THE LIGHT OF DIVINE GUIDANCE, SECOND VOLUME
(Baha'i Verlag, 1985)
FILENAME: LDG2.FN
FILEDATE: 08-06-94
+P5
27 February (1922)+F1
Honoured Sir:
It is with regret and sorrow that I enclose at last the long-protracted
translations of &Abdu'l-Baha's answer to your letter. His
sudden passing to the Great Beyond has plunged us all in profound
grief and added heavily to our preoccupations and responsibilities.
Happily, however, the full answer to your epistle, had been written,
and signed by him many days before his passing and were it not for
the desire to have it adequately rendered into English and French,
it would have reached you far sooner than now. As I am not certain
of your address at the present moment, I am enclosing a copy of the
original text which bears his signature, hoping to forward the text
as soon as I am assured of your true address.
I am sending, too, a copy of the English version to Mr. A. &Isfahani,
a &Baha'i friend of ours who, I understand, has had the pleasure
and privilege of meeting you on more than one occasion, and who
I am sure will submit it to you, should this letter fail to reach its
destination.
The &Baha'is the world over will be delighted to have copies of
&Abdu'l-Baha's answer to your letter circulated amongst them, as it
is unique in many respects and much appreciated in its nature and
comprehensiveness. I have refrained from giving them copies until
I hear of your desire to do so.
Being a personal letter I thought it incumbent upon me to inform
you and request you on this point.
My very best wishes and kind regards and hoping to hear from you
soon,
I am yours very sincerely
Shoghi Rabbani
(grandson of &Abdu'l-Baha)
+F1 to Professor Auguste Forel
+P6
5 January 1923
The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful
throughout Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and
Switzerland.
The glory of the All-Glorious rest upon them!
Beloved brethren and sisters in &Abdu'l-Baha!
His honor, &Jinab-i &Abdu'l-Husayn-i &Avarih, fired with the
spirit of service and teaching which the passing of our beloved
Master has kindled in every heart, is proceeding to Europe and
will visit every &Baha'i centre in that great continent, that he may
with the aid of the many friends in those regions raise the Call of
&Ya-Baha'u'l-Abha and stimulate interest in the Cause of God. He
is indeed qualified for such an eminent noble task and I am confident
that by the Grace of God and with the whole-hearted
assistance of the loved ones of &Abdu'l-Baha, he may be enabled to
promote far and wide the universal Teachings of &Baha'u'llah.
His wide experience and familiarity with the various aspects of
the Movement, his profound and extensive knowledge of its
history; his association with some of the early believers, the
pioneers and martyrs of the Cause will I am sure to appeal to
every one of you and will serve to acquaint you still further with
the more intimate and tragic side of this remarkable Movement.
May his sojourn in your country lend a fresh impetus to the
onward march of the Cause in the West and arouse widespread
interest in the history as well as the principles of the &Baha'i
Movement!
+P7
18 December 1925+F1
An die lieben &Baha'i Geschwister in Esslingen
Meine geliebten &Baha'i Geschwister,
Euren &schonen Brief vom 9. Kaul hat unser geliebter &Huter,
Shoghi Effendi erhalten und grosse Freude dadurch bekommen.
Damit &stromt die Liebe Gottes und der &susse Duft Eurer Harmonie,
Einigkeit, Aufrichtigkeit und Ergebenheit der Wohlfahrt der
heiligen Sache.
Unser geliebter &Huter hat mich beauftragt, diese Zeilen an
Euch zu schreiben und seine Liebe und herzliche &Grusse euch zu
&ubersenden. Er versichert Euch, dass er &fur Euch am heiligen
Grabe Unsers Geliebten, &Abdu'l-Bahas mit ganzem Herzen
betet. Er erwartet immer gute Nachrichten von Eurem Wohlsein
und von dem Fortschritte der heiligen Sache in Eurem Land.
Liebe Geschwister, die Angelegenheiten in meiner Heimat
haben mich gezwungen, eine Reise nach Persien zu machen. Der
geliebte &Huter hat mir Urlaub &dafur bewilligt. Ich verlasse Haifa
binnen drei oder vier Tagen. Da &wahrend meiner Abwesenheit
von Haifa niemand hier ist, der Deutsch kann, sollen alle die
Briefe und Nachrichten, die dem lieben Shoghi Effendi geschickt
werden werden, auf Englisch geschrieben werden. Die heilige
Familie lassen Euch auch herzliche &Grusse.
Mit treuer Liebe, verbleibe ich immer, Euer ergebener Bruder
in Seinem heiligen Namen und Dienste unsers geliebten &Huter
[From the Guardian:]
My dearest friends:
This is to assure you personally of my continued and earnest
prayers for your happiness, welfare and spiritual advancement. The
Esslingen friends are near and dear to my heart. I have great admiration
+F1 letter written in German language
+P8
for their steadfastness, their love and devotion and cherish
great hopes for their future. They are destined to achieve great things
for our beloved Cause.
Always your true brother,
Shoghi
15 February 1926
With regard to your first question on alcohol and drinking
&Baha'u'llah fully aware of the great misery that it brings about,
prohibits it as He expressly states that everything that takes away
the mind or in other words makes one drunk is forbidden. The
Master has promoted the same idea.
In connection with spiritualism, although the Master says that
there is some element of truth in what some teach under the subject
of auto-suggestion and others, spiritualism as such is not
taught by the &Baha'i religion. Our Master has said that religion
and true science must go together and most of these things have
not been proved by science.
As to your third question Shoghi Effendi would like you to
understand that when one believes in one to be divinely inspired
and when one is convinced that he has a great mission to the
world in his teachings, he must very naturally be ready to accept
all that that world-teacher that divinely-inspired man says. It is
with this view that he feels that a real &Baha'i would be one who
is convinced that &Baha'u'llah was a world-teacher and a Messenger
of God bearing to mankind a great Message, and would therefore
be ready to accept all that &Baha'u'llah has said and the same is true
of the Master whom we believe to have been the great propounder
of the &Baha'i teachings and the one through whom the Covenant
of God was firmly established in the world.
+P9
With regard to the differentiation between &Baha'i and &Baha'i
friend. This differentiation was not one which &Baha'u'llah and
the Master firmly established but because there are so many people
who are attracted to the &Baha'i Cause just as they are attracted
to some society and people who have not developed spiritually to
look at the world and the spiritual elements of life in the proper
light that a &Baha'i would look at it, it has become a habit of differentiating
between what you might call beginners in the &Baha'i
Movement and those who have studied the Movement
thoroughly and who know its teachings exactly and who understand
the real spirit that is back of it all. You should not think,
however, that a &Baha'i is one who is superior to a &Baha'i friend,
but only that he has studied the Movement better and realizes well
the great and divine spirit that is at the root of all &Baha'i teachings.
I hope that in spite of the briefness that has been necessary in
answering your interesting questions, I have been able to explain
to you properly the meaning of each answer. It is always through
questioning and mature thought that we can arrive at the root of
everything and in the teachings of &Baha'u'llah there are so many
things which though at present seemingly unnecessary will be of
great necessity in the future development of mankind.
4 November 1926
The wine mentioned in the Tablets has undoubtedly a spiritual
meaning for in the book of Aqdas we are definitely forbidden to
take not only wine, but every thing that deranges the mind. In
poetry as a whole wine is taken to have a different connotation
than the ordinary intoxicating liquid. We see it thus used by the
Persian Poets such as &Sa'di and &Umar &Khayam and &Hafiz to mean
that element which nears man to his divine beloved, which makes
+P10
him forget his material self so as better to seek his spiritual desires.
It is very necessary to tell the children what this wine means so
that they may not confuse it with the ordinary wine.
The books of laws or Aqdas has not yet been properly
translated because as you mentioned we do not have any competent
person for the work. When the Cause was first introduced to
west one of the Arab friends made such an attempt but it was so
misleading and confusing that the Master forbade any individual
to make another trial. He said that it is the work of a group of
competent translators and not of one person. Most of the important
subjects mentioned there are, however, quite familiar to the
friends through other tablets and there is no pressing need for
such a work at present.
[From the Guardian:]
Your welcome letter, indicative of your perseverance in service,
despite the great loss you have sustained, was a source of great comfort
and strength to me. I hope and pray that your dear children will
grow in spiritual understanding, wisdom and virtue and by their
life, their conduct and future services to the Cause make the soul of
their departed father radiant and joyous and prove a solace to your
heart. Rest assured that you all occupy a warm and abiding place in
my heart and are the object of my constant and fervent prayers at
the holy Shrines.
9 November 1926
He has great hopes for Germany. That country forms the center
of a politically and socially troubled country; many an individual
are weary of mere palliative measures. They desire a complete
reform beginning with the heart and branching into all the different
branches of activity.
+P11
[From the Guardian:]
This is just a word that I wish to add in person, assuring you and
the dear friends in Esslingen of my great love for you and my continued
prayers for your welfare and spiritual advancement. I will
tenderly remember you at the three holy Shrines and will supplicate
for each of you Divine Guidance and Strength.
6 April 1928
To the Friends gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Renftle+F1
Dear Friends,
He thanks you very much for your kind &Naw-Ruz greetings
and he is highly pleased to receive such a sweet message from his
friends in Karlsruhe. He hopes and prays that the new &Baha'i year
may be full of happiness and prosperity for you all, and may
witness a great progress in the spread of the &Baha'i teachings in
Karlsruhe.
You will surely make your best effort in that connection and
Shoghi Effendi will pray that our dear and departed Master may
help you and strengthen you. He will be always glad to hear from
you and of your doings there and you should be happy to hold
your meetings in such a beautiful home, the photograph of which
you had sent....
[From the Guardian:]
My dear co-workers:
I wish to add a few words in person and assure you of my keen
pleasure in receiving your most welcome message, as well as of my
prayers for your success and spiritual advancement. I trust that you
may each grow to become a radiant star in the firmament of the
+F1 in Karlsruhe
+P12
Cause and exemplify in your life and conduct the radiant spirit that
animates the Faith.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
11 April 1929
To the &Baha'is in Karlsruhe.
Dear &Baha'i brothers and sisters:
Your kind words of New Year greetings to Shoghi Effendi has
been received and it gave him much pleasure. He hopes that this
coming year will bring to the Cause many spiritual victories,
especially in Germany which stands as the heart of the present
troubled Europe. If the banner of peace should not be raised in
that continent, only God can foresee what will ensue, what
calamities another war will bring, and what will happen to our
present civilization.
Shoghi Effendi will remember you all in his prayers and ask for
you divine guidance and help....
[From the Guardian:]
Dearly-beloved friends:
I am deeply touched by your message and I wish to add these words
in person as a token of my affection and prayers for you. The beloved
of the Lord in Karlsruhe are dear and near to my heart. I long to
hear from them, and to learn of the progress of their activities. May
the Almighty guide their steps, cheer their hearts, deepen their
understanding and enable them to fulfil their heart's desire.
Your true and loving brother,
Shoghi
+P13
11 April 1929
He hopes that your number may daily increase and include
people of capacity and spiritual insight. It is true that the Cause
in Germany has some difficult problems to solve and some differences
to overcome, but these should merely arouse as to greater
activity. The Cause ever since its inception has been confronting
problems, but these have frozen to be a factor in strengthening
our faith and adding to our energy.
It is very necessary that we should endeavour to strengthen the
National Assembly. Without it no unity and cooperation could
be obtained throughout the country.
As you say in your letter private, informal gatherings held in
homes where different friendly individuals are invited often give
better result for only those who are really interested are attracted
and then once attracted they could be traced and kept in touch.
8 June 1929
The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful
throughout Europe.
Dearly-beloved friends:
Dr. &Yunis &Khan &Afrukhtih, an outstanding figure in the
teaching and administrative activities of the believers in Persia, is
proceeding to Europe in order to visit the &Baha'i centres and reinforce
the bonds of &Baha'i fellowship that unite the East with the
West. His mature experience, his wide knowledge of the state of
affairs in Persia, his exemplary loyalty and devotion to the Cause,
his ability and character eminently qualify him to undertake such
a noble task, and I feel confident that his prolonged stay amongst
+P14
you will prove of the utmost benefit to the interests of our beloved
Cause.
I urge every individual believer, and particularly every local
Assembly, to endeavour to get into close touch with him, to
obtain an insight into the material and spiritual conditions now
prevailing in Persia and to seek a clearer understanding of the
animating purpose, the distinguishing features and the moving
history of the Revelation of &Baha'u'llah.
May his deliberations and intimate companionship with you
serve to draw closer the ties that bind the Eastern and Western
sections of the &Baha'i World and prepare the way for the ultimate
formation of that international body that must guard the unity,
and reinforce the strength of the &Baha'i Faith.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
9 June 1929
Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter dated January 23rd 1929 and the enclosed photos of the
friends in Rostock. Though your number is still very small yet we
hope that through the Master's help and confirmation it will
increase until it can in its turn radiate its light to regions around.
Shoghi Effendi will remember you in his prayers and ask for
you divine guidance.
Yesterday one of our prominent Persian friends, Dr. &Yunis
&Khan left for Europe. His main purpose is to visit the different
centers in Germany and meet the friends. Through such travellers
we hope the East and the West will become more closely united.
+P15
[From the Guardian:]
My dear co-worker:
I wish to assure you in person of my keen interest in your activities
as well as of my fervent prayers for you, that the Beloved may guide
your steps, cheer your heart and enable you to fulfil your most
cherished desire.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
20 November 1929+F1
Shoghi Effendi has been very glad to receive your letter of
August and to learn of the visit of Dr. &Yunis &Khan and Mr. Fred.
Kline. He is also very pleased to know that you have already
chosen a plot of land for a &Baha'i home.
The Guardian has always wished to see Esslingen a great and
flourishing &Baha'i center, just as our beloved Master always hoped
that it may become. Of course you realize that perseverance, enthusiasm
and a firm faith in the ultimate success of our Cause is
necessary, and when we are assisted by the Almighty there can be
no doubt that all our endeavours will be crowned with success.
Assuring you one and all of Shoghi Effendi's warm regards and
of his prayers for you,
[From the Guardian:]
With the assurance of my deep affection and fervent prayers at the
holy Shrines for you,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+F1 to the &Baha'is of Esslingen
+P16
30 April 1930
To the Friends gathered at Esslingen
At this season of the year when &Baha'is throughout the world
are celebrating the &Ridvan festivities and are renewing their determination
to work and live under the banner of &Baha'u'llah,
Shoghi Effendi is very glad indeed to receive your message.
He wishes me to take the opportunity and assure you of his
affection and also of his wish and prayers that you may strive
unitedly for the progress of the Faith and its establishment in your
land. He hopes that you will stand firm, unaffected by the dark
forces around us, and that you will help to carry the message of
&Baha'u'llah far and wide.
[From the Guardian:]
...I will continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart. The
tests and trials, through which you are passing, are for the good of
our beloved Cause. Be happy and hopeful. &Abdu'l-Baha will bless
you a hundredfold for your perseverance and devoted efforts.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
14 December 1930
Shoghi Effendi ... is extremely appreciative of your desire to
serve the Cause and help to spread its message of peace
throughout the world, and sincerely hopes that the time would
come when you would realize this hope and attain your heart's
desire.
We are, however, told and urged by the Master to consult with
our friends, especially the Assemblies, before we undertake any
important decision in our life especially when the subject pertains
+P17
to any plan of service we have in mind. There are always so many
circumstances to take into consideration. Personally Shoghi Effendi
has no objection to any such plan of service but would
much prefer to have you consider, in consultation with the
friends, the subject from all its aspects, among others its financial
one.
Meanwhile, Shoghi Effendi hopes that you will devote all your
free time to the study of the Teachings, and at the same time help
their spread in Germany. Europe with all its menaces of war surely
needs the principles of the Cause that are the only foundations
for a permanent establishment of peace.
8 April 1931
Shoghi Effendi wishes me to ... express his great pleasure for the
service you have been rendering the friends by visiting them and
telling them of your experiences in Haifa. Those who are privileged
to visit the shrines and obtain from it its life-giving spirit,
should on their return home, diffuse it among the friends, gladden
their heart and thus draw them nearer to the source of all
blessing.
You mention in your letter that Mr. Herrigel is becoming conscious
of the mistake he has made. He surely ought to have
studied the true situation before taking sides and expressing his
opinion. This is exactly what I wrote to him on behalf of Shoghi
Effendi, but he was blinded by Mrs. White. Anyhow, Shoghi
Effendi hopes that as time passes the truth that the Master's will
encloses will more and more dawn upon him and make him
repent for his past deeds.
[From the Guardian:]
Convey to the friends in Berlin the expression of my loving appreciation
of their devoted endeavours for the promotion of our
+P18
beloved Cause. May the Beloved bless richly their efforts and enable
them to fulfil their heart's desire.
10 September 1931+F1
In regard to your father's spiritual testament, which betrays on
the part of the author an inadequate knowledge of the &Baha'i
Faith, the Guardian feels that you should make it clear to all the
inquirers that the late Dr. Forel, as many other persons who have
embraced the Cause, did not have a complete understanding of
the fundamentals of the &Baha'i religion. He was particularly interested
in the social aspect of the Movement and owing to some
psychological reasons he did not lay much emphasis on its doctrinal
side. This can be explained by the fact that our lamented
doctor being advanced in age at the time of his acquaintance with
the &Baha'i teachings was not able to devote all his time to a deep
study of the tenets of the Faith.
Shoghi Effendi, however, in his letter addressed personally to
your father explained to him that the &Baha'is should firmly
believe in the existence of God and in the immortality of the soul
and in many other fundamental teachings which the &Baha'is share
with the adherents of many other religions. Our lamented doctor
may have most probably considered it unwise to declare openly
that he had rejected all his previous conceptions in regard to the
existence of God and such similar ideas and preferred to express in
an indirect way the many changes which the knowledge of the
Faith had brought in his mind by declaring that he had become a
&Baha'i.
At any rate there is no doubt whatever that the well-known
Tablet revealed by &Abdu'l-Baha for him had brought a tremendous
+F1 to Mrs. Marta Brauns-Forel
+P19
change in his monistic theories and induced him to accept
the Message openly.
