The ten countries, constituting the initial field wherein the prowess of
these crusaders must, in the years immediately ahead, be exhibited, and in
whose capitals the foundations of the embryonic Order of the Faith of
Baha'u'llah must preferably be unassailably laid, must each evolve into
strongholds from which the dynamic energies of that Faith can be diffused
to neighboring territories in the course of the unfoldment of the Plan.
The nuclei that are now being formed, and the groups that are beginning to
emerge, must be speedily and systematically reinforced, not only through
the dispatch and settlement of pioneers and the visits paid them by
itinerant teachers, but also through the progressive development of the
teaching work which the pioneers themselves must initiate and foster among
the native population in those countries. Any artificially created
assembly, consisting of settlers from abroad, can at best be considered as
temporary and insecure, and should, if the second stage of the European
enterprise is to be commenced without undue delay in the future, be
supplanted by broad-based, securely grounded, efficiently functioning
assemblies, composed primarily of the people of the countries themselves,
who are firm in faith, unimpeachable in their loyalty and whole-hearted in
their support of the Administrative Order of the Faith. The twenty-five
pioneers that have already proceeded to Scandinavia and the Low Countries,
to the Iberian Peninsula, to Switzerland and Italy, should, in the course
of this current year, and while the process of teaching the native
population is being inaugurated, be reinforced by as many additional
pioneers as possible, and particularly by those who, possessed of
independent means, can, either themselves or through their appointed
deputies, swell the number of the valiant workers already laboring with
such devotion in those fields.
The translation, the publication and dissemination of Baha'i literature,
whether in the form of leaflets, pamphlets or books, in the nine selected
languages, should, as the work progresses and the demand is
correspondingly increased, be strenuously carried out, as a preliminary to
its free distribution among the public on certain occasions, and its
presentation to both the leaders of public thought and the numerous and
famous libraries established in those countries. No time should be lost in
establishing, on however small a scale, initial contact with the press and
other agencies designed to invite greater attention on the part of the
masses to the historic work now being initiated in their respective
countries.
No opportunity, in view of the necessity of insuring the harmonious
development of the Faith, should be ignored, which its potential enemies,
whether ecclesiastical or otherwise, may offer, to set forth, in a
restrained and unprovocative language, its aims and tenets, to defend its
interests, to proclaim its universality, to assert the supernatural, the
supra-national and non-political character of its institutions, and its
acceptance of the divine origin of the Faiths which have preceded it. Nor
should any chance be missed of associating the Faith, as distinct from
affiliating it, with all progressive, non-political, non-ecclesiastical
institutions, whether social, educational, or charitable, whose objectives
harmonize with some of its tenets, and amongst whose members and
supporters individuals may be found who will eventually embrace its truth.
Particular attention should, moreover, be paid to attendance at congresses
and conferences, and to any contacts that can be made with colleges and
universities which offer a fertile field for the scattering of the seeds
of the Faith, and afford opportunities for broadcasting its message, and
for winning fresh recruits to its strength.
Nor should any occasion be neglected by the pioneers of attending, if
their personal circumstances permit, either the British or German Baha'i
summer schools, and of forging such links with these institutions as will
not only assist them in the discharge of their duties, but enable them to
initiate, when the time is ripe, an institution of a similar character,
under the auspices of the European Teaching Committee--an institution which
will be the forerunner of the summer schools that will have to be founded
separately by the future assemblies in their respective countries. Above
all, any assistance which the two national spiritual assemblies, already
established on that continent, and their auxiliary committees, and
particularly their publishing agencies, can extend should be gratefully
welcomed and utilized to the full, until such time as the institutions
destined to evolve in these countries can assume independently the conduct
of their own affairs.
A constant interchange of news between the centers, through the medium of
the Geneva Bulletin, whose scope must be steadily enlarged, and close
contact with each other through the European office of the European
Teaching Committee, functioning as an adjunct to the International Baha'i
Bureau, should, furthermore, be maintained and reinforced, whenever
circumstances are favorable, by the convening of conferences, which will
bring together as many pioneers laboring in these ten countries, and newly
converted believers, as possible, enabling them to jointly consider their
plans, problems and activities, concert measures for the progress of the
Faith in that continent, and pave the way for the future formation of
regional national spiritual assemblies, which must precede the
constitution of separate independent national institutions in each of
these countries. Such summer schools and conferences, initiated and
conducted by one of the most important agencies of the highest
administrative institution in the North American Baha'i Community,
gathering together as they will Baha'i representatives of various races
and nations on the continent of Europe, will, by reason of their
unprecedented character in the evolution of the Faith, since its
inception, constitute a historic landmark in the development of the
organic world-wide Baha'i community, and will be the harbinger of those
epoch-making world conferences, at which the representatives of the
nations and races within the Baha'i fold will convene for the
strengthening of the spiritual and administrative bonds that unite its
members.