenience of the reader
and as an aid to indexing. The numbers appear before the date of each
letter.



PART I
LETTERS TO INDIVIDUALS, BEFORE APRIL 21ST, 1926.


These were written prior to the formation of the first Local Spiritual
Assembly in New Zealand.



(1) June 22nd, 1923


My dear Bahá’í sister,

Your beautiful letter of April 3rd written to the Beloved Guardian of the
Cause of God, our dear Shoghi Effendi, was received.[+E1] He was much
impressed and charmed with the spirit of your letter, which indicated deep
devotion to and absolute dependence on the Holy Spirit of the Beloved
Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

He instructed me with a heart overflowing with love to answer your letter,
conveying to you his high estimation for the beauty of the faith of the
New Zealand friends, and deep appreciation towards the splendid services
of our dear Mr and Mrs Dunn,[+E2] who are so wonderfully blessed and
assisted by the power of the Holy Ghost. He loves you all and prays for
your happiness and spiritual growth.

It is true that your group is now still small, but he assures you that
your group will before long grow larger and larger day by day. It has been
always the case with the growth of every religion. Some pure soul or souls
go to some land and sow the seeds of the heavenly teachings in the hearts
of few who are most pure and so most receptive. The seeds will germinate
and grow in them. The fruits of these seeds appear in the regeneration of
the lives of these primary adherents. These primary adherents share the
bounties they have received with other souls, who through them obtain new
life and light and in turn illumine other people.

The primary adherents are the stars of great magnitude in every land in
the firmament of the Kingdom of God. They are the chosen people. They are
like candles which, through their sacrificial efforts, are weeping their
lives away in order to give light to the world and establish the purpose
of their Lord and Saviour, which purpose is the salvation of mankind. His
Holiness, Jesus Christ! see how small the group of His disciples was! No
matter how few the number of the disciples was, yet they through His power
illumined the world. Our Era is similar to that, but through the
development of humanity it is greater, and through the evils of the
material civilization and negligence of mankind our sacrifices must be
greater. Divine light must make itself manifest in our daily life deeds.

In the early days of the appearance of our Saviour, virtue was to save
ourselves. When we are once established in our faith, then virtue is to
save others. The three mottoes of education hold true in our case too.
First grow, then become and then contribute. We have developed; we have
established ourselves, and now it is time to contribute to others. We have
inexhaustible capital. The candles of our spiritual lives constantly weep
away their lives in shedding light to the world, but they never become
exhausted. For there is connection between our lives and that of
Bahá’u’lláh and our beloved ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

It cannot be described how much we long to see our dear New Zealand
brethren and sisters. We hope the day will come when they can come to us
and we to them. Meanwhile, we are praying at the Holy Threshold of our
beloved Master for your success and happiness. We hope you will pray for
us too. The effect of the prayers of the pure hearts is tremendously
great.

Our dear Shoghi Effendi wants you not to look at your own capacity, but at
the power of the Holy Ghost of God. He sends you all his loving greeting
and tender affection.

With warm wishes and Bahá’í love, I remain,

Your humble brother in His love,
Azizullah S. Bahadur



(2) May 8th, 1925


Alláh-u-abhá

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Shoghi Effendi was very pleased to receive this morning your letter of
28th April, but we were very sorry to hear you have been ill and hope your
health will soon be completely restored.[+E3] It was nice that you saw
Shoghi’s sister and Soheil’s brother in London.

I forget whether I gave you the address of Mr and Mrs King, c/o Messrs
Hayman and King, 202 Old Christchurch Rd. Bournemouth. They are very
kind-hearted Bahá’ís and will be delighted to see any of you if you call.
Both of them work in the business and you are most likely to see them if
you call there. They live above the shop.

I gave you Sister Challis’s address at West Moors (Ferndown Lodge). You
can get there by ’bus from Bournemouth Sq. or Lansdowne, which will drop
you right at Sister Challis’s door (She keeps a nursing home) or you can
go by train from West Bournemouth to West Moors station which is within 5
minutes’ walk of Ferndown Lodge. I hope you will be able to see her.

As I write, the Greatest Holy Leaf is on a visit to the Shrine of the
Master. It is over a year, I think, since she has been able to visit the
shrine and until now she has not seen the new Gardens, in the laying out
of which Shoghi Effendi has taken such a deep interest. The Gardens are
looking lovely now and it is easy to imagine how delighted she will be.
One day during the feast of Ridván she and the Holy Mother were able to
visit Bahjí and the Garden of Ridván.

I have quite recovered from my pleurisy now and am steadily regaining my
strength.

Shoghi Effendi is still tired. I hope he will soon be able to take a rest.

All the friends here join in loving greetings and best wishes to yourself,
your son and daughter, Miss Stevenson and Effie Baker.[+E4] With warmest
greetings.

Your brother in the service of the Beloved,
J. E. Esslemont

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear precious sister in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:_

_I was so glad to hear from you directly and learn of your improved health
and meeting with the English Bahá’ís. I need not assure you of my ardent
prayers for your happiness, good health and continued success in the
service of the Cause. I hope and pray you will be enabled by the guiding
spirit of the Master not only to stimulate the interest of your friends
and relations in this Cause but to make of some of them earnest and
whole-hearted believers and supporters of the Faith._

_Shoghi_



(3) May 9th, 1925


Alláh-u-abhá

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Greatest Holy Leaf and Shoghi Effendi have asked me to answer on their
behalf your kind letters of Apr. 2nd from Port Said and April 14th from
London.

We were sorry to hear that Mrs Blundell got a chill on the steamer and was
laid up for a few days after her arrival in London. We hope that by this
time she is all right again. We had a note from her from Bournemouth.

You will be glad to hear that the Greatest Holy Leaf and the Holy Mother
were able to motor to Bahjí and Ridván one day during the Feast of Ridván,
and that yesterday the Greatest Holy Leaf motored to the Shrine of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and saw the new Gardens in which Shoghi Effendi has been
taking so much interest.

Yesterday a Dutchman arrived here from Port Said, the first Dutch Bahá’í,
so far as we know. He has been a sincere and earnest truth-seeker for
years. About 9 months ago he left his home at the Hague and walked on foot
through Belgium, France and Italy. Then he felt some inward urge to go to
Egypt, and travelled thither by a Dutch Cargo Steamer. When the steamer
arrived at Port Said Mahmood Effendi, one of the Port Said Bahá’ís came on
board and was introduced to Mesdag (the Dutchman). They struck up a
friendship at once and after 2 days Mesdag went to live in Mahmood’s
house. There he met Martha Root, Mr Schopflocher and various other
Bahá’ís, read my book and became thoroughly interested and seems now
already a firm believer. He has already, since his arrival yesterday
morning, translated our 8-page folder into Dutch and we hope he will be
able to do much to make the Cause known in Holland and win adherents
there.

I have quite recovered from my pleurisy now and am feeling almost as
vigorous as before the attack. Azizullah Bahadur is now in Stuttgart.
There is as yet no improvement in his hand, but he is having skilled
treatment now and we hope it will be successful. He seems to be having a
very happy time with the German friends.

Shoghi Effendi is much in need of rest, but fairly well. He and all the
members of the Holy Family join in loving greetings and heartfelt prayers
for your welfare. We hope you will have a fine time in England and return
to New Zealand refreshed and reinvigorated physically and spiritually to
take up your work for the Kingdom there with new enthusiasm and devotion.
We pray that you may always be guided and strengthened by the Divine
Confirmations.

With love also to Effie Baker and all the other friends,

Your brother in the service of the Beloved,
J. E. Esslemont

[From the Guardian:]

_My precious Bahá’í sister:--_

_I wish to assure you personally of my appreciation of your devotion to
the Cause, and your earnest efforts to promote it as well as my fervent
prayers for your spiritual advancement, success and happiness. I will
always remember you most tenderly in my hours of visit at the three holy
Shrines and beseech for you and the New Zealand friends the blessings of
our loving and almighty Master._

_You true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(4) May 21st, 1925


Alláh-u-abhá

Dear Bahá’í Brother,

Shoghi Effendi has asked me to reply to your kind letter of 11th April. He
is delighted to hear that you propose starting a Bahá’í Magazine for
Australia and New Zealand and suggests as a suitable title “The Herald of
the South”. Every 19 days a letter will be sent from Haifa to Mr and Mrs
Hyde Dunn giving the news of the Cause. Owing to the restricted facilities
for multiplying copies which are at present available here, I fear it will
not be possible to send another copy to you, but doubtless you can arrange
with Mr and Mrs Hyde Dunn to have their copy passed on to you for the
magazine. We are glad to hear that notwithstanding the absence of the
Blundells and Margaret Stevenson, the friends in New Zealand are remaining
united and active. We hope that when the pilgrims return the faith and
enthusiasm of the believers will be greatly deepened and strengthened and
that many new believers may be attracted. I had a long letter from Effie
Baker yesterday. She is very devoted and whole-hearted and will be a
valuable worker for the Cause, I think, and a great help to Father and
Mother Dunn. When she wrote, Margaret Stevenson had gone to Scotland and
Mrs and Miss Blundell were in Bournemouth. Effie Baker hopes to make a
return visit to Haifa on her way back to Australia.

Shoghi Effendi assures you of his prayers on behalf of your mother,
yourself and all the Australasian friends and his hopes that the proposed
Magazine may greatly help the spread of the Glad Tidings in Australia and
New Zealand.

With warmest greetings and best wishes,

Yours sincerely in the Master’s service,
J. E. Esslemont

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear fellow-worker:_

_Your charming letter truly gladdened my heart. I will follow the
development of your magazine with keen interest and assure you of my
desire to help and promote its interests to the fullest possible extent. I
am enclosing the photographs of the shrine and gardens recently laid out
in the close neighbourhood of the Shrines of the Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. I
assure you of my love, appreciation and fervent prayers._

_Yours, _
_ Shoghi_



(5) May 28th, 1925


Alláh-u-abhá.

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Shoghi Effendi asks me to thank you on his behalf for your letter of 14th
May. He received the letter of Mrs. Amy Thornton all right. I remember
answering it for him some weeks ago, so you can set your mind at rest on
that score.

The recovery of your Bahá’í ring and stones was very remarkable. It
reminds me of a somewhat similar occurrence in Bournemouth. One of our
Bahá’í friends had her Bahá’í ring stolen, and nothing was heard or seen
of it for some months. Mr King, another of our group, has an antique shop
in Bournemouth and one day his partner (a non-Bahá’í) bought a ring from a
man who said it was his wife’s, but as they had become very badly off she
wanted to sell it. When Mr King saw the ring he recognized it as a Bahá’í
ring and knowing that this friend had lost her ring, he sent it to me. It
turned out to be her ring and she was delighted to recover it. The curious
thing is that out of the dozens of jewellers and antique shops in
Bournemouth to which the ring might have been taken for sale, it should be
taken to the one where there was a Bahá’í who recognized it.

I hope that before you leave Scotland you may be able to go to Aberdeen
and see my home people. They would be delighted to see you. My father’s
address is Fairford, Cults, (about 3 miles from Aberdeen, by car or
train). He is 86 years of age and rather frail. My sister looks after him.
My two married brothers are Peter Esslemont, 21, Louisville Avenue
(Business: John E. Esslemont, 16 King Street) and W.D.E., 12 Wellbrae
Terr., Mannofield. Both of their houses are near the Mannofield Car Line.

We were very glad to hear of your meetings with the friends at London and
West Moors.

Many thanks for your letter to myself and the excellent snap-shots
enclosed. I am glad you have fallen in love with Sister Challis and hope
you will see her again before you leave. I had a delightful letter
yesterday from Miss Kilford of West Moors, whom I regard as a Bahá’í
grand-daughter, as she was brought into the Cause by Sister Challis who
calls me her Bahá’í father!

We hope Shoghi Effendi will get away soon for a much needed rest. The
Greatest Holy Leaf was rather seriously ill last week, but is a good deal
better again, although very feeble and frail.

I have been advised by the Drs to leave Haifa for the summer months, as my
breathing has lately been troublesome and they think the moist heat during
the summer here would be bad for me. On the same day on which this
decision was arrived at, I received a cordial invitation to go to a place
in the Black Forest for my summer vacation. The Drs considered this place
would be ideal for me and that the sooner I got away the better, so I
leave in 3 days time. My address will be c/o Frau Victoria von Sigsfeld,
Husli, Finsterlingen, bei St Blaisien, Baden, Germany. I hope to return to
Haifa in the latter part of Sept. to resume my work here.

Shoghi Effendi, the members of the Holy Household and the friends here
join in loving greetings and best wishes.

Your brother in the service of the Beloved,
J. E. Esslemont

Mrs Schopflocher arrived here last night after a very successful tour in
Russia, Persia and Iraq.

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear co-worker:_

_I was very glad indeed to learn about your experiences and visit to the
friends and your firm determination to labour unceasingly in the Divine
Vineyard. I will continue to pray for you that all your relatives and
friends may recognise and be illumined with the resplendent Light of this
Divine Revelation. Never feel disheartened and trust me ever your
affectionate, grateful and true brother in the service of the Cause._

_Shoghi_



(6) November 4th, 1925


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Shoghi Effendi received your kind letter and wishes me to acknowledge its
receipt. He hopes that on your return to New Zealand you will obtain
divine assistance in your services to the Cause. That land has been newly
opened to the Bahá’í Movement. The work of the friends therefore,
interesting and useful as it may be, is hard and most exacting to one’s
patience and energy. It needs great perseverance to obtain a hearing among
the people and draw their attention to this Blessed Cause. But once that
that has been obtained and the way smoothed then progress becomes
increasingly great and the fruits of your labours appreciated.

Shoghi Effendi is very glad that you have enjoyed your trip to England.
The Friends there though they are few in number, are full of love and
affection, one cannot but feel at home among them.

Shoghi Effendi thanks Miss Nora Lee for the kind contribution she has made
to the Cause. It will be spent for the progress of this movement so dear
to the heart of us all. Enclosed there will be a receipt for that amount.

Shoghi Effendi and the other members of the family send you their best
Bahá’í love and greeting and wish you success in your services to the
Cause.