However great the contradictions in Dr. Forel's testament in
regard to his attitude towards the Cause we cannot fail but to
recognize him as a &Baha'i who had but a partial glimpse of the
&Baha'i Revelation. No one can claim that his knowledge of this
Revelation is adequate, especially at this time when the &Baha'i
Faith is still in the embryonic stage of its development. Dr. Forel
was sincere in his convictions but like every human being his
comprehension was limited and this was not in his power to
change.
These are the ideas which came to Shoghi Effendi's mind when
he read a `&resume' of Dr. Forel's testament in one of the well-known
Swiss journals and he wishes you to share them with all
those who are interested to know of the Doctor's attitude towards
this Movement....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
The passing of your distinguished father has indeed grieved me
profoundly and I wish to assure you of my heartfelt sympathy in
your irreparable loss. I would deeply appreciate a written account of
his eventful life and of the meritorious services he rendered humanity,
either from your pen or any other friend in Germany, for
publication in the next issue of the &Baha'i World. I feel that his
reference to the Cause in the codicil of this testament indicates the
perceptible change in his mental outlook since he penned the earlier
passages of his will, for he must have known from the Tablet he
received as well as from the letters I wrote him and from many other
&Baha'i publications the fundamental and distinguishing features of
the Cause. That is why I feel that with your consent and approval,
the publication of his references to the Cause in his testament could
very well be published in the &Baha'i World. With my best wishes
and deepest sympathy,
Shoghi
+P20
17 September 1931+F1
He was particularly gratified to learn of your interesting visits to
the different &Baha'i centres in Germany and he wishes me to
assure you of their great importance for the unity of the Cause in
that land.
The German believers have undoubtedly experienced a very
severe trial and their faith has been tested in an unprecedented
way. Their staunchness, however, has been admirable and their
sincerity deeply rooted. With the exception of a few they have
proven that their conversion to the Faith had a solid foundation
and that it withstood all the violent storms of recent years.
Shoghi Effendi wishes you to persevere in your work and he
fervently prays that the Almighty may assist you and sustain your
efforts and to enable you to render great services to the Cause.
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
Your letter has indeed rejoiced my heart. I strongly feel that you
should, if convenient and feasible, concentrate your efforts on Germany
and help to consolidate the foundations of the Cause and
increase the unity and understanding of the friends. This, I feel, is
your great and special mission.
14 January 1932
Shoghi Effendi was very glad to learn that you devote a considerable
amount of your time to the study of the teachings. It is
absolutely essential for those who desire to spread the movement
to be quite familiar with the writings of &Baha'u'llah and the
+F1 to Mrs. Diestelhorst
+P21
Master. Without that knowledge we may be spreading our own
views and wrongly attributing to them things that are the result
of our imaginings.
Concerning cremation I have not seen anything in the writings.
But as &Baha'u'llah in the book of Aqdas directs the friends to
bury their dead, he indirectly discourages cremation. Whether
there is some basic reason for such a preference he does not say,
but we may try and find it.
&Abdu'l-Baha does often state that the medical science will
much improve. With the appearance of every Revelation a new
insight is created in man and this in turn expresses itself in the
growth of science. This has happened in past dispensations and
we find its earliest fruits in our present day. What we see however
is only the beginning. With the spiritual awakening of man this
force will develop and marvelous results will become manifest.
Among other phases of human learning the medical science will
have a place. There is a Tablet of Medicine that &Baha'u'llah has
revealed and which is translated into English. That does not contain
much of scientific informations but has some interesting
advices for keeping healthy.
Shoghi Effendi was very glad to hear that you are planning to
study Persian very seriously. Should you do it you will obtain
ample reward for your labours, for you will then be able to go
straight to the writings themselves.
6 December 1932
To the &Baha'is of Esslingen
Dear &Baha'i Brothers and Sisters:
Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter dated November 28th 1932 written on the occasion of
+P22
the commemoration of the passing away of our beloved Master
&Abdu'l-Baha.
The Guardian is very glad to see that at such celebrations the
friends come together and with a true spirit of service and devotion
renew their determination to consecrate their life to the
service of the Faith. It is only through such methods that the fire
of enthusiasm can be kept burning in our hearts, and that we can
keep the goal of our very being upon this earth ever present before
our minds.
In his moments of prayer at the blessed Shrines, Shoghi Effendi
will think of you all and ask God to guide you and sustain your
efforts. He trusts that through your constant efforts and God's
infinite grace the Cause will spread throughout that city and the
neighbouring regions and your group become a center of attraction
for those sincere souls who seek the spiritual life and desire
the resuscitation of mankind....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear co-workers:
Your welcome message brought cheer and comfort to me in my
great sorrow. I value your sentiments, your collaboration, your
assurances of undying loyalty to the Cause of God. I will continue
to supplicate for you all the Beloved's blessings.
Your true and affectionate brother,
Shoghi
11 December 1932
It is surely very unfortunate that the material means do not
permit you to travel as much as you desire. But these days are exceptional.
Better days are sure to come, and you, as well as other
souls who desire to serve, will find the way open for them.
+P23
Meanwhile you can try and teach those you meet--people who
are within easy reach and who also need the spiritual enlightenment
that the spirit and teachings of the Cause provide.
The German people have true appreciation for spiritual matters
and when they are interested in a certain sphere they are not
satisfied with a shallow knowledge of it. They try to go deep in
any subject they take up, and once they are convinced of its truth
are ready to devote all their life to it. Such are the people that the
Cause needs. Such should be the souls that you should try and
interest in the Faith.
[From the Guardian:]
I greatly value your past and present services, and cherish bright
hopes for your future contributions to the spread of our beloved
Faith. Persevere in your efforts, and, if possible, travel to different
centres in central and south-Eastern Europe, and do all you possibly
can to further the interests of the Faith. This work is highly
meritorious. May the Beloved inspire, sustain and bless you.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
2 January 1933
Through Dr. Grossmann Shoghi Effendi has come to learn of
your activities in serving the Cause of God and diffusing its divine
spirit in Frankfurt. He therefore wished me to write you this
short note and express his deep appreciation.
He sincerely hopes that through your persistent efforts and
God's infinite guidance and blessings the Faith will be established
in that city and many earnest souls will cluster around its banner.
Consider what source of joy and gratification it should be to
you to see people, who have been for years seeking for the truth
+P24
and craving to obtain it, who look upon the prevailing conditions
of the world with distress and earnestly pray for salvation, find
through you the object of their quest and attain the peace, tranquillity
and spiritual life which they have longed for. The accomplishment
of the task and the resulting success will be an
ample reward for all your strivings.
16 April 1933
The Guardian sincerely hopes and prays that the study of the
Dawn-Breakers will inspire the friends to greater activity and
more exerted energy in serving the Cause and spreading its
message in that town. The life of those heroes of the Faith should
teach us what true sacrifice is, and to what extent we should forego
our personal and worldly interests while endeavouring to carry
the divine message to the four corners of the earth.
Shoghi Effendi would advise the friends in Rostock to hold
regular study classes and read that book with great care, committing
its salient facts to memory, so that while teaching the Cause,
they may be able to show the motivating spirit of the Faith by
referring to some incidents of those early days.
25 April 1934
The &Baha'is of Esslingen
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
The Guardian has read with deep and sustained interest your
beautiful message of Ap. 15th, and he was greatly touched by the
+P25
expressions of hope, of devotion and of loyalty which it so
faithfully conveyed, and by the repeated assurances it gave of the
united and continued efforts of your community to extend and
consolidate the foundations of the Faith in your center. Such
repeated evidences of your determination to spread the Message
and of your splendid cooperation in establishing the administrative
order of the Cause in Germany make him invariably think
of the promises the Master did so forcefully give in regard to the
future progress of the Movement in that country. May your
endeavours contribute an increasing share towards the gradual
realization of these promises.
Shoghi Effendi was greatly impressed by the beautiful marriage
ceremony which you had organized in honour of Mr. and Mrs.
Hugo Bender. He hopes that through this union the bonds of
cooperation and of fellowship will be further strengthened between
the members of your community. His prayers for the success
of your activities will continue to be offered to &Baha'u'llah,
that you may each and all be enabled to assist in the consummation
of the great work He has summoned us to achieve in this Day.
[From the Guardian:]
Dearly-beloved co-workers:
Your joint and most welcome message brought infinite joy to my
heart. I am delighted to learn of your hopes, your plans and activities.
The summer-school is the object of my constant and fervent
prayers. I cherish great hopes for its expansion in the days to come.
May it become a great teaching center and may the light of this
glorious Revelation radiate from it to all parts of your great and
promising country.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+P26
25 April 1934
The Guardian has deeply appreciated your kind words to him,
as well as the beautiful message addressed to him by the Esslingen
friends, all of which conveyed in a remarkable and touching way
the intense devotion and the unflinching loyalty of the German
believers to the Cause. His hopes for the future development of
the Faith in your country are brighter and firmer than ever. He
is fervently supplicating to &Baha'u'llah that you may all be given
a wider opportunity to carry into the field of action the noble
thoughts and the good and sincere wishes you so deeply cherish
in your hearts.
...please convey the Guardian's warmest greetings to all the
believers in Esslingen and in Stuttgart, and also to our dear Mrs.
Schweizer who seems to be still living with us in Haifa. Let me
also assure you of his prayers on your behalf at the Holy Shrines.
25 September 1934+F1
Dear Friends and co-workers,
On behalf of the Guardian I wish to acknowledge the receipt of
your deeply appreciated message of August 19th written through
the care of dear Mr. Schultheiss, and to thank you for it, as well as
for the beautiful photographs which you have been most kind in
sending to him. From them all he has gathered a very good impression
about the conditions of the Cause in your centre, and
was much encouraged to witness the beautiful spirit of fellowship
and of service which is animating your group. He cherishes, indeed,
the brightest hopes for the future expansion of the Faith not
+F1 The &Baha'is of Geislingen and &Goppingen
+P27
only in your two localities but throughout Germany as a whole.
He is ardently praying that the beloved Master's promises to that
effect may gradually and by means of your painstaking and continued
labours be completely realized. In the meanwhile he
wishes you to persevere in your efforts for the study and the
spread of the Teachings, and to confidently and quietly toil for the
future establishment of &Baha'u'llah's world order in your
country.
His prayers on behalf of each and every one of you will be continually
offered to God, that through His guidance and love you
may individually and collectively make a steady advancement in
His Cause.
With hearty greetings and good wishes to you all,
[From the Guardian:]
Dearly-beloved co-workers:
I was so pleased to receive your most welcome message. Any letter
bearing such evidences of exemplary devotion to the Cause of God
is a source of immense joy to my heart. I will most assuredly pray for
you all and cherish the brightest hopes for your future contribution
to the spread of our glorious Faith. Persevere and never feel depressed
or discouraged. May the Almighty enable you to mirror forth the
glory and splendour of this stupendous Revelation.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
20 November 1934+F1
Dear &Baha'i Friends,
Your welcome message dated November 4th is just at hand, and
its perusal has, as usual, greatly cheered our Guardian's heart. He
feels ever so grateful to you for the remarkable spirit and manner
+F1 to the &Baha'is of &Goppingen
+P28
in which you are collaborating for the further consolidation of
&Baha'i administration in your locality. Your painstaking labours
to this end are being surely rewarded and guided by &Baha'u'llah
Who, as so often promised in His writings, will sustain and bless
all those who arise to promote His message, and whom, no consideration
whatever, deters from serving His Cause.
Shoghi Effendi is specially pleased to realize that you are in such
a close touch with the friends in other parts of Germany, and in
particular with those two indefatigable and devoted servants of
the Cause Mrs. A. M. Schweizer and Miss A. &Kostlin. Their frequent
and warm visits to &Goppingen are surely of an incalculable
benefit to you all, and it is hoped that by their means your centre
will come to play an increasingly important role in the spread of
the Teachings, as well as in the general administration of the
Cause in Southern Germany...
[From the Guardian:]
Dearly-beloved co-workers:
Your most welcome letter rejoiced my heart and served to remind
me of the spirit of devotion, of determination and zeal that animate
the believers in that promising country. I will no doubt continue to
pray for you from the bottom of my heart, that you may each and
all arise to diffuse far and wide the fragrance of this wondrous
Revelation and to establish its truths in the hearts of your fellow
countrymen.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
20 November 1934
He is, indeed, happy to realize the remarkable share you are
having in the promotion of the general interests of the Faith in
&Goppingen. Your active participation in all &Baha'i gatherings and
+P29
meetings, and the zeal and enthusiasm which you succeed in
creating among the attendants are, indeed, a real source of strength
to the community of the believers in your centre.
The Guardian hopes, therefore, that you will continue exercising
this highly-beneficial and much-needed influence among the
friends, so that by its means you may all work as unitedly and
harmoniously as possible.
For what the Cause greatly needs in Germany at present is
unity, both of thought and action. Not until the believers succeed
in putting the &Baha'i principle of cooperation and fellowship into
actual practice can they hope to vindicate the truth of the
Message. Unity, therefore, is vital, and constitutes the main key to
the success of your endeavours in every field of &Baha'i activity.
7 December 1934+F1
Dear Friends and co-workers:
Shoghi Effendi was deeply moved by your beautiful message
dated November 27th, and he has directed me to convey to you on
his behalf the expression of his loving appreciation and gratitude
for the sentiments of love, devotion and loyalty which that
message expressed.
He was, indeed, so pleased to learn that you had gathered at the
home of our dearly-beloved sister and co-worker Miss Johanna
Hirsch, and that you had heard from her the story of her
pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
It is his hope that you may also one day have the privilege of
undertaking a similar journey and of visiting the Holy Shrines in
&Akka and Haifa.
+F1 to the &Baha'is of &Goppingen
+P30
Shoghi Effendi is continually praying on behalf of each and
every one of you, and is entreating &Baha'u'llah that He may continue
sending you His blessings and guidance, that as a result your
efforts for the promulgation of His message may be crowned with
success....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved of our hearts guide and strengthen you, bless your
efforts, add to your numbers, remove every obstacle from your path,
and deepen your knowledge of the fundamentals of His Cause, and
the distinguishing features of His glorious Revelation.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
13 December 1934+F1
He has been deeply gratified and comforted, indeed, to learn
that the authorities have, as a result of your efforts and of those of
Mrs. Bishop, accepted to grant permission for the holding of
&Baha'i meetings in Berlin. For this, the friends must feel deeply
grateful to the Government and should strive, through both their
words and actions, to win the full confidence of the authorities,
and to demonstrate that they are law-abiding and faithful citizens.
The Guardian fervently hopes and prays that, now that the
believers are permitted to hold meetings, they will take full advantage
of this opportunity and will come together as frequently as
possible, and will thus resume their activities which had been
abated for such a long time....
+F1 to Mrs. Diestelhorst
+P31
13 January 1935+F1
Dear &Baha'i Friends,
The Guardian has duly received your letter of the fourth of this
month, and was delighted to learn, from your detailed report of
&Baha'i activities in Esslingen, of the growing spirit of devotion, of
unity and of cooperation that is animating you all in your labours
for the promotion and further establishment of the Cause in your
centre.
He feels truly confident, indeed, that through the manifestation
of this same spirit and through its fuller embodiment in all your
manifold activities, whether teaching or administrative, the Faith
in Esslingen will acquire increasing strength, both in number and
influence, and will come to play an important and unique role in
the administration of the interests of the Cause throughout
Germany.
His continued advice to you all is to persevere in your work,
and to toil confidently and with one accord for the speedy and
complete attainment of this objective....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty keep you under His shadow, bless your devoted,
your valued and ceaseless efforts, guide your steps, cheer your hearts,
and enable you to widen the range of your historic services.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+F1 to the &Baha'is of Esslingen
+P32
15 April 1935+F1
Dear &Baha'i co-workers,
Your secretary's message of the 21st of March last addressed on
your behalf to the Guardian has duly reached him, and its perusal
has greatly rejoiced his heart.
He has been particularly impressed by the warm sentiments
you have been moved to express to him on the occasion of the feast
of &Naw-Ruz, and wishes me to fully reciprocate your greetings
and good wishes. He cherishes the hope that in this new &Baha'i
year the friends in Esslingen will be specially assisted in spreading
the Cause in their center, and in effectively helping their fellow-believers
throughout Germany in their stupendous and weighty
task of extending and consolidating the foundations of the Faith
in that country.
He is continually praying on behalf of you all at the Holy
Shrines that your labours in this connection may be blessed and
enriched, and that the results achieved may be such as to stimulate
you to redouble your efforts for the wider penetration of the
Cause and its firmer establishment in your land.
With loving and sincere greetings to you all
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued friends:
Your message filled my heart with joy and gratitude and has served
to remind me of your constancy, your devotion, and unsparing
efforts for the spread of the Faith and the consolidation of its institutions.
I will continue to supplicate on your behalf that the Beloved
whom you serve so diligently and well may bless, sustain and guide
you in your high endeavours.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
+F1 to the &Baha'is of Esslingen
+P33
21 May 1935+F1
The increasing evidences of the new fervour, zeal and unity
with which the German friends, and particularly those living in
&Warnemunde, Rostock, Schwerin and other northern German
centers, are toiling for the spread of the Cause invariably serve to
reinforce his faith in &Abdu'l-Baha's promises regarding the future
of the Faith in Germany. These signs of the new revival that has
set in the conditions of the Cause in your country are, indeed,
remarkable and highly encouraging to the friends. You should,
therefore, persevere in your efforts and not feel discouraged if you
encounter some difficulties in your way. The essential thing now
is perseverance, courage and faith.
The Guardian has been also much gratified to learn of the steps
you have taken for the holding of a North German &Baha'i conference
this year. He thinks that Berlin, due to its central situation,
is a suitable place for the friends to come together. Besides,
this may prove also to be a source of great encouragement to the
believers in that city, and may serve to stimulate them to take a
more active part in the organization of the Cause throughout
Northern Germany.
Shoghi Effendi is also hopeful that the study courses which
your daughter is preparing for this incoming Northern German
Congress will prove to be of an immense benefit to the believers.
