In connection with the World Unity Conferences, which you have organized,
I desire to assure you of my heartfelt appreciation of such a splendid
conception. I am profoundly impressed by the generous assistance
spontaneously offered by those who, faithful to their other obligations,
have risen to insure the financial success of such a noble Plan. I am
grateful to those local Assemblies and individuals who have given it their
whole-hearted support in their respective fields.
As to the policy that should be adopted with regard to these Conferences
and other Baha'i activities in general, it appears increasingly evident
that as the Movement grows in strength and power the National Spiritual
Assemblies should be encouraged, if circumstances permit and the means at
their disposal justify, to resort to the twofold method of directly and
indirectly winning the enlightened public to the unqualified acceptance of
the Baha'i Faith. The one method would assume an open, decisive and
challenging tone. The other, without implying in any manner the slightest
departure from strict loyalty to the Cause of God, would be progressive
and cautious. Experience will reveal the fact that each of the methods in
its own special way might suit a particular temperament and class of
people, and that each in the present state of a constantly fluctuating
society, should be judiciously attempted and utilized.
It is, I feel, for the National representatives of the believers in every
land to utilize and combine both methods, the outspoken as well as the
gradual, in such a manner as to secure the greatest benefits and the
fullest advantage for this steadily-growing Cause. Every staunch and
high-minded believer is thoroughly convinced of the unfailing efficacy of
every humanitarian undertaking which boldly and unreservedly proclaims the
source of its motive power to be the consciousness of the Revelation of
Baha'u'llah. Yet, if we but call to mind the practice generally adopted by
'Abdu'l-Baha, we cannot fail to perceive the wisdom, nay the necessity, of
gradually and cautiously disclosing to the eyes of an unbelieving world
the implications of a Truth which, by its own challenging nature, it is so
difficult for it to comprehend and embrace.
It was He, our beloved 'Abdu'l-Baha, our true and shining Exemplar, who
with infinite tact and patience, whether in His public utterances or in
private converse, adapted the presentation of the fundamentals of the
Cause to the varying capacities and the spiritual receptiveness of His
hearers. He never hesitated, however, to tear the veil asunder and reveal
to the spiritually ripened those challenging verities that set forth in
its true light the relationship of this Supreme Revelation with the
Dispensations of the past. Unashamed and unafraid when challenged to
assert in its entirety the stupendous claim of Baha'u'llah, Baha'is,
whether laboring as individuals or functioning as an organized community,
feel certain that in the face of the apathy, the gross materialism, and
the superficiality of society today, a progressive disclosure of the
magnitude of the claim of Baha'u'llah would constitute the most effective
means for the attainment of the end so greatly desired by even the
staunchest and most zealous advocate of the Faith.
Fully aware of the repeated statements of 'Abdu'l-Baha that universality
is of God, Baha'is in every land are ready, nay anxious, to associate
themselves by word and deed with any association of men which, after
careful scrutiny, they feel satisfied is free from every tinge of
partisanship and politics and is wholly devoted to the interests of all
mankind. In their collaboration with such associations they would extend
any moral and material assistance they can afford, after having fulfilled
their share of support to those institutions that affect directly the
interests of the Cause. They should always bear in mind, however, the
dominating purpose of such a collaboration which is to secure in time the
recognition by those with whom they are associated of the paramount
necessity and the true significance of the Baha'i Revelation in this day.
As the Movement extends the bounds of its influence and its opportunities
for fuller recognition multiply, the twofold character of the obligations
imposed on its National elected representatives should, I feel, be
increasingly emphasized. Whilst chiefly engaged in the pursuit of their
major task, consisting chiefly in the formation and the consolidation of
Baha'i administrative institutions, they should endeavor to participate,
within recognized limits, in the work of institutions which though unaware
of the claim of the Baha'i Cause are prompted by a sincere desire to
promote the spirit that animates the Faith. In the pursuit of their major
task their function is to preserve the identity of the Cause and the
purity of the mission of Baha'u'llah. In their minor undertaking their
purpose should be to imbue with the spirit of power and strength such
movements as in their restricted scope are endeavoring to achieve what is
near and dear to the heart of every true Baha'i. It would even appear at
times to be advisable and helpful as a supplement to their work for the
Baha'is to initiate any undertaking, not specifically designated as
Baha'i, provided they have ascertained that such an undertaking would
constitute the best way of approach to those whose minds and hearts are as
yet unprepared for a full acceptance of the claim of Baha'u'llah. These
twofold obligations devolving upon organized Baha'i communities, far from
neutralizing the effects of one another or of appearing antagonistic in
their aims, should be regarded as complementary and fulfilling, each in
its way, a vital and necessary function.
It is for the National representatives of the Baha'i Cause to observe the
conditions under which they labor, to estimate the forces that are at work
in their own surroundings, to weigh carefully and prayerfully the merits
of either procedure, and to form a correct judgment as to the degree of
emphasis that should be placed upon these twofold methods. Then and only
then will they be enabled to protect and stimulate on one hand the
independent growth of the Baha'i Faith, and on the other vindicate the
claim of its universal principles to the doubtful and unbelieving.
I have already considered these delicate and complex issues with the
Baha'i representatives whom I have requested to gather in the Holy Land in
the hope of arriving at the best possible solution of the pressing and
intricate problems that confront the development of the Baha'i Cause. I
have asked our dearly-beloved brother, Mr. Mountfort Mills, whose services
to the Cause only future generations can estimate, to acquaint you with
these and other considerations, the delicacy and scope of which only a
verbal explanation can adequately reveal. He will fully and
authoritatively inform you regarding the policy that should govern the
conduct of the Star of the West, the character and the range of the Baha'i
Bibliography to be inserted in the next edition of the Baha'i Year Book,
the present position of Baha'u'llah's House in Ba_gh_dad, the hopes and
desires I cherish for the successful conclusion of the Plan of Unified
Action, and the consequences and possibilities involved in the decision of
Egypt's religious Tribunal regarding the Muslim Baha'is in that land.
The splendid record of the action taken by the national and local
representatives of the Baha'is of the United States and Canada, embodied
in the compilation of newspaper cuttings which you have recently sent me,
will be forwarded to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
Persia. I will request them to pass it on from hand to hand, that the rank
and file of the sufferers in that distracted country may obtain the
strength and solace which the perusal of such a noble record of service is
bound to produce.
Regarding the publicity campaign, recently launched, with your consent and
under your general supervision, by a group of devoted friends, I desire to
express my earnest hope that it may be richly blessed by our Beloved and
yield abundant fruit. I am gratified to learn that those who have
conceived such a comprehensive plan and have generously supported it by
every means in their power have refrained from any action that would
involve the imposing of a fresh burden upon those who have incurred the
financial obligations connected with the Budget Plan. I earnestly hope
that those who have undertaken to finance this project with such
spontaneous generosity have already fulfilled their sacred obligations in
connection with the Plan, and will not allow any pledges they have made
for publicity to interfere with their regular contributions to the
National Fund, the paramount importance of which has already been
emphasized.