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Title: The Light of Divine Guidance (Volume 1)
Author: Shoghi Effendi, 1897-1957
Language: English
As this book started as an ASCII text book there are no pictures available.


*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Light of Divine Guidance (Volume 1)" ***


The Light of Divine Guidance (Volume 1)


by Shoghi Effendi



Edition 1, (September 2006)



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                                 CONTENTS


Baha’i Terms of Use
Letter of 17 December 1922
Letter of 19 January 1923
Letter of 16 February 1923
Letter of 4 December 1923
Letter of 28 December 1923
Letter of 31 December 1923
Letter of 27 November 1924
Letter of 2 February 1925
Letter of 7 March 1925
Letter of 27 May 1925
Letter of 26 October 1925
Letter of 5 November 1925
Letter of 3 December 1925
Letter of 1 April 1926
Letter of 28 June 1926
Letter of 8 April 1927
Letter of 3 April 1929
Letter of 4 April 1930
Letter of 4 April 1930
Letter of 14 June 1930
Letter of 20 June 1931
Letter of 23 December 1931
Letter of 24 February 1932
Letter of 30 March 1932
Letter of 19 May 1932
Letter of 10 September 1932
Letter of 14 September 1932
Letter of 30 November 1932
Letter of 3 May 1933
Letter of 16 May 1933
Letter of 14 June 1933
Letter of 27 June 1933
Letter of 9 August 1933
Letter of 1 October 1933 (Summer School)
Letter of 11 February 1934
Letter of 21 February 1934
Letter of 8 May 1934
Letter of 30 July 1934
Letter of 8 September 1934 (Summer School)
Letter of 25 September 1934
Letter of 3 November 1934
Letter of 5 November 1934
Letter of 10 January 1935
Letter of 4 February 1935
Letter of 5 March 1935
Letter of 7 May 1935
Letter of 5 July 1935
Letter of 10 August 1935
Letter of 12 October 1935
Letter of 22 October 1935
Letter of 12 November 1935
Letter of 5 April 1936
Letter of 10 May 1936
Letter of 10 May 1936 (Convention)
Letter of 10 September 1936 (Summer School)
Letter of 9 December 1936
Letter of 17 March 1937
Letter of 10 December 1937
Letter of 2 February 1938
Letter of 31 March 1938
Letter of 25 April 1938
Letter of 21 May 1938
Letter of 7 May 1939
Letter of 6 June 1939
Letter of 5 November 1945
Letter of 30 December 1945
Letter of Dec. 30th, 1945
Letter of 8 April 1946
Letter of 4 May 1946
Letter of 30 July 1946
Letter of 31 July 1946
Letter of 22 November 1946
Letter of 18 February 1947 (Summer School)
Letter of 22 February 1947
Letter of 26 February 1947
Letter of 4 June 1947 (Convention)
Letter of 19 June 1947
Letter of 24 June 1947
Letter of 27 September 1947 (Summer School)
Letter of 24 October 1947
Letter of 15 November 1947 (Teaching Conference)
Letter of 17 January 1948
Letter of 28 February 1948
Letter of 1 April 1948
Letter of 11 May 1948
Letter of 28 May 1948
Letter of 18 October 1948
Letter of 20 October 1948 (Summer School)
Letter of 20 October 1948
Letter of 14 September 1948
Letter of 21 December 1948
Letter of 5 January 1949 (Summer School)
Letter of 24 February 1949 (Summer School)
Letter of 28 March 1949
Letter of 30 March 1949
Letter of 20 April 1949
Letter of 27 May 1949
Letter of 30 June 1949
Letter of 30 June 1949
Letter of 3 July 1949 (First Pioneer School)
Letter of 4 September 1949 (Summer School)
Letter of 23 December 1949
Letter of 6 March 1950
Letter of 13 April 1950
Letter of 28 June 1950
Letter of 30 December 1950
Letter of 2 March 1951
Letter of 30 April 1951 (Convention)
Letter of 26 July 1951
Letter of 9 August 1951
Letter of 27 August 1951 (Summer School)
Letter of 28 September 1951 (Summer School)
Letter of 30 October 1951 (Summer School)
Letter of 30 October 1951
Letter of 18 April 1952
Letter of 29 April 1952
Letter of 30 May 1952
Letter of 15 June 1952
Letter of 9 July 1952
Letter of 27 August 1952
Letter of 4 October 1952
Letter of 11 October 1952 (Summer School)
Letter of 29 November 1952
Letter of 8 March 1953
Letter of 30 March 1953
Letter of 19 April 1953
Letter of 19 April 1953
Letter of 19 April 1953 (Convention)
Letter of 26 April 1953 (Convention)
Letter of 5 May 1953
Letter of 10 June 1953
Letter of 21 June 1953
Letter of 4 August 1953
Letter of 17 August 1953
Letter of 12 September 1953 (Youth Summer Session)
Letter of 26 September 1953 (Summer School)
Letter of 15 October 1953
Letter of 26 November 1953
Letter of 14 February 1954
Letter of 3 April 1954
Letter of 17 April 1954
Letter of 21 April 1954
Letter of 30 April 1954
Letter of 2 May 1954
Letter of 28 May 1954
Letter of 8 June 1954
Letter of 25 June 1954
Letter of 28 June 1954
Letter of 23 July 1954
Letter of 27 September 1954 (Summer School)
Letter of 18 November 1954
Letter of 12 December 1954
Letter of 10 February 1955
Letter of 10 February 1955
Letter of 23 February 1955
Letter of 23 February 1955
Letter of 8 March 1955
Letter of 11 March 1955
Letter of 29 March 1955
Letter of 20 April 1955
Letter of 1 May 1955 (Convention)
Letter of 1 July 1955
Letter of 2 August 1955
Letter of 23 September 1955
Letter of 23 September 1955 (Summer School)
Letter of 30 September 1955
Letter of 20 October 1955
Letter of 19 October 1955
Letter of 28 October 1955
Letter of 10 November 1955
Letter of November 1955
Letter of 23 November 1955
Letter of 15 December 1955
Letter of 15 December 1955
Letter of 20 December 1955
Letter of 3 February 1956
Letter of 20 March 1956
Letter of 23 March 1956
Letter of 25 March 1956
Letter of 6 April 1956
Letter of 7 April 1956
Letter of 27 April 1956
Letter of 19 May 1956
Letter of 19 May 1956
Letter of 19 May 1956
Letter of 5 June 1956
Letter of 8 June 1956
Letter of 8 June 1956
Letter of 21 June 1956
Letter of 7 July 1956
Letter of 7 July 1956
Letter of 7 July 1956
Letter of 8 July 1956
Letter of 27 July 1956
Letter of 31 July 1956
Letter of 26 August 1956
Letter of 24 September 1956 (Summer School)
Letter of 27 September 1956
Letter of 27 September 1956
Letter of 27 September 1956
Letter of 28 September 1956
Letter of 6 October 1956 (First Austrian Summer School)
Letter of 20 October 1956
Letter of 22 October 1956 (Teaching Conference)
Letter of 9 November 1956
Letter of 15 November 1956
Letter of 30 November 1956
Letter of 30 November 1956
Letter of 5 December 1956
Letter of 1 January 1957
Letter of 10 January 1957
Letter of 11 January 1957
Letter of 11 January 1957
Letter of 13 January 1957
Letter of 19 January 1957
Letter of 19 January 1957
Letter of 19 January 1957
Letter of 24 Janaury 1957 (Winter School)
Letter of 26 January 1957
Letter of 30 January 1957
Letter of 17 February 1957
Letter of 17 February 1957
Letter of 10 March 1957
Letter of 12 March 1957 (Regional Convention)
Letter of 13 March 1957
Letter of 14 March 1957
Letter of 17 March 1957
Letter of 29 March 1957
Letter of 3 April 1957
Letter of 9 April 1957
Letter of 12 April 1957
Letter of 18 April 1957
Letter of 19 April 1957
Letter of 19 April 1957
Letter of 28 April 1957
Letter of 14 August 1957
Letter of 16 August 1957
Letter of 27 August 1957
Letter of 3 September 1957
Letter of 4 September 1957
Letter of 5 September 1957
Letter of 22 September 1957
Letter of 26 September 1957 (Summer School)
Letter of 3 October 1957 (Summer School)
Letter of 27 October 1957
Letter of 30 October 1957 (Teaching Conference)



LETTER OF 17 DECEMBER 1922


17 December 1922

Blest and beloved ones of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!

To have been unable, owing to sad circumstances over which I have had no
control, to keep in close and constant touch with you, the beloved
children of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, since His passing from this world, is to me a
cause of sad surprise and deep and bitter regret. To say that ever since
the Dawn of a New Day has broken upon me I have in the least felt
reluctant or disinclined to enter into relationship with every one of you,
or felt indifferent to a Cause which is so close and dear to your hearts,
would indeed betray every sentiment of love and fellowship which animates
every one of us in our servitude to His Holy Threshold. It was rather my
utter exhaustion, my profound feelings of sorrow, the overwhelming sense
of my own position and responsibilities and the extreme pressure of work
that have caused me to maintain such a long silence and seem forgetful of
those brave and valiant lovers of the Master in that land.

Of the thoughts that sustained and comforted me during my hours of restful
retirement was the realization, never dismissed from my mind, that in the
German friends the Master will surely find loyal and grateful children who
will repay the tender love and paternal care which He had for them with a
devotion and service, so profound and lasting that will prove worthy of
the many blessings that have been theirs in the past.

The news of your most spiritual gatherings, since the Great Plan of the
Master as revealed in His Testament has been unfolded to our eyes; the
formation and functioning of the National Body with efficiency and
harmony; the extension of your activities; the widening of your
correspondence; the generous and spontaneous help you have extended us in
connection with our difficulties in the Holy Land and above all the spirit
of ready devotion and ever-increasing zeal which is back of it all—these
are sweet thoughts that cheer the bereaved Ladies of the Holy Household
and encourage here and abroad the many friends who look forward to the
hour when all the Master has promised His friends in Germany will come to
be fulfilled.

Having returned to the Holy Land with a renewed vigour and a refreshed
spirit, I shall not fail with the help of the Master to do my part in
enabling you to carry on further and still further the Glorious Standard
of Bahá to the very heart and uttermost confines of Germany and thus
hasten the Day when the Spirit of Faith and Peace as revealed in the Cause
of Bahá’u’lláh will fill the world and the darkness of strife be no more.

In sweet remembrance at the Three Holy Shrines of your labours of love for
His Cause, I am and remain your brother and coworker in His service.



LETTER OF 19 JANUARY 1923


19 January 1923

The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout
Germany,
Care of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly.

My dearly-beloved friends!

Ever since I have resumed my work in the Holy Land I have been awaiting
with eager and particular interest the detailed letters, individual as
well as collective, of my loved ones in Germany, who, I am sure are
arduously, devotedly and efficiently carrying on the Great Work which the
Master has destined for them in this world.

Much as I desire to correspond individually with every one of you, yet I
find that in view of the marvellously rapid extension of the Movement all
over the world to start and maintain individual correspondence with the
vast and ever-increasing number of Bahá’ís in the East and the West would
entail so much time and energy on my part as to prevent me from paying
adequate attention to my other duties that are so urgent and vital in
these days.

I shall therefore very regretfully and reluctantly have to content myself
with direct correspondence with every Bahá’í group in each locality, be it
a city or hamlet, keeping in constant touch with them directly and through
their respective local assemblies and co-ordinating their spiritual
efforts and activities through the National Spiritual Assembly (National
Body), representative of all the believers and local assemblies throughout
the land.

I am exceedingly anxious, as a preliminary to the faithful execution of
this plan, to receive as soon as it is convenient an official,
comprehensive and detailed report from the National Spiritual Assembly,
stating accurately the actual standing of the Cause in Germany, describing
the progress of the activities of the friends throughout that land and the
adjoining countries such as Austria and Northern Switzerland, and setting
forth the names, the numerical strength, the history, the needs and the
activities of every locality throughout these regions, however small in
size, where the Light of the Cause has so far been able to penetrate.

I hope by this measure to enter into direct and constant communication
with every locality, however small it may be, where a single friend or
more is striving to teach the Cause and establish a Bahá’í centre.

It has been my great pleasure to read some of the letters addressed during
the past months by the German friends to the Greatest Holy Leaf, and their
perusal, I assure you, has filled me with intense satisfaction and made me
still more confident of that glorious era of spiritual reawakening which
the unseen Hand of our Master is sure to unfold to our eyes in the near
future.

Your labours are unceasing, your effort knows no bounds, your devotion and
selflessness are indeed worthy of the many blessings our Beloved has
bestowed upon you and the Guidance of Bahá’u’lláh and His unfailing
assistance will, I am certain, enable you to crown your ceaseless
endeavours with glorious and well-deserved success.

In my hours of prayer and meditation, I remember you most tenderly and
beseech every time I visit the Sacred Shrines a fresh outpouring of His
Grace and Spirit upon your efforts for the spread and triumph of His
Cause.

As I was the other day studying various Bahá’í documents I came across a
most inspiring and encouraging message from our Beloved written in his own
handwriting and bearing no date and sign as to the place and circumstances
in which it was revealed. I enclose a copy of its translation together
with various Bahá’í prayers and Tablets all of which I trust will be of
great help and assistance to you in your work of service to the Cause. I
submit them all to the members of the National Spiritual Assembly for
translation into German and circulation among the friends.

I have asked a very experienced Persian teacher, by the name of
Jináb-i-Avárih, who is at present in England, to pay a special visit to
the various Bahá’í centres in Germany and endeavour with the hearty
cooperation of every one of you to arouse deep and widespread interest in
the Movement throughout that land.

I am eagerly anxious to receive a copy of your Bahá’í organ which I trust
you will be able to publish both in German and in English and which I hope
will truly and fully describe the great effort which is now being made in
those regions for the diffusion of the Bahá’í principles and teachings.
With the introduction of an English section into your Bahá’í Magazine the
number of its subscribers will I am sure greatly increase as the many
friends in America, Great Britain, France, India and Egypt would be most
pleased and grateful to gather from its columns the full news of the
onward march of the Cause throughout Central Europe.

It would be a great encouragement to the friends in America and India if
the German friends would through their respective assemblies subscribe to
the two leading Bahá’í organs in the world, namely the Star of the West
and the Bahá’í News, and contribute regularly reports of their own
activities and submit for publication carefully written articles,
sanctioned by the members of the National Spiritual Assembly, and bearing
upon spiritual matters in general, that the East and the West may be
closely linked together and the friends the world over may know of one
anothers activities and services to the Cause.

The time is sure to come and the signs are already apparent, when the
various and distant members of this great world community will find their
activities co-ordinated, their purpose unified, their efforts re-inforced
and the effect of their combined efforts manifest throughout the world.
May the Power of Bahá’u’lláh breathe the dynamic spirit of Life into the
combined and systematized efforts of the friends the world over and revive
through them the body of stricken humanity and give it the peace which it
yearns for and which the world cannot give.

Your devoted brother



LETTER OF 16 FEBRUARY 1923


16 February 1923

The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout
Germany,
Care of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly.

My dearest brethren and sisters in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!

I have received with mixed feelings of sadness and gratitude your
longexpected letter, sent on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly
(National Body), and written by our sincere and devoted brother Consul
Schwarz. It made me feel relieved and grateful at receiving at last the
news of your safety and the assurance of your unwavering determination to
serve with heart and soul and to the very end the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh;
and it filled me with sorrow to hear of the grievous calamity that has
befallen your land and the hardships that are afflicting your country.

Let me assure you, at the outset, of the deep sympathy of the Ladies of
the Household, of the friends the world over, and of myself, in your great
suffering, and our unfailing prayers to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, that He may
dissipate these gathering clouds of animosity and strife, and relieve your
great and beloved country from its present state of uncertainty and peril.

Why fear and sorrow? Have we not the express promise of the Master,
uttered after the termination of the Great War, that Germany, now humbled
and weakened, will no doubt be freed from its fetters and will develop,
materially and spiritually, and shall one day emerge from this sad turmoil
strong, united and prosperous, ready to take her place in the great Family
of the advanced nations of the world?

I am enclosing for you all my translation of a number of selections from
the Master’s soul-stirring and comforting words, revealed some twentyfive
years ago, and during the darkest days of his incarceration in the
prison-city of Akká. You will I hope translate them and publish them in
your Bahá’í organ the “Sun of Truth”, copies of which I shall be most
pleased to receive and share with my friends in the Holy Land.

I am enclosing also a copy of my last letter to you, wherein I have asked
you, among other things, to send me a detailed report of your activities,
and I sincerely hope that I shall soon be in receipt of a detailed answer
from you on all the points which I have raised in my last letter.

I am also enclosing my revised translation of the Hidden Words of
Bahá’u’lláh, both Arabic and Persian, and hope to send you more of His
Words and Teachings in future.

Awaiting your news, and wishing you the highest success in your glorious
work of service,

I am your devoted brother



LETTER OF 4 DECEMBER 1923


4 December 1923

To the dearly-beloved friends throughout Germany.
Care of the National Spiritual Assembly

My well-beloved friends:

What a joy to correspond with you again, and express, after a long and
unbroken silence, my warm sentiments of love and affection for those
tried, yet steadfast, lovers of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá! Your trials and sufferings
have been a constant source of anxiety and painful sorrow, not to me
alone, but to the Ladies of the Household as well as to the friends at
large.

True, humanity is to-day widely afflicted with unprecedented ills and
calamities, but you, the chosen and favoured children of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
have, by some wisdom inscrutable to us all, received the fullest measure
of this distress, and are carrying the burden of your cares with heroic
fortitude, unflinching faith, and undaunted courage worthy of the
admiration of even the most severely tried of your fellow-sufferers in
far-away Persia.

Your only consolation lies in the ever-living words of our departed
Master, who confidently declared that the days are not far distant when
Germany, will shake off her present humiliation, and will emerge, mighty,
united and glorious, not only to take her destined place in the councils
of nations, but to raise high the triumphant banner of the Cause in the
very heart of Europe.

Your ceaseless activities since His departure from our midst have been
steadily extended as your tribulations and anxieties have multiplied, and
I feel hopeful that ere long the true Faith of God will blaze worth in
that land, and will herald publicly the Message of Salvation to that
distracted continent.

I am so desirous to receive from the National Spiritual Assembly,
frequent, comprehensive and up-to-date reports on the present position of
the Cause throughout Germany, with an account of the activities of the
various Bahá’í centers recently established throughout that land.

Your Bahá’í Magazine, I have regularly received and read with deep
interest. I strongly urge you to devote a section of it, written both in
German and English, to an account of the current activities of the
Movement throughout the length and breadth of Germany, a step which I am
sure will rejoice the hearts of our spiritual brethren and sisters the
world over.

The members of the holy Family and myself have joined lately the resident
friends in the Holy Land in contributing towards the relief of the present
distress in Germany, and we trust our modest efforts will mitigate to some
extent the rigours of this coming winter in that afflicted country.

Hoping to hear from you, individually and collectively, and remembering
you always in my prayers,

I am your brother and co-worker



LETTER OF 28 DECEMBER 1923


28 December 1923

To the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful in Leipzig,
Germany,
Care of his honour, Mr. Herrigel.

My dearest brethren and sisters in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

I need not emphasize the deep and genuine pleasure I felt when I received
and read your most welcome letter dated November 11th. 1923. With what
pride and gratitude I learned from it that already, through the
ever-present and omnipotent spirit of our departed Master a fresh start
has been made and a promising center established in that beautiful city of
yours, one of the leading centres of thought in your beloved country.

True, your fatherland is now fallen a prey to chaotic conditions and
severe distress, yet in this hour of trial and suffering we should all
remember the inspired words of our Beloved who, more than once, declared
that out of this humiliating turmoil Germany is sure to rise again, united
and mighty, ready to render her services, spiritual as well as material,
to the cause of mankind.

Let these words cheer us, let them sustain us with hope and confidence,
and inspire us to serve His Cause and spread His Message, however trying
the conditions may be.

I await lovingly and eagerly your letters, individually as well as
collectively, and will be delighted to hear of the progress of your
activities, of the full account of your meetings, and of your plans for
the promotion of the Bahá’í Movement.

May His spirit, amid these trying circumstances and vicissitudes of your
domestic life, sustain you and guide you in rendering distinct services to
our beloved Cause.

Assuring you of my earnest prayers on your behalf,

I am your brother in His love



LETTER OF 31 DECEMBER 1923


31 December 1923

The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful in Hamburg,
Gera, Schwerin, Rostock and Wärnemunde.

My dearly-beloved brethren and sisters in the love of God!

The letter of our beloved and highly-esteemed fellow-worker, Dr.
Grossmann, together with the enclosed Bahá’í leaflets and reports, as well
as the most welcome and encouraging circular letters sent out by the
Hamburg and Gera Bahá’í Assemblies, have all been received and read with
pride and gratitude. So unexpected were these messages that were conveyed
to us from those uttermost corners of Germany, and so beautiful their
spirit, that we all felt at once surprised, gladdened and inspired. How
wondrous, how all-conquering is the Spirit of our beloved Master which,
despite the terrible distress now reigning all over Germany, and
notwithstanding the confusion and the gross materialism in which mankind
is now sunk, is causing these vigorous, radiant and hopeful Bahá’í centres
to be established, linked together and strengthened, in even the uttermost
regions of your great country.

I have shared all your news with the friends in the Holy Land, and will
forward them to all the Bahá’í centres throughout the East, that the
friends of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá may realize more deeply than ever how His promise
is being fulfilled. The Haifa Spiritual Assembly will soon send you a
special message acknowledging the receipt of your circular letters and
will be glad to share your news with the friends throughout the East and
the West.

Germany is at present in the throes of unprecedented afflictions, and the
immediate future may seem still dark and disquieting, yet we, who follow
in the Master’s footsteps will ever bear in mind His sure and emphatic
promise that your fatherland’s present plight will erelong be turned into
a material prosperity and a spiritual regeneration more glorious than ever
before, and will offer to the eyes of the world a vast, rich, and ready
field for the propagation of the Bahá’í principles.

Let us then take heart, and endeavour to deepen in spirit, to reinforce
our numbers, so that, however depressing and distracting the conditions
around us may be, we may persevere, with clear vision, steadfast hope, and
united effort to achieve the triumph of the Bahá’í Revelation throughout
the world.

I am eagerly awaiting every news you may wish to send me, for I thirst
after the glad tidings of the progress of the Cause in your mighty and
promising land.

Your fellow-worker,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 27 NOVEMBER 1924


27 November 1924

To my dearly-beloved brothers and sisters in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

My most precious brothers and sisters in the love of God!

Your most welcome letter bearing the signatures of those who have attended
your Annual Bahá’í Congress recently held in Stuttgart filled my heart
with a joy that I cannot express. As I read it over and over again I could
feel from every word, nay every syllable, of that soul-stirring message of
yours the promised quickening power of the Word of Bahá’u’lláh and the
love of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá which will, in time, I am certain, achieve the most
far-reaching transformation throughout Germany.

Your great and promising country, dear to you all, blest by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
sacred feet, and the object of the hope and affection of Bahá’ís in every
land, is in a most startling manner rising phoenix-like from the ashes of
humiliation and despair, determined now to raise aloft victoriously and
serene the Standard of Bahá’u’lláh and with His love set all the world
aflame.

From the reports of the marvellous progress of your work leading to the
establishment of an ever-increasing number of Bahá’í Centres and
Assemblies in the North, South and Center of Germany I can well realize
how faithful and loyal you have been to the last wishes of our departed
Master, how the showers of His promised help have rained upon you, how
gloriously triumphant you must feel now that the hour of a re-awakened
Germany has struck. I should be so pleased to receive a general and
up-to-date report on the present activities, position, and strength of the
Cause in Germany together with a list of the various Bahá’í centres
recently established.

Persevere in your task, redouble your efforts, spread on to the remotest
corners of your vast and mighty land, approach fearlessly both the high
and the low, infuse deeper and deeper the Bahá’í Spirit into every heart,
and do not for a moment relax till all your land may from end to end throb
with the joy of the recognition of this Most Great Cause.

Behold what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá saith: “The triumphant hosts of the Celestial
Concourse, arrayed and marshalled in the Realms above, stand ready and
expectant to assist and assure victory to that valiant horseman who with
confidence spurs on his charger into the arena of service. Well is it with
that fearless warrior, who armed with the power of true knowledge hastens
unto the field, disperses the armies of ignorance, and scatters the hosts
of error, who holds aloft the Standard of Divine Guidance, and sounds the
Clarion of Victory...”

Be assured my dearest friends of my unfailing prayers. On this day when
with bleeding hearts we commemorate the passing of our beloved
‘Abdu’l-Bahá we remember you most tenderly, we pray for your success at
His Holy shrine, and feel confident that you will soon achieve the
greatest victory.

Awaiting eagerly your joyful news,
Your true brother



LETTER OF 2 FEBRUARY 1925


2 February 1925

To my well-beloved Bahá’í brethren and sisters throughout Germany.
Care of the German National Spiritual Assembly.

Loyal and capable children of our beloved ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!

I have received with the greatest pleasure from the National Spiritual
Assembly, through our dearly-beloved Consul Schwarz, the report of your
activities that reflect so vividly the unquenchable spirit of love and
self-sacrifice which animates you in your service for the Beloved’s Cause.
Your unremitting labours are worthy of the highest praise, the success you
have so far achieved is well deserved. The refreshing vitality of your
work, the unity of purpose and the concerted action attained recently by
your fast-growing community are resplendent features of your activity.
They continually remind us of the Master’s intense love for you, His high
hopes in you, His often expressed admiration for the ardent devotion, the
unquestioned sincerity, the unrivalled capacity of His loved ones in
Germany. By what you have already accomplished, and by what you are
determined to achieve in times to come, you have merited His abundant
blessings and proved in the highest sense worthy of the unsurpassed
affection He had for you.

The signs of the promised revival of your sorely-tried Fatherland can now
be easily discerned. In material prosperity it is steadily advancing, its
power and worldly prestige are being fast regained, and above all the dawn
of a spiritual awakening, unparalleled in your history, seems at last to
have broken upon it. His sure and often repeated promise will erelong be
fulfilled.

Let your National Assembly, therefore, redouble its efforts, inaugurate a
fresh campaign of ever-expanding activity, and make a solemn determination
not to relax till their one aim is attained. Let them, with the full and
sustained support, moral as well as financial, of the vast company of the
believers throughout your land, send forth their teachers far and wide,
that they may scatter to the very confines of Germany and endeavour by
every intelligent and effective method to lend a fresh impetus to the
newly-established centres, add to their number, satisfy their needs and
coordinate their efforts.

Let him who desires to hasten the advent of the day when all Germany will
waken to the recognition of this one Message of Universal Salvation arise
to contribute his share to the work, so gloriously begun, so effectively
pursued. Let him by his written and spoken word, in private as well as in
public, in the course of his travels and in his association with all sorts
and conditions of men teach the Cause of God with purity of heart, with
unflinching determination and complete understanding.

I assure you, dear friends, we shall all remember you most tenderly, most
affectionately, whenever we visit the Three Holy Shrines. We will
supplicate for you the aid and assistance from on high. We will implore
Him Who loved you most dearly to bless you even more richly than before,
shield you from the malice of the ungodly, bind you closer one to the
other, deepen your faith, clarify your vision, widen the scope of your
activities, and reinforce your noble endeavours.

We all love you, we all pray for you, we all await the joyful tidings of
your land.

Your true brother



LETTER OF 7 MARCH 1925


7 March 1925

To the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful in Vienna.

My dearly-beloved brothers and sisters in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!

Your joint letter dated February 13th. 1925 has rejoiced my heart and has
served to deepen my admiration for the splendid efforts displayed by your
spiritual teacher, our never to be forgotten Bahá’í brother Mr. Herrigel.
As I read the full list of your beloved names, I could not but feel a
thrill of joy and gratitude for the manifold blessings of our departed
Master who has graciously called upon you and chosen you to carry on the
great work to which He dedicated His whole life. It is indeed a great
privilege for you all to be able to labour in this Divine Vineyard, and to
lay down the basis of the spiritual as well as the material development of
your ancient and beloved country.

I shall be so glad to receive frequent and detailed reports on the
progress of your activities individually and collectively, and assure you
of my ardent desire to help you in any way I can for the expansion and
advancement of your work.

Persevere in your task, endeavour by every means at your disposal to add
to your numbers, study profoundly the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, devote a special attention to the proper education of your
children, and arise to start and maintain constant correspondence with the
various Bahá’í centres throughout the East and the West. Be assured of the
emphatic never-failing promise of our dear Master that whoso ariseth to
deliver this Message with purity of heart and sincerity of purpose the
hosts of the Supreme Concourse will enable him to achieve in a short
period of time what all the nations of the world combined can never
accomplish.

I will specially pray for you at the Three Holy Shrines that the
All-Bountiful may bless richly your efforts, that the seeds sown by our
Beloved in Vienna may germinate through your persevering efforts and usher
in the era of true felicity and peace for your sorely-tried and
illustrious fatherland.

Awaiting eagerly the glad-tidings of the progress of your work, and
assuring you of my brotherly love,

I am your true brother



LETTER OF 27 MAY 1925


27 May 1925

The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout
Germany.

My dearly-beloved friends:

Our well-beloved brother and fellow-worker Dr. Esslemont acting on medical
advice is proceeding to the Black Forest for treatment and recuperation.
He has been suffering of late from ill-health which has interfered with
the unique and most valuable work he has been doing in Haifa. His past
services, his selflessness and devotion, his book of unsurpassed
excellence, his noble character and great industry entitle him to the
highest esteem and warmest affection of every true Bahá’í.

He has been advised to spend the hot summer months in a dry and cool
climate and to secure proper medical treatment in a quiet and restful
place. I am sure that the German friends who have already learned to love
and admire such a precious and capable servant of the Cause will do all in
their power to extend to him every facility and ensure his full and speedy
recovery.

He will be accompanied by our dear Bahá’í sister, Mrs. Lowell, who is
returning to America via Germany and whom you will be glad to welcome in
your midst.

Assuring you of my affection and prayers,

I am your brother in His service



LETTER OF 26 OCTOBER 1925


26 October 1925

To the esteemed editor of the “La Nova Tago”, the International Bahá’í
Esperanto Gazette

My dear fellow-worker:

It has given me the greatest pleasure to receive the first issues of the
Bahá’í Esperanto Gazette, and to learn of the splendid start you have made
along a path which I am certain will lead you ultimately to glorious and
abiding success.

I hail the inauguration of an international Bahá’í Organ, so vitally
needed at the present stage of our work, and destined to render services
that are unique in their character to the component parts of the
ever-expanding Bahá’í world.

Though limited in its sphere of influence, and modest in features, yet it
shall, due to the vital position it fulfills, grow from strength to
strength and vindicate its claim as the one medium of international Bahá’í
intercourse. That it may achieve this purpose, it is incumbent upon those
who are responsible for its publication and development to devise ways and
means for the establishment and maintenance of regular and frequent
communications with the various Bahá’í National Spiritual Assemblies, that
in time this promising Magazine may faithfully portray with force and
beauty the diverse achievements of Bahá’í communities throughout the
world.

I assure you of my deepest interest in this fresh field of Bahá’í
enterprise, and of my great desire to promote in such parts of the Bahá’í
world as present circumstances permit the study of an international
language which is of such an obvious and practical utility to our steadily
advancing Cause.

May ‘Abdu’l-Bahá bless richly your efforts,

Your brother and fellow-worker



LETTER OF 5 NOVEMBER 1925


5 November 1925

To my dearly-beloved brothers and sisters in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá the members of
the National Spiritual Assembly,
Care of the Secretary, Mrs. Consul Schwarz, Stuttgart, Germany.

My dear fellow-workers:

It is always a great pleasure to us all to receive from the German
National Spiritual Assembly, in whose members we have the greatest hopes,
detailed and frequent reports regarding the work entrusted to their
charge. I shall always welcome with the greatest joy and satisfaction any
suggestions you may wish to offer, would be gratified to share in the
study of your plans, in the consideration of your manifold difficulties
and problems as well as in the joy of your individual as well as
collective accomplishments. I therefore earnestly request you to inform me
as regularly and as frequently as possible of the various features of your
work, of the plans and schemes which you have in mind, of the various
obstacles in your path, and of whatever is needed to ensure the peaceful
and steady progress of your work and the consolidation of your devoted
labours.

An active, united, and harmonious National Spiritual Assembly, properly
and conscientiously elected, vigorously functioning, alert and conscious
of its many and pressing responsibilities, in close and continuous contact
with the international center in the Holy Land, and keenly watchful of
every development throughout the length and breadth of its ever-expanding
field of work—is surely in this day of urgent necessity and paramount
importance, for it is the corner-stone on which the edifice of Divine
administration must ultimately rest. It is my hope and prayer that the
ever-watchful Spirit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá will guide, reinforce, and bless your
unceasing and unsparing efforts, and crown with brilliant success the
services which His well-beloved and loyal German friends are rendering to
His Cause.

I am enclosing a general letter of appeal addressed to the declared
believers throughout the Bahá’í world, acquainting them with the present
situation of the land in close proximity to the Shrines of Mount Carmel
and urging them to do all in their power to safeguard for the future the
surroundings of this cherished and sacred Spot.

I am also enclosing a copy of the list of transliterated terms commonly
used in Bahá’í Literature, and ask you to distribute them throughout the
various Bahá’í centres in Germany and Austria, that the friends the world
over may adopt in their writings one common, authoritative, and uniform
system of spelling and thus avoid inevitable confusion in future.

I have already acquainted you by cable of the sad and grave situation in
Ba_gh_dád in connection with the House of Bahá’u’lláh, wherein He passed
the greater part of His sojourn in ‘Iráq, which He explicitly designated
as sacred, object of Bahá’í veneration and pilgrimage, and of the future
of which He spoke and wrote with glowing praise and majestic confidence. I
am certain that every true believer in Germany and Austria, conscious of
the gravity of the present situation, will after due consultation and
deliberation, do all in his power to safeguard such an infinitely precious
and sacred edifice.

The publication of “La Nova Tago” the first International Esperanto
Gazette, has given me genuine and deep satisfaction and I trust that this
promising Magazine, properly directed and nurtured, will achieve great
things for the Cause in future. I strongly urge you to support it, guide
it and direct it along the most profitable channels, and make of it in
time a true mirror reflecting the world-wide activities of the Bahá’í
Cause. May it achieve its great and laudable purpose!

In my hours of prayer and meditation at the three holy Shrines, I
particularly and most tenderly remember my unforgettable German friends,
in whose ability, ardour, thoroughness, sagacity and constancy our Beloved
had the greatest belief and confidence, of whose land He spoke so highly,
and on whom He lavished His lovingkindness and blessings. We follow your
present activities with no less admiration and affection, and feel certain
that you are destined to play your part in securing the ultimate and
universal recognition of the Bahá’í Faith.

Awaiting eagerly your individual and collective letters, and assuring you
of my undiminished affection,

I am your true brother and fellow-worker



LETTER OF 3 DECEMBER 1925


3 December 1925

The beloved of God and the handmaids of the Merciful in Dresden. c/o Mr.
Herrigel.

My Dearly-beloved friends:

I have learned with feelings of gratitude and satisfaction, the welcome
news conveyed in Mr. Herrigel’s letter regarding the establishment of a
Bahá’í centre in Dresden. I hasten to offer you in the name of all Bahá’ís
the expression of our warmest welcome, and our best wishes for the
expansion, and the consolidation of your newly-established centre.

The efforts of our indefatigable and self-sacrificing brother, Mr.
Herrigel, have at last yielded the promised fruit, and we feel confident,
that by the unfailing assistance of the power of Bahá’u’lláh, and the
fostering care of our dear brother, your numbers will increase, your
knowledge of this Most Great Cause deepen, and your opportunities for the
service of mankind in accordance with the Sublime principles of
Bahá’u’lláh multiply.

I assure you, one and all, of my keen interest in your work, your plans
and hopes for the future and of my fervent prayers for your happiness,
success and welfare whenever I visit the Holy Shrines.

I trust and pray that some day we shall meet face to face in Haifa, and
visit together the various historic sites, that have been hallowed by
footsteps of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

I urge you to take up earnestly the study of the Bahá’í history and
teachings, and to read most carefully such parts of Dr. Esselmont’s book
as have been already translated into German.

Wishing you success from all my heart, and assuring you again of our
hearty welcome to the Abhá fold,

I am your brother and well-wisher
Shoghi



LETTER OF 1 APRIL 1926


1 April 1926

Dear spiritual brothers and sisters:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
Bahá, 1, 83. He always looks with great expectation to the news of the
progress of the Cause in Germany. That country together with the other
states of central Europe have come out of the war, and the later
developments of the political conditions almost ruined. They all feel the
need for some new spirit which will pull the world out of the morass it is
in. If the teachings of the Cause be properly set forth, if its solution
of the social problems be clearly expounded, the people will undoubtedly
grasp its significance and further its progress.

Shoghi Effendi prays to God that you may all be guided in your services so
that the hopes of the Master may be realized in Germany even before it was
expected.

There is no especial news here in Haifa. Pilgrims are coming and going,
taking with them the beautiful spirit they obtain at the Blessed Shrines.

All the members of the family are well and eagerly await the news of your
success....

[From the Guardian:]

My dear co-workers:

Your letter has greatly encouraged me in my work. I have great hopes in
your future work and am deeply grateful for what you have already
achieved. I will remember you in my prayers at the Beloved’s Shrine and
will supplicate for you that you may attract many a soul to this mighty
and wondrous Revelation.

Your brother and well-wisher,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 28 JUNE 1926


28 June 1926

Dear Spiritual brothers and sisters:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of those few kind
words of love you all signed and sent. The picture which your secretary
sent under a separate cover was also received. He hopes that more of such
congresses will be held in that land and the youth awakened to the duty
that has been laid upon them. Unless they are aroused, unless they begin
to feel their responsibility, unless they rise to active and effective
service, the Cause will not really spread and quickly attain its desired
aim.

The geographical position of Germany has given her a unique position in
the spread of the Cause in Europe. She stands actually in the center of
that continent and from it can branch out tentacles which will gradually
unite the whole Europe. The signs that she can undertake such a task are
clear. We see there the largest number of the European Bahá’ís most active
and promising. The only thing is, that the more united they are, the more
devoted and steadfast in their faith they become, the sooner they will
attain their goal and bring their task to a successful and glorious
ending.

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to assure you of his prayers. He hopes that the
German friends will leave a memorable record on the annals of the Cause
and fully justify the expectations the Master had in their spiritual
future....

[From the Guardian:]

My dear fellow-workers:

Your most welcome letter has rejoiced my heart. Your magnificent
endeavours, your tenacity of purpose, your firmness of faith, the ardour
of your love and your grasp of the Divine Teachings are assets which I
greatly prize and value. My hope and prayer is that Bahá’u’lláh may shower
upon you His infinite blessings that the promise of our dear Master may
erelong be fulfilled and that Germany may arise with one voice and one
mind to champion the Cause of God and in the spiritual realm direct the
nations of the earth to the path of true Brotherhood and Peace. Yours is a
great privilege and a noble mission; may He enable you to achieve your
heart’s desire.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 8 APRIL 1927


8 April 1927

Dear Bahá’í brothers and sisters,

The beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, thanks you for your good Naw-Rúz
letter to him, dated 1 Bahá 84.

He is very pleased that you have good hopes for the future and he will
pray at the Holy Shrines for you, that you may be abundantly blessed—and
that you may be enabled to draw many souls to the light of these Divine
Teachings.

He is very interested to hear of your plan to build a wooden house on your
new piece of land, to be a home for the young and the aged—and also that
is to be used as a home for poor children, to give them a change and rest
during the summer. It will be a very good and excellent work to build this
house—and Shoghi Effendi hopes that you will have great success with it,
and that you will find it of the utmost use and benefit for those who are
poor in the world’s goods....

[From the Guardian:]

My dear co-workers:

Your sweet and touching message of loyalty and love has greatly cheered
and encouraged me. I rejoice to learn of your steadfast love and devotion
to our beloved Cause. I am greatly heartened by the thought of your
constancy in service and your splendid achievements. I am deeply thankful
for your aid and assistance in safeguarding and promoting the interests of
the Cause. I will continue to pray for you, one and all, from the depths
of my heart, that the Beloved may deepen your understanding, broaden your
vision, remove obstacles from your way, and enable you to become the
purest mirrors reflecting the beauty and radiance of the Divine
Revelation.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 3 APRIL 1929


3 April 1929

Dear Bahá’í brothers and sisters:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your joint letter
dated March 21st 1929 in which you extend to him hearty New Year
greetings. He wishes me to reciprocate those sentiments and assure you of
his prayers. He hopes that through your combined efforts this coming year
will bring to the Cause, especially in that country, wonderful success.
May God hear our prayers and grant us His blessings...

[From the Guardian:]

My dear co-workers:

I am deeply impressed by your message. I will assuredly remember you in my
prayers, that your numbers may increase, your influence extend, your
understand of the Cause deepen, and your efforts be richly blessed by our
beloved and departed Master. Persevere and study the Teachings. Rest
assured that He will continue to reinforce your endeavours and enable you
to realize your heart’s desire.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 4 APRIL 1930


4 April 1930

Dear Mrs. Brauns:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
March 22nd 1930, as well as the enclosed note signed by a number of the
friends. Shoghi Effendi hopes that the Master’s spirit will assist you and
guide you through these days of great tests.

There is always an important difference between friends and tested
friends. No matter how precious the first type may be, the future of the
Cause rests upon the latter. Up to the present the German friends were
considered as loving Bahá’ís, from now on they can be ranked as tested
ones.

In every country where such difficulties arise, they generally end with
added energy and more intensive service of the Cause. Shoghi Effendi hopes
that in Germany also Mrs. White’s activities will only arouse the friends
and make them redouble their energy. They can now see what enemies the
Cause has to confront and how essential it is to strengthen its following.

In the Bayán the Báb says that every religion was meant to be universal
and also deserved to become so. The only reason why they have all failed
to stand up to that mark was due to the inability of the followers who
where entrusted with that task. Let us endeavour lest we also fail to
realize that ideal which Bahá’u’lláh has set before us.

Please convey to all the friends Shoghi Effendi’s loving greetings and
assure them that during his moments of prayer he will ask God for their
guidance and help....

[From the Guardian:]

My dear and precious co-workers:

I am so pleased to have received your noble assurance of faith and loyalty
to the Cause. These days of storm and stress will serve to invigorate the
Cause, purify and consolidate its foundations.

Persevere in your efforts, and be assured of my prayers. The Master will
surely fortify, guide and bless His loyal, faithful and persevering loved
ones. I trust that my last circular letter which I sent to Germany a week
ago, will clarify the vision and deepen the understanding of the friends.
May Bahá’u’lláh’s almighty arms surround you and fulfill your hearts’
desire.

Lovingly and affectionately,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 4 APRIL 1930


4 April 1930

Dear friends:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
March 25th 1930. He hopes and prays that you will stand firm in these days
of tests and appreciate the light and seek it steadfastly. Miss Wright
comes from a country where the friends have at several occasions been put
to test and therefore she appreciates the difficulties that the friends
are confronting. Shoghi Effendi hopes, that coming from the Holy Land she
will import to you the spirit she obtained at the Holy Thresholds.

Ever since the inception of the Cause we have been experiencing constant
attacks. Sometimes they came from outside. Other times they came from
souls most trusted and loved. In every case however they have proven to be
for the good of the Faith. It is such events that arouse the friends to
added service.

Shoghi Effendi hopes that as a result of Mrs. White’s activities the
friends will become more united and feel to a greater extent the
importance of their task. Perhaps, if we had endeavoured more, if we had
sacrificed to a greater extent, if, following the explicit wish of the
Master, we had sought to spread the Cause even more than we have done,
Mrs. White and her like could not criticise us to such an extent and say
that the administration has killed the spirit. Let us therefore take a
lesson from what has passed and render to the Cause services still unseen
in the history of the movement.

In closing may I assure you of Shoghi Effendi’s prayers and loving
greetings,...

[From the Guardian:]

My dearly-beloved friends:

The expression of your loyalty and perseverance has rejoiced my heart. You
are truly the heroic pioneers of the Cause of God. I will supplicate for
each one of you at the Beloved’s Shrine, that your understanding of the
Faith may deepen, and that each of you may grow to become a shining star
in the firmament of our beloved Cause.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 14 JUNE 1930


14 June 1930

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
31–5-30. Concerning his translation of the Íqán, Shoghi Effendi has
finished it, but it needs going over and retyping, and this he cannot as
before summer. By the next autumn he believes it will be ready for
publication.

Shoghi Effendi would therefore advise you to wait until then before you
take any decision as to your German translation.

Shoghi Effendi much appreciates the service you are rendering. The Íqán is
the most important book written on the spiritual significance of the
Cause. I do not believe any person can consider himself well versed in the
teachings unless he has studied it thoroughly. To publish it therefore in
a comprehensive German will be one of the greatest services rendered to
the Cause in that land...

In closing may I assure you of Shoghi Effendi’s loving greetings and best
wishes....

[From the Guardian:]

My dear co-worker:

I trust that the day will soon come when you will be able to visit Persia
and meet the Bahá’ís and visit the shrines of the martyrs. I pray that the
Beloved may guide your steps, cheer your heart and bless your efforts.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 20 JUNE 1931


20 June 1931

My Dear Friends,

I am directed by our Guardian to thank you for your letter of June 5th.

He learns with extreme pleasure and satisfaction of your gathering at a
meeting at which all the dear friends of Vienna together with our good
friend Mr. Adam Benke of Leipzig were present. And he deeply appreciates
your loving message of greeting above your individual signatures. Such
messages are always a source of pleasure to him, but he is especially glad
to see the newly established centre in Vienna so full of enthusiasm, of
love and of devotion to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. He prays from the bottom
of his heart that our precious Master may fill your souls with His
beautiful spirit and may help and guide you to serve His Cause and
humanity.

He is so glad to know that Mr. Benke is going to Sofia to help Miss Jack,
and he trusts that he will be of very great help to her.

With the assurance of Shoghi Effendi’s loving greetings to you all,...

[From the Guardian:]

My dear and precious co-workers:

I was so pleased to hear from you and to learn of your steadfast loyalty
to the Cause. The friends in Vienna are ever in my thoughts and heart and
I will continue to supplicate for them the Master’s richest blessings.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 23 DECEMBER 1931


23 December 1931

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to drop you these few lines to inform you that
few days ago he sent to your address c/o Mrs. Schwarz a copy of his
translation of the Íqán which has just come out. He hopes that it will
help you in revising your translation into German which you have already
made. This is in fulfilment of the promise he made last year to send you a
copy of his English translation when out of the press.