The subject matter is, no doubt, highly important, and can be
thoroughly grasped if it is clearly and adequately presented to
them.
With regard to the German translation of Mrs. Bedikian's letters.
The Guardian approves of your Contact Committee's suggestion
that only extracts from these letters be translated and
published. This will, of course, save much time, and will, in addition,
+F1 to Mrs. Walcker, Rostock
+P34
make it easier and more interesting for the friends to get
acquainted with the full contents of Mrs. Bedikian's communications.
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
Your notable share in the revival and extension of &Baha'i activity
in northern Germany will be ever remembered with joy and
gratitude. Your work will no doubt attract the blessings of
&Baha'u'llah, and will serve as an inspiring example to the generations
that will arise to serve after you. Persevere, and never feel
disheartened.
Shoghi
17 June 1935+F1
Dear &Baha'i co-workers,
Shoghi Effendi has read with much pleasure your welcome
message of the 23rd of May last, and has learned with deep satisfaction
of the success of the meeting you have held on the occasion
of the anniversary of &Bab's Declaration. He feels, indeed, so happy
to realize how unitedly and harmoniously your community is
discharging its activities, and is certain that, as years go by, it will
increasingly manifest a zeal and ardour that will enable it to
achieve accomplishments that will not only be unique but which
will have far-reaching effects upon the progress of the Cause
throughout Germany.
In his moments of meditation and prayers he will specially
remember you, and will ask &Baha'u'llah to continue pouring His
+F1 to the &Baha'is of Esslingen
+P35
blessings upon you all, that your community may daily grow in
strength, unity and fervour.
With loving &Baha'i greetings and sincere good wishes...
[From the Guardian:]
Dearly-beloved co-workers:
I deeply appreciate your most welcome message, and wish to
assure you of my deepfelt gratitude for the constancy and zeal which
characterize your labours in the Divine Vineyard. I am following
the progress of your activities with the utmost interest and joy, and
feel confident that the blessings of the Beloved, whom you serve with
such ardour, steadfastness and loyalty will guide, enrich and reinforce
your historic work for the propagation of His glorious and
invincible Faith. Persevere in your high endeavours and rest
confident.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
5 July 1935
He is very happy to learn of the beautiful meeting you have had
in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lehne, and of the visit paid to the
friends in Berlin by some of the believers from various parts of
Northern Germany. He trusts that these warm and frequent contacts
between these Northern &Baha'i centers will be maintained
and that as a result greater cooperation will prevail among them.
He is praying from the very depth of his heart on behalf of you
all, that your efforts for the promulgation of the Message may be
continually enriched, guided and blessed through Divine
confirmations.
In closing please convey the Guardian's loving greetings to all
the believers in Berlin, and particularly to dear Mr. and Mrs.
Lehne who are contributing such a conspicuous share to the
advancement of the Faith in their centre.
+P36
3 August 1935
He wishes me particularly to convey to you his most genuine
appreciation of your services in connection with the publication
of "La Nova Tago" which he hopes will, through your efforts and
those of the Esperanto-speaking &Baha'is both in Germany and
abroad, develop gradually into a leading Esperanto review, and
thus become an effective medium for the spread of Teachings in
Esperantist circles throughout the world. It is in view of the far-reaching
possibilities which this publication can have as a teaching
organ, that he has urged the German N.S.A. to resume its publication
when, a few months ago, they had almost decided to discontinue
printing it.
With regard to your request for a special article from the Guardian
which you wish to have published in the forthcoming issue of
your magazine. He would suggest that you should translate his
general letter addressed to the friends a few years ago, entitled "The
Goal of a New World Order", as this, he feels, is a very suitable
material for publication in that review, and is by far better than
anything he can write at present.
As to your suggestion regarding a more widespread use of the
Esperanto among the &Baha'is as a medium of correspondence.
Shoghi Effendi, as you know, has been invariably encouraging the
believers, both in the East and in the West, to make an intensive
study of that language, and to consider it as an important medium
for the spread of the Cause in international circles. He has been
specially urging the friends to have the Cause well represented in
all Esperanto Congresses and associations, and by this means
cultivate greater friendship and cooperation between them and
the Esperantists.
But in this connection, he feels, he must make it clear that
although the Cause views with much sympathy and appreciation
the activities which the Esperantists are increasingly initiating for
+P37
the spread of their language, yet it considers that the adoption of
the Esperanto by the entire world is by no means an inevitable
fact. Neither &Baha'u'llah, nor even &Abdu'l-Baha, ever stated that
Esperanto will be the international auxiliary language. The
Master simply expressed the hope that it may, provided certain
conditions were fulfilled, develop into such a medium.
24 December 1935
...&Baha'i Summer School at Esslingen. He is rejoiced to learn of
the unprecedented success that has attended this meeting, and
hopes that the next few years will witness still greater progress in
that direction. The enthusiasm and devotion of the attendants
constitute, undoubtedly, a most remarkable asset which will
ensure the steady development of the school into one of the
leading &Baha'i educational institutions throughout the world.
25 January 1936+F1
Shoghi Effendi ... is very pleased that you have at last found the
opportunity of visiting the Holy Shrines. He wishes me therefore
to extend to you, and also to Mrs. &Muhlschlegel, a most cordial
welcome, and to express the hope that through this visit you will
receive a fresh and added stimulus and a wider vision in your
labours for the Cause in Germany....
It is hoped that more friends will be encouraged to undertake a
similar journey to the Holy Land in the near future....
+F1 to Dr. Adelbert &Muhlschlegel
+P38
[From the Guardian:]
Assuring you both of a hearty welcome, and wishing you always
success in the service of our beloved Faith,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
26 January 1936
The Esslingen &Baha'i Assembly
Dear &Baha'i Friends,
On behalf of the Guardian I wish to acknowledge with deepest
thanks and appreciation the receipt of your welcome message of
the 18th instant.
He is, indeed, very happy to learn of the news of the progress of
the Cause in Esslingen, and of the recent accomplishments of
your Assembly in that center. The improvements that you have
made in the &Baha'i Home will, undoubtedly, rejoice all the friends
in Germany and will greatly encourage them to attend the next
Summer School. He hopes that the believers outside Germany
will also be attracted to your centre, and will thus contribute to
the further growth and consolidation of your community.
The Guardian is continually supplicating on your behalf at the
Holy Shrines, that Divine confirmations may strengthen and
guide your Assembly in the discharge of its heavy duties and
responsibilities.
He will also remember all the other friends in Esslingen, and
will ask the Almighty to bless and inspire them all in the service
of His Cause.
With most loving greetings and best wishes for a happy and
prosperous season...
+P39
[From the Guardian:]
Dearly-beloved friends:
Your message brought joy and imparted strength and hope to my
heart. I deeply value your constancy, your devotion, your unremitting
labours, your notable services to our beloved Faith. I will continue
to pray that your numbers may increase, your influence may
deepen, and your hopes may be fuller and speedily realized.
Persevere and never lose heart,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
31 March 1936
Der Geistige Rat der &Baha'i in Esslingen
Dear &Baha'i Friends,
Heartiest thanks from the Guardian for your very kind message
dated March 21st. He feels so deeply touched by your kind words,
and is specially moved at the &Naw-Ruz greetings which you have
conveyed to him so beautifully, and all of which he fully
reciprocates. He sincerely hopes that this New &Baha'i Year we
have just entered will bring upon the entire Esslingen community
untold blessings, and that through them you will all be filled with
a renewed determination to carry on your labours for the spread
of the Cause.
The Guardian feels also very thankful and happy to learn that
three new believers have recently joined your group. He is praying
fervently to &Baha'u'llah that these new members may increasingly
gain in spiritual power and insight, and thus become valuable
helpers to your assembly.
With his renewed greetings and best wishes...
+P40
[From the Guardian:]
Dearly-beloved friends:
Your New-Year greetings rejoiced my heart and filled it with loving
gratitude. I prize the assurance you give me, and feel deeply
thankful for it. I will, from the depths of my heart, pray for you that
the Almighty may rain His blessings upon you, may fulfil your
highest hopes, and assist you to advance the best interests of His
glorious and sacred Faith,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
19 October 1936
The Guardian has received the letter you had written him on
behalf of the Esslingen Assembly and dated September 27th, and
wishes you to convey to your fellow-members in that body his
thanks and appreciation, and his gratitude for the sentiments they
had expressed to him through you. He very deeply values the
assurances of love, loyalty and devotion you have given him, and
is ardently praying that &Baha'u'llah may abundantly reward you
for all these evidences of your undying attachment to His Cause.
The Guardian wishes me also to extend his grateful thanks and
his hearty congratulations to your Assembly and to the community
of believers in Esslingen for the unprecedented success
that has crowned your efforts in connection with the organization
of this year's session of the German &Baha'i Summer School.
He is praying from the bottom of his heart for your continued
guidance throughout the succeeding years...
[From the Guardian:]
Dear co-workers:
I am deeply moved by the remarkable evidences of zeal and of
activity manifested by the believers of Esslingen. My heart is filled
+P41
with unspeakable gratitude. Persevere in your efforts and rest
assured.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
25 October 1936
Your kind letter of the fifth instant enclosing photostatic
reproductions of &Abdu'l-Baha's Tablets revealed to you and to
your dear mother have all duly reached our beloved Guardian and
have been read with profoundest interest and appreciation by
him.
He wishes me to thank you for so kindly sending him copies of
these Tablets of the Master which he will keep as a gift from you
in the International &Baha'i Archives on Mt. Carmel. Needless to
say how deeply he appreciates this gift, and how much he considers
it of value to this first Archives of the Cause in the Holy
Land.
In closing may I express his admiration and gratitude for the services
you are so devotedly rendering our beloved Cause in Esslingen.
The Esslingen community owes you indeed a great debt, and
can never be too grateful for the manifold accomplishments you
have, steadily and splendidly, contributed towards its development,
ever since the early days of the Cause in Germany.
The Guardian wishes you also to convey his thanks and appreciation
to dear Mrs. Schweizer. He is grieved to learn of her
indisposition, but hopes and fervently prays that by the time this
letter reaches you she will have been completely cured and
restored to full health.
With renewed greetings to you both, and also to the community
of believers in Esslingen,
+P42
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and prized co-worker:
I am deeply touched by your splendid and highly valued gift. I will
continue to pray for your good-health, your happiness and the
uninterrupted extension of your historic activities and
achievements. Please assure dear Mrs. Schweizer of my special and
fervent prayers for her speedy recovery. Her health is so precious to us
all.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
3 March 1937
I am instructed by our beloved Guardian to inform you of the
receipt of your letter of February 21st written on behalf of the
&Baha'i Assembly of Rostock, and to ask you to convey to them,
and also to our dear friend Mr. Lorenzen, his grateful thanks for
the enlarged copy of the photograph of the North German &Baha'i
Congress which they have been so kind in sending him. It is
indeed a most beautiful and impressive picture, and will be placed
very soon in the Mansion of &Baha'u'llah at &Bahji, where it will be
seen by both the &Baha'i and &non-Baha'i visitors. Please, thank
very warmly your fellow-members in the Rostock Assembly for
this gift, and express to them the Guardian's hope that, through
them, as well as through the united and combined efforts of all
North German &Baha'i centers, this year's conference will be even
more successful than the one held last summer, and that the outcome
of it will be to open new fields of teaching for the Cause in
Northern Germany.
+P43
23 June 1937
The Guardian has been most deeply touched by your message
of the third inst., and wishes me to assure you both of his profound
appreciation of the sentiments you have expressed to him
on the occasion of his marriage. It was most kind and thoughtful
of you to have written him in such moving terms, and to have
given him such firm assurances of your undying loyalty and devotion
to the Cause. He is ardently praying on your behalf that the
spirit which is animating you may ever grow deeper, and may
translate itself into sustained and whole-hearted service to the
Faith in the beloved land of Germany. He is specially entreating
the Beloved that the difficulties which you and your beloved
co-workers in that land are so unexpectedly encountering may be
gradually removed, and that you may be again set free to assist in
spreading the Teachings among your fellow-countrymen.
20 October 1937+F1
Ihre andere Frage, Feuerbestattung: &Baha'u'llah hat in Seinem
Gesetz-Buch, dem "Aqdas", bestimmte Gesetze &fur Begrabung
geoffenbart. Und &Abdu'l-Baha sagte, dass der menschliche
&Korper langsam durch einen Prozess zusammengestellt worden
ist. So auch sollte er durch Natur auseinander gehen.
Wegen Ihrer Frage um die Esperanto-Zeitschrift in Holland, der
&Huter glaubt, dass jetzt ist keine Zeit, um etwas in dieser
Beziehung anzufangen. &Fruher hat sie unbedingt viel &fur die Verbreitung
der Sache getan, aber jetzt ist es &unmoglich und auch
nicht beratbar (advisable). Wie Sie vielleicht schon wissen, Lydia
arbeitet in Amerika jetzt.
+F1 letter written in German language
+P44
7 January 1938
Our welcome guest Th. Emeric Salas has duly presented to our
beloved Guardian your letter of December 19th which you had
written him on behalf of the Vienna &Baha'i Assembly. He has
read it, together with the accompanying letter addressed to your
Assembly by Dr. Ziemand, with the utmost care and deepest
appreciation, and wishes you to assure your fellow-members of
his gratitude for the efforts they are so devotedly exerting for the
further promotion of the Faith throughout Austria.
He welcomes indeed Dr. Ziemand's offer to undertake some
&Baha'i translations into German, specially as the German believers
are no longer able to arrange for the translation and publication
of any &Baha'i book. He also hopes that this will serve as a
means for deepening Dr. Ziemand's interest in the Teachings, and
to inspire him to eventually join actively the Cause.
He would recommend the "Gleanings from the Writings of
&Baha'u'llah" as the most important work to be translated into
German at present.
As regards the hundred dollars which have been anonymously
donated to your Assembly for the publication fund; the Guardian
would advise, that part of this sum be expended on the printing
of the pamphlet on "World Religion", and that written by Dr.
Esslemont "What is the &Baha'i Movement?", and the rest put aside
for use in the future.
With the renewed expression of his abiding appreciation of
your services, and with loving greetings to all the friends in
Vienna...
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
I wish to assure you and your dearly-beloved co-workers in Vienna
of my constant prayers for your success in the magnificent efforts
you are all exerting for the spread and protection of this sacred and
+P45
precious Cause. You are often in my thoughts and I will continue to
supplicate ardently and affectionately on your behalf. Rest assured
and persevere.
Shoghi
18 January 1938
To the Friends in Esslingen.
Beloved co-workers,
Shoghi Effendi has been deeply touched by your very cordial
message of the 31st December, and is moved to write to you again
and to assure you of his best wishes, and of his continued prayers
for your protection and guidance in those hard and trying times.
His thoughts often turn to you and to our well-beloved German
brethren in dear remembrance and loving appreciation of your
services to the Cause. He is daily supplicating the Beloved to
cheer and comfort your hearts, strengthen and guide your steps,
and keep you ever steadfast and loyal in His path.
On the occasion of this New Year which we have just entered
he further wishes me to convey to you his warmest greetings, and
to reciprocate heartily the good wishes you have so kindly
expressed...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless and protect you, guide you in your
devoted and continued endeavours and fulfil your highest hopes
and dearest wishes,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+P46
1 February 1938
The Guardian was pleased to receive your letter of the 22nd
January which you had written him on behalf of the Vienna
Assembly regarding the method of &Baha'i elections.
He wishes you to kindly inform your fellow-members that this
question of &Baha'i electoral procedure has been explained and
elucidated by him in one of his communications to the American
N.S.A. which you will find reproduced in the book "&Baha'i
Administration", a copy of which is being mailed to you for
presentation to your Assembly.
As you will notice from that letter the method of assembly
elections is exceedingly simple, and the Guardian wishes the
friends to desist from adding any more regulations to those few
ones which he has felt it his duty to lay down for the conduct of
the believers.
In closing kindly convey to the friends in Vienna, and in particular
to your fellow-workers in the Assembly, the assurances of
his prayers for the success of their elections, and for the promotion
and guidance of their community...
[From the Guardian:]
May the all-conquering, all-embracing Spirit of &Baha'u'llah overshadow
you and your dearly-loved co-workers at all times and
under all circumstances, and enable you to raise the Call of God
throughout the length and breadth of your country, and establish
firmly the basis of the administrative order of the Faith.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+P47
20 March 1938+F1
...it made Shoghi Effendi truly happy to know that our dear
friend Mrs. ... will be soon coming to Haifa. Much as he regrets
that her stay will be of such an exceptionally short duration he
hopes nevertheless that through contact with these Holy Spots
she will be so refreshed and strengthened spiritually as to be able
to impart fresh hope and vigour to the hearts of the friends when
she returns home.
Needless to tell you what a great pleasure it is for the Guardian
to meet again this year, and so unexpectedly, one of our German
friends, as his heart is longing to hear of your news, and to share
the experiences you have been passing through during all these
months.
29 March 1938
Shoghi Effendi has just received your very kind message of the
20th ins. conveying to him your greetings and good wishes on the
occasion of the feast of &Naw-Ruz. He values beyond words your
sentiments, and wishes me to assure you of his prayers at the
Shrines on your behalf, that this New Year we have just entered
may bring to you and your fellow-brethren throughout Germany
every blessing, and happiness, and the highest success in both
your spiritual and material pursuits.
It was a matter of profound grief to Shoghi Effendi to hear of the
sad news of the passing away of our friend Mr. Emil Lips. Kindly
convey to the bereaved members of his family his heartfelt condolences,
and the expression of his profound and deepfelt sympathy
in this grievous loss they have sustained.
+F1 to Mrs. Anna Grossmann
+P48
7 May 1939
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. Be not despaired, nay
be assured that a glorious future awaits you all, more brilliant than
any you can imagine.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+P49
26 May 1946
Miss Edith Horn and the dear &Baha'is of Frankfurt
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letter of April 21st reached the beloved Guardian--the
first direct mail from Germany!--and he was rejoiced to see you
are all so devoted and active in the service of our precious Faith.
