# Arohanui: Letters to New Zealand

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Shoghi Effendi, Arohanui: Letters to New Zealand, Fiji Islands: Bahá’í Publishing Trust of Suva, 1982, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Arohanui:
> 
> Letters to New Zealand
> 
> Shoghi Effendi
> 
> Fiji Islands: Bahá’í Publishing Trust of Suva, 1982
> 
> Jump to the condensed table of contents
> 
> Jump to the expanded table of contents
> 
> Go to a specific page
> 
> Condensed Table of Contents
> 
> About AROHANUI, Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand
> 
> Part I -- Letters to Individuals, before April 21st, 1926
> 
> Part II -- Letters to Individuals, April 21st, 1926--April 21st, 1934
> 
> Part III -- Letters to Individuals, May 1934-1957
> 
> Part IV -- Letters to Bahá'í Institutions
> 
> Part V -- Telegrams to New Zealand
> 
> Part VI -- Statements on Various Subjects
> 
> Appendix (Notes)
> 
> Appendix (Addressees)
> 
> Expanded Table of Contents
> 
> About AROHANUI, Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand
> 
> i
> ii
> iii
> iv
> v
> xiii
> 
> Part I -- Letters to Individuals, before April 21st, 1926
> 
> June 22nd, 1923
> 
> May 8th, 1925
> 
> May 9th, 1925
> 
> May 21st, 1925
> 
> May 28th, 1925
> 
> November 4th, 1925
> 
> December 5th, 1925
> 
> March 4th, 1926
> 
> April 3rd, 1926
> 
> Part II -- Letters to Individuals, April 21st, 1926--April 21st, 1934
> 
> August 12th, 1926
> 
> August 12th, 1926
> 
> August 25th, 1926
> 
> September 18th, 1926
> 
> October 23rd, 1926
> 
> November 3rd, 1926
> 
> January 11th, 1927
> 
> January 30th, 1927
> 
> May 13th, 1927
> 
> June 4th, 1929
> 
> October 4th, 1930
> 
> May 18th, 1931
> 
> December 17th, 1931
> 
> April 29th, 1933
> 
> September 1st, 1933
> 
> Part III -- Letters to Individuals, May 1934-1957
> 
> June 13th, 1934
> 
> December 22nd, 1934
> 
> January 21st, 1935
> 
> February 5th, 1935
> 
> May 20th, 1936
> 
> September 30th, 1936
> 
> December 7th, 1936
> 
> November 8th, 1937
> 
> May 17th, 1938
> 
> December 20th, 1938
> 
> March 20th, 1939
> 
> August 3rd, 1941
> 
> December 19th, 1947
> 
> November 23rd, 1949
> 
> December 18th, 1949
> 
> June 11th, 1952
> 
> January 6th, 1955
> 
> Part IV -- Letters to Bahá'í Institutions
> 
> March 31st, 1926
> 
> May 14th, 1926
> 
> January 7th, 1935
> 
> September 26th, 1935
> 
> April 26th, 1936
> 
> June 10th, 1936
> 
> November 17th, 1936
> 
> January 31st, 1938
> 
> November 2nd, 1938
> 
> March 22nd, 1939
> 
> April 19th, 1941
> 
> April 25th, 1941
> 
> April 18th, 1942
> 
> May 12th, 1944
> 
> December 18th, 1949
> 
> June 28th, 1950
> 
> November 1st, 1950
> 
> March 1st, 1951
> 
> June 16th, 1954
> 
> July 24, 1955
> 
> June 13th, 1956
> 
> September 5th, 1956
> 
> April 4th, 1957
> 
> May 20th, 1957
> 
> June 27th, 1957
> 
> July 19th, 1957
> 
> August 30th, 1957
> 
> September 9th, 1957
> 
> Part V -- Telegrams to New Zealand
> 
> To Summer School care Bahá'í Assembly Postbox 1906 Auckland January 22nd, 1949 )
> 
> To Auckland Assembly Box 1906 Auckland December 29th, 1949 )
> 
> To Summer School Care Auckland Assembly Box 1906 Auckland December 29th, 1949 )
> 
> To New Zealand School Care NatBahá'í Sydney December 30th, 1953 )
> 
> Part VI -- Statements on Various Subjects
> 
> ALCOHOL
> 
> EVOLUTION
> 
> "HERALD OF THE SOUTH"-- Persevere
> 
> "HERALD OF THE SOUTH"-- Effective teaching medium.
> 
> "HERALD OF THE SOUTH"-- Difficulties.
> 
> "HERALD OF THE SOUTH"-- Psychic practices.
> 
> PHILOSOPHERS
> 
> SCOUTING
> 
> SOUL, MIND AND SPIRIT
> 
> Appendix - Notes
> 
> 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
> 
> Appendix - Addresses
> 
> Click on any of the numbers below to go to a page of Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand (in an unformatted version):
> 
> i
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> xiii
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> i
> 
> Dedicated to the memory of Shoghi Effendi in commemoration
> of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the formation
> of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of New
> Zealand.
> 
> ii
> 
> "AROHANUI"
> The word "Arohanui" is a Maori word and, as with many Polynesian
> words, there is no direct translation into English. The literal
> meaning is "big love", or "much love" or "great love". And, like
> most words in most languages, it has several meanings. In naming
> this book, "Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand",
> "Arohanui" is used in its more expressive meaning, "enfolding
> love", or "that love which binds a community together",
> or "that love which creates bonds of mutual trust and loyalty", or
> "that love which builds and carries forward culture or civilization".
> 
> iii
> 
> AROHANUI
> Letters from Shoghi Effendi
> to New Zealand
> 
> iv
> 
> Bahá'í
> publishing
> trust
> -------------
> Suva, Fiji
> Approved for publication by the
> National Spiritual Assembly
> of the Bahá'ís of New Zealand Inc.
> (c) 1982 Bahá'í PUBLISHING TRUST
> SUVA, FIJI ISLANDS
> 
> v
> 
> "You are destined to achieve great things for our beloved
> Cause and my constant prayer is that your vision may be
> clear, your purpose unshaken, your zeal undiminished, your
> hopes undimmed. Let not obstacles and disappointments,
> which are inevitable, dishearten you and whenever you are
> faced with trials recall our Beloved's innumerable sufferings."
> 
> From a letter to the first New Zealand Bahá'í dated August 12th, 1926.
> 
> xiii
> The letters in this compilation were written by various secretaries
> of the Guardian at his specific direction. Spelling and other inconsistencies
> are a reflection of the fact that different secretaries were
> used. Those passages actually written by the Guardian himself are
> printed in italics.
> The messages are numbered sequentially for the convenience of the
> reader and as an aid to indexing. The numbers appear before the
> date of each letter.
> AROHANUI, Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand
> (Suva, Fiji, 1982)
> FILENAME: ARO.FN
> FILEDATE: 1-1-95
> 
> Part I -- Letters to Individuals, before April 21st, 1926
> 
> 1. June 22nd, 1923
> 
> My dear Bahá'í sister,
> 
> Your beautiful letter of April 3rd written to the Beloved
> Guardian of the Cause of God, our dear Shoghi Effendi, was
> received.[See note 1] He was much impressed and charmed with the
> spirit of your letter, which indicated deep devotion to and
> absolute dependence on the Holy Spirit of the Beloved Master,
> `Abdu'l-Bahá.
> 
> He instructed me with a heart overflowing with love to
> answer your letter, conveying to you his high estimation for
> the beauty of the faith of the New Zealand friends, and deep
> appreciation towards the splendid services of our dear Mr and
> Mrs Dunn,[See note 2] who are so wonderfully blessed and assisted by
> the power of the Holy Ghost. He loves you all and prays for
> your happiness and spiritual growth.
> 
> It is true that your group is now still small, but he assures
> you that your group will before long grow larger and
> larger day by day. It has been always the case with the growth
> of every religion. Some pure soul or souls go to some land
> and sow the seeds of the heavenly teachings in the hearts of
> few who are most pure and so most receptive. The seeds will
> germinate and grow in them. The fruits of these seeds appear
> in the regeneration of the lives of these primary adherents.
> These primary adherents share the bounties they have received
> with other souls, who through them obtain new life
> and light and in turn illumine other people.
> 
> The primary adherents are the stars of great magnitude
> in every land in the firmament of the Kingdom of God. They
> are the chosen people. They are like candles which, through
> their sacrificial efforts, are weeping their lives away in order
> to give light to the world and establish the purpose of their
> Lord and Saviour, which purpose is the salvation of mankind.
> His Holiness, Jesus Christ! see how small the group of
> His disciples was! No matter how few the number of the disciples
> was, yet they through His power illumined the world.
> Our Era is similar to that, but through the development of
> humanity it is greater, and through the evils of the material
> civilization and negligence of mankind our sacrifices must be
> greater. Divine light must make itself manifest in our daily
> life deeds.
> 
> In the early days of the appearance of our Saviour, virtue
> was to save ourselves. When we are once established in
> our faith, then virtue is to save others. The three mottoes of
> education hold true in our case too. First grow, then become
> and then contribute. We have developed; we have established
> ourselves, and now it is time to contribute to others.
> We have inexhaustible capital. The candles of our spiritual
> lives constantly weep away their lives in shedding light to the
> world, but they never become exhausted. For there is connection
> between our lives and that of Bahá'u'lláh and our
> beloved `Abdu'l-Bahá.
> 
> It cannot be described how much we long to see our
> dear New Zealand brethren and sisters. We hope the day will
> come when they can come to us and we to them. Meanwhile,
> we are praying at the Holy Threshold of our beloved Master
> for your success and happiness. We hope you will pray for us
> too. The effect of the prayers of the pure hearts is tremendously
> great.
> 
> Our dear Shoghi Effendi wants you not to look at your
> own capacity, but at the power of the Holy Ghost of God. He
> sends you all his loving greeting and tender affection.
> 
> With warm wishes and Bahá'í love, I remain,
> 
> Your humble brother in His love,
> 
> Azizullah S. Bahadur
> 
> 2. May 8th, 1925
> 
> Allah-u-abha
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> Shoghi Effendi was very pleased to receive this morning
> your letter of 28th April, but we were very sorry to hear
> you have been ill and hope your health will soon be completely
> restored.[See note 3] It was nice that you saw Shoghi's sister and
> Soheil's brother in London.
> 
> I forget whether I gave you the address of Mr and Mrs
> King, c/o Messrs Hayman and King, 202 Old Christchurch
> Rd. Bournemouth. They are very kind-hearted Bahá'ís and
> will be delighted to see any of you if you call. Both of them
> work in the business and you are most likely to see them if
> you call there. They live above the shop.
> 
> I gave you Sister Challis's address at West Moors
> (Ferndown Lodge). You can get there by 'bus from Bournemouth
> Sq. or Lansdowne, which will drop you right at
> Sister Challis's door (She keeps a nursing home) or you can
> go by train from West Bournemouth to West Moors station
> which is within 5 minutes' walk of Ferndown Lodge. I hope
> you will be able to see her.
> 
> As I write, the Greatest Holy Leaf is on a visit to the
> Shrine of the Master. It is over a year, I think, since she has
> been able to visit the shrine and until now she has not seen the
> new Gardens, in the laying out of which Shoghi Effendi has
> taken such a deep interest. The Gardens are looking lovely
> now and it is easy to imagine how delighted she will be. One
> day during the feast of Ridván she and the Holy Mother were
> able to visit Bahjí and the Garden of Ridván.
> 
> I have quite recovered from my pleurisy now and am
> steadily regaining my strength.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi is still tired. I hope he will soon be able
> to take a rest.
> 
> All the friends here join in loving greetings and best
> wishes to yourself, your son and daughter, Miss Stevenson
> and Effie Baker.[See note 4] With warmest greetings.
> 
> Your brother in the service of the
> 
> Beloved,
> 
> J. E. Esslemont
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear precious sister in `Abdu'l-Bahá:
> 
> I was so glad to hear from you directly and learn of
> your improved health and meeting with the English Bahá'ís. I
> need not assure you of my ardent prayers for your happiness,
> good health and continued success in the service of the
> Cause. I hope and pray you will be enabled by the guiding
> spirit of the Master not only to stimulate the interest of your
> friends and relations in this Cause but to make of some of
> them earnest and whole-hearted believers and supporters of
> the Faith.
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 3. May 9th, 1925
> 
> Allah-u-abha
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> The Greatest Holy Leaf and Shoghi Effendi have asked
> me to answer on their behalf your kind letters of Apr. 2nd
> from Port Said and April 14th from London.
> 
> We were sorry to hear that Mrs Blundell got a chill on
> the steamer and was laid up for a few days after her arrival in
> London. We hope that by this time she is all right again. We
> had a note from her from Bournemouth.
> 
> You will be glad to hear that the Greatest Holy Leaf and
> the Holy Mother were able to motor to Bahjí and Ridván one
> day during the Feast of Ridván, and that yesterday the
> Greatest Holy Leaf motored to the Shrine of `Abdu'l-Bahá
> and saw the new Gardens in which Shoghi Effendi has been
> taking so much interest.
> 
> Yesterday a Dutchman arrived here from Port Said, the
> first Dutch Bahá'í, so far as we know. He has been a sincere
> and earnest truth-seeker for years. About 9 months ago he left
> his home at the Hague and walked on foot through Belgium,
> France and Italy. Then he felt some inward urge to go to
> Egypt, and travelled thither by a Dutch Cargo Steamer.
> When the steamer arrived at Port Said Mahmood Effendi,
> one of the Port Said Bahá'ís came on board and was introduced
> to Mesdag (the Dutchman). They struck up a
> friendship at once and after 2 days Mesdag went to live in
> Mahmood's house. There he met Martha Root, Mr
> Schopflocher and various other Bahá'ís, read my book and
> became thoroughly interested and seems now already a firm
> believer. He has already, since his arrival yesterday morning,
> translated our 8-page folder into Dutch and we hope he will
> be able to do much to make the Cause known in Holland and
> win adherents there.
> 
> I have quite recovered from my pleurisy now and am
> feeling almost as vigorous as before the attack. Azizullah
> Bahadur is now in Stuttgart. There is as yet no improvement
> in his hand, but he is having skilled treatment now and we
> hope it will be successful. He seems to be having a very
> happy time with the German friends.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi is much in need of rest, but fairly well.
> He and all the members of the Holy Family join in loving
> greetings and heartfelt prayers for your welfare. We hope you
> will have a fine time in England and return to New Zealand
> refreshed and reinvigorated physically and spiritually to take
> up your work for the Kingdom there with new enthusiasm
> and devotion. We pray that you may always be guided and
> strengthened by the Divine Confirmations.
> 
> With love also to Effie Baker and all the other friends,
> 
> Your brother in the service of the
> 
> Beloved,
> 
> J. E. Esslemont
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My precious Bahá'í sister:--
> 
> I wish to assure you personally of my appreciation of
> your devotion to the Cause, and your earnest efforts to promote
> it as well as my fervent prayers for your spiritual advancement,
> success and happiness. I will always remember
> you most tenderly in my hours of visit at the three holy Shrines
> and beseech for you and the New Zealand friends the
> blessings of our loving and almighty Master.
> 
> You true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 4. May 21st, 1925
> 
> Allah-u-abha
> Dear Bahá'í Brother,
> 
> Shoghi Effendi has asked me to reply to your kind letter
> of 11th April. He is delighted to hear that you propose starting
> a Bahá'í Magazine for Australia and New Zealand and
> suggests as a suitable title "The Herald of the South". Every
> 19 days a letter will be sent from Haifa to Mr and Mrs Hyde
> Dunn giving the news of the Cause. Owing to the restricted
> facilities for multiplying copies which are at present available
> here, I fear it will not be possible to send another copy to you,
> but doubtless you can arrange with Mr and Mrs Hyde Dunn to
> have their copy passed on to you for the magazine. We are
> glad to hear that notwithstanding the absence of the Blundells
> and Margaret Stevenson, the friends in New Zealand are remaining
> united and active. We hope that when the pilgrims
> return the faith and enthusiasm of the believers will be greatly
> deepened and strengthened and that many new believers may
> be attracted. I had a long letter from Effie Baker yesterday.
> She is very devoted and whole-hearted and will be a valuable
> worker for the Cause, I think, and a great help to Father and
> Mother Dunn. When she wrote, Margaret Stevenson had
> gone to Scotland and Mrs and Miss Blundell were in Bournemouth.
