form certain of the important writings revealed by Baha'u'llah and the
Master, Shoghi Effendi wishes you to express to the National Assembly his
full approval of their plan. He feels, indeed, that the time has come for
the German believers to acquire a thorough knowledge as well as a full
understanding of such important Tablets as Baha'u'llah's "Book of
Covenant" and 'Abdu'l-Baha's Will and Testament, both of which constitute
the very bedrock upon which the entire administrative system of the Faith
has been raised and established. As to the "Dispensation of Baha'u'llah"
it also constitutes an invaluable supplement to these afore-mentioned
Tablets. In connection with the "Kitab-i-'Ahd", the Guardian thinks it
preferable that it should be published in a separate booklet, and that the
"Tablet of the Branch" and the "Lawh-i-Aqdas", both of which have been
rather poorly translated from the original, should not be included in it.
As to the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the N.S.A., he wishes to
re-emphasize the importance of your Assembly's adhering to the exact
wording of the text of the constitution adopted by the American N.S.A.
which, as he has repeatedly stated, constitutes a model for all national
Baha'i constitutions. Anything not specifically mentioned in this national
charter is left to the full discretion of every N.S.A. inasmuch as it
constitutes a matter of secondary importance. In fundamentals, however,
strict conformity should be maintained throughout the Baha'i world, and to
this category belong all the principles, laws and regulations set down in
the text of the national constitution. As an example of the loyalty with
which the friends are following this principle the Guardian is enclosing a
copy of the national constitution of the Baha'is of India and Burma which,
with the exception of the Article VIII which is now being amended,
conforms in every detail to the text of the constitution of the American
N.S.A.
With his loving greetings to you and all the friends,...
[From the Guardian:]
With the renewed assurance of my loving prayers for you and of my deepfelt
appreciation of your magnificent labours in the Divine vineyard.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
LETTER OF 4 FEBRUARY 1935
4 February 1935
Dear Dr. Muehlschlegel,
The Guardian has duly received your letter of the 29th of January last,
and has carefully noted the points which you had raised in connection with
certain Baha'i administrative regulations and principles governing the
election of local and national assemblies.
First, he wishes me to express the hope that your next National Assembly
meeting may be fully guided in its deliberations on the various issues
confronting it at present, and also to assure you, as well as your
co-workers in that body, of his prayers for the success of your efforts in
this connection.
Now, as regards the number of delegates at the annual convention of the
German friends, the Guardian fully approves of the practice which your
N.S.A. has thus far adopted and enforced, namely to have 19 delegates
instead of 95. This, of course, is the only solution possible for the
present, in view of the limited number of the declared believers in
Germany.
As to the practice of nomination in Baha'i elections, this the Guardian
firmly believes to be in fundamental disaccord with the spirit which
should animate and direct all elections held by the Baha'is, be they of a
local or national character and importance. It is, indeed, the absence of
such a practice that constitutes the distinguishing feature and the marked
superiority of the Baha'i electoral methods over those commonly associated
with political parties and factions. The practice of nomination being thus
contrary to the spirit of Baha'i Administration should be totally
discarded by all the friends. For otherwise the freedom of the Baha'i
elector in choosing the members of any Baha'i assembly will be seriously
endangered, leaving the way open for the domination of personalities. Not
only that; but the mere act of nomination--leads eventually to the
formation of parties--a thing which is totally alien to the spirit of the
Cause.
In addition to these serious dangers, the practice of nomination has the
great disadvantage of killing in the believer the spirit of initiative,
and of self-development. Baha'i electoral procedures and methods have,
indeed, for one of their essential purposes the development in every
believer of the spirit of responsibility. By emphasizing the necessity of
maintaining his fully freedom in the elections, they make it incumbent
upon him to become an active and well-informed member of the Baha'i
community in which he lives. To be able to make a wise choice at the
election time, it is necessary for him to be in close and continued
contact with all local activities, be they teaching, administrative or
otherwise, and to fully and whole-heartedly participate in the affairs of
the local as well as national committees and assemblies in his country. It
is only in this way that a believer can develop a true social
consciousness and acquire a true sense of responsibility in matters
affecting the interests of the Cause. Baha'i community life thus makes it
a duty for every loyal and faithful believer to become an intelligent,
well-informed and responsible elector, and also gives him the opportunity
of raising himself to such a station. And since the practice of nomination
hinders the development of such qualities in the believer, and in addition
leads to corruption and partisanship, it has to be entirely discarded in
all Baha'i elections.