He hopes the Frankfurt &Baha'is, now that they have a Spiritual
Assembly and are free to conduct their affairs publicly, will succeed
in teaching many new souls this life-giving message.
The need in Europe to hear of the Cause is more desperate than
ever before, and the responsibility of the German friends very
great, being as they are the largest &Baha'i Community in Europe.
You may be sure he will pray for your labours to promote the
Cause, in the Holy Shrines, and he assures you that you and your
work are very dear to him...
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
My heart was filled with joy, pride and gratitude when I perused
your most welcome message, as I regard it as a remarkable evidence
of the unfailing providence and power of &Baha'u'llah, who has
watched over you, preserved and sustained you, and has now
enabled you to resume your historic work for His Cause. You have
often been in my thoughts and prayers and I rejoice that your city
is to become the administrative centre of our beloved Faith and the
national focus of its spiritual and humanitarian activities.
Persevere in your great task and rest assured and be happy.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
+P50
3 July 1946
I need not try and convey to you in words how the Guardian
has deplored, and suffered over, all the tragic happenings of the
last few years! He was particularly sorry to hear such a dear &Baha'i
as Paul &Kohler, of Dresden, had died, as well as his wife and
children. We can only be grateful that so many of the German
friends have survived such terrible years!
He is very anxious to have the German &Baha'is resume their
activities on a larger scale than ever before--particularly as they
are now free for the first time in so many years. He fully realizes
how great your problems are, and that you are still suffering from
many shortages and restrictions; but knowing you all--and what
our beloved Master foresaw your future would be--the Guardian
is confident the Faith will spread as never before in Germany, and
that the believers of that country will aid in establishing the
institutions of &Baha'u'llah all over Europe.
11 July 1946
The &Baha'i Community, Esslingen
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letter dated May 23rd has reached our beloved Guardian,
and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf, and to
thank you for the loving greetings you sent him.
He hopes that now the believers in Germany are at last free to
work for the Cause they will strive together--as the Master
desired--as one soul in many bodies and show forth such an
example of love and unity within the &Baha'i Community that the
hearts of the people will be attracted to them. The world is longing
+P51
for example more than for anything else, for on all sides we
hear good advice but see no sincerity and no practicing of what
people are preaching!
He assures you all his loving prayers are offered on your behalf
and for the success of your &Baha'i work...
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
I was so pleased to hear from you and to receive such expressions
of devotion and determination in the service of our beloved Faith.
Your centre is near and dear to my heart, and you are, I assure you,
often in my thoughts. I will pray for your success, for the extension
of your activities, and the speedy realization of the hopes you cherish
for the advancement of our glorious Faith,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
12 July 1946+F1
Dear &Baha'i Brother and &Baha'i Friends:
The Post Card you sent our beloved Guardian on June 3rd
reached him, and he was very happy to receive news from you
direct and from your dear family and all the &Baha'i friends who
were gathered together with you on that day in &Neckargemund.
He hopes you (Dr. Grossmann) received the long letter he forwarded
to you (in answer to yours) through Mr. Holley?
The news of the devotion, enthusiasm, and renewed activity of
the dear German &Baha'is is a source of joy to him, and he hopes
that the N.S.A. is able to meet often and conduct the affairs of the
Faith in that country, where for so long it was banned and
persecuted.
+F1 addressed to Dr. Hermann Grossmann, family and &Baha'i friends
+P52
You may be sure his loving prayers are often offered on your
behalf, for the success of your labours to promote the Faith, and
for your protection and welfare...
P.S. The Guardian is very anxious to receive reports of the work
of the N.S.A. He considers it advisable that during the course of
this year any groups which attain nine members should be allowed
to form an Assembly at once without waiting until April 21st.
in order to encourage the friends after so many years of suppression
and suffering.
[From the Guardian:]
May the Spirit of &Baha'u'llah sustain, guide and bless you in your
truly exemplary and meritorious services, aid you to overcome all
obstacles in your path, to extend the range of your activities, to
proclaim the truths of this glorious Faith to the suffering masses, and
to multiply and consolidate its God-given institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
25 July 1946+F1
He was delighted at the good news you conveyed to him; for
some time now he has been anxiously awaiting news of the
activities of the N.S.A.--if it is feasible, please send him reports
of that body.
He feels that, in view of all the German believers have passed
through, their long period of persecution and suppression, that it
is all right during this year to permit the formation of local
assemblies, as soon as 9 or more believers are available, in order to
encourage the friends and stimulate their work in the teaching
field.
+F1 addressed to Miss Edith Horn, Dr. Hermann Grossmann, Mr. Bruce Davison
+P53
29 July 1946
He feels that the subject of the &Baha'i work in Esperanto in
Germany is a matter for you to take up with the National
Spiritual Assembly; we &Baha'is do not claim Esperanto will be the
auxiliary language of the future--but, as we firmly believe in the
necessity of an auxiliary language we are glad to support this work
by publishing books in Esperanto and encouraging the &Baha'is to
learn it, if they wish to. Cooperation with this society is an
excellent means of spreading the Cause, as Martha Root demonstrated
in her travels. However, all details in this matter must be
decided by the N.S.A. You can contact &Baha'i Esperantists in
England and the U.S.A. through their respective N.S.As.
30 July 1946+F1
He was so very happy to hear the wonderful news you conveyed
of the receptivity you find among the German people, and
especially the youth, to the Teachings.
He considers the work of the Cause in Germany of primary
importance; the German believers not only have the fertile field
of their own people's minds to cultivate, but must, eventually, do
a large part of the teaching work to be carried out in the future in
Central and Eastern Europe. So he is very anxious to have your
affairs running on a smooth administrative basis, and to also have
you receive the necessary literature or means of printing it.
He was also delighted to hear the Sun of Truth is again being
printed, and that you have been able, in spite of so many handicaps,
to distribute thousands of pamphlets and hold so many
important public meetings.
+F1 to Dr. Hermann Grossmann
+P54
Now is certainly the time to carry on the work on an ever-increasing
scale; the hearts have suffered much, and the minds are
grasping for a solution to the terrible problems facing them. The
Cause can surely, in this golden hour of opportunity, make
greater headway than ever before in its history in Europe, and you
may be sure he will do all in his power to assist you in your
labours.
He assures you his loving and ardent prayers will be offered on
your behalf and for the success of the work you and the other
friends are carrying on at present...
P.S. The Guardian was very pleased to hear that the former
adherents of Ruth White and Mr. Herrigel's ideas have expressed
the desire to be enrolled in the Faith, and to work according to the
administrative Order. He recommends that the National
Assembly, by all means, accept them, and assist them to fully
grasp the fundamentals of the Will and Testament.
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker,
I am so glad and grateful to learn of the progress of your activities
and of the success attending your efforts in the service of our beloved
Faith. I feel confident that you will, in the days to come, add fresh
laurels to the crown you have already won in the service of our
beloved Faith. Persevere, and rest assured that I will continue to pray
for you from the depths of my heart.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
29 December 1946
The sufferings which the German &Baha'is have passed through
have grieved his heart very much--but he is very proud of their
loyal and devoted spirit, and the way their faith in &Baha'u'llah has
+P55
come out of the fire of these war years pure and unstained and
stronger than ever! They have a great future, promised them by
the beloved Master...
As you may perhaps have heard, our Guardian does not like to
give pictures of himself to the believers--he prefers that they
should keep in their homes photographs of the Master Who is our
inspiration and Exemplar.
He hopes very much that you will be able to teach other young
Germans the Cause there. The youth in particular need desperately
to be given the Message, for it is their lives that have suffered the
greatest ruin through this cruel war. Teaching them should be
your first duty...
18 January 1947+F1
Your welcome letters ... were received, together with the poems
you enclosed in them...
He wishes me to assure you he will include some of the poems
in the next volume of "&Baha'i World"; it is, unfortunately, too late
to get them into the latest number which is now being printed in
America.
It seems now absolutely certain that our dear &Baha'i sister, Lydia
Zamenhof, lost her life in a gas-chamber during the war! It is a
great loss, as she could have rendered the Faith many services in
Europe in these past-war days! But her services to the Cause and
her memory are imperishable!
He would be very pleased to receive an article from you about
her for the next volume of &Baha'i World, but not for the "In
Memoriam" section. Also he regrets he will not be able to publish
+F1 to Miss Elsa Grossmann
+P56
in the &Baha'i World the In Memoriam article you sent about your
dear parents. Only those people who have died in the period
covered by each volume receive mention in that volume, and the
next one will be for 1946-48!...
P.S. He is very happy to hear dear Mr. Zabih is meeting the
friends there; you may be sure he will pray that the way may open
for him to help you all in Germany at the present time and serve
the Faith in England later on.
The Guardian assures you he is delighted to hear of the translations
you have already made and are at present engaged upon; the
German literature of the Faith is of the utmost importance, both
because of the great future the Cause has there, and the fact that
so many other Europeans read German. He hopes "Gleanings"
and the "Dispensation" can soon be printed. These matters you
should refer to your Nat. Spiritual Assembly.
[From the Guardian:]
My dear and valued co-worker:
I am so glad and grateful to learn of the activity and perseverance
of the dear German believers, and of your own valued and constant
services to our beloved Faith. You are, I assure you, often in my
thoughts and prayers, and I prize the spirit that animates you in His
service. I cherish the brightest hopes for the future of your historic
work for the promotion of the Faith, and wish you to persevere and
rest assured that the Beloved will continue to guide and sustain you,
and will reward you abundantly for your high endeavours.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
+P57
9 February 1947+F1
He realizes that every effort the friends make in Germany these
days is made in the face of great obstacles and at the cost of real
sacrifice. But they must ever keep their goals in sight, and persevere
for the sake of the Cause and for the sake of their fellow-countrymen
who now, in their greatest hour of need, have the
right to hear of &Baha'u'llah Who alone can save the world and lead
it to peace and happiness.
He will certainly pray that all obstacles may be soon overcome,
and the printing work go ahead. He also hopes, and will pray, that
the N.S.A. will make every effort to arrange its affairs so as to
meet in Frankfurt. These things cannot be done over night, he
fully realizes, but the believers must strive to accomplish them
constantly.
The services which you and your dear family are so constantly
rendering the Faith are very, very deeply appreciated by him. Be
happy that God has enabled you to do so much for His Faith!
His loving prayers are with you all...
[From the Guardian:]
Assuring you of my abiding gratitude for your constant and
splendid services to our beloved Faith, and of my ardent prayers for
your welfare and the realization of every hope you cherish for the advancement
and consolidation of its new-born institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
+F1 to Mrs. Anna Grossmann
+P58
18 February 1947
The &Baha'i Community of Plochingen.
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letter dated Nov. 15th, 1946, written by your secretary,
Mrs. Vio Henseler, was received by our beloved Guardian, and he
has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He was very happy to see that so many of you are now active in
the Holy Faith in Plochingen and holding your Feasts and
meetings regularly in such a spirit of dedication and &Baha'i love.
This love and unity among the friends cannot but attract the
blessings of &Baha'u'llah upon your work for His Cause.
Now is the time to teach the hungry, war-disillusioned people of
Germany the Message of God for this day. He urges you to redouble
your efforts to attract and confirm new souls, and to teach
them not only the spiritual aspects of the Faith but its World
Order as well--for this Divine solution to the ills of mankind is
what the people need to hear of.
He remembers the visit of Mrs. Henseler and Mrs. Victoria B.
von Sigsfeld to Haifa, and is happy to hear both have been
ceaselessly active in the Cause, the one until her death and the
other up until the present day! To serve is indeed a blessed
privilege!
You may be sure his loving prayers will be offered for you all
and for the success of the work there...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved bless your efforts, guide your steps in the path of
service, and aid you to promote, effectively and at all times, the best
interests of His Faith and its institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
+P59
18 February 1947
To the &Baha'is of Rostock, &Warnemunde and Schwerin.
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letter, dated Rostock Sept. 22nd and Schwerin Sept. 28th,
1946, was received, and it brought great joy to our Guardian's
heart to see the names of so many of the dear friends who are now
united and actively serving the Faith in far northern towns! He
has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
Now that it is once more possible for you all to meet, he urges
you to do so often, and to exert your utmost in spreading the
Message of &Baha'u'llah to those who are seeking the Truth--and
there are many of them these days! Likewise, he hopes you will be
able to soon have three flourishing Spiritual Assemblies in those
towns.
He will pray that this may speedily come about; he will also
pray for you all, for your protection and success in all you do for
the beloved Faith...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved bless your efforts, guide you in your devoted
labours, aid you to increase your numbers, multiply your institutions,
consolidate your accomplishments, and fulfil every desire you
cherish for the promotion of His Faith,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
18 February 1947
Regarding the time to hold the 19 Day Feasts: any time most
convenient for all the believers is permissible, as long as it is between
sunset and sunset of the calendar day on which the feast
+P60
falls, as our &Baha'i days begin and end at sunset. The feasts are really
for the believers only, but if a &non-Baha'i happens to come, we
should not ask him to leave and hurt the person's feelings.
22 February 1947
The &Baha'is of Plochingen
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your loving greeting sent to our beloved Guardian on Nov.
11th, 1946, reached him, and he has instructed me to answer you
on his behalf.
He was very happy to see the names of so many friends gathered
in Plochingen, and feels sure that your efforts to spread the
Message of &Baha'u'llah there are meeting with success. Now is the
time to teach and to lead the hungry souls of mankind to the
heavenly banquet of this Mighty Revelation.
He assures you one and all of his most loving prayers for the
success of your services to the Faith...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved bless your efforts, guide your steps, remove all
obstacles from your path, and enable you to promote, effectively and
at all times, the vital interests of His Faith and its institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
+P61
30 March 1947
&Baha'i Gemeinde Plochingen--&Goppingen
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your joint letter to our beloved Guardian, dated Jan. 19th, and
announcing the formation of your joint Assembly, reached him,
and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf and congratulate
you on this great step forward you have taken.
He hopes that in the near future your numbers will grow sufficiently
to enable you to form two separate Spiritual Assemblies,
and he assures you all that he will pray in the Holy Shrines that
this objective may speedily be achieved.
Your services, in these days of toil and trouble for your native
land, are of the utmost importance and upon them depends the
future course of events in its spiritual unfoldment...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved of our hearts bless, guide and sustain you in your
devoted endeavours and continued services to His Cause, aid you to
extend the range of your activities, and enable you to win mighty
victories for His Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
March 1947
&Baha'u'llah has given His wonderful teachings and His New
World Order to all men; it is up to each individual to accept this
Divine Message and promote its healing laws and principles for
himself. No one can decide for you what you must do. Your own
heart must tell you that your place is serving this struggling new
+P62
Faith in the days when it is still, for the most part, unrecognized
by the masses. In the future, when it has won more adherents, and
its true stature becomes obvious to all, it will not require the
courage to sponsor it which it does today!
We must always remember that the administrative Order is a
means to an end, an instrument to co-ordinate and unify the
efforts of the &Baha'is. It is still imperfectly understood by them,
but very great progress has been made already. Now, through this
administration, it is becoming possible to at last bring the
knowledge of &Baha'u'llah's teachings to the masses, and this is a
field you could render great services in. Your fire, your love for
your fellow men, are qualities much needed in our work, and
Shoghi Effendi hopes you will feel the urge to plunge yourself into
the service of this glorious Cause.
In Germany there is such a demand for the teachings that the
German &Baha'is, exhausted from the war and hampered by
restrictions on travel, etc., find it almost impossible to meet the
call on their teaching abilities. They are a very devoted, well
organized Community, but could surely use all the extra help
they can get. If you could see your way clear to go to Germany and
aid them in the teaching work, it would be rendering that suffering
land a great spiritual service.
1 April 1947
The Germans, and the German &Baha'is, have suffered terribly
during these long years of war and suppression of all freedom and
spiritual life; now, it seems, from reports reaching him, there is a
revival of the spirit, and the people are longing for a plan, a way
out of this moral chaos and darkness, a belief to hold to. This is
therefore the time for the &Baha'is to teach the Cause as never
+P63
before, especially to the young people, and spread the glad tidings
that a solution to the world's problems exists!
The German National Spiritual Assembly of the &Baha'is is now
doing all it can to get more &Baha'i books printed; it also has many
new and important translations of our books already made, and
we hope very soon these will be printed and distributed.
I am enclosing a little booklet which will give you an idea of
how great the progress and spread of the Cause has been, and daily
it is growing all over the world.
Shoghi Effendi hopes some-day, when Palestine is calmer, that
you will be able to visit here.
4 April 1947
He fully realizes the great handicaps you are all labouring under,
and admires the wonderful spirit of devotion to the Cause of God
which keeps you going. You must never feel discouraged, but
persevere in your labours, knowing &Baha'u'llah will bless them.
Regarding the question you asked about the advisability of Dr.
&Muhlschlegel moving to Frankfurt: he has no objection to this,
but feels it is a matter for the National Spiritual Assembly to
decide upon.
4 April 1947
The Spiritual Assembly of the &Baha'is of Stuttgart.
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
The letter you wrote our beloved Guardian, dated Jan. 11th,
1947, was received, as well as the report you enclosed of the
+P64
meetings held in Stuttgart, and he has instructed me to answer
you on his behalf.
He was very pleased to see that there are now as many as 95
believers there, and he hopes this number will steadily and rapidly
increase. All the &Baha'is, new and old alike, should devote
themselves as much as possible to teaching the Faith; they should
also realize that the atmosphere of true love and unity which they
manifest within the &Baha'i Community will directly affect the
public, and be the greatest magnet for attracting people to the
Faith and confirming them.
In considering purchasing the Schwarz home as a future headquarters
for the Stuttgart &Baha'is, (a plan which he fully approves
of) he urges you to, at the same time, bear in mind the responsibility
of all the &Baha'is--in Stuttgart and elsewhere--towards the
purchase and maintenance of a National Headquarters; this is of
the utmost importance, and when such a headquarters is
established it will greatly stimulate the work all over Germany,
Stuttgart included. It takes precedence over local Community
activities.
He assures you all, and all the Stuttgart believers, of his most
loving prayers for the advancement of your &Baha'i labours...