Shoghi Effendi has, through various channels, been hearing of the
wonderful services you are rendering to the Cause. He sincerely trusts
that the young and educated Bahá’ís, who have their spiritual faculties
fully developed, and who as a consequence appreciate the significance of
Bahá’u’lláh’s mission in the development of the world, will with one
accord, arise and establish the Kingdom of God upon the earth. The world
around us is in a pitiable condition and its ills seem daily to increase.
It is for us, we Bahá’í youths, who have been entrusted with this divine
mission, to do our utmost and rest only when the task has been carried to
its successful conclusion.

In his moments of prayer and meditation at the Shrines Shoghi Effendi will
think of you and ask for you divine guidance and help....



LETTER OF 24 FEBRUARY 1932


24 February 1932

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
Feb. 13th, 1932. He was very glad to know that you have recovered your
health and can resume your work as well as services to the Cause. We
surely cannot afford seeing the competent servants of the Faith
handicapped by their health. They are too few to be spared so easily.

Shoghi Effendi was very glad to know that the new edition of the Íqán has
reached you safely and that you are going to use it in going over your
translation into German. He is surely very sorry that not knowing Persian
you cannot go to the very original. He sincerely hopes that before long we
will have some of the younger members of the German Bahá’ís who would make
translation their life-work, and with that object in mind make a thorough
study of Persian and Arabic. They would surely be rendering a wonderful
service to their nation as well as to the Faith as a whole.

In closing may I assure you of Shoghi Effendi’s prayers and best wishes.
He will always be waiting to hear of the wonderful progress the Faith is
making in Germany and of the role you are playing in it....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear co-worker:

I wish to add a few words in person and assure you of my keen and
heartfelt appreciation of your high and painstaking endeavours for the
spread and consolidation of the Faith in that land. The German believers
have undergone tests of unprecedented severity. They have weathered the
storm in a marvellous spirit and with fine and praiseworthy determination.
These tests were God-sent, and will serve to deepen the roots of the Faith
in that promising country. Wishing you success in your devoted labours and
assuring you of my prayers in your behalf.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 30 MARCH 1932


30 March 1932

Dear Bahá’í brothers and sisters:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter written
at the occasion of the Naw-Rúz feast and conveying the greetings of the
season. He wants me to reciprocate these feelings and express his hope
that during this new year, which has just begun, the Cause may make a
progress in Germany unsurpassed in the history of the Cause in that land.

The world as a whole, but especially the people of that continent of
Europe, is suffering great calamities as a result of wars, social
dissatisfaction, fear, hatred and jealousies. And these forces of darkness
are leading humanity to absolute destruction. This state of affairs shall
continue until the world is awakened to the importance of the Message of
Bahá’u’lláh—a Message especially sent by God to heal human ills in this
present day.

Should we not, we who have been entrusted with this divine Cause, arise
and with one accord proclaim the Word of God throughout the world? Should
we leave humanity writhe in its suffering and prove ourselves untrue to
the covenant made with the Master—the covenant, that we will to the last
moment of our life strive to save God’s people from complete destruction?

In his moments of prayer Shoghi Effendi will think of you all and ask God
to guide your steps and re-enforce your efforts in proclaiming His divine
message through the length and breadth of that vast continent. He read
your circular letter with deep interest; may the one you will write next
Naw-Rúz have still more inspiring news of the progress of the Cause to
share with the friends throughout the world....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear co-workers:

I wish to add a few words in person, and assure you again of my deep
affection and deep interest in your activities. Your loyalty and
perseverance, in the face of formidable tests, are indeed worthy of the
highest praise. May the Beloved continue to guide and bless your high
endeavours, and enable each one of you to render great and memorable
services to His Cause,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 19 MAY 1932


19 May 1932

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel:

Some time ago I received a letter from you in Persian. So happy I was to
see you study that language that I showed your letter to Shoghi Effendi.
He thereupon gave me the Íqán and also a booklet containing the Hidden
Words, the Seven Valleys and some Odes of Bahá’u’lláh to send to you.
Being very busy I did not accompany them with a letter. I sincerely hope
you have received them and are trying to read them. In any case, if you
have received them please drop me a few lines to that effect....



LETTER OF 10 SEPTEMBER 1932


10 September 1932

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
August 20th, 1932 and to extend to you all the expression of his heartfelt
appreciation and thanks.

The news of your successful “Sommerwoche” greatly comforted his aching
heart. He hopes that such important gatherings will serve to deepen the
understanding of the friends and inspire them with renewed faith and
courage to consolidate the work already inaugurated through the precious
efforts of our German friends.

Shoghi Effendi wishes you to persevere in your services and be confident
in God’s unfailing help. The Master has given us the assurance that He
will bless our efforts and will not leave us alone and unaided.

With the renewed assurance of Shoghi Effendi’s best wishes and of his
fervent prayers on behalf of every one of you....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear co-workers:

I cannot refrain from adding a few words in person as a token of my
admiration for the manner in which you are conducting your activities for
the spread of the Cause. You are often in my thoughts and are the object
of my fervent and loving prayers. The work you perform in summer should be
extended, its influence must spread, its attendance increase, and its
foundations be strengthened. May the Beloved guide and sustain your high
endeavours,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 14 SEPTEMBER 1932


14 September 1932

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel:

I am in receipt of your letter dated September 4th 1932. Regarding your
question on the subject of holding the usual festivals during this year
when we are mourning the loss of the Greatest Holy Leaf; inasmuch as
Shoghi Effendi has not yet returned from his summer vacations I cannot put
your question to him and answer you immediately. The friends in America,
however, who were confronted with the same problem, put to him the same
question by telegram. I could, therefore, do no better than send you a
copy of Shoghi Effendi’s answer. I believe it will give you the necessary
guidance in solving your problem. His cable runs as follows:

Bahá’í New York festive anniversaries should be suspended administrative
gatherings including nineteen day feasts should be held with utmost
simplicity....



LETTER OF 30 NOVEMBER 1932


30 November 1932

Dear Bahá’í Brothers and Sisters:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your joint letter
dated November 12th 1932 written on the occasion of the birthday of
Bahá’u’lláh.

We should feel deeply gratified and thankful to God that at a time when
all humanity seems to be struggling in despair we can come together and,
with great assurance, feast and be merry over the dawn of a new day; that
in the darkness which envelops the world we see the approach of a new
light and the breaking of a new era. This is a true blessing and a bounty
from God to those who believe in Him and accept His Revelation.

To express our deep appreciation for this gift bestowed by God we should
arise and spread this message of hope to the suffering humanity around us.
Such is the nature of this gift that the more we give from it to others
the greater will be our remaining share. For what pleasure can compare the
pleasure of bringing joy and hope to other hearts. The more we make others
happy the greater will be our own happiness and the deeper our sense of
having served humanity.

In his moments of prayer at the blessed Shrines, Shoghi Effendi will think
of you all and ask God to guide and assist you in spreading His message
throughout that land and the neighbouring countries. He trusts that,
through your persistent efforts, innumerable souls will be guided to see
the Truth and flock to its support....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear co-workers:

Your joint and welcome message brought strength and comfort to my
sorrow-stricken heart. The burden of my sadness and grief has been
considerably alleviated. I value the sentiments you have expressed. Each
one of you is near and dear to my heart. I will continue to pray for you
all, that the Beloved may protect, guide and bless you in your constant
efforts for the spread of this mighty and precious Cause,

Your true brother, Shoghi



LETTER OF 3 MAY 1933


3 May 1933

Dear Bahá’í Brothers and Sisters:

The Guardian wishes me to thank you for your kind words of April 23, 1933,
expressing the greetings of the season.

He is deeply gratified to learn that when the friends assemble at such
gatherings, and remember the occasion they are celebrating, they renew
their determination to serve and ask God to shower upon them His infinite
blessings and help them in the realization of their noble aim.

The more society is threatened by wars, and the more humanity is seen
desperate before the problems that confront it, the more should the
Bahá’ís take courage and redouble their energy in diffusing the teachings.
For it is only through such divine precepts that the world can obtain
peace and tranquility, and become an environment within which man can
spiritually progress and attain his noble destiny.

In his moments of prayer at the Blessed Shrines the Guardian will think of
you all and ask God to guide and aid you in the service of His Faith. May
through the light that emerges from your gatherings all the people of
those regions receive the light of God and find their way towards eternal
salvation....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved guide your steps, cheer your hearts, enable you to promote
far and wide the interests of our beloved Faith and aid you to consolidate
its rising institutions,

Your true and affectionate brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 16 MAY 1933


16 May 1933

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel:

The Guardian ... does sincerely hope that the reports we receive here
about the sentiments rampant in Germany are untrue to fact, that it is a
regeneration of the people rather than a retrogression towards a dead
past. Because whatever we say of Germany, we have to admit that its people
are endowed with a spiritual vitality quite superior to many other races.
Being in the heart of that populated continent and being inspired by such
a strong religious spirit, Germany can easily achieve a wonderful task in
regenerating the world. The eyes of the world are surely centered around
it expecting to see what it will do.

Yet we Bahá’ís should remember that we stand above politics. That that
field does not interest us; that we attribute importance to things of the
spirit, that we await salvation to come from the Faith that burns in our
hearts.

In his moments of prayer and meditation at the Blessed Shrines, the
Guardian will think of you and the other friends in Germany and ask God to
guide you and assist you in playing your important rôle of spiritualizing
the whole world—so immersed at present in material pursuits and
interests....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and precious co-worker:

I was so pleased to receive your letter. I long to hear more fully and
more frequently from you. You are a tower of ... and a pillar of His Faith
in that land. Germany has a glorious future under the banner of the Faith
of Bahá’u’lláh. Its mission is to champion the cause of God in Europe and
establish it firmly in the heart of that continent. The tests and trials
which have beset the Faith in that land were necessary and providential.
It is for the German believers, who have weathered the storm, to arise and
promote the Cause, to proclaim the non-political character of their Faith,
to establish its nascent institutions and prove by their words and acts
their freedom from every taint of particularism and prejudice. May the
Almighty guide their steps, sustain them in their efforts and bless their
activities.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 14 JUNE 1933


14 June 1933

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel:

Many thanks for your letter of June 4th 1933. I presented it together with
the enclosed report on the Summer school to the Guardian who was very
pleased to read them.

He kept the report but wishes me to inform you that as the Bahá’í World
Volume five will not be compiled and made ready for the press except after
the coming summer, you could write another and fuller report to include
the one that will be held this year. There will surely be some further
points of interest that could be mentioned; and it is always better to
have such reports as up-to-date as possible.

The Guardian hopes that this summer a great step will be taken in
developing the School and that you will play an important rôle in that
connection.

In case of the need of further correspondence on this or similar subjects
please write directly to Shoghi Effendi, it will avoid unnecessary delay.

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



LETTER OF 27 JUNE 1933


27 June 1933

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge on his behalf the receipt of your
letter dated May 11th, 1933, together with the enclosed Program of the
Bahá’í meetings held in Stuttgart and Esslingen, all of which he has
carefully read and deeply appreciated.

In regard to the transliteration of Oriental names and words into German
he wishes me to inform you that the system of transliteration actually in
use in the Bahá’í world has been adopted and approved with only slight
changes by a general Orientalist Congress representative of world’s
greatest orientalists including some outstanding German authorities in
various branches of Oriental history and literature. As you see,
therefore, it is a highly recommendable system of transliteration and this
is why the Guardian is so emphatic about its univeral adoption by the
Bahá’ís the world over. Any departure from that system, he strongly feels,
may lead to incalculable difficulties and misunderstandings in the future.
He would certainly urge you to adopt it yourself and then advise our
German friends to do the same in all their official Bahá’í publications
and particularly in the forthcoming issues of the “Sonne der Wahrheit”
wherein some chapters of the “Dawn-Breakers” are going to be published.

Concerning the date of the anniversary of the Báb’s declaration the
Guardian feels that it would be preferable to postpone the consideration
of this problem until the Universal House of Justice is established. In
the meantime he would advise you to follow the system actually in use in
the Bahá’í world, i.e. (year 9.) even in Germany. According to this system
the hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of the Faith should be
celebrated in May of the year 101, that is when we enter the second Bahá’í
century. By year 90 we should not mean that 90 years have elapsed since
the declaration of the Báb but that we are in the 9th year. But whether it
is preferable to adopt this system or that suggested by you and which, you
remark, is in use among Christians and Moslems, the future House of
Justice has to decide.

Touching the Bahá’í funeral service the Guardian would like you to know
that it is of an extreme simplicity, consisting as it does of a
congregational prayer which has not yet been translated into any western
language but which Shoghi Effendi is planning to have it translated and
circulated among the friends. The friends and relatives of the deceased
who are unwilling to attend the service should not be forced to do so.

In closing may I extend to you the loving greetings of the Guardian....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

This is to assure you how glad and gratified I feel to learn that the
German believers are taking so active a part in the international
activities of the Cause. Their thoroughness, ability, patience and
open-mindedness highly qualify them to assume such responsibilities and
undertake so great a task. I trust that the letters you will soon be
sending to the British High Commissioner for Palestine will be a prelude
to the brilliant services you are destined to render to the Cause of
Bahá’u’lláh.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 9 AUGUST 1933


9 August 1933

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel:

I am directed by Shoghi Effendi to inform you of the receipt of your
letter dated July 13th, 1933, together with the enclosed copy of the
petition addressed by the German Bahá’í National Assembly to the British
High Commissioner in Jerusalem and the report of the Bahá’í activities in
Stuttgart, all of which he has read with great care and deepest interest
and for which he has asked me to offer you his heartfelt thanks.

Your petition, though short is, nevertheless, strongly worded and very
substantial. It is hoped that it will impress the authorities in Palestine
and will enable them to realize the gravity and the urgency of our case.

Assuring you of his best wishes and of his ardent prayers for the success
of your work,...

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and prized co-worker:

Your prompt and able response to my request has greatly touched me, and I
wish to express again my lovely appreciation and abiding gratitude. I
cherish great hopes for your future contributions to the spread and
consolidation of the Faith in that land, and will continue to pray for
your success from the depths of my heart.

Your true and affectionate brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 1 OCTOBER 1933 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


1 October 1933 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í co-workers,

The Guardian has just received your beautiful message of Sep. 3rd, 33,
written through the kindness of Miss Jack, and he has directed me to thank
you all for the success that has attended your summer school classes at
Esslingen. The importance and significance of such annual gatherings are
immense, since they offer each and every one of you a unique opportunity
to come and discuss together the ways and means whereby the Faith can
extend and develop throughout Germany. By the collective spirit, the unity
and the enthusiasm they create, these meetings serve to strengthen the
bonds of amity and cooperation among the friends and to give them a new
vision of the Cause, of its imperative needs and requirements in these
days of political agitation and strife. The social and political
conditions in your land are, indeed, very distressing, and if they remain
unchanged for a long time, may hamper the progress of the Faith. It is now
that you should work in utmost unity and in the spirit of an unflinching
devotion to the ideals and teachings of the Cause.

Shoghi Effendi hopes that your summer school will increasingly develop and
will become an important center for the spread of the Message. You should
try to raise its intellectual as well as its spiritual standard and to
pave the way for its future development into one of the foremost Bahá’í
universities in the West. Much stress should be laid on the thorough study
of the history and of the teachings of the Cause, and particularly of the
nature, basis and outstanding features of the Administration. The severe
tests and trials through which our German brethren have passed during the
last few years clearly demonstrate how much they are in need of a full
comprehension of the administrative basis of the Cause. It is hoped that
in the coming years much progress will be achieved in this respect.

Assuring you all of our Guardian’s best wishes and of his ardent prayers
on your behalf....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear co-workers:

It is such a joy to learn that you have had the pleasure and benefit of
the companionship of our dear and distinguished Bahá’í sister, Miss Jack,
whose recent and exemplary services we all deeply appreciate. I will
remember you all in my prayers at the holy shrines, and will supplicate
for you the Beloved’s richest blessings. May He guide your steps and cheer
your hearts in the service of His glorious and sacred Faith,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 11 FEBRUARY 1934


11 February 1934

Dear Bahá’í Brother,

I am charged by the Guardian to thank you for your letter of Jan. 30th as
well as for the enclosed pamphlet containing the address delivered by Herr
Hitler on Oct. 14th, 1933, on the subject of Germany’s attitude towards
peace, all of which he read with deepest care and sustained interest. He
wishes me to convey to you and to all the members of your German National
Assembly and through them to all the followers of the Faith in Germany his
views on the present conditions in that land, and particularly in their
relation to the nature and scope of the Bahá’í activities of our German
believers.

At the outset it should be made indubitably clear that the Bahá’í Cause
being essentially a religious movement of a spiritual character stands
above every political party or group, and thus cannot and should not act
in contravention to the principles, laws, and doctrines of any government.
Obedience to the regulations and orders of the state is indeed, the sacred
obligation of every true and loyal Bahá’í. Both Bahá’u’lláh and
‘Abdu’l-Bahá have urged us all to be submissive and loyal to the political
authorities of our respective countries. It follows, therefore, that our
German friends are under the sacred obligation to whole-heartedly obey the
existing political regime, whatever be their personal views and criticisms
of its actual working. There is nothing more contrary to the spirit of the
Cause than open rebellion against the governmental authorities of a
country, specially if they do not interfere in and do not oppose the inner
and sacred beliefs and religious convictions of the individual. And there
is every reason to believe that the present regime in Germany which has
thus far refused to trample upon the domain of individual conscience in
all matters pertaining to religion will never encroach upon it in the near
future, unless some unforeseen and unexpected changes take place. And this
seems to be doubtful at present.

For whereas the friends should obey the government under which they live,
even at the risk of sacrificing all their administrative affairs and
interests, they should under no circumstances suffer their inner religious
beliefs and convictions to be violated and transgressed by any authority
whatever. A distinction of a fundamental importance must, therefore, be
made between spiritual and administrative matters. Whereas the former are
sacred and inviolable, and hence cannot be subject to compromise, the
latter are secondary and can consequently be given up and even sacrificed
for the sake of obedience to the laws and regulations of the government.
Obedience to the state is so vital a principle of the Cause that should
the authorities in Germany decide to-day to prevent the Bahá’ís from
holding any meeting or publishing any literature they should obey and be
as submissive as our Russian believers have thus far been under the Soviet
regime. But, as already pointed out, such an allegiance is confined merely
to administrative matters which if checked can only retard the progress of
the Faith for some time. In matters of belief, however, no compromise
whatever should be allowed, even though the outcome of it be death or
expulsion.

There is one more point to be emphasized in this connection. The principle
of obedience to government does not place any Bahá’í under the obligation
of identifying the teachings of his Faith with the political program
enforced by the government. For such an identification, besides being
erroneous and contrary to both the spirit as well as the form of the
Bahá’í message, would necessarily create a conflict within the conscience
of every loyal believer.

For reasons which are only too obvious the Bahá’í philosophy of social and
political organization cannot be fully reconciled with the political
doctrines and conceptions that are current and much in vogue to-day. The
wave of nationalism, so aggressive and so contagious in its effects, which
has swept not only over Europe but over a large part of mankind is,
indeed, the very negation of the gospel of peace and of brotherhood
proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh. The actual trend in the political world is,
indeed, far from being in the direction of the Bahá’í teachings. The world
is drawing nearer and nearer to a universal catastrophe which will mark
the end of a bankrupt and of a fundamentally defective civilization.

From such considerations we can well conclude that we as Bahá’ís can in no
wise identify the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh with man-made creeds and
conceptions, which by their very nature are impotent to save the world
from the dangers with which it is being so fiercely and so increasingly
assailed.

The Guardian hopes that these brief explanations will be sufficient to
guide our German National Assembly in their efforts to safeguard and
promote the interests of the Faith, and that through them they will be
given a new vision of the Cause and a fresh determination to carry forward
its message to the world at large.

With greetings and best wishes to you and to all the friends in
Germany,...

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

I wish to add a few words in loving appreciation of your strenuous, your
intelligent and devoted efforts for the spread and consolidation of our
beloved Faith. May the Almighty bless your endeavours, deepen your
understanding of the essentials and requirements of our beloved Cause, and
enable you in these difficult and challenging days to promote its
interests and consolidate its institutions,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 21 FEBRUARY 1934


21 February 1934

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel:

At the instructions of the Guardian I am writing these few lines,
requesting you to contribute an article in German for publication in the
forthcoming issue of the “Bahá’í World”.

In view of the fact that the Biennial is an international Bahá’í organ,
Shoghi Effendi feels that it would be appropriate and in full consonance
with its nature and purpose to further widen its scope by publishing in
it, from time to time, articles in various important languages which are
of sufficient use among the friends. This would greatly enhance the nature
and render effective the circulation of the “Bahá’í World” by enabling
non-English speaking believers to better acquaint themselves with some of
its major contents.

Two articles in French have already been contributed to this end. One of
them is from the pen of a newly-converted and capable believer from Paris,
a Princess, and the other is from a certain professor connected with the
Sofia University. Though not officially recognized as a Bahá’í, yet he is
very sympathetic to the Cause.

The Guardian hopes, therefore, that you will be kind enough to respond to
his request. He feels certain that our German believers will greatly
appreciate your contribution, and will be glad to witness that one of
their members is taking such an active part in representing them in the
preparation of this international Bahá’í record. You need not write too
detailed an article, and you can choose any subject you wish, provided it
agrees on every point with the spirit as well as with the form of the
Teachings of the Faith....

P.S. The Guardian can wait till the end of April for your article. Will
you please send it directly to his address and not to America?



LETTER OF 8 MAY 1934


8 May 1934

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel:

I am directed by the Guardian to thank you for your letter dated Apr.
29th, as well as for the enclosed article and poems in German from your
pen which you have kindly contributed to the “Bahá’í World”. He is
planning to have them published in the forthcoming issue of the Biennial.
The German believers will, it is hoped, greatly enjoy reading them, and
will be certainly encouraged to contribute more frequently in the future
towards the publication of so important and so significant a record.

With the renewed assurance of the Guardian’s good wishes and of his
supplications for the expansion of your Bahá’í activities...

[From the Guardian:]

With the assurance of my deepfelt appreciation of your prompt response,
and of my continued prayers for your welfare and success,

your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 30 JULY 1934


30 July 1934

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

Your letter of June 19th written on your behalf by Miss Köstlin has been
received, and its contents as well as the accompanying documents and notes
have been carefully read by the Guardian. He wishes me to thank you for
them all, and to convey to you his deepfelt appreciation of your
painstaking labours for the consolidation of the administration in your
community. It gives him real pleasure to learn of the spirit with which
you are toiling for the attainment of this supreme objective, and he is
fervently praying for your guidance and assistance that you may speedily
and effectively attain the goal of your heart’s desire.

In view of the fact that there are no competent and fully reliable persons
here to undertake for him any translations from German, the Guardian would
prefer that henceforth you should send him a translation of the minutes of
your meetings into English, so that he may be in a position to read them
without any difficulty. He fully realizes the difficulties which such a
rendering would entail, and for this he wishes to assure you of his
abiding appreciation and of his deepfelt gratitude.

In closing may I also express his hope for the success of your next summer
school. From various communications and reports recently received from the
friends, he gathers that a large number of believers both from Germany and
abroad are planning to attend the summer classes. May such a gathering
prove to be the right medium for bringing the German believers closer than
ever, and for fostering among them the spirit of initiative, of service
and of selfless and wholehearted cooperation in the path of service to the
Faith....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and precious co-workers:

The message you have sent me is indeed most welcome. It has filled my
heart with joy and thanksgiving. I am continually urging the friends and
pilgrims to visit the German Bahá’í centres and particularly the Esslingen
Summer School, as I attach the greatest importance to this vital national
institution. I will continue to pray for your success from the depths of
my heart.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 8 SEPTEMBER 1934 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


8 September 1934 (Summer School)

Dear Friends and co-workers,

On behalf of the Guardian I wish to thank you for your deeply-appreciated
message of August 11th which conveyed the gratifying news of the
successful conclusion of the meetings and classes held at the annual
Bahá’í summer school at Esslingen. He was deeply impressed by the large
number of the believers who have attended these gatherings, and
particularly by the fact that they were representative of so many
different communities both in Germany and abroad. It is his
deeply-cherished and long-wished hope that these annual meetings will in
the next few years develop into an important center for the teaching and
training of Bahá’í teachers, and that through them the knowledge of the
Cause will gain an increasing ground throughout Germany and in the
neighbouring countries and regions. He would urge each and every one of
you to make an effort to attend as regularly and as whole-heartedly as you
can the future classes and meetings at Esslingen, and to advise your
friends to do the same, so that through the collective and continued
labours of you all these annual gatherings may develop both in their scope
and in their influence.

The Guardian is ardently supplicating on behalf of you all, and is praying
that Bahá’u’lláh may continue to bless, enrich and widen the scope of your
labours for the promotion and consolidation of the Faith in your
respective communities. With his warmest greetings to you all...

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved co-workers:

Your message, which I regard as a compelling evidence of the regenerative
power and irresistible march of the Cause of God has brought immense joy
to my heart. The convocation of such a representative gathering at such a
historic spot, and on the morrow of the unprecedented trials which,
through the mysterious dispensations of Providence have so severely
afflicted the German believers, is indeed a historic event that every
well-wisher of the Cause should heartily and joyously welcome. A splendid
beginning has been made. I pray that as a result of the unshakable faith
and the persistent endeavours of the German believers this institution may
grow in effectiveness and scope and lend a mighty impetus to the spread of
the Cause in your promising country.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 25 SEPTEMBER 1934


25 September 1934

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel,

I am directed by the Guardian to acknowledge the receipt of your letter
dated August 29th, and to express his appreciation of your highly-valued
efforts for the translation of the “Kitáb-i-‘Ahd” into German. He hopes
that copies of this precious tablet will soon be made available to all the
friends, and that through its study their knowledge of the Teachings will
be deepened, and their zeal for their spread stimulated and sustained.

The term “afnán” means literally small branch, and refers to the relatives
of the Báb, both men and women. As the Báb’s only son died while in
infancy, the former had no direct descendants. The “afnán” are, therefore,
all indirectly related to the Báb.

As to “a_gh_sán”, it also means branch. But it is a bigger branch than
“afnán”. It refers to Bahá’u’lláh’s descendants.

The “Kitáb-i-‘Ahd” is, as you know, Bahá’u’lláh’s “Book of Covenant”. It
is entirely written in His own handwriting. And in the light of the
objections raised by some of the believers concerning the Will and
Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, it is highly significant to note that this Book
of Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh bears neither signature, nor seal, nor any
date. It was shown to the believers, and was read in their presence nine
days after Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension. The manuscript was in the possession
of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá all through His ministry, and after His passing it was
found enclosed in His own will. These two precious documents, namely the
book of Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh and the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
have both been carefully preserved and are now in the possession of the
Guardian....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

I greatly value these fresh evidences of your continued, your intelligent
and most helpful labours for a better understanding and a wider diffusion
of the essentials and fundamentals of our beloved Faith.

You are indeed a pillar of the Administrative Order, which, despite the
storms and tests of recent years, is rearing its head in the heart of your
beloved and promising country. Persevere, be happy and confident. I will
continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 3 NOVEMBER 1934


3 November 1934

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel,

The Guardian has received and deeply appreciated your message dated
October 8th, and he has directed me to thank you for it.

He is, indeed, gratified to learn of your projected visit to the Holy
Land, and wishes me to hasten in extending to Mrs. Mühlschlegel and
yourself a most hearty welcome.

It is his sincere and much-cherished hope that this pilgrimage will, in
addition to its manifold spiritual blessings, give you a full opportunity
to discuss with him in detail about the conditions of the Cause in
Germany, and particularly as to the ways and means whereby the friends can
best extend and consolidate the foundations of the Administration
throughout that country. You will be welcome anytime in February or
March—which time seems to be the best for visiting Palestine.

With the renewed assurance of Shoghi Effendi’s best wishes and of his
prayers on your behalf, and with his hearty greetings to you and
family,...

[From the Guardian:]

With the renewed assurance of my love, my admiration and prayers for you
and extending to you both a warm welcome,

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 5 NOVEMBER 1934


5 November 1934

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

Your message of October 20th addressed to the Guardian is just at hand. He
has read it with deep interest, and was profoundly touched by the
expressions of love and devotion which it contained. He wishes me to thank
you for it, and to reciprocate, fully and to each and every one of you,
the warm greetings and good wishes which you have been moved to extend to
him on the occasion to the celebration of the birthday of the Báb.

He wishes me also to take this opportunity for conveying to you all his
deepfelt appreciation of your labours for the study and the spread of the
Cause in Esslingen. He hopes and prays that your community may, in the
years to come, play an increasingly vital rôle in promoting the Message
throughout Germany, and particularly in strengthening the foundations of
the Administration in that land. Your centre is one of the oldest and best
we have in Germany, and has tremendous possibilities. You should,
therefore, feel confident and to strenuously toil, so that your community
may develop both in number, in strength and in influence.

With the renewed assurance of the Guardian’s best wishes and of his
supplications on behalf of you all,...

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved co-workers:

I am deeply grateful to you for the many and repeated evidences of your
splendid devotion and firm determination to serve the best interests of
our glorious Faith. The work in which you are engaged is dear and near to
my heart. My prayers are always with you. Persevere in your labours and
never feel discouraged, however great the obstacles that may stand in your
way. The Beloved is surely watching over you. Be happy and confident.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 10 JANUARY 1935


10 January 1935

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel,

The Guardian has received your letter of the first instant and he wishes
me to thank you for it.

In regard to your visit to the Holy Shrines, he is sorry indeed that your
coming has been delayed but hopes nevertheless that it will materialize
very soon, and that the obstacles standing at present in your way will be
completely removed, enabling you thereby to carry out your plan in its
entirety. He is fervently praying for your assistance and success in this
connection.

With reference to the decision passed by your N.S.A. to publish in booklet
form certain of the important writings revealed by Bahá’u’lláh and the
Master, Shoghi Effendi wishes you to express to the National Assembly his
full approval of their plan. He feels, indeed, that the time has come for
the German believers to acquire a thorough knowledge as well as a full
understanding of such important Tablets as Bahá’u’lláh’s “Book of
Covenant” and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Will and Testament, both of which constitute
the very bedrock upon which the entire administrative system of the Faith
has been raised and established. As to the “Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh”
it also constitutes an invaluable supplement to these afore-mentioned
Tablets. In connection with the “Kitáb-i-‘Ahd”, the Guardian thinks it
preferable that it should be published in a separate booklet, and that the
“Tablet of the Branch” and the “Lawḥ-i-Aqdas”, both of which have been
rather poorly translated from the original, should not be included in it.

As to the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the N.S.A., he wishes to
re-emphasize the importance of your Assembly’s adhering to the exact
wording of the text of the constitution adopted by the American N.S.A.
which, as he has repeatedly stated, constitutes a model for all national
Bahá’í constitutions. Anything not specifically mentioned in this national
charter is left to the full discretion of every N.S.A. inasmuch as it
constitutes a matter of secondary importance. In fundamentals, however,
strict conformity should be maintained throughout the Bahá’í world, and to
this category belong all the principles, laws and regulations set down in
the text of the national constitution. As an example of the loyalty with
which the friends are following this principle the Guardian is enclosing a
copy of the national constitution of the Bahá’ís of India and Burma which,
with the exception of the Article VIII which is now being amended,
conforms in every detail to the text of the constitution of the American
N.S.A.

With his loving greetings to you and all the friends,...

[From the Guardian:]

With the renewed assurance of my loving prayers for you and of my deepfelt
appreciation of your magnificent labours in the Divine vineyard.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 4 FEBRUARY 1935


4 February 1935

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel,

The Guardian has duly received your letter of the 29th of January last,
and has carefully noted the points which you had raised in connection with
certain Bahá’í administrative regulations and principles governing the
election of local and national assemblies.

First, he wishes me to express the hope that your next National Assembly
meeting may be fully guided in its deliberations on the various issues
confronting it at present, and also to assure you, as well as your
co-workers in that body, of his prayers for the success of your efforts in
this connection.

Now, as regards the number of delegates at the annual convention of the
German friends, the Guardian fully approves of the practice which your
N.S.A. has thus far adopted and enforced, namely to have 19 delegates
instead of 95. This, of course, is the only solution possible for the
present, in view of the limited number of the declared believers in
Germany.

As to the practice of nomination in Bahá’í elections, this the Guardian
firmly believes to be in fundamental disaccord with the spirit which
should animate and direct all elections held by the Bahá’ís, be they of a
local or national character and importance. It is, indeed, the absence of
such a practice that constitutes the distinguishing feature and the marked
superiority of the Bahá’í electoral methods over those commonly associated
with political parties and factions. The practice of nomination being thus
contrary to the spirit of Bahá’í Administration should be totally
discarded by all the friends. For otherwise the freedom of the Bahá’í
elector in choosing the members of any Bahá’í assembly will be seriously
endangered, leaving the way open for the domination of personalities. Not
only that; but the mere act of nomination—leads eventually to the
formation of parties—a thing which is totally alien to the spirit of the
Cause.

In addition to these serious dangers, the practice of nomination has the
great disadvantage of killing in the believer the spirit of initiative,
and of self-development. Bahá’í electoral procedures and methods have,
indeed, for one of their essential purposes the development in every
believer of the spirit of responsibility. By emphasizing the necessity of
maintaining his fully freedom in the elections, they make it incumbent
upon him to become an active and well-informed member of the Bahá’í
community in which he lives. To be able to make a wise choice at the
election time, it is necessary for him to be in close and continued
contact with all local activities, be they teaching, administrative or
otherwise, and to fully and whole-heartedly participate in the affairs of
the local as well as national committees and assemblies in his country. It
is only in this way that a believer can develop a true social
consciousness and acquire a true sense of responsibility in matters
affecting the interests of the Cause. Bahá’í community life thus makes it
a duty for every loyal and faithful believer to become an intelligent,
well-informed and responsible elector, and also gives him the opportunity
of raising himself to such a station. And since the practice of nomination
hinders the development of such qualities in the believer, and in addition
leads to corruption and partisanship, it has to be entirely discarded in
all Bahá’í elections.

In connection with this, the Guardian wishes to draw your Assembly’s
attention to the necessity of adopting the system of plurality voting
rather than that of absolute majority voting. For the latter, by making
the repetition of elections a necessity, causes, though indirectly, much
pressure to bear upon the person of the elector. The Bahá’í elector, as
already emphasized, should be given full freedom in his choice. Anything,
therefore, which can in the least interfere with such a freedom should be
considered as disastrous and hence should be completely wiped out. In all
elections, it is always difficult, that more than a few individuals of
high position should obtain a majority of the votes of the electorate.
Most of those elected have a plurality of votes. To enforce the principle
of majority voting, therefore, it requires that the election be repeated
again and again and until all the members to be elected have obtained more
than half of the votes cast—a thing which becomes the more difficult when
it is a matter of electing an assembly of nine persons. So, repetition in
elections becomes inevitable. And such a repetition is in itself a
restriction imposed upon the freedom of the electorate. The only course,
therefore, is for every elector to write down the name of nine who he
thinks are most worthy. These nine who obtain the highest number of votes,
irrespective of the majority of the votes cast, will constitute the
members of the Assembly.

As to your last question whether the individual voter can conscientiously
vote for himself. The Guardian believes that not only the Bahá’í voter has
the right, but is under the moral obligation to do so, in case he finds
himself worthy and capable of assuming the responsibilities and duties
imposed upon the members of every duly elected Bahá’í assembly. It is for
every believer to carefully weigh his own merits and powers, and after a
thorough examination of his self decide whether he is fit for such a
position or not. There is nothing more harmful to the individual—and also
to society than false humility which is hypocritical, and hence unworthy
of a true Bahá’í. The true believer is one who is conscious of his
strength as well as of his weakness, and who, fully availing himself of
the manifold opportunities and blessings which God gives him, strives to
overcome his defects and weaknesses and this by means of a scrupulous
adherence to all the laws and commandments revealed by God through His
Manifestation.

With the Guardian’s greetings and best wishes to you and all the
friends,...

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty protect, bless and sustain you in the historic services
you are rendering His Faith, and graciously assist you to lay a firm and
unassailable foundation for the future progress and extension of the
newly-born institutions of our glorious Faith in your land.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 5 MARCH 1935


5 March 1935

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel,

The Guardian has received and carefully considered your letter of the 24th
of February last, and wishes me to thank you for it.

With reference to your questions concerning the “Kitáb-i-Aqdas”, he does
not think that it would be advisable to circulate at present, whether
among the friends or in the outside public, any of the existing
translations of this book, in view of the fact that all these versions,
both English and Russian, are not authoritative and hence may misrepresent
altogether the Teachings.

He would, however, suggest that your N.S.A. should appoint a Committee for
the purpose of undertaking the translation of the “Aqdas” into German.
This is of course a peculiarly difficult task, as some of the members of
such a committee should have sufficient knowledge of the Arabic language,
and in addition should be well versed in the history and teachings of
Islám.

The Guardian hopes, nevertheless, that with your knowledge of Arabic and
German you may be able to do something truly worthwhile and substantial in
this connection. Your translation, of course, will not be considered as
final. But for the present it would be of a great assistance to the
friends in Germany who, as you rightly suggest, have a great desire to get
acquainted with the laws and precepts of the Cause as recorded in the
“Aqdas”.

When completed, this translation should not, the Guardian feels, be
printed entirely and circulated among the believers. But only extracts of
it should, with the approval of your N.S.A., be brought to the attention
of the friends until such time as the publication of the whole book would
be deemed advisable....

[From the Guardian:]

May our beloved and vigilant Master even keep you under His wings, and
inspire you to promote far and wide and in a most effective manner the
manifold interests of His Faith and its ever-developing institutions.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 7 MAY 1935


7 May 1935

Dear Bahá’í co-workers,

The Guardian has just received your warm and encouraging message of the
28th of April last, and has been deeply moved by the kind greetings and
good wishes you have extended to him on the occasion of the holding of
your thirteenth annual Bahá’í Convention in Stuttgart. He wishes me to
reciprocate the sentiments you have been moved to express to him, and to
assure each and all of you of his abiding appreciation and gratitude for
the remarkable unity, efficiency and zeal with which you are fostering and
safeguarding the manifold and vital interests of our beloved Faith
throughout Germany and Austria. He feels confident that your mighty and
sustained exertions will, even as a magnet, draw upon you the blessings
and guidance of the Almighty, and thus pave the way for the wider
penetration and firmer establishment of the Cause in your country.

The Guardian has been greatly impressed by the unusually wide attendance
at this year’s national Convention. His hope is that this active and close
collaboration among the believers in Germany and Austria will continue to
manifest itself in all your local as well as national Bahá’í activities
throughout the coming year. He is entreating Bahá’u’lláh, that His
confirmations may keep, strengthen and inspire you in the fulfilment of
your most urgent and sacred mission.

With the renewed expression of his heartfelt appreciations and thanks, and
with his cordial and most loving greetings to you all...

[From the Guardian:]

Dearest co-workers:

Your impressive and most welcome message has revealed afresh the potency
of the irresistible power of our Faith as manifested in the renewed
activities, the solidarity, the consciousness and determination of the
assembled representatives of the German believers. This year’s convention
marks a turning point in the history of the Cause in your land. It
eloquently testifies to the tenacity of your faith, to your grasp of its
distinguishing features and essential principles, to your firm resolve to
lay an unassailable basis for the rising institutions, to your capacity to
weather the fiercest storms and overcome the most formidable obstacles, to
your worthiness to rank as the standard-bearers of the Faith of
Bahá’u’lláh in the continent of Europe. May signal victories crown your
high endeavours.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 5 JULY 1935


5 July 1935

Beloved Bahá’í Brother,

On behalf of the Guardian I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your
welcome letter of the fourteenth of June last, written in the name of the
Archives-Committee of the German N.S.A., and to convey to you and to them
his loving appreciation and thanks. He trusts that his gift, offered to
your National Archives through the kind care of Miss Edith Horn, will
serve to remind the German believers of the importance and sacred
character of that institution, and to encourage them to help in
contributing their full share towards its further development and
expansion. The institution of the National Bahá’í Archives which all the
National Assemblies have already established is, indeed, highly-important,
the significance of which will be increasingly realized as years go by. It
is now that so many precious sacred relics are still in the possession of
individual believers, that steps must be taken in order to insure their
safe preservation in the National Archives. The friends must be encouraged
to cooperate with their N.S.A. for the attainment of this objective.

In closing may I assure you again of Shoghi Effendi’s best wishes and
prayers for you and family, and to express hope that your long-cherished
desire to visit the Holy Land may be realized in the near future.

With his cordial greetings...

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and prized co-worker:

I cannot refrain from adding a few words in person and assure you afresh
of my deepfelt love, appreciation and gratitude for the energy, the
ability and loyalty with which you are promoting the vital interests of
the Faith. My prayers for you and your dear and valued collaborators will
be continually offered to the throne of Bahá’u’lláh.

Your true and grateful brother.
Shoghi



LETTER OF 10 AUGUST 1935


10 August 1935

Beloved Bahá’í Friends,

On behalf of the Guardian I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your
beautiful message dated July 8th, and to convey to you his loving thanks
and appreciation for the kind sentiments which you have been moved to
express to him on the eve of the anniversary of the Báb’s martyrdom.

He is, indeed, very much pleased, and feels greatly encouraged, to learn
of the beautiful meeting you have organized in order to commemorate this
most sad and yet unique event in the history of the Cause, and sincerely
trusts that the recollection of these early days of the heroic age of the
Faith will have served to fill with fresh enthusiasm and renewed vigour
your souls, and that as a result you all now feel the urge to play a more
active part in establishing the Cause in Austria.

The Guardian has been also gratified at the news of the marriage of our
dear and devoted co-worker Mr. Franz Pollinger to Miss Anny Mödlogl. He
wishes them both a most happy and successful union and is praying to
Bahá’u’lláh that He may continue showering upon them His favours and
blessings, and thus render their lives successful and of benefit to His
Cause.

With cordial greetings from the Guardian and with his best wishes and
prayers for you all,...

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved co-workers:

Your message filled my heart with joy and has powerfully reminded me of
the firmness of your faith, the extent of your devotion, and the degree of
your self-sacrifice and endeavours for the promotion of the Cause of God.
I urge you to maintain the closest contact with the believers in Germany
and particularly with the National Assembly, to study and digest the
chapters of Nabíl’s narrative as they appear in “The Sun of Truth” that
you may obtain a fuller grasp of the purpose, the influence and the moving
episodes of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 12 OCTOBER 1935


12 October 1935

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel,

I am directed by the Guardian to thank you for your letter dated September
7th, and to express his regret for the delay caused in answering it.

With regard to the “Kitáb-i-‘Ahd” and the Will and Testament of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he wishes me to inform you that he fully approves of your
suggestion that these two Tablets be printed in one single booklet.

Also regarding the advisability of printing extracts from the Master’s
Will, he fully recommends that your Assembly should follow the method
adopted by the American Bahá’ís in this matter, provided of course it is
financially feasible. The American text of the Will contains, indeed, all
the fundamental points that every newcomer who wishes to join the Movement
should know regarding the basis, and various vital implications of Bahá’í
Administration. The extracts contained in that text are thus what is
vitally required of a believer desiring to become a voting member.

Concerning the new German edition of “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era” which
the N.S.A. is planning to publish very soon; Shoghi Effendi trusts that
this work will be completed in the near future. He would be pleased,
indeed, to receive any suggestion which the German Publishing Committee
may wish to offer with the view of modifying and improving certain
passages of the present text, and will inform you whether the
modifications suggested are advisable, and hence whether they should be
inserted in the new volume or not.

With his cordial greetings and best wishes to you and to all the friends
in Stuttgart, specially to your dear family...

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

I wish to reaffirm my deepfelt appreciation to the manner and spirit in
which you strive to promote, consolidate and defend the interests of our
invincible Faith. Future generations will no doubt extol your services in
this formative period of our Cause. Persevere and rest assured that my
fervent prayers will continue to be offered on your behalf. Gratefully and
affectionately.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 22 OCTOBER 1935


22 October 1935

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

Your message of the first of this month has been received by our beloved
Guardian, and its perusal has brought much joy and satisfaction to his
heart. He feels, indeed, profoundly touched by the kind sentiments you
have been moved to express to him, and wishes me to reciprocate your
greetings and good wishes, and in particular to assure you of his abiding
gratitude for the ceaseless endeavours you are all exerting for the wider
spread and firmer establishment of the Cause in your centre. He cherishes
the brightest hopes for the future of the Faith in Esslingen which, he
trusts, will as a result of your sustained and collective efforts, and
through the continued guidance and assistance of the German N.S.A.,
develop into one of the most active and flourishing Bahá’í communities not
only in Germany but throughout Europe. It has already acquired great fame
and importance as an international meeting centre for all the believers
throughout that continent, and specially in connection with the annual
Summer School of the German friends which has been invariably held there.

The Guardian is fervently praying that this progress, which has been so
characteristic of the development of your community during the last few
years, will continue increasing, and will thus fully repay your labours
for the establishment and wider penetration of the Faith throughout
Germany.

With his cordial greetings to you all,...

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

I value the sentiments you have expressed in your most welcome message,
and I am deeply touched by its contents. I wish to assure you in person of
my loving and continued prayers for you, that you may grow in
understanding, spirituality and influence, and play a worthy part in the
expansion of the Faith and the consolidation of its institutions.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 12 NOVEMBER 1935


12 November 1935

Dear Dr. Grossmann,

The Guardian is in receipt of your letter of October 26th, and feels very
much pleased of the news of the completion of the German translation of
“The Seven Valleys”. He wishes me to congratulate you most heartily for
this great service you have been able to render the Cause, and which no
doubt will serve to enrich the record of the manifold contributions you
have, during the last few years, so brilliantly made towards the spread of
the Faith throughout Germany. He is praying to Bahá’u’lláh that He may
continue to guide and inspire you, and assist you in accomplishing still
more outstanding works for the Cause in your country.

Regarding the publication of the manuscript, he sees no objection that it
should be undertaken by a non-Bahá’í publisher, inasmuch as it will then
have a greater appeal to the general public. But, of course, in this as
well as in all other local matters of this kind you should seek the
approval of the N.S.A. As to the expenses of printing the work, they
should be preferably furnished by the national fund.

The Guardian is also very much pleased to learn of the new publications
which the N.S.A. is planning to issue very soon. The printing of the
lectures delivered at the last Esslingen Summer School in a book form is,
no doubt, highly useful. It is hoped that the funds required in this
connection, as well as for other important publications, will be
generously contributed by both the individual believers, and the local
groups and assemblies.

