As I survey, after the lapse of a little over three years, the vast range
of historic and unforgettable achievements with which the stout-hearted,
high-minded and wholly consecrated followers of the Faith of Baha'u'llah
have, in the course of the operations of a World Spiritual Crusade,
enriched, in every continent of the globe and in so many islands of the
seven seas, the annals of the Formative Age of His Dispensation, I cannot
but acknowledge, with feelings of pride, of joy, and of gratitude, the
preponderating share which the American Baha'i Community, faithful to its
traditions, and in keeping with its high standard of stewardship to the
Cause of God, has had in the conduct of this world-encircling enterprise
and the discharge of its manifold, its pressing and sacred
responsibilities. With one or two exceptions, greatly to be deplored, this
valiant community has, ever since the inception of this Spiritual Crusade,
and in every sphere of Baha'i activities in which its participators have
both individually and collectively been assiduously engaged, set an
example of whole-hearted dedication, dogged perseverance, unstinting
self-sacrifice and undeviating loyalty worthy of emulation by its sister,
as well as its daughter, communities over the entire face of the globe.
The number, the character and the rapidity of the spiritual conquests
achieved by its steadfast and intrepid members, in so many sovereign
states of the globe, its chief dependencies and widely scattered islands,
in the course of the one-year period, constituting the opening phase of a
memorable Plan, will no doubt be universally acclaimed as a turning point
of unimaginable consequence in Baha'i history. Such feats, in so many
territories, during so short a time, will rank, in the eyes of posterity,
as superb and outstanding exploits, immortalizing the fame of the American
followers of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, and as epoch-making events
unsurpassed since the closing of the Heroic Age of the Baha'i
Dispensation.