Your brother in His Name,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dearest fellow-worker:_

_My prayers accompany you wherever you go. I wish you to be happy,
confident and active. Rest assured of my great admiration of your zeal and
steadfast labours, of my confidence in the success of your splendid
pioneer services and of my eagerness to hear from you about the progress
of your work._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(7) December 5th, 1925


_To the publisher of the Bahá’í Magazine, “The Herald of the South”._

_My dear friend and fellow-worker:_

_I have just heard the welcome news of the publication of the first issue
of the Bahá’í Journal, recently established by the friends of Australia
and New Zealand. I rejoice in this new and notable Bahá’í enterprise,
particularly as it is undertaken by my dearly-beloved and self-sacrificing
brothers and sisters in a land which holds so great a promise for the
future._

_I have followed the progress of the activities of the Bahá’ís of
Australia and New Zealand with keen interest and ever-increasing
confidence, and with a deep sense of pride and gratitude. I most heartily
welcome this newly-added link in the chain of the many services, so
lovingly and spontaneously rendered by the pioneers of the Cause in these
lands. I assure you of my steadfast prayers for the speedy expansion and
consolidation of this youngest of all Bahá’í Magazines, and of my earnest
endeavours to enable it attain a standard worthy of the bearer of such a
noble Message._

_It should be the object and purpose of its author and publisher to open
its pages to the consideration and review of matters that are strictly
Bahá’í in character, as well as to the treatment of topics of a
humanitarian, ethical and religious nature; that its readers, while
witnessing to the liberal and broad-minded attitude of the Bahá’í Cause,
may receive from it their full share of inspiration which only a clear and
direct statement of the Divine Message can impart._

_Go forth, on thy noble errand, O thou Herald of the South! Join thy
voice, however feeble, to those of thy sister-journals who, in various
parts of the world, are raising with one accord the call of this new Day
of God. Persevere in thy labours, endeavour to reach every circle and
every home, that the light thou bearest may in the fulness of time
illuminate with its healing rays the uttermost corners of that distant and
troubled continent._

_Your well-wisher, _
_ Shoghi_



(8) March 4th, 1926


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Your letter to Shoghi Effendi and the enclosed one to Ruhi with the postal
order for £10 have been received and read with keen interest and pleasure.

We are all very happy to know that you have had such a pleasant journey
back home and that you had the opportunity of delivering the message on so
many occasions. We hope and pray that the seed you have sown has fallen on
fertile soil and that in time it will grow and bear abundant fruit.

We hope that now through your sustained zeal and effort new life will be
infused into your small Bahá’í group, and that it will in the near future
grow sufficiently in number to enable you to form an assembly the first to
be established in that land. We shall pray at the Holy Threshold for your
guidance and the success of your work.

The Greatest Holy Leaf and the Holy Mother remember you well, and they and
the other members of the family send their loving greetings to you.

You will be interested to know that the new pilgrim house is being
completed, and it will be all ready in a month time for the new pilgrims
that will come.

We still have our dear sister Effie Baker with us, and we all love her so;
she is so sweet and helpful.

We have just now two American lady friends with us, Auntie Victoria
Bedekian and Mrs R. Kehler--very fine Bahá’ís they are and we are
expecting some more soon.

I always remember the happy day I spent with you and Effy in London and
shall look forward to the pleasure of meeting you again some day--perhaps
here in Haifa or in New Zealand, who knows?

I am back at home now for the present, and I am trying to help Shoghi
Effendi a little in his enormous task.

He is keeping in good health I am glad to say in spite of his many
activities and heavy and manifold responsibilities.

To you he sends his brotherly love and the assurance of his prayers for
your welfare and happiness.

With all good wishes and loving greetings,

Your sister in His Service,
Ruh-Anguiz Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear and precious Bahá’í sister:_

_I cannot but add a few words personally expressing my deep appreciation
of your persistent, self-sacrificing services to the Cause. I have devoted
your gift towards the Fund for the Western Pilgrim House and I wish to
assure you that when I visit the Holy Shrines I tenderly supplicate for
you Divine Guidance and strength in your labours for our beloved Cause._

_Your true Brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(9) April 3rd, 1926


Dear Spiritual Sister:--

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
January 24, 1926.

He hopes that after this long vacation you have had you are ready to begin
spreading the Cause in New Zealand with even greater energy than before.
The people there seem to be broad in their outlook, receptive to any idea
which helps the human family from decreasing its burden.

Shoghi Effendi was most chagrined to hear of the sudden death of your
son(1) and wishes me to extend to you his deepest love and sympathy.

There is no special news here except that we have removed to the new
pilgrim house. Miss Baker is well and very busy entertaining the friends
and arranging the new home.

Shoghi Effendi as well as the other members of the family are well and
send you their love and greetings. They earnestly pray for your success
and hope to hear, before long, the news of your many victories in the
field of services to the Cause.

Please convey my loving greetings to your son and daughter.

Yours most sincerely,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear fellow-worker:_

_I wish to express in person my deep sympathy in the heavy loss you have
sustained. May the Beloved Comforter strengthen you and sustain you in
your bereavement. The memory of your visit to the Holy Land is still fresh
and vivid in my mind and I pray and supplicate at the holy Shrines that
your labours in the Cause may yield an abundant harvest._

_Your sympathising brother, _
_ Shoghi_



PART II
LETTERS TO INDIVIDUALS, APRIL 21ST, 1926--APRIL 21ST, 1934.


The first combined National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia
and New Zealand was formed in 1934.



(10) August 12th, 1926


My very dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi has been in receipt of your interesting letter dated June
7, 1926. It is a great pity that your health has more or less handicapped
you in your service to the Cause. We, however, hope that this weakness
will soon vanish and your health and strength be fully restored.

The case of the teacher who has been in Palestine is one really to be
lamented. All such persons instead of procuring their information from the
very source, when they are so near to it, they go to the Missionaries who
are undoubtedly biased. They are immediately told that the Cause is
nothing more than a sect of Islam; a Movement that may do immense good to
the Muḥammadan world, but far from ranking with Christianity or satisfying
its needs. Then they refer this ignorant and innocent person to books such
as Brown’s. It is their fault for having gone to the wrong source for
proper information, but once they have gone it is not their mistake to
have been misled. We have heard of many such instances and there is
absolutely no remedy except to leave them until they find the truth for
themselves. We can only pray for their guidance.

Shoghi Effendi always prays for you as well as the other Auckland friends,
so that through your combined efforts the Cause may prosper there, and
obtain a strong position in the life of the people. I am not the least
familiar with the social conditions there, but I am sure there is a ready
field for active service.

Yours in His Name,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear fellow-worker:_

_I rejoice to learn that your dear sons are realizing gradually the
significance of this unique and mighty Cause, and my constant and fervent
prayer is that you may witness erelong the fruition of their slow yet sure
spiritual evolution. Persevere in your labours for I entertain and cherish
the brightest hopes for the future awakening of promising New-Zealand. I
shall ever remember the memorable visit of the first New-Zealand believers
to the Holy Land. Please assure them of my undying affection._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(11) August 12th, 1926


My dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
June 7, 1926. It was most interesting to go over your circular letter and
read the many points of interest. I was especially struck by the
literature you have sent to Lord and Lady Allenby. If they have at all
seen them I am sure they were much impressed, for they knew the Master so
well. They were surely very astonished to see a group of Bahá’ís formed in
such a distant land.

I am very ashamed of myself not to have yet answered your letter of some
months ago. It was mainly because Shoghi Effendi wrote you and
acknowledged the receipt of your contribution for the pilgrim house that I
have been so neglectful. I took Miss Baker’s advice on the matter and
together we went down-town and bought a set of straw chairs. We thought
that would be most appreciated by the friends while sitting in the veranda
of the new Pilgrim House.

I remember a prayer, which you wrote, has been asked by a certain friend
to be read daily. I believe sometimes the friends through their zeal and
ardour do things that are not asked in the Cause. We have only one prayer
that we have to say daily. No one in the world has the power, given to him
by Bahá’u’lláh to add another to that daily prayer. If we should admit
this the life of the friends will soon be spent in mere prayer, which is
not the aim of the Cause. The healing prayer and such ones are only for
occasional use when the need arises.

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to extend to you his hearty greetings and assure
you of his prayers.

Yours in His Name,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear fellow-worker:_

_Your letters are always a source of inspiring joy and stimulating
encouragement to me. You are destined to achieve great things for our
beloved Cause and my constant prayer is that your vision may be clear,
your purpose unshaken, your zeal undiminished, your hopes undimmed. Let
not obstacles and disappointments, which are inevitable, dishearten you
and whenever you are faced with trials recall our Beloved’s innumerable
sufferings. You certainly occupy a warm and abiding place in my heart._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(12) August 25th, 1926


Dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
June 14th 1926, and also thank, through you, the Auckland friends for
their kind contribution.

He wishes me to assure you and them of his earnest prayers. He hopes that
through your constant endeavours the Cause will progress rapidly in that
city and make the spirit of the movement permeate throughout the land.
Though your number is still comparatively small yet through divine
guidance and the Master’s ever wakeful spirit you will soon add many to
your group and make of it a power for goodness which will attract all
attention.

With best wishes and kindest greetings I remain,

Yours ever sincerely,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear fellow-worker:_

_I am touched by this expression of the loyalty and devotion of the
Auckland Bahá’ís whose welfare, and spiritual advancement are the object
of my earnest and constant prayer. I shall devote it to further the
interests of the Cause in ways that are dearest and nearest to my heart. I
shall supplicate the Almighty that strength and wisdom may be given you to
face and overcome the obstacles and trials that you will inevitably
encounter in future. The end is glorious if we only persevere._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(13) September 18th, 1926


Dear Spiritual Brother:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
July 18, 1926. He was very glad to learn of the encouraging prospects you
have for your “Herald of the South”. He hopes that it will daily progress
and add to its importance in drawing the attention of the people there. A
good periodical fully representative of the spirit and teachings of the
Cause is the greatest help the Movement can have in establishing itself in
a country. So though difficulties may be found at the outset, we should
bear them patiently and await that the future should give us our reward.

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to extend to you his loving greetings and assure
you, as well as your mother and Mr Brewer, of his constant prayers. He
hopes that through your combined efforts the Herald of the South will soon
realise its aim and purpose.

Yours in His Service,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear and precious co-worker:_

_Your welcome letter has cheered my heart and I look forward with
confidence and joy to the harvest which you are destined to reap in the
not distant future. I shall be so pleased and grateful if you would send
me regularly a copy of your Bahá’í periodical which I trust and pray will
grow from strength to strength and contribute its destined share to the
progress and consolidation of the Cause of God. Be assured of my prayers
for your happiness, welfare and spiritual advancement._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(14) October 23rd, 1926


Dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
11–9-26. He was most gratified to learn that the Cause is becoming more
and more known and appreciated by the people in New Zealand. This is as
important as the actual increase of the number of the friends, for it
means that the principles are gradually permeating the thoughts of the
people and making them more ready and receptive to the full identification
of their beliefs with the precepts of the Cause.

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to assure you of his prayers for you as well as
for the other friends in New Zealand. He hopes that they will increase
both in number as well as in spiritual understanding and insight. The
reports that we occasionally receive from there are most encouraging and
hopeful. It seems that the people there due to their breadth of mind and
lack of traditional draw-backs show better prospect than many other
places.

With deepest loving greetings,

Yours in His Name,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear co-worker:_

_Your letter rejoiced my heart. I request you to persevere and renew your
splendid efforts for the consolidation of the work already achieved. I
have great hopes in the ‘Herald of the South’ and trust that the Editor
will be guided and strengthened in his noble undertaking. I shall be
obliged if you send me copies of any newspapers that may publish anything
on the Cause as I am preparing a collection of them in the Holy Land.
Please assure the friends in New-Zealand of my continued prayers at the
holy Shrines for the success of their pioneer work._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(15) November 3rd, 1926


Dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
September 13th 1926. He was most gratified to read the nice and
encouraging news it contained.[+E5] He hopes that the “Herald of the
South” will daily increase in importance and now that it is coming out in
printed form, obtain a great number of readers. You should try from the
very start to maintain a high standard for its articles. They should be
broad in view, clear in style and scholarly in their development of the
different subjects. In short the ‘public’ should be taught to consider it
as a paper fully worthwhile to read and meditate upon. Shoghi Effendi will
remember in his prayers all those who are working in this noble field of
service.

Shoghi Effendi desires that you should extend his loving greetings to all
the friends in Auckland. He hopes that through their endeavours and the
Master’s invisible guiding hand they will succeed to raise the standard of
the Cause in that land to such heights that it will arouse the interest of
all the seeking souls and in due time win their support.

The members of the Master’s family are well and send you their loving
greetings.

Yours in His Service,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear co-worker:_

_I shall pray from all my heart for the steady development and the growing
influence of the “Herald of the South”. May its voice grow in strength and
power, and may its pages increasingly reflect the dynamic spirit of the
Faith and mirror forth the ever-expanding activities of the friends in
Australasia as well as in distant lands. Persevere in your efforts, let
not obstacles damp your zeal and determination and rest assured that the
Power of God which is reinforcing your efforts will in the end triumph and
enable you to fulfil your cherished desire._

_Shoghi_



(16) January 11th, 1927


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Our beloved Guardian has asked me to write to you for him. He is very
pleased with your letter of Dec. 8th which reached him on Jan. 10th and he
is very glad to hear of your activities in New Zealand. He will pray
earnestly that your sincere efforts to make Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation
widely known will bring forth much fruit and have a great result. In the
newer countries minds are more open, and the people more ready and willing
to receive this Great Message.

With regard to the Queen of Rumania’s 3 articles--he will see that you
receive them correctly. He considers the last one in which she
acknowledges Muḥammad as a true Prophet of God to have great importance
for the East and especially in Persia. This evening, I personally have had
a most interesting conversation with Dr. Habíb of Kermanshah[+E6] who is
now on a visit to Shoghi Effendi with his wife and little girl. He was
telling us of the continued fanaticism of the Moslems of Persia--and how
during two periods of the year especially, the fanatical Mullahs preach
against the Bahá’ís from their pulpits--saying to the ignorant “No matter
what evil things you have done during your life, or what sins you have
committed, if you kill a Bahá’í who is an enemy of Islam, or even if you
take his property or severely injure him, all your own sins will be wiped
out and forgiven for the sake of this good deed of destroying an enemy of
the Faith!!”--in this way they incite the people to deeds of violence and
persecution. He said that the Bahá’í teachings are spreading rapidly
amongst the more educated classes--but it is difficult to teach the very
poor and ignorant fanatical people--tho’ when they do become Believers,
they are very strong and faithful. The 2 periods of particular danger for
the Bahá’ís in Persia are the fast month and the period of
Moharram[+E7]--which lasts for 8 weeks.