In connection with this, the Guardian wishes to draw your Assembly's
attention to the necessity of adopting the system of plurality voting
rather than that of absolute majority voting. For the latter, by making
the repetition of elections a necessity, causes, though indirectly, much
pressure to bear upon the person of the elector. The Baha'i elector, as
already emphasized, should be given full freedom in his choice. Anything,
therefore, which can in the least interfere with such a freedom should be
considered as disastrous and hence should be completely wiped out. In all
elections, it is always difficult, that more than a few individuals of
high position should obtain a majority of the votes of the electorate.
Most of those elected have a plurality of votes. To enforce the principle
of majority voting, therefore, it requires that the election be repeated
again and again and until all the members to be elected have obtained more
than half of the votes cast--a thing which becomes the more difficult when
it is a matter of electing an assembly of nine persons. So, repetition in
elections becomes inevitable. And such a repetition is in itself a
restriction imposed upon the freedom of the electorate. The only course,
therefore, is for every elector to write down the name of nine who he
thinks are most worthy. These nine who obtain the highest number of votes,
irrespective of the majority of the votes cast, will constitute the
members of the Assembly.
As to your last question whether the individual voter can conscientiously
vote for himself. The Guardian believes that not only the Baha'i voter has
the right, but is under the moral obligation to do so, in case he finds
himself worthy and capable of assuming the responsibilities and duties
imposed upon the members of every duly elected Baha'i assembly. It is for
every believer to carefully weigh his own merits and powers, and after a
thorough examination of his self decide whether he is fit for such a
position or not. There is nothing more harmful to the individual--and also
to society than false humility which is hypocritical, and hence unworthy
of a true Baha'i. The true believer is one who is conscious of his
strength as well as of his weakness, and who, fully availing himself of
the manifold opportunities and blessings which God gives him, strives to
overcome his defects and weaknesses and this by means of a scrupulous
adherence to all the laws and commandments revealed by God through His
Manifestation.
With the Guardian's greetings and best wishes to you and all the
friends,...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty protect, bless and sustain you in the historic services
you are rendering His Faith, and graciously assist you to lay a firm and
unassailable foundation for the future progress and extension of the
newly-born institutions of our glorious Faith in your land.
Shoghi
LETTER OF 5 MARCH 1935
5 March 1935
Dear Dr. Muehlschlegel,
The Guardian has received and carefully considered your letter of the 24th
of February last, and wishes me to thank you for it.
With reference to your questions concerning the "Kitab-i-Aqdas", he does
not think that it would be advisable to circulate at present, whether
among the friends or in the outside public, any of the existing
translations of this book, in view of the fact that all these versions,
both English and Russian, are not authoritative and hence may misrepresent
altogether the Teachings.
He would, however, suggest that your N.S.A. should appoint a Committee for
the purpose of undertaking the translation of the "Aqdas" into German.
This is of course a peculiarly difficult task, as some of the members of
such a committee should have sufficient knowledge of the Arabic language,
and in addition should be well versed in the history and teachings of
Islam.
The Guardian hopes, nevertheless, that with your knowledge of Arabic and
German you may be able to do something truly worthwhile and substantial in
this connection. Your translation, of course, will not be considered as
final. But for the present it would be of a great assistance to the
friends in Germany who, as you rightly suggest, have a great desire to get
acquainted with the laws and precepts of the Cause as recorded in the
"Aqdas".