> Effie Baker hopes to make a return visit to Haifa on
> her way back to Australia.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi assures you of his prayers on behalf of
> your mother, yourself and all the Australasian friends and his
> hopes that the proposed Magazine may greatly help the
> spread of the Glad Tidings in Australia and New Zealand.
> 
> With warmest greetings and best wishes,
> 
> Yours sincerely in the Master's
> 
> service,
> 
> J. E. Esslemont
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear fellow-worker:
> 
> Your charming letter truly gladdened my heart. I will
> follow the development of your magazine with keen interest
> and assure you of my desire to help and promote its interests
> to the fullest possible extent. I am enclosing the photographs of
> the shrine and gardens recently laid out in the close
> neighbourhood of the Shrines of the Báb and `Abdu'l-Bahá. I
> assure you of my love, appreciation and fervent prayers.
> 
> Yours,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 5. May 28th, 1925
> 
> Allah-u-abha.
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> Shoghi Effendi asks me to thank you on his behalf for
> your letter of 14th May. He received the letter of Mrs. Amy
> Thornton all right. I remember answering it for him some
> weeks ago, so you can set your mind at rest on that score.
> 
> The recovery of your Bahá'í ring and stones was very
> remarkable. It reminds me of a somewhat similar occurrence
> in Bournemouth. One of our Bahá'í friends had her Bahá'í
> ring stolen, and nothing was heard or seen of it for some
> months. Mr King, another of our group, has an antique shop
> in Bournemouth and one day his partner (a non-Bahá'í)
> bought a ring from a man who said it was his wife's, but as
> they had become very badly off she wanted to sell it. When
> Mr King saw the ring he recognized it as a Bahá'í ring and
> knowing that this friend had lost her ring, he sent it to me. It
> turned out to be her ring and she was delighted to recover it.
> The curious thing is that out of the dozens of jewellers and
> antique shops in Bournemouth to which the ring might have
> been taken for sale, it should be taken to the one where there
> was a Bahá'í who recognized it.
> 
> I hope that before you leave Scotland you may be able
> to go to Aberdeen and see my home people. They would be
> delighted to see you. My father's address is Fairford, Cults,
> (about 3 miles from Aberdeen, by car or train). He is 86 years
> of age and rather frail. My sister looks after him. My two
> married brothers are Peter Esslemont, 21, Louisville Avenue
> (Business: John E. Esslemont, 16 King Street) and W.D.E.,
> 12 Wellbrae Terr., Mannofield. Both of their houses are near
> the Mannofield Car Line.
> 
> We were very glad to hear of your meetings with the
> friends at London and West Moors.
> 
> Many thanks for your letter to myself and the excellent
> snap-shots enclosed. I am glad you have fallen in love with
> Sister Challis and hope you will see her again before you
> leave. I had a delightful letter yesterday from Miss Kilford of
> West Moors, whom I regard as a Bahá'í grand-daughter, as
> she was brought into the Cause by Sister Challis who calls me
> her Bahá'í father!
> 
> We hope Shoghi Effendi will get away soon for a much
> needed rest. The Greatest Holy Leaf was rather seriously ill
> last week, but is a good deal better again, although very feeble
> and frail.
> 
> I have been advised by the Drs to leave Haifa for the
> summer months, as my breathing has lately been troublesome
> and they think the moist heat during the summer here
> would be bad for me. On the same day on which this decision
> was arrived at, I received a cordial invitation to go to a place
> in the Black Forest for my summer vacation. The Drs considered
> this place would be ideal for me and that the sooner I got
> away the better, so I leave in 3 days time. My address will be
> c/o Frau Victoria von Sigsfeld, Husli, Finsterlingen, bei St
> Blaisien, Baden, Germany. I hope to return to Haifa in the
> latter part of Sept. to resume my work here.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi, the members of the Holy Household
> and the friends here join in loving greetings and best wishes.
> 
> Your brother in the service of the
> 
> Beloved,
> 
> J. E. Esslemont
> 
> Mrs Schopflocher arrived here last night after a very successful
> tour in Russia, Persia and Iraq.
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear co-worker:
> 
> I was very glad indeed to learn about your experiences
> and visit to the friends and your firm determination to labour
> unceasingly in the Divine Vineyard. I will continue to pray
> for you that all your relatives and friends may recognise and
> be illumined with the resplendent Light of this Divine Revelation.
> Never feel disheartened and trust me ever your affectionate,
> grateful and true brother in the service of the Cause.
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 6. November 4th, 1925
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> Shoghi Effendi received your kind letter and wishes me
> to acknowledge its receipt. He hopes that on your return to
> New Zealand you will obtain divine assistance in your services
> to the Cause. That land has been newly opened to the
> Bahá'í Movement. The work of the friends therefore, interesting
> and useful as it may be, is hard and most exacting to
> one's patience and energy. It needs great perseverance to
> obtain a hearing among the people and draw their attention to
> this Blessed Cause. But once that that has been obtained and
> the way smoothed then progress becomes increasingly great
> and the fruits of your labours appreciated.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi is very glad that you have enjoyed your
> trip to England. The Friends there though they are few in
> number, are full of love and affection, one cannot but feel at
> home among them.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi thanks Miss Nora Lee for the kind contribution
> she has made to the Cause. It will be spent for the
> progress of this movement so dear to the heart of us all.
> Enclosed there will be a receipt for that amount.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi and the other members of the family
> send you their best Bahá'í love and greeting and wish you
> success in your services to the Cause.
> 
> Your brother in His Name,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dearest fellow-worker:
> 
> My prayers accompany you wherever you go. I wish
> you to be happy, confident and active. Rest assured of my
> great admiration of your zeal and steadfast labours, of my
> confidence in the success of your splendid pioneer services
> and of my eagerness to hear from you about the progress of
> your work.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 7. December 5th, 1925
> 
> To the publisher of the Bahá'í Magazine, "The Herald
> of the South".
> 
> My dear friend and fellow-worker:
> 
> I have just heard the welcome news of the publication
> of the first issue of the Bahá'í Journal, recently established by
> the friends of Australia and New Zealand. I rejoice in this
> new and notable Bahá'í enterprise, particularly as it is undertaken
> by my dearly-beloved and self-sacrificing brothers and
> sisters in a land which holds so great a promise for the future.
> 
> I have followed the progress of the activities of the
> Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand with keen interest and
> ever-increasing confidence, and with a deep sense of pride
> and gratitude. I most heartily welcome this newly-added link
> in the chain of the many services, so lovingly and spontaneously
> rendered by the pioneers of the Cause in these lands. I
> assure you of my steadfast prayers for the speedy expansion
> and consolidation of this youngest of all Bahá'í Magazines,
> and of my earnest endeavours to enable it attain a standard
> worthy of the bearer of such a noble Message.
> 
> It should be the object and purpose of its author and
> publisher to open its pages to the consideration and review of
> matters that are strictly Bahá'í in character, as well as to the
> treatment of topics of a humanitarian, ethical and religious
> nature; that its readers, while witnessing to the liberal and
> broad-minded attitude of the Bahá'í Cause, may receive from
> it their full share of inspiration which only a clear and direct
> statement of the Divine Message can impart.
> 
> Go forth, on thy noble errand, O thou Herald of the
> South! Join thy voice, however feeble, to those of thy sister-journals
> who, in various parts of the world, are raising with
> one accord the call of this new Day of God. Persevere in thy
> labours, endeavour to reach every circle and every home,
> that the light thou bearest may in the fulness of time illuminate
> with its healing rays the uttermost corners of that distant
> and troubled continent.
> 
> Your well-wisher,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 8. March 4th, 1926
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> Your letter to Shoghi Effendi and the enclosed one to
> Ruhi with the postal order for 10 have been received and
> read with keen interest and pleasure.
> 
> We are all very happy to know that you have had such a
> pleasant journey back home and that you had the opportunity
> of delivering the message on so many occasions. We hope
> and pray that the seed you have sown has fallen on fertile soil
> and that in time it will grow and bear abundant fruit.
> 
> We hope that now through your sustained zeal and effort
> new life will be infused into your small Bahá'í group, and
> that it will in the near future grow sufficiently in number to
> enable you to form an assembly the first to be established in
> that land. We shall pray at the Holy Threshold for your guidance
> and the success of your work.
> 
> The Greatest Holy Leaf and the Holy Mother remember
> you well, and they and the other members of the
> family send their loving greetings to you.
> 
> You will be interested to know that the new pilgrim
> house is being completed, and it will be all ready in a month
> time for the new pilgrims that will come.
> 
> We still have our dear sister Effie Baker with us, and
> we all love her so; she is so sweet and helpful.
> 
> We have just now two American lady friends with us,
> Auntie Victoria Bedekian and Mrs R. Kehler--very fine
> Bahá'ís they are and we are expecting some more soon.
> 
> I always remember the happy day I spent with you and
> Effy in London and shall look forward to the pleasure of
> meeting you again some day--perhaps here in Haifa or in
> New Zealand, who knows?
> 
> I am back at home now for the present, and I am trying
> to help Shoghi Effendi a little in his enormous task.
> 
> He is keeping in good health I am glad to say in spite of
> his many activities and heavy and manifold responsibilities.
> 
> To you he sends his brotherly love and the assurance of
> his prayers for your welfare and happiness.
> 
> With all good wishes and loving greetings,
> 
> Your sister in His Service,
> 
> Ruh-Anguiz Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear and precious Bahá'í sister:
> 
> I cannot but add a few words personally expressing my
> deep appreciation of your persistent, self-sacrificing services
> to the Cause. I have devoted your gift towards the Fund for
> the Western Pilgrim House and I wish to assure you that
> when I visit the Holy Shrines I tenderly supplicate for you Divine
> Guidance and strength in your labours for our beloved
> Cause.
> 
> Your true Brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 9. April 3rd, 1926
> 
> Dear Spiritual Sister:--
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt
> of your letter dated January 24, 1926.
> 
> He hopes that after this long vacation you have had you
> are ready to begin spreading the Cause in New Zealand with
> even greater energy than before. The people there seem to be
> broad in their outlook, receptive to any idea which helps the
> human family from decreasing its burden.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi was most chagrined to hear of the sudden
> death of your son[Rev. Oscar Blundell] and wishes me to extend to you his
> deepest love and sympathy.
> 
> There is no special news here except that we have removed
> to the new pilgrim house. Miss Baker is well and very
> busy entertaining the friends and arranging the new home.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi as well as the other members of the
> family are well and send you their love and greetings. They
> earnestly pray for your success and hope to hear, before long,
> the news of your many victories in the field of services to the
> Cause.
> 
> Please convey my loving greetings to your son and
> daughter.
> 
> Yours most sincerely,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear fellow-worker:
> 
> I wish to express in person my deep sympathy in the
> heavy loss you have sustained. May the Beloved Comforter
> strengthen you and sustain you in your bereavement. The
> memory of your visit to the Holy Land is still fresh and vivid in
> my mind and I pray and supplicate at the holy Shrines that
> your labours in the Cause may yield an abundant harvest.
> 
> Your sympathising brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> Part II -- Letters to Individuals, April 21st, 1926--April 21st, 1934
> 
> 10. August 12th, 1926
> 
> My very dear Spiritual Sister:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi has been in receipt of your interesting
> letter dated June 7, 1926. It is a great pity that your health has
> more or less handicapped you in your service to the Cause.
> We, however, hope that this weakness will soon vanish and
> your health and strength be fully restored.
> 
> The case of the teacher who has been in Palestine is one
> really to be lamented. All such persons instead of procuring
> their information from the very source, when they are so near
> to it, they go to the Missionaries who are undoubtedly biased.
> They are immediately told that the Cause is nothing more
> than a sect of Islam; a Movement that may do immense good
> to the Muhammadan world, but far from ranking with Christianity
> or satisfying its needs. Then they refer this ignorant
> and innocent person to books such as Brown's. It is their fault
> for having gone to the wrong source for proper information,
> but once they have gone it is not their mistake to have been
> misled. We have heard of many such instances and there is
> absolutely no remedy except to leave them until they find the
> truth for themselves. We can only pray for their guidance.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi always prays for you as well as the
> other Auckland friends, so that through your combined efforts
> the Cause may prosper there, and obtain a strong position
> in the life of the people. I am not the least familiar with
> the social conditions there, but I am sure there is a ready field
> for active service.
> 
> Yours in His Name,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear fellow-worker:
> 
> I rejoice to learn that your dear sons are realizing
> gradually the significance of this unique and mighty Cause,
> and my constant and fervent prayer is that you may witness
> erelong the fruition of their slow yet sure spiritual evolution.
> Persevere in your labours for I entertain and cherish the
> brightest hopes for the future awakening of promising New-Zealand.
> I shall ever remember the memorable visit of the
> first New-Zealand believers to the Holy Land. Please assure
> them of my undying affection.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 11. August 12th, 1926
> 
> My dear Spiritual Sister:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt
> of your letter dated June 7, 1926. It was most interesting to go
> over your circular letter and read the many points of interest. I
> was especially struck by the literature you have sent to Lord
> and Lady Allenby. If they have at all seen them I am sure they
> were much impressed, for they knew the Master so well.
> They were surely very astonished to see a group of Bahá'ís
> formed in such a distant land.
> 
> I am very ashamed of myself not to have yet answered
> your letter of some months ago. It was mainly because Shoghi
> Effendi wrote you and acknowledged the receipt of your
> contribution for the pilgrim house that I have been so neglectful.
> I took Miss Baker's advice on the matter and together
> we went down-town and bought a set of straw chairs.
> We thought that would be most appreciated by the friends
> while sitting in the veranda of the new Pilgrim House.
> 
> I remember a prayer, which you wrote, has been asked
> by a certain friend to be read daily. I believe sometimes the
> friends through their zeal and ardour do things that are not
> asked in the Cause. We have only one prayer that we have to
> say daily. No one in the world has the power, given to him by
> Bahá'u'lláh to add another to that daily prayer. If we should
> admit this the life of the friends will soon be spent in mere
> prayer, which is not the aim of the Cause. The healing prayer
> and such ones are only for occasional use when the need
> arises.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to extend to you his hearty
> greetings and assure you of his prayers.
> 
> Yours in His Name,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear fellow-worker:
> 
> Your letters are always a source of inspiring joy and
> stimulating encouragement to me. You are destined to
> achieve great things for our beloved Cause and my constant
> prayer is that your vision may be clear, your purpose unshaken,
> your zeal undiminished, your hopes undimmed. Let
> not obstacles and disappointments, which are inevitable,
> dishearten you and whenever you are faced with trials recall
> our Beloved's innumerable sufferings. You certainly occupy
> a warm and abiding place in my heart.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 12. August 25th, 1926
> 
> Dear Spiritual Sister:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt
> of your letter dated June 14th 1926, and also thank, through
> you, the Auckland friends for their kind contribution.
> 
> He wishes me to assure you and them of his earnest
> prayers. He hopes that through your constant endeavours the
> Cause will progress rapidly in that city and make the spirit of
> the movement permeate throughout the land. Though your
> number is still comparatively small yet through divine guidance
> and the Master's ever wakeful spirit you will soon add
> many to your group and make of it a power for goodness
> which will attract all attention.
> 
> With best wishes and kindest greetings I remain,
> 
> Yours ever sincerely,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear fellow-worker:
> 
> I am touched by this expression of the loyalty and devotion
> of the Auckland Bahá'ís whose welfare, and spiritual
> advancement are the object of my earnest and constant
> prayer. I shall devote it to further the interests of the Cause in
> ways that are dearest and nearest to my heart. I shall supplicate
> the Almighty that strength and wisdom may be given you
> to face and overcome the obstacles and trials that you will inevitably
> encounter in future. The end is glorious if we only
> persevere.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 13. September 18th, 1926
> 
> Dear Spiritual Brother:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt
> of your letter dated July 18, 1926. He was very glad to learn
> of the encouraging prospects you have for your "Herald of
> the South". He hopes that it will daily progress and add to its
> importance in drawing the attention of the people there. A
> good periodical fully representative of the spirit and teachings
> of the Cause is the greatest help the Movement can have
> in establishing itself in a country. So though difficulties may
> be found at the outset, we should bear them patiently and
> await that the future should give us our reward.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to extend to you his loving
> greetings and assure you, as well as your mother and Mr
> Brewer, of his constant prayers. He hopes that through your
> combined efforts the Herald of the South will soon realise its
> aim and purpose.