Shoghi Effendi is very interested to hear of the engagement of your son to
a Bahá’í young lady--and he prays that in future they may do a great work
for the “Cause”. He hopes so much that you will recover your full health
and strength, and he will pray especially for that. It is good to know
that Esperanto is increasingly studied in New Zealand.

He will certainly pray for Miss Palter(2) and her Mother as you ask him to
do--and also for your dear son and your two daughters. Please accept all
best wishes from myself and Believe me

Yours in His Service,
Ethel J. Rosenberg

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear and able co-worker:_

_I have read the issues of the “Herald” with deep joy and thankfulness. I
will continue to pray at the holy shrines that the invincible power of
Bahá’u’lláh may add to your present opportunities, extend the sphere of
the Journal, and enable you, individually and collectively, to mirror
forth the beauty and the power of this Divine Revelation._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(17) January 30th, 1927


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to thank you for the M.O. for £1--which he has
safely received, sent for the help of the sufferers in Persia.

He is himself sending this money to the Nat. Assembly in Teheran, and has
requested them to send him the receipt for it--When he receives their
receipt he will forward it to you, and urges you to give it to the friend
who sent the money. The Persian friends will be very much pleased at
receiving this kind remembrance and help from far distant New Zealand!

With love and warm Bahá’í greetings from the holy household and the
friends here, to the dear friends in Auckland.

In the Master’s Service,

Sincerely Yours,
Ethel J. Rosenberg

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear co-worker:_

_I am deeply touched by this further evidence of the love and devotion of
the New-Zealand Bahá’ís and I will gladly forward their contribution of
our friend to the Teheran Assembly to be sent by them to the sufferers in
Jahrum. I will ardently pray for every one of you that the Beloved may
guide your steps and lead you to glorious victory. I urge you to
communicate regularly and frequently with the Bahá’í newsletter editor
through Mr Horace Holley and report to him the progress of your
activities. It is so essential and valuable._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(18) May 13th, 1927


My dear Bahá’í Sister,

I take pleasure in thanking you on behalf of my dear Guardian for your
letter of April 5th.

As a far away outpost of the Bahá’í Faith in New Zealand, he is always
delighted to hear from Auckland and especially yourself and your promising
Assembly there. You own a warm spot in his heart and he is looking forward
to the day when through the efforts of the Auckland Assembly, centres will
be established in every town in New Zealand. A firm faith and a golden
heart is yours, there still remains to turn other hearts into gold.

Miss Butler is well and often thinks of you. Assuring you of our
Guardian’s prayers and the love and best wishes of the family who always
remember you.

Ever yours in His Service,
Soheil Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear and precious co-worker:_

_You should exercise your judgement and tact in delivering the message.
You should make an effort to understand the character and mind of the
seeker before you speak to him on the Cause. I will pray that you may be
inspired and guided to follow the path of moderation and may become an
exemplary herald of His message in that far-away land._

_Your well-wisher, _
_ Shoghi_



(19) June 4th, 1929


Dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of Feb.
14th. He always feels great pleasure to obtain some news from the friends
of that distant land and he hopes and prays that through God’s blessings
and your constant endeavours the Cause will develop in New Zealand and
bring into its fold many sincere and devoted souls.

The news that we daily obtain from the different parts of the world bring
in wonderful news of the progress of the Movement. The world is gradually
appreciating the significance of this Movement which has been for so long
misunderstood and denounced.

Yours ever sincerely,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear Spiritual Sister:_

_I wish to assure you in person of my prayers for you as well as the dear
and unforgettable friends in Auckland who assuredly occupy a warm and
abiding place in my heart. I eagerly await the news of the progress of
their work, and trust and pray that the Almighty may guide their steps,
and help them to surmount every obstacle._

_Shoghi_



(20) October 4th, 1930


Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
April 6th 1930 written from London. He was very happy to learn that
wherever you have been you have received wonderful reception from the
friends. Surely, it is only through such acts of hospitality that the true
spirit of the Cause is manifested.

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to assure you of his prayers and extend to you
his hope that wherever you go you will feel the divine help and guidance.
He hopes that in America you will experience the true spirit of love that
animates the friends there and that you will give them Shoghi Effendi’s
greetings.

Yours ever sincerely,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear and precious co-worker:_

_I was much pleased to hear from you and to learn of your experiences. I
trust that the same welcome and loving-kindness will be extended to you by
the American friends. You are often in my thoughts, and I will continue to
pray for your spiritual as well as material welfare and advancement.
Convey, when you write to your Mother, my loving and affectionate
greetings._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(21) May 18th, 1931


My dear Bahá’í Sister:

I thank you on behalf of the Guardian for your letter of April 16th.

He was very glad to know that you are now on your way to England by way of
America and he hopes that you will find the occasion and the means of
visiting the friends and making permanent connections with them. Bertram
will of course be delighted to meet you and we hope he is successful in
his work there.

I suppose you have all the London addresses as the friends there would be
delighted to meet you. Of course if you do decide to visit Haifa on your
way back, Shoghi Effendi wishes me to assure you of a most hearty welcome.

With his loving greetings to you all and to the young couple in England
and with much love from all here.

Sincerely yours,
Soheil Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear co-worker:_

_I was so pleased to hear from you and of your plans. I do hope you will
be able to visit the Holy Land where you would be most welcome in
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s home. I will pray for the success of your efforts from the
depths of my heart when I visit the holy shrines. May the Beloved enable
you to render distinguished services to His Cause and remove every
obstacle from your path._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(22) December 17th, 1931


Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
Dec. 2nd 1931. He is very sorry that you cannot on your way to New
Zealand, break your journey and come over for a short visit to Haifa. But
these are such difficult days that we should not be astonished and
discouraged if our plans fail. He hopes however that on your way you will
meet the friends, especially those in Port Said, for we have no centers in
Haifa and Colombo.

He was also very sorry to hear that Bertram has to give up his studies and
return home. Shoghi Effendi hopes that this period he spent in America
would be itself an education that would help him in his work in serving
the Cause. His activities with the young people there should have made him
very experienced and have deepened his understanding of the Faith.

I believe Mrs Dunn is planning to come this spring for a visit to Haifa.
Perhaps you will meet her before she starts, Shoghi Effendi is eagerly
waiting to see this noble soul who introduced the Cause into Australia and
has been so self-sacrificing in her services.

Shoghi Effendi hopes that on returning home you will start again to serve
the Cause and attract new souls. The world is in great distress and its
only salvation is in the spirit and teachings of the Blessed Beauty. Let
us not, we who are the trustees of that divine message, fail in
accomplishing our task and fulfilling our purpose.

Assuring you of Shoghi Effendi’s best wishes I remain

Yours ever sincerely,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear and valued co-worker:_

_I am wiring the friends in Port-Said to meet you on your arrival and I
very much regret your inability to come to Haifa and visit the holy
shrines. I will continue to pray for you, for your son-in-law and for your
dear and promising son for whose future work in the Cause I cherish the
brightest hopes. I will also remember in my prayers the friends in
far-away Australia and New Zealand and will supplicate for them all the
Master’s richest blessings and unfailing guidance._

_Shoghi_



(23) April 29th, 1933


Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to thank you[+E8] for your kind letter of March
16th 1933, as well as the enclosed article which has been translated by
Mr. Paul into the Maori language.

The Guardian has already written Mr. Paul and expressed to him his deep
appreciation for the service he has rendered to the Faith, but especially
to his own people who through the means of such literature will be
acquainted with the teachings and will receive the light of guidance
brought to the world by Bahá’u’lláh.

I believe the Guardian has already intimated his approval of this pamphlet
and the desire that the friends in Australia publish and circulate it
among the Maoris.

As regards the passages in the sacred writings indicating the wrath of
God; Shoghi Effendi says that the Divinity has many attributes: He is
loving and merciful but also just. Just as reward and punishment,
according to Bahá’u’lláh, are the pillars upon which society rests, so
mercy and justice may be considered as their counterpart in the world to
come. Should we disobey God and work against His commands He will view our
acts in the light of justice and punish us for it. That punishment may not
be in the form of fire, as some believe, but in the form of spiritual
deprivation and degradation. This is why we read so often in the prayers
statements such as “God do not deal with us with justice, but rather
through thy infinite mercy.” The wrath of God is in the administration of
His justice, both in this world and in the world to come. A God that is
only loving or only just is not a perfect God. The divinity has to possess
both of these aspects as every father ought to express both in his
attitude towards his children. If we ponder a while, we will see that our
welfare can be insured only when both of these divine attributes are
equally emphasised and practiced.

In closing may I express the Guardian’s loving greetings and best wishes
for the progress of your work in serving the Cause.

Yours ever sincerely,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_May the Almighty bless your efforts, deepen your understanding of the
essentials and distinguishing features of His Faith, guide your steps, and
aid and assist you to extend the range of your activities and services._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(24) September 1st, 1933


Dear Bahá’í Friend,

Shoghi Effendi has directed me to address you these few lines,
acknowledging the receipt of your welcome letter of July 20th, 33, which
he has read with deepest interest. He was gratified to learn that you have
newly embraced the Cause and that you are earnestly endeavouring to spread
it through every possible means. It is on young and active Bahá’ís, like
you, that the Guardian centers all his hopes for the future progress and
expansion of the Cause and it is on their shoulders that he lays all the
responsibility for the upkeep of the spirit of selfless service among
their fellow-believers. Without that spirit, no work can be successfully
achieved. With it triumph, though hardly-won, is but inevitable. You
should, therefore, try all your best to carry aflame within you the torch
of faith, for through it you will surely find guidance, strength and
eventual success.

The Guardian is fully conscious of the difficulties that impede the
progress of the Faith in your community. Chief among these, you mention
the lack of courage and of initiative on the part of the believers, and a
feeling of inferiority complex which prevents them from addressing the
public. It is precisely these weaknesses that he wishes the friends to
overcome, for these do not only paralyze their efforts but actually serve
to quench the flame of faith in their hearts. Not until all the friends
come to realize that every one of them is able, in his own measure, to
deliver the Message, can they ever hope to reach the goal that has been
set before them by a loving and wise Master. It is no use waiting for some
able and eloquent teacher to take all the responsibility for the spread of
the Cause. For such a thing is not only contrary to the spirit of the
Teachings but to the explicit text of the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, both of whom place the obligation of teaching not on any
particular class, as in former ecclesiastical organizations, but on every
faithful and loyal follower of the Cause. The teaching of the Word is thus
made universal and compulsory. How long then shall we wait to carry out
this command, the full wisdom of which only future generations will be
able to appreciate? We have no special teachers in the Cause. Everyone is
a potential teacher. He has only to use what God has given him and thus
prove that he is faithful to his trust.

Visiting teachers, who are, at least in a general way, supposed to be more
competent and able than the rest, are undoubtedly of a great help. But
these can never replace the mass of individual believers and fulfil what
must be inevitably accomplished through the collective effort and wisdom
of the community at large. What visiting teachers are supposed to do is to
give the final touch to the work that has been done, to consolidate rather
than supplement individual efforts and thereby direct them in a
constructive and suitable channel. Their task is to encourage and inspire
individual believers, and to broaden and deepen their vision of the task
that is to be done. And this, not by virtue of any inherent spiritual
right, but in the spirit of simple and whole-hearted cooperation.

It is in this light that Shoghi Effendi views the whole problem of
teaching not only in New Zealand but in all the Bahá’í world. He would,
therefore, encourage you to take a leading part in the carrying out of his
wishes on this point, to take yourself an active interest in teaching, not
only private but also public, and in this way stimulate the friends to
follow your example. It is then, and only then, that there can be a need
for a qualified and competent visiting teacher in order to bring to full
fruition individual teaching efforts.

Assuring you of our Guardian’s fervent prayers on your behalf, so that you
may be increasingly blessed in your efforts for the spread of the Message.

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_May the Beloved guide your steps, cheer your heart, deepen your
understanding of the distinguishing features of His Faith and enable you
to render the sacred Threshold unique and inestimable services,_

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



PART III
LETTERS TO INDIVIDUALS, MAY 1934–1957.


The first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand was
formed in 1957.



(25) June 13th, 1934


Dear Bahá’í Brother,

The Guardian has duly received and deeply enjoyed reading your letters
dated November 30th, December 27th, 1933 and February 4th, 1934. He is
sorry that unforeseen circumstances have caused such a long delay in
acknowledging their receipt. He hopes, however, that the matters you have
submitted for his consideration have not suffered as a result.

Since your last letter to him, he has heard of the gratifying news of the
formation of your N.S.A.(3) This historic step in the development of the
Administration in Australia and New Zealand is, he feels, bound to react
favourably on the further expansion and consolidation of the Faith in
these far-off lands. He is fervently supplicating Bahá’u’lláh that the
newly-elected members of the N.S.A.,(4) upon whom has been placed such a
tremendous responsibility, be assisted in the discharge of their sacred
obligations and duties to the Faith.

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear and valued co-worker:_

_The splendid reports you have sent me have been incorporated in the
manuscript and sent to the Bahá’í World Committee in America. The
formation of the national assembly of Australia and New Zealand will no
doubt furnish you with new and refreshing material for your next report in
1936. I will pray for your success and deeply value the manifold and
constant services you are rendering the Cause of God._

_Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi_



(26) December 22nd, 1934


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Guardian was profoundly grieved to learn of the passing away of your
dear mother, and has directed me to convey to you and to the bereaved
members of your family, his heartfelt condolences and sympathy for this
severe loss which you have sustained.

Mrs Blundell’s departure is, indeed, a loss not only to her family, but
also to the community of her fellow-believers in New Zealand. For in her
they have come to lose one of their oldest and most distinguished
co-workers.