P.S. He was delighted to see you are doing teaching work in
neighbouring towns; this is a very important service to the Cause.
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved bless your meritorious efforts, guide and sustain
you in your activities, aid you to extend the range of your deeply appreciated
services, and enable you to proclaim the verities of His
Faith, and help in the consolidation of its nascent and God-given
institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
+P65
12 April 1947
The &Baha'is of Esslingen
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your loving &Naw-Ruz greeting was received, and our beloved
Guardian has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He assures you all he will pray in the Holy Shrines for you, for
the growth of your Community and the success of your services
to our glorious Faith. You are all dear to him!
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved bless, guide and sustain you at all times, enable
you to extend the scope of your activities, and win great and
memorable victories for the institutions of our beloved Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
3 May 1947+F1
Your letters to our beloved Guardian, dated Feb. 7th and 11th,
as well as the manuscript of "Hidden Words" have been received,
and he has instructed me to answer them on his behalf.
He is very happy to have this opportunity of communicating
with you personally, and assuring you of how much he appreciates
your devoted services in the path of our glorious Faith.
Regarding the questions you have asked him:
There is no correspondence or connection between the Hidden
Word (Arabic) no. 1 and the last Arabic Hidden Word, or between
these and any passage of the Seven Valleys.
The Cairo edition of the Hidden Words, approved by the
Master, is the one you must refer to for accuracy, and disregard all
+F1 to Dr. Adelbert &Muhlschlegel
+P66
other texts. This answers the questions connected with Hidden
Words number 18 and 39 and 1 (two) and 35 (two).
Hidden Word no. 70: this is not addressed to any person but is
a mystical expression and an allusion to the Manifestation of God.
No marginal notes should be added except any of &Abdu'l-Baha
Himself or the notes of the Cairo edition.
The whole question of translation from the original text is very
important. He has just written on this subject, at some length, to
Baroness von Werthern, explaining to her that he considers now
is not the time to translate the teachings into German from Persian
and Arabic. No Persian with a sufficient expert knowledge of
German is available to help in this matter; he does not feel,
therefore, that such works as "Some Answered Questions",
"Seven Valleys", etc. should be embarked upon at all. People who
have not spent years steeped in the atmosphere and language and
literature of the East cannot possibly grasp the subtleties of oriental
usage. A good example of this very point is that Prof. &Sussheim
has not grasped what &Baha'u'llah means by the word "[Arabic script]".
He is using it in a loose and colloquial sense which means "a passing
thing", a small amount, and not literally associating it with
food.
He feels you should continue your study of the teachings in the
original and, from time to time, if you desire to, translate material
from the original in short excerpts; but not at present important
books and Tablets. These you can better translate from good
English editions.
There is so much teaching work, and administrative work, to be
done in Germany at present that he urges you to concentrate on
this form of service. The public need to receive the Message on a
large scale, to have available literature at once, to read articles on
the &Baha'i Faith; and in all these ways your services can be of great
help.
P.S. "Tur" and "Sinai" should not be taken literally; the first is an
+P67
allusion to Mt. Sinai, which in this case means the Manifestation
of God; the second, "Sinai", represents the human heart.
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless, sustain and guide you, at all times and
under all conditions, assist you to proclaim the verities of His Faith,
and lend a tremendous impetus to the advancement and consolidation
of its new-born and God-given institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
13 June 1947+F1
He was happy to hear the message had been broadcast over the
Radio Frankfurt, and hopes this teaching method can often be
used, as it reaches the people in their homes and many of them
would not attend public meetings.
The very encouraging report you sent him of the work in Germany
was most welcome, and he wishes that the National
Teaching Committee or the N.S.A. would send him a statement
showing how many Spiritual Assemblies there are, how many
groups and how many isolated &Baha'is, and in which cities and
towns they are to be found, respectively.
Generally speaking his instructions to the American &Baha'is
and their N.S.A. are, whenever they concern administrative principles
and procedure and general statements about and interpretations
of the Faith, binding for all &Baha'is everywhere. Naturally
specific instructions to the American &Baha'is are not applicable to
other communities. "&Baha'i Procedure", as Mr. Holley pointed
out, is not binding on other National Assemblies, as many things
+F1 to Mrs. Anna Grossmann
+P68
in it are purely secondary rulings made by the American N.S.A.
to facilitate the work of the Cause under its jurisdiction.
The believers should certainly, under no circumstances, drink
any alcoholic beverages as this has been forbidden in the Aqdas.
Not all of its laws and precepts can be practiced at present; but
those he has, in his instructions to America, laid down as applicable
at present should be followed.
4 July 1947
&Baha'i Gemeinde, Karlsruhe
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letter dated May 23rd was received by our beloved Guardian,
and he wishes me to tell you all how very happy he was to
hear that you now have a Spiritual Assembly there. This is the
beginning of your work--not the end of it!--and you may be
sure his ardent and loving prayers will be offered for your success,
and expansion, in the Holy Shrines.
He also takes this opportunity of thanking Mrs. Brauns-Forel
for her letter and assures her of his prayers...
[From the Guardian:]
Assuring you of my loving prayers for your success, for the extension
of your valued activities, and the realization of your dearest
hopes in the service of the Faith and its divinely appointed
institutions,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+P69
19 July 1947
The Spiritual Assembly of the &Baha'is of Stuttgart
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letter of March 10th was received, and as our beloved
Guardian was very busy he could not reply to you sooner.
However, he has now instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He has no objection to the Stuttgart &Baha'is arranging to have
a center of their own on Mrs. Schwarz' land. As this was a spot
visited by the beloved Master, it is all the more appropriate as a
center for the Cause there.
He hopes that the Stuttgart friends will so arrange their affairs
that this new undertaking will not prevent them from assisting
the national interests of the Cause and spending them their full
support.
His loving prayers are offered for you all, and for the success of
the work you are doing there, which is so sacred and so vitally
important...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless, guide and sustain you in your
meritorious and constant services to His glorious Faith, aid you to
extend the range of your activities, to proclaim the truths of His
Faith, multiply its institutions, and consolidate its foundations,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
27 September 1947
He was very distressed to learn of the conditions in Germany
which you say are getting steadily worse. Both the beloved Guardian
+P70
and the Persian N.S.A. have remitted sums to America for
Care packages for the believers in Germany, and he hopes these
will soon reach you.
In view of the great hardships the friends must endure he
marvels at all that they are able to do for the Faith. He greatly
admires their devotion, and prays ardently for the conditions
they are living under to improve.
14 November 1947
He feels that, if your health is now sufficiently good for you to
endure the rigours of life in Germany at the present time, it would
certainly be rendering the Faith a great service for you to return
to Berlin and inspire the believers there, and teach the Cause. In
connection with the question you asked him about the advisability
of putting on your house a name plate saying "&Baha'i &Buro",
this is something you must get permission for either from the
Spiritual Assembly of Berlin (if it is functioning by the time you
return) or the National Assembly.
He was very happy to hear Herr Lehne is now so active in serving
the Cause in Berlin and planning a large public meeting.
When you write to him please assure him of the Guardian's
appreciation and his prayers on his behalf.
21 November 1947
He is so very happy to hear that there+F1 are now 36 believers
there and new souls coming into the Faith all the time!
He was also delighted to learn that at last the National &Hazira
is secured. This is a most important step forwards, and will greatly
enhance the prestige of the Faith in Germany.
+F1 in Frankfurt
+P71
You must never become discouraged; your services are both
needed and appreciated, and the Guardian deeply values them.
He was pleased to hear Mrs Davison is helping you so much
there with the work in Frankfurt, and he hopes she will be able
to stay there another year.
21 November 1947
Regarding your questions: by holiness in our &Baha'i teachings is
meant attachment to God, His Precepts and His Will. We are not
ascetics in any sense of the word. On the contrary, &Baha'u'llah
says God has created all the good things in the world for us to enjoy
and partake of. But we must not become attached to them and
put them before the spiritual things. Chastity in the strict sense
means not to have sexual intercourse, or sexual intimacies, before
marriage. In the general sense it means not to be licentious. This
does not mean we &Baha'is believe sexual relations to be impure or
wrong. On the contrary they are natural and should be considered
one of God's many blessings. He does not know anything
about whether albumen and delicious food affect sex; this is a
medical question. Sex is a very individual matter, some people are
more passionate by nature than others, and might consequently
suffer more if forced to be continent. But when the world
becomes more spiritual there will not be such an exaggerated emphasis
on sex, as there is today, and consequently it will be easier
for young people to be chaste and control their passions. A man
of noble character and strong willpower, could certainly remain
faithful to his wife during a long absence!
Any good orientalist could probably refer you to commentaries
on the &Qur'an and on the Buddhist Scriptures. &Abdu'l-Baha
has stated that all references of &Muhammad to fighting refer
to defensive war, not to aggression.
+P72
25 November 1947
He is very happy to see that you are all studying the &Baha'i
Teachings, and preparing yourselves to be worthy servants of
&Baha'u'llah, and of humanity, when you grow older.
You may be sure he will pray for you all in the Holy Shrines,
and that you may attract other children and young people to the
&Baha'i Cause. No one is ever too young to teach this Message to
others.
27 November 1947
He was very happy to hear of the progress being made spiritually
there+F1, and that now there are 9 &Baha'is in all. He hopes this will
enable you to form a Spiritual Assembly. You may be sure he will
pray that this may come about.
[From the Guardian:]
Assuring you of my loving prayers for your success in the service
of our beloved Faith and its God-given institutions,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
8 December 1947
&Baha'i Gemeinde Esslingen
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your loving greeting to our beloved Guardian, dated Nov. 12th,
1947, was received and he has instructed me to write you on his
behalf and thank you for it.
+F1 in &Warnemunde
+P73
He assures you all that your devotion to the Cause of God is
very deeply appreciated, and the perseverance you show in its service
greatly valued by him.
He will pray for you all in the Holy Tombs, that &Baha'u'llah
may bless, guide and protect you in your service to His Faith...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Spirit of &Baha'u'llah guide, sustain and protect you in
your deeply valued endeavours for the propagation of our glorious
Faith, aid you to add to your numbers, to deepen your understanding
of its fundamental truths, and promote its vital interests.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
18 December 1947
...although he is very overburdened with work he wishes me to
drop you a little line and assure you of how happy he is to hear
that the relief packages your Com.+F1 receives from America and
other countries do so much good.
He admires the steadfast devotion of the German assemblies
and of the German friends which keeps them busy serving the
Cause in spite of every hardship and obstacle.
+F1 in Esslingen
+P74
30 January 1948
To the &Baha'i Friends in Schwerin
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your loving message of greeting, signed by so many names,
reached our beloved Guardian, and he was very happy to see so
many are active in the Faith there.
He hopes in April circumstances will permit the formation of
a Spiritual Assembly there, which will greatly assist you all in
your devoted services to the Cause of God.
You may be sure in his visits to the Holy Shrines here he will
remember you all in his prayers and pray for your welfare and
success...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Spirit of &Baha'u'llah sustain, guide and bless you, at all
times and under all conditions, graciously assist you to enlarge the
limits of the Faith, add to your numbers, deepen your understanding
of its verities, and proclaim its principles far and wide.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
2 June 1948
To the &Baha'is of Esslingen who were present at the &Naw-Ruz
Feast, 105 B.E.
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your loving &Naw-Ruz greeting only reached our beloved
Guardian on May 31st, but he was very pleased to receive it, and
to see that so many of the dear believers had gathered together to
celebrate that happy Feast day.
+P75
In spite of the gloom which man's disobedience to the Divine
Laws is creating throughout the world, the &Baha'is must be
courageous, joyous and ever-active in spreading the Message of
&Baha'u'llah, for in the end it will triumph and dispel the evil and
sadness engulfing mankind.
He assures you all he will pray for the success of your &Baha'i
labours in the Holy Shrines...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Spirit of &Baha'u'llah sustain, guide and protect you under
all circumstances, cheer your hearts, enable you to extend continually
the range of your activities, and aid you to win memorable
victories for His Faith and its institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
10 June 1948+F1
Your letters to our beloved Guardian ... were received, as well as
the report of the persecution of the German &Baha'is, and the
greetings from the Teaching conference, and he has instructed me
to answer you on his behalf.
He was very pleased to receive all the good news you conveyed
to him, and the love and devotion with which you and your dear
husband and family serve the Cause of God is a source of great
comfort to him.
He would have answered you before, but pressure of work, and
the recent very disturbed state of the country, has held up his correspondence.
He hopes this letter will reach you safely.
The progress being made by the Faith in Germany is excellent.
It is if at last the Cause were let out of the cage and can spread its
+F1 to Mrs. Anna Grossmann
+P76
wings there and fly--and the hearts of the German people are a
very rich field in which to sow the Divine Seeds. He has always
foreseen for Germany a great future in the &Baha'i world...
He was particularly glad to hear the working people, the
backbone of every nation, are receptive to the Cause and being
taught.
10 June 1948+F1
Unfortunately conditions here in Palestine were so disturbed
and disorganized that the Guardian could not send a message as
you requested, to the Esperanto Congress in Munich in May. He
has been, and is, as you can well imagine, very concerned over the
state of the Holy Land. But so far all has gone well, the Shrines
have been protected, and the &Baha'i Community respected here
and assisted, by the new authorities.
It seems as if some time must elapse before pilgrims from anywhere
can again visit here. But he hopes, at a future date, your
heart's desire will be granted and you will be able to come to
Haifa.
Unfortunately the American National Spiritual Assembly has
such a very heavy program to carry out at present, in the teaching
field and in the decoration of the Temple, that many other projects
must wait until more money is available. Printing &Baha'i
Literature is one of them. But he hopes in the near future some
new editions can be gotten out.
+F1 to Mr. and Mrs. Lorey
+P77
11 June 1948
&Baha'i Jugend Esslingen
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your loving message to our beloved Guardian, dated Mulk 9th,
104, was received, and very much appreciated, and he was
delighted to learn you had been able to hold such a large meeting
for the Youth Symposium day.
He has been very busy lately, due to conditions here and the
great amount of work there is to do, but nevertheless he wishes to
answer your letter and assure you he will pray for your success,
and that he is proud of your spirit and your devotion to the
Faith...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved of our hearts guide every step you take in the path
of service, aid you to deepen your understanding of the essentials of
His Faith, and promote, at all times, the best interests of its
institutions,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
3 July 1948
He does not think that we can yet go so far as to write commentaries
and lengthy treatises on the relation of the &Baha'i teachings
to Education, Economics, etc, as the world knows these subjects
at present. We have our basic principles, but ... (unreadable) We
cannot say in detail what the "&Baha'i" system will be. It has yet to
grow and mature. However, articles on these matters, where our
+P78
general ideas are correlated to present knowledge and usage, and
compared, would be good because not too much detail could be
gone into.
3 December 1948
It will make you all happy to hear that the columns for the &Bab's
Shrine, and the capitals and many stones--the first shipment--
have now reached Haifa, and are being transported to the Shrine
gardens. Soon the Guardian hopes the actual building work can
be begun.
13 December 1948+F1
He has, as a result of your letter, just cabled you via Geneva asking
you to please get from Mrs ... the letter Hussein wrote her and
forward it to him, as he wishes to see it.
I cannot tell you how much and how bitterly our beloved
Guardian has suffered from the disloyalty and dishonourable
conduct of the members of the Master's Family, and now his own
family. They have not only disobeyed him, and flouted his advice
and instructions, but done things which are so shameful he is
unable to mention them. In view of this, he was forced in 1944,
to expel Hussein--but not until he had of his own accord left the
Master's house gone to the Covenant-Breakers, and refused warnings
and advice alike. His heart is unrepentant, and his character
greatly changed, which is surely a great tragedy.
+F1 to Miss Elsa Grossmann
+P79
He was very pleased to hear you were able to visit the &Baha'i
convention in Hamburg, and that you found the believers there
so enthusiastic and devoted. There is a tremendous amount of
work to be done everywhere, and such active and tireless workers,
as you and your dear family, are needed urgently in every
direction!
He most deeply values your loyalty, your devotion and your
services. You may be sure he will pray for you in the Holy Shrines
and for your family and dear Mrs Benke....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
I deeply and increasingly appreciate the spirit that animates you,
and wish to assure you of my abiding appreciation of your exemplary
loyalty, your perseverance and splendid services to our
glorious Faith. Persevere in your manifold and meritorious activities,
and rest assured that the Beloved is well pleased with the
standard of your accomplishments,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
8 February 1949
He sees no objection to the &Baha'is taking part in the movement
for "World-Citizenship", as this is marking towards one of our
most cherished goals--the unification of the human race under
some form of International government. As long as this movement
takes no political sides of any nature and keeps quite clear of
all forms of politics, the &Baha'is may support it.
He thinks it was a fine gesture for the National Assembly to
invite Mr. Garry Davis to be present on &Baha'i-World-Youth-Day
and he hopes, this courageous and independent man will be able
to accept the invitation.
+P80
2 March 1949
You, as devoted and experienced believers, must do all in your
power to urge the friends to unite in order to protect the Faith. The
Hamburg difficulty is not insurmountable, as long as the friends
all make up their minds that no sacrifice of personal feeling or
opinion in this matter is too great to make in order to maintain
the unity of the administrative order there and the unity of the
believers. The more friends take sides, the more difficult it will be
to solve this problem.
He urges you both to encourage your son and brother to look
upon the perfection of the Faith and not upon the imperfections
of the believers--for we are all imperfect.
11 March 1949
The National Youth Committee
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Our beloved Guardian wishes me to thank you on his behalf for
your greetings and the report of &Baha'i World Youth Day.
He was very pleased indeed to learn you held such successful
meetings on this occasion, and to see with what fervour and
devotion you are assuming your responsibilities as young &Baha'is
who, in the not distant future, will be called upon to carry forward
so much of the important work of the Faith as adult
members of the Community.
