But let us all remember, in this connection, that prior to every
conceivable measure destined to raise the efficiency of our administrative
activities, more vital than any scheme which the most resourceful amongst
us can devise, far above the most elaborate structure which the concerted
efforts of organized Assemblies can hope to raise, is the realization down
in the innermost heart of every true believer of the regenerating power,
the supreme necessity, the unfailing efficacy of the Message he bears. I
assure you, dear friends, that nothing short of such an immovable
conviction could have in days past enabled our beloved Cause to weather
the blackest storms in its history. Naught else can today vitalize the
manifold activities in which unnumbered disciples of the Faith are
engaged; naught else can provide that driving force and sustaining power
that are both so essential to the success of vast and enduring
achievements. It is this spirit that above all else we should sedulously
guard, and strive with all our might to fortify and exemplify in all our
undertakings.
Moved by an irresistible impulse, I have addressed to Her Majesty in the
name of the Baha'is of both the East and the West a written expression of
our joyous admiration and gratitude for the queenly tribute which Her
Majesty has paid to the beauty and nobility of the Baha'i Teachings. I
have, moreover, assured Her Majesty of the far-reaching effect which her
superb testimony will inevitably produce, and of the welcome consolation
it has already brought to the silent sufferers in that distracted country.
To my message of appreciation and gratitude there has come lately a
written response, penned by Her Majesty, profoundly touching, singularly
outspoken, and highly significant in the testimony it bears. From this
queenly tribute to a divine ideal I quote these penetrating words:
"Indeed a great light came to me with the Message of Baha'u'llah and
'Abdu'l-Baha. It came as all great messages come at an hour of dire grief
and inner conflict and distress, so the seed sank deeply.... We pass on
the Message from mouth to mouth and all those we give it to see a light
suddenly lighting before them and much that was obscure and perplexing
becomes simple, luminous and full of hope as never before. That my open
letter was balm to those suffering for the Cause is indeed a great
happiness to me, and I take it as a sign that God accepted my humble
tribute.... With bowed head I recognize that I too am but an instrument in
greater Hands and rejoice in the knowledge...."
Dear friends, with feelings of profound emotion we recall the glowing
promises that have so often fallen from the lips of our departed Master,
and with throbbing hearts rejoice in the gradual realization of His most
cherished desire.
And as we call to mind the circumstances that have led to such a notable
advance, we are filled with admiration for that unique and great-hearted
apostle of Baha'u'llah, our dearly-beloved Martha Root, who under trying
circumstances and almost single-handed in her efforts, has so wonderfully
paved the way for the universal recognition of the Cause of God. In her
case we have verily witnessed in an unmistakable manner what the power of
dauntless faith, when coupled with sublimity of character, can achieve,
what forces it can release, to what heights it can rise.
Let such remarkable revelations of the reality and continuity of the
divine purpose, made manifest from time to time to us His feeble children,
serve to fortify our faith in Him, to warm the chill which fleeting
misfortunes may leave behind, and fill us with that celestial potency
which alone can enable us to withstand the storm and stress that lives
dedicated to His service must needs encounter.
Your true brother,
SHOGHI.
Haifa, Palestine,
October 7th, 1926.
Letter of October 29, 1926.
To the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout
the West.
Dear fellow-workers in the Divine Vineyard:
It will gladden and rejoice every one of you to learn that from various
quarters there has of late reached the Holy Land tidings of fresh
developments that are a clear indication of those hidden and transforming
influences which, from the source of Baha'u'llah's mystic strength,
continue to flow with ever-increasing vitality into the heart of this
troubled world.
Both in the wider field of its spiritual conquests, where its indomitable
spirit is forging ahead, capturing the heights, pervading the multitude;
as well as in the gradual consolidation of the administrative structure
which its avowed followers the world over are laboring to raise and
fortify, the Faith of Baha'u'llah, we can increasingly discern, bids fair
to become that force which, though not as yet universally recognized, none
can afford to belittle or ignore.
In the bold and repeated testimonies which Her Majesty, Queen Marie of
Roumania, has chosen to give to the world,--a copy of whose latest
pronouncement I enclose,(13)--we truly recognize evidences of the
irresistible power, the increasing vitality, the strange working of a
Faith destined to regenerate the world. Her Majesty's striking tribute
paid to the illuminative power of the Teachings of Baha'u'llah and
'Abdu'l-Baha is bound to effect an entire transformation in the attitude
of many to a Faith the tenets of which have often been misunderstood and
sorely neglected. It will serve as a fresh stimulus to the enlightened and
cultured to investigate with an open mind the verities of its message, the
source of its life-giving principles.