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear and precious co-worker:
> 
> Your welcome letter has cheered my heart and I look
> forward with confidence and joy to the harvest which you are
> destined to reap in the not distant future. I shall be so pleased
> and grateful if you would send me regularly a copy of your
> Bahá'í periodical which I trust and pray will grow from
> strength to strength and contribute its destined share to the
> progress and consolidation of the Cause of God. Be assured
> of my prayers for your happiness, welfare and spiritual advancement.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 14. October 23rd, 1926
> 
> Dear Spiritual Sister:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt
> of your letter dated 11-9-26. He was most gratified to learn
> that the Cause is becoming more and more known and appreciated
> by the people in New Zealand. This is as important as
> the actual increase of the number of the friends, for it means
> that the principles are gradually permeating the thoughts of
> the people and making them more ready and receptive to the
> full identification of their beliefs with the precepts of the
> Cause.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to assure you of his prayers
> for you as well as for the other friends in New Zealand. He
> hopes that they will increase both in number as well as in
> spiritual understanding and insight. The reports that we occasionally
> receive from there are most encouraging and hopeful.
> It seems that the people there due to their breadth of mind
> and lack of traditional draw-backs show better prospect than
> many other places.
> 
> With deepest loving greetings,
> 
> Yours in His Name,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear co-worker:
> 
> Your letter rejoiced my heart. I request you to persevere
> and renew your splendid efforts for the consolidation of
> the work already achieved. I have great hopes in the `Herald
> of the South' and trust that the Editor will be guided and
> strengthened in his noble undertaking. I shall be obliged if
> you send me copies of any newspapers that may publish anything
> on the Cause as I am preparing a collection of them in
> the Holy Land. Please assure the friends in New-Zealand of
> my continued prayers at the holy Shrines for the success of
> their pioneer work.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 15. November 3rd, 1926
> 
> Dear Spiritual Sister:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt
> of your letter dated September 13th 1926. He was most
> gratified to read the nice and encouraging news it contained.[See note 5]
> He hopes that the "Herald of the South" will daily increase
> in importance and now that it is coming out in printed form,
> obtain a great number of readers. You should try from the
> very start to maintain a high standard for its articles. They
> should be broad in view, clear in style and scholarly in their
> development of the different subjects. In short the `public'
> should be taught to consider it as a paper fully worthwhile to
> read and meditate upon. Shoghi Effendi will remember in his
> prayers all those who are working in this noble field of service.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi desires that you should extend his loving
> greetings to all the friends in Auckland. He hopes that
> through their endeavours and the Master's invisible guiding
> hand they will succeed to raise the standard of the Cause in
> that land to such heights that it will arouse the interest of all
> the seeking souls and in due time win their support.
> 
> The members of the Master's family are well and send
> you their loving greetings.
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear co-worker:
> 
> I shall pray from all my heart for the steady development
> and the growing influence of the "Herald of the South".
> May its voice grow in strength and power, and may its pages
> increasingly reflect the dynamic spirit of the Faith and mirror
> forth the ever-expanding activities of the friends in Australasia
> as well as in distant lands. Persevere in your efforts,
> let not obstacles damp your zeal and determination and
> rest assured that the Power of God which is reinforcing your
> efforts will in the end triumph and enable you to fulfil your
> cherished desire.
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 16. January 11th, 1927
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> Our beloved Guardian has asked me to write to you for
> him. He is very pleased with your letter of Dec. 8th which
> reached him on Jan. 10th and he is very glad to hear of your
> activities in New Zealand. He will pray earnestly that your
> sincere efforts to make Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation widely
> known will bring forth much fruit and have a great result. In
> the newer countries minds are more open, and the people
> more ready and willing to receive this Great Message.
> 
> With regard to the Queen of Rumania's 3 articles--he
> will see that you receive them correctly. He considers the last
> one in which she acknowledges Muhammad as a true Prophet
> of God to have great importance for the East and especially in
> Persia. This evening, I personally have had a most interesting
> conversation with Dr. Habib of Kermanshah[See note 6] who is now on
> a visit to Shoghi Effendi with his wife and little girl. He was
> telling us of the continued fanaticism of the Moslems of
> Persia--and how during two periods of the year especially,
> the fanatical Mullahs preach against the Bahá'ís from their
> pulpits--saying to the ignorant "No matter what evil things
> you have done during your life, or what sins you have committed,
> if you kill a Bahá'í who is an enemy of Islam, or even
> if you take his property or severely injure him, all your own
> sins will be wiped out and forgiven for the sake of this good
> deed of destroying an enemy of the Faith!!"--in this way
> they incite the people to deeds of violence and persecution.
> He said that the Bahá'í teachings are spreading rapidly
> amongst the more educated classes--but it is difficult to
> teach the very poor and ignorant fanatical people--tho' when
> they do become Believers, they are very strong and faithful.
> The 2 periods of particular danger for the Bahá'ís in Persia
> are the fast month and the period of Moharram[See note 7]--which lasts
> for 8 weeks.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi is very interested to hear of the
> engagement of your son to a Bahá'í young lady--and he
> prays that in future they may do a great work for the
> "Cause". He hopes so much that you will recover your full
> health and strength, and he will pray especially for that. It is
> good to know that Esperanto is increasingly studied in New
> Zealand.
> 
> He will certainly pray for Miss Palter[Miss Palter was the fiancee of Bertram Dewing. The name is possibly misspelled, and may be "Miss Patton". (Department of the Secretariat, Universal House of Justice. August 16th, 1979)] and her Mother
> as you ask him to do--and also for your dear son and your
> two daughters. Please accept all best wishes from myself and
> Believe me
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> Ethel J. Rosenberg
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear and able co-worker:
> 
> I have read the issues of the "Herald" with deep joy
> and thankfulness. I will continue to pray at the holy shrines
> that the invincible power of Bahá'u'lláh may add to your
> present opportunities, extend the sphere of the Journal, and
> 
> enable you, individually and collectively, to mirror forth the
> beauty and the power of this Divine Revelation.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 17. January 30th, 1927
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to thank you for the M.O.
> for 1-- which he has safely received, sent for the help of the
> sufferers in Persia.
> 
> He is himself sending this money to the Nat. Assembly
> in Teheran, and has requested them to send him the receipt
> for it--When he receives their receipt he will forward it to
> you, and urges you to give it to the friend who sent the
> money. The Persian friends will be very much pleased at receiving
> this kind remembrance and help from far distant New
> Zealand!
> 
> With love and warm Bahá'í greetings from the holy
> household and the friends here, to the dear friends in Auckland.
> 
> In the Master's Service,
> 
> Sincerely Yours,
> 
> Ethel J. Rosenberg
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear co-worker:
> 
> I am deeply touched by this further evidence of the love
> and devotion of the New-Zealand Bahá'ís and I will gladly
> forward their contribution of our friend to the Teheran Assembly
> to be sent by them to the sufferers in Jahrum. I will ardently
> pray for every one of you that the Beloved may guide
> your steps and lead you to glorious victory. I urge you to
> communicate regularly and frequently with the Bahá'í
> newsletter editor through Mr Horace Holley and report to
> him the progress of your activities. It is so essential and valuable.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 18. May 13th, 1927
> 
> My dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> I take pleasure in thanking you on behalf of my dear
> Guardian for your letter of April 5th.
> 
> As a far away outpost of the Bahá'í Faith in New Zealand,
> he is always delighted to hear from Auckland and especially
> yourself and your promising Assembly there. You own
> a warm spot in his heart and he is looking forward to the day
> when through the efforts of the Auckland Assembly, centres
> will be established in every town in New Zealand. A firm
> faith and a golden heart is yours, there still remains to turn
> other hearts into gold.
> 
> Miss Butler is well and often thinks of you. Assuring
> you of our Guardian's prayers and the love and best wishes of
> the family who always remember you.
> 
> Ever yours in His Service,
> 
> Soheil Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear and precious co-worker:
> 
> You should exercise your judgement and tact in delivering
> the message. You should make an effort to understand
> the character and mind of the seeker before you speak to him
> on the Cause. I will pray that you may be inspired and guided
> to follow the path of moderation and may become an
> exemplary herald of His message in that far-away land.
> 
> Your well-wisher,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 19. June 4th, 1929
> 
> Dear Spiritual Sister:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt
> of your letter of Feb. 14th. He always feels great pleasure to
> obtain some news from the friends of that distant land and he
> hopes and prays that through God's blessings and your constant
> endeavours the Cause will develop in New Zealand and
> bring into its fold many sincere and devoted souls.
> 
> The news that we daily obtain from the different parts
> of the world bring in wonderful news of the progress of the
> Movement. The world is gradually appreciating the significance
> of this Movement which has been for so long misunderstood
> and denounced.
> 
> Yours ever sincerely,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear Spiritual Sister:
> 
> I wish to assure you in person of my prayers for you as
> well as the dear and unforgettable friends in Auckland who
> assuredly occupy a warm and abiding place in my heart. I
> eagerly await the news of the progress of their work, and
> trust and pray that the Almighty may guide their steps, and
> help them to surmount every obstacle.
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 20. October 4th, 1930
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Brother:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt
> of your letter dated April 6th 1930 written from London. He
> was very happy to learn that wherever you have been you
> have received wonderful reception from the friends. Surely,
> it is only through such acts of hospitality that the true spirit of
> the Cause is manifested.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to assure you of his prayers
> and extend to you his hope that wherever you go you will feel
> the divine help and guidance. He hopes that in America you
> will experience the true spirit of love that animates the friends
> there and that you will give them Shoghi Effendi's greetings.
> 
> Yours ever sincerely,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear and precious co-worker:
> 
> I was much pleased to hear from you and to learn of
> your experiences. I trust that the same welcome and loving-kindness
> will be extended to you by the American friends. You
> are often in my thoughts, and I will continue to pray for your
> spiritual as well as material welfare and advancement. Convey,
> when you write to your Mother, my loving and affectionate
> greetings.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 21. May 18th, 1931
> 
> My dear Bahá'í Sister:
> 
> I thank you on behalf of the Guardian for your letter of
> April 16th.
> 
> He was very glad to know that you are now on your way
> to England by way of America and he hopes that you will find
> the occasion and the means of visiting the friends and making
> permanent connections with them. Bertram will of course be
> delighted to meet you and we hope he is successful in his
> work there.
> 
> I suppose you have all the London addresses as the
> friends there would be delighted to meet you. Of course if
> you do decide to visit Haifa on your way back, Shoghi Effendi
> wishes me to assure you of a most hearty welcome.
> 
> With his loving greetings to you all and to the young
> couple in England and with much love from all here.
> 
> Sincerely yours,
> 
> Soheil Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear co-worker:
> 
> I was so pleased to hear from you and of your plans. I
> do hope you will be able to visit the Holy Land where you
> would be most welcome in `Abdu'l-Bahá's home. I will pray
> for the success of your efforts from the depths of my heart
> when I visit the holy shrines. May the Beloved enable you to
> render distinguished services to His Cause and remove every
> obstacle from your path.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 22. December 17th, 1931
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt
> of your letter dated Dec. 2nd 1931. He is very sorry that you
> cannot on your way to New Zealand, break your journey and
> come over for a short visit to Haifa. But these are such
> difficult days that we should not be astonished and discouraged
> if our plans fail. He hopes however that on your way you
> will meet the friends, especially those in Port Said, for we
> have no centers in Haifa and Colombo.
> 
> He was also very sorry to hear that Bertram has to give
> up his studies and return home. Shoghi Effendi hopes that
> this period he spent in America would be itself an education
> that would help him in his work in serving the Cause. His activities
> with the young people there should have made him
> very experienced and have deepened his understanding of the
> Faith.
> 
> I believe Mrs Dunn is planning to come this spring for a
> visit to Haifa. Perhaps you will meet her before she starts,
> Shoghi Effendi is eagerly waiting to see this noble soul who
> introduced the Cause into Australia and has been so self-sacrificing
> in her services.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi hopes that on returning home you will
> start again to serve the Cause and attract new souls. The
> world is in great distress and its only salvation is in the spirit
> and teachings of the Blessed Beauty. Let us not, we who are
> the trustees of that divine message, fail in accomplishing our
> task and fulfilling our purpose.
> 
> Assuring you of Shoghi Effendi's best wishes I remain
> 
> Yours ever sincerely,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear and valued co-worker:
> 
> I am wiring the friends in Port-Said to meet you on your
> arrival and I very much regret your inability to come to Haifa
> and visit the holy shrines. I will continue to pray for you, for
> your son-in-law and for your dear and promising son for
> whose future work in the Cause I cherish the brightest hopes.
> I will also remember in my prayers the friends in far-away
> Australia and New Zealand and will supplicate for them all
> the Master's richest blessings and unfailing guidance.
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 23. April 29th, 1933
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to thank you[See note 8] for your kind
> letter of March 16th 1933, as well as the enclosed article
> which has been translated by Mr. Paul into the Maori language.
> 
> The Guardian has already written Mr. Paul and expressed
> to him his deep appreciation for the service he has
> rendered to the Faith, but especially to his own people who
> through the means of such literature will be acquainted with
> the teachings and will receive the light of guidance brought to
> the world by Bahá'u'lláh.
> 
> I believe the Guardian has already intimated his approval
> of this pamphlet and the desire that the friends in Australia
> publish and circulate it among the Maoris.
> 
> As regards the passages in the sacred writings indicating
> the wrath of God; Shoghi Effendi says that the Divinity
> has many attributes: He is loving and merciful but also just.
> Just as reward and punishment, according to Bahá'u'lláh, are
> the pillars upon which society rests, so mercy and justice may
> be considered as their counterpart in the world to come.
> Should we disobey God and work against His commands He
> will view our acts in the light of justice and punish us for it.
> That punishment may not be in the form of fire, as some believe,
> but in the form of spiritual deprivation and degradation.
> This is why we read so often in the prayers statements
> such as "God do not deal with us with justice, but rather
> through thy infinite mercy." The wrath of God is in the administration
> of His justice, both in this world and in the world
> to come. A God that is only loving or only just is not a perfect
> God. The divinity has to possess both of these aspects as
> every father ought to express both in his attitude towards his
> children. If we ponder a while, we will see that our welfare
> can be insured only when both of these divine attributes are
> equally emphasised and practiced.
> 
> In closing may I express the Guardian's loving greetings
> and best wishes for the progress of your work in serving
> the Cause.
> 
> Yours ever sincerely,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> May the Almighty bless your efforts, deepen your
> understanding of the essentials and distinguishing features of
> His Faith, guide your steps, and aid and assist you to extend
> the range of your activities and services.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 24. September 1st, 1933
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Friend,
> 
> Shoghi Effendi has directed me to address you these
> few lines, acknowledging the receipt of your welcome letter
> of July 20th, 33, which he has read with deepest interest. He
> was gratified to learn that you have newly embraced the
> Cause and that you are earnestly endeavouring to spread it
> through every possible means. It is on young and active
> Bahá'ís, like you, that the Guardian centers all his hopes for
> the future progress and expansion of the Cause and it is on
> their shoulders that he lays all the responsibility for the upkeep
> of the spirit of selfless service among their fellow-believers.
> Without that spirit, no work can be successfully
> achieved. With it triumph, though hardly-won, is but inevitable.
> You should, therefore, try all your best to carry aflame
> within you the torch of faith, for through it you will surely
> find guidance, strength and eventual success.
> 
> The Guardian is fully conscious of the difficulties that
> impede the progress of the Faith in your community. Chief
> among these, you mention the lack of courage and of initiative
> on the part of the believers, and a feeling of inferiority
> complex which prevents them from addressing the public. It
> is precisely these weaknesses that he wishes the friends to
> overcome, for these do not only paralyze their efforts but
> actually serve to quench the flame of faith in their hearts. Not
> until all the friends come to realize that every one of them is
> able, in his own measure, to deliver the Message, can they
> ever hope to reach the goal that has been set before them by a
> loving and wise Master. It is no use waiting for some able and
> eloquent teacher to take all the responsibility for the spread of
> the Cause. For such a thing is not only contrary to the spirit of
> the Teachings but to the explicit text of the writings of Bahá'u'lláh
> and `Abdu'l-Bahá, both of whom place the obligation
> of teaching not on any particular class, as in former
> ecclesiastical organizations, but on every faithful and loyal
> follower of the Cause. The teaching of the Word is thus made
> universal and compulsory. How long then shall we wait to
> carry out this command, the full wisdom of which only future
> generations will be able to appreciate? We have no special
> teachers in the Cause. Everyone is a potential teacher. He has
> only to use what God has given him and thus prove that he is
> faithful to his trust.
