He, likewise, wishes to call special attention to the work in Africa which
is very promising and which is going ahead very well. Your Assembly must
do all it can to speedily get pioneers settled in the two countries
allotted to you as your portion in this historic campaign. Also, you
should keep in close touch with the British NSA as they are the
co-ordinators of this work, and well situated in order to give advice as
English experts, having had such a long contact with Africa, its peoples
and problems, are available in London and elsewhere for consultation with
the British Africa Committee. 19-Month Plan--Third of its Kind
[From the Guardian:]
The initiation of the 19-Month Plan by the elected representatives of the
Baha'i Communities of the sub-continent of India and of Burma--the third of
its kind undertaken by them since the inception of the epoch marking the
commencement of the Formative Age of the Baha'i Dispensation--evokes my
deepest admiration. Through this spontaneous act, momentous in its
consequences, and eloquently testifying to the initiative, the zeal and
the valour of the followers of Baha'u'llah in India, Pakistan and Burma,
the body of their elected national representatives can well boast of the
distinction it has achieved, throughout the Baha'i world through the
successive formulation of no less than three far-reaching Plans since the
inauguration of the First Epoch in the history of the systematic
prosecution of Abdu'l-Baha's Divine Plan. This striking demonstration of
their resourcefulness and dedication to the interests of the Faith is,
indeed, highly praiseworthy, extremely encouraging and augurs well for the
future of the Mission which it is theirs to carry out, in the years to
come, not only in that subcontinent and the adjoining territories and
neighbouring islands, but in South Asia as well.
They cannot, however, ensure the success of the Plan they have devised,
unless the unity and solidarity of those who are participating in its
execution, and above all the harmony of the body directing its operation,
are safeguarded, maintained and consolidated. Time is pressing. The issues
involved are momentous. The centenary celebrations of the birth of
Baha'u'llah's prophetic Mission will soon be upon us. The inauguration of
the first organized Crusade, in which several Baha'i National Spiritual
Assemblies, in no less than four continents of the globe will be
intimately associated, for the purpose of proclaiming the Message of
Baha'u'llah in the South Pacific Islands as well as in South Eastern Asia,
must directly depend upon the successful conclusion of the Plan now
envisaged. The obligations involved in, and the privileges conferred by,
such an association--an association that will find its parallel in the
collective and organized effort now being exerted in the African
Continent, as well as in the joint campaign destined to be launched, by
other national Baha'i communities, in both Northern and North Eastern
Asia,--are at once sacred and unique. Their significance, at this early
stage, cannot be fully apprehended. It is not for them, however, to
attempt at the present time, to assess their value. Theirs, rather, is the
duty, to avoid any action or thought that might delay the unfoldment of so
glorious a Plan or damage so splendid a destiny.
The members of all the communities participating in this Nineteen-Month
Plan, which may be regarded as a prelude to the mighty and historic
Crusade, of still vaster dimensions and nobler scope, that is to be
launched in the future, irrespective of race, creed, or class, of either
sex and of every age, must rise as one man to the occasion that now
presents itself.
No trace of bickering, no consciousness of racial distinction, no petty
jealousies, must be allowed, under any circumstances, to darken the
glorious prospect opening before them. They must neither flinch, nor
hesitate nor lose sight, however briefly, of the distant and shining goal.
An all-powerful, all-loving, all-Bountiful Master, watching their
exertions from on high, will, surely, bless their effort, will intercede
on their behalf before the throne of His all-glorious Father, and will, if
they persevere in their high endeavours, render them victorious.
I, for my part, will, with a prayerful heart, follow the course of their
activities, and will continue to lend them whatever assistance that lies
in my power, for the complete discharge of their inescapable duty and the
total fulfilment of their united pledge to the Author of their Faith.