When completed, this translation should not, the Guardian feels, be
printed entirely and circulated among the believers. But only extracts of
it should, with the approval of your N.S.A., be brought to the attention
of the friends until such time as the publication of the whole book would
be deemed advisable....
[From the Guardian:]
May our beloved and vigilant Master even keep you under His wings, and
inspire you to promote far and wide and in a most effective manner the
manifold interests of His Faith and its ever-developing institutions.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
LETTER OF 7 MAY 1935
7 May 1935
Dear Baha'i co-workers,
The Guardian has just received your warm and encouraging message of the
28th of April last, and has been deeply moved by the kind greetings and
good wishes you have extended to him on the occasion of the holding of
your thirteenth annual Baha'i Convention in Stuttgart. He wishes me to
reciprocate the sentiments you have been moved to express to him, and to
assure each and all of you of his abiding appreciation and gratitude for
the remarkable unity, efficiency and zeal with which you are fostering and
safeguarding the manifold and vital interests of our beloved Faith
throughout Germany and Austria. He feels confident that your mighty and
sustained exertions will, even as a magnet, draw upon you the blessings
and guidance of the Almighty, and thus pave the way for the wider
penetration and firmer establishment of the Cause in your country.
The Guardian has been greatly impressed by the unusually wide attendance
at this year's national Convention. His hope is that this active and close
collaboration among the believers in Germany and Austria will continue to
manifest itself in all your local as well as national Baha'i activities
throughout the coming year. He is entreating Baha'u'llah, that His
confirmations may keep, strengthen and inspire you in the fulfilment of
your most urgent and sacred mission.
With the renewed expression of his heartfelt appreciations and thanks, and
with his cordial and most loving greetings to you all...
[From the Guardian:]
Dearest co-workers:
Your impressive and most welcome message has revealed afresh the potency
of the irresistible power of our Faith as manifested in the renewed
activities, the solidarity, the consciousness and determination of the
assembled representatives of the German believers. This year's convention
marks a turning point in the history of the Cause in your land. It
eloquently testifies to the tenacity of your faith, to your grasp of its
distinguishing features and essential principles, to your firm resolve to
lay an unassailable basis for the rising institutions, to your capacity to
weather the fiercest storms and overcome the most formidable obstacles, to
your worthiness to rank as the standard-bearers of the Faith of
Baha'u'llah in the continent of Europe. May signal victories crown your
high endeavours.
Shoghi
LETTER OF 5 JULY 1935
5 July 1935
Beloved Baha'i Brother,
On behalf of the Guardian I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your
welcome letter of the fourteenth of June last, written in the name of the
Archives-Committee of the German N.S.A., and to convey to you and to them
his loving appreciation and thanks. He trusts that his gift, offered to
your National Archives through the kind care of Miss Edith Horn, will
serve to remind the German believers of the importance and sacred
character of that institution, and to encourage them to help in
contributing their full share towards its further development and
expansion. The institution of the National Baha'i Archives which all the
National Assemblies have already established is, indeed, highly-important,
the significance of which will be increasingly realized as years go by. It
is now that so many precious sacred relics are still in the possession of
individual believers, that steps must be taken in order to insure their
safe preservation in the National Archives. The friends must be encouraged
to cooperate with their N.S.A. for the attainment of this objective.
In closing may I assure you again of Shoghi Effendi's best wishes and
prayers for you and family, and to express hope that your long-cherished
desire to visit the Holy Land may be realized in the near future.
With his cordial greetings...
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and prized co-worker:
I cannot refrain from adding a few words in person and assure you afresh
of my deepfelt love, appreciation and gratitude for the energy, the
ability and loyalty with which you are promoting the vital interests of
the Faith. My prayers for you and your dear and valued collaborators will
be continually offered to the throne of Baha'u'llah.
Your true and grateful brother.
Shoghi
LETTER OF 10 AUGUST 1935
10 August 1935
Beloved Baha'i Friends,
On behalf of the Guardian I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your
beautiful message dated July 8th, and to convey to you his loving thanks
and appreciation for the kind sentiments which you have been moved to
express to him on the eve of the anniversary of the Bab's martyrdom.