> 
> Visiting teachers, who are, at least in a general way,
> supposed to be more competent and able than the rest, are undoubtedly
> of a great help. But these can never replace the
> mass of individual believers and fulfil what must be inevitably
> accomplished through the collective effort and wisdom of
> the community at large. What visiting teachers are supposed
> to do is to give the final touch to the work that has been done,
> to consolidate rather than supplement individual efforts and
> thereby direct them in a constructive and suitable channel.
> Their task is to encourage and inspire individual believers,
> and to broaden and deepen their vision of the task that is to be
> done. And this, not by virtue of any inherent spiritual right,
> but in the spirit of simple and whole-hearted cooperation.
> 
> It is in this light that Shoghi Effendi views the whole
> problem of teaching not only in New Zealand but in all the
> Bahá'í world. He would, therefore, encourage you to take a
> leading part in the carrying out of his wishes on this point, to
> take yourself an active interest in teaching, not only private
> but also public, and in this way stimulate the friends to follow
> your example. It is then, and only then, that there can be a
> need for a qualified and competent visiting teacher in order to
> bring to full fruition individual teaching efforts.
> 
> Assuring you of our Guardian's fervent prayers on your
> behalf, so that you may be increasingly blessed in your efforts
> for the spread of the Message.
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> May the Beloved guide your steps, cheer your heart,
> deepen your understanding of the distinguishing features of
> His Faith and enable you to render the sacred Threshold
> unique and inestimable services,
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> Part III -- Letters to Individuals, May 1934-1957
> 
> 25. June 13th, 1934
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Brother,
> 
> The Guardian has duly received and deeply enjoyed
> reading your letters dated November 30th, December 27th,
> 1933 and February 4th, 1934. He is sorry that unforeseen circumstances
> have caused such a long delay in acknowledging
> their receipt. He hopes, however, that the matters you have
> submitted for his consideration have not suffered as a result.
> 
> Since your last letter to him, he has heard of the
> gratifying news of the formation of your N.S.A.[The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand] This historic
> step in the development of the Administration in Australia
> and New Zealand is, he feels, bound to react favourably on
> the further expansion and consolidation of the Faith in these
> far-off lands. He is fervently supplicating Bahá'u'lláh that
> the newly-elected members of the N.S.A.,[The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand] upon whom has
> been placed such a tremendous responsibility, be assisted in
> the discharge of their sacred obligations and duties to the
> Faith.
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear and valued co-worker:
> 
> The splendid reports you have sent me have been incorporated
> in the manuscript and sent to the Bahá'í World
> Committee in America. The formation of the national assembly
> of Australia and New Zealand will no doubt furnish you
> with new and refreshing material for your next report in
> 1936. I will pray for your success and deeply value the manifold
> and constant services you are rendering the Cause of
> God.
> 
> Your true and grateful brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 26. December 22nd, 1934
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> The Guardian was profoundly grieved to learn of the
> passing away of your dear mother, and has directed me to
> convey to you and to the bereaved members of your family,
> his heartfelt condolences and sympathy for this severe loss
> which you have sustained.
> 
> Mrs Blundell's departure is, indeed, a loss not only to
> her family, but also to the community of her fellow-believers
> in New Zealand. For in her they have come to lose one of
> their oldest and most distinguished co-workers.
> 
> The Guardian well remembers her pilgrimage to the
> Holy Land, and has always cherished the hope that she would
> once more be enabled to visit the shrines. But alas, her departed
> soul has taken its flight from this world, leaving her
> friends and relatives in a state of profoundest grief. Their
> only consolation now is the realization that through her
> painstaking and sustained labours for the Cause in Auckland
> Mrs Blundell has left an abiding monument to her memory,
> and one which will continue for many years to come to inspire
> and strengthen them all in their collective endeavours for the
> establishment of the Faith in New Zealand.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi is fervently praying for the soul of our
> departed sister, and is entreating Bahá'u'lláh to give her her
> full share of divine blessings in the other world.
> 
> May I also assure you of his ardent supplications for
> you, and for all the friends in Auckland.
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> 27. January 21st, 1935
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> Shoghi Effendi has just been in receipt of your kind
> letter of the fourteenth of December last, and has read its
> contents with deep interest and gratification. It made him so
> happy, indeed, to learn that you are pursuing your activities
> for the Faith with such steadfastness and self-sacrifice, and
> also that through your beautiful and loving spirit those members
> of your family who have not yet embraced the Faith are
> being gradually attracted to it. He is ardently entreating
> Bahá'u'lláh that through your inspiration and guidance their
> interest in the Teachings may wax stronger and lead them to
> eventually espouse His Cause.
> 
> With reference to the suggestion made by Mr Alexander[Dick Alexander was the fiance of Miss Vera Dewing. (Department of the Secretariat, Universal House of Justice. August 16th, 1979)]
> for taking a record of the Guardian's voice, he wishes
> me to inform you that although he fully appreciates the spirit
> in which this and similar suggestions are made to him he is,
> nevertheless, extremely reluctant that the believers should
> give any prominence to his writings, specially in the meetings
> which, he is firmly convinced, should be chiefly devoted
> to the reading and study of the writings of Bahá'u'lláh and the
> Master.
> 
> In closing will you kindly convey his greetings and
> appreciation to all the friends in Auckland, and particularly to
> the members of your family who, he hopes, will be assisted
> and sustained in their labours for the spread of the Message.
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear and valued co-worker:
> 
> I am deeply grateful for the services you are so devotedly
> rendering and the efforts you are so diligently exerting
> for the promotion of our beloved Faith. I will continue to
> pray for you and your dear co-workers from the depths of my
> heart.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 28. February 5th, 1935
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> The Guardian has just received your kind message of
> the second of January last, and wishes me to thank you for it.
> 
> It comforted him greatly to learn that, despite the severe
> loss which you have sustained through the passing away
> of your mother, you are still engaged as actively as before in
> the work which you have set your heart to accomplish for the
> Cause in Auckland. The agonies of her earthly separation
> from you, difficult though they may be to bear, will assuredly
> be transmuted through the blessings of Bahá'u'lláh into a
> peaceful and abiding joy. In serving a Cause for which your
> mother sacrificed so much you will no doubt come to find the
> very purpose of your life, and the true secret of happiness in
> this, as well as in the next world.
> 
> The Guardian is fervently praying for you and for your
> brother, that you both may be strengthened and guided in
> your services to the Cause, and in this way continue and
> enrich still further the noble heritage which your mother has
> left for the Faith in New-Zealand.
> 
> With loving Bahá'í greetings to you and to all the
> friends in Auckland.
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear co-worker:
> 
> I wish to assure you in person of my heartfelt sympathy
> in the loss you have sustained, and of my loving and ardent
> prayers for the departed soul. The work with which her name
> will for ever be associated will confer upon her imperishable
> glory, and her example will serve to stimulate the rising generation
> to follow in her footsteps, and carry on the work she
> has so nobly initiated.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 29. May 20th, 1936
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> Many thanks indeed from the Guardian for your welcome
> message of April 17th just received. He would certainly
> be delighted to meet you in Haifa next year, and hopes
> that your visit to the Holy Shrines will give you a fresh vigour
> and a renewed determination to carry on your work for the
> Cause. He specially cherishes the hope that your trip to
> England will be of great benefit to you, and also to our
> English believers. They will be only too happy to welcome
> you in their midst, and will thoroughly appreciate any assistance
> which you may give them during your sojourn in
> England.
> 
> The Guardian has learned with deep gratification of the
> news of the teaching work carried on by the Auckland believers.
> He wishes you to kindly assure them all of his best wishes
> and fervent prayers for the success of their labours. May
> Bahá'u'lláh bless, guide and strengthen them in every step
> they are taking for the spread of His Faith and the consolidation
> of its institutions in this far-off land.
> 
> Assuring you too of his special prayers on your behalf
> at the Holy Shrines, and with warmest greetings,
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Assuring you of a most hearty welcome, and wishing
> you good-health, happiness and success,
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 30. September 30th, 1936
> 
> Beloved Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> Your welcome letter dated August 17th has been received
> and read with deepest appreciation by the Guardian.
> 
> May I again express his sincere hope that your long-cherished
> desire to visit the Holy Shrines may be fulfilled
> very soon, and that through this pilgrimage you may attain a
> renewed zeal and vigour, as well as a new vision of the task
> you are called upon to accomplish for the Faith in New-Zealand.
> 
> In closing let me assure you and your fellow-workers in
> Auckland of his profound appreciation of your determination
> to press forward the work in the teaching field. He is ardently
> praying for the guidance and success of your labours.
> 
> With warmest greetings,
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> May the Beloved fulfil your heart's desire, and enable
> you to promote effectively the sacred and manifold interests
> of our beloved and glorious Faith,
> 
> Your true and grateful brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 31. December 7th, 1936
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> The Guardian is in receipt of your letter of the fifth
> November, and exceedingly regrets that, owing to certain
> family difficulties, you have found it necessary to cancel your
> trip to the Holy Land. He is specially grieved to learn of the
> many cares and sorrows with which your daughter has been
> so sadly afflicted of late, and wishes me to hasten to convey to
> you his most loving sympathy, as well as the assurance of his
> prayers for the removal of the family troubles with which you
> are beset. He fervently hopes that these afflictive trials confronting
> you and your beloved daughter will all serve to
> quicken your spiritual energies, and that the outcome of it all
> will be to open before you new horizons of service, and fresh
> fields for teaching the Message. May Bahá'u'lláh give you
> patience to courageously withstand these tests, and full guidance
> to use them as a means to more active, concentrated and
> selfless service to His Cause. Do assure, therefore, your
> daughter not to feel disheartened, but to confidently endeavour
> to overcome her domestic sorrows and cares.
> 
> In closing may I express the Guardian's hope that, as
> soon as your family problems are solved, you may be able to
> undertake your long-cherished pilgrimage to the Holy
> Shrines. He is ardently praying for the materialization of your
> hopes and plans in this connection.
> 
> It is a pleasure to learn of the successful visit of Mr
> Schopflocher[Fred Schopflocher was appointed Hand of the Cause of God in Canada on February 29th, 1952.] to Auckland, and of the warm welcome he has
> been accorded by you and the friends. This is a true evidence
> of the strong ties of fellowship so closely uniting the friends
> throughout the world, and of the deep affection which the believers
> in New-Zealand cherish for their fellow-believers in
> every region and clime.
> 
> With renewed and warmest greetings to you and to the
> friends in Auckland,
> 
> Yours in the Guardian's Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Assuring you of my loving and ardent prayers for the
> removal of every obstacle from your path, and for the speedy
> realization of your dearest hopes,
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 32. November 8th, 1937
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> Many thanks for your letter of September 16th addressed
> to our beloved Guardian. He is most pleased indeed
> to hear of Miss Holloway's interest in the Cause and appreciates
> keenly your efforts for bringing about her full confirmation
> 
> in the Faith. He is, at your suggestion, writing her
> directly and giving her the addresses of some individuals and
> centers in South Africa. He hopes that through contact with
> the friends her interest in the Teachings will be considerably
> increased and she will be stimulated to help in spreading their
> knowledge throughout South Africa.
> 
> The Guardian wishes you to keep in closest touch with
> her through correspondence, and to send her suitable literature
> on the Cause, and to endeavour to make her join actively
> the Faith.
> 
> Again with many thanks for introducing this lady who
> indeed seems to be a most promising worker, and with loving
> greetings to all the friends in Auckland.
> 
> Yours ever in His Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> May the Beloved bless you and aid you to surmount all
> obstacles that may stand in your path, and aid you to lend a
> fresh impetus to the work that has been so splendidly initiated.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 33. May 17th, 1938
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> The Guardian is in receipt of your letter of the 19th ins.,
> and is indeed pleased to know that your visit to Cairo has been
> so happy and successful, and that the friends have extended
> to you such a warm hospitality all through your stay.[See note 9]
> 
> He hopes this letter will find you well, and enjoying
> your visit to your relatives and fellow-believers in England.
> 
> With loving remembrances, and renewed thanks for
> your message,
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> May the Beloved fulfil your heart's desire in the service
> of His Faith, and enable you to promote effectively the interests
> of its new-born institutions.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 34. December 20th, 1938
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> Your very cordial message of the 17th November addressed
> to our beloved Guardian has duly reached him, and
> he has noted with keen appreciation indeed the desire you had
> expressed of visiting the Holy Shrines on your way back to
> New-Zealand.
> 
> As you must have surely read in the newspapers, however,
> the general situation in Palestine is at present so gravely
> disturbed as to make it quite impossible for you to undertake
> this trip in the next few months, and in view of this the
> Guardian would advise that you postpone your visit until the
> November of next year, by which time, it is hoped, the situation
> throughout the country will have sufficiently improved
> to permit you to undertake this long-cherished pilgrimage.
> The Guardian, needless to say, would be also most delighted
> to meet you, and to hear from you directly of the news of the
> Cause in New-Zealand, and to discuss certain matters which
> the N.S.A.[The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand] has asked you to present to him for his instructions.
> 
> Regarding your question whether there is any special
> ceremony which the believers should perform when they
> wish to "name" a baby; the Teachings do not provide for any
> ceremony whatever on such occasions. We have no "baptismal
> service" in the Cause, such as the Christians have.
> There would be no objection, however, for the friends to
> 
> come together on such happy occasions, provided they do not
> hold an official public ceremony, and provided also they
> strictly avoid uniformity and rigidity in all such practices. No
> rule whatsoever that would tend to be rigid and uniform
> should be allowed in such secondary matters, particularly as
> there are no specific instructions in the Teachings regarding
> them.
> 
> With the warmest good wishes of the Guardian to you
> and to the friends, and assuring you again of his hearty welcome
> to visit the Holy Shrines during next autumn, and with
> greetings,
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear and valued co-worker:
> 
> I shall indeed grieve if the situation in Palestine should
> prevent our meeting and prevent your pilgrimage to the Holy
> Shrines. I pray that this may not be the case. I am so eager to
> meet you, and express in person my deep and abiding sense of
> appreciation of the splendid and historic services you have
> rendered. I will continue to pray for you from the depths of
> my heart.
> 
> Your true and grateful brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 35. March 20th, 1939
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> I am directed by our beloved Guardian to acknowledge
> the receipt of your letter dated February 25th, informing him
> of the date of your departure from England, and your inability
> to defer your visit to Haifa till next November. He regrets indeed
> that you should find it impossible to extend your stay in
> Europe and come to Palestine in autumn, as the situation here
> is now so tense and dangerous that there seems very little
> hope of any real amelioration in security conditions to take
> place by next May. General conditions throughout the country
> are, at present, even worse than a month ago, and the tension
> is daily increasing.
> 
> In case, however, security is reestablished by the time
> you reach Port-Said, you would be welcome to visit the
> Shrines, but the Guardian would be still away.
> 
> Wishing you again a successful and happy return
> home, and with the renewed assurance of the Guardian's
> prayers for your welfare, protection and guidance,
> 
> Yours most sincerely,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear and valued co-worker:
> 
> I deeply regret that the situation in Palestine has not
> yet improved as I realize how eager you are to visit the Holy
> Shrines. If however when you reach Port-Said it will at all be
> possible for you to visit the Shrine, you will be most welcome,
> I assure you. May the Almighty fulfil the dearest hope of your
> heart,
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 36. August 3rd, 1941
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi has instructed me to answer your letter
> to him of May 10th, which just came.
> 
> He was, as already expressed in the cable he sent you,
> greatly impressed by the statement in the Quarterly on the
> true Bahá'í attitude at the present time. It displayed a correctness
> of viewpoint, a courage, and a loyalty to Bahá'u'lláh
> which has led him to disseminate it far and wide: in the
> American News Letter, in the two Haifa News Letters,
> English and Persian, etc. It was indeed a timely and most
> noble contribution to the Faith.