With reference to the publication of the “Kitáb-i-Íqán” into Esperanto,
the Guardian also hopes that some action will be taken in this matter by
the N.S.A. But obviously the printing of this, and other non-German works,
should be subordinated to the publication of Bahá’í literature in
German....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

I am so eager to learn that your health is fully restored, for I believe
your services are a most valuable asset to the Faith you serve in these
troublous days. I welcome your efficient and unrelaxing cooperation, in
spite of the obstacles which face you, in so many fields of Bahá’í
activity. I am confident that as a result of your strenuous endeavours the
administrative institutions in your land will be further consolidated and
extended and the cause of teaching receive an added impetus.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 5 APRIL 1936


5 April 1936

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

Your most welcome message of the first Naw-Rúz has just arrived and its
perusal has brought indescribable joy to our Guardian’s heart. He is so
thankful and happy that the friends in Vienna are working so unitedly and
with such fervour, and he hopes that as a result the Cause will steadily
develop, and your centre will become one of the leading Bahá’í communities
in the West.

The most vital matter on which the Guardian wishes you to fully
concentrate is that of consolidating the foundations of the
Administration. Not until your group learns to work efficiently through
obedience to the local assembly and under its guidance can there be any
hope for future expansion. The friends must all realize the necessity of
internal discipline and order which only a properly elected and
efficiently functioning body such as the local assembly can effectively
maintain. Obedience to the decisions of the local assembly should be
unqualified and whole-hearted, as by this means alone can the community
work as a united body and achieve something constructive and enduring.

The Guardian feels also the necessity of urging you to keep always in
touch with the friends in Germany. The center in Vienna, though outside
the political boundaries of Germany, forms nevertheless an integral part
of the German-speaking Bahá’í community. It is therefore of a vital
importance that the ties of fellowship and cooperation between you and the
German believers be increasingly strengthened and consolidated so that
through your united endeavours the Cause in Germany and Austria may
rapidly spread and be established on firm foundations....

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly beloved friends:

I am deeply grateful to you for your constant services, your unswerving
loyalty, your firm determination and exemplary devotion to our beloved
Cause. Unity and cooperation are absolutely essential and vital at the
present stage of your development. Persevere and rest assured I will
continue to pray for you all from the depths of my heart.

Affectionately,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 10 MAY 1936


10 May 1936

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel,

Your letter dated May 1st with the enclosed message from the Annual
Convention of the German friends have all duly arrived and been read with
deepest interest and satisfaction by our beloved Guardian.

He is indeed pleased to learn of the results of your national elections,
and wishes me to ask you to kindly convey to the members of the new N.S.A.
his hearty congratulations, as well as the assurance of his fervent
supplications on their behalf at the Holy Shrines.

The Guardian very much regrets, however, that the Convention has not been
quite representative of the centers in Germany, and particularly deplores
the fact that the Vienna community has been unable to send any delegate to
the meeting. He feels the necessity of urging you to bring this matter
before the N.S.A. at its next session, in order that they may strongly
recommend all the local communities having an assembly to send every year
at least one representative to the Convention. The Convention meeting is
indeed a very important gathering, and the friends should be strongly
impressed with its importance and significance. With some effort and
sacrifice it is always possible for the delegates to be present at the
Convention-sessions....

[From the Guardian:]

My very dear co-worker:

I am so glad to receive such a splendid message from the Convention. To
you, no doubt, must, in a very great measure, be attributed the success
that has been achieved. The days of your pilgrimage will long be
remembered, and I trust and pray that both you and your dear wife will as
a result be assisted to lend a fresh impetus to the onward march of the
Cause in Germany. Upon you rests a high responsibility, and I am sure you
will rise to the height of the occasion.

Affectionately,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 10 MAY 1936 (CONVENTION)


10 May 1936 (Convention)

Dear Friends and co-workers,

Dr. Mühlschlegel has kindly transmitted to the Guardian your very warm
message, and he has read it with greatest pleasure and satisfaction, and
felt deeply touched at the assurances of devotion and loyalty which you
have been moved in conveying to him. He highly appreciates the sentiments
you have expressed, and fully reciprocates your greetings and good wishes.
He has been very much impressed indeed at the large number of the
attendants of this year’s Convention, and hopes that in the years to come
that number will continue increasing.

The Annual Convention is indeed a very important gathering at which both
delegates and visitors should try their very best to be present. It is a
splendid and unique opportunity for the believers to come together and
deliberate on the vital and pressing issues facing the Cause. It is for
this reason, and also because the Convention is the sole body entrusted
with the election of the N.S.A., that the friends, and particularly the
delegates, should make every effort to take part in the deliberations and
discussions of that annual gathering.

With most loving greetings, and sincere good wishes from the Guardian to
you all....

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly beloved friends:

The Convention of the German believers marks another milestone in the
notable progress achieved in recent years by the German Bahá’í Community.
My heart is filled with gratitude for the manifold evidences of the
tenacity of faith, the collective efforts, the consolidated unity, the
administrative accomplishments and the spiritual fervour so strikingly
displayed by its members. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, whose special care, love and
solicitude for the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in that promising country,
most of you have recognized and no doubt still remember, is truly proud of
your accomplishments and is well-pleased with the spirit that so
powerfully animates you in His service. His spirit will continue to
overshadow you in your labours and to sustain and guide you in your
exertions. Persevere and be confident.

Affectionately
Shoghi



LETTER OF 10 SEPTEMBER 1936 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


10 September 1936 (Summer School)

Beloved Bahá’í Friends,

Our dear friend Miss Köstlin has kindly transmitted to the Guardian the
beautiful message which you have addressed to him on the occasion of the
holding of the fifth German Bahá’í Summer School at Esslingen, and I wish
to hasten in thanking you on his behalf for the expressions of loving
devotion and the assurances of loyalty which you have been moved in
conveying to him. He profoundly values the warm sentiments you have
expressed, and fully reciprocates your greetings and good wishes.

What has particularly rejoiced and cheered his heart is the realisation
that the Esslingen Summer School is steadily developing and is speedily
attaining the character of an international meeting place for all Bahá’í
residents as well as travellers throughout Europe. The success that has
attended your school this year, as evidenced by both the wide range and
number of the attendants, is truly encouraging and augurs well for the
future of that institution which, we have every reason to hope, is
destined to develop into a leading Bahá’í University throughout the West.

The Guardian’s hope is that the German N.S.A. will, as in the last few
years, continue extending to that school the moral as well as the
financial assistance which it needs for its further expansion, and for a
still wider and more effective penetration of its influence in every
Bahá’í center throughout Europe.

He also hopes, and indeed would urge each and every one of the believers
in Germany to extend full and continued support to the N.S.A. in its
highly-meritorious efforts for the extension and development of the Summer
School at Esslingen. He is confident that through such a close and
whole-hearted collaboration between the individual believers and the
N.S.A. that school will succeed in gradually fulfilling its unique and
truly noble mission, both with regard to Germany and to Europe as a whole.

With the loving greetings and best wishes of the Guardian to you all,...

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued friends:

I am thrilled by the tone and character of the joint message you sent me.
The splendid achievements that have signalized the proceedings of this
year’s summer school are a source of abiding inspiration to me in my work,
and will as a powerful magnet attract future blessings upon the great and
noble work which its organizers are labouring to promote. I will continue
to pray for you and for your work in such a promising field and for so
meritorious a purpose.

Gratefully and affectionately,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 9 DECEMBER 1936


9 December 1936

Beloved Bahá’í Brothers and Sisters,

Shoghi Effendi is just in receipt of the message you have written him
through ... dated November 28th. How kind of you to address to him such
touching and assuring words on the occasion of the anniversary of the
passing of our beloved Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Your words have sunk deeply
into his heart, and have imparted to it fresh encouragement and deep
comfort. What a greater satisfaction is there for him indeed than to see
the friends, and particularly his well-beloved co-workers in Germany,
unitedly and harmoniously striving to spread the glad-tidings of this New
Day of God? It is his most fervent hope and the object of his continued
supplications at the threshold of Bahá’u’lláh that your community which is
already functioning with such a remarkable vigour, unity and efficiency
may rapidly gain in numbers and in strength, and become a beacon of light,
the radiance of which shall gradually penetrate and envelop all the
neighbouring centers and regions.

Esslingen is not only one of the oldest centers of the Cause in Germany,
but it is actually one of its most active, prosperous and promising
communities. Your center has indeed a glorious tradition behind it, and it
is high time that you all, whether young or old, rich or poor, and no
matter how limited your resources and numbers, should unitedly endeavour
to extend and further consolidate the basis of your teaching as well as
administrative activities.

The Guardian wishes you, in particular, to make a supreme effort to widen
the scope of your teaching work, but would urge you to proceed in this, as
well as in all other fields of Bahá’í service, with the utmost caution and
wisdom, so that you may not run the danger of antagonizing or even
displeasing the authorities. With this important consideration in mind,
exert all your efforts and all your resources for promoting this sacred
Cause of teaching in Esslingen and in the surrounding communities.

With warmest greetings and hearty good wishes from the Guardian,...

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-loved friends:

I am profoundly touched by your message. I thank you from the depths of my
heart. I feel proud of you, of your perseverance, your devotion and your
loyalty. Persevere and rest assured. The Beloved is watching over you and
will continue to bless your meritorious endeavours.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 17 MARCH 1937


17 March 1937

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your message of the seventh of March is just at hand, and I wish to hasten
to thank you for it on behalf of our beloved Guardian, and to renew his
gratitude and appreciation for the assurances of devoted love and loyalty
which you had been moved to convey to him. He very deeply values your
sentiments, indeed, and greatly admires the spirit of sacrifice and of
whole-hearted consecration with which you are labouring for the promotion
of the Faith. The success of your efforts will assuredly depend upon the
measure of unity within your group, and upon your firm resolve to uphold,
in words as well as in deeds, those basic verities which the Teachings
inculcate.

The Guardian’s message to you is that you should constantly strive to
mirror forth in your private lives, and also in your social relationships,
the beauty, purity and regenerative power of the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.
The Bahá’í youth of today should be an example to the youth of the world,
and should therefore live up to the highest standards of conduct. Nothing
short of such a close, united and concrete adherence to the ideals and
teachings of the Faith by every young Bahá’í man and woman can impress and
attract to it the serious attention and consideration of the world
outside.

It is Shoghi Effendi’s hope therefore that your youth group will make a
renewed and determined effort this year to put into daily practice the
principles and teachings of the Cause, and thus demonstrate to the
non-Bahá’í youth of your country the tremendous power which the Bahá’í
Teachings have to shape, mould and reconstruct the lives of men.

He is praying to Bahá’u’lláh to bless and guide your endeavours to that
end....

[From the Guardian:]

May the almighty power of Bahá’u’lláh bless you and keep you, shower his
bestowals upon you, deepen your understanding of the fundamental verities
and requirements of His Faith, and enable you to extend the range and
reinforce the basis of your activities and achievements.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 10 DECEMBER 1937


10 December 1937

Dear Frau Mühlschlegel,

The Guardian was deeply rejoiced to receive your very cordial message of
the first ins., and is indeed happy to know that during the next few
months you will be travelling regularly to Zürich, and that you intend in
this way to communicate to him any news regarding the situation of the
Cause in Germany. He truly welcomes your offer, and feels that it is a
most urgent and valuable service you can render the Faith.

Mr. Greeven, as you may know, is in close touch with the authorities in
Berlin, and has so far succeeded in inducing the government to give more
sympathetic consideration to our case. The secretary of the Minister for
Church affairs has promised him that the funds, books and archives will be
returned, but that there can be no hope of having the government rescind
the rulings entirely. The negotiations, as you see, have not been quite in
vain. The friends should not feel unnecessarily agitated, but should have
full confidence in the future which, we firmly believe, is gloriously
bright. As in the past, the German Bahá’í Community will eventually
overcome and crush such forces of opposition, and will arise, out of the
storm and stress of its present-day afflictions, stronger and purer and
more determined to accomplish its allotted task in the establishment of
the New World Order. Assure the believers that they have no reason
whatsoever to feel distressed. The Cause is God’s and is therefore in safe
hands.

Regarding the German translation of the “Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh”; a
copy of the German text of that pamphlet prepared by Miss Grossmann was
forwarded to Haifa about two months ago through the care of Frau Brauns.
The Guardian wrote her in answer, that he would keep the manuscript until
such time when the time and means for its publication would be found.

Now he wishes to know whether the translation mentioned in your letter is
the same as the one sent by Frau Brauns, or is a new rendering made by Dr.
Mühlschlegel.

To you, to him, as well as to all your children he sends his loving
thoughts and greetings....

P.S. At the Guardian’s instruction I am mailing to your address a copy of
the “Bahá’í World” vol. III, as to is not certain whether you or any of
the German friends has seen this latest issue of the Year book....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

I wish to assure you and through you our dearly beloved German friends
that the trials to which they are subjected are but a prelude to an age of
unprecedented glory and activity in the service of the Cause of God. These
clouds will dissipate and the splendour of the Faith will be shed with
increasing radiance. Let the Cause grow silently and acquire greater
depths in the hearts of the tested believers in that land, and the day
will surely come when its potentialities will be manifested in a manner
that would cause every beholder to marvel.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 2 FEBRUARY 1938


2 February 1938

Dear Frau Mühlschlegel,

The Guardian was pleased to receive your letter of the 26th January last,
and to hear again from you about the conditions of the Cause in Germany.

He feels exceedingly sorry that the authorities have not so far lived up
to their promise of returning the books, funds and archives that were
confiscated, but still hopes that through the vigilant care, and the
sustained and wise efforts of Mr. Greeven some definite results will be
eventually obtained. The friends need not lose courage, but have full
confidence in the future which, we are all certain, is immeasurably
bright.

Now regarding the manuscript of the German “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era”;
the Guardian has learned with satisfaction that the printing of the text
has been completed, and he feels that in view of the present restrictions
in Germany it would not be advisable to proceed with the binding there. He
would advise that the unbound copies be sent over, through the safest
means possible, to the Spiritual Assembly of Vienna that they may complete
the binding of as many copies as they can arrange for the distribution of
the book.

Not only it would be too risky, and even dangerous, to publish anything at
present in Germany, but it would constitute an act of disloyalty to the
government on the part of the German believers, as you no doubt well know
that in such purely administrative matters the friends are under the
strict obligation of obeying the authorities.

As regards the manuscript of the “Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh”, the
Guardian is sending you under separate cover the copy which was presented
to him sometime ago by Frau Martha Brauns, with the hope that the friends
may be able to arrange for its publication outside Germany.

In closing kindly convey his loving thanks to dear Frau Vautier and to Mr.
Leo Bernhard for the kind words they have appended to your letter. He will
remember you all in his prayers at the Holy Shrines, that you may be ever
assisted and guided in your efforts for the service of Bahá’u’lláh....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

The services you are rendering in these days of stress and turmoil are
highly appreciated and deserve the highest praise. Kindly assure again the
dear German believers of my constant prayers for them. The critical stage
through which the Faith is passing in their beloved land is but one stage
in its evolution, a step that will carry them farther on the glorious path
they have chosen to tread. Perseverance is the virtue they mostly need at
present. An All-mighty Providence is watching over them. Never must they
feel disheartened. I am deeply grateful and feel truly proud of the spirit
they manifest.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 31 MARCH 1938


31 March 1938

Dear Dr. Mühlschlegel,

Your letter of the 20th ins. sent from Zürich has duly reached our beloved
Guardian, and he was indeed pleased to hear from you, and was deeply
touched by the messages which you and Mrs. Mühlschlegel, Mrs. Vautier and
Mr. Gollmer have so kindly sent him on the occasion of your visit to
Zürich. Please assure them of his keenest appreciation of the sentiments
they have expressed, and of his prayers for their protection and guidance
in these difficult and indeed distressing times.

The Guardian is thankful for the report which you and Mr. Gollmer have
given him regarding the situation of the Cause in Germany. He truly
deplores the existing state of affairs, but still hopes that conditions
may improve sooner or later. With the annexation of Austria, however,
there is little chance of the authorities rescinding their rulings at
present regarding the prohibition of the Cause, but there is every reason
to believe that the assembly in Vienna will too be dissolved in the next
few months.

Now regarding the publication of the German edition of the Esslemont book;
now that the new regime in Austria makes it quite impossible for the
friends there to complete the printing of the book and arrange for its
sale, the Guardian suggests that the best course to take would be for you
to approach the American N.S.A. and to ask them to purchase the whole
order. Owing to the expansion of the teaching work in South America,
where, as you know, there are many large German communities, particularly
in Argentina, there would be a great demand for this book, and the
Publishing Committee of the N.S.A. might arrange to sell many copies
there, and distribute some, for sale, among various other Bahá’í centers
in Europe and in the East.

The Guardian would further advise that you also approach the British
N.S.A. who may find it possible to assist you in this matter....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

I am so pleased to learn that despite the anxieties and obstacles that
confront and afflict the dearly-loved German believers, their devotion,
loyalty, confidence and perseverance remain untarnished and unshaken. I
shall be glad to contribute the sum of thirty pounds as soon as I hear
that arrangements have been made for the publication of Esslemont’s book,
and trust and pray that ways and means will be found to bring to a
successful conclusion this all-important undertaking.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 25 APRIL 1938


25 April 1938

Dear Friends,

The postcard message which you had sent the Guardian on the occasion of
Dr. Mühlschlegel’s visit to Vienna, has just been received, and it made
him immensely happy to realize that the friends in Germany and Austria
have been again drawn together, and are closer than ever in the past. He
hopes that the removal of the barriers which have hitherto so sadly
separated the German and Austrian communities will mark the beginning of a
new era of unprecedented growth and expansion in your affairs. He is
certain that you are fully alive to the far-reaching possibilities which
the present hour offers, and wishes you therefore to be happy and
thankful, and confident in the blessings which the future has in store for
you, and your dear co-workers in that land.

I take this opportunity of assuring you once more of his prayers for your
welfare, protection and continued guidance, and reciprocating your very
kind greetings,...

[From the Guardian:]

Assuring you in person of my incessant prayers for your protection,
guidance and happiness,

your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 21 MAY 1938


21 May 1938

Dear Frau Mühlschlegel,

Many thanks from the Guardian for your very kind letter of the 11th ins.
just received, and also for the revised manuscript of the German
translation of the “Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh” you have sent under
separate cover. He indeed appreciates Dr. Mühlschlegel’s painstaking
efforts in revising the text, and wishes you to assure him that he will
pray that a way may be soon opened for its publication.

As regards the German “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era”, it would certainly
rejoice your heart to know that in a letter recently received from the
American N.S.A. they have suggested to defray the cost of purchasing the
types, and of arranging for its publication in Switzerland. The Guardian
wrote them in reply approving of their suggestion, and urged them to take
immediately the necessary steps, and also informed them of his offer to
contribute thirty pounds towards the printing cost. He will send the sum
directly to the N.S.A., as soon as he receives word from them that the
necessary negotiations have been completed.

Regarding the confiscation of Bahá’í literature and archives in Germany;
the Guardian in a recent letter to Mr. Greeven advised him again to
continue his negotiations with the authorities, but also stressed the
absolute necessity of avoiding the exercise of too much pressure on them.
The situation is exceedingly delicate, and nothing short of Divine help
and guidance can indeed enable the friends to obtain even this minimum of
their demands from the Government.

In closing please convey the Guardian’s loving appreciation and thanks to
dear Frau Vautier for the word of greetings she so kindly appended to your
letter. Also kindly convey to Dr. Mühlschlegel and the friends in
Stuttgart his warmest and affectionate greetings....

[From the Guardian:]

Wishing you and your dear and distinguished husband, the utmost success in
your unceasing and noble endeavours for the promotion and protection of
the Faith in these days of stress and trial, and assuring you of my
abiding and loving gratitude.

Your true brother, Shoghi



LETTER OF 7 MAY 1939


7 May 1939

Beloved Friends,

Shoghi Effendi has received your welcome card dated April 20th, and
immensely appreciates the message of love and greetings you have been
moved to convey to him on the occasion of the Feast of Ridván.

He too wishes me to extend to you his deep love and good wishes on this
happy and blessed occasion, and to assure you, and our dear friends in
Esslingen, of his prayers for your protection and guidance in these days
of widespread gloom and distress, that your hearts may be strengthened and
assured, and that you may emerge from your present-day tests and trials
more united, and firmer than ever in your love and loyalty towards the
Faith.

However gloomy the immediate future may seem to appear, the prospect which
the distant future has in store for the community of German believers is
of such immeasurable brightness as it cannot but afford the deepest
comfort and encouragement to you in your moments of uttermost sorrow and
distress.

More than ever to-day the Guardian’s thoughts turn towards you, and our
sore-tried brethren in your land, in admiration for the courage and
fortitude you have so well displayed in the midst of your afflictive
trials, and in thanksgiving to the almighty God for having sustained and
blessed you so repeatedly through His unfailing grace and mighty
confirmations.

May His Spirit continue to aid and guide your Community in the distressing
days yet to come....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear co-workers:

It was such a joy to hear from you. You, as well as the other German
believers, are often in my thoughts and prayers. I will continue to pray
for the realization of your highest hopes. Do not despair, nay be assured
that a glorious future awaits you all, more brilliant than any you can
imagine.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 6 JUNE 1939


6 June 1939

My Dear Friend,

I am directed by Shoghi Effendi to thank you for your letter of May 19th.

Although he was very sorry to hear of the deep misunderstandings and lack
of unity that still exists in ..., he is thankful to you for your writing
him about it, and he knows full well that you wrote because you are
animated with a deep desire to remove all ill-feelings among the friends
there.

The fact is that the Guardian is very sad over the present condition and
because it is almost impossible for him to intervene from such a distance
and without hearing both sides, he has written over and over again asking
that the friends should gather, should talk frankly and fully without
ill-feeling and should solve their difficulty. This to Shoghi Effendi’s
deep disappointment has not been possible, Mr. Herrigel has been
uncompromising and firm and the result is that the Cause in ... is at a
standstill. This is why Shoghi Effendi would ask everyone and especially
yourself to make every effort and help the situation....

[From the Guardian:]

My dear co-worker:

A trusted friend of ours, Dr. Yunis _Kh_án is proceeding to Germany to
visit the Bahá’í centres and I trust he will be enabled to promote true
understanding and sustained cooperation in.... He is most trustworthy and
capable. I will continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart. Rest
assured and never feel disheartened.

Your true brother, Shoghi



LETTER OF 5 NOVEMBER 1945


5 November 1945

Dear Bahá’í-Brother:

The message signed by you and other of our dear Bahá’í-friends, and dated
Sep. 16th, Esslingen, reached our beloved Guardian, and brought great joy
to his heart. He wishes you if possible to convey the following message to
those who addressed him:

Tell them that it was a source of deep comfort and gratification to him to
receive a word of love and devotion from some of the German Bahá’ís after
all these years of silence and danger. He was so happy to know they are
well and have been able to meet with you and receive news of the progress
of the Faith in other lands.

He hopes that now that the war is over, and the regime which banned all
Bahá’í activities in Germany is no more, the believers there will exert
their utmost to teach this great religion of ours to their
fellow-countrymen. No doubt after so many years of deep suffering and
bitter disillusion there are many souls eager for the truth, and more
awakened to the need of a spiritual solution for the world’s problems.

Please convey his love to them all, and assure them they are, and have
been, often remembered in his ardent prayers.

The Guardian was so very glad to know you had been able to meet with some
of the German Bahá’ís. He urges you to help and inspire them all you can.

His loving prayers surround you, you may be sure...

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

I was thrilled by the message you have sent, and feel profoundly thankful
to Bahá’u’lláh for having preserved you and your dear co-workers in that
land, and for the spirit, which, despite the sufferings and turmoil that
have afflicted your country, you so powerfully display and exemplify. I
cherish great hope for the future of your work, and I pray from all my
heart for the Almighty’s richest blessings on your activities. Rest
assure, be happy, and persevere in your historic and meritorious labours.

Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi



LETTER OF 30 DECEMBER 1945


30 December 1945

Beloved Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter of April 4th has just been received by our beloved Guardian,
and he has instructed me to answer it at once on his behalf.

It was with feelings of great pride and deep sorrow that he read of the
sufferings of the German believers for their Faith and the persecutions
they underwent so heroically, and with such unflinching loyalty, for our
Holy Cause.

All during these long and tragic years of war his thoughts have been with
the Community of the German believers, and his prayers have constantly
been offered for their protection and the lightening of their heavy
burden. Other Bahá’í Communities, like France and England, have also
suffered, but not to the extent of the German and Burmese friends who have
been in lands ravaged by war and invasion, and in the hands, at the same
time, of political parties who persecuted them.

The loss of all the records of the National and Local Assemblies is indeed
very great, and he hopes that your family, Dr. Mühlschlegel, Dr. Schmidt,
Herr Jörn, Anna Köstlin, Frau Schweizer, Frau Schwarz—, in fact, all the
old believers, will try and reconstruct from memory, and write down, as
much of the history of the Cause in Germany as they can remember, so that
some accurate records for the future will remain. He would also like you
to write a comprehensive account of what the Bahá’ís have endured in
Germany since 1937 for the “Bahá’í World”, vol. X, and send it to him as
soon as possible. The news of the German believers’ activities has been
sadly missed in the last two volumes, and he is anxious to have them take
their place again as soon as possible.

He has just written to N.S.A. of America urging them to help, and do all
they can to protect the German Bahá’ís; he has also urged them to make
every effort to get German Bahá’í books published, and sent to Germany as
soon as possible.

You all have a tremendous task before you. He knows how great is the
suffering for just ordinary German citizens at present as an aftermath of
the war—but in spite of these physical hardships the German believers are
called upon to establish again the institutions of their Faith, teach its
life-giving message to the masses, and help their country to obtain the
spiritual destiny ‘Abdu’l-Bahá foresaw for it. You may be sure the
Guardian and the Bahá’ís everywhere will do all in their power to help the
German believers accomplish their tasks.

Please assure all the friends—especially those who have lost dear ones in
the war—of his most loving and ardent prayers on their behalf, and of his
feelings of pride and gratitude for their devotion and loyalty to the
Faith.

To you all he sends his loving greetings, his deep appreciation of your
spirit, and the assurance of his constant prayers....

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved friends:

My heart is filled with joy, pride and gratitude as I witness, thru the
receipt of your most welcome letter, the evidences of the protection of
the Almighty and of the vitality of the faith of the long-suffering German
believers, who have laboured so devotedly and valiantly during so long and
crucial a period and who as a community have survived the greatest ordeal
in the history of their Faith in that land. My prayers during these years
of danger, of stress, of suspense and anxiety have ever surrounded them,
and I rejoice to learn of their safety, their unity, their zeal, and their
determination to arise and resume the great and historic work they are
destined to carry to a triumphant conclusion in the years that lie ahead.
The organization of spiritual assemblies, the reestablishment of the
national assembly, the formation of national committees are the immediate
objectives, and should, if possible be carried out with the utmost speed
and vigour, for upon them will rest the expansion and consolidation of the
activities of a sorely-tried Faith. I am appealing to various Bahá’í
communities in East and West to lend their assistance in whatever manner
possible to the arduous task of reconstruction that now faces the German
believers. I long to hear of the news of the friends in other parts of
that land and will do my utmost to aid them to resume their activity and
services to our beloved Faith. Please assure them all of my great love, of
my profound admiration, of my bright hopes for their future, of my
heartfelt gratitude for their perseverance and of my fervent prayers for
their future success.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF DEC. 30TH, 1945


Dec. 30th, 1945

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

It was with great joy that the beloved Guardian received your letter of
Aug. 1st, and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.

During these long, sad, years of separation his thoughts have constantly
been with the well-loved German Bahá’ís, and his ardent prayers have been
offered in the Holy Shrines for their protection and the protection of the
Faith there.

Now that the friends are once again free to profess their beliefs, hold
their meetings, teach the Cause, and uphold its institutions, he hopes
they will exert their utmost to reestablish, as speedily as possible, the
Bahá’í Communities of Germany. The Faith in that land had, before it was
suppressed and banned, just began to enjoy the fruits of many long years
of labour to promulgate it, and create its administrative bodies; he hopes
that all the German Bahá’ís will unite to bring it to the former level of
prosperity it enjoyed.

He wishes to assure you all, and through you, all your Bahá’í brothers and
sisters in Germany, that he will do all in his power to assist you in your
labours, and that your fellow-Bahá’ís the world over will likewise aid you
as much as they can.

The beloved Master cherished very bright hopes for the future of the
German Bahá’ís. His promises and prophecies will surely be fulfilled, and
the Holy Faith not only be reestablished in Germany but grow and expand as
never before.

The Guardian has urged the American N.S.A. to supply the German Bahá’ís
with literature as soon as possible; this will enable you to bring the
teachings to your sore-stricken countrymen, and enlist them under the
banner of Bahá’u’lláh.

You may be sure the Guardian’s loving prayers surround you all and sustain
you in your labours for the Cause....

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved Friends:

Your joint and most welcome letter brought indescribable joy to my heart.
I am thrilled by this latest and indeed most significant evidence of the
unfailing protection of the Almighty, and of His manifold blessings
vouchsafed to His dearly-beloved and worthy servants labouring so
heroically for His Faith in that land. Though I am greatly saddened by the
fate that has overtaken a few of them during this prolonged ordeal they
have experienced, I rejoice and am filled with gratitude, pride and
happiness to realize that the Faith itself has survived this fiery test,
and has demonstrated its resilience, its vitality and incorruptibility
after so crucial a period of stress, of suffering and danger. The duty
facing the triumphant community in your land is to reconstruct, with the
utmost speed and vigour its administrative institutions, and above all,
its national assembly. I will appeal to our brethren in East and West to
offer every assistance in their power for the rehabilitation of a
community which is destined to play, in accordance with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
prophecy, so vital a role in the future orientation and expansion of the
world-wide Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. I will do everything I possibly can to
help it in its task and assist it in the achievement of its high destiny.
I will pray and supplicate on its behalf the abundant blessings of the
Almighty, that its influence may revive, its number increase, its
activities multiply, its resource develop, and its mission be fulfilled.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 8 APRIL 1946


8 April 1946

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your loving message, addressed to our beloved Guardian, brought him great
joy, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

We all know how dark, and spiritually dead, the world is today, and how
desperately it stands in need of spiritual guidance. The Bahá’ís alone,
through the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, hold the key to the solution of
humanity’s ills, and as much of the tremendous work which lies ahead will
perforce have to be undertaken by young people, he attaches great
importance to the activities of Bahá’í Youth everywhere.

He hopes you will all study deeply the teachings, as this alone will give
you the foundation you need for your services to the Faith. You should
also make every effort to distinguish your lives from those of other young
people of your generation, and thus, by the display of Bahá’í virtues and
morals, attract the interest and esteem of others.

You may be sure that his loving prayers will be offered for your guidance
and protection in the Holy Shrines....

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved friends:

I was so pleased and thankful to receive your most welcome message, and to
learn of the resumption of your activities to which I attach the utmost
importance. I will pray for your success from the depths of my heart, and
urge you to get in touch, as soon as possible, with the Bahá’í Youth in
various parts of the world, and to strengthen the bonds that unite you to
them, and to work in close collaboration and under the supervision of your
national assembly as soon as it is elected. May the Beloved bless,
sustain, and guide you at all times, and crown your activities with signal
success.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 4 MAY 1946


4 May 1946

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter of March 17th (the copy of which Mr. Eichenauer also
forwarded) has been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has
instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He is very anxious for the young Bahá’ís, everywhere, to deepen their
knowledge of the teachings, of Bahá’í administration and laws, and to live
an exemplary Bahá’í life in order to prepare themselves for their work in
the Cause as teachers and administrators. They are the ones who will toil
in the glorious and difficult days that lie ahead, and they must now fit
themselves to be worthy of their future high responsibilities and duties.

He assures you all he will pray for your services, your progress and
development, in the Holy Shrines, and he cherishes great hopes for your
future....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear co-workers:

My heart rejoiced and my soul was refreshed at the receipt of your most
welcome message, signed by so great a number of ardent and youthful
co-workers in a land so rich in promise, so blessed by our Beloved, and so
severely tried by the vicissitudes of war. You are, I assure you, often in
my thoughts and prayers, and I cherish the brightest hopes for your future
work. You are, I feel confident, destined to achieve memorable victories,
both in your native land and on the continent of Europe, and you should
diligently and unitedly prepare yourselves for this glorious task.
Persevere, redouble your efforts, and rest assured that the Beloved will
bless and sustain you always.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 30 JULY 1946


30 July 1946

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter of June 29th, with its translation, was received, and our
beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.

He was so very happy to hear from your Assembly after all these years,
since that important institution was disbanded, and hopes from time to
time you will send him reports of your work.

As regards the question you asked him: he feels that the Bahá’ís in
Germany should, by all means, follow the same procedure as regards
withdrawing from church membership as that in America. You should point
out to the believers that, by belonging to other organized religious
bodies, we are not acting openly because we firmly believe Christ has come
again—so how can we belong to a church which does not accept Bahá’u’lláh
and His message as the fulfilment of Jesus’ message and the reappearance
of Jesus Himself?

He is very anxious that ways should be found for you to receive the money
collected in Ṭihrán and spend it on the Cause and its institutions in
Germany. The eagerness of the people to hear of the Faith imposes a sacred
duty on all the German Bahá’ís to see that they are not denied this Divine
Revelation in their hour of need.

You may be sure the Guardian will do all he can to assist you, and his
ardent prayers are offered on your behalf, for your assistance, your
guidance, and the success of your sacred labours to give to Germany the
news of this precious Faith’s existence, and to administer with wisdom the
affairs of the Cause there.

He urges you to hold as frequent meetings as possible, and, in cooperation
with the American N.S.A. to get as much literature printed and
disseminated as you can....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

Your letter brought great joy to my heart. I rejoice to hear of the
formation of your assembly, the cornerstone of the foundation of the Faith
in that land. I urge you to consult and deliberate as frequently as you
can on the affairs of the Faith, devise the most effective measures for
its spread, extend the range of Bahá’í publications, and the friends to
scatter as widely as they can in order to multiply the centres and
establish new assemblies, extend any assistance you can to the friends in
Vienna and take whatever steps are required to enable you to establish the
centre of the Faith in Frankfurt. Your task is immense, the obstacles
formidable, the need of your fellow countrymen for the healing truths of
the Faith urgent and pitiful, the promised help from on high ready and
assured, if you persevere in your task and arise to discharge befittingly
your responsibilities. The considerable sums accumulated in Ṭihrán will
aid you to extend the scope of your activities and to consolidate your
achievements. You should, though these sums have not yet reached you,
embark on great projects, and devise, after careful deliberation,
effective methods for the propagation of our beloved Faith. I am following
the progress of your highly important activities with intense interest.
You are, I assure you, often in my thoughts and prayers, and I will
continue to supplicate for you the Master’s richest blessings.

Rest assured, persevere, and be happy.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 31 JULY 1946


31 July 1946

Dear Bahá’í-Brother:

Your letter of July 1st was received by our beloved Guardian, and he has
instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He was delighted to hear of the Bahá’í wedding which recently took place
in your Community of Stuttgart Bahá’ís and he thanks all the dear friends
who were present, whose names you forwarded to him on the list enclosed in
your letter, for their greetings and their loving thought of him.

In connection with the National Administrative Center of the Faith being
in Frankfurt, he wishes to point out to you the following:

This is a purely practical measure because Frankfurt a/M is so much more
centrally located than Stuttgart in the south of Germany. The dear friends
of Stuttgart must not for a moment feel that this detracts from the unique
place their city occupies in the history of the Faith in Germany.

It is very similar to what has happened in the United States; ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
conferred many honours on New York and called it the “City of the
Covenant”, but this did not prevent Chicago from being chosen as the
National Administrative Headquarters owing to its central position in
America.

The Stuttgart friends should do all in their power to foster the
development of this Administrative Headquarters in Frankfurt, and to
ensure its success, as this is what is best for the development of the
Faith in Germany. But you can be sure Stuttgart holds a unique position
and has received from the Master Himself unique distinction.

It is probable, but not certain, that the first Temple will also, for the
same reason, be in Frankfurt. The publishing work, likewise, should be
there in the future, but at present its location is for the N.S.A. to
decide.

He was very pleased to hear you are requiring all Bahá’ís to withdraw from
church membership and similar organizations; he considers your Community
the mother community in spirit, and is confident it will continue to lead
the way in its exemplary conduct.

You may be sure his loving prayers will be offered for the success of the
teaching and administrative work of the Stuttgart believers...

P.S. In the future Stuttgart must naturally have its own administrative
headquarters for that city, and he hopes you will soon have found a
suitable meeting place.

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

I was so pleased to receive your most welcome letter. The friends in that
centre are very dear and near to me, and I cherish the brightest hopes for
their future in the service of our beloved Faith. The Beloved poured forth
His manifold blessings upon them and greatly admired their spirit. May His
Spirit continue to guide, sustain and bless them in their future services
and high endeavors for the promotion of His Faith.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 22 NOVEMBER 1946


22 November 1946

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your most welcome letter of Aug. 21st reached our beloved Guardian after a
long delay, as you can see, but brought him great joy. He has instructed
me to answer it on his behalf.

He is fully aware of the very sad and difficult conditions under which you
are labouring to reestablish the spiritual well-being of the German and
Austrian believers, but he feels confident that your great faith,
determination and devotion will enable you to achieve your ends and the
aid of Bahá’u’lláh is surely vouchsafed you as you serve His Cause and
seek to bring enlightenment and inner comfort to the war-weary German
people.

In connection with the various points you raise in your letter:

He is very anxious to see the “Sonne der Wahrheit” published again; as it
will greatly assist you in sustaining and guiding the German believers and
in teaching other German-speaking people. He urges you to go on
petitioning the U.S. authorities for permission to resume this important
activity.

That so many members of the former “Bahá’í World Union” should now be
seeking enrollment as believers greatly pleases him, and he feels you
should by all means accept them as registered Bahá’ís, unless you
yourselves have any reason to question some individuals’ sincerity.

He would like to receive regularly the minutes of your assembly’s meetings
in German; it is not necessary to translate the whole thing each time, but
if a short summary of the important points could also be sent in English
he would appreciate it.

The flourishing activities of the Bahá’í Summer School at Esslingen
greatly pleased him, and he is so happy to see the way the friends have
not only protected this Bahá’í Home during the long years of war and
persecution, but immediately rallied around it again and made it once more
a source of unity and a center of Bahá’í study.

The long sessions of your National Assembly meetings are very essential
for the promotion of the work in Germany and the rehabilitation of the
affairs of the Cause there. In your meetings he urges you to give
considerable attention to carrying out the following very important tasks:
It is of the utmost importance that the friends be well supplied with not
only Bahá’í literature, but with a regular Bahá’í News letter—the organ of
your assembly—and also with their own magazine, the “Sonne der Wahrheit”.
He therefore urges you all to persevere in pushing these publication
matters forward. Needless to say the translation work must also go on
uninterruptedly and receive first attention, as there is now a wealth of
Bahá’í literature in English for you to draw upon and which is much needed
by the German friends to help deepen their understanding of the Divine
Cause, and better enable them to teach it.

The teaching work is, of course, the most important of all. He has been
very encouraged to see the efforts the friends are making in the U.S. Zone
and to hear of the good results they are achieving. But the primary
responsibility for this great work rests on your assembly, and you must
devise as many ways and means as possible for prosecuting your teaching
plans on a wide scale and covering a wide field. Now that your country is
in such a state of despair, and the people have suffered so deeply, their
hearts are more receptive, as you pointed out in your letter, and
therefore at this time they must be approached with the Divine Message
before internal integration and new problems or new possibilities arise to
sidetrack their attention. He hopes that you will continually urge the
friends to arise and teach, that you will devise ways and means (such as
the summer-school and various conferences, committees, etc.) of training
more of them—particularly the youth—as public speakers and teachers and,
in short, leave no stone unturned in prosecuting this major task.

Hand in hand with this intensification of the teaching work must go the
multiplication of groups and their development into Spiritual assemblies.

Another important matter to which he wishes to draw your special attention
is that of the Nat. Bahá’í Headquarters in Frankfurt. He fully realizes
the obstacles which must be overcome in order to carry out this historic
project, but feels sure that Bahá’u’lláh will help and guide you to find a
suitable spot and make preliminary arrangements. Ten thousand pounds is
now reposing in the special fund he has established in Ṭihrán for the
rehabilitation of the Faith in Germany and the relief of the dear friends
there. A considerable part of this he himself has contributed to this
community which both the Master and he love so dearly—so you see the means
to help you carry out the many great tasks confronting you are there. He
is most anxious that this money should reach you, and hopes ways can soon
be found of sending it to your assembly; you should constantly bear this
in mind, and let him know of any possible means you find of transmitting
this sum.

I need not assure you of how dear your work is to the heart of our
Guardian, of how eagerly he receives news of your activities, of how much
he appreciates your many self-sacrificing and exhausting labours for the
promotion of our beloved Cause! You are very often remembered in his
prayers, and he feels sure that the Master is extending you His own aid in
serving His Faith in that country He loved so much....

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved co-workers:

It is such a joy, mingled with feelings of deep thankfulness to
Bahá’u’lláh, to be able to resume direct correspondence with the elected
national representatives of a community that has achieved so much in the
past for our Faith, that has been so dearly loved by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and is
destined to spread, as He foretold, the light of God’s sacred Revelation
not only in the heart of Europe but throughout that dark, war-devastated
spiritually famished continent. Now that the shackles imposed upon that
community have been removed, and its chief and central administrative
institution is again vigorously functioning, a concerted, sustained and
systematic effort must be made, not only by its members, but by the rank
and file of its supporters throughout that land, to expand, multiply and
consolidate the community’s nascent institutions, widen, considerably and
rapidly, the range of its literature, establish, firmly and definitely, in
however rudimentary a form its national headquarters in Frankfurt situated
in the heart of that country, reinforce and develop the work assigned to
its national committees, revitalize its summer-schools and other
subsidiary institutions, maintain and develop its contact, through
correspondence, with national and local administrative bodies throughout
the Bahá’í world, devise effective measures for the proclamation, boldly
and determinedly, of the message to the masses, fortify and enrich its
corporate life and lay an unassailable foundation for its future
development. The task is immense, the opportunities are priceless and
manifold, the hour is critical and challenging, the promises given by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá are clear, unmistakable, and soul-refreshing, His assistance
ready and unfailing. All that is required, in thanksgiving for the
protection vouchsafed to this community by Bahá’u’lláh is to arise with
courage, high resolve and clear vision, to carry out the immediate task in
its entirety, and thus prepare the way for the opening of a new and still
more glorious chapter in the history of the evolution of the Faith in that
land. I pray from all my heart for the speedy and complete realization of
the high hopes I cherish for that dearly-beloved, long-suffering, richly
blessed community.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 18 FEBRUARY 1947 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


18 February 1947 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter sent to our beloved Guardian from the Esslingen Bahá’í Summer
School session of August 1946, brought him great joy, and he has
instructed me to answer it on his behalf.

It is wonderful to see that the German believers are not only free at last
to meet and propagate the Faith of God, but that they are also receiving
public recognition from officials, and that their numbers are constantly
swelling!

All the sufferings the German believers have endured are not in vain; they
now see before them many, many of their fellow-countrymen ripe to receive
the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, which, some of them, in the past, would never
have listened to for a moment.

Now is the time to teach the Cause of God in Germany as never before; in
spite of the hardships you are all undergoing, you must be active in
building up new Bahá’í Assemblies while the people are still seeking some
spiritual food. We do not know what their spiritual condition will be like
in the future when their physical lives are once again more stable and
secure—so we must seize this golden opportunity, and make every sacrifice
to rapidly spread the Divine Message in Germany now.

He will pray for you all, that God may bless, aid and guide you....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

I was deeply touched by your message, and I greatly value the sentiments
you have expressed, and the efforts you exert for the promotion of our
beloved Faith. I will pray for your success from the depths of my heart.
Rest assured, and persevere in your high and meritorious endeavours.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 22 FEBRUARY 1947


22 February 1947

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters dated Sept. 24th, Oct. 1st and Nov. 12th, 1946, have all been
received, as well as the interesting reports you enclosed with them, and
our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He was delighted to see that such large study classes are being held in
Esslingen, and that so many people are becoming students of the Faith. The
German believers must concentrate all their efforts on teaching the Cause,
as at the present time there are many truth-seekers; in the future it may
be more difficult to reach the people.

The Summer School was also a great success this year, and our Guardian was
very happy to see so many attended and that the activities of the Bahá’ís
are now receiving public approval, after so many years of persecution!

You may be sure his loving prayers are offered for the success of your
devoted services to the Cause of God....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh sustain, guide and bless your meritorious
efforts, aid you to render notable services to our beloved Cause, and
consolidate its new-born and God-given institutions,

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 26 FEBRUARY 1947


26 February 1947

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated Sept. 25th, 1946, was received,
as well as the minutes of your meeting of Nov. 2nd and 3rd., and he has
instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

Regarding the question of Herr Jörn: Smoking is not forbidden by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá; He advises against it for reasons of health, but we have no
right to prevent anyone from smoking. But drinking and the use of drugs
are strictly forbidden and the Bahá’ís should obey this command.

The Guardian has received a number of letters from the Bahá’ís of ..., and
in the interest of promoting unity among the friends in Germany he is
going to write them instructing them to cooperate with and obey your
Assembly; he feels that you should send capable Bahá’ís there to teach
them and strengthen them in the Faith, and to make sure no political
elements are allowed to enter into their discussions or be a part of their
group.

He has recently had fifteen hundred dollars sent from the Relief Fund in
Ṭihrán to America for the immediate purchase of food parcels for the
German and Austrian Bahá’ís, and hopes these will soon reach them. It is
very distressing that so much money over ten thousand pounds (£10.000)
should be held in the name of the German friends, and yet no way of
sending it be found. He hopes your Assembly will make every effort to
arrange for this money to be received in Germany.

He is also very anxious to receive news of exactly what is happening about
the National Bahá’í Headquarters in Frankfurt; he gathers from your
minutes that negotiations are in progress for a building in that city? He
attaches great importance to this undertaking, and urges you to press the
matter constantly.

The reports he received of the young peoples’ Summer School and the Summer
School at Esslingen were most encouraging, and he is delighted to see that
in spite of so many handicaps the friends are so devoted and active! He
was also very happy to note that new spiritual assemblies are in the
process of formation, and hopes you will concentrate on their
establishment and the formation of many new groups. In spite of the
conditions in Germany it is of the utmost importance to teach the Cause as
widely as possible, especially to the youth, now that through suffering
and disillusionment the hearts of the people are more receptive.

You may be sure that his ardent and loving prayers are offered for each
and every one of you, and for the success of your devoted labours for the
Cause of God....

