"Regarding the age of fifteen fixed by Baha'u'llah: This relates only to
purely spiritual functions and obligations and is not related to the
degree of administrative capacity and fitness which is a totally different
thing, and is, for the present, fixed at twenty-one."
"Baha'i youth under twenty-one may serve on Committees.
"The question of young Baha'is being permitted to serve on committees
other than the Youth Committee has been raised in a number of letters
recently, and in considering the matter he felt that Baha'i young people
under twenty-one should not be denied the privilege of committee work.
Though they cannot be voting members of Baha'i communities (or exercise
the electoral vote at all until they reach that age), and though they
cannot, likewise, be elected to Assemblies, there is no reason why they
should not serve the Cause on various committees as all committees,
national or local, are subordinate to Assemblies and their members not
elected but appointed, and appointed by Assemblies. We have many devoted
and talented young believers who can be of great assistance to the Cause
even though not yet legally of age."
"This Cause, although it embraces with equal esteem people of all ages,
has a special message and mission for the youth of your generation. It is
their charter for their future, their hope, their guarantee of better days
to come. Therefore the Guardian is especially happy that the young Baha'is
are active in the pioneer work."
"The importance of young Baha'is to become thoroughly steeped in every
branch of the teachings can not be over-emphasized, as they have great
teaching tasks ahead of them to accomplish."