> 
> The friends in both Australia and New Zealand seem to
> have developed a most outstanding soundness in their relation
> to the teachings. This leads Shoghi Effendi to believe
> that they will make great contributions to the unfoldment of
> the world-wide aspects of the Faith.
> 
> His prayers are always with you, and he most deeply
> appreciates the splendid services you are rendering the
> Cause, and will pray that the way will open for you to do even
> greater work and in an ever widening field.
> 
> Please assure all the dear friends of Auckland of his
> loving remembrance and his prayers for their work.
> 
> With Bahá'í love,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear and valued co-worker:
> 
> I cannot refrain from adding a few words in person to
> assure you of my lively appreciation of your constancy and of
> the distinctive services you are so ably and devotedly rendering
> our beloved Faith. That you may be able to extend
> their range is my fervent and constant prayer. Persevere, and
> be confident and happy.
> 
> Your true and grateful brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 37. December 19th, 1947
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Brother:
> 
> Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated Dec. 12th
> has been received, and he has instructed me to answer it on
> his behalf. The previous letter you mention cannot have
> reached him, as he always replies to letters from the friends.
> 
> Your book[See note 10] touches on a very important subject, and
> he regrets that he cannot read it himself. His work is so
> pressing and multiplying so fast that he invariably refuses to
> go over the manuscripts the friends send him as he simply
> cannot attend to such things as well as all his other work. You
> should send it to the Reviewing Com. in the U.S.A. and ask
> their advice. Perhaps an outside publisher would be interested
> in it? The Bahá'í funds have such heavy demands
> made on them at present that even essential literature must
> often wait to be published, unfortunately.
> 
> He fully appreciates the fact that the believers locally,
> in different parts of the world, often feel that their political
> party is in many ways striving to accomplish ideals akin to
> our Bahá'í aims--but the fact remains that the only way for
> the Bahá'ís to preserve their international character, their
> unity and integrity, is for them individually to sacrifice these
> desired political affiliations for the universal good and protection
> of the Faith. There is no political party in existence
> with whose platform we wholly agree, and we must abstain
> from membership in such parties. Likewise people who join
> the Faith must have the courage and conviction to leave their
> political affiliations behind.
> 
> There is no reason why this should cause enmity as they
> are not joining another party, but a universal Faith striving for
> the advancement of the entire human race. He thinks there is
> very little possibility of any politician joining the Faith. The
> sacrifice of such individuals' personal ambitions is too great a
> one for them to make. The condition of the world today is
> such that it is obvious no political solution to its problems is
> going to be found. We Bahá'ís must therefore concentrate on
> Bahá'u'lláh's World Order--the true solution.
> 
> He assures you he will pray your teaching labours may
> be very successful. He will also pray for your dear mother's
> welfare.
> 
> With warmest greetings,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Assuring you of my loving prayers for your welfare and
> success in the service of our beloved Faith,
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 38. November 23rd, 1949
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister:
> 
> Your letter of October 28 has been received, and our
> beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
> 
> First, let me say how very deeply he appreciates the
> services you have been rendering our glorious Faith in Australia,
> and particularly Perth, during the past two years. Your
> trip has been of real assistance to the teaching work, and it
> pleased him greatly.
> 
> Regarding Mr. ...: it was with the approval of the
> Guardian that his name was removed from the voting list. It is
> very bad for the Cause to have a member of the Community,
> actively, in the public eye, teaching the Faith, and at the same
> time showing dishonest characteristics. We cannot possibly
> say that because a person also has many virtues, faults as
> grave as lying and dishonourable conduct regarding money,
> can be overlooked! This means that we tolerate as representatives
> of our Faith people who flagrantly disobey its laws and
> fundamental teachings. This does not mean there is no hope
> for Mr. ...; let him change his conduct, if he really loves
> the Cause, and then a way will be opened for him to again be
> active. But the change must be real and obvious; mere protestations
> will serve no purpose.
> 
> He urges you to continue your services in the teaching
> field in New Zealand, and also to write to the friends in Australia
> who are disturbed about Mr. ..., and strengthen
> their faith and determination.
> 
> With warmest greetings,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> May the Almighty, Whose Cause you serve with such
> zeal and devotion, reward you for your labours, and graciously
> assist you to win great victories for His Faith and its
> institutions,
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 39. December 18th, 1949
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Brother:
> 
> Your letter of November 1st was received, and, although
> our beloved Guardian is so busy at present on the
> Shrine work here that his mail is piling up alarmingly, he
> does want to send you a word of appreciation for your fine,
> constructive spirit and the services you are rendering the
> Faith.
> 
> Vicious criticism is indeed a calamity. But its root is
> lack of faith in the system of Bahá'u'lláh (i.e. the administrative
> order) and lack of obedience to Him--for He has forbidden
> it. If the Bahá'ís would follow the Bahá'í laws in voting,
> in electing, in serving, and in abiding by assembly decisions,
> all this waste of strength thru criticizing others could
> be diverted into cooperation and achieving the Plan. Keep on
> trying to point this out to them!
> 
> With Bahá'í love,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Assuring you of my loving prayers for the success of
> every effort you exert for the promotion of our beloved Faith,
> and the realization of every desire you cherish for its progress,
> 
> Your true and grateful brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 40. June 11th, 1952
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister:
> 
> Your two letters of May 25th have been received, and
> the beloved Guardian thanks you for them, and for the loving
> sympathy which you express.
> 
> He hopes that you will make every effort to attend the
> New Delhi Conference, as it will be a very historic occasion,
> and the more Bahá'ís from Australia and New Zealand that
> are present, the better.
> 
> You should get in touch with the Indian National
> Spiritual Assembly as regards accommodation etc.
> 
> This has been a very tiring winter for the beloved
> Guardian. He has had so many pilgrims, and so many problems
> locally, and an ever-increasing amount of work, so I
> will make this letter brief.
> 
> He assures you your services are deeply appreciated,
> and that he will remember you in his prayers.
> 
> With warm Bahá'í greetings,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> May the Beloved bless, guide and sustain you, and enable
> you to promote the best interests of His Faith,
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 41. January 6th, 1955
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister:
> 
> Your letter of December 21st with enclosure has been
> received by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me
> to answer you on his behalf.
> 
> He is happy to know that the New Zealand
> &Haziratu'l-Quds is being made attractive for the many activities
> that will take place in this Center, and he hopes it will become
> the means of the greatest unity and loving cooperation
> among the friends.
> 
> He assures all the friends in New Zealand of his deep
> appreciation of their devoted services.
> 
> With warm Bahá'í greetings,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> May the Beloved bless, guide and sustain you, and enable
> you to promote, at all times, the vital interests of His
> Faith,
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> Part IV -- Letters to Bahá'í Institutions
> 
> 42. March 31st, 1926
> 
> Dear Spiritual Sister:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt
> of your letter dated Feb. 18th 1926. He well appreciates the
> whole-hearted contributions the friends, the world over, have
> made to safeguard the neighbourhood of the shrines. We all
> hope that this spirit of quick response and action will permeate
> all the different activities of the Cause.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi as well as the other members of the
> family send you, and through you, the Australian and New
> Zealand friends their best love and greetings. They all await
> the good news of the progress of the Movement in Australasia.
> 
> With loving greetings I remain,
> 
> Yours very sincerely,
> 
> Ruhi Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> My dear fellow-worker,
> 
> I fully appreciate the self-sacrificing efforts of the
> New-Zealand Bahá'ís and am glad to inform them that the
> surroundings of the Shrines on Mt Carmel are secure. May
> the Beloved reward them a hundredfold! Convey my love and
> gratitude to them all.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 43. May 14th, 1926
> 
> My dear Bahá'í sister,
> 
> I thank you on behalf of Shoghi Effendi for your letter
> of Mar. 8th and for the second copy of the draft that you had
> sent enclosed.
> 
> He has already received and cashed the first draft and
> has sent you the receipt for it.
> 
> He appreciates very much indeed the help of the New
> Zealand friends and I am sure they would all be very glad to
> know that the surroundings of the holy Shrines on Mt Carmel
> have already been safeguarded. This is such a relief to Shoghi
> Effendi and all the friends who feared lest the approaches
> should fall into the hands of speculators and interested men.
> 
> With heartfelt greetings to the friends in New Zealand.
> I am
> 
> Yours ever in His Service,
> 
> Soheil Afnan
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear fellow-worker:
> 
> I wish to reassure you in person of my continued
> prayers for you as well as for those friends who in the distant
> city of Auckland are labouring for the advancement of the
> Cause in New Zealand. Please convey to them my brotherly
> greetings and very best wishes. I can never forget them and
> they are ever near to me.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 44. January 7th, 1935
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> The Guardian has duly received your beautiful message
> of 2nd of December, and he wishes me to thank you for
> it, as well as for the enclosed copy of the Auckland Assembly's
> circular letter which he has delivered to the spiritual assembly
> of Haifa for their perusal.
> 
> He also wishes me to ask you to kindly inform Mrs
> Blundell of the receipt of the twenty five copies of the Maori
> pamphlet which she had lately mailed to him. These, together
> with those she had sent previously, have all been placed in his
> own library, and a few copies have also been placed in the
> Mansion of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí for the information of the
> general public.
> 
> In closing the Guardian wishes me to renew to you the
> expressions of his abiding and genuine appreciation of your
> labours for the Cause in Auckland, and particularly in connection
> with your duties as secretary of the local assembly.
> He is praying from the very depths of his heart for your progress
> and success in this important field of Bahá'í service.
> 
> With heartiest greetings to you and all the friends.
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dearly beloved co-worker:
> 
> I wish to assure you of my deepest appreciation of your
> constant and manifold services to the Faith, and particularly
> of the share you have had in consolidating its administrative
> institutions in both Australia and New Zealand, whether
> local or national. My prayers will continue to be offered from
> the bottom of my heart for you and for your dear co-workers.
> Persevere and never feel disheartened.
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 45. September 26th, 1935
> 
> Beloved Bahá'í co-worker,
> 
> ...In connection with the N.S.A.'s[The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand] decision regarding
> the appointment of Mrs. Axford and Mr. Inman to
> keep records of Australian and New-Zealand activities for the
> "Bahá'í World"; the Guardian wishes you to assure your
> fellow-members in the assembly that he fully endorses their
> choice. He also wishes you to impress the newly-appointed
> correspondents with the vital importance of their task, and to
> urge them to acquit themselves of it with thoroughness, efficiency
> and vigour....
> 
> (Extract from "Letters from the Guardian to Australia and New Zealand 1923-1957". p. 10. Published by The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia Incorporated, 1970.)
> 
> 46. April 26th, 1936
> 
> Beloved Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> I am directed by the Guardian to thank you for your
> letter of the 30th March informing him of the date of Miss
> Kitty Carpenter's arrival in Port-Said. You can be sure that
> the friends will be most delighted to meet her, and to render
> her journey to Haifa as safe and comfortable as possible.
> 
> The Guardian himself is eagerly looking forward to the
> pleasure of meeting her, and cherishes the hope that through
> this pilgrimage she may receive a renewed stimulus to better
> work for the promotion of the Faith upon her return
> home....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., p. 13)
> 
> 47. June 10th, 1936
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> ...The Guardian would also advise that the local assemblies
> take a similar step, and obtain official recognition
> from the authorities. In case the Auckland assembly has been
> registered in the government, will you be so kind as to send
> him photostatic reproductions of any registration papers or
> documents that the Auckland friends may have obtained from
> the authorities, as he wishes to have them published in the
> next "Bahá'í World"....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., p. 14)
> 
> 48. November 17th, 1936
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> On behalf of the Guardian I acknowledge with deepest
> thanks the receipt of your letter of the 17th October, and wish
> also to thank your Assembly for forwarding to him the photostatic
> reproduction of the registration certificate of the Assembly
> of Auckland....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., p. 18)
> 
> 49. January 31st, 1938
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> The Guardian wishes me to express his loving thanks
> for your letter of the third instant, enclosing the half-yearly
> reports of the Perth and Auckland Spiritual Assemblies, all of
> which he has been delighted to read.
> 
> He wishes you to write the Auckland Assembly assuring
> them of his approval of the request they have made on behalf
> of Miss Kitty Carpenter for permission to visit Haifa. He
> has every hope that through this pilgrimage she will be
> greatly refreshed and strengthened spiritually, and will upon
> her return home impart to the friends in New-Zealand some
> measure of the inspiration she will gain through close contact
> with the Holy Shrines....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., p. 24)
> 
> 50. November 2nd, 1938
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister,
> 
> ...The Guardian wishes me to express his gratification
> at the news of the enrolment of three new members in the
> Sydney Bahá'í group, and of two others in the Auckland
> community. He will pray that these new believers may continue
> deepening in their faith, and in their understanding of
> the Teachings, and that each of them may arise and lend
> every assistance in his power to the further expansion and
> firmer consolidation of the Faith in that far-off continent....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., p. 28)
> 
> 51. March 22nd, 1939
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Brothers and Sisters,
> 
> The Guardian wishes me to gratefully acknowledge the
> receipt of your card conveying to him your Assembly's
> greetings for Naw-Rúz, and to assure you how deeply he
> feels appreciative of the renewed expressions of love which
> you had felt prompted to transmit to him on such a happy and
> blessed occasion.
> 
> He immeasurably values indeed your sentiments, and
> wishes me to take this opportunity of assuring your Assembly,
> and all the members of the Auckland Bahá'í Community,
> of his ardent prayers for the further extension of the
> Faith, and its firmer consolidation in your centre, and for the
> spiritual advancement and welfare of each and every member
> of your group. May this new Bahá'í Year we have just
> entered witness a fresh intensification of the spirit of service
> in the heart of each one of you, and lead you to scale still nobler
> heights of service and sacrifice in your stewardship to the
> Cause.
> 
> Reciprocating your kind greetings and with all good
> wishes for a happy Naw-Rúz.
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> H. Rabbani
> 
> 52. April 19th, 1941
> 
> Dear Bahá'í friends,
> 
> ...He was very sorry to learn that Miss Stevenson
> has passed on. He will pray for her joy and advancement in
> the Worlds beyond. She had the great honour and blessing of
> being the first New-Zealand believer and her reward must be
> great....
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear and valued co-workers:
> 
> ...The passing of yet another staunch and indefatigable
> worker, Miss Stevenson, constitutes yet another loss to
> the believers in that continent. The work which that
> exemplary pioneer has achieved however is imperishable.
> Kindly assure her relatives of my deepfelt sympathy.
> 
> Sh.
> 
> (Extract, ibid., pp. 38, 39)
> 
> 53. April 25th, 1941
> 
> Dear Bahá'í friends:
> 
> Shoghi Effendi has instructed me to answer your
> Naw-Rúz greetings of the year 98.
> 
> He deeply appreciated your thought in sending him a
> message at such a time. The loving remembrance of the
> friends is dear to his heart in these heavy and sad times.
> 
> He assures you that the friends of Australia and New
> Zealand are often in his thoughts and prayers, and he is so
> pleased with the continued evidences of their devotion and
> services to the Cause of God.
> 
> With Bahá'í greetings,
> 
> Yours in His Service,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> 
> 54. April 18th, 1942
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister:
> 
> ...He was delighted to learn that the New Zealand
> members were able to make the trip to Australia, and that
> such a highly satisfactory N.S.A. meeting was held, in such
> a spirit of love and harmony. No doubt this experience will
> prove of great value, not only to the National Assembly, but
> also to the work of the Cause in the days to come....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., p. 45)
> 
> 55. May 12th, 1944
> 
> Dear Bahá'í Sister:
> 
> Your letters dated March 1st, 25th and March 21st--
> Bahá'í Naw-Rúz greeting--have been received, and the
> Guardian has instructed me to answer them on his behalf.
> 
> He was very pleased indeed to hear that the Cause in
> New Zealand is not only steadily progressing but that it is
> winning such good friends as Rev. Chandler. Also the
> preparations you are making for the Centenary should serve
> to not only publicise the Faith, but bring the believers closer
> to liberal-minded fellow-citizens.
> 
> He himself is at present frightfully busy with local
> preparations for the Centenary and with cables and
> correspondence--but he wishes you all to know that his
> thoughts will be with you on this glorious day of the 100th
> anniversary of the Báb's declaration, and he will pray for all
> the New Zealand Bahá'ís in the Holy Shrines.