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved friends:

The revival and rapid consolidation of the German Bahá’í community after
the prolonged and terrible ordeals to which it has been subjected is a
striking evidence of the irresistible power of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh,
as well as a magnificent testimony to the vitality of the faith of the
German believers. I feel proud and profoundly thankful for the loyalty,
the perseverance, the resolution, the unity, the zeal and the devotion
which characterize their collective efforts and corporate life in the
service of this glorious Cause. The prompt establishment of the national
Hazíratu’l-Quds in the city of Frankfurt; the rapid translation,
publication and dissemination of Bahá’í literature; the multiplication of
Bahá’í centers, whether groups or assemblies; the consolidation of the
institution of the Summer School; the initiation of effective measures
aimed at a close collaboration with the American European Teaching
committee; the proclamation of the teachings of the Faith to the
spiritually famished, the disillusioned and longsuffering masses—these
stand out as the primary and urgent tasks that demand the immediate, the
earnest and undivided attention of your assembly. I will pray for your
success from the depths of my heart and feel confident that the
dearly-beloved heroic German believers will arise, as one man and despite
the obstacles confronting them, to achieve these immediate tasks that
constitute only a prelude to the tremendous enterprises which it is their
destiny to accomplish in the years to come.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 4 JUNE 1947 (CONVENTION)


4 June 1947 (Convention)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

It was with great joy that our beloved Guardian received your loving
message dated April 26th, and signed by so many of the dear believers. He
has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

The re-florescence of the Holy and beloved Faith in Germany, after so many
bitter years of suppression and suffering, has brought great happiness to
not only his heart but to the hearts of the Bahá’ís all over the world.

That you should be able, in relatively so short a period of time, and in
the face of so many obstacles, to reconstitute your assemblies and
National Assembly, be in a position to elect new assemblies, and to hold
your Summer School and various conferences, all point the way to a
brilliant future for the German followers of the Cause of God.

He urges you individually and collectively to teach the Faith constantly
to your spiritually starved countrymen, to support and assist your
National Assembly in carrying out its heavy responsibilities and to do all
in your power to hasten the day when a befitting National Headquarters,
situated in Frankfurt a.M., will have been purchased and established, one
that will be commensurate with the importance of the German Bahá’í
Community, the strongest and largest on the Continent of Europe.

You may rest assured that his loving and ardent prayers are offered for
your progress and success in the Holy Shrines....

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly beloved friends and co-workers:

I was deeply touched by your message, and I greatly value the sentiments
you have expressed, the zeal and unity you demonstrate, the deeds you
accomplish, the plans you have conceived, and above all the spirit you so
powerfully manifest in your diligent labours for the spread and
consolidation of our beloved Faith in your promising country. The German
Bahá’í community, emerging triumphantly from one of the severest ordeals
that have afflicted any of its sister-communities in East or West, now
stands on the threshold of a new era in its development. Great tasks
confront it. The establishment of a befitting administrative centre in the
heart of that country, the multiplication of groups and assemblies, the
dissemination of Bahá’í literature and the proclamation of the Faith to
the masses are among the most urgent, the most vital and outstanding of
these tasks. The entire community, however difficult the present
circumstances, must arise and carry them out. Its future as prophecied by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá is glorious. Its spirit is magnificent. Its members are
distinguished among the followers of the Faith throughout the world by
their tenacity, their thoroughness, their great capacity and
resourcefulness. Our beloved Master, who watches over them, has greatly
praised them, loves them dearly, is ready to bless their labours and
reinforce their exertions. Its members must rise to the height of their
present and priceless opportunity. They will, I feel confident, prove
themselves worthy of the great blessings showered upon them in the past by
their Lord and Master.

Affectionately,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 19 JUNE 1947


19 June 1947

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your loving message, sent to our beloved Guardian on the occasion of the
celebration of his twenty-five years of Guardianship, reached him and
touched him very much indeed.

He feels a special affection for the Esslingen Community, as it is not
only one of the oldest ones in Germany but he associates it with the
important Summer School held in its neighbourhood.

Your love for and devotion to our glorious Faith are greatly appreciated,
and the many services that members of your Community have rendered, and
are rendering it, deeply valued.

He assures you all he will pray for the success of your labours in the
Holy Shrines, and that Bahá’u’lláh may increase your numbers and richly
bless you all....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved bless your efforts, guide your steps, remove every
obstacle that impedes the growth of your Community, and assist you to
proclaim the truths of His Faith and consolidate its institutions,

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 24 JUNE 1947


24 June 1947

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter, dated June 16th, has been received, and our beloved Guardian
has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.

He can quite well understand that after so many years of isolation from
the rest of the Bahá’í world it came as a surprise to some of you to hear
that we, as Bahá’ís, must not have any affiliations with churches or
political parties. But he feels certain that when you meditate on this
matter you yourselves will see the wisdom of it. We, as Bahá’ís, can never
be known as hypocrites or as people insincere in their protestations and
because of this we cannot subscribe to both the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh and
ordinary church dogma. The churches are waiting for the coming of Jesus
Christ; we believe He has come again in the Glory of the Father. The
churches teach doctrines—various ones in various creeds—which we as
Bahá’ís do not accept; such as the bodily Resurrection, confession, or, in
some creeds, the denial of the Immaculate Conception. In other words there
is no Christian church today whose dogmas we, as Bahá’ís can truthfully
say we accept in their entirety—therefore to remain a member of the Church
is not proper for us, for we do so under false pretences. We should,
therefore, withdraw from our churches but continue to associate, if we
wish to, with the church members and ministers.

Our belief in Christ, as Bahá’ís, is so firm, so unshakable and so exalted
in nature that very few Christians are to be found nowadays who love Him
and reverence Him and have the faith in Him that we have. It is only from
the dogmas and creeds of the churches that we dissociate ourselves; not
from the spirit of Christianity.

Very much the same reasons motivate us in withdrawing from all political
movements, however close some of their ideals may be to ours. We Bahá’ís
are one the world-over, we are seeking to build up a New World Order,
Divine in origin. How can we do this if every Bahá’í is a member of a
different political party—some of them diametrically opposed to each
other? Where is our unity then? We would be divided because of politics,
against ourselves, and this is the opposite of our purpose. Obviously if
one Bahá’í in Austria, is given freedom to choose a political party and
join it, however good its aims may be, another Bahá’í in Japan, or America
or India, has the right to do the same thing, and he might belong to a
party the very opposite in principle to that which the Austrian Bahá’í
belongs to. Where would be the unity of the Faith then? These two
spiritual brothers would be working against each other, because of their
political affiliations (as the Christians of Europe have been doing in so
many fratricidal wars).

The best way for a Bahá’í to serve his country and the world is to work
for the establishment of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order, which will gradually
unite all men and do away with divisive political systems and religious
creeds.

He does not force you to do this at once; but urges you all to decide to
withdraw from your churches and political groups within, say, a year, and
then to help each other to do this. You will find your spiritual strength
greater for taking this step.

Please assure dear Mrs. Schwarz of his loving prayers on her behalf.

He will also pray for you all in the Holy Shrines, and urges you to
persevere in your services to our beloved Faith....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

I was so pleased to receive your message and so thankful for the evidences
of devotion, of determination and love it contained. The Austrian
believers are dear and near to my heart, and I deeply sympathize with them
in the ordeal and tribulations which they have suffered, and which have
demonstrated the quality of their faith and the depth of their devotion.
The funds accumulated for their relief and for the development of the
Faith in their land will, I trust, be soon forwarded to them, and will no
doubt greatly contribute to the rehabilitation and growth of their beloved
community. Persevere in your meritorious labours, and rest assured that
you are often in my thoughts and prayers, and that I will continue to
supplicate for you all the Master’s richest blessings.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi

P.S. He feels that the German and Austrian believers are one in language
and that the Austrian friends should consider the N.G.R. as their National
Assembly, the same as before the war. We are Bahá’ís and have no
nationalistic feelings in such matters. Our ties are purely spiritual. But
you can consult the European Teaching Committee if the NGR is too
difficult at present. The Guardian wishes you to know that as soon as
there are a sufficient number of Bahá’í assemblies in Austria she will
naturally have her own NGR.



LETTER OF 27 SEPTEMBER 1947 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


27 September 1947 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters to our beloved Guardian reached him through Mr. ..., and he
was delighted to see that so many believers had been able to attend the
school at Esslingen this summer.

It shows the vitality of the German Bahá’ís and their intense desire to
further the interests of our glorious Faith in Germany, and build up its
institutions.

He urges you all, in your work for the Cause in your local Communities, to
stress the need for the greatest love and unity amongst the Bahá’ís
themselves. It is this love and spiritual solidarity that is so sadly
lacking in the world today, and for which its people are starving. When
they see within the Bahá’í Community the true spirit of brotherhood
exemplified, they will turn to Bahá’u’lláh and embrace His Message.

He also urges you to exert yourselves ceaselessly in the teaching field,
and build up new Bahá’í centers, establish new spiritual assemblies, and
convert the existing groups into assemblies by April of next year.

The Cause, we know, has a great future in Germany, and he assures you all
he is constantly praying for the success of your devoted labours....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear co-workers:

Your messages, eloquently testifying to the dynamic faith which inspires
and sustains the German Bahá’í Community, now triumphantly emerging from
its long and severe ordeal, rejoiced my heart, and served to deepen my
feelings of affection and admiration for its members. You who now stand on
the threshold of a new era, have great tasks ahead of you and a glorious
mission to fulfil. The institutions you are now initiating and developing
will no doubt enable you to achieve speedily and effectively your goal.
The Beloved is watching over you. His love surrounds you, and His spirit
sustains and guides you. Persevere in your glorious task. Rest assured
that my prayers will continue to be offered on your behalf, and be
confident that Bahá’u’lláh will aid you to achieve ultimate victory.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 24 OCTOBER 1947


24 October 1947

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters to our beloved Guardian, dated Dec. 4th, 1946, Jan. 6th,
March 19th, June 15th, Aug. 27th and Sept. 28th, 1947, have all been
received, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf. He has
also received a letter, on behalf of your secretary, written by Dr.
Köller-Jager, and enclosing an English translation of your minutes. This
was dated March 13th.

In regard to the various matters you have raised in these letters:

He noted the report of Mrs Grossmann about her meeting with the grandchild
of Subh-i-Azal. He feels that the friends should as much as possible avoid
her, as it is very unlikely she has anything but prejudice against
Bahá’u’lláh, in view of her background.

He deeply appreciated the message of love and loyalty you sent him on the
occasion of the celebration of twenty-five years of Guardianship.

He is extremely pleased to see the way the Cause is spreading in Germany,
and the steady growth in the number of the assemblies there. This would be
a remarkable achievement under normal circumstances, but in view of the
weakened state of the health of the Bahá’ís and the hardships they and
their countrymen are undergoing, it is little short of heroic. The Bahá’ís
everywhere are watching the labours of their German brothers and sisters
with deep admiration.

Concerning your question about forming Spiritual Assemblies this year as
soon as circumstances permit, and without waiting until April 21st, 1948:
he does not think this advisable. In order to encourage the German
friends, so long oppressed and prevented from serving, he made an
exception last year, but this year he feels all assemblies should wait
until April to hold their elections. He has recently advised the European
Teaching Committee to do likewise, as some of the pioneers were eager to
form assemblies as soon as 9 Bahá’ís existed in a city of one of the goal
countries!

He is pleased to hear you have strengthened and assisted the Nuremberg
Bahá’ís, and that there are now so many there. Also he is glad to hear you
are protecting them and the Cause from the misrepresentations and
ambitions of Mr. ... Great vigilance and wisdom is required in such
matters.

Regarding the publication of books for use in Germany in Switzerland: he
feels that this is out of the question at present, owing to the fact that
the exchange of Persian into Swiss money, (providing it could be made at
all), would be prohibitively expensive. You would lose far too much this
way. He, therefore, suggests that you get in touch with Mr. David Hofman
of England, who is a publisher in a small way, and very anxious to be of
help in printing Bahá’í Literature. He is a member of the British N.S.A.,
and if you arrange some satisfactory way of having him print books or
booklets for you, it will be easier and cheaper to transfer some of the
money from Ṭihrán, for this purpose, to England. The Guardian has already
written Mr. Hofman he favours his doing this, if you and he can agree.

Unfortunately, owing to the fall in the value of the pound, the conversion
of Persian money into American dollars involves considerable loss. In view
of this the Guardian is going to instruct Mr. Varqá in Ṭihrán to send to
the American N.S.A. five hundred pounds for the purpose of buying Care
Packages, which will be sent to you for your use in securing the National
Headquarters.

There is, in the special Fund held in Ṭihrán on behalf of your assembly,
about ten thousand pounds. He feels you should spend a third of this on
your National Headquarters. But, as mentioned above, he advises you to try
and go ahead with the preliminary arrangements through using five hundred
pounds in Care packages, and thus not lose too much of this money through
the poor exchange at this time.

He leaves details of this matter to the discretion of your assembly, and
hopes you will keep him informed of what action you have taken, and of the
progress made in obtaining the National Headquarters.

He assures you all of his admiration for your steadfast labours to protect
and promote every interest of our beloved Faith in Germany, and of his
loving and ardent prayers for the success of your work....

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved Friends:

The spirit which the entire body of the German believers have displayed,
despite the hardships and trials which they have heroically endured, and
are still enduring, is a magnificent example to their fellow-workers in
both the East and the West, a source of great inspiration to me, and a
magnet that will powerfully attract the blessings of the Almighty. My
thoughts, though I myself am immersed in an ocean of work and
preoccupations, often turn in loving admiration and gratitude to those
who, for more than a decade, have in the face of constant peril, held fast
to the Faith of God, who have survived the greatest ordeal that has ever
afflicted the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in the West, and who are now forging
ahead, united, resolved and consecrated, in the path leading to still
greater victories.

I rejoice to learn of the preliminary steps that are being taken to enable
the dearly beloved and highly promising German Bahá’í Community to own its
first National Hazíratu’l-Quds in the heart of that sorely-tried country.
The utmost effort should be exerted to complete the present negotiations,
and to initiate the national activities in that centre. I will, for my
part, assist in any way possible, your assembly, in the historic
enterprise which it has launched, and feel confident that the Beloved will
bless your efforts, fulfil your highest expectations in this vital sphere
of Bahá’í activity.

The dissemination of Bahá’í literature, is moreover, a matter of vital
importance, which must be promoted by every means at your disposal. The
multiplication of Bahá’í centres, the formation of new assemblies, the
consolidation of newly-established groups, constitute, likewise, the
primary objective of your assembly, demanding constant exertion,
watchfulness and guidance on your part, as well as full support and still
greater sacrifice by the rank and file of the believers.

The promotion of the interests of the Austrian believers, owing to their
proximity to your country, their past association with you and their
practical isolation from the Bahá’í centres in East and West, should be
regarded as one of your outstanding tasks, and I trust that every obstacle
will be surmounted, enabling you to enrich thereby the record of your
distinguished services to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.

The path you are treading is hard and stony and beset with many pitfalls.
The tasks you are called upon to discharge are varied, complex, urgent and
gigantic. The resources at your disposal are meagre. The hour, however,
for raising the call of Bahá’u’lláh is propitious. The hearts of your
countrymen, prepared by bewilderment and suffering, are ready to respond
to His message. You stand at the threshold of a new and glorious era in
the evolution of His Faith in that land. The opportunities of the present
hour are priceless and may never recur again. Time is pressing. The eyes
of your fellow-workers in both Hemispheres are fixed upon you. Our beloved
Master who showered, through His visit and His messages to you, so much
love and encouragement and so many blessings, is watching over you from on
high, ready to sustain your efforts and lead you on to victory.

That you may rise to still greater heights of heroism, that you may
discharge befittingly your sacred responsibilities, that you may adorn the
annals of your Faith with still greater evidences of your devotion,
courage and perseverance, that you may achieve your high destiny as the
torch-bearers of the light of Divine Guidance to the neighbouring
countries in that continent, is the object of my fervent prayers at the
holy shrines, and the dearest wish of my heart.

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 15 NOVEMBER 1947 (TEACHING CONFERENCE)


15 November 1947 (Teaching Conference)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your message to our beloved Guardian reached him, and he has instructed me
to answer you on his behalf, and to tell you of how delighted he was to
learn of your Teaching Conference.

Such gatherings are a great stimulation to the work of the Cause, and
inspire the believers to go out and spread the Divine Message. He hopes
others will be held, as time goes by, in different parts of the Country,
so that many more of the friends can attend them.

He assures you all of his loving prayers for your welfare and your Bahá’í
work....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved aid you to extend continually the range of your truly
meritorious services, win memorable victories in the teaching field, and
promote, in a most effective manner, the vital interests of the
institutions of our glorious Faith,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 17 JANUARY 1948


17 January 1948

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY CUT OUT NOTE TO PRAYERS ENCLOSED IN THEIR LETTER
DATED DECEMBER 19.

SHOGHI RABBANI



LETTER OF 28 FEBRUARY 1948


28 February 1948

The Bahá’í Youth of Vienna

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your communication addressed to our beloved Guardian, and dated Jan. 25th,
has been received, and he has instructed me to answer you all on his
behalf.

He was most happy to see that there are so many Bahá’í Youth and children
in Vienna. Although your number may seem small to you, it is the beginning
of something very important, the beginning of the spread of this Divine
Faith amongst the youth of Austria.

He, therefore, urges you to persevere in your devotion to the Cause of
God, to study its teachings deeply, and to mold your conduct into the
pattern of true Bahá’í life.

He will pray for you all, that God may bless, guide and protect you in
every way....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

I was so glad to receive your message and to learn of your continued
efforts in the service of our Beloved despite the severe trials you have
suffered and are still suffering. You are often in my thoughts and
prayers, and I will supplicate the Beloved to guide your steps, remove
every obstacle from your path, and aid you to extend the range of your
valued activities, and win signal victories for His Cause and its
institutions,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 1 APRIL 1948


1 April 1948

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY HAVE INSTRUCTED AMERICA TO SEND FOOD PARCELS FOR
SUMMERSCHOOL.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 11 MAY 1948


11 May 1948

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your communications, addressed to our beloved Guardian, and dated January
11th, February 14th, and March 31st, have been received, and he has
instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

The progress the Faith is making in Germany is a source of great happiness
to him, and the list you sent him, showing the large increase in the
number of assemblies, groups and isolated Bahá’ís, greatly encouraged him,
and he hastened to share this good news with the friends in other
countries.

He was, likewise, very pleased to see that the Esslingen School is going
to be so well attended, and that your assembly is so wisely making this
spot a rallying point for Bahá’í Youth and their friends. Upon receipt of
your letter he cabled Mr. Holley to send the food parcels you required for
the Summer School, and he hopes that these reach you safely.

He is delighted over the signs of maturity which are becoming increasingly
evident in the German Bahá’í Community. Not only is your membership
steadily increasing and the number of your assemblies multiplying, but
also the fact that most of the believers are realizing the need for
breaking off their church membership and standing forth as members of an
independent Faith; all these are welcome signs of progress and maturity.
And in view of this expansion in Bahá’í membership, and the consequent
rapid increase in the number of Spiritual Assemblies, he feels that from
now on you should increase the number of delegates, apportioned to the
German and Austrian Bahá’í Community, from 19 to 38, (which is of course,
twice nineteen.) This will ensure a fairer representation of the numerical
strength of the Bahá’ís at their annual Convention, and enable the
assemblies having a large community to receive more proportioned
representation.

The Cause of God must be protected from the enemies of the Faith, and from
those who sow seeds of doubt in the hearts of the believers, and the
greatest of all protections is knowledge: there is no doubt that the
silliest of all charges ever made is that the “Will and Testament” of the
Master is a forgery! It is all in His own hand, sealed in more than one
place with His own seal, and was opened after His death by some members of
His own family, who took it from His own safe, in this house, and from
that day it has been kept in the safe under lock and key. The charges of
Mrs. White were the result of an unbalanced mind. No other enemy, even
those who were shrewd and clever, made this foolish accusation! The case
of Aḥmad Sohrab is, for one who has had any experience of orientals and of
psychology, easily understandable. He was, for some years the secretary of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and enjoyed, as a result of this and the fact that he
accompanied Him to America, (to be sure with a number of other Persians),
a great deal of attention from the Bahá’ís who looked up to him and
admired him. However, since the Master’s Will was read, and the
administrative order, under the Guardianship, began to be developed, he
became cognizant of the fact that his personal ambition for leadership
would have to be subordinated to some degree of supervision; that he would
have to obey the National and local assemblies—just like every other
Bahá’í, and could not be free to teach wholly independent of any advice or
supervision. This was the beginning of the defection which in the end took
him outside the pale of the Faith: he refused not to be handled always as
an exception, a privileged exception. In fact, if we keenly analyse it, it
is almost invariably the soaring ambition and deep self-love of people
that has led them to leave the Faith. Towards the end Sohrab used, in the
course of his lectures, to incorporate quotation after quotation of
Bahá’u’lláh’s words in his lectures, without once stating they were
Bahá’u’lláh’s, and when the believers remonstrated with him over this
plagiarism, it had no effect. After he had, of his own accord, left the
organized body of the Faith and refused to be reconciled with it, he began
to attack the administrators of it, first the American N.S.A., then the
entire administrative order, and in the end the Guardian. What he teaches
at present is so far divorced from our beloved Faith, and so tinged with
the doctrines of many “cults” which we see thriving at present, as to be
almost unrecognizable. Sohrab’s influence and activities in America have
waned greatly, and he seems to now feel his only chance of causing
mischief is to be active with his “caravan” movement abroad. The books and
articles he published attacking the Guardian and, in fact, everything
established in the Master’s Will, had no effect, and far from succeeding
in causing any breach in the Faith in America, some of the very few who
followed him out of the Cause, gave him up, and returned to serve the
Cause with redoubled enthusiasm!

The Guardian feels that one of the best antidotes to those—Sohrab or
others—who seek to undermine the faith of the believers, especially by
harping on the subject of excommunication, is to place in their hands a
German edition of “God Passes By”. For in that book he (the Guardian) has
clearly pointed out that the Cause of God has always been attacked from
within, and that, beginning in the days of the Báb, the “Sea of Truth” has
over and over cast out its spiritually dead. It must do this, even as the
body seeks to rid itself of poisons so as to preserve the health of the
entire organism.

Your assembly should do all it can to protect and educate the believers so
that they will understand that it is not personal ill-will, or lack of
love, which leads to the excommunication of a person, but rather the fact
that he has become like a cancer which must be removed before the entire
body is destroyed.

He is very anxious to have the work on the National Headquarters in
Frankfurt a.M. reported to him, and to receive pictures of the building
purchased, for publication in “Bahá’í World”.

The way the work your Assembly is doing is progressing, pleases him
greatly, and he assures you all of his loving prayers on your behalf, for
your protection and your success....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

The marvellous progress achieved in recent months by the virile, steadfast
and dearly beloved German Bahá’í community has rejoiced my heart, and
deepened the admiration of the followers of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in
every land, for the qualities of mind and heart that distinguish the
adherents of this Cause in your country.

The marvellous increase in the number of newly-enrolled believers, the
multiplication of groups and assemblies throughout the length and breadth
of your land, the purchase and projected restoration of the national
Hazíratu’l-Quds in the city of Frankfurt, the impetus lent to the
translation and publication of Bahá’í Literature, the receptivity shown by
your country-men to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, the consolidation of the
various agencies of a steadily expanding Administrative Order in the
various zones of your country—all these augur well for the complete
fulfilment of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s glorious prophecies regarding its future.

The doubling of the number of delegates to the next Bahá’í national
convention will eloquently testify to this remarkable growth and rapid
consolidation of the community you are privileged to serve and direct. The
interests of the Austrian Bahá’í community should, while the work is
steadily progressing in Germany, be vigilantly and determinedly promoted.
Through guidance, assistance, encouragement, frequent visits when ever
possible, the community of the believers in Austria should be nursed and
prepared to discharge befittingly its sacred responsibilities, until such
time, as has been the case with Canada, as it can elect its own national
assembly and assume independent existence within the world-wide Bahá’í
community.

At this propitious moment in the evolution of the Faith in your country,
at a time when the American, the British, the Indian, the Persian, the
Australian, the Canadian and Iráqí national Bahá’í communities are busily
engaged in prosecuting specially conceived Plans for the systematic
propagation of the Faith within their respective countries and beyond
their confines, it is only fitting for a community as old and honoured as
yours, which has survived such cruel blows, which occupies so enviable a
position in the heart of Europe, the recipient of so great a measure of
bounty and loving-kindness from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to formulate its own Plan,
preferably a five year Plan, destined to culminate in 1953, the hundredth
anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh’s Mission in the Síyáh-_Ch_ál of
Ṭihrán.

As to the objectives of the Plan, in both Germany and Austria, I feel that
your assembly should carefully consider them, and after mature
deliberation announce them to the believers and ensure, by every means in
its power, the attainment of every goal you set yourselves to achieve.

The launching of such a Plan, after the consolidation of the institutions
of the Faith, during the three years that have elapsed since the
termination of the war, will constitute a landmark in the history of the
Faith in that country, and will, no doubt act as a tremendous magnet,
drawing the blessings of Bahá’u’lláh, and contributing, to an
unprecedented degree, to the establishment of His Cause in the heart of
Europe.

I long to hear the joyful tidings announcing the formulation and
inauguration of such a Plan, which will greatly stimulate the followers of
Bahá’u’lláh in East and West, and enrich the annals of His Faith during
the opening decade of the second Bahá’í century.

May the Spirit of our beloved Master, watching from on high over the
destinies of this highly promising, this richly endowed community, enable
it to usher in this new phase of internal development of His Father’s
Faith in that country, in a manner that will redound to the fame and glory
of His German-speaking followers.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 28 MAY 1948


28 May 1948

DEEPLY APPRECIATE MESSAGE DELIGHTED PROGRESS URGE PERSEVERANCE FERVENTLY
PRAYING GREATER VICTORIES.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 18 OCTOBER 1948


18 October 1948

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter of Aug. 29th, with translation of some enclosures, was
received by our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you
on his behalf.

Regarding the matter of the Fund for Germany now held in Ṭihrán:
Unfortunately the exchange rate of the Persian Túman into Swiss (or
American or British) money is extremely unfavourable, and he considers
that your loss would be far too great to transfer, at the present time,
the entire sum from Ṭihrán to Switzerland. It is also extremely difficult
to get money out of Persia, which now has financial restrictions similar
to so many other countries. However, he is investigating at the present
moment the possibility of having a sum to meet your immediate requirements
transfered from Persia to Switzerland, and the moment he can arrange this
he will notify your assembly.

The devoted services of the Bahá’í youth rendered in clearing the Hazírá
property of debris, was much appreciated by him, and he wishes you to
please let them know he admires their spirit which is demonstrated in such
a useful manner!

He was very sorry to hear of the sad and untimely death of dear Mrs.
Brauns-Forel. Her services, always rendered with such unflagging devotion,
will be sorely missed by her co-workers in Germany. He hopes her daughter
will arise to take her mother’s place in the active work of the Cause.

He trusts that now your assembly is able to render more active assistance
to the Austrian believers and to stimulate them in their work. Recent
reports seem to indicate the Vienna Bahá’ís are more active and determined
than ever before in their history.

He hopes the construction of the Hazírá in Frankfurt will now be able to
go ahead at a rapid pace. You may be sure he will do all he can to assist
you in this essential enterprise.

You are all remembered in his prayers with much love, and he is very
pleased over the way the Faith is progressing in Germany....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

I am delighted to hear of the energetic steps that have been taken in
recent months in connexion with the establishment of the Hazíratu’l-Quds
in Frankfurt. This institution, the center round which all national Bahá’í
activities must revolve, should be made the object of the special care and
solicitude of the entire community of the German believers in the years
immediately ahead. Upon it will depend the coordination, consolidation and
expansion of the collective efforts of the members of this community,
which occupies so vital and pivotal a position in the heart of the
European continent. Parallel with this conscious, this determined and
persistent effort, assiduous endeavours must be constantly and
increasingly exerted by your assembly to multiply the administrative
centres, increase the number of the active supporters of the Faith,
proclaim its verities wisely, unreservedly, far and wide, disseminate its
literature, vigorously and systematically, and deepen, by every possible
means, the understanding and the devotion of its adherents. That these
immediate objectives may be speedily attained, and enable the members of
this valiant and sore-tried community to embark on a carefully conceived
Plan in the years that lie ahead, is my fervent and constant prayer.

Your true and grateful brother
Shoghi



LETTER OF 20 OCTOBER 1948 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


20 October 1948 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated September 9th, was received,
and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He was delighted to see so many of the dear German friends had attended
the school, for in this loving Bahá’í association and study a closer unity
is created amongst the believers, and new plans born for the teaching work
that lies ahead.

He urges you all to exert every effort to spread the Faith in these dark
days of crisis the world is still passing through, for in the teachings of
Bahá’u’lláh alone can the people find hope, peace and comfort.

He assures you all of his most loving prayers on your behalf, and for the
success of your devoted services....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

Your joint message truly cheered my heart and served to remind me of the
great company of my dearly-beloved brethren who have toiled so devotedly
in the past, and are so energetically pursuing their historic tasks at
present, in the service of our glorious Faith, I will continue to
supplicate the Beloved to bless continually your high endeavours, to
enable you to extend the range of your splendid activities, and to lend a
tremendous impetus to the onward march of the Faith in your promising
country,

Your true and grateful brother
Shoghi



LETTER OF 20 OCTOBER 1948


20 October 1948

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated Sept. 15th, was received, and
he wishes me to thank you on his behalf for your loving thought in sending
him birthday greetings.

He was very pleased to see the Esslingen School program, and to note that
four sessions were being held in the summer. This school is a rallying
point for the German believers, and greatly stimulates their unity and
their enthusiasm.

The world outlook is so dark and over-clouded that the believers must
labour day and night to give the people the message of Bahá’u’lláh, and
instill in them some hope for the future. We can see more and more of the
predictions of the beloved Master being fulfilled, as humanity persists in
its waywardness and spiritual blindness. There is no other remedy except
this Cause.

He assures you all of his most loving prayers, and he deeply appreciates
your devoted services....

P.S. I am sending through you the Guardian’s answer to the Esslingen
Summer School attendants, as their envelope had no address on it. Please
share it with the friends.

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved of our hearts guide and sustain you, reward you abundantly
for your valiant deeds, aid you to extend the range of your beneficent
services, and enable you to contribute, continually and effectively, to
the multiplication and consolidation of the institutions of our glorious
Faith,

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 14 SEPTEMBER 1948


14 September 1948

COMMUNICATE GERMAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY THE FOLLOWING INFORM ENTIRE GERMAN
BAHAI COMMUNITY DISOBEDIENCE MISCONDUCT FAITHLESS BROTHER HUSSAYN
NECESSITATED HIS EXPULSION. OWING HIS POSSIBLE VISIT GERMANY AND HIS
PERSISTENT ASSOCIATION WITH COVENANT BREAKERS WARN BELIEVERS ANY
COMMUNICATION WITH HIM CONSTITUTES DISLOYALTY TO COVENANT ABDUL-BAHA.

SHOGHI RABBANI



LETTER OF 21 DECEMBER 1948


21 December 1948

CONVEY FOR JAEGER STUTTGART DEEPEST APPRECIATION FOR TRANSLATION OF GOD
PASSES BY.

SHOGHI RABBANI



LETTER OF 5 JANUARY 1949 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


5 January 1949 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your loving message, sent to our beloved Guardian from the 8th Summer
School of Esslingen, was received, and he has instructed me to answer you
on his behalf.

He was very glad to see dear Mr. Remey had been present at that occasion,
as he is a faithful and devoted old believer, and has been serving the
Cause since its earliest inception in the West.

He urges you all to concentrate your efforts on the all-important work of
teaching the Cause and spreading it to new centers.

You may be sure he will pray for you all in the Holy Shrines, and for the
success of your labours....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless your meritorious efforts, guide and sustain you in
your valued activities, enable you to deepen continually your knowledge of
the fundamentals of His Faith, and lend a tremendous impetus to the
advancement of its new-born institutions,

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 24 FEBRUARY 1949 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


24 February 1949 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter to our beloved Guardian was for some time held up in reaching
him. But he was most happy to see so many of the dear friends had gathered
at Esslingen school for the 3rd session.

It is most encouraging to see the way this important institution has grown
since the end of the war and became a focus for Bahá’í students. He hopes
it is the foreshadowing of a true Bahá’í University which some day must
form part of the activities of our glorious Faith.

The Guardian urges you, one and all, to work together, in the utmost unity
and love, to spread the Message throughout Germany, and particularly to
teach the Youth and enlist them in the ranks of the Faith.

He will pray for you all in the Holy Shrines....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh guide and sustain you in your labours,
enable you to extend continually the range of your valued activities,
deepen your knowledge and understanding of the essential verities of His
Faith, and aid you to lend a great impetus to the multiplication and
consolidation of its divinely-appointed institutions,

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 28 MARCH 1949


28 March 1949

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY OWING LOSS INVOLVED PRESENT EXCHANGE ADVISED
TEHERAN FORWARD FIVE HUNDRED POUND.



LETTER OF 30 MARCH 1949


30 March 1949

TRANSMIT FOLLOWING GERMAN ASSEMBLY DEEPLY GRIEVED SPIRITUAL POSITION
GERMAN BAHAI COMMUNITY STEADILY DETERIORATING. NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MUST
ARISE LOYALLY VIGILANTLY ENERGETICALLY SAFEGUARD FAITH AND CONFIRM
BELIEVERS IN COVENANTS BAHAULLAH ABDULBAHA. GRANDDAUGHTER SUBHIAZAL MUST
BE SHUNNED ENTIRELY. HISTORY SOCIETY ACTIVITIES COMPLETELY DISASSOCIATED
FROM FAITH. ANY MISCHIEFMAKING ORIENTALS MUST BE GUARDED AGAINST.
SYMPATHIZERS OF MRS WHITE OR SOHRAB OR DISLOYAL MEMBERS ABDULBAHAS FAMILY
INCLUDING MY BROTHER HUSSEIN WHO MAY VISIT GERMANY THIS SUMMER MUST BE
WATCHED AND WARNED AND IF NECESSARY EXPELLED. COMPROMISE INDECISION
PROCRASTINATION WILL CAUSE CRISIS AS SERIOUS AS HERRIGELS. IF APPEAL
UNHEEDED GREAT SUFFERING AND LOSS COMMUNITY WILL ENSUE THOUGH FAITH WILL
EVENTUALLY TRIUMPH.

SHOGHI RABBANI



LETTER OF 20 APRIL 1949


20 April 1949

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY HOLDING CONVENTION ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL ALSO
ELECTION NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. PRAYING UNITY WELFARE DEAR GERMAN BELIEVERS.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 27 MAY 1949


27 May 1949

TRANSMIT GERMAN ASSEMBLY FOLLOWING ELECTION NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MUST NOT BE
DELAYED PRAYING HARMONY UNITY COMMUNITY.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 30 JUNE 1949


30 June 1949

TRANSMIT GERMAN ASSEMBLY GREATLY APPRECIATE RESPONSE ARDENTLY PRAYING
RESTORATION FULL HARMONY COOPERATION ASSEMBLIES AND INDIVIDUAL WITH
ELECTED NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES ENERGETICALLY.



LETTER OF 30 JUNE 1949


30 June 1949

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters to our beloved Guardian, dated Oct. 17, 22, Dec. 19—two of
this date—Nov. 21, 23, 1948 and Jan. 9, 23, Feb. 28 and May 4, 15, of
1949, as well as their numerous enclosures, have all been received and I
am instructed on his behalf to answer them. He regrets the long delay in
replying to you, but he is very busy, and he was also anxious to receive
as complete a picture of the situation as possible in order to better
advise you on the difficult situation which has arisen.

Before going into this matter he wishes to assure you that he was
delighted with the 5 Year Plan your assembly has formulated, to which he
attaches great importance.

Likewise, he was very pleased that the annual convention, though not a
very happy one, unfortunately, was held in Frankfurt.

He was, likewise, very happy to learn that the N.S.A. is now in full
accord with ... about the work on the National Hazírá in Frankfurt, and to
hear that the transfer of funds from Ṭihrán via Switzerland to your
assembly had been worked out in the way most advantageous for you.

The good news that the much needed Esslemont books are now in Germany, and
the “Hidden Words” being printed there, was also very welcome. He cabled
you in answer to your letter about the “Hidden Words”. But wishes to make
it quite clear that the “Anmerkungen” is not correct. The genuflections
and washing of hands and face (as clearly put down in “Prayers and
Meditations of Bahá’u’lláh”, which he himself translated,) associated with
the two longer daily prayers (obligatory prayers) are laws of Bahá’u’lláh,
applicable to any Bahá’í whether of Muslim background, Christian
background, or otherwise. It is blasphemy to suggest otherwise. However,
the Bahá’ís have been left free by Bahá’u’lláh to choose one of the 3
obligatory prayers, and those who prefer not to perform these acts can say
the very short one. He would like to add, however, that he deeply
appreciates the work done on this translation by ... and other of the
friends, and is delighted it has been published.

He very deeply appreciates your assembly’s assurance of its abiding
loyalty to him and to the Master’s Will and Testament. As you can well
imagine this disaffection of the Master’s Family has been a very sad and
heavy blow to him; but, although for many years he shielded them with his
silence, in the end he was forced to speak out in order to protect the
Faith. For a hundred years our beloved Cause has suffered from these
internal afflictions, and the way the believers, generation after
generation, have met this test with steadfast faith, loyalty and devotion,
is one of the signs that this is the Cause of God, divinely protected
through the Covenants of Bahá’u’lláh and the Master.

Regarding the crisis which has arisen among the believers because of the
charges made by ... and others, the circular letter issued by your body,
etc, etc.

The Guardian feels that although there is no doubt this has produced a
very grave situation, threatening the stability and the unity of the
entire community, it can be successfully overcome and lead to a new stage
of unity and progress in the Faith in Germany. We Bahá’ís can always, with
the aid of Bahá’u’lláh, Who is ever ready to strengthen and assist us,
turn our stumbling blocks into stepping stones, and utilize the often
violent forces released by sincere but perhaps misguided friends, as a
positive stream of power by turning them into productive channels instead
of destructive ones.

Fundamentally he feels that the cause of this present crisis arises from
the fact that the German community so long suppressed, disorganized,
deprived of literature, and the visits of friends from countries where the
believers have always been free to be Bahá’ís and have, consequently,
evolved their administration of the Faith’s affairs to a higher point of
efficiency,—has had no opportunity to develop the administration of its
Bahá’í affairs, and also, no opportunity of maturing as Bahá’ís living
within a smoothly-working Administrative Order. Consequently the troubles
experienced at present may be said to be largely caused by immaturity in
their understanding of the administration.

Linked with this is the fact, which he mentioned in his cable, that the
Bahá’ís need to be deepened in their knowledge and understanding of the
Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They should study this, and the
Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh, for it is obvious that they do not—for the
most part—fully visualize the greatness, the glory, the power and the
protection which have been conferred on this Faith through the
Institutions provided for in the Master’s Will.

In going over the correspondence and documents forwarded by your Assembly
(which he appreciated receiving as it gave him a clearer picture of the
entire situation) he was struck by the actions and statements, of both
individuals and assemblies, showing a complete lack of knowledge of how to
function administratively. In view of this it may, if the friends make an
effort and sincerely seek to unite and progress, prove providential that
this whole thing has occurred. He was impressed, in this connection, with
the wisdom and tolerance of the remarks of Mr. Oskar Schmitt in his letter
to your Assembly, and he hopes that all of the believers will take this
kindly and tolerant view, for the friends, in their desire to do the right
thing, and undoubtedly out of their genuine devotion to the Cause, seem to
have gone to every extreme in their reactions. In doing this they have
paradoxically demonstrated both their devotion to the Cause and their
complete lack of a profound understanding of the administration.

Quite frankly, the Guardian feels that the circular letter of your
Assembly was unfortunate. You were entirely within your right, as the
National Body, to issue such a letter and the violent reactions of the
secretaries of various assemblies, and some of the assemblies themselves,
and many individual believers as well, showed a complete lack of
understanding of administrative procedure. The friends should realize that
the National Body has authority over the local assemblies and the
believers in administrative matters. One of the fundamentals involved in
our administrative order, which we must remember will become the pattern
for our World Order, is that even if an assembly makes an ill-advised
decision it must be upheld in order to preserve the unity of the
community. Appeal can be made from the Local Assembly’s decision to the
National Assembly, and from the National Assembly’s decision to the
Guardian. But the principle of authority invested in our elected bodies
must be upheld. This is not something which can be learned without trial
and test. The Bahá’ís in other countries often have their difficulties in
learning to live as believers in an orderly community, governed by the
administrative principles laid down by the Master. But, having been free,
they have, for the most part, reached a more mature understanding than
their German brothers and sisters have up until the present time. He hopes
this whole episode will stimulate the German assemblies and believers to
really study the Bahá’í administration.

He wrote the ... Assembly urging upon them the necessity of cooperating
with the National Assembly. He also pointed out to them that the attitude
of “all for one and one for all” was very incorrect. An assembly
constitutes within its area of jurisdiction the Trustees of the Faith. Its
members must at all times put the interests of the Faith above personality
and impartially go into any matter brought to its attention. Theoretically
it is always possible for a member of an assembly to be unworthy or
insincere. To take the attitude that any blame cast upon or any charge
made against an assembly member is a charge against the body itself is
very wrong. An assembly must protect the Faith and neither blindly accuse
nor blindly defend one of its members. The ... Assembly has taken the
attitude that the remarks referring to ... are an insult to the entire
Assembly; at the same time it accuses the National Body of being dominated
by one individual, an accusation which because of its own attitude could
equally well be aimed at itself! The Guardian feels that all this is only
evidence of the immaturity of the friends in relation to their
Administrative Order.

The Bahá’ís must learn to forget personalities and to overcome the
desire—so natural in people—to take sides and fight about it. They must
also learn to really make use of the great principle of consultation.
There is a time set aside at the 19 Day Feasts for the Community to
express its views and make suggestions to its Assembly; the Assembly and
the believers should look forward to this happy period of discussion, and
neither fear it nor suppress it. Likewise the Assembly members should
fully consult, and in their decisions put the interests of the Cause first
and not personalities, the will of the majority prevailing.

Over and over, in going through the correspondence he received from your
Assembly, he was struck by the fact that the friends acted so
unadministratively. Instead of taking up their accusations and problems
and unhappy feelings with their local Assembly, or the National Assembly,
they referred to individuals or individual members of the Assembly, or
they refused to meet with the Assembly. The first thing a believer should
do is to turn to an Assembly—That is why we have assemblies! He feels this
trouble would never have arisen if the Bahá’ís utilized their assemblies
as they should. One of the healing remedies Bahá’u’lláh has given to a
sick world is the Assembly (which in future will become a House of
Justice); its members have very sacred and heavy responsibilities, its
power to steer the Community, to protect and assist its members is
likewise very great.

..., a most loyal and devoted believer has assured the Guardian she will
fully support and cooperate with the N.S.A. He hopes you will give her
every assistance in this resolve and, indeed, encourage her to stimulate
the believers in their support of their administrative bodies and teach
them to turn to them and make better use of them.

In this connection he would like to point out that any Bahá’í can write to
him directly. This is the privilege of everyone.

He feels that ..., a most loyal and devoted servant of the Cause,
communicated with ... in her ardent, and very wise desire, to promote
closer unity among the German friends. He feels your Assembly should
over-look this, as the motive was undoubtedly a very noble one.

He was very glad to receive the letter of ... and he feels sure he will do
all in his power do dispel the impression of his attitude towards the
Covenant, which has been spread about among some of the friends....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

The course of recent developments in the life of the German Bahá’í
community has given rise to considerable anxiety and caused me grave
concern, in view of the eminent position which the collective achievements
of its members have enabled it to obtain on the morrow of the severest
crisis which it has experienced in its history.

The spiritual vitality which the individual lives of its members have so
abundantly demonstrated, the resilience of which it has, as an organized
body, shown itself to be capable, the soundness of the foundation on which
its collective life has been built in the years preceding the great ordeal
which it has survived; the remarkable rapidity with which it has
rehabilitated its fortunes since the cessation of hostilities, have evoked
in every Bahá’í heart feelings of profound affection and admiration for
both the representatives of that community and the mass of believers
constituting the body of the faithful in that land.

The hopes that have been raised must never be allowed by those who
actively participate in the life of so virile a community to be
disappointed. The structure now being reared so laboriously on so solid a
foundation must, under no circumstances, be jeopardized through neglect,
dissension or deviation from established principles whether spiritual or
administrative in character. The process that has been set in motion,
after so long a period of forced inactivity, which is lending so great an
impetus to the multiplication of the institutions of the Faith and their
consolidation, must, in no wise be arrested or even retarded through any
misunderstanding, insubordination or contention between the voting members
of the community and its elected representatives whether local or
national.

A strict and undeviating adherence to the spiritual laws and
administrative principles constituting the bedrock of the Faith; a
constant and complete awareness of the nature, the sacredness and vital
importance of the Covenants established successively by Bahá’u’lláh and
‘Abdu’l-Bahá; an immediate cessation of every controversy agitating the
life of that community in the present and critical stage in its
development; close cooperation, complete harmony and continued
understanding between the various agencies, whether assemblies or
communities participating in its evolution; concentration on the immediate
measures required to ensure the total success of the newly launched Five
Year Plan, on the part of all its members and their elected
representatives; constant vigilance on the part of each and every one of
the adherents of the Faith to avoid any act, word or association that
would violate its integrity, break its laws, subvert its administrative
order, or retard its progress and consolidation—these stand out as the
urgent, the sacred and inescapable obligations and responsibilities facing
its promoters at this fateful hour in their history.

The immediate past, with all its confused issues and unpleasant memories
must be entirely forgotten, if the task that lies ahead is to be
efficiently prosecuted. Personal animosities, suspicions, accusations,
wounded pride, controversial issues must all be laid aside. Members of
assemblies, national and local, must be the first to set a worthy example
to their fellow-believers. All thought and discussion must henceforth
centre around the measures required to stimulate the growth of the Faith,
to deepen and enrich the spiritual life of its members, to familiarize
them more intimately with the character and workings of the Administrative
Order, and enable them to participate more actively in the prosecution of
the Plan to which they are committed.

I appeal to them, with all my heart, to close their ranks, purge their
hearts, broaden their vision, renew their determination, rededicate
themselves to their glorious task, march resolutely forward along the road
traced for them by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, beat down every barrier obstructing their
path, and press on, confidently, unitedly and uncompromisingly, until
their goal is attained, and the first stage in the evolution of their
collective task is brought to a victorious conclusion.

May the Beloved Who loved them so dearly, Who participated personally in
the initial stage of their evolution, Who cherished such bright hopes for
their future and uttered such noble prophecies concerning the greatness of
that future, guide their steps, bless their endeavours and fulfil their
dearest hopes.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 3 JULY 1949 (FIRST PIONEER SCHOOL)


3 July 1949 (First Pioneer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your message, sent from your school session to our beloved Guardian,
reached him, and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf, and to
assure you he was delighted to see that such a school for pioneering had
been held.