+P81
20 March 1949+F1
Regarding your book: he feels that this can only come under the
heading, judging by the outline you gave him, of a romance
woven about a historical episode: the &Bab and the events following
His Martyr(dom); we do not know enough concrete facts
about the relation of the Russian Court, the Russian consul, and
what exact part he played in the events of those days to fill a large
paragraph! He feels, therefore, that your book should be
presented as such a romance, and not in any way as a historical
narrative.
There were many factors at work in releasing &Baha'u'llah from
the &Siyah &Chal, not the last of which was the intervention of His
own sister who presented very valuable gifts to the &Shah himself
while she interceded for her Brother's life. So you see your information--
not merely yours, any &Baha'is at the present time--is
far too scanty to permit of a really historical account being
written. This does not mean you cannot get your book out as a
romance. He certainly would not want you to destroy your
manuscript!
24 March 1949
He was also very pleased to see the contact with the Esperantists
is being maintained. This friendly cooperation with them, and
attendance at their Congresses, is very good, and will no doubt
bring the &Baha'i Cause to many of their member's attention.
Also, he hopes, it will lead to many of them becoming &Baha'is in
the future.
+F1 to Dr. Karl &Schuck
+P82
31 March 1949
First, let me say that one of the reasons God has given us the
institution of Guardianship is to prevent men from crystallizing
the Cause of God into a rigid system. Your questions are mostly
along the line of trying to lay down a fixed pattern for future
society, long before the time for such a pattern is ripe. Remember
that &Baha'u'llah says what is not already revealed, the International
House of Justice must in the future legislate, and it can
make, and abrogate if necessary, its own laws. This means not
fixity in guiding society, but fluidity!
No. 1 &Baha'u'llah and the Master mention only Local, National
and an International House of Justice. There is no provision for
divisional ones. Each city will have its own Spiritual Assembly,
not a number of district ones. Naturally, district 19 Day Feasts can
be held where there are very many &Baha'is in one city.
No. 2 The Hands of the Cause will have executive authority in
so far as they carry out the work of the Guardian.
No. 3 Spiritual Assembly is the name at present for the body
which in future will be called "House of Justice".
No. 4 The &Badi' Calendar will be used generally. The &Baha'i
week has seven days.
No. 5 There is nothing about "ground organization". These
details are left for future legislation.
No. 6 No. Such things are for the consideration of the legislative
bodies in future.
No. 7 No. But &Abdu'l-Baha stated there are other worlds than
ours which are inhabited by beings capable of knowing God.
No. 8 The &Baha'i Temple in America has been dragging on,
uncompleted, since 19..(figures unreadable); its completion is
absolutely essential. We are builders, we have confidence in the
protection of God. We cannot give up our work just because the
atom bomb has been invented! This would be cowardly! The
+P83
United Nations disposes of millions and millions of dollars and
part of its work is to educate humanity towards peace and against
war. Our completion of the &Baha'i Temple will cost 3/4 of a
million; what could this sum do in comparison to the efforts of
the United Nations?
The thing the German believers must do is to deepen
themselves in the Covenants of &Baha'u'llah and &Abdu'l-Baha.
Mere intellectual understanding of the teachings is not enough.
Deep spirituality is essential, and the foundation of true spirituality
is steadfastness in the Covenant.
11 April 1949+F1
He fully approves of Dr. Townshend being invited to speak in
Germany, as you propose, providing, of course, that the necessary
funds for his trip can be arranged for.
The contact with intellectuals is very important, but so far, like
the early days of Christianity, in the West, few of them have cared
to identify themselves with this young and struggling Faith of
ours! Let us hope, however, that the time is approaching when
they will.
The Guardian has been considerably disturbed by the inharmony
that has arisen in Germany. He feels that what the German
&Baha'is need--and must have--more than anything else in the
world is a far deeper understanding of the Covenants of both
&Baha'u'llah and the Master. This is the rock foundation without
which no sound super-structure can be built. Neither the
administration, nor the general teaching work of the Cause in
Germany, will progress, or be able to accomplish anything, unless
the believers are truly firm, deep, spiritually convinced &Baha'is.
+F1 to Dr. Hermann Grossmann
+P84
An intellectual grasp of the teachings is purely superficial; with
the first real test such believers are shaken from the bough! But
once a &Baha'i has the profound conviction of the authority from
God, nested in the Prophet, passed on to the Master, and by Him,
to the Guardians, and which flows out through the assemblies
and creates order based on obedience--once a &Baha'i has this,
nothing can shake him. He, therefore, urges you, and the other
members of the N.G.R., to devote as much time as you possibly
can, to educating the believers in the Covenant.
15 April 1949+F1
As he has cabled the N.S.A. a few days ago, he feels that the
difficulties which have arisen in Germany, and which called forth
the letter you rightly felt was likely to cause more harm than
good, are mainly due to the fact that the believers need to be
deepened in their knowledge and appreciation of the Covenants
of both &Baha'u'llah and &Abdu'l-Baha. This is the stronghold of
the Faith of every &Baha'i, and that which enables him to withstand
every test and the attacks of the enemies outside the Faith,
and the far more dangerous, insidious, lukewarm people inside
the Faith who have no real attachment to the Covenant, and
consequently uphold the intellectual aspect of the teachings while
at the same time undermining the spiritual foundation upon
which the whole Cause of God rests.
He feels you and your dear family should do all you can to teach
the believers the Will and Testament to strengthen their
understanding of its important provisions; for all the authority of
the administrative bodies, as well as of the Guardian himself, is
mainly derived from this tremendous document.
+F1 to Mrs. Anna Grossmann
+P85
27 May 1949
The Guardian, in spite of the fact that there is a larger
community in Stuttgart, is very anxious to have the national
affairs of the German &Baha'i Community centered in Frankfurt,
which is far more central. He realizes at first this will present some
difficulties for the friends, but every step forward in the Cause
always is attended by complications and difficulties. The same
was true in America, where for years New York was the center of
the administration for America. When the National Headquarters
were shifted to Chicago, it was at first very inconvenient,
but it now has proved much more convenient and suitable than
New York ever was.
30 May 1949
&Baha'i Community of Stuttgart
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letter to our beloved Guardian, of April 20, and conveying
to him your loving &Ridvan greetings, was received, and he has
instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He values very deeply your message of loyalty and devotion and
your assurance that you will uphold the administration of our
beloved Faith.
The German friends must always remember that, after the long
years of suppression, and the war, when they were both cut off
from the Guardian and forbidden to hold organized meetings, it
is only natural that difficulties should sometimes arise in the
course of their progress.
+P86
The main thing, however, is that all the believers should at all
times feel conscious of their deep unity and brotherhood in the
Cause of God, and that with love and understanding they should
arise to overcome every problem, knowing that the Master will
help and assist them to do so.
Firmness in the Covenant is their Fortress, their greatest
protection, and new &Baha'is should be taught this before they are
admitted into the Community. In this way they will be given the
spiritual strength to overcome the tests which are inevitable, and
which strengthen the growth of the Community and drive its
roots deeper in the soil of faith.
He hopes your &Baha'i work will make great progress during this
&Baha'i year...
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
Your joint and most welcome message brought great joy to my
heart, as I feel greatly attached to, and greatly value the sentiments
of the members of a community which has distinguished itself by its
zeal, its accomplishments, its long record of service, and on which
the Beloved has conferred such great bounties and blessings. I cherish
great hopes for its future, and will supplicate on its behalf, that the
Almighty may enable it to render His Faith still more notable services,
and contribute, in an outstanding manner, to the onward
march of the Faith and the development of its institutions in that
promising country.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
5 June 1949
You have asked for his advice about two matters which concern
you very deeply, and although he knows your love for this Holy
+P87
Cause will assist you in making the right decisions, he knows it
will be hard for you to do so, and therefore assures you of his
loving prayers that you may take these steps courageously, and
that the way may be made easy for you.
He has heard nothing against the character of Mrs ... and does
not doubt in many ways she may be a very commendable
woman. However, this does not change the fact that in view of
her inhered convictions about &Baha'u'llah it is best for the
&Baha'is, including yourself, not to associate with her. That which
is in the heart of those who have actively opposed the Manifestation
of God is spiritually unhealthy, and although we in our
limited human understanding cannot always see the wisdom of
shunning them, the Master has instructed us to do so, and for our
good, and the good of the Cause, we must obey this instruction.
The matter of your giving up your church membership is a
conscientious obligation. He does not force you to do so, but as
you no longer believe in all the doctrines of your former church,
to continue to be a member of it is really to put yourself in a
position of one who is acting insincerely. Should you decide to
withdraw from the church as a member, however there is no
reason why you should not continue to go to church with your
husband, and to continue your friendly association with the
congregation. He will pray that your husband may be willing for
you to take this step.
30 September 1949+F1
He fully appreciates your point about certain well-known
names of Persian and other Oriental cities being spelt according
to the general usage in German literature. However, he feels that
+F1 to Dr. Adelbert &Muhlschlegel
+P88
it is necessary to follow in full the transliteration used in God
Passes By, even for the names of famous cities, etc., which have in
European languages an accepted way of being spelt. Only by doing
this can confusion be avoided in our &Baha'i translations and
uniformity be maintained.
A key to pronunciation should be printed, in order to coordinate
it with the German language, and also an explanation of
the reason for this system being used: namely that it was adopted
by an international Congress as being the most practical and
universal means of spelling these oriental names in the latin
alphabet.
He hopes that the fact that two people translated different parts
of this book will not be noticeable in the style, and thus detract
from its literary value in German?
Your labours, and those of the other friends concerned in getting
this valuable history ready to be printed in German, are
deeply appreciated....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved of our hearts, whose Faith you are serving with
distinction, zeal and loyalty, reward you a thousandfold for your
constant and notable services, aid you to extend continually the
range of your activities, and win still greater victories for its
institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
+P89
20 October 1949
National Youth Committee of the &Baha'is of Germany and
Austria
Dear &Baha'i Brother:
Your letter of September 3, with enclosed report of the &Baha'i
Youth Summer School, was received, and the beloved Guardian
thanks you for it.
He read with interest the report of the activities of the Youth,
and was particularly pleased to see that Dr. Grossmann had given
a course on the Covenant. The Youth must ponder deeply over
the significance and implications of the Covenants of &Baha'u'llah
and &Abdu'l-Baha, for these form the hub of the &Baha'i wheel, so
to speak, the point of unity and strength for all the believers all
over the world. Without these Covenants the Divine Protection
of God over this new world Faith would not exist. Obedience to
these Covenants is the stronghold of all the &Baha'is, everywhere.
The Youth must grasp this fundamental truth, for this will
strengthen them in their service to the Cause, as nothing else can
or will.
Another thing he wants the young people to do is to set an
example in obedience to the Administration, and to rise above the
tendency, alas, so pronounced in some of the friends, to consider
personalities instead of principles. This Cause is based on spiritual
laws, and we must consider these, and obey them, and not lose
time in thinking about the individual person's peculiarities, or
opinions...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved bless, sustain and guide you, to enable you, to
acquire a fuller understanding of the implications of God's Covenant
in this day, and contribute effectively to its clarification and
its comprehension by the believers.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+P90
22 October 1949
To the Spiritual Assembly of Bergstrasse
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letter dated March 27, has been received by our beloved
Guardian, as well as the report of the activities of your Assembly,
and he thanks you for sending him this information.
He, likewise, wishes to thank Mr. Adolf Lorey for his letter to
him of July 30, enclosing a newspaper clipping concerning Sohrab.
He feels your Assembly, wisely and lovingly, must guide the
friends to a firmer grasp of both the independent nature of our
glorious Faith and the need to study and uphold its Administrative
Order.
To continue to be a member of the church places a &Baha'i in an
insincere position--for we believe the Christ has come again, in
&Baha'u'llah, and that all His promises have been gloriously fulfilled.
No church would tolerate one of its members believing
such a thing, for the church is still blindly waiting the second
coming. Therefore it is obvious why the &Baha'is must leave the
church, they are not leaving Christ, but rather rallying to His
support in the new day of His coming.
Also, he feels your Assembly should obey and work with the
National Assembly in the greatest love and harmony. The past
must be forgotten, and all the believers concentrate, unitedly on
the spread of the Faith and strengthening its administration.
He will pray for you all, and for the success of your work.
With &Baha'i love
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty, Whose Faith you are serving with zeal, constancy
and devotion, bless you and your dear collaborators, remove
+P91
all obstacles from your path, and enable you to win great and
memorable victories for His Faith and its institutions,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
22 October 1949
It is the privilege of youth not to commit the same mistakes all
over again of the older generations, and he hopes the German
youth will rise above personalities, adhere to the principles of the
Cause and its administration, be examples of firmness in the
Covenant, and thus carry the Faith forward in Germany on a
higher plane of development.
30 October 1949+F1
As the Guardian already wrote the N.G.R., he feels that most of
the trouble which recently arose in the German community was
due to the fact that the believers everywhere did not seem to
know how to function administratively--almost everything
they did was irregular and this caused added confusion, more
wounded feelings, and confused the entire situation. He trusts
that by now the whole situation has been straightened out and
that the N.G.R. and the assemblies will work strongly and unitedly
for the fulfilment of their Plan.
He was very glad that dear doctor Grossmann could attend the
Brussels Conference. All the believers there were so happy to have
a German brother with them! Also, he has received reports of the
+F1 to Mrs Anna Grossmann
+P92
excellent teaching work on the Covenant that your dear husband
is doing. This is very important, especially at this time when
Ahmad Sohrab is trying to again become active in Germany.
The German friends must learn to put the teachings above
personalities and stop taking sides. This is a sign of immaturity
and this old and beloved community cannot afford to linger in
childhood, but must become a strong adult community of
united, alert and active believers....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
I am deeply grateful to you for your constant and splendid services
to our beloved Faith. These services and achievements will, no
doubt, attract the blessings of &Baha'u'llah. Rest assured that the
Beloved is well pleased with your accomplishments, and will
increasingly bless your high endeavours. May every obstacle be
removed from your path and the dearest wish of your heart fulfilled.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
12 November (1949?)+F1
The Guardian is in receipt of your letter of October 26th, and
feels very much pleased at 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 &Baha'u'llah that He may
continue to guide and inspire you, and assist you in
+F1 to Dr. Hermann Grossmann
+P93
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-Baha'i 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 first 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 "&Kitab-i-Iqan" 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 &Baha'i 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
&Baha'i 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
+P94
18 December 1949
&Baha'i Youth Committee of Germany and Austria
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letter of November 12 has been received by our Guardian,
and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He will certainly pray for the success of your very important
branch of the &Baha'i work in Germany and Austria.
We, as students of religion and history, cannot but expect that
when God's Greatest Revelation, (up until this time,) reaches the
world, it will cause terrific repercussions in the lives of men. This
is what we are witnessing all about us today, and although we, and
others, suffer from the state of society, we cannot but derive
inspiration from the fact that this very chaos is a testimony to the
strength and potency of the Divine Remedy brought by
&Baha'u'llah....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty Whose Cause you are serving in such a vital
sphere of &Baha'i activity, guide, bless and sustain you, remove the
formidable obstacles that stand in your path, and enable you to win
great and memorable victories for its institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
28 March 1950
He will certainly pray for dear Mrs ... and her son who so
tragically took his life.
When a child is old enough to declare his intention of being a
&Baha'i he is also old enough to leave the church. The Guardian
+P95
does not see any harm in what you did; the parents accepted that
&Baha'i writings should be read at the funeral.
Please give the Guardian's loving greetings to all the Munich
believers, and assure them of his prayers on their behalf. Urge
them to persevere in their teaching efforts.
30 September 1950
The Spiritual Assembly of the &Baha'is of Berlin
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letters of 16 July, signed by the friends, and 21 July, signed
by the secretary, and your photograph were received by our
beloved Guardian, and he was very happy to hear from you, and
to learn dear Mrs. Ashton had visited you.
He often thinks of you, and it rejoices his heart to see you are
faithfully serving the Faith, and that you have a Spiritual
Assembly, in spite of the many difficulties you have passed
through in Berlin.
He assures you he will ardently pray for your welfare, protection,
and the success of your &Baha'i work.
In these days the most important thing of all is to teach the
Faith to the people, for the world's salvation can only be found in
the Plan of &Baha'u'llah....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
I was so pleased to receive your letter, and I greatly value the
sentiments you have expressed. You are often in my thoughts and
prayers, and I will continue to supplicate the Beloved to protect and
+P96
sustain you, remove all obstacles from your path, and enable you to
achieve your heart's desire in His service,
Your true and grateful brother
Shoghi
2 October 1950
To those present at Youth Summer School, August 3, 1950,
c/o National &Baha'i Youth Committee of the &Baha'is of Germany
and Austria
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
The letter dated August 3, and signed by those attending the
Youth Summer-School, was received by our beloved Guardian, as
well as the photo of Burg Breuberg, and he was delighted to see so
many youth had attended from Germany and different countries.
He urges you all to concentrate on teaching the Faith to the
young people, who must be surely bewildered by the state of the
present day world, and who are so in need of guidance and supranational
goal towards which they can strive with heart and soul.
We know that only the remedy of the "Divine Physician" can
solve the problems facing humanity and we work day and night
to give the message of &Baha'u'llah to the masses....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
I was deeply touched by your welcome message, and I wish to
express my deepfelt appreciation of the sentiments you have expressed.
I greatly value your labours, and I feel confident that the Beloved,
whose Cause you serve so devotedly, will guide and sustain you
in your high endeavours. Persevere and rest assured that the work
you are achieving will bear rich fruit in the days to come.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
+P97
6 October 1950
...our beloved Guardian wishes me to assure you he will certainly
pray for your success in teaching in Magdeburg. He deeply values
your devotion to the Faith of &Baha'u'llah.
[From the Guardian:]
Assuring you of my loving prayers for your protection, welfare
and the success of every effort you exert for the promotion of our
beloved Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
26 October 1950
He hopes the German believers, led by their N.S.A., are now
united and active, and exerting their utmost to spread the Faith
and support its institutions financially and morally.
26 October 1950
Your suggestion regarding a book for the general public is a
good one. The question is not only have we &Baha'is competent to
present this subject in a way which would catch the attention of
the public, but also even if such a book existed would it achieve
its end? We have, unfortunately, not very many capable &Baha'i
writers, and the condition of confusion in the world is such that
it seems doubtful if such a work would arrest the attention of
distracted mankind.
However, we need more and better &Baha'i books, and he
suggests you present your idea to the German, British and
American N.S.A.'s.
+P98
10 February 1951+F1
The Hamburg situation he trusts is now greatly improved.
The believers there must learn to function according to the
Administration. When they do this, ninety percent of their
problems will be solved.
Regarding your questions concerning the Gleanings:
1st. CXL up until CXLI refers to &Muhammad-'Ali. The
following pages do not.
2nd. The Guardian does not remember to whom Chapter
CXLIII refers. He gathered the quotations for the Gleanings from
innumerable individual tablets and writings, and did not keep a
record of all of them; and has not at present time to go back over
this material and find out. He does not consider it important to
whom it refers.
3rd. On Page 312, the words "I feign would hope" are merely a
very elevated style of English for saying "I hope". This tablet has
nothing to do with &Muhammad-'Ali.
The Guardian asks you to please convey his love to all the
members of your dear family, as well as to dear Mrs. Benke.
He very much appreciates the translation you have made of the
Gleanings, and hopes that it will soon be in the hands of all the
believers, as it is an extremely important volume for acquiring a
deeper understanding of the Faith, and greatly enriches the
literature available in the German language.
+F1 to Miss Elsa Grossmann
+P99
10 February 1951
He feels that you should not ask the believers not to elect you
to the Spiritual Assembly during the coming year. However, you
might ask your fellow-members not to elect you as Chairman or
as an officer of the Spiritual Assembly, if you are reelected to that
body. This will lighten your work, and enable you, if you do not
feel well enough, to omit attending some of the meetings; but
your presence on the Assembly, if elected to it, the Guardian feels
is important, because of your long experience in the Faith and
your loyalty and tact....
Your long and devoted services to the Faith are very deeply
valued; and he feels you have every reason to be happy as you look
about you and see the great progress made in Germany, and the
fact that the believers there are more loyal, more active and more
numerous than ever before.
5 April 1951
To the Believers who were present on World Youth Day held at
Heidelberg.
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your message of March 25th has been received by our beloved
Guardian; and he was most happy to know that so many of the
&Baha'is were present on this occasion.
He urges you all to concentrate your time and energies on
spreading the Cause, and not to become distracted by the extremely
confused condition of the world and the acuteness of the
problems facing humanity.
+P100
There is only one answer to these problems, and that is the
Message of &Baha'u'llah; and we, His followers, are the ones who
alone can carry this Message to our fellow-men before it is too late.
You may be sure he will remember you all in his prayers in the
Holy Shrines, and supplicate for the rapid expansion of the Cause
in Germany and the consolidation of its administrative institutions....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless, guide and sustain you always, remove
every obstacle from your path, and enable you to promote, at all
times, the vital interests of its nascent institutions,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
22 April 1951
&Baha'i Youth Committee of Germany and Austria
He hopes that the German youth, in spite of the fact that they
now have Persian co-workers in their midst, will consider that the
work in Germany is their responsibility, primarily, and not the
responsibility of foreign students, whether they be Persians,
Americans, or from any other nation.
Each country must create its own active corps of servants; and
it is only right and proper that the German youth should do the
lion's share of their work, and not permit other people to do it for
them. He feels that the German &Baha'i young people have made
great progress during the last few years, and prays that they may
continue to do so; and he urges you all to concentrate your efforts
on this important branch of &Baha'i activity; namely, consolidating
and strengthening the activities of the young men and
women enrolled in the Cause of God in that country.
+P101
31 May 1951
He sees no objection to ... going to Persia for a visit. It would be
a happy experience for him to meet with the believers there.
However, he feels you should bear in mind that administrative
experience and practice is not the strong point in the East; on the
contrary, the &Baha'i Administration has, as far as being grasped by
the average &Baha'i goes, made far greater progress in the West,
particularly America.
What can be learned from our Oriental brethren is reverence,
self-sacrifice, unquestioning obedience and complete devotion to
the Cause. These are wonderful traits, and ones which the West
must emulate. In exchange we can offer them our sense of principle
and efficiency and capacity for action.
19 September 1951
To the &Baha'is who were gathered at Dilsberg, August 22, 1951
The beloved Guardian was very happy to see so many of the
young friends had gathered to study the Faith, and associate with
each other in &Baha'i fellowship.
He feels sure these experiences are building up among you a
greater sense of dedication and uniting your hearts in the service
of &Baha'u'llah.
He urges you all to exemplify in your personal lives the
teachings, as well as to study them, and to also learn well the
principles of the Administrative Order.
+P102
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved of our hearts guide and bless you, remove every
obstacle from your path, and aid you to contribute increasingly to
the consolidation of the institutions of His Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
30 October 1951
Through the National Assembly the beloved Guardian heard
of your serious illness and your sufferings, and he wishes me to
assure you of his loving sympathy and of his ardent prayers for
your relief.
Life afflicts us with very severe trials sometimes, but we must
always remember that when we accept patiently the will of God
He compensates us in other ways. With faith and love we must be
patient, and He will surely reward us.
The Guardian is also praying for your children, that they may
grow up to rejoice your heart and be wonderful &Baha'is.
6 December 1951
To the &Baha'i Youth Who were gathered at Maulbronn October
28, 1951.
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
The beloved Guardian appreciated receiving your message, and
was happy to see that so many of you had met to consult together
about ways and means of spreading the Divine Message in
Germany.
+P103
He assures you he will pray that your efforts will be blessed; and
he urges you, as far as possible, to disperse to centers in Germany
where there are either no &Baha'is, or there is a weak group and
your presence would strengthen it to establish a new center.
20 January 1952
To the &Baha'is who were present at the Winter Youth Meeting
December 28, 1951.
He was very happy to see that it was possible for so many to
attend this Youth Meeting; and he trusts that the study of the
Teachings together, and the spiritual interchange of thought
among you on that occasion will cause you to devote your lives
even more single-mindedly to the Faith of &Baha'u'llah and its requirements;
and that you will each inspire the friends in your
homes to further study, a closer unity and increased activity.
14 March 1952
...he urges you to devote as much of your time as possible to the
actual teaching work rather than writing on technical or
theoretical subjects, especially in relation to the Faith, because the
&Baha'i attitude in detail regarding such questions as sociology and
economics must be formulated in the course of time and cannot
possibly be elaborated on at this point. To do so would be
premature. This does not mean that you should not make the best
possible use of the manuscript you sent him, but he would not
advise you to devote much time to a similar work in the
immediate future.
+P104
12 April 1952
To the &Baha'i Youth of Germany Who were present on Annual
World Youth Day.
He hopes that each one who was present carried away with him
a new strength and resolve to do all in his power to teach, and
attract new souls to the Cause of God.
7 May 1952
The &Baha'i Community of Heidelberg.
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letter of April 26th reached the beloved Guardian, and he
appreciated very much the kind sentiments you expressed. I also
appreciated them very deeply.
He will pray in the Holy Shrines that your work in Heidelberg
may be blessed, and that you will be able to promulgate the Faith
in that area, especially amongst the student body....
[From the Guardian:]
Assuring you of my deep appreciation of the sentiments you
expressed, and of my loving prayers for your success in the service of
our beloved Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+P105
23 May 1952
To the &Baha'is gathered in Frankfurt for &Ridvan, 1952
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
The beloved Guardian has received your loving greeting of
April 27th, which he deeply appreciates, and which he has
instructed me to acknowledge on his behalf.
He trusts that from this Convention the friends have carried
back to their homes a renewed spirit of dedication, in order to
enable them to carry forward the teaching work, now in their
own land, and later on, beyond its borders.
In the Intercontinental Teaching Conference to be held in
Stockholm in the summer of 1953, the German believers will
have their part to play, and will have their goal allotted to them for
the ten-year period beginning in 1953. Therefore, they must
endeavor to realize the great importance of this Conference, and
bend every effort towards its most complete success....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless abundantly your noble endeavours,
guide and sustain you always, remove every obstacle from your
path, and enable you to win great and memorable victories in the
service of His glorious Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
25 May 1952
He is happy to hear you are in &Tihran, and determined to help
the friends directly with their teaching work, as this is the most
important field of all.
+P106
You should follow their advice, and consult with them in all
matters, as the situation there is very precarious, and any
indiscretion could have serious repercussions on the affairs of the
friends.
30 August 1952
To the &Baha'i Youth who attended the first and second week of the
Annual Youth Summer School at Heppenheim.
He was happy to see you are so active, because very great things
lie ahead of the &Baha'i Youth, in particular during the next ten
years; when you see what the task of Germany must be, (the
details of which he will be revealing at the time of the Stockholm
Conference), you will understand how great is the need for your
services during the next decade.
The future has always belonged to youth, and now more than
ever before, in order to ensure the fulfilment of &Baha'u'llah's plans
for this planet, the youth must labour and pioneer.
Now is the time, therefore, to consecrate yourselves and prepare
yourselves for the work that lies ahead of you, and of all the young
&Baha'is the world-over. You must study both the teaching and the
Administration, in order to be ready and qualified--qualified
with both knowledge and shining personal characters...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty guide your steps, aid and sustain you always,
and enable you to contribute effectively to the progress of our beloved
Faith and the consolidation of its nascent institutions.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+P107
29 November 1952
To the &Baha'i Youth gathered at Heilbronn-Neckar, on October
26th.
The Guardian is made very happy by the spirit of the friends in
Germany, as this spirit will attract to you the help of &Baha'u'llah,
as you go forward together to accomplish the tremendous goals
set for Germany in your own country and in other lands, during
the coming World Crusade.
13 March 1953
...this will be just a brief note to thank you for your loving
message to him of March 6th, which was received through the
kindness of dear Ben Levy.
He assures the Esslingen friends of his prayers in the holy
Shrine, for the abundant success of their teaching efforts, and
particularly for the anniversary of the visit of &Abdu'l-Baha to
Esslingen.
The Guardian feels sure Ben will inspire you all with the
account of his pilgrimage, on his return.
13 May 1953
The &Baha'i Youth of Germany who were gathered in Titisee,
January 1, for Winterschool Session.
He urges each one of you, when the details covering the Ten
Year Crusade are released, to give this subject careful study, so that
you may, during the entire period of this World Crusade, serve the
+P108
Cause efficiently and devotedly in the place and in the manner in
which you are best fitted to do so.
16 March 1953+F1
Mr. Ben Levy has safely delivered the Tablets of &Abdu'l-Baha
which you forwarded to the Holy Land, and the Guardian has
read them, and will place them in the International Archives. It is
indeed a miracle that you were able to protect these precious
things during the long and dangerous years of the war, and the
German &Baha'is must be very grateful to you for doing so. The
Guardian was happy to hear that photographs have been made of
them and kept in Germany.
He also remembers your visit to Haifa; and your long and faithful
services to our beloved Cause are most deeply appreciated. He
feels sure that you and your family will continue to assist in
spreading the Message in Germany, and in consolidating the
foundations of the Faith, and will pray for the success of your
efforts.
16 March 1953+F2
The Guardian does not feel that now is the time for the Hands
to give up their normal sphere of activity, and prepare themselves
to be free to travel and teach all the time. In most cases, this would
be quite impossible financially, especially for people who, like
yourself, have the responsibility of families to look after. No
doubt, as the Cause grows in numbers, and has greater resources,
+F1 to Mr Paul Gollmer
+F2 to Dr. Adelbert &Muhlschlegel
+P109
it will be possible to assist the Hands to carry out definite teaching
missions; but for the present, we must stretch our limited
resources, and accomplish the most essential tasks first. He was
very pleased to hear that you will be present at the Stockholm
Conference.
The tasks of the Auxiliary Boards will be under the direction of
the Hands in their area, and in cooperation with the administrative
bodies existing, to strengthen the teaching work. They will not
have administrative functions, but will no doubt be able to help
stimulate weak centers, groups and assemblies through their
visits.
A Covenant-breaker, as you know, is one who disobeys and
turns away from the Center of the Covenant. Until such time as
they repent of this sincerely, and express their willingness to work
under the Center of the Covenant, their status must be
considered the same. However, such matters should be discussed
and decided upon within the National Spiritual Assembly itself.
19 April 1953
Regarding your question, on Page 40 of "Prayers and Meditations",
where it says: "Methinks He", this "He" refers to the &Bab.
The last paragraph on Page 40 and the continuation of it on Page
41 right down to the end of the quotation marks on Page 42, is all
the Spirit of the &Bab addressing &Baha'u'llah; therefore, the words:
"Thou art, in very truth, the Self-Subsisting" refers to &Baha'u'llah,
and is addressed by the &Bab's Spirit to Him in the mystical sense
of this prayer.
Regarding the words on Page 39 beginning with: "He it is, O my
Lord," up to: "Thou didst weep continually", these are addressed
by &Baha'u'llah to the &Bab.
+P110
7 May 1953
&Baha'is of Esslingen.
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your loving letter of April 5th has been received by the beloved
Guardian, and he has asked me to acknowledge it on his behalf.
He is delighted to learn of the activity of the friends in Esslingen,
and of their unity and devotion.
The visit of &Abdu'l-Baha to Esslingen on April 4, 1913, was a
historic occasion, and the friends certainly are correct in holding
a memorial meeting each year.
Now that the Ten-Year World Crusade has been launched, the
Guardian sincerely hopes that all of the friends in Germany will
treble their efforts, and arise to accomplish the great goals which
the German &Baha'is have set themselves to achieve.
You may be sure the Guardian will pray for you at the holy
Shrines. He sends his warm love to each and every one of you....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless, guide and sustain you, and aid you to
promote the vital interests of His Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
16 May 1953
To the believers in Frankfurt.
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
The beloved Guardian greatly appreciated your &Ridvan
Greetings, which were sent on the post card showing the
&Haziratu'l-Quds in Frankfurt.
This has been an especially wonderful &Ridvan, marking as it
does the ninetieth anniversary of the announcement of
+P111
&Baha'u'llah, and also the launching of the great World Crusade
in addition to the 100th anniversary of the Intimation of
&Baha'u'llah's Prophetic Mission--in the &Siyah-Chal.
The Guardian speaks frequently of the German &Baha'is, and of
the great role they will have to play in the development of the
Faith from now on. He will pray that divine confirmations may
reach you at all times, and that your efforts will be guided and
confirmed.
1 November 1953+F1
Dear &Baha'i Sister:
I am writing you this little note on behalf of our beloved
Guardian to reassure you, as he has heard from one of the friends
that sometimes you feel you have failed in your services to our
glorious Faith.
He considers that you have no justification for ever having such
dark thoughts. You have served the Cause of God unstintingly,
and with complete loyalty and dedication year after year; and he
feels confident that the Master has reserved a rich reward for you
in the next world.
Your loving devotion, and the harmony that you are able to
produce amongst the friends, is very essential for the work in such
an important Center as Frankfurt, which will soon, in addition to
its being the administrative center of the Faith in Germany,
possess the first &Baha'i Temple in Europe.
The Guardian, therefore, urges you to continue your work
there amongst the friends with a cheerful and peaceful heart; and
you may be sure he remembers you in his prayers in the Holy
Shrine.
+F1 to Miss Edith Horn
+P112
8 February 1954+F1
The sudden passing of dear Dorothy Baker is indeed a great loss
to the Faith, and leaves a sad gap in the ranks of the Hands of the
Cause. She was exemplary in so many ways, and her services can
ill be spared at this important period in &Baha'i history.
No doubt there is a wisdom in such calamities; and through her
death others may feel moved to become more consecrated to the
service of the Faith. Surely such a soul's influence will continue
to be felt in this world.
Your own constant and devoted labours for the promotion of
the Cause of God, as well as those of your dear family, are very
deeply appreciated by him, and you are often remembered in his
prayers. He hopes that you are in good health; and urges you,
while serving the Cause, not to neglect yourself. Old and
experienced &Baha'is, especially the Hands, are needed to
strengthen the foundations of the Faith; and for the sake of the
Cause, they must protect themselves.
11 May 1954+F2
As regards the question you asked in your letter about a concealed
group of masters in the Himalayas or anywhere else, there is no
foundation whatsoever for this in the &Baha'i Writings. We as
&Baha'is must not believe in the divine origin of any such things
which have not been mentioned in our own Sacred Scriptures by
either the &Bab, &Baha'u'llah or the Master.
+F1 to Dr. Hermann Grossmann
+F2 to Dr. Adelbert &Muhlschlegel
+P113
There is nothing whatsoever to lead us to believe that there is
any foundation or truth in these mystical stories of beings that are
"behind the scenes" so to speak. We must avoid such thoughts and
teachings, and try to wean others away from them as we give them
the Message....
He hopes that, now that a Board has been appointed by you and
your fellow-Hands in Europe, the teaching work in the goal
countries as well as in France and England will go forward much
more rapidly; and also that the pioneers opening up the many
new territories and islands in the Mediterranean and in the North
Sea areas will likewise benefit greatly from the assistance this
Board can give them ever increasingly.
2 June 1954
&Baha'i Group of Munich.
This is just a brief note to acknowledge, on behalf of the beloved
Guardian, your letter of greeting, dated May 9th.
He was very happy to learn that such a study group now exists,
and he hopes that each one of you will make a deep study of the
Faith, so that you will be well prepared to take it to other friends
there. The Guardian attaches the greatest importance to Munich,
and he hopes others will be enkindled and confirmed, so that,
within a short time, a Spiritual Assembly may be established in
your city....
[From the Guardian:]
Assuring you of my loving prayers for the success of your efforts for
the promotion of our beloved Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+P114
5 September 1954+F1
There can be no doubt that the opposition of the churches to
the erection of the &Baha'i Temple is a marked step forward in the
progress of the Faith in Germany. He hopes, however, that the
situation will never reach a point where the National Spiritual
Assembly has to go to the Federal Constitutional Court or to
UNO. This would be unwise and doubtful as to results. We are
not yet ready for the publicity such a case would bring us--not
to mention the increase in opposition it would lead to, and which
would inevitably affect our work in the more backward countries
where pioneers are so devotedly labouring to establish the Faith.
He is praying that a solution will be forthcoming in the near
future and all complications avoided.
The German &Baha'is must be very careful not to be involved in
any way if this Temple issue gets into the hands of politicians.
Nothing could be more dangerous for us!
He deeply appreciates the constant and devoted services you are
rendering the Cause of God, in which you are so whole-heartedly
supported by your dear family.
He sends you all his loving greetings, and prays for your health
and the success of your labours to promote and to protect the
Faith....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty, Whose Cause you have served so long, and are
still serving with such devotion, distinction and courage, bless
continually your high endeavours, guide and sustain you in your
deeply appreciated labours, and enable you to enrich the record of
your fine and unforgettable accomplishments.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+F1 to Dr. Hermann Grossmann
+P115
4 October 1954
&Baha'i Youth Summer School, &Uberlingen/Bodensee.
The beloved Guardian has received your note of August 28th,
signed by all those present at the Summer School.
He is happy to know that you have had such a happy and
profitable time together; and he hopes that now you will promise
yourselves to spend these days of your youth in the accomplishment
of the goals set by the Guardian for your various countries
for this particular period of the great World Crusade....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless, guide and sustain you, and enable you to
promote the vital interests of His Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
12 December 1954
The &Baha'is of Vienna.
Dear &Baha'i 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 &Baha'u'llah, and their
desire to serve His Cause.
He hopes that in the near future the Vienna Community will
have its &Haziratu'l-Quds, to which he attaches the greatest
+P116
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
30 September 1955+F1
He assures you he very deeply appreciates the loving attention
and care you have been giving to &Valiyu'llah &Varqa and his family.
This precious Hand of the Cause of God was always an
honoured and favored servant of the Faith during the days of the
Master, and very close to His heart; and has always been a
completely trusted and truly dedicated helper of the Guardian,
who loves him very deeply.
To know of his present condition does grieve the heart, and
distresses and saddens the Guardian greatly. He feels confident,
though, that this distinguished soul, who is so dear to the hearts
in so many lands, in being where he is, is now surrounded with
infinite love and tenderness; and for this he is most grateful....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty richly reward you for the deeply appreciated
and highly meritorious assistance you extend to our dearly beloved
and distinguished brother and co-worker, &Valiyu'llah &Varqa, and
enable you to extend continually the range of your splendid
accomplishments in the service of our glorious Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+F1 to Dr. Adelbert &Muhlschlegel
+P117
[facsimile of a letter found on page 118]
+P118
13 January 1956
To the &Baha'i Youth who were present at the Titisee Winter
School.
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
The beloved Guardian was happy to receive your note of
greeting from the School, dated December 26th.
He urges each one of you to exert your utmost effort in the
teaching field, and do all in your power to establish many new
Centers throughout Germany.
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless your constant endeavours, remove all
obstacles from your path, and enable you to extend continually the
scope of your valued activities,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
26 March 1956+F1
Many of the problems which you see facing the German Community
are akin to other &Baha'i Communities. There is a desperate
need for deepening the &Baha'is themselves in their own faith.
They do not study the Teachings enough. They do not therefore
either act as whole-heartedly as &Baha'is as they should, or derive
the spiritual strength from the Faith which studying, praying and
meditating brings.
The answer of course to many of these problems is that we need
more &Baha'is to share in the work, more money to finance traveling
+F1 to Dr. Adelbert &Muhlschlegel
+P119
teachers, more understanding between the youth and older
people, and a wiser distribution of the work of the Faith amongst
those able to carry it on, whether young or old.
As regards the question you have asked about your own obligations,
he feels you should not resign from the National Assembly,
as your presence on that Body is of great help in the work. On the
other hand, he approves of your requesting that they do not give
you so much work as a member of the National Assembly, and
as a member of national committees, thus freeing you more for
the teaching work as a "Hand", and also enabling you to take
better care of your health, which is a precious asset to the Faith.
3 May 1956+F1
He is glad to see that the work is progressing well in Innsbruck;
and feels sure that, with your enthusiasm and that of the other
dear friends, it will not be long before a flourishing &Baha'i
Community exists there....
As you no doubt know, he has not been satisfied with the
Temple drawings received from Germany, and is now in touch
with the National Assembly regarding possible modifications of
some recently sent him.
He considers that the prestige of our beloved Faith is directly
involved with this building; and that what may to an architect,
fond of an advanced style, seem appropriate, would not be
sufficiently dignified to represent our Faith as the first Temple on
the European continent. The problem will no doubt soon be
solved. It merely requires patience and more effort.
+F1 to Mrs Johanna von Werthern
+P120
26 August 1956+F1
He is well satisfied and pleased with the progress of the work
there. It shows a healthy condition, and that you are being aided
by &Baha'u'llah in your efforts to establish the Cause in that new
area.
He values very deeply your pioneering services, through which
you are carrying on a long history in your family of single-hearted
devotion to the Faith. It is indeed good that your dear brother Dr.
Grossmann can give you such invaluable teaching assistance.
The Guardian hopes those who are now interested in and drawn
toward the Cause will earnestly study the Teachings until they feel
impelled to join the ranks of the &Baha'is. He also hopes that
others may soon follow their example, so that within a short time
a Spiritual Assembly may be established in Westerland-Sylt.
His prayers will constantly surround you as you lovingly
labour for the attainment of this important goal....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty, whose Cause you have served, and are serving,
so devotedly, so determinedly and courageously, reward you a
thousandfold for your historic services and enable you to win still
greater victories in the days to come,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
16 September 1956+F2
He is very sorry to hear you may have to leave Graz, where you
are laying a good foundation for the work; even though our dear
+F1 to Miss Elsa Maria Grossmann
+F2 to Mr. Robert Schultheiss
+P121
&Baha'i sister, Mrs. Johnson Norvell is there now, which the
Guardian was happy to hear.
If it is not possible for you to remain in Graz, you should try to
follow your plan of working in Vienna, and going down to help
Mrs. Norvell on week-ends.
The Guardian feels you should inquire whether the German
National Spiritual Assembly cannot help you to remain in Graz,
as he considers this city of great importance....
[From the Guardian:]
Assuring you of my loving and fervent prayers for the success of
your historic services, and of my admiration for the spirit that
animates you in the promotion of our beloved Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
28 September 1956+F1
He was sorry indeed to hear of the conditions there, and will
ardently pray for the greater dedication of the members of the
German Community, so that they may realize the pressing needs
of the Faith, and arise determinedly to meet them.
He assures you he deeply appreciates your constant services,
and the devoted labours of your dear and honoured brother.
+F1 to Miss Elsa Maria Grossmann
+P122
15 November 1956+F1
As regards the translation of the &Iqan, as this is a very important
and fundamental book, the Guardian hopes that it will be
published as soon as possible.
The basis of your translation should be his English translation
of it and not the Persian original. He feels that you should adhere
as closely as possible to the English text without making your
translation so literal as to be un-German and unidiomatic, and
therefore not very readable to German-speaking people.
As regards Dr. &Schuck's book, which the Guardian is very
pleased to hear he has written, as we need always more literature
to attract new people to the Faith through different approaches:
Any &Baha'i book presenting the Faith should be reviewed by a
competent body. This only means that they should ascertain
whether there is any misrepresentation of the Teachings in it.
Sometimes the friends think they have to go into literary reviews
and interfere with the author's style etc., which of course is
wholly unnecessary. It should therefore not take long for your
National Body or the Italo-Swiss National Assembly to pass
upon the book.
17 November 1956
The &Baha'i Group of Salzburg
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letter of November 12th has been received by the beloved
Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
+F1 to Dr. Adelbert &Muhlschlegel
+P123
He deeply appreciates the sentiments you expressed and also the
loving labours you are performing in the teaching field in
Salzburg.
He was happy to note that your letter had seven signatures, and
hopes that by &Ridvan you will be able to form an Assembly there,
which will be a great step forward in the progress of the Faith in
Austria.
You may be sure he will pray for you all at the holy Shrines....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless your high endeavours, guide every step
you take, and fulfil every desire you cherish, for the promotion and
consolidation of His glorious Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
30 November 1956+F1
He appreciates very deeply the sentiments you expressed to him
on the occasion of the thirty-fifth anniversary of his Guardianship.
The love of the friends and the services they render the Faith
have in a great part sustained him in his arduous and exhausting
work; and he feels that the Hands of the Cause will be called upon
ever-increasingly to display a loyalty and devotion which will
stimulate the rank and file of the friends to arise and fulfil their
tasks, in spite of every obstacle....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved reward you a thousandfold for your outstanding
and unforgettable services, during so many years, to our beloved
Faith, fulfil every desire you cherish, and bless every effort you exert,
in the days to come, for the spread and consolidation of His glorious
+F1 to Dr. Hermann Grossmann
+P124
Faith, and enable you to enrich the distinguished record of your
highly meritorious accomplishments,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
6 December 1956+F1
He very deeply appreciates the loving sentiments you expressed
to him on the occasion of the thirty-fifth anniversary of his
Guardianship. The devotion of the &Baha'is, and the fidelity they
have shown to the Master's wishes, and the love they have
showered upon him, have enabled the Guardian to carry out the
work he has accomplished.
He hopes that the older German &Baha'is like yourself will do all
you can to deepen the younger generation in the verities of the
Faith, and create in them the same flame of devotion which has
animated you all over so long a period....
[From the Guardian:]
Assuring you of my deep and abiding appreciation of the
sentiments you have expressed, as well as of your highly meritorious
services to the Cause of God--services which have greatly sustained
and encouraged me amidst my strenuous labours in His service,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+F1 to Dr. Adelbert &Muhlschlegel
+P125
6 December 1956+F1
He deeply appreciates the loving sentiments you expressed to
him on the occasion of the thirty-fifth anniversary of his Guardianship.
The devotion the friends have shown to the Cause of
God and the love they have showered upon him have enabled him
to carry on his heavy burdens.
He hopes that your persistent and devoted labours there will
soon bear the reward of a Spiritual Assembly, and assures you that
his prayers are offered for your success.
15 December 1956
He also hopes that you will persuade this friend to withdraw
from the church if he has not already done so. The line of demarcation
must be more and more distinct at this critical point in the
fortunes of humanity, and the &Baha'is must courageously stand
forth, upholding the laws of &Baha'u'llah and supporting the
Administrative Order openly.
2 February 1957
The &Baha'i Group of Salzburg
He is happy, to hear that the &Baha'i friends from Budapest are
safely installed in the United States, and that they are going to
make an effort to settle in a way that will serve the work on the
Home Front.
+F1 to Miss Elsa M. Grossmann
+P126
It was too bad that you lost some of the members of your much-prized
Community there, just when you are trying to build up a
Spiritual Assembly, but the Guardian hopes you will soon replace
them with new believers recruited from the local population, in
other words, permanent ones!
He attaches great importance to the creation of an Assembly in
Salzburg and will pray that you may be successful in the teaching
work there....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless, abundantly and continually, your high
endeavours, guide every step you take, and enable you to lay a firm
foundation for our beloved Faith in that city,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
17 March 1957+F1
He fully appreciates that you are not strong enough to act as
National Secretary and at the same time fulfil your functions as
a member of the Auxiliary Board, and he therefore approves of
your asking the National Assembly, if you are reelected on it this
year, to not make you the Secretary. He does not think however
that you should resign from the National Assembly if you are
elected to it.
+F1 to Mrs. Anna Grossmann
+P127
25 March 1957+F1
Regarding the matters raised in your letter, as he wrote you
before, he does not feel in this stage in the development of the
Faith and the Institution of the Hands, that the Hands should
request to not be elected on National Bodies, or resign from them.
However, there is no reason why they cannot ask their fellow-members,
if they are elected, to leave them free of the heavier
administrative offices, so that they can do more in their function
as Hands. There is no reason why there should not be a frank
discussion of these problems before the National Assembly itself
votes for its Officers.
The National Assembly is not obliged to follow the wish of the
Hands.+F2 It is also not the Body empowered to tell the Hands
what to do; they can make suggestions to them.
As regards your highly meritorious desire to pioneer behind the
Iron Curtain, he does not feel that this would be advisable or in
the best interests of the Faith. You should continue your work
where you are in Germany, and do all you can, as a Hand and as
a member of the National Body, to see that some pioneers undertake
this important service.
28 March 1957
As regards the question you have asked: The &Baha'i marriage
should take place the same day.
It is not necessary that this should be an occasion for a feast or
publicity, although that would of course be good if it could be
combined with obedience to the Laws. The most important thing
is that they should have the &Baha'i ceremony, which, as you
+F1 to Dr. Adelbert &Muhlschlegel
+F2 the Hands, however, can make suggestions to the N.S.A.
+P128
know, is extremely simple, on the same day as the other
ceremony.
28 April 1957
The passing of dear George Townshend has been a real loss to
the work in Europe--but what Europe has lost Asia in the
Pacific has gained!
14 May 1957+F1
He would certainly not advise you to move outside of
Germany, in view of the tremendous needs in that country.
However, he approves, if you find it financially possible, of your
moving to Dortmund where as you say there are no &Baha'is, and
which is one of Germany's major cities. This would indeed be
rendering the Faith a valuable service at this time in setting an
example to others. Either Dortmund or Berlin would be highly
acceptable, whichever would be easiest for you.
28 May 1957
To the Youth who were present in Aachen on May 19, 1957.
He was very happy to see that so many of the &Baha'i Youth had
gathered together to study the Teachings, and hopes such
meetings will be held often throughout Germany.
+F1 to Dr. Adelbert &Muhlschlegel
+P129
The believers, especially the young ones, should always
remember that the first thing the &non-Baha'is are going to notice
in us is our character; therefore, the highest standard of moral
conduct and courtesy should be shown forth by the youth, in
order to attract the hearts of other people, and, through arousing
their admiration, create in them a desire to know more about our
beloved Faith, and eventually to arise to serve it.
He will pray for you all, that you may be successful in your
labours, to give the Glad Tidings of &Baha'u'llah to the young people....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless your efforts, guide and sustain you, and
aid you to win great victories in the service of His Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
31 May 1957
To the &Baha'is of Salzburg
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
Your letter of May 16th was received, and the beloved Guardian
wishes to assure you of how happy he is over the formation of the
Salzburg Assembly, and to see that you not only have nine &Baha'is
but ten &Baha'is!
He hopes that during the coming months, you will each attract
many new souls, enlarge your Community and confirm especially
Austrians who will remain there, and free the pioneers for further
services in new fields.
You may be sure he will remember you in the holy Shrines....
+P130
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless your valued endeavours, guide and
sustain you in your historic services to His Faith, and enable you to
promote its vital interests,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
4 June 1957
Spiritual Assembly of the &Baha'is of Graz.
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
The beloved Guardian received your letter of May 31, and he is
very happy to have this opportunity of congratulating your
Spiritual Assembly upon its formation.
He was also delighted to hear there are so many &Baha'is in Graz.
Perhaps you can spare a pioneer, if you find your Assembly will
be assured next April, to one of the weaker places in Austria, and
thus help build up yet another administrative centre.
You may be sure he will pray for you all, and he urges you to
labor together in the greatest love and unity for the promotion of
the Faith....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved guide your steps, remove all obstacles from your
path, bless every effort you exert, and fulfil every desire you cherish,
for the promotion of His Faith, and the consolidation of the newly
established Assembly,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
+P131
4 June 1957+F1
He greatly appreciates the services you have been able to render
the Faith in Austria, and feels that you have every reason to be
satisfied, now that you see that a Spiritual Assembly was established
in Graz. The fact that the friends there did not cable him makes
no difference at all. Not all of the new Assemblies cable.
You will be able, he hopes, on your return to Germany, to assist
in the formation of a new Spiritual Assembly there, through
taking up your residence where there is a Group. In this way you
will be strengthening the Home Front, which is also a very
important phase of our &Baha'i activities. If you must go back to
Stuttgart, he hopes you can still live in its neighbourhood and be
instrumental in forming another Assembly, rather than to be just
one more &Baha'i in an already crowded Community. As you
perhaps already know, he has urged the large communities to send
out pioneers. Indeed, if only fifteen &Baha'is remained in each city,
willing to serve, it would be quite sufficient to maintain the
Spiritual Assembly. The sooner the rest would arise to pioneer,
the better it would be for them and for the Faith.
22 July 1957
He was indeed happy to hear that the teaching work in
Frankfurt is going forward so rapidly, and that such fine people
are becoming deeply interested. He hopes, through these meetings,
many new souls will become &Baha'is, who will be active
supporters of the Faith there.
+F1 to Mr L. Robert Schultheiss
+P132
7 August 1957
Spiritual Assembly of the &Baha'is of Graz
Dear &Baha'i Friends:
The beloved Guardian has received your letter of July 3rd with
its enclosure, and has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He was very sorry to hear of the death of Mehrangiz Mashoodi.
Her devotion to the Faith will no doubt be rewarded in the &Abha
Kingdom.
He appreciates your sending him the fine newspaper article
about her.
Please assure her mother of his prayers for her and her daughter's
soul. He hopes other Persian &Baha'i Youth will follow her noble
example.
The Guardian has wanted for some time to see a Spiritual
Assembly established in Graz, and therefore he was made very
happy this year over its formation....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved bless your meritorious efforts, guide every step
you take, and fulfil every desire you cherish, for the spread and consolidation
of His glorious Faith.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
24 October 1957+F1
Your efforts to promote peace and love among the friends are
indeed deeply appreciated by him.
The National Spiritual Assembly must protect the Faith, but
must always be fair. Because a person is accused does not necessarily
+F1 to Dr. Hermann Grossmann
+P133
prove that he or she is guilty; and the administrative bodies cannot
be too careful in such matters.
The Guardian hopes ... will obey the National Spiritual
Assembly, and that ways will be found for him to serve the Cause,
as his devotion to it is sincere, and the deep desire of his heart is
to labour for the Cause....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless your incessant and highly meritorious
labours, guide and sustain you in your manifold activities, and
enable you to enrich the record of your unforgettable achievements,
Your true brother,
Shoghi