> 
> With most loving greetings and best wishes from the
> Guardian for the success of all your plans.
> 
> Yours with Bahá'í love,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> P.S. He appreciated very much your sending Naw-Rúz
> greetings.
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> May the Beloved bless your efforts, guide your steps,
> sustain you in your devoted endeavours, and enable you to
> promote effectively the best interests of His Faith.
> 
> Your true and grateful brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 56. December 18th, 1949
> 
> Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Auckland, N.Z.
> Dear Bahá'í friends:
> 
> Your letter of October 25th was received and our
> Guardian was delighted to hear the details of this property
> you have purchased, and which he trusts will grow to be a
> very important Bahá'í endowment. He will be pleased to receive
> the pictures of it.
> 
> He felt that no name could be more befitting than that of
> dear father Dunn. May the spirit this wonderful soul exemplified
> stream forth from your school and quicken those Islands.
> 
> With Bahá'í greetings,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> P.S. Since writing this letter yours of Nov. 29 has been received.
> He will certainly pray for the success of your Summer
> School sessions so soon to begin and for the speedy development
> of the new school property you have just purchased.
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> May the Almighty bless bountifully your meritorious
> labours, guide and sustain you, at all times and under all circumstances,
> aid you to overcome every obstacle that confronts
> you and enable you to lend a tremendous impetus, in
> the days to come, to the progress of your historic work in that
> promising and far-away Island.
> 
> Your true and grateful brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 57. June 28th, 1950
> 
> The National Spiritual Assembly of the
> Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand.
> Dear Bahá'í Friends:
> 
> ...As Mrs Axford requested Mrs Thomas to write
> about her Bahá'í life there is every reason to respect her
> wishes. This in no way precludes the New Zealand Community
> from writing about her services and life and keeping this
> record in the National archives. The Guardian feels the
> Auckland Assembly should be consulted, as her, (Mrs Axford's),
> home community, by Mrs Thomas. He hopes this In
> Memoriam article, about so dear and tireless a servant of the
> Faith, will produce a spirit of love and co-operation amongst
> all concerned....
> 
> The acquisition of the site for the New Zealand Summer
> School was a great step forward in the progress of the Faith
> there, and he was very pleased about it. He was also delighted
> to hear of the formation of the Devonport Assembly, and he
> hopes next year there will be still more....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., p. 83)
> 
> 58. November 1st, 1950
> 
> Secretary,
> Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís
> of Auckland, New Zealand
> Dear Bahá'í Brother,
> 
> Your letter on behalf of the Assembly, (as well as your
> personal note) dated July 6, have been received, but due to
> the pressure of work piled up during the long and serious illness
> of Mr Maxwell the Guardian's correspondence has piled
> up unanswered for some time.
> 
> He is very pleased to hear the Cause is making progress
> in New Zealand and the friends unitedly serving, which is the
> most important thing of all.
> 
> He was also pleased to hear the Summer School property
> will be gradually developed and serve the friends and the
> Community at large in other ways. He thanks you for the plan
> of it sent under separate cover.
> 
> He sends his loving greetings to all the members of the
> Assembly, and also would like to wish you success with your
> book.
> 
> With Bahá'í love,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> May the Almighty bless, guide and sustain you, remove
> all obstacles from your path, and enable you to win great
> victories for His Faith and its God-given institutions,
> 
> Your true and grateful brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 59. March 1st, 1951
> 
> National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís
> of Australia and New Zealand.
> Dear Bahá'í Friends:
> 
> ...I would like to add that the Guardian does not consider
> that it is advisable for New Zealand to be separated in
> the near future from Australia, and come under the jurisdiction
> of an independent National Assembly. He considers that
> the present arrangement is the best one until such time as
> there are more assemblies flourishing in New Zealand, and he
> would consider the basis for a National Assembly strong
> enough there to support such an institution....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., p. 91)
> 
> 60. June 16th, 1954
> 
> Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the
> Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand.
> Dear Bahá'í Brother:
> 
> ...He was very happy to see that Mrs Dunn was able
> to attend the New Zealand Bahá'í Summer School. For a
> woman of her age, this was surely a remarkable achievement,
> and must have been a great inspiration to the New Zealand
> friends, coming as she did so freshly from the last Intercontinental
> Teaching Conference held in New Delhi....
> 
> He attaches great importance to teaching the aboriginal
> Australians, and also in converting more Maoris to the Faith,
> and hopes that the Bahá'ís will devote some attention to contacting
> both of these minority groups....
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear and valued co-workers:
> 
> ...The multiplication of Bahá'í isolated centres,
> groups and local assemblies, in both Australia and New
> Zealand--a process that has been steadily and rapidly developing
> since the inauguration of the Ten-Year Plan, is
> likewise of paramount importance in the years immediately
> ahead. The development of these institutions, particularly in
> New Zealand, will no doubt hasten the emergence of an independent
> National Spiritual Assembly in that territory, and
> will lend a tremendous impetus to the onward march of the
> Faith in those regions....
> 
> The purchase of a building in Auckland destined to
> serve as the National Haziratu'l-Quds of the Bahá'ís of New
> Zealand, is yet another objective on which attention should
> be immediately focused--in anticipation of the erection of
> yet another pillar of the future House of Justice in that remote
> part of the world....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., pp. 118, 119, 121, 122)
> 
> 61. July 24, 1955
> 
> Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the
> Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> Dear Bahá'í Brother:
> 
> ...The news of the purchase of the Haziratu'l-Quds
> in Auckland was most welcome. The acquisition of this
> building is really one of the pre-requisites for the formation of
> the National Assembly of New Zealand; he hopes that the
> impetus this has given to the work of the Faith there, combined
> with the devotion of the Bahá'ís will speed the formation
> of local Assemblies, which alone constitute the necessary
> firm foundation for the National Body, a Body which
> will be one of the direct pillars supporting the International
> House of Justice. He urges, therefore, your Assembly to give
> all the teaching help it can to New Zealand; and to encourage
> the believers there to do their utmost to achieve their
> goals....
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear and valued co-workers:
> 
> ...The purchase of the Haziratu'l-Quds in Auckland,
> as the future headquarters of the New Zealand National
> Spiritual Assembly, is another accomplishment that merits
> the highest praise....
> 
> ...The establishment of Bahá'í endowments in the
> Dominion of New Zealand is yet another responsibility devolving
> upon their elected national representatives, a responsibility
> which should be discharged prior to the emergence
> of an independent national assembly in that distant and
> promising island.
> 
> Whilst these immediate goals are being steadily and resolutely
> pursued, attention should, likewise, be particularly
> directed to the vital need for the constant multiplication of
> isolated centres, groups and local assemblies, as well as to
> the necessity of increasing, to an unprecedented degree, the
> number of the avowed adherents of the Faith who can directly
> and effectively contribute to the broadening of its foundations
> and the expansion of its nascent institutions. Particularly in
> the Dominion of New Zealand, where a pillar of the future
> Universal House of Justice will soon be erected, must a fresh
> impetus be lent to this vital process which can alone reinforce
> the foundations on which this projected institution must ultimately
> rest....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., pp. 123, 125, 126, 127)
> 
> 62. June 13th, 1956
> 
> Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the
> Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand.
> Dear Bahá'í Brother:
> 
> ...As regards the question the Auckland Assembly
> has asked about vivisection, there is nothing on this subject in
> the Bahá'í teachings. At a future date such matters will no
> doubt be taken up by the International House of Justice....
> 
> He is delighted to hear that the New Zealand friends are
> so eagerly carrying on their work in preparation for their National
> Assembly next year. Their coming of age, so to speak,
> will be a source of pride to all their fellow National Assemblies,
> and they will form a welcome addition to the pillars
> which must ultimately sustain the International House of
> Justice....
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear and valued co-workers:
> 
> ...Particular attention should be devoted to the urgent
> needs of the New Zealand Bahá'í community, through
> the formulation of a plan which will enable it to swell the
> number of its administrative institutions, enlarging and
> reinforcing thereby the foundations on which its forthcoming
> National Assembly must ultimately rest....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., pp. 130, 131, 133)
> 
> 63. September 5th, 1956
> 
> Secretary,
> Regional Teaching Committee for New Zealand.
> Dear Bahá'í Brother:
> 
> Your letter of August 3rd with enclosure has been received
> by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to
> answer you on his behalf.
> 
> He was happy to see this report of the activities of the
> Bahá'ís in New Zealand, and will be pleased to receive a
> copy of your News Letter regularly.
> 
> The Guardian wishes your Committee and the believers
> there to know that he has high hopes for their future
> achievements in that far-off land, where they are now on the
> threshold of that historic event, the election of their own National
> Spiritual Assembly. He deeply values their devotion,
> and the eager and fervent character of their services.
> 
> With warm Bahá'í greetings,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Assuring you of my loving prayers for your success and
> spiritual advancement,
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 64. April 4th, 1957
> 
> Message from the Guardian at the inception of the New
> Zealand National Spiritual Assembly.
> 
> I share with the assembled delegates, gathered to elect,
> on this historic occasion, the second National Spiritual Assembly
> of the Bahá'ís of the Antipodes, the feelings of profound
> satisfaction and gratitude to Bahá'u'lláh evoked by
> this epoch-making event in the evolution of His Faith in that
> far off region of the globe. I am deeply conscious of the decisive
> share which the Australian Bahá'í Community, labouring
> during more than three decades, for the spread of the
> light of this glorious revelation among the highly progressive
> people of that distant continent, has had in the laying of the
> foundations of the Administrative Order and the erection of
> yet another pillar of the future Universal House of Justice in
> this remote Dominion.
> 
> The emergence of this independent Bahá'í Community,
> no matter how limited its numerical strength and modest its
> resources, must be regarded as a highly significant development
> in the rise and establishment of the Bahá'í Faith in the
> Pacific Area, and should synchronise with the formulation,
> on the part of the National Spiritual Assembly now being
> elected in that Island, of a subsidiary Six-Year-Plan, designed
> to reinforce substantially the numerical strength of the
> Community; to multiply its Centres, as well as its Local
> Spiritual Assemblies; to incorporate the solidly grounded
> amongst them; to inaugurate a National Fund; to obtain
> recognition for both the Bahá'í marriage certificate and the
> Bahá'í Holy Days; to lend an unprecedented impetus to the
> conversion of the Maoris, and to ensure their active participation
> in the conduct of Bahá'í Administrative Institutions; to
> extend the scope of the work already initiated in the South
> Island; to incorporate the newly formed National Spiritual
> Assembly, and to select and acquire a site for the first
> Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of that Dominion.
> 
> I call upon the members of the Australian National
> Spiritual Assembly, as well as the members of the Australian
> Bahá'í Community, to continue to lend their valued support
> to this newly pledged sister Community, and to enable it,
> through the extension of material assistance as well as the
> dispatch of visiting teachers and pioneers, to contribute, in
> an ever increasing measure, to the furtherance of the
> magnificent and colossal campaign now being so vigorously
> conducted in the North, in the South, and in the heart of the
> Pacific Ocean.
> 
> May the outpourings of the Holy Spirit continue to
> energise this small yet resolute forward marching, dedicated
> community, and may the outcome of the collective efforts of
> its members contribute decisively to the triumphant consummation
> of the World Crusade on which the entire body of the
> followers of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh have so confidently embarked.
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 65. May 20th, 1957
> 
> Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly
> of the Bahá'ís of New Zealand.
> Dear Bahá'í Friends:
> 
> Our beloved Guardian has instructed me to write you
> on his behalf and inform you that the Hand of the Cause, Mr
> Varqá, will shortly be forwarding to your assembly the
> equivalent of five hundred English pounds, as the Guardian's
> contribution to your newly established National Fund.
> 
> He hopes that in the formulation of your plans, particular
> attention will be given to the all-important teaching
> work, the foundation of all the activities of the Faith and the
> most urgent task facing the friends in this critical period the
> world is passing through.
> 
> You may be sure he will pray for your success,
> 
> With Bahá'í greetings,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> 
> 66. June 27th, 1957
> 
> Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly
> of the Bahá'ís of New Zealand.
> Dear Bahá'í Sister:
> 
> I am instructed by our beloved Guardian to write you
> on his behalf and assure you he was most happy to receive
> your letter dated May 4.
> 
> He rejoices with the New Zealand Bahá'ís in the formation
> of their historic National Assembly. They are now
> firmly launched on the course of their own destiny, and undoubtedly
> the Faith will go forward very much faster. They
> have an advantage not shared by many of their fellow National
> Assemblies, of exclusively administering the affairs of
> the Faith in a small area, which means that they can function
> much more efficiently. When one remembers the many years
> that the New Zealand and Australian believers toiled to carry
> on the work in those two countries, with the sea in between,
> and inadequate funds to provide transportation, which necessitated
> so much of the National Assembly's work being carried
> on by correspondence, one can appreciate the advantages
> you now enjoy.
> 
> The formation of a new National Body in any case is an
> organic thing, and a new and lively flow of life will go out
> into all the members of the Community from this Assembly.
> 
> As regards the question you asked him about the site for
> the Temple, this need not be a large piece of land at this
> time--three or four acres would be sufficient for the site if
> you find suitable land is expensive. If the worst comes to the
> worst, when the time comes to build the Temple, the site can
> be changed. In Uganda some years ago, they purchased a
> Temple site, and later, a large piece of land for their endowment.
> With the Guardian's permission, they exchanged the
> two as the Endowment's position was better for the Temple.
> So you see, it need not be too rigid. The point is to get a Temple
> site as soon as possible. He feels it should be in the outskirts
> of Auckland, within easy motoring distance, so that the
> friends can attend services there. Naturally the closer to the
> city, the better.
> 
> As you formulate your plans and carry them out for the
> work entrusted to you during the next six years, he wishes
> you to particularly bear in mind the need of teaching the
> Maoris. These original discoverers of New Zealand are of a
> very fine race, and they are a people long admired for their
> noble qualities; and special effort should be made, not only to
> contact the Maoris in the cities and draw them into the Faith,
> but to go to their towns and live amongst them and establish
> Assemblies in which at least the majority of the believers will
> be Maoris, if not all. This would be indeed a worthy
> achievement.
> 
> The beloved Guardian assures you all of his prayers for
> the success of the historic work you are now undertaking, and
> he feels sure you will achieve your goals.
> 
> With warmest Bahá'í greetings,
> 
> Ruhiyyih
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear and valued co-workers:
> 
> The emergence of the New Zealand National Spiritual
> Assembly, as a result of the convocation of the first Bahá'í
> historic Convention held in that far-away and promising
> Dominion, will be hailed by posterity as an event of the
> greatest significance, marking the erection of another pillar
> designed to support, in the South Pacific area, the future
> Universal House of Justice. My heart overflows with happiness
> and is filled with gratitude as I contemplate the splendid
> progress achieved, in recent years, in that far-off island, and
> note the loyalty and devotion with which the members of this
> valiant community, now standing on the threshold of unprecedented
> achievements, have discharged their manifold
> and sacred responsibilities.
> 
> The six brief years that now lie ahead must witness a
> swift expansion in the scope of Bahá'í activities throughout
> the length and breadth of that Dominion, as well as a steady
> consolidation of the foundations of the institutions that have
> been so painstakingly laid. The Six-Year Plan upon which the
> New Zealand believers have now so auspiciously embarked
> must be diligently prosecuted and brought to a triumphant
> conclusion. All must participate, whether young or old, veterans
> as well as newly enrolled believers, all must contribute
> their share to the ultimate success of this mighty collective
> enterprise, however limited their means, however modest
> their abilities, however restricted the range of their previous
> experiences.
> 
> The increase in the number of the avowed adherents of
> the Faith; the multiplication of isolated centres, groups, and
> local assemblies; the incorporation of the newly formed National
> Spiritual Assembly as well as all firmly grounded local
> assemblies; the recognition of the Bahá'í marriage
> certificate by the civil authorities, and of the Bahá'í Holy
> Days by the Superintendent of schools in that island; the
> rapid conversion of the Maoris and their close association
> with the white believers in the administration of the affairs of
> the community; the consolidation of the work energetically
> initiated in the South Island; the selection and purchase of the
> site for the Mother Temple of New Zealand--these stand out
> as the foremost objectives of the Plan now demanding of its
> high minded determined prosecutors, the utmost consecration,
> unrelaxing vigilance and the noblest self-sacrifice.
> 
> The tasks, challenging the spirit and resources of this
> community, whose numerical strength is as yet so limited,
> whose material resources are so circumscribed, whose past
> experiences have, in many respects, been confined to a narrow
> range, are truly formidable. The alloted time, during
> which so stupendous an undertaking is to be consummated, is
> short. The obstacles confronting its members are varied and
> manifold. Yet the sustaining grace promised to all those who
> will arise, with single-mindedness, courage, dedication and
> high resolve to aid in the attainment of these noble objectives,
> is of such potency that no earthly power can resist the ultimate
> fulfilment of so glorious a task, or even delay its eventual
> fruition.
> 
> I appeal most earnestly to all those who, in both the
> teaching and administrative fields, are committed to carry
> out so magnificent an enterprise, as well as to those who, in
> an unofficial capacity, are called upon to further, by every
> means in their power, the interests of this epoch-making
> Plan, to dedicate themselves, at this hour to the arduous, yet
> infinitely precious task they have shouldered, and to devote,
> in the days and years that lie ahead, every ounce of their
> energy to the systematic prosecution of a Plan, on which the
> immediate destinies of the entire New Zealand Bahá'í community
> directly depend; and which can alone provide the
> stepping-stone to the still more brilliant achievements destined
> to ennoble the annals of the Faith in that remote island
> of the globe.
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 67. July 19th, 1957
> 
> Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly
> of the Bahá'ís of Australia.
> Dear Bahá'í Brother:
> 
> ...As regards the "Herald of the South" magazine,
> in view of the important work lying ahead of your Assembly,
> and the fact that this magazine is a drain on the limited resources
> of the Community, he thinks it would be quite all
> right to suspend publication until a future date when the
> financial situation permits such expenditures to be made with
> relative ease. He leaves, however, the final decision to your
> Assembly.
> 
> The Committee responsible for the publication of this
> magazine has certainly laboured valiantly throughout the
> years, and the publication will be missed by its readers.
> However, it is some years since the American Bahá'í Magazine
> was abandoned for similar reasons, and the Guardian
> feels that you can do so in Australia, and the funds be used to
> better advantage, at this time. However, now that you have
> found a printer in Sydney and appointed a new committee, he
> thinks you should continue it and give the new Plan a try....
> 
> The successful culmination of the long standing
> partnership of the Australian and New Zealand believers thru
> the emergence of the New Zealand N. S. A. is a source of
> great satisfaction to the Guardian, and no doubt to all the
> members of both communities. He feels sure this will mark
> a turning point in the work in the Antipodes and the
> neighbouring islands and give a new lease of life to the
> teaching work throughout that area. Both your Assembly and
> that of New Zealand have now emerged into your permanent
> form as pillars of the future International House of Justice.
> The bones of the skeleton of the World Order are growing
> strong, but only the teaching work can clothe them with
> flesh....
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> Dear and valued co-workers:
> 
> ...Particularly commendable, and indeed exemplary,
> has been the share of the Australian believers in enabling
> the New-Zealand Bahá'í Community to make such
> rapid strides, in recent years, strides that have prepared it
> for the assumption of its sacred and vital function as an independent
> community, and which culminated in the formation
> of a body qualified to take its place, and assume the weighty
> responsibilities incumbent on it, as a distinct and separate
> member of the world-wide family of Bahá'í national and regional
> Spiritual Assemblies....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., pp. 135, 137, 138)
> 
> 68. August 30th, 1957
> 
> Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the
> Bahá'ís of the City of Auckland.
> Dear Bahá'í Friends:
> 
> This is just a brief note, on behalf of the beloved
> Guardian, to acknowledge your letter of July 5th (8th
> &Rahmat, 114) and tell you he appreciates your action in
> sending the cable to Irán, and assure you of his loving prayers
> for the rapid progress of the Faith in Auckland.
> 
> With warm Bahá'í greetings,
> 
> R. Rabbani
> 
> In the Guardian's own handwriting:
> 
> May the Almighty sustain you in your constant and
> meritorious endeavours, guide every step you take, and bless
> every effort you exert, for the promotion of the interests of His
> Faith,
> 
> Your true brother,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> 69. September 9th, 1957
> 
> National Spiritual Assembly of the
> Bahá'ís of New Zealand.
> Dear Bahá'í Friends:
> 
> The Beloved Guardian is very anxious to secure information
> as to the native tribes which have been contacted by
> any of the Believers in your area; and of course if there are
> any Believers from these Tribes, that would be even more
> interesting.
> 
> Can you prepare a list showing the number of Tribes
> that have been contacted, and of these Tribes, the number
> who have become Believers. This would be very interesting
> information.
> 
> Can you secure it at an early date and send it on to the
> Beloved Guardian.
> 
> With loving Bahá'í Greetings,
> 
> I am Faithfully yours,
> 
> Leroy Ioas
> 
> Part V -- Telegrams to New Zealand
> 
> 70. To Summer School care Bahá'í Assembly Postbox 1906 Auckland January 22nd, 1949 )
> 
> ASSURE ATTENDANTS HEARTFELT LOVING
> PRAYERS SUCCESS SESSION REALIZATION
> DEAREST HOPES DEEPEST APPRECIATION. SHOGHI
> RABBANI
> 
> 71. To Auckland Assembly Box 1906 Auckland December 29th, 1949 )
> 
> GRIEVED PASSING PRECIOUS PIONEER PROMOTER
> FAITH MRS AXFORD PRAYING FERVENTLY
> SHRINES PROGRESS SOUL Abhá KINGDOM HER
> SERVICES UNFORGETTABLE. SHOGHI
> 
> 72. To Summer School Care Auckland Assembly Box 1906 Auckland December 29th, 1949 )
> 
> ASSURE ATTENDANTS SUPPLICATING RICHEST
> BLESSINGS DELIBERATIONS SCHOOL. SHOGHI
> 
> 73. To New Zealand School Care NatBahá'í Sydney December 30th, 1953 )
> 
> LOVING APPRECIATION ASSURANCE FERVENT
> PRAYERS. SHOGHI
> 
> Part VI -- Statements on Various Subjects
> 
> 74. ALCOHOL
> 
> You had asked in connection with the subject of prohibition.
> Of course in every country one must take into consideration
> the exact conditions as to whether by force of
> legislation people can be stopped from drinking, but as a
> principle the Bahá'í teachings are quite against drinking intoxicating
> liquors and from the Bahá'í point of view every
> thing that helps to stop drinking is welcome.
> 
> (Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, December 30th, 1925)
> 
> 75. EVOLUTION
> 
> We cannot prove man was always man for this is a fundamental
> doctrine, but it is based on the assertion that nothing
> can exceed its own potentialities, that everything, a stone, a
> tree, an animal and a human being existed in plan, potentially,
> from the very "beginning" of creation. We don't believe
> man has always had the form of man, but rather that
> from the outset he was going to evolve into the human form
> and species and not be a haphazard branch of the ape family.
> 
> You see our whole approach to each matter is based on
> the belief that God sends us divinely inspired Educators; what
> they tell us is fundamentally true, what science tells us today
> is true; tomorrow may be entirely changed to better explain a
> new set of facts.
> 
> When `Abdu'l-Bahá says man breaks the laws of nature,
> He means we shape nature to meet our own needs, as no
> animal does. Animals adapt themselves to better fit in with
> and benefit from their environment. But men both surmount
> and change environment. Likewise when He says nature is
> devoid of memory He means memory as we have it, not the
> strange memory of inherited habits which animals so strikingly
> possess.
> 
> These various statements must be taken in conjunction
> with all the Bahá'í teachings; we cannot get a correct picture
> by concentrating on just one phrase.
> 
> (Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, June 7th, 1946
> 
> 76. "HERALD OF THE SOUTH"-- Persevere
> 
> I shall pray from all my heart for the steady development
> and the growing influence of the "Herald of the South".
> May its voice grow in strength and power, and may its pages
> increasingly reflect the dynamic spirit of the Faith and mirror
> forth the ever-expanding activities of the friends in Australasia
> as well as in distant lands. Persevere in your efforts,
> let not obstacles damp your zeal and determination and
> rest assured that the Power of God which is reinforcing your
> efforts will in the end triumph and enable you to fulfil your
> cherished desire.
> 
> (Extract, undated letter by Shoghi Effendi)
> 
> 77. "HERALD OF THE SOUTH"-- Effective teaching medium.
> 
> ...Regarding the "Herald of the South" magazine,
> Shoghi Effendi very much appreciates the fact that in spite of
> the many difficulties that your Assembly had to overcome
> this review is being regularly published, and that its standard
> is gradually improving. He would call upon all the English-speaking
> friends to contribute, as often as they can, such articles
> for publication in that magazine as would serve to make
> it a more direct and effective teaching medium for the spread
> of the Cause throughout Australia and New-Zealand. He is
> advising the American N. S. A. to specially ask the cooperation
> of the American believers for that purpose, and hopes
> that the response they will make to this call will be such as to
> further encourage you in your splendid efforts for the publication
> of this national organ of the Faith....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., pp. 12, 13, dated April 15th, 1936)
> 
> 78. "HERALD OF THE SOUTH"-- Difficulties.
> 
> ...The Guardian, while fully aware of the difficulties,
> both financial and otherwise which your N. S. A.[The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand] is facing
> in connection with the publication of the "Herald of the
> South", feels nevertheless the urge to advise you to continue
> with this magazine and not to feel in the least discouraged if
> your efforts for meeting the expenses incurred for its printing
> and circulation, and for raising its literary standard, do not
> bring the expected results. He very deeply values the self-sacrificing
> and sustained efforts exerted by your Assembly in
> this connection. May Bahá'u'lláh richly reward you for all
> your meritorious endeavours....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., p. 16, dated September 23rd, 1936)
> 
> 79. "HERALD OF THE SOUTH"-- Psychic practices.
> 
> ...In connection with the article published in the
> October number of the "Herald of the South" entitled
> "Above the Mists"; the Guardian wishes the believers to
> disregard such subjects as psychic practices and phenomena,
> for these besides not being authenticated by the Writings of
> the Founders of the Faith, pertain mostly to the domain of
> conjectures. The magazines of the "Herald of the South"
> should be devoted to the study and presentation of those subjects
> that reflect the spirit of the Teachings, and which as such
> are worthy of consideration by the believers. As the national
> organ of the Australian and New-Zealand friends its main
> function is to assist in disseminating the knowledge of the
> Cause, and thus develop into an effective teaching medium.
> This is the goal which the editors should have constantly in
> 
> mind, and which they should endeavour to attain through the
> best possible means they can devise at present....
> 
> (Extract, ibid., pp. 25, 26, dated March 30th, 1938)
> 
> 80. PHILOSOPHERS
> 
> We must not take many of `Abdu'l-Bahá's statements
> as dogmatic finalities, for there are other points which when
> added to them round out the picture. For instance, when He
> calls Aristotle and Plato Philosophers of the East, He is obviously
> placing them in that category because He believes they
> belong more correctly to Eastern culture than to Central
> European and the New World cultures of the West. When He
> calls the philosophers of the West materialistic this does not
> for a moment mean He includes all Western philosophers for,
> as you truly point out, many of them have been very spiritual
> in their concepts....
> 
> Historians cannot be sure Socrates did not visit the
> Holy Land. But believing as we do that `Abdu'l-Bahá had an
> intuitive knowledge quite different from our own, we accept
> His authority on this matter....
> 
> The Guardian hopes this will better enable you to
> understand our wonderful Faith--for a living religion it is,
> and not merely a philosophy!
> 
> (Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, June 7th, 1946)
> 
> 81. SCOUTING
> 
> As to the Scout movement, they afford a great disciplinary
> lesson to the young boys and girls provided they are
> not prepared directly for the army. In some towns here we
> have in some of the schools Scout troops who are also students
> of the Colleges and it has proved to be a great educational
> scheme for helping the development of the children but
> they are never taught to carry arms or even the use of firearms.
> And furthermore they are often taught the evils of war
> rather than encourage them to become in future active
> soldiers with imperialistic designs. This of course is my own
> personal view.
> 
> (Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, December 30th, 1925)
> 
> 82. SOUL, MIND AND SPIRIT
> 
> When studying at present, in English, the available
> Bahá'í writings on the subject of body, soul and spirit, one is
> handicapped by a certain lack of clarity because not all were
> translated by the same person, and also there are, as you
> know, still many Bahá'í writings untranslated. But there is no
> doubt that spirit and soul seem to have been interchanged in
> meaning sometimes; soul and mind have, likewise, been interchanged
> in meaning, no doubt due to difficulties arising from
> different translations. What the Bahá'ís do believe though is
> that we have three aspects of our humanness, so to speak, a
> body, a mind and an immortal identity--soul or spirit. We
> believe the mind forms a link between the soul and the body,
> and the two interact on each other.
> 
> (Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, June 7th, 1946)
> 
> Appendix (Notes)
> 
> 1.
> 
> (Letter No. 1) Margaret Stevenson, the first New Zealand Bahá'í
> was born on November 30th, 1865. Her first intimation of the Bahá'í Faith
> was through reading "The Christian Commonwealth" and she admitted
> later that "she did not think any more about it". She received this journal
> from her sister who was in London studying music and had heard
> `Abdu'l-Bahá address the congregation of St. John's, Westminster at the
> invitation of Canon Wilberforce. She was so impressed that when another
> discourse given by `Abdu'l-Bahá at City Temple, London was printed in
> "The Christian Commonwealth" dated March 27th, 1911, she sent a copy
> of the journal to Margaret in New Zealand. In 1912, Miss Dorothea Spinney
> arrived in Auckland from London and stayed with Margaret at her
> home, "Clunie", 3, Cowie Street, Parnell where she talked about the
> Bahá'í Cause and her own meeting with `Abdu'l-Bahá. To quote Margaret's
> own words: "As a child, I used to wish I had lived when Christ was
> on earth. As Miss Spinney spoke, I remembered my childhood wish, and
> the thought came to me that I too might have denied Him as so many others
> had done. It was this secret thought that made me seriously think of what I
> heard from Miss Spinney, and through God's grace and mercy I was
> enabled to grasp and believe in Bahá'u'lláh and His Message".["The Bahá'í World, Vol. IX, 1940-1944", pp. 600-602. Bahá'í Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois, 1945] Margaret
> spoke to others of her belief and obtained literature from America, becoming
> a subscriber to "Star of the West". Eventually a study group was
> formed in Auckland and for ten years, Margaret's home was a venue for
> these classes. It was here that the first Bahá'í Feast in New Zealand took
> place in January, 1923.
> 
> In 1925, Margaret was one of a small group who journeyed from
> New Zealand to the Holy Land on pilgrimage, and after an inspiring nineteen
> days in Haifa, travelled on to England where she met with the English
> Bahá'í community. The pilgrims arrived back in Auckland in December,
> 1925, bringing with them some dust from the Tomb of Bahá'u'lláh which
> was placed in New Zealand soil at the Stevenson's home in a ceremony
> held on February 14th, 1926.
> 
> In such a geographically remote country, the early New Zealand
> believers had scant knowledge of Bahá'í administration and erroneously
> called themselves an Assembly as early as 1924. This was corrected with
> 
> the receipt of a booklet on the subject and the first properly constituted
> Bahá'í Assembly in New Zealand was formed on April 21st, 1926, with
> Margaret Stevenson as its Secretary. A steadfast worker, Margaret was a
> member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia
> and New Zealand which was elected in 1934, and served the Bahá'í Cause
> with faithfulness and efficiency until her passing to the Abhá Kingdom on
> February 11th, 1941.
> 
> 2.
> 
> (Letter No. 1) Born in London in 1855, Hyde Dunn was engaged in
> business in Britain and continental Europe before emigrating to the United
> States. In 1905, whilst at a tinsmith's shop in Seattle, he observed the
> shopkeeper in excited conversation with a man who had just returned from
> the Prison of `Akká and the presence of `Abdu'l-Bahá; he overheard the
> quotation "Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country, but let him
> glory in this, that he loves his kind". Hyde Dunn later recalled that "The
> words reached me with dynamic force, its truth and power crystallised in
> my heart--a new consciousness awakened... That one glorious utterance
> magnetised my whole being, appealed as a new note, sent forth from
> God to His wandering creatures--a Message from the Supreme to the sons
> of men".["The Bahá'í World, Vol. IX, 1940-1944", pp. 593-596. Bahá'í Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois, 1945] Recognising the Truth, Hyde Dunn interrupted the conversation,
> and accepted immediately the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh. The year
> was 1905.