He was also very glad to see that the believers are studying the Covenant
of the Master. For in the Master’s Will and Testament are enshrined the
principles underlying the World Order, and unless the believers fully
grasp the greatness, functions, and purpose of the institutions outlined
in that Testament (and elaborated by the Guardian in his book “The
Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh”) they will not be able to properly function
as Bahá’ís individually or collectively. The German friends need to
acquire a profound understanding of the Bahá’í Administrative Order to
enable them to function as a Community, according to Bahá’í laws, and to
protect them from tests and the attacks of the enemies of the Faith....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear co-workers:

I was so pleased and encouraged to receive your message and to learn of
the activity you have initiated. I will pray for its success and extension
from the depths of my heart. Persevere in your labours, and rest assured
that you will be guided, sustained and fully rewarded for your meritorious
and timely accomplishments,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 4 SEPTEMBER 1949 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


4 September 1949 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter reached our beloved Guardian, and he was delighted to see so
many believers and friends were present at the July session of the School,
and also to note the excellent courses you were given by the teachers and
visitors present at the School.

He was also very pleased to see the program for the Youth Week being held
in the Schwarzwald, and the emphasis which is being placed on teaching the
Covenant in both Esslingen and this Youth week he considers very
important.

The German Bahá’ís, like all the believers everywhere, will be strong,
united and protected to the degree to which they are firm in the Covenants
of both Bahá’u’lláh and the Master.

He hopes the teaching work in Germany will make great progress, and he
urges you all to devote yourselves to this mighty task, and to promoting
love and unity amongst the Bahá’ís and a better understanding of the
administrative order of our Faith....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear co-workers:

Your joint message brought joy and gladness to my heart and was a powerful
reminder of the staunchness of the faith of the dearly-beloved German
believers, their constancy and determination, their thoroughness and
diligency in the study of the Faith and of its teachings, and their
devotion to the interests of its institutions. I will supplicate the
Beloved on your behalf to enable you to acquire a still deeper
understanding of the essentials of His Revelation, and to promote, with
increasing effectiveness, the best interests of His Cause,

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 23 DECEMBER 1949


23 December 1949

CONVEY GERMAN YOUTH COMMITTEE ASSURANCE PRAYERS LOVING APPRECIATION.

SHOGHI RABBANI



LETTER OF 6 MARCH 1950


6 March 1950

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY MORTGAGE HAZIRA INADVISABLE RELIEF FUND EXHAUSTED.
APPROVE RENTING ROOMS.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 13 APRIL 1950


13 April 1950

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY PREPARE PROMPTLY MAP GERMANY AUSTRIA SHOWING
ASSEMBLIES GROUPS AND ISOLATED CENTRES AIRMAIL HAIFA.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 28 JUNE 1950


28 June 1950

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters addressed to our beloved Guardian and dated May 26, June 29,
August 30 from Mr. Gollmer, November 19, December 7, of 1949, and January
15, February 15, and April 18, of 1950, have been received, as well as
their enclosures and other material and photographs sent, and he has
instructed me to answer them on his behalf.

The past winter and spring have been very difficult for our beloved
Guardian, and this is why he has not been able to reply to you, (or to any
other National Assembly), for so long. As you know, he has been carrying
on the construction of the first stage, the arcade, of the Báb’s Shrine in
anticipation of having it finished for the July 9 Centenary Celebrations
of His Martyrdom. This necessitated a great deal of excavation of the
solid rock behind the Shrine in order to enable the arcade to be built.
The Guardian himself supervised this work in order to see it was done the
most economical way and as quickly as possible; this took up a great deal
of his time and energy.

At the beginning of April, just when he was planning to devote himself to
the correspondence of the various N.S.A.’s, Mr. Maxwell, the architect of
the Shrine, became very dangerously ill, and until the present time is in
Hospital with special nurses day and night. His condition is now very much
better, but the constant worry, and the problems arising daily, have
hitherto prevented our Guardian and his secretary from answering any mail.
He wishes you to know that these are the reasons you have not heard from
him for so long.

In regard to certain matters you raised in your letters: he does not
consider it necessary to publish at present “This Earth One Country”;
there are other books more urgently needed by the German friends such as
“Some Answered Questions” and the “Paris Talks” of the Master.

He sees no objection to your Assembly’s renting to suitable tenants some
of the rooms in the Hazírá of Frankfurt in order to assist you in
financing its construction. Also he feels you are free to rent the Bahá’í
Hall in that building to groups, who have similar aims to ours, or to the
University.

As to purchasing the property next door: although this would be desirable,
he feels at present it is out of the question, as you have not got
sufficient funds to do so, and are already having difficulty meeting the
heavy expenses involved in building the Hazírá itself.

The Guardian has already had a sum transferred to Mr. Hofman to meet the
expenses of publishing “God Passes By”. He trusts this important work will
soon be in your hands, as it will be of great educational value to the
German believers. They are, he feels, just the people to appreciate such a
weighty history and review of the Faith.

The whole-hearted response made by the German Bahá’ís to his appeal last
year to become united and to deepen their understanding of the Covenant
pleases him greatly. He feels this has demonstrated anew the loyalty and
faith of this Community, and justifies his hopes for the brilliant future
he is convinced lies ahead of them.

The entire Community of friends in Austria and Germany should now
concentrate on fulfilling their Plan. The success of the American friends,
the remarkable victory of the British Bahá’ís and the Persian believers,
the progress being made by the distant communities in Australia and New
Zealand, as well as India, Pakistan and Burma, should encourage them to
gird up their loins and crown their own efforts with victory.

The Guardian feels sure that, now that a greater degree of unity has been
achieved by the German believers, they will find that God gives them far
greater strength to carry out their work for His Faith. He assures you he
will pray for all the friends to become increasingly as one soul labouring
in many bodies.

He will also pray for all the members of your Assembly to be strengthened
to perform your historic work successfully....

P.S. He thanks you for the map showing Bahá’í distribution in Germany and
Austria, and will publish it in the next edition of “Bahá’í World”.

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

The progress achieved by the German Bahá’í community in recent months,
under the able direction, and through the constant vigilance and loving
care of its elected national representatives, is highly gratifying and
fills me with hope, gratitude and admiration for the sterling qualities
that distinguish its members in their steadfast service to the Faith of
Bahá’u’lláh. The restoration of harmony and cooperation among the dearly
loved, high-minded, great-hearted German believers, the vigorous
prosecution of their newly-adopted Plan, the gradual restoration of their
newly purchased Hazíratu’l-Quds, the steady extension in the range of
their publications, and the notable multiplication and consolidation of
their rehabilitated institutions, are the latest evidences of the
unconquerable spirit and indomitable faith which have consistently
animated them in the past, and which have enabled them to weather, in the
course of the last world conflict, the severest storm that has afflicted
them since the inception of the Faith in their land.

The process of harmonious cooperation and the spirit of mutual
understanding, remarkably evident in the life of a newly resuscitated,
highly promising, spiritually enriched community must, particularly in its
relation with the local communities in Hamburg and Vienna, be steadily
fostered, however great the obstacles that may be encountered. The
education of the members of the community in the principles and essential
verities underlying the Covenants of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as well
as the Administrative Order of the Faith—the twin pillars sustaining the
spiritual life and the institutions of every organized Bahá’í
community—must, at all costs, be vigorously pursued and systematically
intensified. The multiplication and consolidation of Bahá’í administrative
institutions, in both zones under the jurisdiction of the elected
representatives of the community, and in the neighbouring territory of
Austria, must be given a fresh impetus through repeated exertions and
carefully devised measures. The initial steps, aiming at the incorporation
of the National Assembly and of every soundly grounded properly
functioning local assembly, should be promptly taken, as a prelude to the
establishment of the national and local Bahá’í endowments for the benefit
of the entire community. The utmost effort should be exerted to hasten, on
the one hand, the completion of the restoration of the national
administrative Headquarters, and centralize, on the other, the national
activities and manifold agencies of the Faith in that newly-appointed
centre established in the heart of that country. Particular attention
should, moreover, be given to the vital city of Berlin, its needs, its
interests and future prospects. The teaching work, the cornerstone of the
Bahá’í Edifice and the primary purpose of every Bahá’í institution, so
emphatically stressed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His Will, should, above all, be
reinvigorated and relentlessly expanded. A closer association through
correspondence, attendance at Summer Schools, participation at Teaching
Conferences and collaboration in publications should be carefully fostered
with the sister communities now rapidly emerging on the European
continent, in the British Isles, in the North and South American
continents, in Asia, Africa and Australasia.

To these immediate tasks, so vital, so sacred, a community, purged in the
fires of suffering, revitalized and functioning with unity, zeal, fidelity
and enthusiasm, must address itself without delay, with complete
dedication and renewed and undefected resolve, as a prelude to the future
unfoldment of its mission, beyond the confines of its homeland. For a
national community so vibrant with life, so painstaking in its labours, so
efficient in its methods, so impervious to the slings and arrows of
affliction, occupying so central a position in a continent, so politically
confused, so spiritually starved, so socially agitated, and the recipient
of such favours and promises, from the lips and pen of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
cannot, if faithful to its destiny, remain confined in its future
activities, to the narrow compass of its homeland, and fall behind its
sister communities in East and West, which are forging ahead and are in
addition to their tasks at home, carrying forward the banner of the Faith
in both distant lands and neighbouring territories, such as Latin America,
the Goal countries of Europe, the Dependencies in the Far North, the
Territories of the Arabian Peninsula, Central, East and West Africa, the
Islands of the Pacific and South East Asia.

Already this community has, in the years preceding the great ordeal to
which it has been subjected, initiated in however tentative a manner, its
teaching enterprises beyond the confines of its homeland in one of the
neighbouring Balkan Territories, and laid to rest, as an everlasting
memorial to its pioneering spirit, the remains of its first martyr in the
soil of that Territory.

No more adequate and better field can be imagined, as an outlet for the
long-hemmed in energies of a spiritually virile, highly developed
outstandingly loyal branch of the family of Bahá’í national communities,
than the neighbouring territories situated in the Balkan Peninsula, the
Baltic States, and further afield the vast stretches now enveloped in
darkness, and whose teeming millions hunger for the Light of God’s saving
grace and redemptive power.

For so glorious and mighty a mission, this community, however limited its
present resources, however circumscribed in its numbers, however
formidable the various obstacles that now stand in its path, must, by
applying itself assiduously to the tasks of the present hour, prepare
itself and acquire the necessary spiritual capacity to launch, in the
years that lie ahead and possibly on the morrow of the celebrations of the
centenary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh’s prophetic Mission, the first stage
in its historic Mission destined to embrace so vital a section of the
European, and so colossal an area in the Asiatic, continents. May this
community prove itself worthy of its high destiny.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 30 DECEMBER 1950


30 December 1950

NONATTENDANCE FEAST DOES NOT JUSTIFY SUSPENSION VOTING RIGHTS.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 2 MARCH 1951


2 March 1951

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters dated June 12th, October 23rd and December 14th, 1950, and
February 12th and 13th, 1951, as well as your latest dated 2.3.51,
together with their enclosures, have been received, and our beloved
Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf. The material sent
under separate cover has also been received.

In regard to the various questions you have raised in your letters, the
Guardian does not feel that we are justified in removing a Bahá’í from the
voting list just because they resign from the Spiritual Assembly. Although
it is considered a moral responsibility on the part of the believers to
serve on Spiritual Assemblies if they are elected, if for some reason,
they feel they must resign from that body—in other words for some really
weighty reason—it certainly does not mean that they have lost their Bahá’í
voting rights. The friends should be encouraged to shoulder the burdens of
the administrative work—on the other hand, they cannot be forced to do so
if they have any valid reason to support their refusal.

The Guardian was pleased to note that the Bahá’ís figured on the census
for the first time. He hopes that, in the future, your Assembly will be
able to establish itself legally in such a manner as to be the absolute
owner and the administrator of Bahá’í endowments. If you already have this
status, he would like to be informed of it.

A Bahá’í can certainly be an Esperantist. The Guardian does not think that
in the case you mention, it is right to ask this old man to resign from
his Masonic Lodge. Generally speaking, the friends should not enter secret
societies. It is certainly much better for the believers to dissociate
themselves from such organizations; but as I said, it would seem
unnecessary, in this particular case, to ask a very old man to break this
connection at the end of his life.

...It is most unfortunate that just as the believers in the eastern zone
were beginning to be more active and able to keep in contact with your
Assembly and with the Bahá’í in other parts of the world, they should now
be suddenly entirely cut off and their activities banned. He feels,
however, that your Assembly has taken the wise decision in regard to
connection with them. If, through any personal letters, it is possible to
assure them of his prayers, he would like you to please do so.

He is very glad to hear that the National Headquarters is now practically
finished; and assures your Assembly that he approves of your raising a
first mortgage on it, provided this is absolutely necessary, and you are
sure that you can handle the repayment of it in the future. He would
prefer, naturally, that this building which is of such importance to your
national activities, and of which the believers are all so proud, should
be free of any incumbency.

The desire of the German believers to participate in the construction of
the Holy Tomb of the Báb touches him very much; and he would suggest that,
as it is not feasible at present for any funds to be sent out of that
country, you accept contributions for this Fund and spend them at present
in Germany, until such future time as it will be possible to remit the sum
to Haifa.

Naw-Rúz and Ridván are celebrated all over the Bahá’í world according to
the solar calendar—there is no difference in the dates in the east or the
west.

In regard to your publishing work: It is most unfortunate that, through
the delay in printing “God Passes By”, you now require such an exorbitant
sum to be expended on it, if it is gotten out in England. The Guardian has
explained to Mr. Hofman that he feels that unless some arrangement can be
made with your Assembly to get out this book with the sum already
forwarded by him for this purpose, that it is not possible to go on with
the publication at this time, as the funds of the Cause, limited as they
are, must now be concentrated on building the upper parts of the Shrine of
the Báb. If there is any way that your Assembly can arrange with Mr.
Hofman to receive a certain number of copies—perhaps unbound—at this time,
and have them bound in Germany, he would approve of this, and suggests you
look into the matter. Of course, if there was any way Mr. Hofman could
transmit to you the money he has received, and you could publish the book
in Germany, the Guardian would approve of this.

He thinks that “Some Answered Questions” is more important in the teaching
work than “Paris Talks”, and recommends to get “Some Answered Questions”
out first.

The Guardian has already written to ..., asking him to reconcile himself
with your Assembly and to entirely forget this episode, which he considers
to have been due to a misunderstanding, and certainly not worth the amount
of feeling that was expended upon it on all sides. He hopes that your
Assembly will accept any overtures he and his dear Father may make, and
assist them to put the whole thing behind them, and go on with their
active service in the Cause to which we know they are both so attached at
heart.

In this connection, the Guardian would like to point out to your Assembly
that, although it is sometimes necessary to take away the voting rights of
a believer for purposes of discipline, that this prerogative of the
National Assembly should be used only in extreme cases. It is very bad for
the believers to have the feeling that their Assembly will deal too
harshly with them, and the net result can only be that a feeling of fear
or alienation or resentment may grow up in their hearts towards the body
that they should look to as being, not only their elected representatives,
but their helper,—one might almost say their father—and the one to whom
they can confidently take their problem, and whose wishes and decrees they
will respect and obey unhesitatingly.

The Guardian has never heard of any ruling by which a believer who does
not attend three consecutive 19 Day Feasts can be deprived of his voting
rights. He does not consider that such action is justifiable at all. The
whole question is whether a person considers himself a Bahá’í or not, and
is willing to adhere to the principles of the Faith and accept the
authority of the Guardian and the Administration,—whether that individual
is able, or always in a condition psychologically to attend Feasts and
Bahá’í meetings is an entirely different subject. If a person makes it
quite clear that they do not wish to be considered an active member of the
Bahá’í Community and be affiliated with it and exert their voting right,
then their name should be removed from the voting list; but if a person
considers himself or herself a Bahá’í, and for various reasons is not able
to be active in the affairs of the Community, then they should certainly
not be removed from our voting list, least of all at present, when the
number of the Bahá’í Community is so small.

Our beloved Guardian regrets extremely the delay in answering many of
these questions. This has been, and still is, an extremely difficult
period for him. He has so much work to do—there are so many things to be
attended to here in Haifa—with the construction of the Shrine and the
administration of the many Bahá’í properties here, and also through the
formation of this first International Bahá’í Council, that he is finding
it extremely difficult to attend to his correspondence—even such important
letters as those he receives from the national bodies.

We are all hoping that this is merely a transitional and difficult phase,
and that soon he will be able to find some respite from his heavy duties,
and devote more time to taking care of his precious health. If he were not
so overburdened with details which, alas, are often very insignificant, he
would be able to give out so much more to the believers all over the
world. The friends should pray that God will lift some of these burdens
from their Guardian, and enable them to receive the full bounties of his
mind and spirit, which he could pour forth into the body of the Faith if
he were only not so exhausted and preoccupied.

The increased activity of your Assembly, the increased unity amongst the
believers and their evident sense of growing responsibilities, the work
already achieved in constructing the national Hazírat—all these things
augur well for the expansion of our glorious Faith in Germany and Austria,
and undoubtedly are hastening the day when this Community will play a more
important role in the international affairs of the Faith, and be able to
carry out its own final duties in neighbouring countries, and thus enrich
the record of its services to the Cause of God.

He assures you, one and all, of his loving prayers for the success of your
work; and deeply appreciates the spirit of dedication which animates your
Body....

Post Script (March 8)

In regard to the matter you raised in your latest letter, the Guardian
does not see how, under present circumstances, he can arrange to transfer
any more funds to Germany. He regrets this very much; but, as you know,
nothing can be sent out of this country, and the International Fund cannot
support any additional work on this national headquarters at the present
time. He will pray that this obstacle may be swiftly removed from your
path.

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

The progress achieved in recent months, in both the teaching field and the
consolidation of national and local administrative institutions, by the
German Bahá’í community is highly exhilarating and has served to deepen my
feelings of admiration for its members who have so faithfully arisen to
compensate for the years of enforced inactivity resulting from the
repressive policy followed during the last world conflict. The one dark
cloud on an otherwise bright horizon has been the disabilities suffered by
their brethren and compatriots in the Eastern zone of their divided land
and their virtual separation from them at a time when their close
association and collaboration would have greatly reinforced the
foundations of their common Faith and redounded to its fame and glory.

The field now stretching before the believers constituting the major part
of a sundered community is, however, still so vast, its needs so great and
its spiritual receptivity so pronounced that they cannot afford to either
relax for a moment in their efforts or hesitate in the prosecution of
their sacred task. To publicize the Faith and disseminate its literature;
to lend an ever-increasing impetus to the multiplication and consolidation
of its nascent institutions; to accelerate the incorporations of firmly
established assemblies; to overcome by any means in their power the
obstacles obstructing the completion of their national administrative
headquarters; to persevere in their efforts to guide, encourage and
strengthen the community of their brethren in Austria; to prosecute with
diligence and determination the Plan they have initiated; to remove, once
and for all, every trace of inharmony and of misunderstanding which may
linger among some of the members of the community; to forge fresh links
with the newly fledged assemblies in the goal countries of the European
continent and their subsidiary institutions; to reinforce the ties binding
them in particular, to their sole sister national assembly in Europe and
other Bahá’í national assemblies in general—these may be regarded as the
outstanding and immediate obligations devolving upon the national elected
representatives of a community which in the concluding period of the
Heroic Age of the Faith has been made the recipient of such marked
blessings and favours from the Center of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant, which on
the morrow of His ascension played so notable a part in preserving the
integrity of the Cause of God and in establishing the agencies of its
rising Administrative Order, which demonstrated in the course of the
prolonged ordeal it subsequently experienced, its tenacity, fidelity and
exemplary devotion, and which is now preparing itself for the gigantic
tasks that await to be accomplished by its valiant members in so large a
section of the European and Asiatic continents.

The record of service stretching behind them is indeed highly inspiring.
The vision of future victories at home and in distant fields now unfolding
before them is even more glorious and highly challenging. The more they
consecrate themselves to their present tasks, the more faithfully and
promptly they fulfil the requirements of the Plan to which they stand
committed, the sooner will they acquire the spiritual potentialities that
will empower them to qualify for the successful conduct and the ultimate
consummation of so colossal an enterprise destined to shed so great and
imperishable a lustre on both their community and nation.

That they may be vouchsafed by Providence all the strength and guidance
they require for the attainment of their immediate goal, that they may
prove themselves worthy of receiving a still greater measure of celestial
strength and Divine sustenance for the achievement of their ultimate
objective is the dearest wish of my heart and constant prayer.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 30 APRIL 1951 (CONVENTION)


30 April 1951 (Convention)

ASSURE ASSEMBLED DELEGATES LOVING FERVENT PRAYERS OFFERED SHRINES
CONSOLIDATION EXPANSION MANIFOLD MERITORIOUS ACTIVITIES DEARLY LOVED
VALIANT PERSEVERING GERMAN BAHAI COMMUNITY. SUPPLICATING BLESSINGS
DELIBERATIONS. URGE REDOUBLE EFFORTS TO FULFIL OBJECTIVES PLAN AND PAVE
WAY STILL GREATER MORE GLORIOUS ENTERPRISES.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 26 JULY 1951


26 July 1951

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY TRANSMITTING FURTHER CONTRIBUTION NATIONAL FUND.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 9 AUGUST 1951


9 August 1951

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Our Guardian was very pleased to see the Post card of the new German
National Bahá’í Headquarters, and also to note the official cancellation
mentioning the Bahá’í annual Convention.

He feels sure the Faith in Germany, through means such as these, will
attract an ever wider interest in the public at large.

He wishes all of you every success in your devoted services to the Cause
of God....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty abundantly reward you for your labours, guide every step
you take in the path of service, and aid you to extend continually the
range of your accomplishments, and contribute effectively to the
consolidation of the nascent institutions of our beloved Faith,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 27 AUGUST 1951 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


27 August 1951 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter of July 22 reached our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed
me to answer it on his behalf.

He was very happy to see the friends are now regularly enjoying the use of
the National Headquarters which they constructed through so much effort
and sacrifice. This marks a great step forward in the progress of the
Faith in Germany, and will ever-increasingly lead to bounties and
blessings.

He assures you one and all of his most loving prayers for the success of
your devoted services to the Cause of God....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty reward you abundantly for your steadfast and meritorious
labours, aid you to acquire a fuller understanding of the essentials of
His Faith, and contribute effectively to the consolidation of its nascent
institutions,

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 28 SEPTEMBER 1951 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


28 September 1951 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your loving message was received by our beloved Guardian, and he has
instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He was particularly pleased to hear the sessions of the School were
carried forward in an atmosphere of love and harmony, as this is the very
essence of Bahá’í living.

He urges you all to redouble your teaching efforts in your local
Communities, and he will pray for you all....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh sustain and guide you in your meritorious
activities, bless your high endeavours, and enable you to lend a great
impetus to the consolidation of the institutions of His glorious Faith,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 30 OCTOBER 1951 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


30 October 1951 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your greeting reached our beloved Guardian, and he was very happy to see
your school had been so successful and well attended.

Hamburg is a very important Center, one of the oldest Bahá’í Centers in
Germany, and situated in a position where it can favour the spread of the
Faith. It is, therefore, essential for the believers there to be firm and
united in serving the Cause, for them to keep in close contact with the
National institutions of the Faith in Germany, and to be active in
teaching, and also in associating with travelling Bahá’ís who pass through
their city.

He will pray for the success of your Bahá’í work....

P.S. He was very interested to see the “Rundbrief” you enclosed.

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless your high endeavours, guide and sustain you in your
meritorious activities, and enable you to promote the best interests of
the institutions of His Faith,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 30 OCTOBER 1951


30 October 1951

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters dated May 31, August 14, and two of September 16, have been
received, as well as other material sent the Guardian by you under
separate cover, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

Please note that on behalf of the beloved Guardian I have written direct
to ... assuring her of his prayers and his sympathy for her sufferings.
Cancer is a most terrible affliction, and has taken its toll of some very
fine Bahá’ís, alas!

The Guardian was particularly pleased to hear so many of the German
friends could be present at the E.T. Conference in Holland. This
association of the friends is a great stimulus to the work, and he hopes
will increase in scale as the situation in Europe improves.

He was also very glad to know your Assembly met with ... and ... as Berlin
and Vienna are important centers, and the work needs to be stimulated and
fostered in both places, especially Vienna.

The Guardian feels that the financing of the Hazírá—so that debts may not
pile up too much—and the teaching work are very important.

To concentrate on achieving the goals of your Plan you should, if
necessary, make economies in other directions. In America, for years, the
publication of “World Order Magazine” was given up, as it was not
essential, and the money in the Fund was more urgently needed elsewhere.
He feels that, if necessary, “Sonne der Wahrheit” and the Youth Bulletin
can be given up. The Youth can have a place in your regular “Bahá’í News”
for themselves. However, these are matters for your assembly to weigh and
decide upon.

The most important thing of all, now that greater unity has been
established in the German Community, is to make the friends
pioneerconscious; they must learn to venture forth, putting their trust in
God, and go to new cities and towns to establish the Cause. This will mark
an entirely new phase in the history of the Cause in Germany, and will
give the Bahá’ís a sense of victory and importance they have never had
before. When they see how, after years of persecution, of war, occupation,
financial chaos and instability, they have built their Hazírá, and moved
their National Headquarters to it, they must feel both astonished at their
victory and immensely proud. Did they ever believe such a thing could
happen? Let them, then, with the same faith and determination, arise and
build up new assemblies and groups. They will find that they succeed as
they succeeded with their Hazírá.

The Guardian remembers you all in his prayers, and is very pleased with
the progress so far made by the German friends. But he hopes they will now
accomplish still greater feats!...

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

The Plan now being prosecuted with such diligence, fidelity, unity and
enthusiasm by the long oppressed, greathearted, indefatigable, much
admired German Bahá’í community, despite the exhaustion following a
prolonged ordeal, is entering upon its concluding phase. This first
collective enterprise, embarked upon by a community which, by virtue of
its size, its experience, its past achievements, occupies a preeminent
position in the European continent, and is destined, in view of its
capacity, its fortitude, its resilience and tenacity of purpose, to play
an outstanding role in both contemporary and future Bahá’í history, must,
through a concerted and supreme effort on the part of its members, be
brought to a triumphant conclusion.

Its successful termination will be but a signal for a series of
enterprises, each more glorious than the one preceding it, which will
carry the fame of this community, already tested in the crucible of
afflictive trials, and richly endowed by the tender favours of its
Founder, Who blessed with His Presence its leading center, to regions far
beyond the confines of its homeland and as far as the Eastern fringes of
the Asiatic continent.

In such a glorious venture, and in the course of so vast, so momentous and
sacred an enterprise, it will, if it discharges manfully its present task,
be seconded in its noble exertions by the concerted efforts of all the
budding communities in the European continent, and will play a notable
role, in collaboration with the trustees of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Divine Plan
labouring throughout the American continents, and with its sister
communities toiling in Africa, South East Asia, and Australasia, in
achieving the spiritual conquest of the entire planet.

Much depends, however, on the manner in which it discharges the
responsibilities of the present hour. The administrative base from which
it must spread out into Eastern and Southern Europe, and beyond these
spheres into the heart of Northern Asia, as far as the China Sea, must
first be thoroughly consolidated. The valiant battalions that are to carry
the banner of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh to distant climes, amidst alien
races, and throughout the length and breadth of immense territories and in
inhospitable surroundings, must, to begin with, increase in number,
acquire added experience, and deepen in their faith and understanding. The
literature with which the bearers of God’s redeeming Message must be
equipped when launching out beyond the frontiers of their native land
must, preparatory to their arduous crusade, be multiplied and adapted to
the mentality of those diversified peoples and races inhabiting so vast a
section of the globe.

The Bahá’í Administrative headquarters now being completed in the heart
and center of this community’s homeland must be speedily consolidated and
further extended. The assemblies and groups which, as a result of the
operation of the present Plan, must be brought into being, must be
safeguarded and strengthened. The spiritual life of its participating
members must, while this process of administrative consolidation is being
accelerated, be continually enriched, their vision broadened, their
understanding deepened, their unity reinforced, their enthusiasm enkindled
through the institutions of summer-schools, conventions, regional
conferences, youth rallies and study classes. The unity and solidarity of
the members of this community must be vigilantly safeguarded and
constantly reinforced. The ties binding it to its neighbouring
sister-community in Austria must be greatly strengthened, and the
administrative agencies operating in both communities must be closely
correlated and the cooperation between them continually fostered.

Then and only then, will this community be empowered to launch befittingly
its first campaign across the borders of its native land, and manifest, as
it projects itself beyond its national frontiers and diffuses over
regions, both far and near, the illuminating radiance of Bahá’u’lláh’s
redemptive Revelation, the potencies with which its Divine Founder, the
Center of the Covenant, endowed it in the course of the last decade of His
Ministry.

As the centenary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh’s Mission approaches, as the
Plan formulated by this Community draws to a close, a supreme effort,
unprecedented in its scope and intensity, must be exerted collectively by
its members, young and old, an effort that will arouse the admiration of
the entire world, that will proclaim its worthiness and capacity to
shoulder so immense a task in the future, and which will carry to a
triumphant conclusion this initial undertaking, embarked upon by the
German and Austrian followers of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in the heart of
the European continent.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 18 APRIL 1952


18 April 1952

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY HANDS ELIGIBLE.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 29 APRIL 1952


29 April 1952

DEEPLY APPRECIATE MESSAGE ASSURE DELEGATES PRAYING FERVENTLY UNPRECEDENTED
BLESSINGS ATTAINMENT OBJECTIVES HISTORIC PLAN LOVING REMEMBRANCE SHRINES.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 30 MAY 1952


30 May 1952

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

The beloved Guardian has received your letters of January 29, February 13,
April 7 and April 14 (2), and May 1, 1952, and he has instructed me to
answer you on his behalf.

He was very pleased to hear of the progress the German Bahá’ís are making,
not only in their teaching work, as witnessed by the formation of new
assemblies and the establishment of new groups, but also in the
administrative field.

The reports he received about the success of your Convention this year,
the free consultation and the unity which prevailed amongst the friends,
encouraged him greatly. He feels that this indicates a new maturity on the
part of the German believers. They must come to realize that the
Administration is a system both living and dynamic, and that, through
obedience to its principles and regulations, they will gain greater
strength in teaching the Faith, and be able to direct their energies as a
united force into the different channels of service that lie open to them.
One of the main reasons why the Faith does not advance more rapidly is
because the friends have not learned to live with, and work within the
framework of the Administrative Order. Either they crystallize it into too
set a form, or they rebel against what they feel to be a System, and do
not give it sufficient support. Both of these extremes impede the progress
of the Faith, and the efficiency of the believers.

In this connection I should like to mention that the Guardian states that
the Hands of the Cause are eligible to administrative offices except those
permanently residing in Haifa and helping the Guardian in the
administrative work. Whenever the time comes when the Hands should give up
their administrative offices in order to be more free to serve under his
direction, he will inform the friends.

The convention—all Bahá’í Conventions—must be held within the Ridván
period; and he was very pleased to see that you had been able to advance
the date of your Convention without affecting its success.

As regards the question you asked, the Bahá’í marriage certificate has
been accepted by the Israel Authorities. All the Bahá’í properties and
imports are exempt from taxation and customs, and the status of the Faith
as a religion, recognized. At present, we are planning to clarify our
legal position with the Government, and get it on a more concrete footing.
We are not incorporated here, but there are the Palestine Branches of the
National Spiritual Assemblies of both the United States and India
incorporated here, and holding title to property.

He was very pleased to see that the Secretary is now residing at the
Hazírá, as he considers this both the proper procedure, and important for
the national work.

He was very sorry to learn that you are still having so many financial
difficulties in connection with the Headquarters, and hopes that, through
the self-sacrifice of the believers, the debts can be gradually wiped out,
and funds be made available for other important forms of Bahá’í activity.

He thanks you all for the expression of your loving sympathy on the
occasion of the passing of dear Mr. Maxwell. His services will long be
remembered, and he has had a very great bounty in being permitted to
design the Holy Tomb of the Báb.

He assures you all that, in his visits to the Holy Shrines, he remembers
you lovingly in his prayers, and supplicates for your guidance and the
advancement of your work....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

From the reports and communications received, in the course of recent
months, from your assembly I have derived considerable satisfaction, as I
have noted the spirit of wholehearted dedication which has animated its
members in the discharge of the manifold duties and sacred
responsibilities which have faced them in the execution of their Plan. It
is indeed highly gratifying, and a source of great pride, to contemplate
the progress that has been made, the consolidation that has been achieved,
the great sacrifices that have been willingly undertaken, the enthusiasm,
the fidelity, and the perseverance that have been so abundantly
demonstrated, the publicity that has been accorded the Faith, the plans
that have been devised, the marked stimulus that has been given to the
activities of the Youth, the harmony that has characterized the
collaboration of the oriental and occidental believers, the progress made
in connexion with the National Hazíratu’l-Quds, the steady expansion of
Publishing activities, and above all, the notable improvement in the
spiritual life of the community, as witnessed by the greater unity,
cooperation and understanding prevailing among its members.

As the last year of the Plan, formulated by the German Bahá’í community
inexorably draws to its close, a concerted, a redoubled effort should be
made to ensure that all its provisions, without any exception, will be
fully carried out, that the members of this community may thus acquire the
spiritual potentiality regarded as indispensable for the launching of a
still greater enterprise, on the morrow of the celebrations of the
approaching Bahá’í Holy year—an enterprise that will bring the
much-admired, greatly loved, highly promising community of the followers
of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, in both Germany and Austria, into direct
association with its sister communities throughout the Bahá’í world for
the conduct of the world Crusade destined to immortalize the decade
separating the two greatest Jubilees of the second Bahá’í century.

Whilst every ounce of energy will be exerted for the consummation of their
present task, special attention should be directed towards the
consolidation of the ties, both spiritual and administrative, that must
continue to bind the believers in the Western Zone of Germany to their
brethren in the Eastern Zone, as well as to those living in the Republic
of Austria. A special effort must, moreover, be exerted to improve and
consolidate the relationship existing between the German Bahá’í community
and the civil authorities, both local and central, in order to give
greater publicity to the Faith, and facilitate the expansion of its
administrative institutions in the crucial years ahead. No less energetic
efforts must be made to stimulate the process of the incorporation of the
local assemblies, and to obtain a better legal status for the German
Bahá’í National Assembly, raising thereby the status of the Faith and
consolidating the foundations of its highest administrative agency in the
heart of the European continent.

The total success of the Plan, now demanding the concentrated attention of
the entire German Bahá’í community, is indeed indispensable for the
adequate discharge of the still greater tasks that lie ahead of its
members, and which, in themselves, will constitute the prelude to the
unfoldment of the glorious Mission awaiting them, as soon as the present
obstacles are removed, in both Eastern Europe and the heart of the Asiatic
continent. The extent of their future undertakings in both continents;
their contribution to the Global Crusade to be launched throughout the
whole planet; their particular and, in many ways, unique, reinforcement of
the work, connected with future Bahá’í research and scholarship, in view
of the characteristic qualities of painstaking thoroughness, scientific
exactitude and dispassionate criticism distinguishing the race to which
they belong,—these are too vast and complex to be assessed at the present
time.

They, no doubt, stand, emerging as they have done, from two successive
world ordeals that have served to purify, vitalize, and weld them
together, on the threshold of an era of glorious achievements, both at
home and abroad. Their present Plan is but the initial chapter in the
history of their collective achievements in the service of the Faith of
Bahá’u’lláh—a service, anticipated in such glowing terms, by the One,
through Whose creative power, this community was brought into being, Who
nursed it in its infancy, and Who, through His personal visit communicated
to it, in a direct and effective manner, the impulse destined to sustain
its growth, guide its steps and lead it to ultimate victory.

The participation of the Bahá’í community, in both Germany and Austria,
individually as well as officially, in the forthcoming Stockholm
inter-continental Conference, to which I trust its members will contribute
a notable share, in view of the part they are destined to play in the
future awakening of the European Continent—will no doubt, launch them upon
the initial stage of their glorious Mission beyond the confines of their
respective countries. Theirs will be the two-fold and highly challenging
task of consolidating, steadily and rapidly, the administrative
foundations of the Structure which is being painstakingly established by
them in the heart of the European continent, and of implanting the banner
of the rising order of their Faith in the neighbouring sovereign states
and dependencies of that continent and even beyond its borders, as far as
the heart of Asia.

Time is running out. The work they have to accomplish is immense,
exacting, thrilling and inescapable. The hosts of the Concourse on high
will surely lead them onward and assure them a resounding victory, if they
but keep their vision undimmed, if they refuse to faint or falter, if they
persevere and remain faithful to both the spiritual and the administrative
principles inculcated by their Faith.

That they may discharge nobly their trust, that they may emerge triumphant
from the first stage of their collective and historic undertaking, that
they may set an undying example to their brethren in East and West, of
Bahá’í solidarity, of tenacity of purpose, of single-minded devotion, of
unrelaxing vigilance, of assiduous labour, of harmonious cooperation, of
audacity, and of absolute dedication to the aims and purposes of their
Faith, is the object of my special, my loving and constant prayers at the
threshold of the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 15 JUNE 1952


15 June 1952

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has instructed me to write you on his behalf, to
request that the information relating to Germany and Austria and their
activities, contained in the booklet “The Bahá’í Faith”, ‘Information
Statistical and Comparative’, be brought up to date as of May 1, 1952, and
sent to him here by the first possible air mail post.

One of the features of the Holy Year will be the re-issuance of this
important book; inasmuch as the Holy Year is fast approaching, the
Guardian wishes information as quickly as possible.

Briefly, the information which your NSA is to provide, brought up to date
of May 1, 1952, is as follows:

Incorporated Local Spiritual Assemblies in Germany and Austria, showing
each country with its Local Assemblies separate.

Bahá’í Centers in Germany and Austria, showing if possible the division
between Local Spiritual Assemblies, Groups and Isolated Believers.

Any information not immediately available, should be handled by telegraph,
but such information as is available should not be delayed for any one or
two delinquents. You can appreciate that if the booklet is to be published
early in the Holy Year, the information should reach the Guardian at a
very early date.

The Guardian sends his loving greetings to the National Assembly and its
devoted members....



LETTER OF 9 JULY 1952


9 July 1952

ADVISE HOLD CONVENTION APRIL.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 27 AUGUST 1952


27 August 1952

CULMINATION PLAN APRIL 1953.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 4 OCTOBER 1952


4 October 1952

Dear Bahá’í Friend:

The beloved Guardian is very anxious to secure the date on which your
National Assembly was incorporated.

He also wishes information as to the present value of the National Hazírá
in Frankfurt.

Will you please send this information to him by return Air Mail, as he
wishes it promptly, so that a new statistical book concerning the Faith
may be issued promptly.

I am pleased to advise you that the health of the Guardian is good.
Likewise of course you will be interested to know that the work on the
drum of the beautiful Shrine of the Báb is progressing nicely. The columns
between the lancet windows are rising higher with each passing day. The
beauty of this Gem on Mount Carmel is attracting widespread interest, not
only on the part of the Bahá’ís, but of the public of the State of Israel
as well....



LETTER OF 11 OCTOBER 1952 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


11 October 1952 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter addressed to the beloved Guardian and signed by all the
friends, has been received, and I have been instructed to answer you on
his behalf. He was most happy to see that such a large number of the
believers were present to gain renewed zeal and inspiration from this
important Bahá’í institution.

As he has already informed the friends there, great work lies ahead for
Germany in the next ten years, and it is of the utmost importance that all
the Bahá’ís prepare themselves for that work now....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty abundantly bless your high endeavours, guide your steps,
remove every obstacle in your path, and assist you to lend a tremendous
impetus to the progress of our beloved Faith,

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 29 NOVEMBER 1952


29 November 1952

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian is very anxious to conclude the preparation of the
new statistical book to be issued during the Holy Year, concerning the
status of the Faith over the world.

We still do not have the list of Assemblies, Groups and Isolated Believers
in Germany and Austria.

Can you send by return air mail a list of the Assemblies, Groups and
Isolated Believers in Germany, and also another list giving the same
information for Austria? In other words, a separate list should be sent
for each country....



LETTER OF 8 MARCH 1953


8 March 1953

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY COMBINATION BONN OTHER CITIES NOT ADVISABLE. URGE
INDEPENDENT ASSEMBLY BONN.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 30 MARCH 1953


30 March 1953

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY BONN KOELN SEPARATE.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 19 APRIL 1953


19 April 1953

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY NEW STANDARD CIVIL LIMITS SHOULD BE ENFORCED BY
APRIL 1954.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 19 APRIL 1953


19 April 1953

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Owing to the fact that telegrams and cables going out from here are
frequently garbled in transmission and the meaning is not clear, I am
mailing to you at the instruction of our beloved Guardian, his Message to
the German Bahá’í Convention.

Please cable him immediately this Message reaches your hands, so that he
will know that you have received it in time for the Convention. It is
really a cable which is being mailed to you, in order to prevent errors.

The Guardian hopes the German and Austrian friends will have a wonderful
Convention this year, as preparation for the great work that lies ahead of
them, and assures your Body of his prayers for the success of the
Convention and the manifold activities of the German believers....



LETTER OF 19 APRIL 1953 (CONVENTION)


19 April 1953 (Convention)

HEART UPLIFTED PROSPECT GLORIOUS MISSION AWAITING LEADING BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY
EUROPEAN CONTINENT. ITS VALIANT MEMBERS STANDING THRESHOLD PERIOD
UNPRECEDENTED EXPANSION CONSOLIDATION INSTITUTIONS FAITH BIDDING FAIR
ECLIPSE ANY PREVIOUS PERIOD GERMAN BAHÁ’Í HISTORY. TEN YEAR PLAN DESIGNED
CONSOLIDATE INSTITUTIONS GERMANY AUSTRIA INAUGURATE MISSION GERMAN
BELIEVERS BEYOND CONFINES HOMELAND INVOLVES FIRST OPENING FOLLOWING VIRGIN
TERRITORIES CRETE FRISIAN ISLAND GREECE AS WELL AS CIRCUMSTANCES
PERMITTING ALBANIA ESTONIA FINNO-KARELIA LATVIA LITHUANIA MOLDAVIA RUMANIA
WHITE RUSSIA SECOND CONSOLIDATION FAITH AUSTRIA AS WELL AS WHENEVER
FEASIBLE BULGARIA CZECHOSLOVAKIA HUNGARY POLAND RUSSIAN S.F.S.R.
YUGOSLAVIA THIRD CONSTRUCTION MASHRIQUL-ADHKAR FRANKFURT FOURTH
ESTABLISHMENT NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY AUSTRIA FIFTH INCORPORATION
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY AUSTRIA SIXTH ESTABLISHMENT NATIONAL
ENDOWMENTS GERMANY SEVENTH ESTABLISHMENT NATIONAL ENDOWMENTS AUSTRIA
EIGHTH ESTABLISHMENT NATIONAL HAZIRATUL-QUDS VIENNA NINTH DOUBLING NUMBER
LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES LOCALITIES GERMANY TENTH DOUBLING NUMBER LOCAL
SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES LOCALITIES AUSTRIA ELEVENTH INCORPORATION NINETEEN
LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES GERMANY AUSTRIA TWELFTH FORMATION GERMAN BAHÁ’Í
PUBLISHING TRUST FRANKFURT THIRTEENTH ESTABLISHMENT ISRAEL BRANCH GERMAN
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY FOURTEENTH FORMATION EUROPEAN TEACHING
COMMITTEE DESIGNED STIMULATE COORDINATE TEACHING ACTIVITIES PLAN. MAY
ENTIRE COMMUNITY GERMAN AUSTRIAN BELIEVERS AFIRE VISION GLORIOUS DESTINY
ARISE CONTRIBUTE NOTABLE SHARE PROSECUTION WORLD CRUSADE CULMINATING WORLD
WIDE CELEBRATIONS COMMEMORATING CENTENARY ASSUMPTION BAHÁ’U’LLÁH HIS
PROPHETIC OFFICE.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 26 APRIL 1953 (CONVENTION)


26 April 1953 (Convention)

DEEP APPRECIATION MESSAGE LOVING REMEMBRANCE SHRINES PRAYING SUCCESS GREAT
TASKS AHEAD DETAILED CONVENTION MESSAGE MAILED WEEK AGO.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 5 MAY 1953


5 May 1953

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has been greatly encouraged by the reports which he
has received of the teaching activities throughout the world.

Notwithstanding we have just published the statistical book, giving the
number of localities throughout the world where Bahá’ís reside, yet the
Guardian would like to have accurate information now, based on the results
of the elections on April 21, 1953.

Will you therefore please send to me just as quickly as possible, a
statement showing the localities in your country and Austria where Bahá’ís
reside, and in each instance, indicate whether it is an Assembly, a Group
or isolated believers....



LETTER OF 10 JUNE 1953


10 June 1953

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Our Beloved Guardian has been greatly encouraged by reports reaching him
from all parts of the Bahá’í World; of the victories already gained, and
the plans being laid for the prosecution of the Ten Year Crusade.

They have evoked his awe-inspiring, and soul-stirring cablegram of May
28th, calling for the immediate settlement of all the 131 virgin areas of
the Plan, just as quickly as possible. He is convinced, that the Friends
will arise and translate their enthusiasm into Action, because the Keynote
of the Crusade must be Action, Action, Action.

The Beloved Guardian has directed me to write your Assembly to amplify
some of the aspects of his dynamic message.

The settlement of these virgin areas is of such an emergency nature, that
he feels pioneering in one of them takes precedence over every other type
of Bahá’í service—whether it be in the teaching or administrative fields
of the Faith.

In America some 150 people have volunteered for pioneer service, and some
of them already are preparing to leave for their posts. The Guardian has
informed the American National Assembly, that because of their being the
Chief Executor of the Divine Plan of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for teaching throughout
the world, their pioneers may be sent to any virgin area in the world,
regardless to which NSA it may be assigned. If any of their pioneers wish
to pioneer in any of the areas assigned to your Assembly, they will
communicate with you.

There are some general observations which the Guardian shares with you,
and then some specific suggestions which are enumerated below. 1. Every
individual who offers to pioneer, should be encouraged and assisted in
every way possible by the National Assembly. 2. Every application for
pioneering must be expedited, and not allowed to drag in any way, either
in the handling by the NSA or any Committee working out the details for
the NSA. 3. The National Assembly must make the settlement of their virgin
areas, the first order of their business. In other words nothing is more
important at this time, than settlement of the 131 virgin areas. 4. More
than two pioneers should not be sent to any one place; except of course,
unless they are members of one family. In fact, what is wanted is to
settle each area with Bahá’ís, and therefore, 1 Bahá’í will fulfill the
initial task.

The specific suggestions which the Guardian makes, are:

A1. Areas close at hand easy of settlement should be filled first. Then
the areas more difficult, and finally, those which will be difficult.

B2. Whenever a pioneer enters a new territory, a cable should be sent at
once to the Beloved Guardian, giving the name, place, and any pertinent
information.