The Guardian well remembers her pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and has
always cherished the hope that she would once more be enabled to visit the
shrines. But alas, her departed soul has taken its flight from this world,
leaving her friends and relatives in a state of profoundest grief. Their
only consolation now is the realization that through her painstaking and
sustained labours for the Cause in Auckland Mrs Blundell has left an
abiding monument to her memory, and one which will continue for many years
to come to inspire and strengthen them all in their collective endeavours
for the establishment of the Faith in New Zealand.

Shoghi Effendi is fervently praying for the soul of our departed sister,
and is entreating Bahá’u’lláh to give her her full share of divine
blessings in the other world.

May I also assure you of his ardent supplications for you, and for all the
friends in Auckland.

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani



(27) January 21st, 1935


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Shoghi Effendi has just been in receipt of your kind letter of the
fourteenth of December last, and has read its contents with deep interest
and gratification. It made him so happy, indeed, to learn that you are
pursuing your activities for the Faith with such steadfastness and
self-sacrifice, and also that through your beautiful and loving spirit
those members of your family who have not yet embraced the Faith are being
gradually attracted to it. He is ardently entreating Bahá’u’lláh that
through your inspiration and guidance their interest in the Teachings may
wax stronger and lead them to eventually espouse His Cause.

With reference to the suggestion made by Mr Alexander(5) for taking a
record of the Guardian’s voice, he wishes me to inform you that although
he fully appreciates the spirit in which this and similar suggestions are
made to him he is, nevertheless, extremely reluctant that the believers
should give any prominence to his writings, specially in the meetings
which, he is firmly convinced, should be chiefly devoted to the reading
and study of the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and the Master.

In closing will you kindly convey his greetings and appreciation to all
the friends in Auckland, and particularly to the members of your family
who, he hopes, will be assisted and sustained in their labours for the
spread of the Message.

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear and valued co-worker:_

_I am deeply grateful for the services you are so devotedly rendering and
the efforts you are so diligently exerting for the promotion of our
beloved Faith. I will continue to pray for you and your dear co-workers
from the depths of my heart._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(28) February 5th, 1935


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Guardian has just received your kind message of the second of January
last, and wishes me to thank you for it.

It comforted him greatly to learn that, despite the severe loss which you
have sustained through the passing away of your mother, you are still
engaged as actively as before in the work which you have set your heart to
accomplish for the Cause in Auckland. The agonies of her earthly
separation from you, difficult though they may be to bear, will assuredly
be transmuted through the blessings of Bahá’u’lláh into a peaceful and
abiding joy. In serving a Cause for which your mother sacrificed so much
you will no doubt come to find the very purpose of your life, and the true
secret of happiness in this, as well as in the next world.

The Guardian is fervently praying for you and for your brother, that you
both may be strengthened and guided in your services to the Cause, and in
this way continue and enrich still further the noble heritage which your
mother has left for the Faith in New-Zealand.

With loving Bahá’í greetings to you and to all the friends in Auckland.

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear co-worker:_

_I wish to assure you in person of my heartfelt sympathy in the loss you
have sustained, and of my loving and ardent prayers for the departed soul.
The work with which her name will for ever be associated will confer upon
her imperishable glory, and her example will serve to stimulate the rising
generation to follow in her footsteps, and carry on the work she has so
nobly initiated._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(29) May 20th, 1936


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Many thanks indeed from the Guardian for your welcome message of April
17th just received. He would certainly be delighted to meet you in Haifa
next year, and hopes that your visit to the Holy Shrines will give you a
fresh vigour and a renewed determination to carry on your work for the
Cause. He specially cherishes the hope that your trip to England will be
of great benefit to you, and also to our English believers. They will be
only too happy to welcome you in their midst, and will thoroughly
appreciate any assistance which you may give them during your sojourn in
England.

The Guardian has learned with deep gratification of the news of the
teaching work carried on by the Auckland believers. He wishes you to
kindly assure them all of his best wishes and fervent prayers for the
success of their labours. May Bahá’u’lláh bless, guide and strengthen them
in every step they are taking for the spread of His Faith and the
consolidation of its institutions in this far-off land.

Assuring you too of his special prayers on your behalf at the Holy
Shrines, and with warmest greetings,

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_Assuring you of a most hearty welcome, and wishing you good-health,
happiness and success,_

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(30) September 30th, 1936


Beloved Bahá’í Sister,

Your welcome letter dated August 17th has been received and read with
deepest appreciation by the Guardian.

May I again express his sincere hope that your long-cherished desire to
visit the Holy Shrines may be fulfilled very soon, and that through this
pilgrimage you may attain a renewed zeal and vigour, as well as a new
vision of the task you are called upon to accomplish for the Faith in
New-Zealand.

In closing let me assure you and your fellow-workers in Auckland of his
profound appreciation of your determination to press forward the work in
the teaching field. He is ardently praying for the guidance and success of
your labours.

With warmest greetings,

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_May the Beloved fulfil your heart’s desire, and enable you to promote
effectively the sacred and manifold interests of our beloved and glorious
Faith,_

_Your true and grateful brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(31) December 7th, 1936


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Guardian is in receipt of your letter of the fifth November, and
exceedingly regrets that, owing to certain family difficulties, you have
found it necessary to cancel your trip to the Holy Land. He is specially
grieved to learn of the many cares and sorrows with which your daughter
has been so sadly afflicted of late, and wishes me to hasten to convey to
you his most loving sympathy, as well as the assurance of his prayers for
the removal of the family troubles with which you are beset. He fervently
hopes that these afflictive trials confronting you and your beloved
daughter will all serve to quicken your spiritual energies, and that the
outcome of it all will be to open before you new horizons of service, and
fresh fields for teaching the Message. May Bahá’u’lláh give you patience
to courageously withstand these tests, and full guidance to use them as a
means to more active, concentrated and selfless service to His Cause. Do
assure, therefore, your daughter not to feel disheartened, but to
confidently endeavour to overcome her domestic sorrows and cares.

In closing may I express the Guardian’s hope that, as soon as your family
problems are solved, you may be able to undertake your long-cherished
pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines. He is ardently praying for the
materialization of your hopes and plans in this connection.

It is a pleasure to learn of the successful visit of Mr Schopflocher(6) to
Auckland, and of the warm welcome he has been accorded by you and the
friends. This is a true evidence of the strong ties of fellowship so
closely uniting the friends throughout the world, and of the deep
affection which the believers in New-Zealand cherish for their
fellow-believers in every region and clime.

With renewed and warmest greetings to you and to the friends in Auckland,

Yours in the Guardian’s Service,
H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_Assuring you of my loving and ardent prayers for the removal of every
obstacle from your path, and for the speedy realization of your dearest
hopes,_

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(32) November 8th, 1937


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Many thanks for your letter of September 16th addressed to our beloved
Guardian. He is most pleased indeed to hear of Miss Holloway’s interest in
the Cause and appreciates keenly your efforts for bringing about her full
confirmation in the Faith. He is, at your suggestion, writing her directly
and giving her the addresses of some individuals and centers in South
Africa. He hopes that through contact with the friends her interest in the
Teachings will be considerably increased and she will be stimulated to
help in spreading their knowledge throughout South Africa.

The Guardian wishes you to keep in closest touch with her through
correspondence, and to send her suitable literature on the Cause, and to
endeavour to make her join actively the Faith.

Again with many thanks for introducing this lady who indeed seems to be a
most promising worker, and with loving greetings to all the friends in
Auckland.

Yours ever in His Service,
H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_May the Beloved bless you and aid you to surmount all obstacles that may
stand in your path, and aid you to lend a fresh impetus to the work that
has been so splendidly initiated._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(33) May 17th, 1938


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Guardian is in receipt of your letter of the 19th ins., and is indeed
pleased to know that your visit to Cairo has been so happy and successful,
and that the friends have extended to you such a warm hospitality all
through your stay.[+E9]

He hopes this letter will find you well, and enjoying your visit to your
relatives and fellow-believers in England.

With loving remembrances, and renewed thanks for your message,

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_May the Beloved fulfil your heart’s desire in the service of His Faith,
and enable you to promote effectively the interests of its new-born
institutions._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(34) December 20th, 1938


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Your very cordial message of the 17th November addressed to our beloved
Guardian has duly reached him, and he has noted with keen appreciation
indeed the desire you had expressed of visiting the Holy Shrines on your
way back to New-Zealand.

As you must have surely read in the newspapers, however, the general
situation in Palestine is at present so gravely disturbed as to make it
quite impossible for you to undertake this trip in the next few months,
and in view of this the Guardian would advise that you postpone your visit
until the November of next year, by which time, it is hoped, the situation
throughout the country will have sufficiently improved to permit you to
undertake this long-cherished pilgrimage. The Guardian, needless to say,
would be also most delighted to meet you, and to hear from you directly of
the news of the Cause in New-Zealand, and to discuss certain matters which
the N.S.A.(7) has asked you to present to him for his instructions.

Regarding your question whether there is any special ceremony which the
believers should perform when they wish to “name” a baby; the Teachings do
not provide for any ceremony whatever on such occasions. We have no
“baptismal service” in the Cause, such as the Christians have. There would
be no objection, however, for the friends to come together on such happy
occasions, provided they do not hold an official public ceremony, and
provided also they strictly avoid uniformity and rigidity in all such
practices. No rule whatsoever that would tend to be rigid and uniform
should be allowed in such secondary matters, particularly as there are no
specific instructions in the Teachings regarding them.

With the warmest good wishes of the Guardian to you and to the friends,
and assuring you again of his hearty welcome to visit the Holy Shrines
during next autumn, and with greetings,

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear and valued co-worker:_

_I shall indeed grieve if the situation in Palestine should prevent our
meeting and prevent your pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines. I pray that this
may not be the case. I am so eager to meet you, and express in person my
deep and abiding sense of appreciation of the splendid and historic
services you have rendered. I will continue to pray for you from the
depths of my heart._

_Your true and grateful brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(35) March 20th, 1939


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

I am directed by our beloved Guardian to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter dated February 25th, informing him of the date of your departure
from England, and your inability to defer your visit to Haifa till next
November. He regrets indeed that you should find it impossible to extend
your stay in Europe and come to Palestine in autumn, as the situation here
is now so tense and dangerous that there seems very little hope of any
real amelioration in security conditions to take place by next May.
General conditions throughout the country are, at present, even worse than
a month ago, and the tension is daily increasing.

In case, however, security is reestablished by the time you reach
Port-Said, you would be welcome to visit the Shrines, but the Guardian
would be still away.

Wishing you again a successful and happy return home, and with the renewed
assurance of the Guardian’s prayers for your welfare, protection and
guidance,

Yours most sincerely,
H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear and valued co-worker:_

_I deeply regret that the situation in Palestine has not yet improved as I
realize how eager you are to visit the Holy Shrines. If however when you
reach Port-Said it will at all be possible for you to visit the Shrine,
you will be most welcome, I assure you. May the Almighty fulfil the
dearest hope of your heart,_

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(36) August 3rd, 1941


Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Shoghi Effendi has instructed me to answer your letter to him of May 10th,
which just came.

He was, as already expressed in the cable he sent you, greatly impressed
by the statement in the Quarterly on the true Bahá’í attitude at the
present time. It displayed a correctness of viewpoint, a courage, and a
loyalty to Bahá’u’lláh which has led him to disseminate it far and wide:
in the American News Letter, in the two Haifa News Letters, English and
Persian, etc. It was indeed a timely and most noble contribution to the
Faith.

The friends in both Australia and New Zealand seem to have developed a
most outstanding soundness in their relation to the teachings. This leads
Shoghi Effendi to believe that they will make great contributions to the
unfoldment of the world-wide aspects of the Faith.

His prayers are always with you, and he most deeply appreciates the
splendid services you are rendering the Cause, and will pray that the way
will open for you to do even greater work and in an ever widening field.

Please assure all the dear friends of Auckland of his loving remembrance
and his prayers for their work.

With Bahá’í love,
R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear and valued co-worker:_

_I cannot refrain from adding a few words in person to assure you of my
lively appreciation of your constancy and of the distinctive services you
are so ably and devotedly rendering our beloved Faith. That you may be
able to extend their range is my fervent and constant prayer. Persevere,
and be confident and happy._

_Your true and grateful brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(37) December 19th, 1947


Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated Dec. 12th has been received,
and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf. The previous letter
you mention cannot have reached him, as he always replies to letters from
the friends.

Your book[+E10] touches on a very important subject, and he regrets that
he cannot read it himself. His work is so pressing and multiplying so fast
that he invariably refuses to go over the manuscripts the friends send him
as he simply cannot attend to such things as well as all his other work.
You should send it to the Reviewing Com. in the U.S.A. and ask their
advice. Perhaps an outside publisher would be interested in it? The Bahá’í
funds have such heavy demands made on them at present that even essential
literature must often wait to be published, unfortunately.

He fully appreciates the fact that the believers locally, in different
parts of the world, often feel that their political party is in many ways
striving to accomplish ideals akin to our Bahá’í aims--but the fact
remains that the only way for the Bahá’ís to preserve their international
character, their unity and integrity, is for them individually to
sacrifice these desired political affiliations for the universal good and
protection of the Faith. There is no political party in existence with
whose platform we wholly agree, and we must abstain from membership in
such parties. Likewise people who join the Faith must have the courage and
conviction to leave their political affiliations behind.

There is no reason why this should cause enmity as they are not joining
another party, but a universal Faith striving for the advancement of the
entire human race. He thinks there is very little possibility of any
politician joining the Faith. The sacrifice of such individuals’ personal
ambitions is too great a one for them to make. The condition of the world
today is such that it is obvious no political solution to its problems is
going to be found. We Bahá’ís must therefore concentrate on Bahá’u’lláh’s
World Order--the true solution.

He assures you he will pray your teaching labours may be very successful.
He will also pray for your dear mother’s welfare.

With warmest greetings,
R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_Assuring you of my loving prayers for your welfare and success in the
service of our beloved Faith,_

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(38) November 23rd, 1949


Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter of October 28 has been received, and our beloved Guardian has
instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

First, let me say how very deeply he appreciates the services you have
been rendering our glorious Faith in Australia, and particularly Perth,
during the past two years. Your trip has been of real assistance to the
teaching work, and it pleased him greatly.