He is, indeed, very much pleased, and feels greatly encouraged, to learn
of the beautiful meeting you have organized in order to commemorate this
most sad and yet unique event in the history of the Cause, and sincerely
trusts that the recollection of these early days of the heroic age of the
Faith will have served to fill with fresh enthusiasm and renewed vigour
your souls, and that as a result you all now feel the urge to play a more
active part in establishing the Cause in Austria.
The Guardian has been also gratified at the news of the marriage of our
dear and devoted co-worker Mr. Franz Pollinger to Miss Anny Moedlogl. He
wishes them both a most happy and successful union and is praying to
Baha'u'llah that He may continue showering upon them His favours and
blessings, and thus render their lives successful and of benefit to His
Cause.
With cordial greetings from the Guardian and with his best wishes and
prayers for you all,...
[From the Guardian:]
Dearly-beloved co-workers:
Your message filled my heart with joy and has powerfully reminded me of
the firmness of your faith, the extent of your devotion, and the degree of
your self-sacrifice and endeavours for the promotion of the Cause of God.
I urge you to maintain the closest contact with the believers in Germany
and particularly with the National Assembly, to study and digest the
chapters of Nabil's narrative as they appear in "The Sun of Truth" that
you may obtain a fuller grasp of the purpose, the influence and the moving
episodes of the Faith of Baha'u'llah.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
LETTER OF 12 OCTOBER 1935
12 October 1935
Dear Dr. Muehlschlegel,
I am directed by the Guardian to thank you for your letter dated September
7th, and to express his regret for the delay caused in answering it.
With regard to the "Kitab-i-'Ahd" and the Will and Testament of
'Abdu'l-Baha, he wishes me to inform you that he fully approves of your
suggestion that these two Tablets be printed in one single booklet.
Also regarding the advisability of printing extracts from the Master's
Will, he fully recommends that your Assembly should follow the method
adopted by the American Baha'is in this matter, provided of course it is
financially feasible. The American text of the Will contains, indeed, all
the fundamental points that every newcomer who wishes to join the Movement
should know regarding the basis, and various vital implications of Baha'i
Administration. The extracts contained in that text are thus what is
vitally required of a believer desiring to become a voting member.
Concerning the new German edition of "Baha'u'llah and the New Era" which
the N.S.A. is planning to publish very soon; Shoghi Effendi trusts that
this work will be completed in the near future. He would be pleased,
indeed, to receive any suggestion which the German Publishing Committee
may wish to offer with the view of modifying and improving certain
passages of the present text, and will inform you whether the
modifications suggested are advisable, and hence whether they should be
inserted in the new volume or not.
With his cordial greetings and best wishes to you and to all the friends
in Stuttgart, specially to your dear family...
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
I wish to reaffirm my deepfelt appreciation to the manner and spirit in
which you strive to promote, consolidate and defend the interests of our
invincible Faith. Future generations will no doubt extol your services in
this formative period of our Cause. Persevere and rest assured that my
fervent prayers will continue to be offered on your behalf. Gratefully and
affectionately.
Shoghi
LETTER OF 22 OCTOBER 1935
22 October 1935
Dear Baha'i Friends,
Your message of the first of this month has been received by our beloved
Guardian, and its perusal has brought much joy and satisfaction to his
heart. He feels, indeed, profoundly touched by the kind sentiments you
have been moved to express to him, and wishes me to reciprocate your
greetings and good wishes, and in particular to assure you of his abiding
gratitude for the ceaseless endeavours you are all exerting for the wider
spread and firmer establishment of the Cause in your centre. He cherishes
the brightest hopes for the future of the Faith in Esslingen which, he
trusts, will as a result of your sustained and collective efforts, and
through the continued guidance and assistance of the German N.S.A.,
develop into one of the most active and flourishing Baha'i communities not
only in Germany but throughout Europe. It has already acquired great fame
and importance as an international meeting centre for all the believers
throughout that continent, and specially in connection with the annual
Summer School of the German friends which has been invariably held there.