> 
> In 1912, he was present at a meeting with `Abdu'l-Bahá in San
> Francisco and declared it was the Master's "penetrating glance, his life
> giving words, he felt gave him the power that enabled him later to become
> the spiritual conqueror of a continent". Accompanied by his English born
> wife, Clara, he answered the call of the "Tablets of the Divine Plan" and
> on April 18th, 1920 reached Australia whence they travelled to New Zealand
> in 1922-3, not knowing there was already a believer there (Margaret
> Stevenson). With their arrival in Auckland, the Cause grew in that country
> and when Hyde Dunn left to return to Australia, Clara remained for a time
> to organise a study group in New Zealand.
> 
> Known affectionately among Bahá'ís as "Mother" and "Father"
> Dunn, they carried the Message of Bahá'u'lláh from New South Wales to
> Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, across the desert to Perth and to
> tropical Queensland and became the spiritual parents of Australia. After
> "Mother" Dunn returned from a lone pilgrimage to the Holy Land,
> "Father" was elected a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of
> 
> the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand in 1934. After his passing on
> February 17th, 1941, "Mother" Dunn's dedication to the Bahá'í Faith
> continued unabated and in 1952 she was elevated to the station of Hand of
> the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith:
> "Father" Dunn was subsequently elevated to the same station posthumously.
> 
> Despite her advanced years, "Mother" Dunn returned to New Zealand
> in 1957 as representative of the Guardian at the formation of the first
> National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of New Zealand. In March,
> 1958, at the request of the Guardian, she placed plaster from the Castle of
> &Mah-Ku in the foundations of the Australasian Bahá'í House of Worship in
> Sydney during the Australian Inter-Continental Conference. Until her passing
> to the Abhá Kingdom in 1960 at the age of 91 years, "Mother" Dunn
> retained her memory of many Bahá'í prayers and was reciting these at the
> time of her death.
> 
> 3.
> 
> (Letter No. 2) The Blundell family: Mrs Sarah Blundell was born at
> Burwell, Cambridgeshire, England in 1850, a year sacred in Bahá'í history
> as that of the Báb's martyrdom, and was destined to become one of the
> pioneers of the Bahá'í Cause in New Zealand. She received her early religious
> training from her "Non-Conformist" father, a man whose strong
> convictions led him to withdraw his seven year old daughter from religious
> instruction classes at her boarding school. The feeling of isolation which
> followed caused her to think for herself and she had the rare distinction of
> being one of the first women to enter the Cambridge University Examinations
> in an age prejudiced against the education of women.
> 
> In 1886, with her husband and seven children, she arrived in New
> Zealand where she endured hardship and difficulties in a strange country.
> She persisted in her unfettered search for truth and rejected several dogmas
> until, with an open mind and a prepared heart, she read in "The Christian
> Commonwealth" of `Abdu'l-Bahá's visit to London in 1911 and sent overseas
> for additional literature. When Mr and Mrs Dunn arrived in Auckland
> in 1922-3, Mrs Blundell invited them to her home, "Lymbury", Ridings
> Road, Remuera to meet a group of twenty people whom she thought might
> be interested. This was the first Bahá'í meeting held in New Zealand and
> shortly afterwards Mrs Blundell accepted the Bahá'í Faith.
> 
> On hearing from Martha Root that Shoghi Effendi and the Ladies of
> the Household were eager to welcome the New Zealand friends, Sarah
> Blundell arranged to make the journey to the Holy Land in 1925 visit the
> Holy Family, and the Shrines of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá,
> and to meet in person many other Bahá'ís--this was "a crowning gift to
> one whose spiritual path had been travelled alone."["The Bahá'í World, Vol. VI, 1934-1936", pp. 496-498. Bahá'í Publishing Committee, New York, 1937] She returned to New
> Zealand after first going home to England to see her relatives and, at the
> Guardian's suggestion, make personal contact with the English Bahá'í
> community. She continued to work unsparingly in New Zealand to serve
> the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh until her passing at the age of eighty-four years on
> December 20th, 1934.
> 
> One of her daughters, Ethel Blundell who accepted the Bahá'í Faith
> in 1925, was a delegate to the first Bahá'í Convention and was elected as a
> member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia
> and New Zealand in May, 1934.
> 
> Mrs Blundell's son, Hugh, was also destined to serve the Bahá'í
> Cause. Although not at that time a Bahá'í, Hugh accompanied his mother
> and sister on their pilgrimage to Haifa in 1925 and accepted the Faith the
> following year. A tireless worker for the Cause, he was New Zealand's first
> Auxiliary Board Member and passed to the Abhá Kingdom on October
> 16th, 1976 in his ninety-second year.
> 
> 4.
> 
> (Letter No. 2) Effie Baker became disenchanted with the Church
> and, having an open and enquiring attitude, was one of a committee formed
> in Melbourne responsible for arranging speakers to address the "New
> Thought" organisation. This led her to attend a public meeting at which
> Hyde Dunn spoke on the Bahá'í Faith and, recognising the truth of the
> Message, Effie Baker accepted the Faith the same evening and so became
> the first woman believer in Australia. She accompanied Martha Root on the
> latter's lecture tour of New Zealand and, learning of the New Zealand
> Bahá'ís projected journey to the Holy Land in 1925, Effie sold her home
> and joined the pilgrims.
> 
> After the bounty of visiting the Shrines and meeting with the
> Guardian and the Greatest Holy Leaf, Effie acceded to Shoghi Effendi's
> request and accompanied the New Zealand friends to London so as to contact
> the British Bahá'í community. She planned to return to Australia and
> assist the Dunns, and had accepted an invitation from the Ladies of the
> Holy Family to stop over in Haifa on her homeward journey, but on arriving
> there in June, she found Shoghi Effendi was away from the Holy Land
> and so decided to wait until he returned. Her offer to serve was accepted
> and she remained at the World Centre of the Bahá'í Faith in Israel for the
> next eleven years where she assumed the duties of hostess, welcoming the
> friends to the Pilgrim House, using her artistry and talent to photograph
> events in Haifa for the Guardian. In 1930, when the need arose to secure
> 
> photographs of places in Persia associated with the early history of the
> Bahá'í Faith, Effie undertook arduous journeys by road through Syria and
> Iraq, undeterred by danger from hostile bandits. This intrepid worker now
> embarked on an exacting and fruitful period of direct service to the Guardian,
> often using cars supplied by the Persian believers, at times travelling
> on horseback, mule or donkey to all but a few sites where it was too
> dangerous for a westerner to venture. The unique photographic record she
> obtained was immortalised by being selected by the Guardian for inclusion
> in Nabil's "The Dawnbreakers".
> 
> In 1936, Effie returned to her homeland, Australia, where she
> looked after the National Archives over a long period. Her last years were
> spent in a small flat in the Haziratu'l-Quds in Sydney at the invitation of
> the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand who had been
> requested by the Guardian to take care of her until her passing on January
> 2nd, 1968.
> 
> 5.
> 
> (Letter No. 15) Mrs Amy Dewing and her son Bertram were
> among New Zealand's earliest Bahá'ís; Mrs Dewing came from an orthodox
> Church of England background and viewed with disapproval her
> son's questioning attitude which led him to describe himself as a Rationalist.
> They heard of and accepted the Truth of the Bahá'í Cause after
> meeting with "Mother" and "Father" Dunn in Devonport, Auckland and,
> in 1926, both of them served as members of the first Local Spiritual Assembly
> in Auckland. Amy Dewing, as one of a small and persevering
> group of New Zealand believers, was active in spreading the Message as
> was her son through whose efforts a Bahá'í magazine was published in
> Australia and New Zealand to promote the teachings. Prior to her passing
> in 1957, Amy Dewing witnessed the emergence of the New Zealand community
> as an independent entity.
> 
> Having travelled extensively overseas, Bertram Dewing eventually
> settled in Auckland. A tireless worker for the Faith, he was a member of the
> first Local Spiritual Assembly in Devonport in 1951 and in 1958 was
> elected to the second National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of New
> Zealand. He pioneered to Hokianga in the same year and a decade later assisted
> in spreading the Faith to New Plymouth where he worked for the
> Cause with unabated zeal until he passed to the Abhá Kingdom in 1972 at
> the age of seventy.
> 
> 6.
> 
> (Letter No. 16) Dr Habib, whose older brother attained martyrdom,
> was born in 1888 at Kermanshah, Persia and was given the name
> Mu'ayyad (meaning `confirmed') by `Abdu'l-Bahá. At the age of twenty-one,
> when en route to Beirut to begin his medical studies at the American
> University, he spent a month in the Holy Land with `Abdu'l-Bahá who took
> a personal interest in his progress. Thereafter he returned each summer to
> serve the Cause, extending hospitality to visitors and pilgrims, recording
> daily events, acquiring spiritual knowledge from outstanding Bahá'í
> scholars and being entrusted with the receipt and dispatch of Tablets.
> Referring to Habib's student days, `Abdu'l-Bahá extolled the young man's
> influence, detachment and sanctity, saying "the fragrance of Beirut" perfumed
> His nostrils.
> 
> After graduating from the University of Beirut in 1914, Dr Habib
> operated a dispensary at Abu-Sinan, a Druse village northeast of `Akká
> where the Master had temporarily settled the Bahá'ís: this period of close
> contact with the Holy Family and daily lessons from `Abdu'l-Bahá he was
> later to describe as the "most precious segment of his life". In a Tablet to
> Dr Habib's father, `Abdu'l-Bahá described this dedicated young Bahá'í as
> "A lamp enkindled with the love of God".
> 
> In 1915, responding to the Master's specific instructions, Dr Habib
> returned to his birthplace to practice his profession and teach the Faith to
> which he was so deeply devoted, and was for forty years a member of the
> Local Spiritual Assembly of Kermanshah, also serving for a period on the
> National Spiritual Assembly. His published works include two volumes of
> reminiscences based on the principles of the Covenant and the history of
> the Cause, whilst his much loved poem entitled "Hold Thou my Hand, O
> `Abdu'l-Bahá" is widely sung at gatherings of the Bahá'ís in Irán. Dr
> &Habib Mu'ayyad passed to the Abhá Kingdom on October 29th, 1971.
> 
> 7.
> 
> (Letter No. 16) The Moslem calendar dates from Muhammad's
> emigration or Hijrah from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D. The Moslem year
> begins with the month of Muharram of which the first ten days are observed
> by Shi'ah Moslems as part of their mourning period for the Imams. The
> tenth day is called Ashura and commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn,
> the grand-son of Muhammad, who was cut down by thirty-three strokes of
> swords and lances and decapitated: his clothes were torn from him and his
> naked body trampled by horses hooves.
> 
> 8.
> 
> (Letter No. 23) Mrs Emily Axford was born in Huddersfield,
> England on October 19th, 1870 and was an infant teacher before her marriage.
> In 1907, the family emigrated to New Zealand where her husband
> practiced medicine in Te Aroha until his passing in 1912, after which Mrs
> Axford moved to Auckland so as to educate her three children. Having rejected
> conventional Christianity, she was attracted by the New England
> Transcendental Movement until she became aware of the Bahá'í Faith
> through her friendship with Sarah Blundell and was enrolled as a member
> in 1923. Three years later, Mrs Axford was elected Chairman of the first
> Local Spiritual Assembly in Auckland and for many years conducted
> classes in public speaking to help the friends overcome their shyness and
> reticence so that they might teach the Faith effectively. Emily was one of
> three New Zealand delegates who attended the National Convention held
> in Sydney during 1934 and the following year was elected to the National
> Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand. She continued
> to work staunchly for the Faith, being appointed in 1946 to the Regional
> Teaching Committee responsible for formulating teaching plans
> throughout New Zealand. The following year, she assumed the delicate
> task of conducting negotiations with the immigration authorities so that
> Bahá'ís from Persia might be permitted to enter New Zealand as University
> students, and was actively engaged in this work up to the time of her passing
> on December 26th, 1949.
> 
> 9.
> 
> (Letter No. 33) Born in 1900, Miss Kitty Carpenter became a
> Bahá'í in 1936 since when many members of the Carpenter-Hancock family
> of which she is a member have followed her and joined the Faith. An
> adventurous and enquiring soul, she undertook her first pilgrimage to
> Haifa in 1938, arriving there shortly after the marriage of Shoghi Effendi
> and, after living for two years in Australia, she returned to New Zealand
> where she embarked on a life of service to the Cause. Towards the end of
> the Second World War, she willingly made available her premises (a
> counter lunch-shop) in Anzac Avenue as a venue for the Auckland Bahá'í
> community and, in the 1950's, responded to the call by travel teaching in
> Mangakino and Whangarei. She served on the National Spiritual Assembly
> of the Bahá'ís of New Zealand during 1958 and, two years later, moved
> from Christchurch to Hamilton to aid in establishing an assembly there.
> 1964 saw her travel teaching in Invercargill and the following year she was
> appointed to the National Teaching Committee. Responding to the need for
> the believers to establish another assembly, Kitty finally made her home in
> Tauranga where she is an active and much loved exponent of the Cause.
> 
> 10.
> 
> (Letter No. 37) This refers to a book on Islam written by Bertram
> Dewing which was never published.
> 
> Appendix - Addresses
> 
> Letters addressed to individuals by letter number. Only letters presented in
> their entirety are indicated.
> 
> 1. Margaret Stevenson
> 
> 2. Sarah Blundell
> 
> 3. Margaret Stevenson
> 
> 4. Bertram Dewing
> 
> 5. Margaret Stevenson
> 
> 6. Margaret Stevenson
> 
> 7. Bertram Dewing
> 
> 8. Margaret Stevenson
> 
> 9. Sarah Blundell
> 
> 10. Sarah Blundell
> 
> 11. Margaret Stevenson
> 
> 12. Evelyn Watkin
> 
> 13. Bertram Dewing
> 
> 14. Sarah Blundell
> 
> 15. Amy Dewing
> 
> 16. Amy Dewing
> 
> 17. Evelyn Watkin
> 
> 18. Margaret Stevenson
> 
> 19. ...[Unable to identify. Department of the Secretariat, Universal House of Justice, August, 1979]
> 
> 20. Bertram Dewing
> 
> 21. Amy Dewing
> 
> 22. Amy Dewing
> 
> 23. Emily Axford
> 
> 24. Eleanor Leighton
> 
> 25. Bertram Dewing
> 
> 26. Ethel Blundell
> 
> 27. Amy Dewing
> 
> 28. Ethel Blundell
> 
> 29. Emily Axford
> 
> 30. Emily Axford
> 
> 31. Emily Axford
> 
> 32. Emily Axford
> 
> 33. Kitty Carpenter
> 
> 34. Emily Axford
> 
> 35. Emily Axford
> 
> 36. Emily Axford
> 
> 37. Bertram Dewing
> 
> 38. Kitty Carpenter
> 
> 39. Bertram Dewing
> 
> 40. Kitty Carpenter
> 
> 41. Kitty Carpenter
> 
> 42. E. Axford, Auckland Bahá'í Group
> 
> 43. E. Axford, Chairman, Auckland Spiritual Assembly
> 
> 44. M. Stevenson, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual Assembly
> 
> 45. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 46. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 47. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 48. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 49. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 50. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 51. Auckland Spiritual Assembly
> 
> 52. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 53. Auckland Spiritual Assembly
> 
> 54. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 55. D. Dive, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual Assembly
> 
> 56. Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Auckland, New Zealand
> 
> 57. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 58. E. B. Dewing, Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Auckland, New Zealand
> 
> 59. M. G. Bolton, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 60. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 61. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 62. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand
> 
> 63. Secretary, Regional Teaching Committee for New Zealand
> 
> 64. The Guardian's message to the first Bahá'í Convention in New Zealand, sent to Mrs Clara Dunn; she was asked to read it on behalf of the Guardian at the Convention and then give it to the New Zealand National Spiritual Assembly
> 
> 65. Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of New Zealand
> 
> 66. Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of New Zealand
> 
> 67. N. P. L. Walker, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia
> 
> 68. Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the City of Auckland
> 
> 69. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of New Zealand
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views39783 views since posted 1999-10-01; last edit 2026-05-03 07:54 UTC;
> 
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