Regarding Mr. ...: it was with the approval of the Guardian that his name
was removed from the voting list. It is very bad for the Cause to have a
member of the Community, actively, in the public eye, teaching the Faith,
and at the same time showing dishonest characteristics. We cannot possibly
say that because a person also has many virtues, faults as grave as lying
and dishonourable conduct regarding money, can be overlooked! This means
that we tolerate as representatives of our Faith people who flagrantly
disobey its laws and fundamental teachings. This does not mean there is no
hope for Mr. ...; let him change his conduct, if he really loves the
Cause, and then a way will be opened for him to again be active. But the
change must be real and obvious; mere protestations will serve no purpose.

He urges you to continue your services in the teaching field in New
Zealand, and also to write to the friends in Australia who are disturbed
about Mr. ..., and strengthen their faith and determination.

With warmest greetings,
R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_May the Almighty, Whose Cause you serve with such zeal and devotion,
reward you for your labours, and graciously assist you to win great
victories for His Faith and its institutions,_

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(39) December 18th, 1949


Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your letter of November 1st was received, and, although our beloved
Guardian is so busy at present on the Shrine work here that his mail is
piling up alarmingly, he does want to send you a word of appreciation for
your fine, constructive spirit and the services you are rendering the
Faith.

Vicious criticism is indeed a calamity. But its root is lack of faith in
the system of Bahá’u’lláh (i.e. the administrative order) and lack of
obedience to Him--for He has forbidden it. If the Bahá’ís would follow the
Bahá’í laws in voting, in electing, in serving, and in abiding by assembly
decisions, all this waste of strength thru criticizing others could be
diverted into cooperation and achieving the Plan. Keep on trying to point
this out to them!

With Bahá’í love,
R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_Assuring you of my loving prayers for the success of every effort you
exert for the promotion of our beloved Faith, and the realization of every
desire you cherish for its progress,_

_Your true and grateful brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(40) June 11th, 1952


Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your two letters of May 25th have been received, and the beloved Guardian
thanks you for them, and for the loving sympathy which you express.

He hopes that you will make every effort to attend the New Delhi
Conference, as it will be a very historic occasion, and the more Bahá’ís
from Australia and New Zealand that are present, the better.

You should get in touch with the Indian National Spiritual Assembly as
regards accommodation etc.

This has been a very tiring winter for the beloved Guardian. He has had so
many pilgrims, and so many problems locally, and an ever-increasing amount
of work, so I will make this letter brief.

He assures you your services are deeply appreciated, and that he will
remember you in his prayers.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,
R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_May the Beloved bless, guide and sustain you, and enable you to promote
the best interests of His Faith,_

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(41) January 6th, 1955


Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter of December 21st with enclosure has been received by the
beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He is happy to know that the New Zealand Hazíratu’l-Quds is being made
attractive for the many activities that will take place in this Center,
and he hopes it will become the means of the greatest unity and loving
cooperation among the friends.

He assures all the friends in New Zealand of his deep appreciation of
their devoted services.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,
R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_May the Beloved bless, guide and sustain you, and enable you to promote,
at all times, the vital interests of His Faith,_

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



PART IV
LETTERS TO BAHÁ’Í INSTITUTIONS.


These letters are presented chronologically and show the development of
the institutions--Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Auckland, the
National Spiritual Assembly, the Regional Teaching Committee.



(42) March 31st, 1926


Dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
Feb. 18th 1926. He well appreciates the whole-hearted contributions the
friends, the world over, have made to safeguard the neighbourhood of the
shrines. We all hope that this spirit of quick response and action will
permeate all the different activities of the Cause.

Shoghi Effendi as well as the other members of the family send you, and
through you, the Australian and New Zealand friends their best love and
greetings. They all await the good news of the progress of the Movement in
Australasia.

With loving greetings I remain,
Yours very sincerely,
Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_My dear fellow-worker,_

_I fully appreciate the self-sacrificing efforts of the New-Zealand
Bahá’ís and am glad to inform them that the surroundings of the Shrines on
Mt Carmel are secure. May the Beloved reward them a hundredfold! Convey my
love and gratitude to them all._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(43) May 14th, 1926


My dear Bahá’í sister,

I thank you on behalf of Shoghi Effendi for your letter of Mar. 8th and
for the second copy of the draft that you had sent enclosed.

He has already received and cashed the first draft and has sent you the
receipt for it.

He appreciates very much indeed the help of the New Zealand friends and I
am sure they would all be very glad to know that the surroundings of the
holy Shrines on Mt Carmel have already been safeguarded. This is such a
relief to Shoghi Effendi and all the friends who feared lest the
approaches should fall into the hands of speculators and interested men.

With heartfelt greetings to the friends in New Zealand. I am

Yours ever in His Service,
Soheil Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear fellow-worker:_

_I wish to reassure you in person of my continued prayers for you as well
as for those friends who in the distant city of Auckland are labouring for
the advancement of the Cause in New Zealand. Please convey to them my
brotherly greetings and very best wishes. I can never forget them and they
are ever near to me._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(44) January 7th, 1935


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Guardian has duly received your beautiful message of 2nd of December,
and he wishes me to thank you for it, as well as for the enclosed copy of
the Auckland Assembly’s circular letter which he has delivered to the
spiritual assembly of Haifa for their perusal.

He also wishes me to ask you to kindly inform Mrs Blundell of the receipt
of the twenty five copies of the Maori pamphlet which she had lately
mailed to him. These, together with those she had sent previously, have
all been placed in his own library, and a few copies have also been placed
in the Mansion of Bahá’u’lláh at Bahjí for the information of the general
public.

In closing the Guardian wishes me to renew to you the expressions of his
abiding and genuine appreciation of your labours for the Cause in
Auckland, and particularly in connection with your duties as secretary of
the local assembly. He is praying from the very depths of his heart for
your progress and success in this important field of Bahá’í service.

With heartiest greetings to you and all the friends.

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_Dearly beloved co-worker:_

_I wish to assure you of my deepest appreciation of your constant and
manifold services to the Faith, and particularly of the share you have had
in consolidating its administrative institutions in both Australia and New
Zealand, whether local or national. My prayers will continue to be offered
from the bottom of my heart for you and for your dear co-workers.
Persevere and never feel disheartened._

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(45) September 26th, 1935


Beloved Bahá’í co-worker,

...In connection with the N.S.A.’s(8) decision regarding the appointment
of Mrs. Axford and Mr. Inman to keep records of Australian and New-Zealand
activities for the “Bahá’í World”; the Guardian wishes you to assure your
fellow-members in the assembly that he fully endorses their choice. He
also wishes you to impress the newly-appointed correspondents with the
vital importance of their task, and to urge them to acquit themselves of
it with thoroughness, efficiency and vigour....


    (Extract from “Letters from the Guardian to Australia and New
    Zealand 1923–1957”. p. 10. Published by The National Spiritual
    Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia Incorporated, 1970.)



(46) April 26th, 1936


Beloved Bahá’í Sister,

I am directed by the Guardian to thank you for your letter of the 30th
March informing him of the date of Miss Kitty Carpenter’s arrival in
Port-Said. You can be sure that the friends will be most delighted to meet
her, and to render her journey to Haifa as safe and comfortable as
possible.

The Guardian himself is eagerly looking forward to the pleasure of meeting
her, and cherishes the hope that through this pilgrimage she may receive a
renewed stimulus to better work for the promotion of the Faith upon her
return home....

(Extract, ibid., p. 13)



(47) June 10th, 1936


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

...The Guardian would also advise that the local assemblies take a similar
step, and obtain official recognition from the authorities. In case the
Auckland assembly has been registered in the government, will you be so
kind as to send him photostatic reproductions of any registration papers
or documents that the Auckland friends may have obtained from the
authorities, as he wishes to have them published in the next “Bahá’í
World”....

(Extract, ibid., p. 14)



(48) November 17th, 1936


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

On behalf of the Guardian I acknowledge with deepest thanks the receipt of
your letter of the 17th October, and wish also to thank your Assembly for
forwarding to him the photostatic reproduction of the registration
certificate of the Assembly of Auckland....

(Extract, ibid., p. 18)



(49) January 31st, 1938


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Guardian wishes me to express his loving thanks for your letter of the
third instant, enclosing the half-yearly reports of the Perth and Auckland
Spiritual Assemblies, all of which he has been delighted to read.

He wishes you to write the Auckland Assembly assuring them of his approval
of the request they have made on behalf of Miss Kitty Carpenter for
permission to visit Haifa. He has every hope that through this pilgrimage
she will be greatly refreshed and strengthened spiritually, and will upon
her return home impart to the friends in New-Zealand some measure of the
inspiration she will gain through close contact with the Holy Shrines....

(Extract, ibid., p. 24)



(50) November 2nd, 1938


Dear Bahá’í Sister,

...The Guardian wishes me to express his gratification at the news of the
enrolment of three new members in the Sydney Bahá’í group, and of two
others in the Auckland community. He will pray that these new believers
may continue deepening in their faith, and in their understanding of the
Teachings, and that each of them may arise and lend every assistance in
his power to the further expansion and firmer consolidation of the Faith
in that far-off continent....

(Extract, ibid., p. 28)



(51) March 22nd, 1939


Dear Bahá’í Brothers and Sisters,

The Guardian wishes me to gratefully acknowledge the receipt of your card
conveying to him your Assembly’s greetings for Naw-Rúz, and to assure you
how deeply he feels appreciative of the renewed expressions of love which
you had felt prompted to transmit to him on such a happy and blessed
occasion.

He immeasurably values indeed your sentiments, and wishes me to take this
opportunity of assuring your Assembly, and all the members of the Auckland
Bahá’í Community, of his ardent prayers for the further extension of the
Faith, and its firmer consolidation in your centre, and for the spiritual
advancement and welfare of each and every member of your group. May this
new Bahá’í Year we have just entered witness a fresh intensification of
the spirit of service in the heart of each one of you, and lead you to
scale still nobler heights of service and sacrifice in your stewardship to
the Cause.

Reciprocating your kind greetings and with all good wishes for a happy
Naw-Rúz.

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani



(52) April 19th, 1941


Dear Bahá’í friends,

...He was very sorry to learn that Miss Stevenson has passed on. He will
pray for her joy and advancement in the Worlds beyond. She had the great
honour and blessing of being the first New-Zealand believer and her reward
must be great....

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear and valued co-workers:_

_...The passing of yet another staunch and indefatigable worker, Miss
Stevenson, constitutes yet another loss to the believers in that
continent. The work which that exemplary pioneer has achieved however is
imperishable. Kindly assure her relatives of my deepfelt sympathy._

_Sh._

(Extract, ibid., pp. 38, 39)



(53) April 25th, 1941


Dear Bahá’í friends:

Shoghi Effendi has instructed me to answer your Naw-Rúz greetings of the
year 98.

He deeply appreciated your thought in sending him a message at such a
time. The loving remembrance of the friends is dear to his heart in these
heavy and sad times.

He assures you that the friends of Australia and New Zealand are often in
his thoughts and prayers, and he is so pleased with the continued
evidences of their devotion and services to the Cause of God.

With Bahá’í greetings,

Yours in His Service,
R. Rabbani



(54) April 18th, 1942


Dear Bahá’í Sister:

...He was delighted to learn that the New Zealand members were able to
make the trip to Australia, and that such a highly satisfactory N.S.A.
meeting was held, in such a spirit of love and harmony. No doubt this
experience will prove of great value, not only to the National Assembly,
but also to the work of the Cause in the days to come....

(Extract, ibid., p. 45)



(55) May 12th, 1944


Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letters dated March 1st, 25th and March 21st--Bahá’í Naw-Rúz
greeting--have been received, and the Guardian has instructed me to answer
them on his behalf.

He was very pleased indeed to hear that the Cause in New Zealand is not
only steadily progressing but that it is winning such good friends as Rev.
Chandler. Also the preparations you are making for the Centenary should
serve to not only publicise the Faith, but bring the believers closer to
liberal-minded fellow-citizens.

He himself is at present frightfully busy with local preparations for the
Centenary and with cables and correspondence--but he wishes you all to
know that his thoughts will be with you on this glorious day of the 100th
anniversary of the Báb’s declaration, and he will pray for all the New
Zealand Bahá’ís in the Holy Shrines.

With most loving greetings and best wishes from the Guardian for the
success of all your plans.

Yours with Bahá’í love,
R. Rabbani

P.S. He appreciated very much your sending Naw-Rúz greetings.

[From the Guardian:]

_May the Beloved bless your efforts, guide your steps, sustain you in your
devoted endeavours, and enable you to promote effectively the best
interests of His Faith._

_Your true and grateful brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(56) December 18th, 1949


Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Auckland, N.Z.

Dear Bahá’í friends:

Your letter of October 25th was received and our Guardian was delighted to
hear the details of this property you have purchased, and which he trusts
will grow to be a very important Bahá’í endowment. He will be pleased to
receive the pictures of it.

He felt that no name could be more befitting than that of dear father
Dunn. May the spirit this wonderful soul exemplified stream forth from
your school and quicken those Islands.

With Bahá’í greetings,
R. Rabbani

P.S. Since writing this letter yours of Nov. 29 has been received. He will
certainly pray for the success of your Summer School sessions so soon to
begin and for the speedy development of the new school property you have
just purchased.

[From the Guardian:]

_May the Almighty bless bountifully your meritorious labours, guide and
sustain you, at all times and under all circumstances, aid you to overcome
every obstacle that confronts you and enable you to lend a tremendous
impetus, in the days to come, to the progress of your historic work in
that promising and far-away Island._

_Your true and grateful brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(57) June 28th, 1950


The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
Zealand.

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

...As Mrs Axford requested Mrs Thomas to write about her Bahá’í life there
is every reason to respect her wishes. This in no way precludes the New
Zealand Community from writing about her services and life and keeping
this record in the National archives. The Guardian feels the Auckland
Assembly should be consulted, as her, (Mrs Axford’s), home community, by
Mrs Thomas. He hopes this In Memoriam article, about so dear and tireless
a servant of the Faith, will produce a spirit of love and co-operation
amongst all concerned....

The acquisition of the site for the New Zealand Summer School was a great
step forward in the progress of the Faith there, and he was very pleased
about it. He was also delighted to hear of the formation of the Devonport
Assembly, and he hopes next year there will be still more....

(Extract, ibid., p. 83)



(58) November 1st, 1950


Secretary,
Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Auckland, New Zealand

Dear Bahá’í Brother,

Your letter on behalf of the Assembly, (as well as your personal note)
dated July 6, have been received, but due to the pressure of work piled up
during the long and serious illness of Mr Maxwell the Guardian’s
correspondence has piled up unanswered for some time.

