A beginning, however limited in scope, should be made, ere the present
stage of the Divine Plan draws to a close, in the direction of
establishing befitting administrative headquarters for the rising
communities and their projected assemblies in the capital cities of
Stockholm, of Oslo, of Copenhagen, of The Hague, of Brussels, of
Luxembourg, of Madrid, of Lisbon, of Rome and of Bern, through the rental
of suitable quarters which, in the course of time, must lead to either the
construction or the purchase in each of these capitals of a national
Haziratu'l-Quds, as a future seat for independent, elected national
spiritual assemblies.
A tentative start, though strictly speaking excluded from the scope of the
present Plan, should, I feel, be made, ere the six remaining years have
run their course, aiming at the formation, in each of the ten designated
countries, of a number of nuclei, however few, however unstable, which
will proclaim to the entire Baha'i world the ability of the prosecutors of
the Plan to exceed their allocated task, even as they surpassed, in the
Latin American field, the goals which they had originally set before them.
Such a feat, if accomplished, would impart to my overburdened heart a joy
that would equal the many consolations which a dearly loved community has
showered upon me, in the past, by its signal acts, both within its
homeland and abroad, since the passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
Nor should any of the pioneers, at this early stage in the upbuilding of
Baha'i national communities, overlook the fundamental prerequisite for any
successful teaching enterprise, which is to adapt the presentation of the
fundamental principles of their Faith to the cultural and religious
backgrounds, the ideologies, and the temperament of the divers races and
nations whom they are called upon to enlighten and attract. The
susceptibilities of these races and nations, from both the northern and
southern climes, springing from either the Germanic or Latin stock,
belonging to either the Catholic or Protestant communion, some democratic,
others totalitarian in outlook, some socialistic, others capitalistic in
their tendencies, differing widely in their customs and standards of
living, should at all times be carefully considered, and under no
circumstances neglected.
These pioneers, in their contact with the members of divers creeds, races
and nations, covering a range which offers no parallel in either the north
or south continents, must neither antagonize them nor compromise with
their own essential principles. They must be neither provocative nor
supine, neither fanatical nor excessively liberal, in their exposition of
the fundamental and distinguishing features of their Faith. They must be
either wary or bold, they must act swiftly or mark time, they must use the
direct or indirect method, they must be challenging or conciliatory, in
strict accordance with the spiritual receptivity of the soul with whom
they come in contact, whether he be a nobleman or a commoner, a northerner
or a southerner, a layman or a priest, a capitalist or a socialist, a
statesman or a prince, an artisan or a beggar. In their presentation of
the Message of Baha'u'llah they must neither hesitate nor falter. They
must be neither contemptuous of the poor nor timid before the great. In
their exposition of its verities they must neither overstress nor whittle
down the truth which they champion, whether their hearer belong to
royalty, or be a prince of the church, or a politician, or a tradesman, or
a man of the street. To all alike, high or low, rich or poor, they must
proffer, with open hands, with a radiant heart, with an eloquent tongue,
with infinite patience, with uncompromising loyalty, with great wisdom,
with unshakable courage, the Cup of Salvation at so critical an hour, to
the confused, the hungry, the distraught and fear-stricken multitudes, in
the north, in the west, in the south and in the heart, of that sorely
tried continent.