[From the Guardian:]
The strife and bloodshed, with their attendant misery, sorrow and
confusion, that have afflicted the entire subcontinent of India, in recent
months, have caused me the gravest concern. The disorders, following in
the wake of this great crisis in the life of its people, constitute a
challenge, which the Community of the steadfast followers of Baha'u'llah
in that land must resolutely face, and demonstrate in meeting it the
quality of their faith, the depth of their devotion, the strength of their
unity, the solidity of their institutions and the heroic character of
their resolve. They must neither feel alarmed, nor falter or hesitate in
the execution of their Plan. Shielded by the institutions which their
hands have reared, abiding securely in the stronghold of their love for
Baha'u'llah and their devotion to His Faith, pursuing with unrelaxing
vigilance and singleness of purpose the course set by the Plan they
themselves have inaugurated, heartened by the initial success already
achieved since that Plan was set in motion, they, however much buffeted by
present circumstances, and no matter how perilous the path they now tread,
must press forward, unafraid of persecution, scorn of calumny, towards the
shining goals they have set themselves to attain.
The newly-fledged Assemblies, constituted with so much labour and
sacrifice, must above all be thoroughly safe-guarded. The administrative
nuclei formed throughout the length and breadth of that land, must,
however great the effort demanded, be preserved and continually fostered,
and enabled to develop into groups destined in time to evolve into firmly
knit Assemblies. The obstacles that have arisen in connection with the
purchase and registration of the Haziratu'l-Quds in Delhi must be
resolutely overcome and all the subsidiary issues connected with it
definitely and speedily settled, enabling thereby the attention of your
Assembly to be focussed on the vital requirements of the teaching work on
which the prosperity of the community and its rapid growth must ultimately
depend. Attention, moreover, should be directed to the completion of the
task undertaken in connexion with the translation and publication of the
New Era in the few remaining languages selected for that purpose. The
dissemination of Baha'i literature should, likewise, be simultaneously
carried out with increasing vigour. Whatever measures are required to
ensure a more systematic and extensive propagation of the teaching of the
Faith among the masses must be promptly and unhesitatingly adopted.
The hour is indeed propitious. The ordeals and tribulations which the
hungry, the dispossessed, the sick, as well as the disillusioned and
restless multitudes, are now experiencing, offer the bearers of the
Message of the Most Great Name, an opportunity which may never again
recur. There is no time to lose. Every warrior in the ever-advancing army
of Baha'u'llah must arise and participate in this holy crusade. The
rewards and prizes to be won are inestimable. However circumscribed its
resources, however small its numbers, however formidable the obstacles
with which it is confronted, the entire community of the believers in
India, Burma and Pakistan, must arise as one man, and, pledging anew its
fidelity to its Faith prove itself fully worthy of the Cause it has
espoused and the high mission it has undertaken.