He is very pleased to hear the Cause is making progress in New Zealand and
the friends unitedly serving, which is the most important thing of all.

He was also pleased to hear the Summer School property will be gradually
developed and serve the friends and the Community at large in other ways.
He thanks you for the plan of it sent under separate cover.

He sends his loving greetings to all the members of the Assembly, and also
would like to wish you success with your book.

With Bahá’í love,
R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_May the Almighty bless, guide and sustain you, remove all obstacles from
your path, and enable you to win great victories for His Faith and its
God-given institutions,_

_Your true and grateful brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(59) March 1st, 1951


National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand.

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

...I would like to add that the Guardian does not consider that it is
advisable for New Zealand to be separated in the near future from
Australia, and come under the jurisdiction of an independent National
Assembly. He considers that the present arrangement is the best one until
such time as there are more assemblies flourishing in New Zealand, and he
would consider the basis for a National Assembly strong enough there to
support such an institution....

(Extract, ibid., p. 91)



(60) June 16th, 1954


Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
Zealand.

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

...He was very happy to see that Mrs Dunn was able to attend the New
Zealand Bahá’í Summer School. For a woman of her age, this was surely a
remarkable achievement, and must have been a great inspiration to the New
Zealand friends, coming as she did so freshly from the last
Intercontinental Teaching Conference held in New Delhi....

He attaches great importance to teaching the aboriginal Australians, and
also in converting more Maoris to the Faith, and hopes that the Bahá’ís
will devote some attention to contacting both of these minority groups....

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear and valued co-workers:_

_...The multiplication of Bahá’í isolated centres, groups and local
assemblies, in both Australia and New Zealand--a process that has been
steadily and rapidly developing since the inauguration of the Ten-Year
Plan, is likewise of paramount importance in the years immediately ahead.
The development of these institutions, particularly in New Zealand, will
no doubt hasten the emergence of an independent National Spiritual
Assembly in that territory, and will lend a tremendous impetus to the
onward march of the Faith in those regions...._

_The purchase of a building in Auckland destined to serve as the National
Hazíratu’l-Quds of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand, is yet another objective on
which attention should be immediately focused--in anticipation of the
erection of yet another pillar of the future House of Justice in that
remote part of the world...._

(Extract, ibid., pp. 118, 119, 121, 122)



(61) July 24, 1955


Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
Zealand

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

...The news of the purchase of the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Auckland was most
welcome. The acquisition of this building is really one of the
pre-requisites for the formation of the National Assembly of New Zealand;
he hopes that the impetus this has given to the work of the Faith there,
combined with the devotion of the Bahá’ís will speed the formation of
local Assemblies, which alone constitute the necessary firm foundation for
the National Body, a Body which will be one of the direct pillars
supporting the International House of Justice. He urges, therefore, your
Assembly to give all the teaching help it can to New Zealand; and to
encourage the believers there to do their utmost to achieve their
goals....

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear and valued co-workers:_

_...The purchase of the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Auckland, as the future
headquarters of the New Zealand National Spiritual Assembly, is another
accomplishment that merits the highest praise...._

_...The establishment of Bahá’í endowments in the Dominion of New Zealand
is yet another responsibility devolving upon their elected national
representatives, a responsibility which should be discharged prior to the
emergence of an independent national assembly in that distant and
promising island._

_Whilst these immediate goals are being steadily and resolutely pursued,
attention should, likewise, be particularly directed to the vital need for
the constant multiplication of isolated centres, groups and local
assemblies, as well as to the necessity of increasing, to an unprecedented
degree, the number of the avowed adherents of the Faith who can directly
and effectively contribute to the broadening of its foundations and the
expansion of its nascent institutions. Particularly in the Dominion of New
Zealand, where a pillar of the future Universal House of Justice will soon
be erected, must a fresh impetus be lent to this vital process which can
alone reinforce the foundations on which this projected institution must
ultimately rest...._

(Extract, ibid., pp. 123, 125, 126, 127)



(62) June 13th, 1956


Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
Zealand.

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

...As regards the question the Auckland Assembly has asked about
vivisection, there is nothing on this subject in the Bahá’í teachings. At
a future date such matters will no doubt be taken up by the International
House of Justice....

He is delighted to hear that the New Zealand friends are so eagerly
carrying on their work in preparation for their National Assembly next
year. Their coming of age, so to speak, will be a source of pride to all
their fellow National Assemblies, and they will form a welcome addition to
the pillars which must ultimately sustain the International House of
Justice....

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear and valued co-workers:_

_...Particular attention should be devoted to the urgent needs of the New
Zealand Bahá’í community, through the formulation of a plan which will
enable it to swell the number of its administrative institutions,
enlarging and reinforcing thereby the foundations on which its forthcoming
National Assembly must ultimately rest...._

(Extract, ibid., pp. 130, 131, 133)



(63) September 5th, 1956


Secretary, Regional Teaching Committee for New Zealand.

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your letter of August 3rd with enclosure has been received by the beloved
Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He was happy to see this report of the activities of the Bahá’ís in New
Zealand, and will be pleased to receive a copy of your News Letter
regularly.

The Guardian wishes your Committee and the believers there to know that he
has high hopes for their future achievements in that far-off land, where
they are now on the threshold of that historic event, the election of
their own National Spiritual Assembly. He deeply values their devotion,
and the eager and fervent character of their services.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,
R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_Assuring you of my loving prayers for your success and spiritual
advancement,_

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(64) April 4th, 1957


Message from the Guardian at the inception of the New Zealand National
Spiritual Assembly.

I share with the assembled delegates, gathered to elect, on this historic
occasion, the second National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the
Antipodes, the feelings of profound satisfaction and gratitude to
Bahá’u’lláh evoked by this epoch-making event in the evolution of His
Faith in that far off region of the globe. I am deeply conscious of the
decisive share which the Australian Bahá’í Community, labouring during
more than three decades, for the spread of the light of this glorious
revelation among the highly progressive people of that distant continent,
has had in the laying of the foundations of the Administrative Order and
the erection of yet another pillar of the future Universal House of
Justice in this remote Dominion.

The emergence of this independent Bahá’í Community, no matter how limited
its numerical strength and modest its resources, must be regarded as a
highly significant development in the rise and establishment of the Bahá’í
Faith in the Pacific Area, and should synchronise with the formulation, on
the part of the National Spiritual Assembly now being elected in that
Island, of a subsidiary Six-Year-Plan, designed to reinforce substantially
the numerical strength of the Community; to multiply its Centres, as well
as its Local Spiritual Assemblies; to incorporate the solidly grounded
amongst them; to inaugurate a National Fund; to obtain recognition for
both the Bahá’í marriage certificate and the Bahá’í Holy Days; to lend an
unprecedented impetus to the conversion of the Maoris, and to ensure their
active participation in the conduct of Bahá’í Administrative Institutions;
to extend the scope of the work already initiated in the South Island; to
incorporate the newly formed National Spiritual Assembly, and to select
and acquire a site for the first Ma_sh_riqu’l-A_dh_kár of that Dominion.

I call upon the members of the Australian National Spiritual Assembly, as
well as the members of the Australian Bahá’í Community, to continue to
lend their valued support to this newly pledged sister Community, and to
enable it, through the extension of material assistance as well as the
dispatch of visiting teachers and pioneers, to contribute, in an ever
increasing measure, to the furtherance of the magnificent and colossal
campaign now being so vigorously conducted in the North, in the South, and
in the heart of the Pacific Ocean.

May the outpourings of the Holy Spirit continue to energise this small yet
resolute forward marching, dedicated community, and may the outcome of the
collective efforts of its members contribute decisively to the triumphant
consummation of the World Crusade on which the entire body of the
followers of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh have so confidently embarked.

Shoghi



(65) May 20th, 1957


Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand.

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Our beloved Guardian has instructed me to write you on his behalf and
inform you that the Hand of the Cause, Mr Varqá, will shortly be
forwarding to your assembly the equivalent of five hundred English pounds,
as the Guardian’s contribution to your newly established National Fund.

He hopes that in the formulation of your plans, particular attention will
be given to the all-important teaching work, the foundation of all the
activities of the Faith and the most urgent task facing the friends in
this critical period the world is passing through.

You may be sure he will pray for your success, With Bahá’í greetings, R.
Rabbani



(66) June 27th, 1957


Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand.

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

I am instructed by our beloved Guardian to write you on his behalf and
assure you he was most happy to receive your letter dated May 4.

He rejoices with the New Zealand Bahá’ís in the formation of their
historic National Assembly. They are now firmly launched on the course of
their own destiny, and undoubtedly the Faith will go forward very much
faster. They have an advantage not shared by many of their fellow National
Assemblies, of exclusively administering the affairs of the Faith in a
small area, which means that they can function much more efficiently. When
one remembers the many years that the New Zealand and Australian believers
toiled to carry on the work in those two countries, with the sea in
between, and inadequate funds to provide transportation, which
necessitated so much of the National Assembly’s work being carried on by
correspondence, one can appreciate the advantages you now enjoy.

The formation of a new National Body in any case is an organic thing, and
a new and lively flow of life will go out into all the members of the
Community from this Assembly.

As regards the question you asked him about the site for the Temple, this
need not be a large piece of land at this time--three or four acres would
be sufficient for the site if you find suitable land is expensive. If the
worst comes to the worst, when the time comes to build the Temple, the
site can be changed. In Uganda some years ago, they purchased a Temple
site, and later, a large piece of land for their endowment. With the
Guardian’s permission, they exchanged the two as the Endowment’s position
was better for the Temple. So you see, it need not be too rigid. The point
is to get a Temple site as soon as possible. He feels it should be in the
outskirts of Auckland, within easy motoring distance, so that the friends
can attend services there. Naturally the closer to the city, the better.

As you formulate your plans and carry them out for the work entrusted to
you during the next six years, he wishes you to particularly bear in mind
the need of teaching the Maoris. These original discoverers of New Zealand
are of a very fine race, and they are a people long admired for their
noble qualities; and special effort should be made, not only to contact
the Maoris in the cities and draw them into the Faith, but to go to their
towns and live amongst them and establish Assemblies in which at least the
majority of the believers will be Maoris, if not all. This would be indeed
a worthy achievement.

The beloved Guardian assures you all of his prayers for the success of the
historic work you are now undertaking, and he feels sure you will achieve
your goals.

With warmest Bahá’í greetings,
Rúhíyyih

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear and valued co-workers:_

_The emergence of the New Zealand National Spiritual Assembly, as a result
of the convocation of the first Bahá’í historic Convention held in that
far-away and promising Dominion, will be hailed by posterity as an event
of the greatest significance, marking the erection of another pillar
designed to support, in the South Pacific area, the future Universal House
of Justice. My heart overflows with happiness and is filled with gratitude
as I contemplate the splendid progress achieved, in recent years, in that
far-off island, and note the loyalty and devotion with which the members
of this valiant community, now standing on the threshold of unprecedented
achievements, have discharged their manifold and sacred responsibilities._

_The six brief years that now lie ahead must witness a swift expansion in
the scope of Bahá’í activities throughout the length and breadth of that
Dominion, as well as a steady consolidation of the foundations of the
institutions that have been so painstakingly laid. The Six-Year Plan upon
which the New Zealand believers have now so auspiciously embarked must be
diligently prosecuted and brought to a triumphant conclusion. All must
participate, whether young or old, veterans as well as newly enrolled
believers, all must contribute their share to the ultimate success of this
mighty collective enterprise, however limited their means, however modest
their abilities, however restricted the range of their previous
experiences._

_The increase in the number of the avowed adherents of the Faith; the
multiplication of isolated centres, groups, and local assemblies; the
incorporation of the newly formed National Spiritual Assembly as well as
all firmly grounded local assemblies; the recognition of the Bahá’í
marriage certificate by the civil authorities, and of the Bahá’í Holy Days
by the Superintendent of schools in that island; the rapid conversion of
the Maoris and their close association with the white believers in the
administration of the affairs of the community; the consolidation of the
work energetically initiated in the South Island; the selection and
purchase of the site for the Mother Temple of New Zealand--these stand out
as the foremost objectives of the Plan now demanding of its high minded
determined prosecutors, the utmost consecration, unrelaxing vigilance and
the noblest self-sacrifice._

_The tasks, challenging the spirit and resources of this community, whose
numerical strength is as yet so limited, whose material resources are so
circumscribed, whose past experiences have, in many respects, been
confined to a narrow range, are truly formidable. The alloted time, during
which so stupendous an undertaking is to be consummated, is short. The
obstacles confronting its members are varied and manifold. Yet the
sustaining grace promised to all those who will arise, with
single-mindedness, courage, dedication and high resolve to aid in the
attainment of these noble objectives, is of such potency that no earthly
power can resist the ultimate fulfilment of so glorious a task, or even
delay its eventual fruition._

_I appeal most earnestly to all those who, in both the teaching and
administrative fields, are committed to carry out so magnificent an
enterprise, as well as to those who, in an unofficial capacity, are called
upon to further, by every means in their power, the interests of this
epoch-making Plan, to dedicate themselves, at this hour to the arduous,
yet infinitely precious task they have shouldered, and to devote, in the
days and years that lie ahead, every ounce of their energy to the
systematic prosecution of a Plan, on which the immediate destinies of the
entire New Zealand Bahá’í community directly depend; and which can alone
provide the stepping-stone to the still more brilliant achievements
destined to ennoble the annals of the Faith in that remote island of the
globe._

_Shoghi_



(67) July 19th, 1957


Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia.

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

...As regards the “Herald of the South” magazine, in view of the important
work lying ahead of your Assembly, and the fact that this magazine is a
drain on the limited resources of the Community, he thinks it would be
quite all right to suspend publication until a future date when the
financial situation permits such expenditures to be made with relative
ease. He leaves, however, the final decision to your Assembly.

The Committee responsible for the publication of this magazine has
certainly laboured valiantly throughout the years, and the publication
will be missed by its readers. However, it is some years since the
American Bahá’í Magazine was abandoned for similar reasons, and the
Guardian feels that you can do so in Australia, and the funds be used to
better advantage, at this time. However, now that you have found a printer
in Sydney and appointed a new committee, he thinks you should continue it
and give the new Plan a try....

The successful culmination of the long standing partnership of the
Australian and New Zealand believers thru the emergence of the New Zealand
N. S. A. is a source of great satisfaction to the Guardian, and no doubt
to all the members of both communities. He feels sure this will mark a
turning point in the work in the Antipodes and the neighbouring islands
and give a new lease of life to the teaching work throughout that area.
Both your Assembly and that of New Zealand have now emerged into your
permanent form as pillars of the future International House of Justice.
The bones of the skeleton of the World Order are growing strong, but only
the teaching work can clothe them with flesh....

[From the Guardian:]

_Dear and valued co-workers:_

_...Particularly commendable, and indeed exemplary, has been the share of
the Australian believers in enabling the New-Zealand Bahá’í Community to
make such rapid strides, in recent years, strides that have prepared it
for the assumption of its sacred and vital function as an independent
community, and which culminated in the formation of a body qualified to
take its place, and assume the weighty responsibilities incumbent on it,
as a distinct and separate member of the world-wide family of Bahá’í
national and regional Spiritual Assemblies...._

(Extract, ibid., pp. 135, 137, 138)



(68) August 30th, 1957


Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the City of Auckland.

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

This is just a brief note, on behalf of the beloved Guardian, to
acknowledge your letter of July 5th (8th Rahmat, 114) and tell you he
appreciates your action in sending the cable to Írán, and assure you of
his loving prayers for the rapid progress of the Faith in Auckland.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,
R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

_May the Almighty sustain you in your constant and meritorious endeavours,
guide every step you take, and bless every effort you exert, for the
promotion of the interests of His Faith,_

_Your true brother, _
_ Shoghi_



(69) September 9th, 1957


National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand.

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The Beloved Guardian is very anxious to secure information as to the
native tribes which have been contacted by any of the Believers in your
area; and of course if there are any Believers from these Tribes, that
would be even more interesting.

Can you prepare a list showing the number of Tribes that have been
contacted, and of these Tribes, the number who have become Believers. This
would be very interesting information.

Can you secure it at an early date and send it on to the Beloved Guardian.

With loving Bahá’í Greetings, I am Faithfully yours, Leroy Ioas



PART V
TELEGRAMS TO NEW ZEALAND.


To Summer School care Bahá’í Assembly Postbox 1906 Auckland.



(70) January 22nd, 1949


ASSURE ATTENDANTS HEARTFELT LOVING PRAYERS SUCCESS SESSION REALIZATION
DEAREST HOPES DEEPEST APPRECIATION. SHOGHI RABBANI To Auckland Assembly
Box 1906 Auckland.



(71) December 29th, 1949


GRIEVED PASSING PRECIOUS PIONEER PROMOTER FAITH MRS AXFORD PRAYING
FERVENTLY SHRINES PROGRESS SOUL ABHÁ KINGDOM HER SERVICES UNFORGETTABLE.
SHOGHI To Summer School Care Auckland Assembly Box 1906 Auckland.



(72) December 29th, 1949


ASSURE ATTENDANTS SUPPLICATING RICHEST BLESSINGS DELIBERATIONS SCHOOL.
SHOGHI To New Zealand School Care NatBaha’i Sydney.



(73) December 30th, 1953


LOVING APPRECIATION ASSURANCE FERVENT PRAYERS. SHOGHI



PART VI
STATEMENTS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS.


These statements extracted from letters to individuals are not found
elsewhere in this compilation and are taken from letters written by the
Guardian’s secretaries at his specific direction. The arrangement is
according to subject matter.



ALCOHOL (74)


You had asked in connection with the subject of prohibition. Of course in
every country one must take into consideration the exact conditions as to
whether by force of legislation people can be stopped from drinking, but
as a principle the Bahá’í teachings are quite against drinking
intoxicating liquors and from the Bahá’í point of view every thing that
helps to stop drinking is welcome.

(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, December 30th, 1925)



EVOLUTION (75)


We cannot prove man was always man for this is a fundamental doctrine, but
it is based on the assertion that nothing can exceed its own
potentialities, that everything, a stone, a tree, an animal and a human
being existed in plan, potentially, from the very “beginning” of creation.
We don’t believe man has always had the form of man, but rather that from
the outset he was going to evolve into the human form and species and not
be a haphazard branch of the ape family.

You see our whole approach to each matter is based on the belief that God
sends us divinely inspired Educators; what they tell us is fundamentally
true, what science tells us today is true; tomorrow may be entirely
changed to better explain a new set of facts.

When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says man breaks the laws of nature, He means we shape
nature to meet our own needs, as no animal does. Animals adapt themselves
to better fit in with and benefit from their environment. But men both
surmount and change environment. Likewise when He says nature is devoid of
memory He means memory as we have it, not the strange memory of inherited
habits which animals so strikingly possess.

These various statements must be taken in conjunction with all the Bahá’í
teachings; we cannot get a correct picture by concentrating on just one
phrase.

(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, June 7th, 1946



“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(76)


Persevere I shall pray from all my heart for the steady development and
the growing influence of the “Herald of the South”. May its voice grow in
strength and power, and may its pages increasingly reflect the dynamic
spirit of the Faith and mirror forth the ever-expanding activities of the
friends in Australasia as well as in distant lands. Persevere in your
efforts, let not obstacles damp your zeal and determination and rest
assured that the Power of God which is reinforcing your efforts will in
the end triumph and enable you to fulfil your cherished desire.

(Extract, undated letter by Shoghi Effendi)



“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(77)


Effective teaching medium. ...Regarding the “Herald of the South”
magazine, Shoghi Effendi very much appreciates the fact that in spite of
the many difficulties that your Assembly had to overcome this review is
being regularly published, and that its standard is gradually improving.
He would call upon all the English-speaking friends to contribute, as
often as they can, such articles for publication in that magazine as would
serve to make it a more direct and effective teaching medium for the
spread of the Cause throughout Australia and New-Zealand. He is advising
the American N. S. A. to specially ask the cooperation of the American
believers for that purpose, and hopes that the response they will make to
this call will be such as to further encourage you in your splendid
efforts for the publication of this national organ of the Faith....

(Extract, ibid., pp. 12, 13, dated April 15th, 1936)



“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(78)


Difficulties. ...The Guardian, while fully aware of the difficulties, both
financial and otherwise which your N. S. A.(9) is facing in connection
with the publication of the “Herald of the South”, feels nevertheless the
urge to advise you to continue with this magazine and not to feel in the
least discouraged if your efforts for meeting the expenses incurred for
its printing and circulation, and for raising its literary standard, do
not bring the expected results. He very deeply values the self-sacrificing
and sustained efforts exerted by your Assembly in this connection. May
Bahá’u’lláh richly reward you for all your meritorious endeavours....

(Extract, ibid., p. 16, dated September 23rd, 1936)



“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(79)


Psychic practices.

...In connection with the article published in the October number of the
“Herald of the South” entitled “Above the Mists”; the Guardian wishes the
believers to disregard such subjects as psychic practices and phenomena,
for these besides not being authenticated by the Writings of the Founders
of the Faith, pertain mostly to the domain of conjectures. The magazines
of the “Herald of the South” should be devoted to the study and
presentation of those subjects that reflect the spirit of the Teachings,
and which as such are worthy of consideration by the believers. As the
national organ of the Australian and New-Zealand friends its main function
is to assist in disseminating the knowledge of the Cause, and thus develop
into an effective teaching medium. This is the goal which the editors
should have constantly in mind, and which they should endeavour to attain
through the best possible means they can devise at present....

(Extract, ibid., pp. 25, 26, dated March 30th, 1938)



PHILOSOPHERS (80)


We must not take many of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s statements as dogmatic finalities,
for there are other points which when added to them round out the picture.
For instance, when He calls Aristotle and Plato Philosophers of the East,
He is obviously placing them in that category because He believes they
belong more correctly to Eastern culture than to Central European and the
New World cultures of the West. When He calls the philosophers of the West
materialistic this does not for a moment mean He includes all Western
philosophers for, as you truly point out, many of them have been very
spiritual in their concepts....

Historians cannot be sure Socrates did not visit the Holy Land. But
believing as we do that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had an intuitive knowledge quite
different from our own, we accept His authority on this matter....

The Guardian hopes this will better enable you to understand our wonderful
Faith--for a living religion it is, and not merely a philosophy!

(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, June 7th, 1946)



SCOUTING (81)


As to the Scout movement, they afford a great disciplinary lesson to the
young boys and girls provided they are not prepared directly for the army.
In some towns here we have in some of the schools Scout troops who are
also students of the Colleges and it has proved to be a great educational
scheme for helping the development of the children but they are never
taught to carry arms or even the use of firearms. And furthermore they are
often taught the evils of war rather than encourage them to become in
future active soldiers with imperialistic designs. This of course is my
own personal view.

(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, December 30th, 1925)



SOUL, MIND AND SPIRIT (82)


When studying at present, in English, the available Bahá’í writings on the
subject of body, soul and spirit, one is handicapped by a certain lack of
clarity because not all were translated by the same person, and also there
are, as you know, still many Bahá’í writings untranslated. But there is no
doubt that spirit and soul seem to have been interchanged in meaning
sometimes; soul and mind have, likewise, been interchanged in meaning, no
doubt due to difficulties arising from different translations. What the
Bahá’ís do believe though is that we have three aspects of our humanness,
so to speak, a body, a mind and an immortal identity--soul or spirit. We
believe the mind forms a link between the soul and the body, and the two
interact on each other.

(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, June 7th, 1946)



APPENDIX: NOTES



Note 1. (Letter No. 1)


Margaret Stevenson, the first New Zealand Bahá’í was born on November
30th, 1865. Her first intimation of the Bahá’í Faith was through reading
“The Christian Commonwealth” and she admitted later that “she did not
think any more about it”. She received this journal from her sister who
was in London studying music and had heard ‘Abdu’l-Bahá address the
congregation of St. John’s, Westminster at the invitation of Canon
Wilberforce. She was so impressed that when another discourse given by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá at City Temple, London was printed in “The Christian
Commonwealth” dated March 27th, 1911, she sent a copy of the journal to
Margaret in New Zealand. In 1912, Miss Dorothea Spinney arrived in
Auckland from London and stayed with Margaret at her home, “Clunie”, 3,
Cowie Street, Parnell where she talked about the Bahá’í Cause and her own
meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. To quote Margaret’s own words: “As a child, I
used to wish I had lived when Christ was on earth. As Miss Spinney spoke,
I remembered my childhood wish, and the thought came to me that I too
might have denied Him as so many others had done. It was this secret
thought that made me seriously think of what I heard from Miss Spinney,
and through God’s grace and mercy I was enabled to grasp and believe in
Bahá’u’lláh and His Message”.(10) Margaret spoke to others of her belief
and obtained literature from America, becoming a subscriber to “Star of
the West”. Eventually a study group was formed in Auckland and for ten
years, Margaret’s home was a venue for these classes. It was here that the
first Bahá’í Feast in New Zealand took place in January, 1923.

In 1925, Margaret was one of a small group who journeyed from New Zealand
to the Holy Land on pilgrimage, and after an inspiring nineteen days in
Haifa, travelled on to England where she met with the English Bahá’í
community. The pilgrims arrived back in Auckland in December, 1925,
bringing with them some dust from the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh which was placed
in New Zealand soil at the Stevenson’s home in a ceremony held on February
14th, 1926.

In such a geographically remote country, the early New Zealand believers
had scant knowledge of Bahá’í administration and erroneously called
themselves an Assembly as early as 1924. This was corrected with the
receipt of a booklet on the subject and the first properly constituted
Bahá’í Assembly in New Zealand was formed on April 21st, 1926, with
Margaret Stevenson as its Secretary. A steadfast worker, Margaret was a
member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
Australia and New Zealand which was elected in 1934, and served the Bahá’í
Cause with faithfulness and efficiency until her passing to the Abhá
Kingdom on February 11th, 1941.



Note 2. (Letter No. 1)


Born in London in 1855, Hyde Dunn was engaged in business in Britain and
continental Europe before emigrating to the United States. In 1905, whilst
at a tinsmith’s shop in Seattle, he observed the shopkeeper in excited
conversation with a man who had just returned from the Prison of Akká and
the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; he overheard the quotation “Let not a man
glory in this, that he loves his country, but let him glory in this, that
he loves his kind”. Hyde Dunn later recalled that “The words reached me
with dynamic force, its truth and power crystallised in my heart--a new
consciousness awakened... That one glorious utterance magnetised my whole
being, appealed as a new note, sent forth from God to His wandering
creatures--a Message from the Supreme to the sons of men”.(11) Recognising
the Truth, Hyde Dunn interrupted the conversation, and accepted
immediately the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. The year was 1905.

In 1912, he was present at a meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in San Francisco
and declared it was the Master’s “penetrating glance, his life giving
words, he felt gave him the power that enabled him later to become the
spiritual conqueror of a continent”. Accompanied by his English born wife,
Clara, he answered the call of the “Tablets of the Divine Plan” and on
April 18th, 1920 reached Australia whence they travelled to New Zealand in
1922–3, not knowing there was already a believer there (Margaret
Stevenson). With their arrival in Auckland, the Cause grew in that country
and when Hyde Dunn left to return to Australia, Clara remained for a time
to organise a study group in New Zealand.

Known affectionately among Bahá’ís as “Mother” and “Father” Dunn, they
carried the Message of Bahá’u’lláh from New South Wales to Victoria, South
Australia, Tasmania, across the desert to Perth and to tropical Queensland
and became the spiritual parents of Australia. After “Mother” Dunn
returned from a lone pilgrimage to the Holy Land, “Father” was elected a
member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
Australia and New Zealand in 1934. After his passing on February 17th,
1941, “Mother” Dunn’s dedication to the Bahá’í Faith continued unabated
and in 1952 she was elevated to the station of Hand of the Cause of God by
Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith: “Father” Dunn was
subsequently elevated to the same station posthumously.

Despite her advanced years, “Mother” Dunn returned to New Zealand in 1957
as representative of the Guardian at the formation of the first National
Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand. In March, 1958, at the
request of the Guardian, she placed plaster from the Castle of Máh-Kú in
the foundations of the Australasian Bahá’í House of Worship in Sydney
during the Australian Inter-Continental Conference. Until her passing to
the Abhá Kingdom in 1960 at the age of 91 years, “Mother” Dunn retained
her memory of many Bahá’í prayers and was reciting these at the time of
her death.



Note 3. (Letter No. 2)


The Blundell family: Mrs Sarah Blundell was born at Burwell,
Cambridgeshire, England in 1850, a year sacred in Bahá’í history as that
of the Báb’s martyrdom, and was destined to become one of the pioneers of
the Bahá’í Cause in New Zealand. She received her early religious training
from her “Non-Conformist” father, a man whose strong convictions led him
to withdraw his seven year old daughter from religious instruction classes
at her boarding school. The feeling of isolation which followed caused her
to think for herself and she had the rare distinction of being one of the
first women to enter the Cambridge University Examinations in an age
prejudiced against the education of women.

In 1886, with her husband and seven children, she arrived in New Zealand
where she endured hardship and difficulties in a strange country. She
persisted in her unfettered search for truth and rejected several dogmas
until, with an open mind and a prepared heart, she read in “The Christian
Commonwealth” of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to London in 1911 and sent overseas
for additional literature. When Mr and Mrs Dunn arrived in Auckland in
1922–3, Mrs Blundell invited them to her home, “Lymbury”, Ridings Road,
Remuera to meet a group of twenty people whom she thought might be
interested. This was the first Bahá’í meeting held in New Zealand and
shortly afterwards Mrs Blundell accepted the Bahá’í Faith.

On hearing from Martha Root that Shoghi Effendi and the Ladies of the
Household were eager to welcome the New Zealand friends, Sarah Blundell
arranged to make the journey to the Holy Land in 1925 visit the Holy
Family, and the Shrines of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and to
meet in person many other Bahá’ís--this was “a crowning gift to one whose
spiritual path had been travelled alone.”(12) She returned to New Zealand
after first going home to England to see her relatives and, at the
Guardian’s suggestion, make personal contact with the English Bahá’í
community. She continued to work unsparingly in New Zealand to serve the
Cause of Bahá’u’lláh until her passing at the age of eighty-four years on
December 20th, 1934.

One of her daughters, Ethel Blundell who accepted the Bahá’í Faith in
1925, was a delegate to the first Bahá’í Convention and was elected as a
member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
Australia and New Zealand in May, 1934.

Mrs Blundell’s son, Hugh, was also destined to serve the Bahá’í Cause.
Although not at that time a Bahá’í, Hugh accompanied his mother and sister
on their pilgrimage to Haifa in 1925 and accepted the Faith the following
year. A tireless worker for the Cause, he was New Zealand’s first
Auxiliary Board Member and passed to the Abhá Kingdom on October 16th,
1976 in his ninety-second year.



Note 4. (Letter No. 2)


Effie Baker became disenchanted with the Church and, having an open and
enquiring attitude, was one of a committee formed in Melbourne responsible
for arranging speakers to address the “New Thought” organisation. This led
her to attend a public meeting at which Hyde Dunn spoke on the Bahá’í
Faith and, recognising the truth of the Message, Effie Baker accepted the
Faith the same evening and so became the first woman believer in
Australia. She accompanied Martha Root on the latter’s lecture tour of New
Zealand and, learning of the New Zealand Bahá’ís projected journey to the
Holy Land in 1925, Effie sold her home and joined the pilgrims.

After the bounty of visiting the Shrines and meeting with the Guardian and
the Greatest Holy Leaf, Effie acceded to Shoghi Effendi’s request and
accompanied the New Zealand friends to London so as to contact the British
Bahá’í community. She planned to return to Australia and assist the Dunns,
and had accepted an invitation from the Ladies of the Holy Family to stop
over in Haifa on her homeward journey, but on arriving there in June, she
found Shoghi Effendi was away from the Holy Land and so decided to wait
until he returned. Her offer to serve was accepted and she remained at the
World Centre of the Bahá’í Faith in Israel for the next eleven years where
she assumed the duties of hostess, welcoming the friends to the Pilgrim
House, using her artistry and talent to photograph events in Haifa for the
Guardian. In 1930, when the need arose to secure photographs of places in
Persia associated with the early history of the Bahá’í Faith, Effie
undertook arduous journeys by road through Syria and Iraq, undeterred by
danger from hostile bandits. This intrepid worker now embarked on an
exacting and fruitful period of direct service to the Guardian, often
using cars supplied by the Persian believers, at times travelling on
horseback, mule or donkey to all but a few sites where it was too
dangerous for a westerner to venture. The unique photographic record she
obtained was immortalised by being selected by the Guardian for inclusion
in Nabil’s “The Dawnbreakers”.

In 1936, Effie returned to her homeland, Australia, where she looked after
the National Archives over a long period. Her last years were spent in a
small flat in the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Sydney at the invitation of the
National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand who had been
requested by the Guardian to take care of her until her passing on January
2nd, 1968.



Note 5. (Letter No. 15)


Mrs Amy Dewing and her son Bertram were among New Zealand’s earliest
Bahá’ís; Mrs Dewing came from an orthodox Church of England background and
viewed with disapproval her son’s questioning attitude which led him to
describe himself as a Rationalist. They heard of and accepted the Truth of
the Bahá’í Cause after meeting with “Mother” and “Father” Dunn in
Devonport, Auckland and, in 1926, both of them served as members of the
first Local Spiritual Assembly in Auckland. Amy Dewing, as one of a small
and persevering group of New Zealand believers, was active in spreading
the Message as was her son through whose efforts a Bahá’í magazine was
published in Australia and New Zealand to promote the teachings. Prior to
her passing in 1957, Amy Dewing witnessed the emergence of the New Zealand
community as an independent entity.

Having travelled extensively overseas, Bertram Dewing eventually settled
in Auckland. A tireless worker for the Faith, he was a member of the first
Local Spiritual Assembly in Devonport in 1951 and in 1958 was elected to
the second National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand. He
pioneered to Hokianga in the same year and a decade later assisted in
spreading the Faith to New Plymouth where he worked for the Cause with
unabated zeal until he passed to the Abhá Kingdom in 1972 at the age of
seventy.



Note 6. (Letter No. 16)


Dr Habíb, whose older brother attained martyrdom, was born in 1888 at
Kermán_sh_áh, Persia and was given the name Mu’ayyad (meaning ‘confirmed’)
by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. At the age of twenty-one, when en route to Beirut to
begin his medical studies at the American University, he spent a month in
the Holy Land with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who took a personal interest in his
progress. Thereafter he returned each summer to serve the Cause, extending
hospitality to visitors and pilgrims, recording daily events, acquiring
spiritual knowledge from outstanding Bahá’í scholars and being entrusted
with the receipt and dispatch of Tablets. Referring to Habíb’s student
days, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá extolled the young man’s influence, detachment and
sanctity, saying “the fragrance of Beirut” perfumed His nostrils.

After graduating from the University of Beirut in 1914, Dr Habíb operated
a dispensary at Abú-Sínán, a Druse village northeast of Akká where the
Master had temporarily settled the Bahá’ís: this period of close contact
with the Holy Family and daily lessons from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá he was later to
describe as the “most precious segment of his life”. In a Tablet to Dr
Habíb’s father, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá described this dedicated young Bahá’í as “A
lamp enkindled with the love of God”.

In 1915, responding to the Master’s specific instructions, Dr Habíb
returned to his birthplace to practice his profession and teach the Faith
to which he was so deeply devoted, and was for forty years a member of the
Local Spiritual Assembly of Kermán_sh_áh, also serving for a period on the
National Spiritual Assembly. His published works include two volumes of
reminiscences based on the principles of the Covenant and the history of
the Cause, whilst his much loved poem entitled “Hold Thou my Hand, O
‘Abdu’l-Bahá” is widely sung at gatherings of the Bahá’ís in Írán. Dr
Habíb Mu’ayyad passed to the Abhá Kingdom on October 29th, 1971.



Note 7. (Letter No. 16)


The Moslem calendar dates from Muḥammad’s emigration or Hijrah from Mecca
to Medina in 622 A.D. The Moslem year begins with the month of Muharram of
which the first ten days are observed by _Sh_í’ah Moslems as part of their
mourning period for the Imáms. The tenth day is called A_sh_ura and
commemorates the martyrdom of Ḥusayn, the grand-son of Muḥammad, who was
cut down by thirty-three strokes of swords and lances and decapitated: his
clothes were torn from him and his naked body trampled by horses hooves.



Note 8. (Letter No. 23)


Mrs Emily Axford was born in Huddersfield, England on October 19th, 1870
and was an infant teacher before her marriage. In 1907, the family
emigrated to New Zealand where her husband practiced medicine in Te Aroha
until his passing in 1912, after which Mrs Axford moved to Auckland so as
to educate her three children. Having rejected conventional Christianity,
she was attracted by the New England Transcendental Movement until she
became aware of the Bahá’í Faith through her friendship with Sarah
Blundell and was enrolled as a member in 1923. Three years later, Mrs
Axford was elected Chairman of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in
Auckland and for many years conducted classes in public speaking to help
the friends overcome their shyness and reticence so that they might teach
the Faith effectively. Emily was one of three New Zealand delegates who
attended the National Convention held in Sydney during 1934 and the
following year was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the
Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand. She continued to work staunchly for
the Faith, being appointed in 1946 to the Regional Teaching Committee
responsible for formulating teaching plans throughout New Zealand. The
following year, she assumed the delicate task of conducting negotiations
with the immigration authorities so that Bahá’ís from Persia might be
permitted to enter New Zealand as University students, and was actively
engaged in this work up to the time of her passing on December 26th, 1949.



Note 9. (Letter No. 33)


Born in 1900, Miss Kitty Carpenter became a Bahá’í in 1936 since when many
members of the Carpenter-Hancock family of which she is a member have
followed her and joined the Faith. An adventurous and enquiring soul, she
undertook her first pilgrimage to Haifa in 1938, arriving there shortly
after the marriage of Shoghi Effendi and, after living for two years in
Australia, she returned to New Zealand where she embarked on a life of
service to the Cause. Towards the end of the Second World War, she
willingly made available her premises (a counter lunch-shop) in Anzac
Avenue as a venue for the Auckland Bahá’í community and, in the 1950’s,
responded to the call by travel teaching in Mangakino and Whangarei. She
served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand
during 1958 and, two years later, moved from Christchurch to Hamilton to
aid in establishing an assembly there. 1964 saw her travel teaching in
Invercargill and the following year she was appointed to the National
Teaching Committee. Responding to the need for the believers to establish
another assembly, Kitty finally made her home in Tauranga where she is an
active and much loved exponent of the Cause.



Note 10. (Letter No. 37)


This refers to a book on Islám written by Bertram Dewing which was never
published.



Individual Addressees


Letters addressed to individuals by letter number. Only letters presented
in their entirety are indicated.

1. Margaret Stevenson
2. Sarah Blundell
3. Margaret Stevenson
4. Bertram Dewing
5. Margaret Stevenson
6. Margaret Stevenson
7. Bertram Dewing
8. Margaret Stevenson
9. Sarah Blundell
10. Sarah Blundell
11. Margaret Stevenson
12. Evelyn Watkin
13. Bertram Dewing
14. Sarah Blundell
15. Amy Dewing
16. Amy Dewing
17. Evelyn Watkin
18. Margaret Stevenson
19. ...(13)
20. Bertram Dewing
21. Amy Dewing
22. Amy Dewing
23. Emily Axford
24. Eleanor Leighton
25. Bertram Dewing
26. Ethel Blundell
27. Amy Dewing
28. Ethel Blundell
29. Emily Axford
30. Emily Axford
31. Emily Axford
32. Emily Axford
33. Kitty Carpenter
34. Emily Axford
35. Emily Axford
36. Emily Axford
37. Bertram Dewing
38. Kitty Carpenter
39. Bertram Dewing
40. Kitty Carpenter
41. Kitty Carpenter



Institution Addressees


Letters addressed to institutions by letter number

42. E. Axford, Auckland Bahá’í Group
43. E. Axford, Chairman, Auckland Spiritual Assembly
44. M. Stevenson, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual Assembly
45. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
Zealand
46. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
Zealand
47. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
Australia and New Zealand
48. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
Australia and New Zealand
49. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
Australia and New Zealand
50. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
Australia and New Zealand
51. Auckland Spiritual Assembly
52. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
Zealand
53. Auckland Spiritual Assembly
54. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
Zealand
55. D. Dive, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual Assembly
56. Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Auckland, New Zealand
57. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
Zealand
58. E. B. Dewing, Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
Auckland, New Zealand
59. M. G. Bolton, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
Australia and New Zealand
60. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
Australia and New Zealand
61. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
Australia and New Zealand
62. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
Australia and New Zealand
63. Secretary, Regional Teaching Committee for New Zealand
64. The Guardian’s message to the first Bahá’í Convention in New Zealand,
sent to Mrs Clara Dunn; she was asked to read it on behalf of the Guardian
at the Convention and then give it to the New Zealand National Spiritual
Assembly
65. Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand
66. Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand
67. N. P. L. Walker, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís
of Australia
68. Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the City of Auckland
69. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand



FOOTNOTES


    1 Rev. Oscar Blundell

    2 Miss Palter was the fiancee of Bertram Dewing. The name is possibly
      misspelled, and may be “Miss Patton”. (Department of the
      Secretariat, Universal House of Justice. August 16th, 1979)

    3 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
      Zealand

    4 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
      Zealand

    5 Dick Alexander was the fiance of Miss Vera Dewing. (Department of
      the Secretariat, Universal House of Justice. August 16th, 1979)

    6 Fred Schopflocher was appointed Hand of the Cause of God in Canada
      on February 29th, 1952.

    7 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
      Zealand

    8 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
      Zealand

    9 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New
      Zealand

   10 “The Bahá’í World, Vol. IX, 1940–1944”, pp. 600–602. Bahá’í
      Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois, 1945

   11 “The Bahá’í World, Vol. IX, 1940–1944”, pp. 593–596. Bahá’í
      Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois, 1945

   12 “The Bahá’í World, Vol. VI, 1934–1936”, pp. 496–498. Bahá’í
      Publishing Committee, New York, 1937

   13 Unable to identify. Department of the Secretariat, Universal House
      of Justice, August, 1979





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