C3. A report should be sent each month by your Assembly to the
Secretary-General of the International Bahá’í Council, giving the progress
of your teaching work in new areas of the Plan, particularly the virgin
areas assigned to your NSA. This does not mean your assembly should
correspond with the International Council concerning administrative
matters in connection with the Plan, but that only reports of progress
should be sent them. Administrative matters, etc., should be handled by
your Assembly directly with the Guardian.

D4. The Guardian feels the following areas should be easily settled, and
he would appreciate your arranging to send pioneers there at the earliest
possible date:

Frisian Islands.
Greece—(this is very important, because it is the last national community
in Europe without Bahá’ís).
Crete.

After these are settled, others more difficult should be considered.

The beloved Guardian wishes the German Bahá’ís, likewise to assist more
actively in the spread of the Faith in Austria. There should be additional
Bahá’í Centers in Austria, and he hopes the German Bahá’ís will be most
helpful in accomplishing this.

The Bahá’ís of Germany and Austria have a very great responsibility in
connection with the development of the Ten Year Crusade. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
himself visited your countries. He spoke often and lovingly of the German
Friends. Their countries are the heart of Europe, and the heart must be
strong and vigorous. Now then, is the time for the Believers to achieve
the blessings the Master promised them, by “scattering”, and continuously
settling new areas. The Guardian will await with keen anticipation reports
of your activities in the all important teaching field.

As his dramatic cable indicates, the Guardian will have prepared, an
illuminated “Roll of Honor”, on which will be inscribed the names of the
“Knights of Bahá’u’lláh”, who first enter these 131 virgin areas. This
“Roll of Honor” will be placed inside the entrance door of the Inner
Sanctuary of the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh.

From time to time, the Guardian will announce to the Bahá’í World, the
names of those Holy Souls who arise under the conditions outlined in his
message, and settle these areas, and conquer them for the Cause of God.

Now is the time for the Bahá’ís of the World to demonstrate the spiritual
vitality of the Faith, and to arise as one soul to spread the Glory of the
Lord, over the face of the Earth. The Guardian is sure, that the Bahá’ís
of Germany and Austria who have served and sacrificed so long for the
Faith, will continue their glorious record by winning many new victories
for the Glory of the Lord.

The Guardian will pray fervently for the Bahá’ís of Germany and Austria,
and for the success of their efforts.

He will pray for the members of the Assembly, whose sacrificial efforts he
will cherish for all time....



LETTER OF 21 JUNE 1953


21 June 1953

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your letters of June 18 and 24, July 29, August 11, October 9, November
27, 1952 and January 5, February 26, March 12 and 18, April 5, May 6 and
31, 1953 have been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed
me to answer you on his behalf.

The work has been greatly added to, here at the International Center,
owing to the inauguration of the Ten Year Crusade. In fact, the beloved
Guardian is finding it more and more difficult to keep up with his
letters, even the important National Spiritual Assembly ones.

In regard to various matters you have raised in your correspondence with
him:

The National Bahá’í Convention must be held during the twelve days
constituting the Ridván period. Each national assembly is free to choose
the dates that suit its convenience during that period.

The question of adhering strictly to the principle that every Spiritual
Assembly must be composed of voting members living within the civic limits
of the town, and that the Bahá’í Community of that town must likewise be
composed of residents within its civic limits, is of the utmost
importance. It is a matter of fundamental principle, and the Bahá’ís all
over the world must conform to it, especially now that the Cause is
becoming firmly established in so many nations. There is no objection if
the believers living in a certain area comprising a number of civic units,
join together to commemorate Bahá’í Holy Days, but Nineteen Day Feasts
should be held apart by each Assembly in question. There can be no
exceptions to these rules, and although it may temporarily diminish the
number of assemblies in your country, you should establish the Cause on
this firm foundation by next Bahá’í election.

Please send the Guardian ten copies of the “Paris Talks” and ten copies of
“Some Answered Questions” for the international libraries here, and ten
copies of any future publication in German.

He was very happy to hear that the visit of the Hands and of other Bahá’ís
traveling in Europe, was of such stimulation to the friends.

He hopes that as many of the German believers as possible will attend the
Stockholm Conference, which is very important for the future work in
Europe, and to which they can contribute a great deal by their
presence....

As regards the purchase of the land for the future Temple: He thinks it
does not need to be in the heart of the city; it could be in the suburbs
and an area of ten thousand square metres would be sufficient, less if
necessary. The Chicago Temple only seats 1200 people so it is not a very
large building. Your Temple could be smaller and competitive designs be
submitted. But the first step is to investigate the sites available and
inform the Guardian.

The step to which he attaches at present the greatest importance is the
dispatch of pioneers under the auspices of your Assembly to the virgin
territories alloted to the German and Austrian Bahá’ís under the Ten-Year
Plan. Naturally, at present it is out of the question to think of sending
anyone into the Soviet-dominated countries. But every effort should be
made to get someone off to Greece, a very important country and far too
long neglected. This Holy Year should witness, or at least this calendar
year, the filling of all goal posts which are not behind the Iron Curtain.
He hopes that some one of the friends will be able to find a position in
Greece, or to be sent there by you.

Likewise of great importance is the multiplication of centers on the home
front, particularly in Austria where such slow progress has been made. If
Austria is to have an independent National Assembly the work in that
country must be greatly accelerated in order to provide sufficient local
assemblies to serve as a firm foundation for the National Assembly. He
hopes that members of the German community will visit and teach there, and
use be made of any friends from other countries who may be able to work
there under the guidance of your assembly.

His loving thoughts and prayers are with you always, you may be sure....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

The expansion and consolidation of the institutions of the Faith of
Bahá’u’lláh, as a result of the operation of the Plan initiated by your
Assembly, on the morrow of one of the severest ordeals which has ever
afflicted the German Bahá’í Community, marks a chapter of the highest
importance in the annals of the Faith in both Germany and Austria and will
be regarded by posterity as a milestone of historic significance in the
evolution of the Faith on the European Continent. I greatly value the
exertions of both the German and Austrian Bahá’í Communities which have,
in recent years contributed so decisively to the rise and establishment of
the Bahá’í Administrative Order in the heart of that Continent, which is
destined to play a notable part in the prosecution of the world spiritual
Crusade recently launched under such auspicious circumstances by the
followers of Bahá’u’lláh in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

The German and Austrian Bahá’í Communities, on whom ‘Abdu’l-Bahá lavished
His favours, for whose future He cherished such high hopes, occupying such
a central position in a continent endowed with such great potentialities,
must by reason of their unique, and predominant position, their past
history, their virility, tenacity and splendid accomplishments, assume a
preponderating role in the conduct of a Crusade in which all Bahá’í
communities dwelling on the European mainland, both young and old, are
called upon to participate to the utmost of their capacity and with all
the resources at their disposal.

They stand, moreover, at this crucial hour in their destiny, on the
threshold of a new era in their history—the era that must witness the
initiation of their mission beyond the borders of their homeland, and one
which must culminate in their carrying the banner of the Faith of
Bahá’u’lláh across the eastern frontiers of Europe, and as far as the
territories lying in the heart of the Asiatic continent.

Their task is a twofold one. On the one hand, they must strive to
consolidate, by every means in their power, the work already accomplished
in their homelands; on the other they must initiate the meritorious task
of opening the virgin territories and islands allocated to them in
pursuance of the provisions of the Ten-Year Plan committed to their
charge.

On the homefront the most vital, the most strenuous and glorious task
confronting them—a task that will have far-reaching repercussions on not
only the fortunes of the Faith in their homeland but on the whole
continent as well, and is bound to exercise a far-reaching influence on
the destinies of the Faith throughout the world—is the initiation of
prompt and effective measures for the selection and purchase of the site
of the first Ma_sh_riqu’l-A_dh_kár in Europe to be followed by the
adoption of a suitable design and the necessary steps for its execution.

This enterprise is admittedly colossal, taking into consideration the
circumscribed resources of the two communities and their limited
membership. It will, however, as soon as it is set in motion, through the
initiative and efforts of your assembly, receive, in view of its cardinal
importance and world-wide significance, a substantial measure of
assistance from the world centre of the Faith and the various National
Assemblies throughout the Bahá’í world.

As soon as the site of the projected House of Worship is selected, either
within or in the immediate vicinity of the City of Frankfurt, which, owing
to the establishment of the Hazíratu’l-Quds within its confines, has come
to be regarded as the national Bahá’í Administrative Headquarters of your
Assembly,—an area that need not, for the present, exceed one or two
acres—steps will be taken by myself as well as by your sister-Assemblies
in both Hemispheres to aid you in this historic fate-laden enterprise
which will enable the continent of Europe, the third in the Bahá’í world,
to boast of having raised in its very heart, its own Bahá’í House of
Worship and which will, God willing, through its termination, at the
appointed hour, contribute an outstanding share to the projected
festivities which are to commemorate the centenary of the Declaration of
the Mission of the Founder of our Faith.

Second in importance and no less urgent a task is the opening, ere the
close of the current year, of the three virgin territories assigned to
your Assembly, through the despatch of at least one pioneer...

While these primary and urgent tasks are being diligently prosecuted, the
utmost effort should be exerted to stimulate the all-important process of
multiplying and consolidating the newly-established assemblies, groups and
isolated centres in both Germany and Austria as the essential
pre-requisite to the early formation of independent National Assemblies in
both countries occupying so central a position in the European continent,
and destined to play so vital a part in the promotion of the interests of
the Faith in the heart and in the eastern as well as the southern regions
of that continent.

The responsibilities devolving upon these two communities, in the course
of the coming ten years are enormous, pressing, sacred and inescapable.
The Plan committed to their care will inaugurate a new and glorious stage
in the unfoldment of their historic Mission—a stage that will enable them
to carry, for the first time in their history and in a systematic manner,
the banner of Bahá’u’lláh beyond the confines of their homelands.

Every sacrifice should be made, and all agencies, local, regional and
national, must energetically, whole-heartedly, and steadfastly
participate, to ensure a worthy inauguration and an efficient prosecution
of the Ten-Year Plan, on which the immediate fortunes of these communities
must necessarily depend. All without distinction of age, sex or calling
should arise and lend, to the utmost of their capacity, an impetus to the
progress of this tremendously important and dynamic process now operating
in the heart of Europe, and whose possibilities can only be dimly imagined
at present.

The hour is propitious for the members of your Assembly, reinforced by the
continual, the whole-hearted and strenuous exertions of the entire body of
the German and Austrian believers, to distinguish themselves in their
ceaseless efforts to attain the objectives of their Ten-Year Plan, by
deeds of such valour as will eclipse the feats achieved by them in the
past.

Cognizant of the splendid qualities that have characterized their
stewardship to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, fully aware of the services, they
have rendered, in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Bahá’í
activity, despite the severe and prolonged tests and trials which they
have experienced, I feel confident that these communities, so valiant, so
richly endowed, so tenacious in their faith and sterling in their
character, will, at this challenging hour grasp this priceless opportunity
for the display of still greater heroism and of a still more compelling
love and devotion to the Cause they love so dearly, to which they have
been so unwaveringly faithful and which they have served so long and so
well.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 4 AUGUST 1953


4 August 1953

Dear Bahá’í Co-workers:

The beloved Guardian has been greatly delighted with the reports he has
received from all over the Bahá’í world of the pioneers who have
volunteered for service in the virgin areas. It indicates a very
enthusiastic attitude on the part of all of the Bahá’ís toward the
Ten-Year Crusade; and he feels sure that if this spirit continues, it will
assure us of winning all of the goals set for the Crusade.

The Guardian asks that you send me by air mail, or by cable if possible,
the number of pioneer offers which your Assembly has received, the number
which have been settled, and the number which you are actively handling
for settlement.

The beloved Guardian sends his loving greetings to all the members of your
Assembly. He greatly values your devotion and sacrificial services in the
Cause of God....



LETTER OF 17 AUGUST 1953


17 August 1953

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has instructed me to write you on his behalf
concerning a gift which has been made by one of the very dear believers in
Persia, Mr. ... for the international activities of the Faith.

The Guardian has decided that at present he feels the best use for half of
this fund is to ask Mr. ... to give it to the National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of Germany and Austria, to be used for the building of the
Temple in Frankfurt. He has written Mr. ... to this effect; therefore in
due course you should receive 50000 tumans, or its equivalent in German
marks.

When this gift is received from this devoted believer, the beloved
Guardian would like you to write an appropriate letter of appreciation for
the very generous gift; sending the letter of appreciation to the
Guardian, so that he can see that it reaches Mr. ... safely.

The beloved Guardian sends his loving greetings to each and every one of
you....



LETTER OF 12 SEPTEMBER 1953 (YOUTH SUMMER SESSION)


12 September 1953 (Youth Summer Session)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has received the letter which you have sent him, and
has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

Now that the World Crusade has been launched, and is very actively
operating, as you have no doubt been informed by those believers who were
privileged to attend the third Intercontinental Teaching Conference
recently held in Stockholm, the Guardian is confident that you are fully
conscious of the tremendous responsibilities placed on the shoulders of
the German and Austrian Communities during the opening phase of this
Ten-Year Crusade; and that you are, one and all, arising to fulfill those
tasks in a befitting manner.

He will pray for you....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless, guide and sustain you in your devoted endeavours,
and enable you to win great victories in the service of His Faith,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 26 SEPTEMBER 1953 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


26 September 1953 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has received the loving letter you sent him, which
was signed by all those who attended the Summer School this year; and has
instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He was very happy to learn of the inspiration and the spiritual impulse
given to that gathering by those revered Hands of the Cause of God from
different countries who were there on that occasion.

Now that you are all familiar with the goals the Guardian has set before
the believers in the German and Austrian Communities, and particularly
those requiring consideration first, he is confident that you will arise
with one accord to accomplish these tasks in a befitting manner.

His loving prayers will surround you, as you proceed with your historic
labours....

P.S.—The Guardian appreciates the copy of the Program and the publicity
which you enclosed.

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty sustain and guide you in your highly valued activities,
enable you to extend the range of your services, and win great and
memorable victories in the days to come,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 15 OCTOBER 1953


15 October 1953

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

It is impossible for me to convey to you the great happiness of the
Guardian over the results achieved since the auspicious opening of the
Ten-Year Crusade.

The Guardian’s final cable to the Conference in New Delhi shared with the
friends the information that fifty of the virgin areas have been settled
as of October 14th, and fifty-four more have been assigned to pioneers.

The Guardian is urging every National Spiritual Assembly to get out its
pledged pioneers to the still unsettled virgin areas as fast as possible.

I attach hereto copy of a letter which has been sent to all pioneers,
asking for their complete names, and if possible a permanent address. Will
you please arrange for this information to be sent to me as additional
pioneers go into the field? What the Guardian wants is the complete name
of each pioneer with accurate spelling.

The Guardian sends you all his loving greetings, and assures you of his
prayers for the success of your arduous labours....



LETTER OF 26 NOVEMBER 1953


26 November 1953

Dear Bahá’í Friend:

Your loving letter of November 9th reached me on my return from a short
visit in Switzerland and France.

I did have the pleasure of meeting the Lehnes in Zurich, and was more than
delighted to have this contact with two of the sincere and
self-sacrificing German Bahá’ís, who are now winning so many victories for
the Faith.

I spoke to our beloved Guardian with regard to the Frisian Islands. He
said that regardless of the fact that a number of the islands are Dutch
and others German, that the administrative work in all the Frisian Islands
should be under the German N.S.A., as assigned in the outline of the
Ten-Year Crusade. The Guardian stated that he had likewise informed the
American N.S.A. to this effect.

The beloved Guardian is very happy over the reports that are being
received of the progress of the Ten-Year Crusade. All but one of the
countries, outside of the iron curtain, have now been settled or assigned
to pioneers. The total number of areas which have been settled under the
Ten-Year Crusade, during this period of a little over 6 months since its
launching, now totals 71. It is surely remarkable, and one of the great
victories of the Faith.

The Guardian sends his loving greetings to you. He prays for your guidance
and confirmation....



LETTER OF 14 FEBRUARY 1954


14 February 1954

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your comprehensive letter of February 5th, replacing your letter of
February 3rd; also your letter of February 7th, dealing with the question
of site for the Bahá’í Temple in Frankfurt, has been received by the
beloved Guardian, and he has asked me to acknowledge them on his behalf.

The Guardian was very much impressed with the clear and concise outline of
the investigations which you have made, giving him the best possible
opportunity to understand the situation fully.

The beloved Guardian feels that site “C”, Steinbacher-Hohe, appears to be
the most suitable for the Bahá’í Temple and future developments. He feels
therefore that your Assembly should immediately arrange for the prompt
purchase of some of the land.

While it would be desirable of course to buy an extensive piece of
property, the finances of the German National Assembly, and the financial
obligations all over the Bahá’í world, make it impossible to buy a large
piece at this time; and therefore he feels you should purchase
approximately 10,000 square meters, which it is his understanding would
cost approximately $10,000. Should there be available more than the
$8,000. in the bank to your Assembly, the Guardian would see no serious
objection to purchasing a little additional land, so that the entire
expense would not be over $12,000.

It is noted in your communication you state you have $8,000. in the bank
in Zurich; but that pledges made at Stockholm bring the total amount up to
about $12,000. At the Guardian’s direction, I am endeavoring to correlate
all contributions and funds, so we may know the total amount available.

In order to help clarify this matter, will you please send me a statement
of the funds which are available in Zurich, and in Germany, if any, giving
a list of the contributions which have been received. If there have been a
number of small contributions, the Guardian does not require that
information, but simply information as to how much money was contributed
at Stockholm, for instance, how much has been received from large donors,
how much from the friends in Germany itself, etc.

At the same time, I am writing out to other areas, to see if any money is
being held for the account of your Assembly for the purchase of land, in
any other areas.

The important thing now is to procure the land. The Guardian states it is
not necessary for you to refer back to him any specific details regarding
the land; inasmuch as it has now been decided to purchase land in
Steinbacher-Hohe. He leaves it to your Assembly to pick out the best piece
of land in the area for the Temple itself. Later on, when financial
conditions in Germany, and in the Faith generally, are better,
consideration can be given to additional land for Temple accessories, etc.

The Guardian states it is satisfactory to secure designs etc. from
architects, both Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í, from Germany and also from other
countries. In other words, you are free to handle this matter actively,
submitting designs to the Guardian as they are received by you. The
Guardian of course wishes the Bahá’í architects to have an opportunity to
submit their views concerning this sacred edifice.

In connection with your question of how you should proceed, if it is
suitable to ask for designs by architects outside of Germany; this of
course is left for you to handle in your own way. Of course it is suitable
for you to correspond with the Spiritual Assemblies in the countries
involved, asking them to be of assistance in this important matter.

The Guardian is very hopeful that you may be able to conclude the purchase
of the land, by the middle of April. It will be a great victory for the
Faith, if it can be accomplished within the first year of the Ten-Year
Crusade.

The Guardian assures you of his prayers in your behalf, that every
obstacle may be removed from your path, and your actions be both guided
and confirmed....

P.S. In your letter of February 3rd; the maps attached; and your letter of
February 7th, you refer to Steinbacher Hohe as No. C. while in your letter
of February 5th, you refer to it as No. B. So that all documents may have
the same reference, I have changed your letter of February 5th, to show
Steinbacher Hohe, as No. C.; and Forsthausstrasse as No. B.



LETTER OF 3 APRIL 1954


3 April 1954

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian is very anxious to have full information concerning
the pioneers in the virgin areas of the Ten-Year Crusade. In order to
complete the records which I have been compiling for him, can you give me
the following information:

Frisian Islands: Please let me have the address of Miss Gertrude
Ankersmidt, in the Frisian Isles....



LETTER OF 17 APRIL 1954


17 April 1954

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

At the instruction of our beloved Guardian, I am forwarding you herewith
his Convention Message. He wishes you to have it read aloud to the
assembled delegates, and then published and circulated among the
believers....



LETTER OF 21 APRIL 1954


21 April 1954

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

I am forwarding you herewith a copy of the Guardian’s Convention Message
which was mailed you a short time ago. As there is a pilgrim leaving, he
is taking the precaution of having this mailed in Europe.

I hope it reaches you in time for the Convention....



LETTER OF 30 APRIL 1954


30 April 1954

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY 11400 SQUARE METERS SUFFICIENT TEMPLE SITE.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 2 MAY 1954


2 May 1954

WELCOME REDEDICATION DELEGATES URGE INTENSIFICATION EFFORTS ATTAINMENT
GOALS LOVING REMEMBRANCES SHRINES.

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 28 MAY 1954


28 May 1954

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has instructed me to write you concerning an action
recently taken by your National Assembly, as published in your
January-February Bahá’í News, that non-Bahá’ís may attend 19-Day Feasts if
“the earnestness of their interest in the Faith” is vouched for by a
declared believer.

The Guardian wishes me to direct your attention to the fact that none of
the institutions of the Faith nor its cardinal principles may be changed
under any circumstances.

The 19-Day Feast is an institution of the Cause, first established by the
Báb, later confirmed by Bahá’u’lláh, and now made a prominent part of the
administrative order of the Faith. These 19-Day Feasts are for the
Bahá’ís, and the Bahá’ís exclusively, and no variation from this principle
is permitted.

Thus the Guardian feels you should rescind the action taken by your
Assembly in opening the Feasts to “near Bahá’ís”, as it is not consistent
with the spirit of the administrative order for non-Bahá’ís or near
Bahá’ís to attend the 19-Day Feasts, particularly the administrative
portion of the Feast.

The Guardian realizes the spirit which animated you in making the
suggested proposal, in order that the teaching work might go forward more
aggressively; but he feels in the long run it would be detrimental to the
Faith, and therefore should be rescinded as indicated above.

The Guardian sends you his loving greetings....



LETTER OF 8 JUNE 1954


8 June 1954

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has been greatly pleased with the achievements of the
friends throughout the world during the first year of the Ten-Year
Crusade. Victories were won in all parts of the world, and on many fronts.
The Faith was established in 101 countries of the world, bringing the
light of guidance to 229 countries and islands.

We now enter the second phase of the Ten-Year Crusade.

The Guardian’s message to the Convention has outlined the goals to be
achieved during this second phase.

One of the important items was the purchase of Hazíratu’l-Quds for future
National Spiritual Assemblies. The Guardian feels that immediate steps
should be taken to fulfil a part of this project. In all, there are 49
Hazíratu’l-Quds to be purchased—4 already are owned. He feels that during
the second year of the Crusade, 17 additional Hazíratu’l-Quds should be
purchased. These should not be elaborate structures, but modest houses,
which can serve at the present time, as local Hazíratu’l-Quds, but which
will be converted into National Hazíratu’l-Quds as soon as the National
Assemblies are formed.

The Guardian feels that steps should be taken immediately to purchase the
Hazíratu’l-Quds in Vienna. A fund should be started so that the friends
may contribute to this important project when they wish.

The Guardian has been informed that a small property has been procured in
Vienna, to serve as a Headquarters. He is anxious to know if this property
has been purchased, or is being rented. If it has been purchased, and is
an independent property, it of course can serve temporarily as a Hazírá
for the local Assembly, and then later be made the National Hazírá. If, on
the other hand, the building is being rented, and it is satisfactory,
efforts should be made to purchase it. If it cannot be purchased, then
some other small property should be bought. The Guardian wishes it clearly
understood that a Hazírá must be a piece of land owned by the Bahá’ís, and
not a rented piece of property.

The Guardian will appreciate advice from you as quickly as possible of the
steps being taken to fulfill this important task of the second phase of
the Ten-Year Plan. He feels this property should be purchased during the
current year....

P.S.—The Guardian requests that you inform all the friends that their most
important duty at the present time is the fulfillment of the tasks of the
Ten-Year Crusade. This calls for the sacrifice of local activities in
order that the national and international development of the Faith may go
forward uninterruptedly. No local institutions should be started. The
National Assembly should see that money is not spent on local centers at
this time, and the friends should be encouraged to concentrate on the
national and international activities of the Faith.



LETTER OF 25 JUNE 1954


25 June 1954

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The letters of your Assembly dated June 18, August 11, September 2 (4),
13, October 14, November 9 and 24, 1953, and January 16 (2), February 3, 5
(2), 7, 11, March 7, April 19, May 12 and June 19, 1954, with their
enclosures, as well as the material forwarded under separate cover, have
all been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to
answer you on his behalf.

He is sorry that pressure of work prevented him from writing more
frequently to the National Spiritual Assemblies, including your own.
Indeed, he is beginning to wonder how much longer he can go on attending
to the multiplying affairs of the Cause of today, and keeping up
correspondence as well.

He is very pleased to see that the work in Germany is really going forward
at a visibly more rapid rate. The German friends, one of the oldest
Communities in Europe, so devoted and loyal, and who have suffered so much
during two wars, are beginning at last to see the institutions of their
Faith emerging in their native land in a more concrete form than the realm
of hope and dreams.

The national Hazíratu’l-Quds, which was purchased so shortly after the end
of the last world conflagration, has now been followed by the plan for the
first Bahá’í Temple on European soil, a truly noble and inspiring
undertaking.

In this connection he wishes to say that he is very sorry he could not
agree to the proposals you sent him so far. As your Assembly is aware, the
Bahá’ís all over the world are building up national institutions and
purchasing, in various areas, Temple sites, etc. It is only natural that
each Assembly should feel justified in making an initial suitable
investment for its Temple site or its national Hazíratu’l-Quds. However,
the Guardian, to whom all the news comes from all over the world, is
forced to face the fact that if your Assembly, the Canadian Assembly, the
British Community, the Italian-Swiss Assembly etc. etc. each pays as heavy
sums for its Bahá’í Temple site or national headquarters as they propose
to in these reports, which they send him, the Bahá’í world would never be
able to get out of debt. Desirable as each place is, when considered from
a local standpoint, it becomes on an international scale, a program that
is financially impossible. That is why he urged your Assembly to
drastically curtail the area and the price. He has done the same thing in
many other parts of the world. He hopes that you will shortly be able to
purchase the land required.

There now remains the important consideration of a design for the
Ma_sh_riqu’l-A_dh_kár. It does not matter whether it is executed by a
Bahá’í or a non-Bahá’í architect, but the essential thing is that it must
be beautiful and dignified. There must be none of this hideous,
exaggerated, bizarre style, which one sees in many modern buildings. It is
not befitting for our House of Worship. He thinks that you should impress
this on any architects wishing to submit drawings. The essentials of the
design, as stipulated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are that the building should be
nine-sided, and circular in shape. Aside from this, the architect is not
restricted in any way in choosing his style of design.

Whenever you have a sufficient collection of drawings, he would be pleased
to receive them, and give you his advice.

A very large building at this time is not necessary, as the expense would
overtax our resources too heavily; and the Persian Bahá’ís, who are so
much more numerous, will have to, during the coming nine years, build a
much larger and more pretentious structure in Ṭihrán, and consequently a
more expensive one.

Regarding the matter of ...: individual Bahá’ís are always encouraged to
travel and teach, and no doubt he has been of much assistance in Germany.
The Guardian, however, feels your Assembly was quite right in considering
that your limited financial resources should be spent supporting pioneers,
rather than a travelling teacher in Germany.

The eagerness of the friends to serve, often carries them away, and they
forget that a sound sense of business management is also much needed, if
we are to harbour our resources and accomplish all our goals.

He was delighted to see that so many of the Bahá’ís from Germany were
present at the Stockholm Conference, and that they were able to meet with
their colleagues from Austria. He hopes that your teaching work in Austria
will make marked progress during the present year. The Cause there has
been too long neglected, and undoubtedly there is a very fertile field,
waiting only to be cultivated, in order to yield a rich harvest.

It has indeed been a great blessing to the German Community to receive the
visits of so many Hands of the Cause of God from abroad during the past
year.

He hopes that the auxiliary Board for Europe recently established, will be
of great help in the work to be carried out by the administrative bodies
throughout Europe.

The most important thing is to keep the pioneer territories which have
been settled open. There must be no lapse. The friends must be urged to
remain at their posts at all costs. They must remember the glorious
example of Marion Jack, who recently passed away in Bulgaria, after almost
30 years of devoting her life to teaching the Faith in that country of her
choice. As many of you who knew her personally will recall, her health was
very bad, as far back as 1935, when she attended the Esslingen Summer
School. It certainly never improved. She was bombed, evacuated, she slept
in some drafty, cold room in a school in the country, was often, we have
reason to believe, almost hungry, and insufficiently clad after the war,
due to difficulties in getting money through to her in an Soviet-dominated
territory. She never mastered the language, and was without friends of her
own country; and yet, she persevered, and, in spite of even the Guardian’s
pleas that she leave the country during the worst years of the war,
remained at her post, and won for herself imperishable fame, her
resting-place becoming a shrine in Bulgaria, which the people of that
country will increasingly honour and cherish.

It is to this glorious soul that the present generation of pioneers must
look for inspiration and example.

He is very happy that the German Bahá’ís have been able to settle in Crete
and the Frisian Islands, a great step forward, when one realizes how much
their activities have been circumscribed, during the past thirty years, by
circumstances over which they had no control.

He thanks you for sending him ten copies of each of your new publications,
and would like you to continue doing so, as any new literature comes out.

So far he has not received any copies of “God Passes By” in German, but is
hoping to do so.

He appreciates very much the sentiments you expressed to him in connection
with the loss of our dear Hands of the Cause, Mr. Schopflocher and Mrs.
Baker. The friends everywhere must try and make up for the work these
devoted and consecrated souls would have done, had they not passed to the
Abhá Kingdom. In this way they can best express their admiration and
gratitude.

He is very happy to see that your National Convention has been so
successful, and that the influence of the future Temple is already being
felt, and attracting the hearts of the believers, including many
previously inactive. It shows what these Bahá’í institutions are going to
do as they develop.

You may be sure that he remembers all the members of your Assembly in his
loving prayers in the holy Shrines, and supplicates that the German and
Austrian Bahá’í Communities may exceed all their past records of
achievement during this present Bahá’í year....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

The achievements of the German and Austrian Bahá’í communities, since the
launching of the Ten-Year Global Crusade, embarked upon by the followers
of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, mark a notable advancement in the progress
and consolidation of the Faith in the heart of the European continent. The
weighty and historic task so valiantly shouldered by both of these
communities has been splendidly initiated, and must, as the Plan unfolds,
be prosecuted with increasing vigilance, unswerving resolve, whole-hearted
consecration, complete unity, and exemplary steadfastness.

The greatest, most pressing and sacred enterprise, challenging the spirit
and resources of all the members of both of these communities—the purchase
of the land, for the first Ma_sh_riqu’l-A_dh_kár of Europe and the prompt
initiation of measures for its construction—demands, during this present
phase of the Crusade, the utmost concentration of effort, and the most
sublime sacrifice on the part of the German and Austrian believers—an
effort and sacrifice in which their brethren, in both the East, and the
West, will gladly participate, as a token of their appreciation of the
historic significance of this mighty institution destined to be firmly
established and radiate its beneficent influence in the very heart of that
continent.

The purchase of the site must be expedited, the selection of a befitting
design for so glorious an edifice must be made with as little delay as
possible, and the preliminary steps for the excavation of the foundations
must be undertaken with care, promptitude and determination.

The rise of this symbol and harbinger of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh,
as yet in the embryonic stage of its development, amidst the confusion,
the anxieties, the rivalries and the recurrent crises that mark the
decline of a moribund civilization, will, no doubt, lend a tremendous
impetus to the onward march of the Faith in all the continents of the
Globe, and will, more than any other single act, direct the attention of
the spiritually impoverished, the economically afflicted, the socially
disturbed, and the morally disoriented masses of a sorely tried continent
to its nascent institutions.

Parallel with these measures, destined to contribute so effectively to the
rise and establishment of the Administrative Order of the Faith in both
Germany and Austria, a systematic effort must be exerted by the national
elected representatives of the Bahá’í communities in these two countries
to multiply, as speedily as possible, the assemblies, groups and isolated
centres, through a wider dispersal on the part of the believers, and the
launching of an intensive campaign of teaching designed to increase,
swiftly and steadily the number of the active supporters of the Faith.

The pioneers who have so valiantly settled in the virgin areas assigned to
the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Germany and Austria,
must, however great the sacrifice, safeguard the prizes so laboriously
won, and strive, by every means in their power, to consolidate, through
extensive teaching work, their splendid and unforgettable achievements.

While this double process of multiplication of Bahá’í centres, and
development of the newly opened areas, is being assiduously carried out, a
no less notable progress must be made in the consolidation of these two
communities, through the initiation of local incorporations which will
pave the way for the establishment of local Bahá’í endowments, and will
serve to reinforce the foundations of all local Bahá’í communities.

The establishment of a national Hazíratu’l-Quds in the capital city of
Austria, as well as of national endowments in that country—measures that
will herald the formation of an independent National Spiritual Assembly,
and the erection of yet another pillar of the Universal House of Justice,
in the heart of the European continent—should be regarded as the paramount
objectives of this second phase of the Ten-Year Crusade which we are now
entering.

No less vital and urgent is the task of establishing, in the course of
this second stage in the unfoldment of this world spiritual Crusade, of a
Bahá’í Publishing Trust, similar, in its essentials, to the one already
functioning in the British Isles, and of lending a fresh impetus to the
translation, the publication and dissemination of Bahá’í literature in the
German language—a task which will greatly accelerate the all-important
teaching work, and enhance the prestige of the Faith, and promote the
vital interests of its institutions.

The Community of the German and Austrian believers, the recipient of such
signal honours from the Center of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant in the past; born
and nurtured in its infancy under His fostering care in the course of the
concluding decades of the Apostolic Age of the Faith; eminently successful
in laying the foundations of its Administrative Order in the years
immediately following His Ascension; emerging, purified and strengthened,
from the fire of a severe and prolonged ordeal after the conclusion of the
second world war; demonstrating its capacity and resilience through the
initiation and prosecution of a carefully designed Plan, despite the
exhaustion of a terrible and harrowing conflict that endangered its life
and shook it to its foundations,—such a community has now risen to assume
its rightful place in the world-encompassing Crusade launched by the
followers of Bahá’u’lláh; has splendidly initiated its Ten-Year Plan
through the inauguration of its glorious Mission in foreign fields, and is
now forging ahead, with magnificent courage, resolution, thoroughness, and
fidelity, in its endeavour to win fresh laurels in the course of this
second and newly opened stage in the unfoldment of the Plan to which it
stands committed.

May the vision of its members remain undimmed, their resolution never
flag, their steps never falter. May they, as the years go by, demonstrate
afresh the solidity of their faith, the nobility of their motives, the
sublimity of their devotion, the tenacity of their resolution, in the
service of a Faith they have served so devotedly in the past and which
they will, undoubtedly, promote with unabated zeal, in the future,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 28 JUNE 1954


28 June 1954

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your loving letter of June 9th has come to hand, telling of the activities
of the friends in connection with the development of the teaching work in
Germany and Austria, as well as in the pioneering fields.

So far as the questions you ask are concerned, the following will answer
question Number 1, as this is a matter which the Guardian has elucidated.

The direction of the pioneers is entirely in the hands of the National
Assemblies under whom they are serving. The Guardian simply enunciates the
principle, and then it is up to the National Assemblies to apply that
principle. The principle is that pioneers entering the pioneer field
should realize that they are going there to represent the Cause, in fact,
to be the Cause.

Their minds and their hearts should be centered in their new tasks and in
their new environment. They should not be thinking of when they can return
home, or when they can go somewhere else. Only when the Faith is firmly
established should they give any thought to moving, and then, only in
consultation with the National Assembly.

So far as pioneers taking a holiday is concerned, that is entirely in the
hands of the National Assembly. You can appreciate that all of this
depends upon location, and to a certain extent, funds. If a person feels
they need a little change for a week or two, that of course is something
which should be handled in each case.

The Guardian does not wish to make any hard and fast rules on any of these
matters.

I will write you again in response to the other questions when the
Guardian has given his advice....



LETTER OF 23 JULY 1954


23 July 1954

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Will you please refer to your letter of June 9th and my acknowledgment of
June 28th, in which you raise certain questions. The beloved Guardian has
directed me to give you the answers as follows:

Number 2: He feels your plan of giving individuals, who became Bahá’ís in
France, but who have not yet given up their church affiliation, one year
in which to do so, is satisfactory.

Number 3: Up to the age of 15 years, children are under the direction of
their parents. At the age of 15, they may declare their Faith as a
conviction, and be registered as Bahá’í youth, whether the parents are
Bahá’ís or not. Children under the age of 15, of Bahá’í parents, who wish
to attend meetings and associate with the friends as Bahá’ís may do so. If
non-Bahá’í parents permit a child of less than 15 to attend Bahá’í
meetings, and in fact, to be a Bahá’í, this is likewise permissible.

Number 4: The beloved Guardian instructs that whenever an Assembly loses
some members between the Ridván periods, bringing the membership to less
than 9, the Assembly reverts immediately to Group status. However, when
they get a sufficient number of new members to reach 9, then they
immediately become an Assembly again.

The beloved Guardian greatly values your devoted services to the Faith,
and the manner in which you are undertaking the heavy responsibilities of
propagating the Faith, as well as consolidating its institutions.

He assures you of his prayers in your behalf, and sends you his loving
greetings....



LETTER OF 27 SEPTEMBER 1954 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


27 September 1954 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The note of loving greeting, which was signed by all those present at the
Summer School, has been received by the beloved Guardian, and this is just
a brief note of acknowledgment on his behalf.

He was very happy to see that it was possible for so many of the friends
to be present, and that you had the bounty of having the favored Hand of
the Cause, Dr. Mühlschlegel, with you. He feels sure such a gathering must
have released new strength and zeal; and that each one will now determine
to double or even treble his past efforts during the second year of this
historic Ten-Year Crusade.

He sends you all his loving greetings....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless your efforts, aid you to promote, at all times, the
vital interests of His Faith, and contribute continually to the
multiplication and consolidation of its nascent and divinely appointed
institutions,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 18 NOVEMBER 1954


18 November 1954

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

This will acknowledge receipt of your kind letter of November 9th,
advising that you have received the gift of Three Thousand Dollars, which
the beloved Guardian has sent for your Temple fund.

I will inform the Guardian of your deep appreciation of his gift.

So far as the establishment of the Israel Branch of the National Spiritual
Assembly of Germany and Austria is concerned, there is nothing for you to
do in connection therewith at this time. This matter will be handled here
in the Holy Land. When it is consummated, it may be necessary and
advisable for your National Assembly to pass certain resolutions in
connection with it, but I will inform you about this in due course.

At the moment it does not seem propitious for the establishment of further
Israel Branches at this time; and the Guardian has therefore instructed
that this matter be delayed a little longer. You may be sure however it
will be taken care of in due course.

With loving greetings to you and all the members of the National
Assembly....



LETTER OF 12 DECEMBER 1954


12 December 1954

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter of November 26th was received by the beloved Guardian, and he
has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He is very happy to see the spirit of love and unity animating you,
because without this no work can go forward in the Cause of God. Personal
differences of opinion, of character etc. must melt away in the love of
the friends for Bahá’u’lláh, and their desire to serve His Cause.

He hopes that in the near future the Vienna Community will have its
Hazíratu’l-Quds, to which he attaches the greatest importance, as it will
be the visible sign of the firm foundation on which that Community stands.

He will pray for you all, and for the rapid spread of the Faith through
your efforts....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless your meritorious efforts, reward you abundantly for
your valued and constant services, and enable you to achieve great and
memorable victories in the days to come,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 10 FEBRUARY 1955


10 February 1955

Dear Mrs. Grossmann:

Your loving letter of December 27th is here on my return from Europe.

I am under the impression you asked me when in Germany whether the message
of our Beloved Guardian of November 27th, should be shared with the
Friends. In any event, the Guardian surely does wish this important
message shared with all the Friends. While the wording of the last
paragraph might seem a little obscure, yet the Guardian’s intention was
that all National Assemblies should be sent a copy, and they in turn
release it to the Friends.

We have corrected the records to show that the number of declared
Adherents to the Faith in Iraklion, Crete is one, and not two....



LETTER OF 10 FEBRUARY 1955


10 February 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The Beloved Guardian has directed that I write you in connection with the
Temple project for Germany.

He is anxious to receive the latest word with regard to the purchase of
the site for the Temple, hoping all the problems have now cleared up, or
will soon be cleared up and ownership be vested with your body.

He also feels that you should proceed with the preparation of designs for
the Temple, which he understands you will arrange by means of a
competition of architects. He feels you should proceed with this phase of
the Temple regardless of the question of land ownership. Time is moving
along rapidly, and he hopes it will not be too long before the design is
chosen.

In passing, there is one point to be mentioned; and that is that the
Temple in Wilmette does not constitute a pattern for other Temples, nor
does it represent a new type of Bahá’í architecture. Therefore it is not
necessary for your architects to endeavour to follow that pattern. What
should be done is to follow the Master’s instructions as to the Temple,
and then create something that will be desirable and appropriate for your
area....



LETTER OF 23 FEBRUARY 1955


23 February 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian is very closely watching the development of the Ten
Year Crusade on all fronts. One of the goals of the second phase of the
Ten Year Crusade is the incorporation of local and national assemblies.

The Guardian is hoping that your National Assembly may take this important
matter in hand, so that during the coming Bahá’í year, as many as possible
of your local assemblies will become incorporated. He feels this is a very
important activity, and one which you should follow up just as closely as
possible.

Will you please send me a report for the Guardian of any activities along
this line which are underway; and if not, what can be done to set such a
program in motion.

It is needless for me to comment of course on the fact that another one of
the major objectives of the second phase of the Ten Year Crusade is the
multiplication of Bahá’í centers, and particularly the development of
Bahá’í groups into assemblies. The way in which this can be best
accomplished is by the Bahá’ís in the larger centers dispersing to weak
areas or to entirely new centers.

The Guardian sends you his loving greetings....



LETTER OF 23 FEBRUARY 1955


23 February 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Please refer to copy of my letter of April 20th to Dr. Giachery, with a
copy to you, with regard to specifications for Bahá’í Temples.

The Beloved Guardian has asked me to write to you, explaining that while
the question of a Dome for a Bahá’í Temple, is not specified in the
Teachings, yet he feels that for the Temple in Germany, you should plan a
building with a central Dome. He thinks it would enhance the beauty of the
structure now being planned for Frankfurt....



LETTER OF 8 MARCH 1955


8 March 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian is very anxious to secure, as quickly as possible,
data concerning the Hazíratu’l-Quds which have been acquired in connection
with the goals of the Ten Year Crusade. To this end, he would very greatly
appreciate your sending me by return air mail the information concerning
the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Vienna.

He would like to know the area of land involved, the size of the building,
so far as number of rooms is concerned, the original purchase price of the
Hazíratu’l-Quds, the expenses of the transaction, and then the total cost.

The Guardian asks that this be sent to me by return air mail....



LETTER OF 11 MARCH 1955


11 March 1955

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your loving letter of February 25th has just come to hand.

It was a great pleasure for me to have been able to visit the friends in
Frankfurt and Stuttgart; and we will long remember the loving hospitality
which was extended to us by all the friends.

I do not know what more can be done in behalf of... Certain members if the
American N.S.A. are in close touch with the authorities in Washington; and
if they have written you that nothing more can be done, I think that is
the last word; at least I have nothing more which I can suggest.

Please give my deep love to all the members of the National Assembly....



LETTER OF 29 MARCH 1955


29 March 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

On April 21st we will enter the last year of the second phase of the Ten
Year Crusade. As you know, one of the objectives of this second phase is
the rapid multiplication of Assemblies, Groups and Centres throughout the
world.

During the past year, a great deal has been accomplished by the friends in
their efforts to disperse from the large centres of population in order to
build up the goal cities and establish new centres. However we have not
accomplished a great deal in the way of increasing the number of Bahá’ís,
nor the number of Spiritual Assemblies.

The beloved Guardian sincerely hopes you will make it a point of major
study and consideration on the part of your Assembly, so that the entire
Community may lend itself to the accomplishment of this great goal during
the coming year. Foundations must be laid for many more Assemblies. The
friends must disperse from the large centres of population. Our teaching
work must become so sanctified and penetrating that many, many souls will
be confirmed. The friends should go forward on this great task in a very
determined manner in order to establish as many new Assemblies during the
coming year as are possible.

In letters which have come to the beloved Guardian, he has noted the
friends feel there is no need to establish new Assemblies until 1963.

The Ten Year Crusade ends in 1963; but as many of the goals should be won
as quickly as is possible. It should certainly be clear to all of the
friends that we cannot hold off on winning the various goals of our tasks
until the last year of the Crusade. They should be won just as quickly as
possible. Furthermore, there are many tasks of the Crusade which the
Guardian is not launching until preliminary goals have been won. For
instance, it would be impossible to establish National Assemblies in all
of the areas proposed until there are more Bahá’ís, more Groups and more
Assemblies in those countries.

On the home front, further tasks are dependent upon the winning of
victories now. The Guardian hopes the keynote of the teaching work on the
home front during the current year will be the dispersion of the friends
on an unprecedented scale, and the winning of as many Assemblies as is
possible....



LETTER OF 20 APRIL 1955


20 April 1955

Dear Ugo:

I have your favor of April 10th, telling of your visit with the German
Architect, Prof. Dr. Bartning, and his explanation to you of the elements
to be incorporated in the new Temple for Germany.

The Beloved Guardian explains that there is no requirement for one window
to be oriented toward the East. In fact, he feels this should not be done;
otherwise it will take on a practice of the Moslems with regard to their
prayer niche, etc. I am sending a copy of this note to the German NSA, so
they will understand.

The Guardian has also indicated that there is nothing in the teaching
requiring one dome for the building, in fact, any dome. It is of course
more beautiful, generally to have a dome, or even domes, but that is not a
necessary requirement of the Temple.

Likewise the Guardian indicates, it is not essential that there be nine
doors.

The real requisite is that the building should be circular in shape,
having nine sides; that there should be nine gardens, walks, etc....



LETTER OF 1 MAY 1955 (CONVENTION)


1 May 1955 (Convention)

DEEPLY APPRECIATE MESSAGE. URGE DELEGATES ROUSE ALL COMMUNITIES EXERT
SUPREME EFFORT COURSE LAST YEAR SECOND PHASE CRUSADE MULTIPLICATION
CENTERS ASSEMBLIES CONSOLIDATION ALLOTED NEWLY OPENED TERRITORIES
INTENSIFICATION TEACHING ACTIVITIES INCORPORATION ASSEMBLIES ESTABLISHMENT
ENDOWMENTS PUBLISHING TRUST. URGE CONCENTRATION EXTENSION WORK AUSTRIA
EXPEDITE PRELIMINARIES CONSTRUCTION TEMPLE SUPPLICATING ABUNDANT BLESSINGS

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 1 JULY 1955


1 July 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian was very happy indeed to learn of the confirmation of
an additional Bahá’í in the Island of Crete.

The Guardian is very anxious to know the racial background of the new
Bahá’ís in these new areas. I am wondering therefore if you could let me
know what the nationality is of the first new Bahá’í in Crete, as well as
this second Bahá’í.

The Guardian is anxious to know if either one of these two are pure Greek
stock....



LETTER OF 2 AUGUST 1955


2 August 1955

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letters of June 11, July 16 and 22, August 30, October 12 and 17,
November 2 and 17 and December 10, 1954; and January 31 and February 19,
April 28 and May 21, 1955, with their various enclosures, have all been
recived by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on
his behalf.

As the work of the Ten-Year Crusade steadily grows, he finds it more and
more difficult to correspond with the National Assemblies frequently; and
indeed is wondering what will be the situation in a few years’ time, when
we have so many additional National Bodies. This explains why you have not
heard from him before.

He was very happy to hear that the Vienna Hazíratu’l-Quds has been
purchased, as this eliminates one of the important goals assigned to your
Assembly under the Ten-Year Plan. He will be pleased to see photographs of
the building.

He feels that your action in advising the Crete pioneers to be very
discreet in all respects, and your decision to correspond with them for
the time being through their parents, were very wise.

The friends who have gone forth to new lands cannot be too careful. Unless
they can stay long enough to convert at least a small group of people, who
will be firmly grounded in the Faith, and continue to work if they are
forced to leave, a great deal of time and money will have been wasted, and
the progress of the Plan suffer a serious setback.

He will certainly pray for the pioneers there, for their protection and
their guidance. They should by all means persevere and act discreetly.

He was very satisfied to hear of the progress made at the Teaching
Conference held in Frankfurt under the aegis of the European Hands. He
feels sure that this helped to stimulate and coordinate the work.
Association and consultation, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá so repeatedly emphasized,
have a great effect on the friends, and enable them to see the work of the
Cause as a whole, rather than as a small local enterprise in which their
personalities and other people’s personalities often conflict; and
challenge them to arise and go forth into new fields, in order to spread
the Faith far and wide.

The Guardian attaches the greatest importance to the Temple enterprise. He
feels that if, for any reason, you do not win the case and get permission
to build the Temple on the land you have already chosen, a new piece of
land must be speedily bought. He is hoping that the case will be
satisfactorily settled, and that there will be no necessity for you to
look further.

The preparation of designs for the Temple he feels, however, should not
wait upon the conclusion of the court case. It is going to take some time
to receive designs, to forward them to him for his advice, and to
incorporate any possible changes that may be deemed necessary, if one of
the designs is found satisfactory. He therefore advises you to open the
competition as soon as you can, and not lose any more time.

He wishes at this juncture to stress to your Assembly the need for
economy. The Temple must naturally be a dignified and worthy edifice. He
does not consider that any of these modernistic experiments in
architecture are at all suitable for a building of this nature, lacking as
they so often do, beauty and dignity.

He also considers that the building should be a relatively small one, both
because of the size of the Community in Germany, and the financial
resources of the Faith at present. The most important thing of all is to
build this first Temple on European soil.

In the days when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was urging the American Bahá’ís to build the
first Ma_sh_riqu’l-A_dh_kár of the western world, He repeatedly emphasized
that it could be a modest building, and that the important thing was the
spiritual element that this House of Worship in the name of Bahá’u’lláh
should be raised in the heart of America. The same thing applies now to
your Temple in Germany. Size and pretentiousness are not important. The
important thing is that the building should be speedily erected, and be a
financial possibility, not placing, as the American Temple, a terrible
strain on the friends for years to come.

He is happy to see that the German friends have been able, during the last
few years, to move about much more, attend conferences in other European
countries, go forth as pioneers, and gradually increase the number of
centres in Germany and Austria. He attaches the greatest importance to
this because one of the main tasks of your Assembly is to insure that
Austria will have an independent National Assembly by the end of the Plan;
and she cannot do this unless she multiplies her Spiritual Assemblies in
order to build a broad foundation for the National Body. He hopes you will
constantly encourage the Vienna Bahá’ís and the isolated believers in
Austria to increase their teaching activities, to strengthen the work of
the Faith, to pioneer in new centres, and, above all, to be united; as
unity is one of the greatest forces at our disposal for achieving the work
of the Cause.

He assures you one and all that he remembers you most lovingly in his
prayers in the holy Shrine, and supplicates for the removal of every
obstacle in your path and the attainment of all your goals....

P.S. The Guardian wishes particularly to thank you all for your loving
message to him on the occasion of Ridván, which he appreciated receiving
very much. He assures you all that he prays that great victories may
attend your efforts to spread the Faith and consolidate its foundations.

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

The steady extension and consolidation of the activities in which the
members of the Bahá’í communities in Germany and Austria are so devotedly,
so unitedly and strenuously engaged, have greatly cheered my heart,
heightened my admiration for them, and reinforced my hopes for the
triumphant conclusion of their collective enterprises undertaken in
accordance with the provisions of the Ten-Year Plan.

By virtue of the important position they occupy in the heart of the
European continent; singled out for special favours by the Center of
Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant among their sister communities in that same
continent; distinguished through the appointment of two Hands of the Cause
from among their members; entrusted with the tremendous and sacred
responsibility of erecting the first Bahá’í House of Worship on European
soil; displaying, on the morrow of the ordeals which have for so long and
so cruelly afflicted them, a virility, a courage, a fidelity worthy of
emulation by their sister communities not only in neighbouring lands but
throughout the Bahá’í world, these twin communities, destined through
their common language, racial characteristics and traditions to play a
notable and distinct part in the world-wide progress of the Faith in both
the European and Asiatic continents, must continue to forge ahead, with
inflexible resolve, unshakable faith, undimmed vision, and unabated
vigour, along the road leading them to the fulfilment of their high
destiny.

The steady increase in the number of the adherents of the Faith in both
countries and the multiplication of isolated centres, groups and local
assemblies is a task of primary importance to which they must direct
special attention during the last year of the second phase of this
world-embracing spiritual Crusade. Equally vital in sacredness and
importance is the definite settlement of the issue that has arisen in
connexion with the purchase of the site of the future Temple in the
neighbourhood of Frankfurt, as well as the selection of its design, as
essential preliminaries to the excavation of its foundations and the
erection of its structure. Both of these require the concentrated and
sustained attention of the elected representatives of these communities,
whose task is to expedite this pre-eminent undertaking destined to exert a
far-reaching spiritual influence on the fortunes of the Faith not only in
Germany and Austria but throughout the European continent and even far
beyond its borders.

Still another obligation that must under no circumstances be lost sight of
or neglected is the incorporation of definitely established local
assemblies in these two adjoining countries, a process that will greatly
consolidate the administrative foundations of the Faith and enhance its
prestige in the European continent.

The adoption of special measures by these same elected national
representatives, designed to hasten the emergence of an independent
National Spiritual Assembly in Austria, is yet another duty which calls
for urgent and earnest consideration on their part and one which, if
worthily performed, will lend a tremendous impetus to the progress of the
Faith in a country occupying so central a position in Europe, so rich in
its past history, and blessed by the footsteps of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

The splendid work accomplished by German pioneers in virgin territories in
both the North and South of Europe, auguring well for the accomplishment
of a similar mission in the Eastern territories forming part of their
alloted task under the Ten-Year Plan, must be jealously safeguarded and
continually reinforced, as it constitutes a prelude to the victories that
must needs be won, in the course of future Plans, on the eastern confines
of that continent and even as far afield as the heart of Asia.

Nor must the establishment of the projected Bahá’í Publishing Trust be
delayed, as it constitutes one of vital objectives of the Crusade on which
the German Bahá’í community has embarked.

No sacrifice can be deemed too great for the attainment of these shining
goals and the winning of such precious prizes. The members of these
closely knit communities must arise as never before, and brace themselves
for a still greater output of energy, and a still more convincing display
of those qualities that have distinguished their stewardship to the Faith
of Bahá’u’lláh, and prepare to enter victoriously upon the third phase of
the Ten-Year Plan during the concluding months of this current year.

The tragic sufferings afflicting their brethren in Bahá’u’lláh’s native
land, involving a setback in the projects of this persecuted community for
the erection of its Mother Temple in Ṭihrán, must reinforce their resolve
to speed the erection of a corresponding House of Worship in the heart of
Europe. The efforts of their national elected representatives, strenuous
as they have been in recent months, must be doubled, nay trebled, in order
to offset, in this particular and most important field, the inevitable and
deplorable delay in the accomplishment of so meritorious, so momentous and
historic a task.

Unperturbed by the clamour of inveterate, powerful and malicious
adversaries in the land of the birth of their Faith; undaunted by the
opposition which exponents of religious orthodoxy are, to a lesser degree,
now beginning to show in their own homeland, these same elected
representatives, must press forward, resolutely, and confront and speedily
surmount whatever obstacles now stand in their path.

Theirs is a responsibility which, at this historic and crucial stage in
the evolution of their precious and beloved Faith, they can neither
minimize nor neglect. Theirs is a God-sent opportunity to demonstrate, at
this grave hour through which the overwhelming majority of their brethren
are passing, the incorruptible character of their faith, the indomitable
spirit which animates them, the sublimity of the principles which motivate
their action, providing thereby an abiding and sorely needed consolation
to the victims of the brutal, the wide spread and repeated persecutions
engulfing so many of their co-religionists in the cradle of their Faith.

That they may prove themselves worthy of their high calling; that they may
set an inspiring example to their co-workers in both Hemispheres, through
the number and quality of their accomplishments; that they may discharge,
in their entirety, the manifold responsibilities assured under a Plan
constituting so notable a stage in the accomplishment of the Glorious
mission envisioned for them by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is the object of my unceasing
prayers when supplicating at the threshold of His Shrine.

May His watchful, His sustaining and ever loving Spirit guide every step
they take, bless every effort they exert, and fulfil every hope they
cherish, in the pursuit of the victories they have resolutely set
themselves to achieve.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 23 SEPTEMBER 1955


23 September 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian is very anxious indeed to have the latest word in
connection with the purchase of the Templeland in Germany, and the
development of the design for the Temple.

Can you write me by return mail, letting me know just what the status is
of both these very important matters?

He is anxious that the work on the Temple be expedited in every way; as he
is fearful if the work does not begin soon, it may be found impossible to
complete the task within the Ten Year period.

If you will write me, giving full details, it will be greatly appreciated
by him....



LETTER OF 23 SEPTEMBER 1955 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


23 September 1955 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

This is just a brief note to acknowledge, on behalf of the beloved
Guardian, your letter of August 21st.

He often remembers the dear friends in that land in his loving prayers;
and supplicates that they may receive the necessary strength and guidance
to carry forward in a befitting manner their share in this particular
phase of the World Spiritual Crusade....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved bless your continued and meritorious efforts and services,
and enable you to extend continually the scope of your accomplishments,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 30 SEPTEMBER 1955


30 September 1955

GUARDIAN RECEIVED ONE PACKAGE TEMPLE DRAWINGS ARE THESE ALL SUBMISSIONS OR
ARE OTHERS ENROUTE LOVING GREETINGS....



LETTER OF 20 OCTOBER 1955


20 October 1955

YOUR CABLE OCTOBER 15 PRESUME DECISION TEMPLE DESIGN HAS NO BEARING ON
COURT DECISION OCTOBER 26 IS THIS CORRECT? DO YOU HAVE ADVANCE INFORMATION
AS TO WHAT DECISION WILL BE? GUARDIAN HAS MADE NO DECISION BUT SEEMS
PREFER AZAMAT BY HOPFER STUTTGART. PLEASE CABLE PROPOSED HEIGHT AND WIDTH.
HAVE YOU ANY IDEA COST OF CONSTRUCTION....



LETTER OF 19 OCTOBER 1955


19 October 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

I cabled you at the instruction of our beloved Guardian today as follows:

“Your cable October 15 presume decision temple design has no bearing on
court decision October 26 is this correct? Do you have advance information
as to what decision will be? Guardian has made no decision but seems to
prefer Azamat by Hopfer Stuttgart. Please cable proposed height and width.
Have you any idea of cost of construction”.

As the cable indicates, it is my understanding that the decision with
regard to Temple design has nothing to do with the decision in the court
case, but that you wished the Guardian’s decision in order to assist in
appropriate publicity. We hope and pray that the decision will be
favorable.

In reviewing these specifications which you have set up for the Temple,
the Guardian wishes to call your attention to the fact that you have
included some items in the specifications which are not necessary, and in
fact are definitely not a part of a Bahá’í Temple, as follows:

Your No. 14—Assembly Hall. The Temple is for worship only, and no Assembly
Hall is permissible. (In America the basement of the Temple has been
temporarily used as a Foundation Hall.) This has been due to the long time
taken to construct the building etc.

No. 17—Conference Rooms. Inasmuch as the Temple is for worship only,
conference rooms are not required.

No. 18—Library and Archives. These facilities are not required nor
desirable in a House of Worship.

No. 19 and 20—Kitchen Facilities. These are not required, as food is not
to be served in the Temple. The Temple is for prayer and worship only.

No. 27—Air Raid Shelters. These are not required.

No. 30—Caretaker’s House. This is not required at the present time, as the
caretaker can sleep in one of the spare rooms of the Temple.

The Guardian feels it important to direct your attention to the fact that
the Temple must be built just as economically as possible, and to provide
only the facilities which are prescribed for a House of Worship. The Cause
is under such heavy expense at the present time that we cannot undertake
the construction of buildings which require too great an outlay of funds.

The Guardian would appreciate your having some preliminary estimates made
just as quickly as possible of what it would cost to build the Temple
designated as “Azamat”. He likewise would like you to send him now just as
many details as possible concerning the construction of this building,
materials to be used etc.

I presume by the time this letter reaches you, you will have cabled the
proposed height and width.

The Guardian would greatly value your giving him the detailed information
regarding “Azamat” just as promptly as possible....



LETTER OF 28 OCTOBER 1955


28 October 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter of September 26th has been received by the beloved Guardian,
and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

As you know, he is most happy that the believers in Vienna have their own
Center, and that in a short time it will be ready for Bahá’í service.

These important institutions of the Faith are in themselves great
teachers. The spirit of love and unity among the friends in discussing,
arranging and carrying out the activities of the Faith in their
Hazíratu’l-Quds, will become as a magnet which will attract to them divine
bounties. The Guardian is hoping from this Center the Faith will be
carried, not only throughout Vienna, but to other cities in Austria as
well....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty, Whose Cause you serve with such courage, devotion and
perseverance, guide and sustain you, and aid you to render His Faith
notable services in the days to come,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 10 NOVEMBER 1955


10 November 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friend:

The beloved Guardian has reviewed very carefully your recent letter
dealing with the designs for the Temple to be built in Germany. He wishes
the following explanations to be made to you, and I am therefore
enumerating them, so that there may be no misunderstanding.

1. The Guardian has not definitely chosen the Temple design “Azamat” as
the one for the Temple in Germany. Of the submissions which have been made
up to this time, he feels this is the one that is best susceptible of
development for the final design of the Temple. He wishes it clear however
that up to the present he has not definitely accepted this design.

2. The Guardian does not wish to interfere unduly with the national tastes
nor the actions of the National Assembly; but he attaches the utmost
importance to the Temple in Eschborn, as this is the first Temple in
Europe, and the only one to be constructed in Europe during the Ten Year
Crusade. Therefore he feels that this House of Worship must represent
throughout Europe the dignity and spirit of the Faith.

3. The Guardian therefore feels that we should not accept an ultra-modern
building, which represents more or less the current spirit of the time,
rather than the delicate architectural beauty which the spirit of the
Faith should engender.

4. The Guardian would be happy if your Assembly could produce a design of
a building, graceful in outline, with a dome. If they can do this he will
be very pleased. The main thing for the architect to consider is the mass
of the building, the outline of the building and its architectural beauty.
Most of the sacred buildings, including the Temple at Wilmette, include
elements of the previous schools of architecture in an ensemble that seems
to present something new. He thinks the architects should study the
graceful mass of the Wilmette Temple, of the design of Mr. Remey for the
Temple on Mt. Carmel, and the Shrine of the Báb, as well as the outline of
the domes of important buildings, particularly the dome of St. Peters in
Rome. In this way they will get an idea of proportions which they feel are
suitable. The details and the style is somewhat secondary and is left to
the architect’s taste.

5. The ten year period of the Crusade is running along very rapidly; and
the Guardian therefore hopes that your Assembly will present him with your
final views in connection with the Temple design at a very early date;
otherwise he is fearful this most important project will not be
consummated within the Ten Year period.

The beloved Guardian was very sorry to learn of the illness of Dr.
Mühlschlegel. He wishes to assure you and likewise to assure Dr.
Mühlschlegel of his loving prayers for Dr. Mühlschlegel’s complete
recovery. He values Dr. Mühlschlegel’s services very highly, and he hopes
he will soon be able to again become most active in the Bahá’í work....

The Guardian assures you of his prayers in your behalf. He sends each his
loving Greetings.



LETTER OF NOVEMBER 1955


November 1955(1)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has instructed me to write you in connection with
your recent letter to him concerning the Temple to be built in Germany.

The beloved Master has not given very many details concerning the House of
Worship. He has written in tablets, however, that the building must be
round, and be 9-sided. The Guardian feels that at this time all Bahá’í
temples should have a dome. In other words, the instructions of the Master
to have a round, 9-sided building must be very carefully carried out; but
in addition the Guardian feels the Temples built now should likewise have
a dome.

The Guardian sees no objections to asking other architects to collaborate
with the architect of the design “Azamat”. However it should be understood
that the Guardian does not wish this collaboration or adaptation to result
in the ultra-modern type of building which is the motif of the submissions
which have been made, and which he has rejected.

The Guardian advises that the 2 designs which are favored by your Assembly
and the architects of Germany are not acceptable; and therefore
correspondence with regard to these designs is no longer necessary.

Time moves on, and the Guardian therefore hopes that the result of the
collaboration and adaptation of the Azamat design will be presented to him
in the near future.

The Guardian has no objections of course to new designs being presented;
but they must carry with them the dignified spirit of the Faith, and must
be in keeping with the distinction and honor which comes to the temples
now being built being the first in their respective continents.

My letter of November 10th outlines in a little more detail what the
Guardian has in mind for Bahá’í temples; and he hopes that something
suitable may soon be found for a temple in Germany.

The Guardian assures you of his prayers in your behalf, and sends you his
loving greetings....



LETTER OF 23 NOVEMBER 1955


23 November 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has received your letter of November 8th, reviewing
further the question of the Bahá’í Temple in Germany.

Your letter crossed my communication to you of last week. The Guardian has
asked me to write you further, making the following points:

1. He does not approve of either design No. 11335 or Cupola.

2. As I have written you previously, he feels that the only submission
which has come to him which lends itself to adjustment for the Temple in
Germany is the design “Azamat”.

3. As outlined in my letter of last week, the Guardian does not object to
your arranging for another architect to collaborate with Mr. Hopfner.
However in this collaboration, the general design of the Temple “Azamat”
should be continued; and under no circumstances should it be changed to
resemble the ultra modern architectural type of building which was the
motif of the other submissions.

4. As the Guardian has indicated, previously, this building need have
seating capacity of only 500 or 600 people.

5. It should be a more modest structure, as has been outlined in previous
correspondence. The Guardian feels the height should be not over 30
meters, and the other proportions of the building should be cut down
accordingly.

6. The Guardian feels the cost should run about $300,000 or a little more;
certainly on the outside not more than $400,000.

Therefore in revising the plan, it should be simplified in such a way as
to bring the cost down,—to a figure near $300,000.

It is noted in the details of the “Azamat” there are a number of things
still included, which certainly could be gotten along without, for the
time being.

With the elimination of the Assembly Hall in the basement, the elimination
of the tea kitchen and dining room, as well as conference rooms, library,
archives and the other rooms contemplated, this should make a rather
material reduction in expense. Likewise the caretaker’s quarters should be
eliminated, as the caretaker could probably live in the basement for the
time being. Elevators need not be considered.

The basement floor of the Temple in Chicago is cement; and it would seem
if cement is suitable for that Temple, it would be satisfactory for the
Temple in Germany.

Three years of the Crusade are practically over. The Guardian hopes
therefore that he will receive at an early date the revision which is
proposed of the “Azamat” design, which should not be materially changed,
but may be simplified so that work may proceed at an early date on the
construction. The Guardian is fearful if this matter continues to drag,
the Temple may not be completed during the period of the Ten Year Crusade.

The Guardian assures you of his prayers in your behalf, and sends you his
loving greetings....



LETTER OF 15 DECEMBER 1955


15 December 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has instructed me to write you in connection with the
purchase of two endowments for the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany
and Austria.

As you know, the Hand of the Cause, Mrs. Amelia E. Collins, has
contributed one thousand dollars for the purchase of each of these
endowments.

The Guardian feels that 2 small pieces of land costing about one thousand
American Dollars each is sufficient to accomplish these two goals of the
Ten Year Crusade. He hopes therefore your Assembly will proceed at once to
purchase a small piece of land in Germany and also one in Austria.

Will you please let me know in due course what your Assembly will do to
accomplish this most important task?...



LETTER OF 15 DECEMBER 1955


15 December 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

...The Guardian is quite anxious that the question of the Temple land and
the Temple design be concluded at a very early date, as time is passing
very rapidly. He has asked me to meet with your Assembly, if the Assembly
does meet during my visit in Europe, or can meet. I could arrange to be in
Germany early in January....



LETTER OF 20 DECEMBER 1955


20 December 1955

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your loving letter of December 8th was received and immediately presented
to our Beloved Guardian:

He directed me to cable you yesterday, which I did, as follows:

“Guardian approves your asking other National Assemblies write Court.
Suggests you write them direct giving full particulars. Does not feel
exhibit appropriate until final Temple design approved. Writing.”

The Guardian fully approved of your asking the various National Assemblies
to write the Court, with regard to the World Importance of the Temple. He
felt you should write them direct, giving them full particulars as to what
you wish in the letters, to whom to be addressed, and any other pertinent
data required. He hopes this will be helpful in working out this important
matter.

The Guardian felt it would be inadvisable to have an exhibit of proposals
for the Temple, until such time as the final plan is approved. Thus you
should hold the exhibit in abeyance until later. I am having sent you by
separate mail, the designs, photographs, etc. which you sent to the
Guardian.

The Guardian assures you of his prayers in your behalf, and sends you his
loving Greetings....



LETTER OF 3 FEBRUARY 1956


3 February 1956

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The Beloved Guardian has directed me to write to your Assembly explaining
his view that now that the National Hazírá has been established and is
well able to take care of the national office of the National Assembly;
that the office of the Secretary of the National Assembly should be
established there as soon as convenient.

From the Hazírá, all the national administrative activities should
emanate, and this cannot be done unless the National Secretary’s office is
established there. He requests your Assembly study the matter and see if
it cannot soon work out some plan whereby the National Secretary’s office
can permanently be established in Frankfurt in the National Hazírá.

The Guardian assures the members of the Assembly of his prayers in their
behalf. He sends you his loving Greetings....



LETTER OF 20 MARCH 1956


20 March 1956

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Thank you for your loving letter of March 10th, with regard to the
translations into Russian.

I hope the pamphlet which Mrs. Sommerau has prepared will soon be
published, so that there will be literature available for this teaching
work.

The Guardian is extremely anxious of course for proper contacts to be made
with the believers behind the Iron Curtain. However the utmost
circumspection must be used; and certainly no one must enter into
correspondence with them. I think you should inform ... that the Guardian
is anxious for the closest contacts to be opened and maintained, but not
through correspondence. Likewise when any Bahá’í goes behind the Iron
Curtain and contacts the believers, it must be done very quietly and
carefully.

Do I understand from the letter that ... is intending to enter behind the
Iron Curtain to visit the believers? This would be commendable if it can
be done....



LETTER OF 23 MARCH 1956


23 March 1956

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian was happy to receive your message of greeting dated
February 19th, signed by all those present, and to see that it was
possible for such a large number of the friends to attend this gathering.

He hopes that this year, Number 113, the Year of Abhá of the sixth Vahíd
in the Bahá’í calendar, will prove to be a truly “Most Luminous” one; and
that, in spite of the ever-present difficulties which must constantly be
met and surmounted, your National Assembly, reinforced in all its efforts
by the entire body of the believers, may cause the Faith to forge ahead in
those regions with yet greater momentum and power.

He will remember you all in his loving prayers....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless your efforts, guide every step you take, remove all
obstacles from your path, and aid you to win great victories in the
service of His glorious Faith,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 25 MARCH 1956


25 March 1956

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Referring to your loving letter of March 19th with regard to the designs
for the Temple in Frankfurt:

The designs of the second competition were duly received by the beloved
Guardian. He is now giving them very active consideration. As soon as some
decision is reached, I will be glad to communicate with you at once.

The members of the International Council greatly appreciate your warm
Naw-Rúz greetings, which they reciprocate most heartily. We will pray at
the Shrines that every success will attend your efforts; and that the most
important subject of the Temple grounds and Temple land will be
satisfactorily settled in the very near future....



LETTER OF 6 APRIL 1956


6 April 1956

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Enclosed is the beloved Guardian’s message to all Bahá’í Conventions. He
would like you to please share it with the delegates and friends attending
your National Convention.

He hopes it will stimulate the teaching work, and particularly the pioneer
work....



LETTER OF 7 APRIL 1956


7 April 1956

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your loving letter of March 28th was duly received, carrying with it the
strong spirit which animates the friends in Germany.

The answers to the questions which you raised in your letter are as
follows:

The Guardian advises that he will leave to your discretion, just how the
$1,000 which is available in America is to be used, in connection with the
Endowment. In other words, you may purchase another piece of land for the
$1,000; may apply it to repair of existing holdings, other than the
Hazírá, such as the House in Esslingen—or put it in the Temple Fund.

1. The goals of the Ten Year Crusade include the purchase of an endowment
for Germany. By referring to page 72 of the British Statistical Book,
issued at the beginning of the Ten Year Crusade, you will note, that
Germany is listed as requiring an endowment. I think the Assembly should
correspond with the American National Spiritual Assembly, so that the One
Thousand Dollars which Mrs. Collins has made available may be sent to you.

2. The beloved Guardian advises that he has ... on his list of those who
wish to make the pilgrimage. As soon as it is possible for them to come,
he will inform them. You might explain to these dear friends that there
are a great many Persian Bahá’ís who wish to make the pilgrimage; and the
Guardian feels he must invite them on the basis of the date of their
application. In other words, those who asked for permission first would be
the first to be invited to make the pilgrimage.

3. I did not present to the Guardian the question of new Bahá’ís in Greece
being allowed to remain in their church after they become Bahá’ís, because
I knew there was no such situation existing. The Guardian does not wish to
be asked to make rulings on situations which might develop. He has already
enunciated very clearly the principle that when people become Bahá’ís,
they should, if not immediately, then within a short time, leave the
church. If there is any exception to be made to these rules, it would be
on specific instances, and on specific application of a national assembly.

When the pioneers in Greece have any individuals ready to become Bahá’ís,
and then if the church question is a deterring factor, perhaps at that
time your Assembly will wish to take the matter up with the Guardian. I am
sure he would not want to issue a ruling on a possible future case.

If this handling is not satisfactory to your Assembly, and you wish me to
present the matter to the Guardian, in that event let me know and I will
do so.

4. I hope some arrangement is worked out to handle the publication of
Russian literature. It will be of advantage at this time for local
teaching and therefore what can—should certainly be prepared. I did inform
Mrs. Sommerau that I would see that her pamphlet was financed, and I have
had some correspondence with her and Marion Little concerning the matter.
As developments occur, I will be glad to let you know....

The Guardian sends his loving Greetings to the members of the N.S.A.



LETTER OF 27 APRIL 1956


27 April 1956

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The Beloved Guardian has been giving very serious consideration to the
model for the Temple to be built in Frankfurt.

He feels that the design No. 102-A, prepared by Architect Teuto Rocholl,
is susceptible of development into the type of building which we wish.

The Guardian asks that you consult with the architect, asking him to
submit a few modifications of the plan, simply in a rough pencil sketch,
incorporating the following adjustments:

1. A third story should be provided without of course increasing the size
of the building.

2. The building must be 9-sided instead of round.

3. A lantern should be placed on the top of the dome.

4. The dome should be more gracefully shaped, with a little more peak to
the top.

5. It might be that some windows could be placed at the base of the dome,
so as to give the impression of a clerestory.

The architect himself may have some other modifications that may occur to
him as he sets up plans.

If you could have this matter handled as quickly as possible, the Guardian
would be very appreciative. Time is running along very rapidly, and if an
early start is not made on the building, it may be difficult to finish it
during the Ten Year Plan.

The Guardian sends you his loving greetings....



LETTER OF 19 MAY 1956


19 May 1956

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Referring to your letter of May 5th, with regard to the model of the
Temple. I cabled you May 14th, that the Guardian had not approved any
design for the Temple. He simply felt that there was possibility of the
design of Architect Rocholl, No. 102-A being developed into a suitable
design. He has not been satisfied with the submissions, but when the
revisions are sent by Mr. Rocholl, he will then reappraise all of them to
see if any can be given further consideration.

Please refer to my letter of November 23, 1955, item 6, in which it is
stated the Guardian felt “the cost should run about $300,000 or a little
more; certainly on the outside, not more than $400,000.” The Guardian has
directed me to advise you, that he now feels the maximum which should be
spent on the construction, is $300,000 and no more....



LETTER OF 19 MAY 1956


19 May 1956

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your loving letter of May 13th, has come to hand, and I am hastening to
answer, particularly that portion dealing with the translations in
Russian:

Mrs. ... was raised in Russia; at least in the early part of her life. She
fled with others during the Revolution. Thus her knowledge of Russian
should be excellent.

She has recently become a Bahá’í, in Lausanne.

In Lausanne, another woman has become a Bahá’í, who is Russian, and is an
excellent linguist. I understand in any translating now being done, she is
being consulted.

It is my thought that your Assembly should correspond with the Italo Swiss
NSA, so as to set up some method of handling Russian translations and
printing. As you know, ..., in Geneva, is Russian, and likewise a good
translator. If your two NSA’s set up a General Translating Committee, I am
sure great results would be achieved.

I am sending Mrs. ..., some views of the Shrines and Gardens, which I hope
will give her happiness....



LETTER OF 19 MAY 1956


19 May 1956

Dear Friends:

The Beloved Guardian has directed me to write you concerning the court
case relating to the Temple Land near Eschborn.

You have asked if the decision of the Court should be adverse, if you
should appeal the case to a higher court.

The Guardian feels that if the decision of the Court is adverse, then you
should not appeal the case, but should at once look for another site for
the Temple.

Time is rapidly passing, and no further time should be lost in trying the
case. You should find another piece of land, so work on the Temple may
start. The Guardian is fearful, if there are further delays, either in the
question of land, or the question of Model, the time will have so flown,
that the Temple in Germany will not be built during the Ten Year Crusade.

He assures you of his prayers in your behalf, and sends his loving
Greetings to all the members of the Assembly....



LETTER OF 5 JUNE 1956


5 June 1956

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter of April 19th has been received by the beloved Guardian, and
he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He is very happy that Vienna now has its own Hazíratu’l-Quds, which will
become the National Headquarters of the Austrian National Spiritual
Assembly when formed.

This important step forward is bound to reflect itself in the teaching
work, and attract many new souls to the Faith.

The establishment of the other Centers in Austria during the past year has
been most encouraging, and he hopes that by Spring of next year there will
be a number of flourishing Spiritual Assemblies.

He will pray for you all and for the success of the work in Vienna....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty, Whose Cause you serve so devotedly, reward you
abundantly for your labours, remove all obstacles from your path, and
enable you to win great victories in the days to come,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 8 JUNE 1956


8 June 1956

Dear Bahá’í Co-workers:

The Beloved Guardian has directed me to write you, in response to your
recent letter to him, with regard to the modified Temple plans of Mr.
Rocholl.

As he understands the situation, your NSA is not pleased with the modified
plans, and Mr. Rocholl says he will submit one or two others. The Guardian
will await receipt of these further modifications, if it does not delay
the matter too long.

So far as a modification of Mr. Grund, he feels it would delay the project
too long to wait for new plans from him; unless of course, he has them
ready for sending now.

In other words, the Guardian will await for a reasonable time, the receipt
of further plans of Mr. Rocholl, before making final decision; and if by
that time, any modifications have come from Mr. Grund, he will consider
them; but he does not feel we can wait now, for an entire new development
by Mr. Grund, unless he has it under way....



LETTER OF 8 JUNE 1956


8 June 1956

Dear Bahá’í Co-workers:

The Beloved Guardian, as you know, is very anxious to have the matter of
the land for the Temple near Frankfurt decided as quickly as possible, and
he is hoping the decision of the court will be favorably announced in the
near future.

Will you please cable me, just as soon as a decision is given, just what
it is, so I may hand it to the Guardian at once....



LETTER OF 21 JUNE 1956


21 June 1956

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters of August 8 and 18, September 9, October 4, November 8, 9 and
13, one undated, received December 18, 1955; and January 27, one dated
January, February 7, 24 and 28, April 21, May 5, and 31, with enclosures,
and also material sent under separate cover have all been received by the
beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He has been very encouraged during the last year over the increased
activity on the part of the German Bahá’ís, as witnessed by the teaching
conferences they have held at different times and in different places; and
the growth of new Centers in Austria more or less as a direct outcome of
the devoted pioneer efforts of members of the German Bahá’í Community.
This fulfills a long-cherished wish of his, and was a source of great
satisfaction. He hopes that the Groups in Graz, Innsbruck and Salzburg
will attain Assembly status by next Ridván, thus giving the Austrian
Community a much firmer foundation and preparing it for the day when it
will have its independent National Assembly, a day which is not so very
far off after all, and towards which they must work constantly, with ever
increasing zeal and dedication.

He was also very happy to hear that the Vienna Community has settled down
in its Hazíratu’l-Quds, its future national headquarters building; and
that this is not only a center for the Bahá’ís, but, what is even more
important, a center for their teaching activities on a larger and more
impressive scale in that city.

As he already informed you before, he felt that the generous contribution
of dear Mrs. Collins towards the purchase of a national endowment for
Austria should be used for that purpose only, and not diverted to anything
to do with the furnishing or embellishing of the Hazíratu’l-Quds.

He hopes that the presence of a devoted American Bahá’í, Mrs. Edna Johnson
Norvell in Austria will be of help to the friends. She is most eager to
serve and assist them in every way she can.

It has been recently a great pleasure for the Guardian to receive here as
his guests four of the pioneers to Athens. This contact has been most
welcome, and he feels that your Assembly can be proud of these fine young
people, who are making every effort to achieve the goals set for the
German Bahá’ís in Greece.

He has also had the great pleasure of receiving here the first German
Bahá’í since before the war; namely, Miss Weber, one of the pioneers to
Crete.

He hopes that the German Bahá’í Community will make every effort to send
forth a greater number of pioneers to the countries which have been made
their particular responsibility under the World Crusade, and also to
reinforce the work in Austria. They must never forget that one of the
first “pioneers”, before the days when that term was even in use, was dear
Mr. Benke, who sacrificed his life in the service of the Faith with such
an exemplary spirit of devotion that the Guardian felt impelled to call
him the first European martyr for the Faith. This was a great distinction
and blessing conferred on the German Bahá’ís, and should stimulate many
others to follow in his footsteps.

The Guardian is very sorry that there has been so much delay as regards
the Temple in Frankfurt, both because of the difficulty of obtaining
permission to build on the site chosen, and the difficulty in coming to a
decision about the design.

He feels that, as this is the Mother Temple of Europe, and an institution
which will be supported by contributions from Bahá’ís all over the world,
that it has a very great importance; and must under all circumstances be
dignified, and not represent an extremist point of view in architecture.
No one knows how the styles of the present day may be judged two or three
generations from now; but the Bahá’ís cannot afford to build a second
Temple if the one that they built at the present time should seem too
extreme and unsuitable at a future date.

In view of this, he has pondered very carefully over the designs which
were submitted to him, and also consulted Mr. Remey. He hopes to come to a
decision, and will inform your Assembly accordingly.

He appreciated very much the cooperative spirit shown by many of the
German architects and their offer to come here and consult with him. This
would have been impractical, and a waste of the money of the Faith; but,
if your Assembly has occasion, he would like it to please thank these
gentlemen for their friendly and cooperative spirit as regards our Temple.

He feels that the National Hazíratu’l-Quds in Frankfurt should act as the
Secretariat of the National Assembly as well. This is the main reason why
the Bahá’ís have National Headquarters—so that the office of the National
Spiritual Assembly can operate from the National Assembly’s permanent
address. It may not be convenient at times, but it is essential that this
should be done. He has informed other national bodies of the same thing,
that is, those who had not already placed their Secretariat in their
Hazíratu’l-Quds.

He feels that your Assembly should particularly concentrate at this time
on accelerating the work on the home front. Perhaps the most difficult
objective for any of the National Assemblies to accomplish is the one of
increasing the number of Assemblies and Centers under their jurisdiction
before the end of the Ten Year Plan. The friends must realize that this,
by its very nature, is a task which it is dangerous to postpone to the
latter years of the Plan. The construction of Assemblies is always a
laborious process, and one which demands a great deal of preparation and
forethought and time to achieve. Therefore, the sooner the believers go
out into the field, and assist, through settlement or through extension
teaching, or travelling teaching trips, or in whatever way they can, in
laying the foundation for these new Assemblies, the better.

He hopes that the Bahá’í youth in Germany will be encouraged to take a
more active part in administrative affairs and in the teaching work. They
must always realize that they are the future of the Cause, and they should
gain from experience as teachers and administrators from the older
friends, in preparation for the time when the burden of the work will fall
on their shoulders.

The news of the publication work you have in hand was also encouraging;
and he hopes that, when you receive your Reparations from the proper civil
authorities there, you will be able to put the new Bahá’í Publishing Trust
on a firm foundation, and get out more literature, which is the very
backbone of the teaching work.

You may be sure that he often remembers you in his prayers in the holy
Shrines; and he deeply appreciates the consecrated spirit with which you
are serving the interests of the Faith in Germany and Austria, and in the
virgin territories allotted to your care. He hopes that the national work
can be arranged in such a way that too great a burden does not fall on the
Hands of the Cause, who already have another important function to
discharge, and yet who are needed because of their capacities for the
National Assembly work as well.

He was very sorry to hear of the illness of some of the members who are so
needed in the teaching work in Germany, and he hopes and prays that they
are now fully recovered.

The good news that your National Convention was held so successfully
pleased him very much; and he was also happy to see that a young and
comparatively new Bahá’í has been added to your Body. This will no doubt
be of assistance to the work of the Assembly.

He was also happy to see that you have been able to add another
incorporation, in such an important city as Frankfurt, the national
seat....

P.S. Mr. Ioas recently wrote your Assembly that the Guardian does not feel
it would serve any useful purpose to reconsider Temple designs with Prof.
Grund; please thank him for his helpfulness and fine spirit.

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

The progress achieved in recent years, and particularly since the
inception of the Ten-Year Plan, by both the German and Austrian Bahá’í
communities, in the field of teaching and administrative spheres of Bahá’í
activity, has been such as to evoke feelings of deep and abiding gratitude
in my heart, and to excite the admiration of their sister communities in
both the East and the West.

Emerging more than a decade ago, from a prolonged period of adversity,
which served to purge, discipline and spiritually quicken the nations to
which these communities belong; abundantly demonstrating, throughout the
afflictive trial they underwent, the sterling qualities of their faith and
the depth of their unalterable devotion to the Cause they have espoused;
firmly reestablishing, on the morrow of that ordeal, the institutions of
an Administrative Order which had been temporarily disrupted and suffered
an eclipse during the years of repression, suffering and confusion;
embarking, at a later period, and in concert with Bahá’í communities the
world over, on the Ten-Year Plan, designed to carry them a stage further
on the road leading them to their high destiny—the members of these
communities are now, both individually and collectively, fully engaged in
the discharge of their sacred and heavy responsibilities—responsibilities
which they cannot shirk and which I feel confident, they will nobly and
fully discharge.

The third phase of the Plan which they now have entered must witness such
an acceleration in the tempo of Bahá’í activity, in the various fields
assigned to them, and such a depth of consecration to the tasks they have
shouldered, as shall throw into shade every evidence of the valour
displayed during the infancy of the Faith in both of these countries.

The virgin territories alloted to your assembly, under the Ten-Year Plan,
must be carefully watched over, and the prizes won in those fields must be
constantly enriched, at whatever cost, through the dispatch of a larger
number of pioneers and a more adequate provision for the needs, both
material and spiritual, of those valiant souls who, by the very nature of
their services, constitute the vanguard of the future army of Bahá’u’lláh
which must, in the days to come be raised up in those territories. The
homefront, the reservoir which must be constantly replenished if the aid
given to these pioneers is to prove ultimately adequate and effective,
must be made the object of the solicitude and of the anxious deliberations
of the members of your Assembly. The remarkable success recently achieved,
through the multiplication of Bahá’í assemblies, groups and isolated
centres, must be followed up by a corresponding increase in the number of
the avowed and active supporters of the Faith—the bedrock on which the
strength and stability of the entire community must rest. The preliminary
stages designed to launch the greatest enterprise confronting the German
Bahá’í Community—the construction of the Mother Temple of Europe—must be
swiftly and energetically undertaken, particularly in connexion with the
ultimate settlement of the issue of the Temple site, and the provision of
the necessary authorization for the laying of its foundations and the
erection of its structure.

Another matter of vital importance, and destined to exert a lasting
influence on the immediate destinies of the German Bahá’í Community, is
the adoption of the necessary measures for the introduction of the Faith
into neighbouring territories, such as the translation of Bahá’í
literature into Russian and into the languages in use in the Baltic
states, and the exploration of every avenue designed to enable German
Bahá’í pioneers to launch this vast, this historic and meritorious
campaign beyond the eastern confines of their native land.

The process of incorporating firmly established Bahá’í local assemblies,
which has so far been regrettably slow, must be further stimulated, in
order to consolidate the legal foundations of the administrative structure
of the Faith in that land as well as in Austria.

The institution of the National Fund, whose fundamental importance cannot
be exaggerated, must receive a wider and fuller measure of support from
the rank and file of the believers, in order that it may be enabled to
provide more adequately than heretofore for the pressing material needs of
the infant institutions of the Faith, now faced with such tremendous and
inescapable responsibilities.

Particular attention must, moreover, be devoted to the vital and urgent
needs of the Faith in Austria, where a nascent community is heroically
struggling to establish its independent national Bahá’í existence on a
secure foundation.

Constant encouragement, by whatever means possible, must, furthermore, be
given the suppressed and isolated local communities in Eastern Germany,
now so sadly detached from the general body of the followers of the Faith
in that land, and any assistance, lying in your power, must be extended to
them for the purpose of enabling some of their members to penetrate into
the remaining territories assigned to your assembly under the provisions
of the Ten-Year Plan.

The stalwart German Bahá’í Community, ranking among the oldest and
certainly one of the most eminent, communities in Europe; firmly implanted
in the heart of that continent; constituting one of the leading
strongholds of the Faith within its confines; reassured, time and again,
through the glowing promises given it, in unmistakable language, by the
Centre of the Covenant, in the early years of that community’s existence;
blessed so abundantly through His memorable visit to its homeland;
hardened and chastened in the school of adversity; emerging triumphant
over those adversaries that sought so ineffectively to arrest its march,
dim its hopes, and disrupt its foundations; fully equipped through more
than three decades of Bahá’í administrative experience—such a community
finds itself, at this historic hour, fully and hopefully launched upon an
enterprise which, if successfully carried out, will enable it to bring to
a conclusion a chapter of the utmost significance in the evolution of the
Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in that land.

Aware of its manifold responsibilities, determined to fulfill the dearest
hopes cherished for it by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, conscious of its inherent
strength, and encouraged by its multiple and heartwarming accomplishments,
this community, in conjunction with its younger sister, must redouble its
efforts to scale loftier heights, to plumb greater depths of dedication,
to evince a still nobler heroism, and to heighten, by its accomplishments,
and, above all, by a still more convincing demonstration of the spirit
animating its members, the feelings of admiration which I myself, as well
as the believers in other lands, hold them, in consequence of their mighty
endeavours and unforgettable exploits in the service, and for the Cause,
of Bahá’u’lláh.

May His Spirit ever shine upon, and warm, their hearts. May His precepts
ever guide their footsteps, and may His unfailing grace, vouchsafed from
the realms on high, be poured forth upon them in such abundance as to
enable them to achieve, in the years immediately ahead, total and complete
victory.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 7 JULY 1956


7 July 1956

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Under separate cover, I am sending you the latest design of Mr. Teuto
Rocholl, which has been carefully reviewed by the Beloved Guardian.

Also enclosed in the same package is a design for the German Temple,
prepared by Mr. Charles Remey, which likewise has been very carefully
reviewed by the Guardian.

The Guardian feels that the German National Assembly may now make their
selection from either of these two, of the design for the German Temple.
He says you are free to chose either Mr. Rocholl’s or Mr. Remey’s design.

In making your selection, you must of course, bear in mind the cost
factor; that the building should not cost more than $300,000.

As soon as you have made your decision, will you please cable me so I can
inform the Guardian.

The Guardian assures you of his prayers—and sends his loving Greetings....



LETTER OF 7 JULY 1956


7 July 1956

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The Guardian has directed me to advise you that he appreciates your having
established the Assistant Secretary of the NSA in the Hazírá in Frankfurt.
The Guardian wishes you to bear this important matter in mind, for in
time, the full Secretariat must be established in the Hazírá....



LETTER OF 7 JULY 1956


7 July 1956

Mrs. Anna Grossmann:

The June 1956 issue of “Pflanze und Garten” issued in Darmstadt,
Nicolaiweg 9, has an article on the Faith, and a number of photographs of
the Gardens and Shrine of the Báb, as well as the Mansion at Bahjí.

If you have not already seen it, you will wish to secure copies. At the
same time, will you please send me for use here, 6 copies. It is not
necessary to send the entire magazine for all six, simply the pages
dealing with the Article. Two magazines will suffice, the other four to be
the pages only....



LETTER OF 8 JULY 1956


8 July 1956

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Referring to my letter of yesterday, with regard to the design for the
German Temple.

My letter should have specified, that the latest revised plan of Mr.
Rocholl, No. 102-F is the one which should be considered for selection,
and no former plans of Mr. Rocholl. In other words, the choice is left to
the NSA of Germany, as to whether they select Mr. Rocholl’s design No.
102-F, or Mr. Remey’s design....



LETTER OF 27 JULY 1956


27 July 1956

Dearly Beloved Co-workers:

I telegraphed you today, at the direction of the beloved Guardian, the
wish that your Assembly, now concentrate closely, on the securing of the
new site for the Temple.

Now that you have determined on the design for the Temple, it is most
important that you secure the land on which it is to be built.

The Guardian feels this is a task of the utmost importance, as time is
rapidly passing on, and he fears that if the work on the Temple is not
started soon, it will not be completed during the Ten Year Crusade, which
would be a sad state of affairs.

The Guardian will be happy to learn at an early date, of what progress you
have made with regard to the location of the Temple....



LETTER OF 31 JULY 1956


31 July 1956

Dearly Beloved Friends:

The Beloved Guardian has directed me to write you in connection with the
Temple design for Germany, and the activities in connection therewith.

1. The Guardian feels your Assembly should not announce the selection at
this time, to the Friends. You should, quietly, review the matter
carefully, and ascertain what the cost of construction will be. It may be
if the expense is out of line with the amounts available, then some other
considerations will have to be given.

2. You should concentrate all your energies on the securing of the Temple
location. This is important, as the Temple cannot of course be started,
until the land is purchased.

3. When you have the arrangements made for the land purchase, and have the
costs of the Temple construction, let the Guardian know, and he will
advise the next step.

4. The Guardian will announce the selection of the Temple design to the
Bahá’í World, after all these matters are settled.

The Guardian hopes you will be able to expedite all these matters, as he
feels, as I have written previously, there is no time to be lost, if the
Temple is to be completed before the close of the Ten Year Crusade.

The Guardian sends you his loving greetings....



LETTER OF 26 AUGUST 1956


26 August 1956

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your loving letter of July 17th was duly received, and its contents
presented to the Beloved Guardian.

For the Endowment in Austria, no more than $1,000. should be spent. I
cabled you with regard to the gift of Mr. ..., asking his full name, or
initials, if you do not have the full name. This information is necessary
as he may be an individual whose voting rights were withdrawn by the ...
NSA, and if so, his contribution cannot be accepted. As soon as I have his
first name and initials, I will be able to tell, and will then let you
know definitely.

Your report for the year 112 in English has been sent on to the Guardian,
for his study and perusal....



LETTER OF 24 SEPTEMBER 1956 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


24 September 1956 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has received your letter of August 17th, signed by
those present at the Summer School, and has instructed me to answer you on
his behalf.

He was happy to see that the Hands of the Cause were represented there,
also that Bahá’ís from different countries were present.

The friends can gain much spiritual reinforcement by drawing on the inner
strength of their fellow-Bahá’ís; and the Guardian hopes those who went to
Esslingen this summer received this renewed power from mingling with other
Bahá’ís; and returned to their homes more determined than ever to carry
forward in the speediest and most efficient manner possible—the work of
the World Spiritual Crusade.

He appreciates the prayers of the friends, and sends you all his loving
greetings....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh sustain you in your splendid activities, aid
you to acquire a fuller grasp of the fundamental and distinguishing
features and teachings of our beloved Faith, and lend a great impetus to
its onward march,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 27 SEPTEMBER 1956


27 September 1956

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The Beloved Guardian has directed me to write you to ascertain the present
status of the purchase of the new site for the Temple in Frankfurt.

As you know he attaches the utmost importance to this matter, and regrets
that it has not been consummated up to the present time. He is becoming
fearful that the Temple will not be built in Germany, during the Ten Year
Crusade, unless there is some strong immediate action taken in connection
with the purchase of the land, and then the prosecution of the
construction work.

Will your Assembly please let me know by return airmail, what the status
is of the land purchase....



LETTER OF 27 SEPTEMBER 1956


27 September 1956

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Please refer to your letter of July 17th and my reply of August 26th, with
regard to a gift of $1,000 from ... to the Austrian Fund.

It is satisfactory to receive this gift, as ... is a Bahá’í of record of
the ... Assembly.

As I wrote you however, it cannot be used for the Endowment; as a gift of
$1,000 has already been made by ... for this purpose. Thus ... should be
informed, so he may direct in what manner he wishes the money used, or if
he gives it for the General Fund, which is, of course, best....



LETTER OF 27 SEPTEMBER 1956


27 September 1956

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The Beloved Guardian has directed me to write your Assembly, to ask the
status of the purchase of the Endowment in Austria, which he hopes will be
purchased shortly. This should be a relatively simple matter, and he hopes
it can be followed through promptly.

He likewise is anxious regarding the incorporation of local Assemblies. He
hopes your Assembly will review the matter further at this time, to see if
more Assemblies cannot be incorporated at this time....



LETTER OF 28 SEPTEMBER 1956


28 September 1956

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The beloved Guardian has received your recent letter, and has instructed
me to answer you on his behalf.

He was grieved to hear of the passing of Mr. Rahmatollah Saffar. He deeply
appreciates the services rendered the Faith by him, and wishes to extend
his loving sympathy to his family, and to assure them of his prayers for
the progress of his spirit.

The Guardian will shortly be sending Five Hundred Pounds for the German
National Spiritual Assembly to help in the teaching work....



LETTER OF 6 OCTOBER 1956 (FIRST AUSTRIAN SUMMER SCHOOL)


6 October 1956 (First Austrian Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your note of greeting dated August 29th, signed by all present on this
important occasion, together with its enclosures, has been received by the
beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf. He
was happy to see the names of so many participants, as such gatherings
bring a fresh spirit and a renewed determination to carry forward the work
to all the friends.

The Guardian assures you he will remember you in his loving prayers; and
he urges you to steadily, courageously and whole-heartedly, pursue your
goals under the historic World Spiritual Crusade, confident that this will
attract to you the blessings of Bahá’u’lláh....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty guide your steps in the path of service, remove all
obstacles from your path, and enable you to extend the range of your
meritorious services, and win great victories in the days to come,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 20 OCTOBER 1956


20 October 1956

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your loving letter of October 3rd was presented to the Beloved Guardian.

The Guardian has directed me to assure your Assembly, that he is praying
for the removal of every obstacle in the way of the purchase of the site
for the Temple at Frankfurt.

He hopes you and your committee will continue to press the matter
vigorously, as he hopes this important matter, can be successfully
achieved in the near future.

When you have concluded the purchase, he would appreciate a cable from
you.

He sends his loving greetings to each of you....



LETTER OF 22 OCTOBER 1956 (TEACHING CONFERENCE)


22 October 1956 (Teaching Conference)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has received the letter which you all signed, dated
September 30th, and has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

When we stop to think that we are already in the fourth year of the World
Spiritual Crusade, we realize that we cannot afford to look at our past
accomplishments, but must face the future and the tremendous tasks which
lie ahead.

He knows the attainment of the objectives of the Crusade is the concern
deepest in the heart of each believer; and he is confident this Conference
has sent forth those who attended with a renewed determination to do all
in their power individually and collectively, as the days and weeks pass,
to ensure its ultimate success....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty guide you in your constant endeavours for the spread of
the Faith, and aid you to extend continually the scope of your valued
activities, and lend, in the days to come, a great impetus to its progress
and the consolidation of its institutions.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 9 NOVEMBER 1956


9 November 1956

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The Beloved Guardian has directed me to respond to your recent letter to
him, with regard to the Temple design, etc.

The Guardian likes the adjustments Mr. Rocholl has made in his design, and
now approves of the drawings you have sent him. Therefore you should now
proceed, within the following limitations.

No changes should be made further in the design. If it is necessary to
reduce the size in order to keep within the limit of financial resources,
that is permissible, but no change in the size or proportions should be
made.

As previously advised, the Guardian feels this Temple must be constructed
at a cost of not to exceed $300,000. He is willing to consider raising
this limit by $20,000, to cover furnishings, etc. or at the very outside
$30,000.

Now it is necessary for your Assembly to study the matter, and decide how
to proceed to construct the Temple within this money limit. The Temple
must be financed by the Bahá’ís of the world, and with the heavy
expenditures everywhere, economy must be exercised in all our
undertakings, and limits of budgets set.

The important thing now is to build a House of Worship, which will bring
untold spiritual blessings, wide publicity, and let us hope, a rapid
increase in the number of Bahá’ís and Centers.

As I have indicated, if it is necessary to decrease the size of the
structure, that is satisfactory, but no change in design or proportions
should be made to the main structure of the building.

This $320,000 figure, refers to the completed Temple, including fittings
and equipment.

Of course, the Temple cannot be built until the land has been secured. He
requests and urges that your Assembly expedite this important matter in
every way possible. He is fearful, if work on the Temple is not started at
an early date, it may be impossible to build the Temple in Germany during
the Ten Year Crusade.

He assures you of his prayers in your behalf. He sends his loving
Greetings....

P.S. The questions of materials to be used, he leaves to your Assembly.
You should endeavor to use such materials as are not too expensive, and
yet satisfactory for the Temple.



LETTER OF 15 NOVEMBER 1956


15 November 1956

Dearly Beloved Sister:

The Beloved Guardian has directed me to write you concerning the purchase
of the Endowment for Austria. He hopes very much it will be possible for
you to purchase this Endowment before Ridván 1957.

He asks that you write me, giving the status of this matter, and when you
feel the purchase can be consummated....



LETTER OF 30 NOVEMBER 1956


30 November 1956

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your loving letters of November 19th and 22nd were duly received by the
Beloved Guardian, and he has directed me to acknowledge them on his
behalf.

He greatly appreciates, and was deeply touched, by your kind sentiments on
the occasion of the 35th anniversary of his appointment as Guardian. The
spirit of devotion and consecration of the German Believers, and its
National Assembly, augurs well for the future of the Faith in your
country. He is sure the Master will both guide and confirm you in your
work, as you carry forth the mandates of His Convenant, and the Teaching
Tablets.

With regard to the Temple Land—The Guardian feels this must be purchased
in Frankfurt, or its environs. He does not approve of buying in Offenbach.
Thus he feels you can secure the land anywhere in Frankfurt or its
environs, where it seems best suitable for our purposes.

The new location near Eschborn would seem satisfactory, but you must be
sure there will be no trouble with permits to build.

He feels you should again review the entire matter most carefully, and he
hopes you will soon find the location which will be the site of the House
of Worship in Germany.

With regard to the funds—he feels it is best that you allow them to remain
in the Bank as at present.

The Guardian sends you his loving greetings.

He is praying for you, and for the success of your work in the Faith....



LETTER OF 30 NOVEMBER 1956


30 November 1956

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your loving letter of October 17th was duly received, and its contents
presented to the Beloved Guardian. He has directed me to reply as follows:

He feels it is more advisable for ... to remain in Budapest, where the
Faith needs every help it can get, rather than go to either Austria or
Germany.

Of course, the terrible events in Hungary may have changed the whole
aspect of this important matter, and the question not now be in need of an
answer. The Guardian hopes that ... has not suffered nor met with
misfortune in that unhappy city.

At the same time, the Faith is needed more than ever, and it may be the
depressing conditions existing, may make it possible for more teaching
work to be done....



LETTER OF 5 DECEMBER 1956


5 December 1956

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The Beloved Guardian has directed me to write you concerning some copies
of the prints which Mr. Rocholl has made of the Temple Design for
Frankfurt.

He would like to secure 15 copies of the photo sent by Mr. Rocholl, which
shows the Temple in White lines, and the background black.

The Temple itself, should be no larger than the Shrine in the Colored
pictures of the Shrine of the Báb. Thus the measurement of the pictures to
be sent are 21 cm by 13 cm. There need be little space below or over the
Temple, but let the black run out to the edges, on both sides.

Do I make clear what the Guardian wants? If you will show Mr. Rocholl a
picture of the Shrine of the Báb colored, as printed in America for sale,
and which appears in the frontispiece of Vol. 9 of the Bahá’í World, he
can have the pictures made accordingly.

The pictures should be black and white, glossy, and on as light paper as
possible. By light I mean, in weight.

Please cable me on receipt if this is clear, and if Mr. Rocholl can
provide the 15 copies at an early date....



LETTER OF 1 JANUARY 1957


1 January 1957

Mrs. Anna Grossmann:

Your loving letter of December 16th was duly received, and its contents
presented to the Beloved Guardian.

Needless to say, he is very disturbed with the recent developments with
regard to the Temple land and building. This matter has gone along for a
long period of time, and he feels it is now reaching the point where it
reflects on the Faith. He feels very definitely that if there should be a
failure in connection with the Temple to be built in Frankfurt, it would
be a great set back to the Faith, not only in Germany, but in all Europe.

The Guardian suggests your Assembly read carefully, the many statements
and letters to the American National Assembly, as to the importance of the
Temple, and its construction. He even says it will be the most important
teacher of the Faith, and with its completion, a new spiritual movement
will take place in America. Whatever the Master has said with regard to
the Temple in America, applies with equal force to Germany. Surely we
cannot allow the negative influences at work in Frankfurt and Germany, in
connection with our Temple project, to stop our forward progress.

The Guardian would like your Assembly to consider the project of the
Temple land, and the construction of the building, as its most important
task, and give it precedence over all other problems.

So far as the question of Environs of Frankfurt is concerned, he will
allow you to determine what constitutes the Environs of Frankfurt. If you
feel Offenbach, which is a separate city, is the environs of Frankfurt, he
will approve the construction there. If the hills of Taunus constitute the
environs, he will approve that location.

If the objection of the city of Frankfurt to the Temple model, is due to
its size, why not reduce the size. The important thing now is not the size
of the building, but the fact of the building.

Therefore the Guardian will approve reduction in the size, so as to permit
construction now, and in Frankfurt, or its environs.

The Guardian will pray for the guidance of your Assembly in working out
this important project; that it may be settled promptly, and that soon we
may rejoice, with the work of the Temple proceeding....



LETTER OF 10 JANUARY 1957


10 January 1957

GUARDIAN APPROVES PURCHASE LAND POLISCHER BERG WITH ASSURANCE NO
COMPLICATIONS ERECTION TEMPLE.



LETTER OF 11 JANUARY 1957


11 January 1957

MR SABET CHARGED BY GUARDIAN MEET WITH YOUR NSA IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS
PLEASE CABLE DATE PLACE NEXT MEETING.



LETTER OF 11 JANUARY 1957


11 January 1957

IS KRIFTEL REFERRED YOURS FIRST SAME AS POLISCHER BERG REFERRED MY CABLE
EIGHTH.



LETTER OF 13 JANUARY 1957


13 January 1957

GUARDIAN URGES IMMEDIATE PURCHASE TEMPLE LAND. TRANSLATION INTO UNOPENED
TERRITORY LANGUAGE ALSO HAVE PIONEERS READY TO MOVE FIRST OPPORTUNITY.



LETTER OF 19 JANUARY 1957


19 January 1957

WHAT IS STATUS TEMPLE LAND POLISCHER BERG PLEASE CABLE.



LETTER OF 19 JANUARY 1957


19 January 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

I cabled you today, as follows: “What is status purchase Temple Land
Polischer Berg. Please cable.”

I cabled you on January 8th that the Guardian approved purchase of the
land of Polischer Berg, with the assurance that there would be no
complications in connection with the erection of the Temple.

Your letter later spoke of the Temple Land near Kriftel, and I cabled to
ascertain if this is the same land as referred to at Polischer Berg. I
take it, it is.

The Guardian now hopes all matters are clarified, and that your Assembly
is in a position to purchase this land, and thus start the construction of
the Temple. Your early advice and confirmation will be appreciated by
him....



LETTER OF 19 JANUARY 1957


19 January 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Miss Bertha Matthiessen, one of the dear Bahá’ís of Southern California,
who has spent some time in Germany, and is no doubt, well known to you; is
returning to Germany from the United States in March 1957.

She has written the Guardian that after a rest at Bad Nauheim, she will
get in touch with your Assembly, or the Teaching Committee, to assist in
the teaching work. The Guardian has written her, expressing his
appreciation of this offer on her part to assist in the important work in
Germany and Austria, and suggested that if she could settle in one of the
goal cities in Austria, after consultation with your Assembly or Teaching
Committee, it would be highly meritorious.

This note is sent to you, so you may understand, when she gets in touch
with you this spring....



LETTER OF 24 JANAURY 1957 (WINTER SCHOOL)


24 Janaury 1957 (Winter School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your message dated January 5th has reached the beloved Guardian, and he
was very happy to see that the friends had been able to meet and deepen
their understanding of the Faith.

He hopes that the German Bahá’ís, especially the Youth, will do all they
can to consolidate the foundations of the work already so painstakingly
laid in Germany during a period of almost half a century; and that each
Bahá’í will consider it his privilege and duty to support the teaching
work, either through pioneering to new Centers, or strengthening weak
Assemblies, or assisting the Groups to become Assemblies.

He assures you all of his loving prayers for your success....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless your efforts, guide and sustain you, and enable you
to extend the scope of your valued activities, acquire a fuller
understanding of the distinguishing features of His Faith, and lend an
impetus to the progress and consolidation of its divinely appointed
institutions,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 26 JANUARY 1957


26 January 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Yesterday, a Jewish Seaman called, to present Greetings from Mrs. Santa
Felbermann, connected with the British Legation in Budapest.

This gentlemen, who gave the name of Alexander Goldhammer, advised he had
been in Budapest a short time ago, and Mrs. Felbermann, asked him to give
her Greetings to the Friends here.

It occurs to me you may wish to enter into correspondence with her, if
correspondence to Hungary is possible now from West Germany. You may have
information from the Bahá’ís who left Hungary recently, and who, no doubt,
were in touch with you.

I am also sending a copy of this letter to Mrs. Anne Lynch, so she may
write to Mrs. Felbermann, if correspondence from Switzerland is now
possible....



LETTER OF 30 JANUARY 1957


30 January 1957

APPROVE OFFENBACH URGE IMMEDIATE PURCHASE

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 17 FEBRUARY 1957


17 February 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The Beloved Guardian has suggested that your Assembly arrange for a
telegraphic address in Frankfurt, which will simplify telegraphing to your
honorable body.

Some of the National Assemblies have used the designation “Bahá’í”. Thus
for instance, when we cable to the American NSA, we simply address the
cable “Bahá’í, Wilmette”. Australia uses “Natbahai”. As soon as you have
arranged with the cable Company for your telegraphic address, please let
me know for the Guardian....



LETTER OF 17 FEBRUARY 1957


17 February 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The Beloved Guardian has directed me to write to your Assembly, concerning
the settlement of Persian Bahá’ís in Germany and Austria.

He has discussed the matter in some detail with ... when they were here,
and asked them to review the matter with your Assembly.

It is artificial to build up communities or Assemblies with Persians, or
for that matter, any Bahá’ís from other countries. The Communities and
Assemblies should be made up of local people. Thus in any of the Centers
where a large number of Persian Bahá’ís have settled, your Assembly should
discuss the subject with them, and urge them to move to goal cities, where
there are no Bahá’ís, or groups, in order to assist in the teaching work.
Thus, the artificial Assemblies will necessarily have to be constituted of
local Bahá’ís, and many new centers will be opened. Thus the Persian
Bahá’ís will become pioneers and greatly aid the teaching work. At the
same time, it will mean that the German Bahá’ís will have to redouble
their efforts and win many converts to the Faith, in the cities from which
the Persians move, and which are now artificial.

The Guardian hopes this action will stimulate the teaching work throughout
Germany.

He sends you his loving greetings....



LETTER OF 10 MARCH 1957


10 March 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The Beloved Guardian is anxious to have an up to date record of the number
of Bahá’ís in the Goal countries of the Ten Year Crusade, as of April 1,
1957.

To this end I have prepared letters to each country or island. Some of the
current addresses etc. I do not have, and I am taking the liberty of
enclosing letters for the Frisian Islands, and Crete.

May I ask if you will send them directly to the proper persons, by air
mail.

Please acknowledge and advise if you will arrange to do this for me....



LETTER OF 12 MARCH 1957 (REGIONAL CONVENTION)


12 March 1957 (Regional Convention)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your note of greeting has been received, and our beloved Guardian was very
happy to see that so many of the believers had gathered together, old ones
and new ones, and he hopes that as a result of your studies and
consultation a new impetus will be given to the teaching work in Germany.

You may be sure he will pray for your success in the holy Shrines; and he
urges you one and all to concentrate on the requirements of the Ten Year
Plan as it affects the work in Germany....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved bless your highly meritorious efforts, aid you to extend
continually the scope of your valued activities, surmount every obstacle,
and lend a tremendous impetus to the onward march of our beloved Faith and
the development and consolidation of its administrative institutions,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 13 MARCH 1957


13 March 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The Beloved Guardian is very anxious to have an up to date record of the
total number of Bahá’í Centers in Germany and Austria,
separately;—excluding, of course, the goal areas of the Ten Year Crusade,
such as the Frisian Islands, etc.

May I ask if you will send me a cable on receipt of this giving just the
totals for each country, as for instance “Germany 100, Austria 25”. There
is no need for any breakdown of Assemblies, Groups or Isolated Centers....



LETTER OF 14 MARCH 1957


14 March 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The Beloved Guardian has been greatly impressed by the large number of
Teaching Conferences held during the past year.

I have an incomplete record of a conference held in Austria. Can you cable
me if this conference was held, the dates, and place....

P.S. Please send the cable immediately on receipt of this letter.



LETTER OF 17 MARCH 1957


17 March 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

...So far as ... Mr. and Mrs. ... and children are concerned, the Guardian
wishes to know if they are residents of Germany, or Persians traveling in
Germany, or there only for a short time. When did they arrive, and what
are their plans.

The purpose of this information is that if they actually are Persian
residents, traveling in Europe, then they will have to go on the Persian
list, and come when their turn comes there. If they are permanently
residing in Germany, then the situation is different....

P.S. Also please advise what their background is!



LETTER OF 29 MARCH 1957


29 March 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

As requested in your letter of March 23rd, I informed the Beloved Guardian
of the passing of Mr. Lehne, in Berlin, on March 20th.

The Beloved Guardian asked me to advise you, and the wife of Mr. Lehne,
that he will pray for the progress of Mr. Lehne’s soul in the realms
beyond.

He rendered outstanding services to the Faith, holding the ideals of the
Faith during the difficult days of the war....

Will you please inform Mrs. Lehne.



LETTER OF 3 APRIL 1957


3 April 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your loving letter of March 22nd, was duly received, and its contents
presented to the Beloved Guardian.

He will be happy to welcome ... on their pilgrimage, when their turn
comes. It is not feasible just now for them to come when ... return from
Haifa. The Guardian will let ... know when the time comes for their
pilgrimage.

There are so many wishing to make the pilgrimage, that the Guardian must
receive them in the order of their application. Thus, when the time comes
for ..., the Guardian will let them know....



LETTER OF 9 APRIL 1957


9 April 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your loving letter of April 2nd, has been received by the Beloved
Guardian, and he has directed me to acknowledge it on his behalf.

He is happy to receive word of the progress which you are making in
connection with the purchase of the Temple Land, and the securing of
necessary building permits. He hopes you will encounter no serious
difficulties in connection with the building permit, so that work on this
most important project, may start at an early date.

He will pray for your Assembly, that you may be able to overcome all
hindrances, and that the path may be smoothed for an early conclusion of
this troublesome matter.

So far as the land in Offenbach is concerned, and the plan of the city
that we finance road work is concerned—this is entirely impossible. The
cost is too high, and furthermore we should not become involved in local
civic projects.

He sends you his loving greetings....



LETTER OF 12 APRIL 1957


12 April 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Enclosed is the beloved Guardian’s Convention Message, which you will be
so kind as to deliver to the Chairman of the National Convention to be
read to and shared with the friends.

This letter, in order to save time is being mailed by a returning pilgrim,
from Rome....

P.S.—Will you please acknowledge receipt of this letter by cable to the
Guardian.



LETTER OF 18 APRIL 1957


18 April 1957

UNNECESSARY INADVISABLE ROCHOLL VISIT HAIFA SUGGEST HE SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS
GROSSMANNS FOR DISCUSSION WHILE HERE...



LETTER OF 19 APRIL 1957


19 April 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The Beloved Guardian has been very deeply impressed with the latest book
of our dear departed co-worker, Hand of the Cause, George Townshend,
“Christ and Bahá’u’lláh”. If you have not received copies, you should send
to England for them, so that the Friends may be familiar with its
contents.

This book outlines clearly the relationship of Christ and Bahá’u’lláh, and
presents the manner in which the Bahá’í Faith is setting up the Kingdom of
God, which the Christians are praying for.

The Guardian feels that your Assembly should make very wide use of this
book. You should secure publicity regarding it in the Newspapers, book
reviews, where possible. Copies should be sent to the Religious leaders,
particularly to the Lutheran high Dignitaries.

This book is a challenge to religious leaders, and of course, should be
sent, also to those who opposed the Temple Land sale. It may bring some
opposition and criticism, but in the long run, it will produce excellent
results for the Faith.

The Guardian sends you his loving Greetings....



LETTER OF 19 APRIL 1957


19 April 1957

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

When His Excellency Mr. Ollenhauer was in Israel, in accordance with the
suggestion of your Assembly, effort was made to contact him, and invite
him to visit the Shrine and Gardens on Mt. Carmel.

Unfortunately actual contact was not made. Mr. Ioas spent a day in
Jerusalem trying to meet him, but he was so tied up with Government
Officials it was impossible. Mr. Ioas, however, left a note for him, in
his hotel, welcoming him to Israel, and inviting him to visit Haifa, and
our Shrines and Gardens. We gave him also, the Greetings of the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Germany, whose headquarters are in
Frankfurt.

Attached is letter received from one of his party presumably his
Secretary, thanking us for the Greeting, and saying he had seen the Shrine
and Gardens in company with the Mayor of Haifa, when he was in the City.

The Beloved Guardian thought you would wish to have his letter, and know
of the action taken here to effect a meeting....

You may retain his letter in your files.



LETTER OF 28 APRIL 1957


28 April 1957

DEEPLY APPRECIATE MESSAGE WELCOME NOBLE DETERMINATION DELEGATES
SUPPLICATING FERVENTLY SIGNAL VICTORIES URGE REDOUBLE EFFORTS ATTAINMENT
GOALS EXPEDITE COMMENCEMENT CONSTRUCTION TEMPLE DEEPEST LOVE

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 14 AUGUST 1957


14 August 1957

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your Assembly’s communications with their enclosures and material sent
under separate cover have all arrived safely, and the beloved Guardian has
instructed me to answer you on his behalf, and to acknowledge receipt of
the letters dated as follows: June 14, August 8 and 28, September 2,
October 27, November 19 and 22 and December 4 and 26, 1956; and January 1
and 15, February 4, March 1, 2 and 9, April 2, 16 and 25, June 14, 19
(two) and July 3, 8 and 19.

As a number of questions raised in your letters have been answered by
cable, or through the Secretary, I will not go into them again here.

He thanks your Assembly for the trouble you took in sending him the
samples of tiles in connection with the Archives floor. A rubber tile has
now been ordered from England, which he considers will be satisfactory.

As a member of your National Assembly has so recently visited Haifa,
namely, dear Mrs. Anna Grossmann, and many of the points concerning the
Temple land were discussed with her, she has no doubt by now conveyed to
you the Guardian’s views.

He feels that the German National Assembly must be extremely practical in
handling this matter and expedite the purchase of a site for the Temple as
soon as possible, and without strings attached, such as the necessity to
build a road at our expense, or to raise loans from other National Bodies,
which is extremely impracticable and very unwise. The German friends have
money for their land and the beginning of their Temple on hand, and should
conserve this money for the purpose stipulated, and neither ask other
National Bodies for loans, nor become involved with municipal or state
authorities, who want to get as much out of the Bahá’ís as possible,
while, at the same time, it would seem, giving them as little help as
possible.

He also discussed with Mrs. Grossmann certain matters she brought up as
regards the Temple design and size. She has no doubt reported his views to
your Assembly.

He was shocked and indignant to hear of the conduct of certain of the
Persian Bahá’í students in Germany which had been so criminal as to lead
to their imprisonment. He feels that your Assembly must keep before its
eyes the balance specified by Bahá’u’lláh, Himself, in other words,
justice, reward and retribution. Although the Cause is still young and
tender, and many of the believers inexperienced, and therefore loving
forbearance is often called for in the place of harsh measures, this does
not mean that a National Spiritual Assembly can under any circumstances
tolerate disgraceful conduct, flagrantly contrary to our Teachings, on the
part of any of its members, whoever they may be and from wherever they may
come. You should vigilantly watch over and protect the interests of the
Bahá’í Community, and the moment you see that any of the Persian residents
in Germany, or, for that matter, German Bahá’ís themselves, are acting in
a way to bring disgrace upon the name of the Faith, warn them, and, if
necessary, deprive them immediately of their voting rights if they refuse
to change their ways. Only in this way can the purity of the Faith be
preserved. Compromise and weak measures will obscure the vision of its
followers, sap its strength, lower it in the eyes of the public and
prevent it from making any progress.

The National Assembly is the guardian of the welfare of the Faith, a most
sacred and heavy responsibility and one which is inescapable. They must be
ever vigilant, ever on the lookout, ever ready to take action, and, on all
matters of fundamental principle, refuse to compromise for an instant.
Only in this way can the body of the Faith be free of disease.

He feels that you should investigate the situation in ..., find out who is
and who is not a Bahá’í, and insist that its affairs be conducted in a
Bahá’í manner by registered Bahá’ís, and that those who have not yet
gotten credentials from Persia should be placed in a different category,
entirely, from those who are registered by your Assembly as voting
members, and accepted as believers. The Persian Bahá’ís in many cases, who
have either gone to Germany to study or to assist in the work of the Faith
with a pure motive, have rendered the German Community inestimable
services, and everyone should be duly grateful to them for both their
spirit and their example. However, we should not confuse the true
believers with those who are not quickened with the spirit of faith, have
some ulterior motive, or are indifferent to the reputation they have
personally, and the damage they may do the Cause in the eyes of the
public. There is all the difference in the world between these two
categories, and your Assembly must be ever watchful and ready to take
action when necessary.

It is not a normal condition for one-quarter of a community to be composed
of a foreign, and therefore floating, element. In spite of the fact that
in such countries as England and Germany, in particular, the Persian
friends have been of great help in maintaining, and indeed in
establishing, new Assemblies and Centres, the National Body must bear in
mind that this is not a normal state of affairs. It is the German people
in Germany, and the English people in England, who must be the back-bone
and the vast majority of the Community. Otherwise, if for some reason the
foreign element returns to its home or is forced to leave the country, the
Communities dependent on it disintegrate for lack of numbers.

Every effort should be made to encourage the German Bahá’ís, who are so
numerous in some of the cities in Germany, particularly in Stuttgart, to
go out and take part in the establishment of new Spiritual Assemblies in
their own country. This is both their duty and their privilege. The
Guardian has pointed out, over and over again, that it is sufficient for
fifteen active believers to remain in any one city, even such cities as
New York, Chicago and San Francisco. This also applies to Germany, and the
Bahá’ís should be encouraged to pioneer on their Home Front, and establish
new Spiritual Assemblies, new Groups and new isolated centres. In this way
the affairs of the Faith will attract the blessings of Bahá’u’lláh and the
believers will be rewarded by Him for doing their duty and accepting the
challenge of the present hour. If and when another upheaval takes place in
Europe, it will be the big cities that are the danger points. Why then do
the Bahá’ís cling to them so tenaciously, when they would be much safer,
and serving the interests of the Faith, if they moved away to smaller
places?

He does not want the friends to be fearful, or to dwell upon the
unpleasant possibilities of the future. They must have the attitude that,
if they do their part, which is to accomplish the goals of the Ten Year
Plan, they can be sure that God will do His part and watch over them....

He has been very happy over the formation of the first historic Spiritual
Assembly in Athens, an achievement made possible this year through the
direct efforts of German pioneers. He greatly appreciates their spirit,
and he hopes that, in spite of the departure of some of the American
pioneers, the Community will grow in numbers, and the Assembly be
preserved next April. Your Assembly should devote particular attention to
this matter.

He hopes also that reinforcements can be sent to Crete, as well as to
Frisian Islands, where the first results of the devoted labours of the
pioneer are beginning to be shown through the enrollment of some natives
of those islands....

He has also been greatly encouraged to see the progress made in Austria
during the past year. The formation of four Assemblies marks a tremendous
step forward in the work in that country, which has too long lagged behind
the progress made in Germany. At last, Austria is beginning to bear fruit,
and he hopes, through the activities of the Austrian believers and the
pioneers who have rallied to their support, as well as through the wise
guidance of your Assembly, that the centres will be increased very rapidly
and the Spiritual Assemblies multiplied to such a point that he can fix a
date for Austria to have her independent National Body. The achievement of
this goal rests entirely upon the teaching work and is dependent on the
creation of more Assemblies.

He was glad to see that there is great need in Germany for more
publications, for more of the literature to be made available in German.
Naturally these things are dependent on financial means. However, he was
happy to know that a News Letter had been consistently published in
Frankfurt, and had been of help to the friends, especially in connection
with their Nineteen Day Feasts. Such activities should be stimulated and
encouraged by your Assembly. The Bahá’ís are widely spread over the whole
country, many of them far from well-to-do, and, however humble the
instrument that reaches them, it nevertheless fulfils a great purpose in
stimulating and encouraging them. Travelling teachers should be sent out
more regularly to visit the different centres, as the two Hands of the
Cause in Germany are so overburdened as to make it impossible for them to
travel as much as they would like to or should do in the interests of the
Faith. Therefore your Assembly should encourage itinerant teachers or
teaching trips by any of the friends who are able to offer a certain
amount of time to such activities.

He has also been very pleased during the past year to see from the press
clipping book he received, how much publicity the Faith has received free
of charge, not only in the press but generally in some of Germany’s
best-known newspapers. Were it not for the violent opposition met with in
connection with the purchase of the Temple land, this would not have been
possible, and the friends can clearly see that our activities, when we
carry them on persistently and energetically, arouse opposition, which has
an extremely salutary effect. In fact, some of the reports in the German
newspapers about the opposition the Bahá’ís were meeting with in
connection with their Temple site were published in leading French
newspapers. The friends should be very encouraged by these evidences of
the rising fame of the Faith. They should welcome opposition, and stand
firm on all questions of principle. By doing so, they will attract new
people to the Faith and encourage the skeptical to embrace our Teachings.

He appreciated receiving the photo of the new N.S.A. and hopes it will
accomplish great things during the coming months.

It is not necessary for anyone who wishes to make the pilgrimage to Haifa
to ask through your Assembly; they may ask the Guardian direct. The reason
this was done in Persia is because the number of the friends is so great
that the work involved is too much of a demand on the Guardian’s time, and
so is handled by the Persian N.S.A. who refer long lists of names to him.

He feels sure the passing of dear Mrs. Reyhani is not without significance
and that her devotion, and that of her family, will be the instrument for
attracting many hearts to our beloved Faith.

The Guardian assures you one and all of his most loving prayers for the
success of your work and that you may be given the strength to carry out
burden of responsibility for the prosecution of the Ten Year Plan in your
area....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

The year that has just elapsed, though not one in which the fond hopes
entertained for the German Bahá’í Community have been entirely fulfilled,
has, none the less, witnessed certain achievements in both the
administrative and teaching fields, for which we can feel truly grateful.

There can be no doubt that the problems, obstacles and challenges which
have faced the well-tried, long suffering, swiftly maturing community have
been formidable, and in some instances, such as to daunt their spirit and
discourage their efforts.

The continued and most lamentable division of the German nation, setting
up an almost insurmountable barrier between the vast majority of the
German followers of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh and their isolated brethren
in the eastern territories of their country; ... the prolonged existence
of ideological and political barriers impeding contact between the
believers residing in the western Zone of Germany and the inhabitants of
the territories lying beyond the Iron Curtain and particularly the Baltic
States, Moldavia, White Russia, Albania and Rumania, assigned to them
according to the provisions of the Ten-Year Plan; the intense conservatism
and religious orthodoxy of the people inhabiting the Frisian Islands,
Crete and Greece, constituting yet another barrier and raising yet another
obstacle in the path of the pioneers who have consecrated themselves to
the task of implanting the banner of the Faith in those islands in that
historic land, in pursuance of the objectives of the World Spiritual
Crusade; the limitations placed upon them by their restricted numbers and
modest resources; the temptations and distractions to which a swift return
to material prosperity continually and increasingly exposes them—these, no
doubt, militate against the speedy and effectual accomplishment of their
manifold and sacred tasks.

No need, however, to dwell on the trials, problems and the inherent
difficulties with which the community of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh and,
to a lesser extent, their sister community in Austria, are beset during
these critical years in the unfoldment of the Ten-Year Plan.

However severe their trials, and disheartening the present situation may
appear, they must remember that the Faith to which they owe allegiance has
weathered, not so very long ago, storms of a far greater severity that
seemed, at times, capable of engulfing and of obliterating its nascent
institutions. The newly planted sapling of a divinely conceived
administrative order, having driven deep its roots in German soil, bent
momentarily under the hurricane which so violently swept over it, and no
sooner had the tempest spent its force than it righted itself, and,
growing with a fresh vigour, put forth branches and offshoots that now
overshadow the entire land, and even stretch out as far as the heart of
Austria.

The experience of so miraculous a recovery from so devastating an ordeal
should, alone, prove sufficient to infuse an invigorating spirit into
those who have been subjected to it, as well as into the new generation
who are still close enough to those events to appreciate its extreme
violence, such as will not only enable them to withstand onslaughts of
still greater severity, but impel them, both young and old, men and women
alike, to struggle, with redoubled vigour and deeper consecration, to meet
the pressing and the manifold requirements of the present hour.

To answer decisively the charges levelled against them, and the Faith
which they represent, by their adversaries and critics, they can do no
better than to determine—nay to ensure—that their numerical strength will
rapidly increase throughout the length and breadth of their homeland; that
the isolated centres, groups and local assemblies will multiply to an
unprecedented degree; that every firmly grounded local spiritual assembly
is duly incorporated; that the Bahá’í Marriage Certificate and the Bahá’í
Holy Days are recognized by the Civil authorities; that the literature of
the Faith in German, Russian and those languages spoken in the Baltic
States, is not only translated to an unprecedented extent, but broadcast
far and wide; and, above all that their zeal, whatever betide them, will
remain unquenchable, their spirit indomitable, their loyalty inflexible,
their determination to succeed unshakable.

Whilst efforts in this direction are being strenuously exerted by the rank
and file of the faithful, a no less energetic action must be taken to
ensure that the pioneers in the newly opened virgin territories, in the
North as well as in the South will continue to receive adequate guidance
and assistance, which will enable them to establish new centres and
reinforce the foundation which they have so patiently and devotedly laid.
The institution of the National Fund, so indispensable to the vigorous
functioning of the multiplying institutions of the Faith, must be
generously and systematically supported by the rank and file of the
believers, however great the financial sacrifice involved, it is through
such sacrifice that these institutions can exert their maximum spiritual
influence, and contribute their full share to the expansion and
consolidation of the Faith. To their brethren in the Eastern Zone, so
gravely handicapped by the unfortunate disabilities which they have, so
long and so patiently suffered, consistent support, in whatever way
possible, should be extended, and every avenue should be explored to
ensure that the flame burning in those valiant hearts, so heavily burdened
by cares and anxieties, will not be extinguished. The no less vital
obligation to introduce, however tentatively, the Faith in the territories
lying beyond the eastern confines of their homeland, and particularly in
the Baltic States, must be promptly and seriously considered, for upon it
will, to a very great measure, depend the success of the Mission envisaged
for them by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and now confirmed through the provisions of the
Ten-Year Plan. The assistance extended to their brethren and co-partners
in Austria, who have lately succeeded in enlarging the scope of their
beneficent activities, should, moreover be maintained, nay reinforced, for
the purpose of multiplying the local spiritual assemblies, and of
hastening thereby the emergence of an independent National Spiritual
Assembly in that land. Above all, the burning issue of the purchase of the
site and of the construction of the Mother Temple of Europe must be
resolutely faced, and, once and for all, definitely settled, even if it
becomes necessary to abandon Frankfurt, situated in the heart of their
country, and the national administrative headquarters of their Faith, and
substitute for it Stuttgart, as a site, for their first
Ma_sh_riqu’l-A_dh_kár. Whatever is to be done should be expeditiously
carried out, for time is fast running out and the Ten-Year Crusade is
rapidly and inexorably approaching its midway-point. All eyes, in every
continent of the globe where Bahá’ís reside, are eagerly and anxiously
watching, expecting the early and definite settlement of these prolonged
negotiations, and prayerfully hoping to witness the first evidences of the
rise of the noble Structure, the erection of which has been entrusted to
the largest and one of the oldest national Bahá’í communities in the
European continent.

The divers and formidable obstacles, challenging the spirit and resources
of this long-suffering, firmly based, highly-endowed, much admired
community, have been considered and enumerated. The vital and inescapable
obligations, calling for immediate resolute action, on the part of all of
its privileged members, have been touched upon and sufficiently
emphasized. Now, if ever, is the time for action, with practically half of
the period alloted for the prosecution of a decadelong Crusade already
behind us. The German Bahá’í Community, the leading stronghold of the
Faith on the European mainland, must not, cannot fail. All its resources,
spiritual as well as material, must be mobilized at this hour to ensure
the speedy attainment of some of the most glorious objectives of a
glorious Crusade.

I fervently plead with its members, particularly with its watchful,
painstaking, devoted national elected representatives, to arise as one man
and carry to a successful conclusion yet another stage in the unfoldment
of their historic Mission.

May He Who through His power called this community into being, nurtured
and bestowed upon it His special blessings, crown their present and future
efforts with a success that will resound throughout the Bahá’í world.

Shoghi



LETTER OF 16 AUGUST 1957


16 August 1957

USE ENGLISH EDITION BASIS TRANSLATION ANSWERED QUESTIONS GRIEVE PASSING
ALBRECHT NAGEL DEVOTED PROMOTER FAITH FERVENTLY PRAYING PROGRESS SOUL
KINGDOM APPROVE REVISED DESIGNS TEMPLE URGE EXPEDITE PURCHASE SITE LOVING
PRAYERS

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 27 AUGUST 1957


27 August 1957

GRIEVE PASSING DISTINGUISHED HANDMAID CENTER CONVENANT MUCH LOVED DEEPLY
ADMIRED ANNAMARIE SCHWEIZER RECORD NOTABLE SERVICES CLOSING YEARS HEROIC
THREE DECADES FORMATIVE AGES BAHAI DISPENSATION IMPERISHABLE REWARD GREAT
KINGDOM FERVENTLY PRAYING PROGRESS SOUL

SHOGHI



LETTER OF 3 SEPTEMBER 1957


3 September 1957

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Our beloved Guardian has instructed me to write you on his behalf
about.... He has not only received a most unhappy and pitiful letter from
him but also letters from some of the German friends who are distressed
and unhappy over the severe measures your assembly has taken as regards
his teaching and freedom of movement.

He feels that you should deal with more kindness and leniency in this
matter; as far as he understands the accusations against him are because
of certain emotional relationships he has had. In such matters wisdom and
patience are required. It is only in cases of flagrant immorality that the
Assembly must step in and warn the believer in question that they must
behave in a way worthy of the Faith. He doubts if ... has conducted
himself in such a way. In any case he wishes you to do all you can to help
this unfortunate situation and prevent it from becoming a serious
issue....



LETTER OF 4 SEPTEMBER 1957


4 September 1957

Dear Bahá’í Co-workers:

The Beloved Guardian has cabled you a short time ago that he approved in
the changes in the Temple which had been submitted by you and by Mr.
Rocholl.

The Guardian has directed me to confirm this matter with you so that there
might be no misunderstanding. In other words, he feels that the new
drawings which you have submitted will be satisfactory. He understands
that the building itself will be no higher than thirty (30) meters in
accordance with the Town Planning arrangements of the area.

As you know he is most anxious about this very vital Goal of the Ten Year
Crusade and sincerely hopes that all of the barriers will now be
eliminated and you will soon have authority to begin construction work.

He is praying for you and for the success of your labors. He sends his
loving greetings....



LETTER OF 5 SEPTEMBER 1957


5 September 1957

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

In a recent letter from ..., he states that he has made an offer to the
German NSA to defray the expenses of translating the latest book of Dr.
Townshend, “Christ and Bahá’u’lláh” and to pay for its publication in
German.

As I have written you previously, the Guardian attaches the utmost
importance to this book as he feels it will clarify in the minds of
everyone the relationship of Christ to Bahá’u’lláh. It may shock some of
the Orthodox religious leaders but at the same time perhaps we have
reached the point where a shock will do them good. The Guardian feels that
even at the present if there should be some adverse criticism, in the long
run the publication of this book and its wide spread will bring about
renewed interest and activity in the Faith.

Thus he hopes your Assembly will see that the book is now published at an
early date, particularly inasmuch as the expense of publication has been
defrayed by....



LETTER OF 22 SEPTEMBER 1957


22 September 1957

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

At the instruction of our beloved Guardian I am writing to inform you that
he has requested Mr. Varqa to forward to your Assembly on his behalf the
sum of five hundred pounds sterling. This contribution is to assist in the
many tasks your Assembly is carrying out....



LETTER OF 26 SEPTEMBER 1957 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


26 September 1957 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter dated August 22nd, which you all joined in signing, has been
received by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you
on his behalf.

He was indeed happy to see that so many of the friends were present, and
is sure it was a great inspiration and joy for all.

The thoughts of all the Bahá’ís everywhere are now centered on achieving
the goals of our glorious World Spiritual Crusade, and the Guardian
assures you of his prayers that you may become assisted to perform nobly
your part, whatever it may be, in the present stage of this great
Crusade....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh continually guide your steps, inspire and
strengthen you, remove every obstacle from your path, and graciously
assist you to lend an unprecedented impetus to the all-important teaching
work in that promising country,

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 3 OCTOBER 1957 (SUMMER SCHOOL)


3 October 1957 (Summer School)

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has received your note of greeting dated September
5th, signed by those in attendance at the Summer School.

He hopes the friends will focus their attention on the needs of the
Ten-Year Crusade now moving along so rapidly; and in their home
communities endeavour to lend every possible assistance in their power to
the achievement of the objectives alloted to the believers in that land.
This will bring them spiritual reinforcement and success, in spite of the
difficulties that may be encountered by them....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless, abundantly and continually, your activities,
deliberations and services, guide every step you take, and fulfil every
desire you cherish, for the promotion and ultimate triumph of His Faith.

Your true brother,
Shoghi



LETTER OF 27 OCTOBER 1957


27 October 1957

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your loving letter of October 17th has come duly to hand dealing with the
question of publishing the Guardian’s telegram with regard to Mírzá Buzurg
in the German Bahá’í News.

This cablegram has been published in all Bahá’í News and therefore there
should be no objection to it being published in the German News. When the
Guardian speaks of no publicity, he refers specifically to newspaper
publicity or other types of publicity before the public....



LETTER OF 30 OCTOBER 1957 (TEACHING CONFERENCE)


30 October 1957 (Teaching Conference)

ASSURE PARTICIPANTS GREATEST APPRECIATION MESSAGE SUPPLICATING
UNPRECEDENTED BLESSINGS STILL GREATER VICTORIES.

SHOGHI



FOOTNOTES


    1 Letter without date, was received 23rd November 1955.





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