The Guardian is fervently praying that this progress, which has been so
characteristic of the development of your community during the last few
years, will continue increasing, and will thus fully repay your labours
for the establishment and wider penetration of the Faith throughout
Germany.
With his cordial greetings to you all,...
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
I value the sentiments you have expressed in your most welcome message,
and I am deeply touched by its contents. I wish to assure you in person of
my loving and continued prayers for you, that you may grow in
understanding, spirituality and influence, and play a worthy part in the
expansion of the Faith and the consolidation of its institutions.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
LETTER OF 12 NOVEMBER 1935
12 November 1935
Dear Dr. Grossmann,
The Guardian is in receipt of your letter of October 26th, and feels very
much pleased of the news of the completion of the German translation of
"The Seven Valleys". He wishes me to congratulate you most heartily for
this great service you have been able to render the Cause, and which no
doubt will serve to enrich the record of the manifold contributions you
have, during the last few years, so brilliantly made towards the spread of
the Faith throughout Germany. He is praying to Baha'u'llah that He may
continue to guide and inspire you, and assist you in accomplishing still
more outstanding works for the Cause in your country.
Regarding the publication of the manuscript, he sees no objection that it
should be undertaken by a non-Baha'i publisher, inasmuch as it will then
have a greater appeal to the general public. But, of course, in this as
well as in all other local matters of this kind you should seek the
approval of the N.S.A. As to the expenses of printing the work, they
should be preferably furnished by the national fund.
The Guardian is also very much pleased to learn of the new publications
which the N.S.A. is planning to issue very soon. The printing of the
lectures delivered at the last Esslingen Summer School in a book form is,
no doubt, highly useful. It is hoped that the funds required in this
connection, as well as for other important publications, will be
generously contributed by both the individual believers, and the local
groups and assemblies.
With reference to the publication of the "Kitab-i-Iqan" into Esperanto,
the Guardian also hopes that some action will be taken in this matter by
the N.S.A. But obviously the printing of this, and other non-German works,
should be subordinated to the publication of Baha'i literature in
German....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
I am so eager to learn that your health is fully restored, for I believe
your services are a most valuable asset to the Faith you serve in these
troublous days. I welcome your efficient and unrelaxing cooperation, in
spite of the obstacles which face you, in so many fields of Baha'i
activity. I am confident that as a result of your strenuous endeavours the
administrative institutions in your land will be further consolidated and
extended and the cause of teaching receive an added impetus.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
LETTER OF 5 APRIL 1936
5 April 1936
Dear Baha'i Friends,
Your most welcome message of the first Naw-Ruz has just arrived and its
perusal has brought indescribable joy to our Guardian's heart. He is so
thankful and happy that the friends in Vienna are working so unitedly and
with such fervour, and he hopes that as a result the Cause will steadily
develop, and your centre will become one of the leading Baha'i communities
in the West.
The most vital matter on which the Guardian wishes you to fully
concentrate is that of consolidating the foundations of the
Administration. Not until your group learns to work efficiently through
obedience to the local assembly and under its guidance can there be any
hope for future expansion. The friends must all realize the necessity of
internal discipline and order which only a properly elected and
efficiently functioning body such as the local assembly can effectively
maintain. Obedience to the decisions of the local assembly should be
unqualified and whole-hearted, as by this means alone can the community
work as a united body and achieve something constructive and enduring.
The Guardian feels also the necessity of urging you to keep always in
touch with the friends in Germany. The center in Vienna, though outside
the political boundaries of Germany, forms nevertheless an integral part
of the German-speaking Baha'i community. It is therefore of a vital
importance that the ties of fellowship and cooperation between you and the
German believers be increasingly strengthened and consolidated so that
through your united endeavours the Cause in Germany and Austria may
rapidly spread and be established on firm foundations....
[From the Guardian:]
Dearly beloved friends: