LETTERS FROM THE GUARDIAN TO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
        (Australia, 1971 reprint)
        FILENAME: LGANZ
        FILEDATE: 08-12-94

Click on any of the numbers below to go to a page of Letters from the Guardian to Australia and New Zealand:   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140

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Fellow-labourers in the Divine Vineyard!



        Upon my return, after a forced and prolonged absence, to the Holy Land, it is my first and most ardent wish to renew and strengthen those ties of brotherly love and fellowship that bind our hearts together in our common servitude to His Sacred Threshold.
        The two years that have elapsed since the passing of our beloved Master have been for the Cause, as well as for mankind, years of deep anxiety and strain. The momentous changes that are taking place in the history of both have proved so swift and far-reaching as to arouse in certain hearts a strange misgiving as to their stability and future.
        On one hand the remarkable revelations of the Beloved's Will and Testament so amazing in all its aspects, so emphatic in its injunctions, have challenged and perplexed the keenest minds, whilst the ever-increasing confusion of the world, threatened as never before with disruptive forces, fierce rivalries, fresh commotions and grave disorder, have well-nigh overwhelmed the heart and damped the zeal of even the most enthusiastic believers in the destiny of mankind.
        And yet, how often we seem to forget the clear and repeated warnings of our beloved Master, who in particular during the concluding years of his mission on earth, laid stress on the severe mental tests that would inevitably sweep over his loved ones of the West ... tests that would purge, purify and prepare them for their noble mission in life.
        And as to the world's evil plight, we need but recall the writings and sayings of Bahá'u'lláh, who, more than fifty years ago, declared in terms prophetic the prime cause of the ills and sufferings of mankind, and set forth their true and divine remedy. "Should the lamp of Religion be hidden", He declared, "chaos and confusion will ensue." How admirably fitting and applicable are these words to the present state of mankind!
        Ours then is the duty and privilege to labour, by day, by night, amidst the storm and stress of these troublous days, that

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we may quicken the zeal of our fellow-man, rekindle their hopes, stimulate their interests, open their eyes to the true Faith of God and enlist their active support in the carrying out of our common task for the peace and regeneration of the world.
        Let us take heart and be thankful to our beloved Abdu'l-Bahá, as we remember his manifold blessings and unfailing care and protection, ever since the hour of his departure from our midst. The flames of sedition, so maliciously kindled in the past by those who have dared to flout his will, are gone out for ever, and the fondest hopes of these evil plotters are now abandoned, doomed never to revive. He has indeed redeemed his promise!
        It seemed not a long time ago that their agitation, so violently renewed immediately after the passing of our Beloved, would for a time confuse the Divine Message of Bahá'u'lláh, obscure His Covenant, retard the progress of His Cause, and shatter its unity; and yet how well we see them all today, not through our efforts, but by their own folly, and above all, by the intervention of the hidden hand of God, reduced to the vilest and most humiliating position.
        And now, with the Cause purified and inwardly victorious, Its principles vindicated, Its enemies silenced and sunk in unspeakable misery, may we not, henceforth, direct all our efforts to collective action and constructive achievement; and in utter disregard of the flickerings of their fast-fading light, arise to carry out those urgent measures that will secure the outward and complete triumph of the Cause?
        I for my part, as I look back to the unfortunate circumstances of ill-health and physical exhaustion that have attended the opening years of my career of service to the Cause, feel hardly gratified, and would be truly despondent but for the sustaining memory and inspiring example of the diligent and ceaseless efforts which my fellow-workers the world over have displayed during these two trying years in the service of the Cause.
        I cherish the hope that, from now on the Beloved may bestow upon me all the strength and vigour that will enable me to pursue over a long and unbroken period of strenuous labour the supreme task of achieving, in collaboration with the friends in every land, the speedy triumph of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh. This is the prayer I earnestly request all my fellow brethren and sisters in the Faith to offer on my behalf.

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        Let us pray to God that in these days of world encircling gloom, when the dark forces of nature, of hate, rebellion, anarchy and reaction are threatening the very stability of human society, when the most precious fruits of civilization are undergoing severe and unparalleled tests, we may all realize, more profoundly than ever, that though but a mere handful amidst the seething masses of the world, are in this day the chosen instruments of God's Grace, that our Mission is most urgent and vital to the fate of humanity and, fortified by these sentiments, arise to achieve God's holy purpose for mankind.
                Your brother in His service
                Shoghi
                for my beloved brethren and sisters in Australia and New Zealand
                --Shoghi.
                Haifa, Palestine, December 2, 1923.



                --------------



                                                                May 15th, 1934

Dear Bahá'í Friend,
        The Guardian has deeply appreciated your message dated April 10th, and he has asked me to convey to you once more his grateful thanks for the services you are so continually rendering the Faith in your centre. The gratifying news has just reached him of the opening of the first Convention of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New-Zealand, and needless to say how deeply he was moved by this historic step you have been inspired to take for the consolidation of the Administration in your country. He feels confident that through such remarkable evidences of the self-sacrificing, heroic and united efforts of the Australian and New Zealand believers an increasing number of hitherto skeptical and unfriendly people will be gradually attracted to the Faith, and some of them will eventually join the ranks of the faithful.
        Assuring you again of the Guardian's fervent prayers for the continued expansion of your Bahá'í activities, and with his best wishes and greetings to you and to all the friends in Adelaide,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.

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        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        I rejoice to learn of the momentous step the Bahá'ís of Australia and New-Zealand have taken. They will surely be reinforced by the hosts of the Kingdom, and deserve the praise and admiration of their fellow-believers throughout the world. Constancy, co-operation, unity and steadfast adherence to the spiritual and administrative principles of the Faith are essential during these days when the foundations of the Universal House of Justice are being laid through your devoted efforts in your own country. I will continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart.
                Your true brother,
                Shoghi.



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                                                                July 26th, 1934.

Dear Miss Brooks,
        I am directed by the Guardian to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of June 6th, written on behalf on the N.S.A. of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New-Zealand, and to convey to you, and to your collaborators on that Assembly his grateful appreciation of the stupendous efforts you have unanimously exerted for making your first Convention such a sucessful and promising meeting. Your collective and continued sacrifices, as well as the assistance and guidance of Bahá'u'lláh have surely been responsible for this historic triumph which you have been able to achieve in the administrative field of the Cause--a triumph which will inevitably bring about a renewed and deeper spiritual consciousness to all the believers in these far-off lands.
        Shoghi Effendi is praying from the very depths of his heart for your guidance and assistance, and hopes that as a result your National Assembly will be soon enabled to take such steps as would enable it to extend and to further consolidate its national as well as international activities.
        With warm greetings to you and to all the friends in Adelaide,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.

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        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        My heart is filled with joy and gratitude as a result of the perusal of your letter. I long to be in close and constant touch with your newly-formed national assembly--the first of your administrative activities and the herald of one of the most fruitful and stirring periods of the history of the Faith in that promising continent. I will be so glad to receive copies of the minutes of your gatherings, and urge you to keep in close touch with your sister assemblies throughout the Bahá'í world. I will assuredly pray for you and your dear and devoted collaborators from the depths of my heart.
                Your true brother,
                Shoghi.



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                                                                October 17th, 1934

Dear Bahá'í Friend,
        I am directed by the Guardian to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated August 31st with its most interesting enclosures, all of which he has carefully read and considered. It is with deep gratification that he follows the progress and extension of the work of your N.S.A., and he hopes and prays that through the confirmations of the Almighty it will serve to give an increasing impetus to the progress of the Faith in your land.
        The Guardian has read with particular interest the minutes of the meetings of your N.S.A. He hopes to receive them regularly, and thus to be in close and constant touch with your national activities.
        In regard to your question as to whether it is permissible to substitute the plural pronoun for the singular in prayers worded in the singular, the Guardian would strongly urge your N.S.A. to inform the friends to strictly adhere to the text of the Holy Writings, and not to deviate even a hair-breadth from what has been revealed by the Holy Pen. Besides, it should be noted that congregational prayer has been discouraged by Bahá'u'lláh, and that it is allowed only in the case of the prayer for the dead.
        Concerning the Healing Prayer, the Guardian wishes me to inform you that there is no special ruling for its recital. The believer is free to recite it as many times and in the way he

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wishes. There are also no obligatory prayers for the Fast. But there are some specific ones revealed by Bahá'u'lláh for that purpose.
        As to the instructions given in the little black covered Prayer Book, they are by no means complete and are only tentative. When the Book of Aqdas is published, the believers will have then full and authoritative prescriptions about the form of prayer, and other instructions and rulings of a spiritual character.
        With loving greetings to you and to the members of the N.S.A.,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dearly beloved co-worker:
        My constant prayers for the extension of the activities in which you and your dear fellow-labourers are so stenuously engaged will be offered on your behalf that the splendid era which you have inaugurated may redound to the glory and honour of the Most Great Name. I am truly proud of the manner in which my loved friends in Australia and New-Zealand have arisen to discharge their sacred and pressing responsibilities. Great triumphs, I feel convinced, are in store for them if they persevere in their mighty task. May the Almighty bless their high endeavours and enable them to achieve His purpose.
                Your true brother,
                Shoghi.



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                                                                January 16th, 1935.

Dear Bahá'í Sister,
        Your welcome letter of the 13th of December, together with the accompanying message of December 11th addressed to the Guardian by "The General Purposes and Business Committee" of the N.S.A. have all been duly received and deeply appreciated by him.
        He has also received and read with great care and interest the enclosed copy of the minutes of the above-mentioned committee, and was pleased to realize that, despite the various impediments standing in the way of your Assembly, that body is

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functioning smoothly and with one accord. He hopes that the various steps taken by your Committee in connection with the publication of the "Herald of the South" will all materialize and meet with success.
        May I also in closing express the Guardian's appreciation of your efforts in connection with the management and direction of this monthly review, and also with regard to your activities in the field of teaching.
        With his loving greetings to you and to your co-workers in the "Herald of the South" Committee, and with the assurance of his prayers for you all.
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-workers:
        The repeated evidences of the strenuous efforts exerted by the believers in Australia and New-Zealand for the spread of the Cause and the rise and consolidation of its institutions have brought me intense joy and excited my deepest admiration. I urge them to persevere, to remain united, not to relax in their determination, and to strive with all their might to extend the scope of their meritorious activities. I will continue to pray for them from the bottom of my heart.
                Your true brother,
                Shoghi.



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                                                                April 24th, 1935

Dear Bahá'í Sister,
        The Guardian has read with great care and interest your letter of the 24th of March last, and has noted with deep satisfaction the steady progress which your N.S.A. is making since its formation last year. He is particularly pleased and encouraged to realise how wisely and effectively your Assembly is adjusting itself to the general conditions and specific requirements of the Cause in Australia and New-Zealand, to such an extent that obstacles which a year ago seemed to be insurmountable have now, through the sustained and earnest efforts of the friends,

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been partially if not completely removed. Your Assembly has, indeed, truly vindicated its ability and power to function as a well-organized and united body, and this in the face of manifold difficulties which the all-conquering spirit of the Faith could alone overcome. Nothing short of this Divine spirit, as expressed through the self-sacrificing and confident labours of the Australian and New-Zealand friends, could have so effectively subdued those forces which every now and then threatened to undermine the foundations of your Assembly, and thus overthrow the entire system of the Administration in your land.
        Now that the N.S.A. has successfully emerged out of these difficulties and trials, the Guardian has every reason to believe that the progress thus far achieved will continue undiminished and undeterred by any obstacle, however formidable it may seem to appear.
        In his moments of meditation and prayer at the Holy Shrines he will specially supplicate for the guidance and assistance of the N.S.A. and will supplicate Bahá'u'lláh to inspire its members in all their deliberations.
        With his warmest and most loving appreciation and greetings to them and to all the friends in Adelaide.
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        I fully approve of the decisions arrived at by your assembly regarding the various issues referred to in your letter, and feel gratified to learn of the zeal, the constancy, the loyalty and the determination with which the national representatives of the believers in Australia and New-Zealand are prosecuting the noble work entrusted to them by the Almighty. I would urge you to take the necessary steps for the incorporation of your national assembly as soon as you adopt your Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, and I pray that the almighty hand of Bahá'u'lláh may guide and sustain you in your high and historic endeavours.
                Your true and grateful brother,
                Shoghi.

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                                                                June 19th, 1935

Dear Bahá'í Sister,
        The Guardian has received your letter dated May 8th, and has carefully read and considered its contents. He wishes me to thank you for it, and specially to convey to you, as well as to the other members of your N.S.A., his hearty congratulations over the success that has attended your national elections this year. He hopes and prays that as years go by your Assembly will increasingly grow in unity and strength, and will demonstrate its capacity to cope with the manifold problems and difficulties with which it will be inevitably confronted as it forges ahead in its slow though steady progress towards the firmer establishment of Bahá'u'lláh's World Order throughout Australia and New-Zealand.
        With regard to your question as to the advisability of disclosing to an individual believer the contents of the N.S.A.'s correspondence. The Guardian thinks that although this cannot be considered as constituting an obligation which a believer can impose upon the national body, yet, it would seem highly advisable that the N.S.A. should give a sympathetic consideration to any such request made to it by a believer. This, he feels, would avoid giving the impression that the assembly is working in an atmosphere of complete secrecy, and that it is motivated by dictatorial motives. The final decision in such matters; however, is entirely left to the discretion of the N.S.A. The basic principle that should always be remembered is that the N.S.A. cannot be required to reveal to any outsider all the details concerning its work. It may choose to do so if it wishes, but nobody has the right to enforce upon it any such action: This is, of course the purely legal side of the question. But a purely legalistic attitude in matters affecting the Cause, particularly now that the Faith is still in a state of infancy, is not only inadequate but fraught with unforeseen dangers and difficulties. The individuals and assemblies must learn to cooperate and to cooperate intelligently, if they desire to adequately discharge their duties and obligations towards the Faith. And no such cooperation is possible without mutual confidence and trust.
        With loving greetings from the Guardian to you and to the members of the N.S.A. and with the assurance of his prayers on behalf of you all,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.

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        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        I cannot refrain from expressing in person my deep sense of gratitude and indebtedness to the beloved co-workers in that land for their splendid achievements in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Bahá'í activity. I feel truly proud of your accomplishments. I will continue to supplicate for every one of you the Beloved's imperishable blessings.
                Rest assured and persevere.
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                September 26th, 1935.
Beloved Bahá'í co-worker,
        On behalf of the Guardian I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 8th of July last, with the enclosed copy of the minutes of the N.S.A. of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New-Zealand. I wish, in particular, to express his gratification at the news of the success of the last meeting of your N.S.A. held in Sydney. It gives him, indeed, much pleasure and encouragement to realize that your Assembly meetings are conducted with such a good deal of order and efficiency, and above all, in such a perfect spirit of unity and fellowship--the few other obstacles and difficulties left, he feels confident, will in due time disappear. The foundation has been now firmly laid down, and the work is bound to develop and expand. The friends should, therefore, be confident, and should exert their utmost that the institutions they have so painstakingly and laboriously established should flourish and yield their fruit.
        In connection with the N.S.A.'s decision regarding the appointment of Mrs. Axford and Mr. Inman to keep records of Australian and New-Zealand activities for the "Bahá'í World"; the Guardian wishes you to assure your fellow-members in the assembly that he fully endorses their choice. He also wishes you to impress the newly-appointed correspondents with the vital importance of their task, and to urge them to acquit themselves of it with thoroughness, efficiency and vigour.
        Regarding dear Mr. Hyde Dunn's health; Shoghi Effendi is grieved beyond words to learn that he is growing so weak physically. Will you kindly assure him, as well as Mrs. Dunn, of his

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supplications for the amelioration of his health and for the complete restoration of his forces.
        In closing will you also convey his love and greetings to the members of the N.S.A. and assure them once more of his continued prayers for their welfare, protection and guidance,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        The detailed report of the activities of the national assembly --the furthermost pillar of the Universal House of Justice which the high endeavours of the believers of Australia and New-Zealand have reared--has filled my heart and soul with immense joy and gratitude. The Beloved is surely watching over and continually blessing your splendid accomplishments, the plans you have conceived, the methods you have devised, the efforts you are exerting, the services which you have rendered. I will continue to pray for the consolidation and uninterrupted expansion of your laudable activities in the service of so glorious and mighty a Cause. Never relax nor despair. The tender plant which your hands have raised and nurtured shall grow and will ultimately gather beneath its shadow the whole of that far-off and promising continent.
                Persevere and be happy.
                Shoghi.



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                                                                January 3rd, 1936.
The N.S.A. of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New-Zealand

Dear Bahá'í Friends,
        Miss Effie Baker is leaving for Australia with the consent and full approval of the Guardian.
        As you know for over ten years she has been devotedly working for the Cause in Haifa, as keeper of the Western Pilgrim House and also as the custodian of the International Bahá'í Archives. During this long period of service she has accomplished much for our beloved Cause, and she is now in need of some

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rest after so many years of strenuous labours. She is going to join her mother, and will, it is hoped, prove of great help to the friends throughout Australia and New-Zealand in both their teaching and administrative activities.
        The Guardian hopes, therefore, that the friends will give her all the opportunity she needs to help in the extension and consolidation of the Cause throughout Australia and New-Zealand.
        He is entrusting Miss Baker with a beautiful and most precious present for the friends; it is one of the finest photographs of the Master which, he wishes your N.S.A. to place in your National Bahá'í Archives. He is, in addition, sending through her for the believers a bottle of attar of rose extracted by the friends in Persia.
        With loving greetings and all good wishes for a most happy and prosperous New Year.
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.



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                                                                April 15th, 1936

Dear Miss Brooks,
        On behalf of the Guardian I acknowledge with thanks and appreciation the receipt of your letter of March 12th with enclosure. He is grateful for the warm assistance extended by your N.S.A. to Miss Effie Baker, and hopes that she will be of valuable assistance to you all, specially to the friends in Melbourne. The task of organizing the believers in that center is no doubt a very responsible one, and the Guardian trusts that she will be able to fully acquit herself of it.
        Regarding the "Herald of the South" magazine, Shoghi Effendi very much appreciates the fact that in spite of the many difficulties that your Assembly had to overcome this review is being regularly published, and that its standard is gradually improving. He would call upon all the English-speaking friends to contribute, as often as they can, such articles for publication in that magazine as would serve to make it a more direct and effective teaching medium for the spread of the Cause throughout Australia and New-Zealand. He is advising the American N.S.A. to specially ask the cooperation of the American believers for that purpose, and hopes that the response they will make to this call will be such as to further encourage you in your splendid efforts

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for the publication of this national organ of the Faith in Australia.
        The Guardian would appreciate receiving detailed reports of the activities of the local assemblies, and would be very thankful if you send these to him as regularly as you can.
        In closing may I ask you to convey his loving greetings to your distinguished fellow-members in the N.S.A. and to assure each and all of them of his supplications for their welfare and guidance. He also wishes you to express his best wishes to dear Father and Mrs. Dunn, and tell them how happy he is to learn that they are keeping in good health.
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        I am so glad to have received your letter and to have realised the progress of your activities. I trust and pray that the work in which the National Assembly is so energetically and devotedly engaged may steadily expand and be further consolidated. The teaching work is the corner-stone of its activities, the sole basis on which the administrative structure can flourish. A strenuous, systematic and continuous effort should, both individually and collectively, be now exerted to attain this supreme objective. With a heart full of gratitude I will pray for the success of your endeavours.
                Shoghi.



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                                                                April 26th, 1936
Beloved Bahá'í Sister,
        I am directed by the Guardian to thank you for your letter of the 30th March informing him of the date of Miss Kitty Carpenter's arrival in Port-Said. You can be sure that the friends will be most delighted to meet her, and to render her journey to Haifa as safe and comfortable as possible.
        The Guardian himself is eagerly looking forward to the pleasure of meeting her, and cherishes the hope that through this pilgrimage she may receive a renewed stimulus to better work for the promotion of the Faith upon her return home.
        The Guardian has also noted with deep satisfaction the

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preparations made by your N.S.A. for this year's meeting in Melbourne. He is praying that in spite of the difficulties you have encountered in carrying out your plans this important gathering of the Australian and New-Zealand believers may prove another landmark in the history of the Cause throughout that Continent.
        With loving greetings to you and your dear fellow-members,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.



        [Appended by the Guadian] May the Almighty bless you and your dearly-loved co-workers and fellow-members, and enable you all to proclaim far and wide the essential truths of this glorious Revelation and to lay unassailable foundations for its institutions.
                Your true and grateful brother,
                Shoghi.



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                                                                June 10th, 1936

Dear Miss Brooks,
        I am instructed by our beloved Guardian to acknowledge with deepest thanks the receipt of your letter of March 30th written on behalf of the N.S.A. of Australia and New-Zealand.
        He is rejoiced to learn of the projected formation of a Spiritual Assembly in Perth, and hopes that by the time this letter reaches you the assembly will have been duly constituted and will be functioning with the utmost unity, efficiency and vigour.
        In this connection he wishes me to bring to your Assembly's attention the necessity of their taking the necessary steps for the incorporation of the N.S.A.. This step, he feels, is of a vital importance to the further development of your Assembly, and will no doubt give it more stability and an added influence, specially in the eyes of the general public.
        The Guardian would also advise that the local assemblies take a similar step, and obtain official recognition from the authorities. In case the Auckland assembly has been registered in the government, will you be so kind as to send him photostatic reproductions of any registration papers or documents that the Auckland friends may have obtained from the authorities, as he wishes to have them published in the next "Bahá'í World".

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        As regards the photograph of your N.S.A; the Guardian wishes me to inform you that in going over the manuscript of the "Bahá'í World", which was sent to him from the States, he found your Assembly's picture already incorporated in it. The manuscript has now been sent back to America and is awaiting publication.
                With loving Bahá'í greetings,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        The incessant efforts so devotedly exerted by the members of your distinguished assembly are assets that I greatly value and of which I am truly proud. I will fervently pray for the extension of your activities and the fulfilment of your dearest hopes. Rest assured and persevere.
                Your true and grateful brother,
                Shoghi.



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                                                                September 23rd, 1936

Dear Miss Brooks,
        Your detailed communication of July 14th written on behalf of the N.S.A. of Australia and New-Zealand, together with its enclosures have all duly arrived, and their contents read with deepest interest and appreciation by our beloved Guardian. Also the photographs and blocks have duly reached him, as well as the local Assembly reports sent under separate cover. Please accept his most sincere and grateful thanks for them all.
        Regarding the proposed News Letter to be issued every three months by your N.S.A; this, the Guardian feels, is a splendid idea and can render a unique and much-needed help to your Assembly in its efforts for the establishment of the Administration, and the more effective functioning of its institutions throughout Australia and New-Zealand. Not only it has the great advantage of keeping the friends well-informed about the events and developments in the Cause, but in addition can help in consolidating the organic unity of the believers by bringing them within the full orbit of the N.S.A.'s jurisdiction. It is hoped that this body will do its utmost to maintain the publication of this bulletin, and will

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make full use of this splendid medium for the further widening and consolidation of the foundations of the local as well as national assemblies.
        As regards Mrs. ...'s request that you assist her in her project of uniting the believers through correspondence; this is of course a task which is quite secondary compared to the duties and responsibilities you are called upon to discharge as secretary of the N.S.A. Your secretarial work in that body imposes upon you a paramount obligation which no other service can equal in importance. All your other Bahá'í activities should be subordinated to your work in the N.S.A. which is, undoubtedly, the most vital and urgent among them all.
        Concerning the Greatest Name; this term refers both to "Alláh-u-Abhá" and to "Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá". The first is a form of Bahá'í greeting and should be used, while the other is an invocation, meaning "O Thou Glory of Glories!" These two words are both referred to as the Greatest Name.
        The Guardian, while fully aware of the difficulties, both financial and otherwise which your N.S.A. is facing in connection with the publication of the "Herald of the South", feels nevertheless the urge to advise you to continue with this magazine and not to feel in the least discouraged if your efforts for meeting the expenses incurred for its printing and circulation, and for raising its literary standard, do not bring the expected results. He very deeply values the self-sacrificing and sustained efforts exerted by your Assembly in this connection. May Bahá'u'lláh richly reward you for all your meritorious endeavours.
        With warmest Bahá'í Greetings,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        The work in which your National Assembly is engaged, and which it is prosecuting with such fidelity, diligence and perseverance is near and dear to my heart. You are laying an unassailable foundation for the erection of mighty Bahá'í institutions which future generations are destined to extend and perfect. Your pioneer work is arduous and highly meritorious. I feel proud of your achievements, realizing as I do the circumstances in which

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you labour. Abdu'l-Bahá is watching over you and is well-pleased with your services. Persevere and rest assured.
                Affectionately,
                Shoghi.



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                                                                September 25th, 1936

Dear Miss Brooks,
        Our able and indefatigable co-worker Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher is on a tour to Australia, India and the Near East, and by the time this letter reaches you he may be already in your midst.
        The Guardian wishes your N.S.A. to arrange for him to visit all the centers in Australia and if possible in New-Zealand too, and to make every effort to render his stay amongst you as abundant in its results as possible.
        Mr. Schopflocher is surely known to you and to many friends in Australia. He is truly one of the most distinguished believers in the West. He has a deep knowledge of the Cause, and specially of the Administration, and has contributed a unique share towards its establishment and consolidation in the States. For many years a member of the American N.S.A., he revealed such great qualities of heart and mind as very few of his fellow-members were able to manifest. He supported valiantly and generously, and through both moral and financial means, the various institutions of the Cause, and in particular the institution of the Bahá'í Fund which, as you can well realize, is the foundation stone of every phase of Bahá'í activity.
        In this connection it should be remembered that it was mainly due to his unfailing and most generous assistance that the Temple in Wilmette was built. The friends owe him indeed a great debt, and can never be too grateful for what he has accomplished, and is still so splendidly accomplishing, for the Faith in the West.
        The Guardian hopes, nay he feels confident, your Assembly, as well as all the friends will extend a most cordial welcome to this dear and distinguished Servant of the Cause, and will fully avail yourselves of this splendid opportunity that has been offered you to further enrich the field of your experiences in the Faith.
        With warmest greetings,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.

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                                                                November 17th, 1936

Dear Miss Brooks,
        On behalf of the Guardian I acknowledge with deepest thanks the receipt of your letter of the 17th October, and wish also to thank your Assembly for forwarding to him the photostatic reproduction of the registration certificate of the Assembly of Auckland. He fervently hopes that the formation of the Declaration of Trust of the N.S.A. will also be completed very soon, and that the difficulty you have encountered in this connection will be satisfactorily met and settled. He also trusts that the delay caused in registering the Sydney local assembly will be overcome, and that you will immediately proceed with the formation of your National Declaration of Trust. It is splendid, and a matter of deep satisfaction to our Beloved Guardian that in all these steps that you are taking for the administrative development and consolidation of the Faith in Australia and New-Zealand you are closely and faithfully following the example of America which, it should be admitted, occupies a pre-eminent rank among its sister communities in both the East and the West.
        As regards the problem facing the N.S.A. in connection with the representation of Perth at the next Annual Convention; the Guardian believes that the fact that a certain assembly or community is not in a financial position to defray the expenses of its delegate or delegates does not constitute sufficient justification for depriving it from its sacred right of participation in the national elections and other activities of the Convention. Every assembly, no matter how poor, is entitled to take part in the Convention proceedings by sending one or more delegates to that meeting. It is absolutely essential that this principle be clearly understood and faithfully applied by the friends. Financial considerations can under no circumstances invalidate it, or allow the least compromise in its application. It is the duty of every N.S.A. to ensure that it will be carried out whenever the Convention elections are held.
        With loving greetings,
                Yours in the Guardian's Service,
                H. Rabbani.

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        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        I would be very pleased to receive two more copies of the registration form of the Auckland Assembly and three copies of the form of the Adelaide Assembly some of which I shall place in the Mansion of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí. Will you also send me three copies of the registration form of every Assembly which will be incorporated in the future. The foundations which your National Assembly is now laying with such assiduous care and exemplary loyalty constitute a service that is truly historic and is highly meritorious in the sight of God. I feel deeply indebted to you for such splendid achievements. Persevere and never lose heart.
                Your true and grateful brother,
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                December 1st, 1936

Dear Miss Brooks,
        The Guardian has just received the first issue of the newsletter published by the N.S.A. of the Bahá'í's of Australia and New-Zealand, and has read it all through with deepest pleasure and satisfaction. He wishes me to ask you to transmit to your fellow-members in that body his warmest thanks for this new step they have taken for the further consolidation of the Administration in their country, as well as his most hearty congratulations upon the ever-increasing success that is attending their labours in this field.
        It is his fervent hope that this organ your Assembly has initiated will fully serve its purpose by intensifying the spirit of cooperation between the N.S.A. and all local assemblies, groups and isolated believers throughout Australia and New-Zealand. Such a medium, if properly utilized, can be of inestimable value to the believers, by further enriching their knowledge and understanding of the principles and actual functioning of the Administrative order of the Faith, and by maintaining alive, nay intensifying in them the desire to promote and safeguard its interests.
        He would, therefore, earnestly appeal to every believer in Australia and New-Zealand to make full and continued use of this bulletin, and consider it as a most effective means to closer fellowship and to a deeper understanding of his duties and

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responsibilities as builder of the New World Order of Bahá'u'lláh.
        He is ardently praying to the Almighty to ever bless and guide your Assembly's endeavours in this connection,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.



                --------------



                                                                February 4th, 1937

Dear Miss Brooks,
        I am instructed by the Guardian to inform you of the receipt of your letter of the 2nd January, and of the enclosed reports of the Adelaide and Auckland spiritual assemblies, and to renew to you, and through you to your fellow-members in the N.S.A., his grateful appreciation of the warm welcome you have so lovingly extended to that dear and distinguished servant of the Cause Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher during his visit to Australia and New-Zealand. It is his fervent hope that the spirit his visit has released will long serve to sustain the friends in their heavy task of expanding the foundations of the Administrative Order throughout that continent.
        Regarding Mr. Bolton's question as to whether the Guardian has given any instructions to the friends as to the best way to make their investments secure during the coming world crisis; I am instructed to inform you that no such directions have been given either to any individual believer or to any assembly. The only advice which the Guardian wishes to give is that whatever investment the friends make they should do it with the utmost caution, as economic and financial conditions are at present most unstable and even precarious.
        Shoghi Effendi has been very deeply grieved to learn of Mr. ...'s resignation from both the N.S.A. and the Sydney local Assembly, and of his request to leave altogether the Cause. He wishes me, however, to assure your Assembly not to feel discouraged at this truly sad happening, but to confidently strive to bring him back into the community. Should he persistently refuse to return, the best thing would be to leave him to himself, and to pray for him that Bahá'u'lláh may, in His infinite mercy and love, open again his eyes, and lead him out of the state of spiritual lethargy into which he has so sadly fallen.

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        With the assurance of the Guardian's best wishes, and of his continual prayers for you, and for your distinguished fellow-members in the N.S.A.,
                Yours Sincerely in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and prized co-worker:
        I am delighted with the progress of your activities and with your splendid achievements in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Bahá'í service. The National Spiritual Assembly is laying a firm and unassailable foundation for the administrative Order of the Faith, and I wish to congratulate all its members and committees on the marvellous progress thus far achieved. I will continue to pray for them from all my heart. I will specially supplicate for the success of this coming Convention. May your hopes be fulfilled in every respect.
                Gratefully and affectionately,
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                March 18th, 1937

Dear Miss Brooks,
        On behalf of the Guardian I acknowledge with thanks the receipt of your letter of the 17th February with the enclosed report of the Sydney local assembly, and wish to express his gratification at the news of the progress which that community is making in the teaching work. He has noted with deep satisfaction that two new names have been added to their membership roll, and hopes that this step will mark the beginning of a new era of teaching expansion throughout that center. He wishes you to kindly congratulate the Sydney Assembly for this splendid success which their teaching efforts have won, and to urge them to continue in their endeavours for the attraction and confirmation of New Souls. May the Beloved aid, sustain and ever bless them in His service.
        The Guardian is delighted to learn that the necessary arrangements for the holding of your next Annual Convention have been completed, and while he deplores the fact that owing to the long distances that separate the centers full attendance at

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this national gathering would not be feasible, he nevertheless hopes that it will be a most successful meeting, and will be marked all through by a perfect spirit of unity and fellowship. He wishes you to assure the delegates of his prayers for the success of their deliberations, and to convey to them his warmest greetings and best wishes for a happy Ridván.
                Yours ever in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.

        P.S. Shoghi Effendi wishes me to express his thanks for the four reproductions of the Adelaide Assembly registration form and trust which you had enclosed in your letter, one of which he has ordered to be placed in Bahá'u'lláh's Mansion at Bahjí, and another one he wishes to incorporate in the manuscript of the next "Bahá'í World" (vol. VII).
                H.R.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        I am truly gratified and delighted to receive so many evidences of the zeal, the loyalty and the devotion with which the believers in Australia and New-Zealand are extending the range of their historic activities. I feel deeply grateful to them. I will most assuredly pray for them that the Beloved may bless their high endeavours and aid them to establish His Cause and proclaim far and wide its verities and teachings.
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                August 29th, 1937
Beloved Bahá'í Sister,
        Your welcome communication of June 30 written on behalf of the N.S.A., as well as the accompanying papers and reports have all been received, and their contents read with keenest interest and appreciation by our beloved Guardian.
        How rejoiced he feels to witness the increasing evidences of the growing progress of the community of the Australian and New-Zealand believers. The considerable work that they have accomplished during the last few years, in both the teaching and the administrative fields, could not indeed have been carried out

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without the wise and effective leadership of your N.S.A. who, ever since its inception, has been functioning with a loyalty and efficiency that are truly remarkable.
        The success of this year's Convention, as evidenced by the report of the proceedings you had sent, marks a further step in the process of steady consolidation through which the N.S.A. is passing, and indicates how strong are the loyalty and attachment which it has awakened among the body of the believers throughout Australia and New-Zealand.
        It is the Guardian's fervent hope that this confidence which your Assembly has inspired will be further strengthened during the course of this year, and that this in turn will deepen in the members the sense of the heavy responsibility they have to shoulder for the extension and consolidation of Bahá'í work throughout that continent.
        Now as regards your Assembly's question concerning a tie vote; as the point raised is a secondary matter it is left to the discretion of your N.S.A.
        In the case of voting for less than nine individuals; it is not compulsory that a ballot paper should contain necessarily nine votes. The individual voter may record less than nine names, if he chooses to do so.
        With renewed greetings and thanks from the Guardian to you and your fellow-members in the N.S.A.,
                Yours ever in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        I am delighted with the manifold evidences of the progress achieved through the concerted efforts of the Australian and the New-Zealand believers under the able direction of their elected national representatives. I feel proud of their accomplishments, highly approve of their plans and projected enterprises, feel grateful for the spirit that animates them, and cherish bright hopes for the extension of their activities. May the Beloved guide their steps, cheer their hearts and enable them to diffuse far and wide the teachings and spirit of His Cause.
                Gratefully and affectionately,
                Shoghi.

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                                                                August 30th, 1937

Dear Miss Brooks,
        Your letter of the 17th July enclosing Miss Ethel Dawe's communication requesting permission to visit the Holy Land has been duly received by our beloved Guardian, and he has directed me to inform you that, at your suggestion, he has cabled Miss Dawe directly to London, extending to her a hearty welcome to visit the Holy Shrines in the next fall.
        He hopes that in the meantime nothing will happen to alter or upset her plans, and that she will be given the privilege and joy of undertaking this much-desired pilgrimage to Haifa.
        Hoping this will find you and all the Adelaide friends in the best of health, and with loving greetings to you and to them,
                Yours ever in the Cause,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]

Wishing you success from all my heart, and assuring you of my continued prayers for the realisation of your highest hopes,
                Your true brother,
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                January 31st, 1938

Dear Miss Brooks,
        The Guardian wishes me to express his loving thanks for your letter of the third instant, enclosing the half-yearly reports of the Perth and Auckland Spiritual Assemblies, all of which he has been delighted to read.
        He wishes you to write the Auckland Assembly assuring them of his approval of the request they have made on behalf of Miss Kitty Carpenter for permission to visit Haifa. He has every hope that through this pilgrimage she will be greatly refreshed and strengthened spiritually, and will upon her return home impart to the friends in New-Zealand some measure of the inspiration she will gain through close contact with the Holy Shrines.
        Before closing the Guardian also wishes me to express the hope that your N.S.A.'s plan of holding a meeting in Melbourne

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during the course of this year may be realized, and that the occasion may serve to lend a fresh impetus to the growth of the Cause in that city. He is fervently praying for the success of your Assembly's efforts in this connection.
        Reciprocating your greetings and with renewed and warmest thanks,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear co-worker:
        The work in which you and your dear fellow-members are so devotedly, so loyally and diligently engaged, is progressing in a manner that is highly gratifying and merits the highest praise. I feel increasingly proud of, and thankful for the achievements that signalize the rise of the administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh in Australia and New-Zealand. Generations yet unborn will extol those qualities and virtues that have enabled you all to render such great services to our beloved Cause. Persevere, be happy and confident.
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                March 30th, 1938

Dear Miss Brooks,
        The Guardian was indeed pleased to receive your letter of the 16th ins. informing him of Miss Dawe's safe arrival in Australia, and of the receipt of the precious relic which he had asked her to present to your N.S.A. for preservation in your National Archives.
        He wishes you to assure your fellow-members of his full approval of their suggestion to place this sacred relic in a little miniature frame case, and in such manner as to keep the paper containing it from becoming soiled and frayed with constant handling.
        In connection with the article published in the October number of the "Herald of the South" entitled "Above the Mists"; the Guardian wishes the believers to disregard such subjects as psychic practices and phenomena, for these besides not being

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authenticated by the Writings of the Founders of the Faith, pertain mostly to the domain of conjectures. The magazine of the "Herald of the South" should be devoted to the study and presentation of those subjects that reflect the spirit of the Teachings, and which as such are worthy of consideration by the believers. As the national organ of the Australian and New-Zealand friends its main function is to assist in disseminating the knowledge of the Cause, and thus develop into an effective teaching medium. This is the goal which the editors should have constantly in mind, and which they should endeavour to attain through the best possible means they can devise at present.
        The Guardian wishes me in closing to express his thanks for sending him the reproductions of the Declaration of Trust certificate of your N.S.A., and for the reports of the Adelaide and Sydney assemblies, as well as the photograph and report of the Yerrinbool Summer-School.
        With his loving greetings to you and to your fellow-members in the N.S.A.,
                Yours ever in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        I am so touched by the repeated and compelling evidences of the magnificent spirit that animates my dearly-beloved co-workers in Australia and New-Zealand. The record of their manifold accomplishments warms my heart and cheers my spirit. The Beloved is truly pleased with them and the Almighty will surely bless and reinforce their high endeavours. May their highest and dearest hopes be fulfilled in His Service.
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                June 22nd, 1938.

Dear Bahá'í Sister,
        I am instructed by our beloved Guardian to express his thanks for your communication of May 14th, with the enclosed copy of the resolutions passed by the Australian and New-Zealand N.S.A. in its April meeting held in Melbourne. He has also noted with deep satisfaction the program of the public meeting you

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had arranged on that occasion, and is very much heartened to know that the response from the public has been most genuine and quite beyond your expectations.
        The general situation of the Cause in Melbourne, however, has caused immense grief to his heart, specially as the believers themselves are losing interest and seem to be drifting away. The decision taken by your Assembly to hold the next Annual Convention there, with the view of encouraging and guiding the friends to re-organise their activities, and also in order to stimulate the progress of the teaching work in that center is most splendid. The Guardian would strongly advise that in the meantime every effort be exerted, through such means as the N.S.A. may find feasible and effective, to bring back into the Community those members who have already left, and to take immediate measures to discourage those who contemplate doing so.
        With reference to Miss Martha Root's projected teaching trip to your shores; the Guardian highly appreciates the cordial invitation extended to her by your Assembly, and has every hope that through her splendid zeal, mature and wide experience in the teaching field, she will be able to lend an unprecedented impetus to the expansion and consolidation of the teaching work throughout Australia and New-Zealand during this coming winter.
        In closing I wish to convey through you to the newly-elected N.S.A. the Guardian's heartfelt congratulations and sincere greetings, and to assure them of his prayers, that throughout their new term of office, they may be assisted in acquitting themselves befittingly of their task.
        Also kindly extend to them his loving thanks for the expression of deep sympathy which they have conveyed to him on their behalf, and in the name of the believers in New-Zealand and Australia, in the passing away of the Holy Mother, Munírih Khánum.
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        I truly admire the manner in which the national representatives of the believers of Australia and New Zealand are discharging their responsibilities and fulfilling their vital and manifold

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functions. I, moreover, feel eternally thankful for the spirit which the believers themselves manifest, the support they extend to them, the vigilance, steadfastness and self-sacrifice that distinguish the record of their services. The foundations they are laying will endure and broaden as the days go by, and the institutions they are erecting will multiply a thousandfold if they persevere in the path they are now treading. The blessing of the Abhá Beauty will enable them to achieve still greater victories if they refuse to hesitate and falter.
                Gratefully,
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                November 2nd, 1938

Dear Miss Brooks,
        I am directed by the Guardian to acknowledge with thanks your Assembly's communication of October 6th.
        Regarding the need you have expressed for a small, inexpensive prayer book for use by the friends in Australia and New Zealand; he views with favour this idea, but does not advise the use of the translations given in the Bahá'í Prayer Book, as these are mostly incorrect and inadequate renderings. He wishes you to preferably select from the book "Prayers and Meditations", recently published in America, suitable prayers for a small edition.
        The Guardian wishes me to express his gratification at the news of the enrolment of three new members in the Sydney Bahá'í group, and of two others in the Auckland community. He will pray that these new believers may continue deepening in their faith, and in their understanding of the Teachings, and that each of them may arise and lend every assistance in his power to the further expansion and firmer consolidation of the Faith in that far-off continent.
        The three reproductions of the Sydney Registration Certificate which you have mailed under separate cover have been duly received, and one of them will shortly be placed in the Mansion at Bahjí.

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        The projected visit of Miss Martha Root to your shores next winter, the Guardian hopes, will as on her previous journeys serve to impart a fresh stimulus to the friends in Australia and New-Zealand and inspire them with a renewed determination to re-consecrate themselves to the service of the Cause. Your Assembly should extend to her a warm welcome and every support she requires for the success of her mission. May her noble endeavours, seconded by the energetic and diligent efforts of the believers, result in inaugurating a new era of teaching expansion throughout the Australian continent.
        With warmest greetings from the Guardian,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-workers:
        The visit of our dear and cherished sister and exemplary co-worker, Martha, to your shores is approaching and I feel confident that her collaboration with you will lend an unprecedented impetus to the advancement of the Faith. Laden with laurels, animated by an unquenchable spirit, armed with a faith that none can surpass, she will, I feel sure, contribute magnificently to the magnificent work her co-workers in Australia and New Zealand have so valiantly achieved and are so energetically and methodically extending. My prayers for you and for her will continue to be offered with a heart filled with pride, joy and gratitude.
                Your true brother,
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                February 15th, 1939.

Dear Miss Brooks:
        Your letter of January 17th, enclosing one addressed to the Guardian by the Sydney Spiritual Assembly, have both duly arrived, and their contents read by him with deepest satisfaction and with feelings of unbounded gratitude.
        He is writing the Sydney Assembly separately, assuring them

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that Miss Davis who is on a world tour, would be most welcome to visit the Holy Shrines in Haifa and Bahjí, but he himself is exceedingly sorry not to be able to meet her, as he is at present away from the Holy Land, and may not be back to Haifa before some time. He hopes, nevertheless, Miss Davis will benefit from her close contact with the Sacred Places of the Faith, and will gain such experiences as will stimulate still further her interest in the Cause, and lead her gradually to fully and unreservedly embrace its truth.
        Regarding the extensive preparations made by the N.S.A. in connection with the teaching travels of our indefatigable and highly-esteemed Bahá'í sister Miss Martha Root throughout Australia and New-Zealand; the Guardian feels truly delighted and profoundly grateful to your Assembly for the befitting welcome you have extended to her, and for the arrangements you have made for her to broadcast her speeches, and to contact as many individuals and organisations as her time and health permit. You are certainly fully availing yourself of the opportunity of her presence in your midst to further intensify the campaign of teaching throughout Australia, and you can rest assured that Bahá'u'lláh will reinforce and bless your endeavours for the accomplishment of so vital and so sacred a task.
        The draft for thirty pounds which you had enclosed in your letter, representing the contribution of the believers of Australia and New-Zealand toward the International Fund of the Cause, has been received with grateful appreciation by our beloved Guardian, and he wishes your Assembly to kindly convey to all the friends his deep sense of gratitude, as well as his profound admiration, for the exemplary devotion and loyal attachment to the Cause that has prompted them to make such generous donations.
        With renewed and heartfelt thanks for your very kind letter, and reciprocating your greetings,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dearly-beloved co-workers:
        I am so glad and grateful for the plans you have conceived for the reception, and organisation of the work, of Martha during

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her visit to your shores. The community of the believers in Australia and New Zealand is making remarkable progress in every phase of its activities, and deserves the highest praise in its magnificent and incessant labours. I am proud of the quality of its faith and the range of its achievements. May the Beloved infuse into each one of its members a greater measure of His power and of His spirit that will enable them to seek nobler heights in their historic service to His Cause!
                Your true and grateful brother,
                Shoghi.



                --------------
                                                                March 17th, 1939.

Dear Miss Brooks,
        Your communication of February the 12th addressed to our beloved Guardian, informing him of Martha's safe arrival in Australia, has been received, and he was made truly happy to know how cordially and befittingly she had been welcomed by the friends. The wide acclamation with which you have greeted her upon her arrival, and the kind solicitude and warm affection you have displayed towards her by arranging for dear Dr. Bolton to give her the necessary treatment soon after her landing in Adelaide--such spontaneous expressions of your deep set admiration and love for this valiant and indefatigable star-servant of the Cause must have surely greatly warmed and touched her heart.
        Your N.S.A., no less than the local assemblies of Perth and Adelaide, has undoubtedly spared no effort to use her presence as an opportunity for giving the Faith every publicity possible through both the radio and the press. It is to be hoped that before long the results of this campaign of publicity will be made apparent, and a good number of sincere and intelligent inquirers will be led to investigate and seriously study the Teachings, and enrol later on in the Community.
        While the Guardian wishes the friends to take full advantage of Martha's presence and invite her to speak and teach as frequently as her energies permit, yet he would advise that they should also take great care lest her health be seriously impaired through overwork, specially as she is already so frail, having extensively travelled and tirelessly laboured for a whole year throughout India. He would further entreat the believers to join

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him in ardently supplicating Bahá'u'lláh to continue bestowing upon our well-beloved and distinguished sister all the strength and energy that she requires for the continuation and successful termination of her teaching tour throughout Australia and New-Zealand.
        With reference to Mr. and Mrs. Bolton's request for permission to visit Haifa during next October or November, the Guardian wishes you to assure them that they would be most welcome to undertake this pilgrimage through which, he hopes, they will get refreshed spiritually and filled with renewed vigour and added determination to labour for the further promotion of the Faith upon their return home.
        With the season's best greetings to you and all the friends,
                Yours ever in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-worker:
        How deeply I appreciate what you and your dear collaborators are achieving for the success of Martha's work amidst you. My heart brims over with gratitude for the manner in which you approach your task, discharge your duties and extend the range of your local and national activities. With your deeds you are demonstrating in that far-off continent what the power of the Greatest Name can achieve when it operates through channels that are pure, and receptive to its outpouring grace. My prayers are being continually offered for you all. Rest assured and be happy.
                Your true and grateful brother,
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                July 12th, 1939.

Dear Miss Brooks,
        On behalf of our beloved Guardian I acknowledge with thanks the receipt of your deeply-appreciated message written on behalf of our Australian N.S.A., and of various materials, including Assembly reports and photographs of the Yerrinbool Summer-School, mailed under separate cover, all of which reached him

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safely, and for which kindly convey his heart's deepest gratitude to your Assembly.
        He has read with great pleasure the account of Miss Root's last few weeks in Australia, and feels exceedingly gratified and thankful at this renewed evidence of the loving hospitality so spontaneously and generously extended to her by all the friends in each center she visited, and wishes me, in particular, to convey to you and to dear Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne his special thanks for having kindly offered to accompany our precious and well-beloved sister throughout the last stages of her journey to Melbourne and Tasmania. May Bahá'u'lláh richly reward you with His choicest blessings for all the tender care and affection you lavished upon her all through her teaching itinerary, and may He sustain, strengthen and guide you in your endeavours to further enrich and consolidate the notable teaching results she was able to accomplish in your midst during all these months.
        The Guardian was highly encouraged to hear of the news of the confirmation of Miss Lamprill's friend, and earnestly hopes and prays that through the combined, sustained, and loving exertions of these two dear believers the Cause will gradually make a headway in Hobart, and a group of well-confirmed souls will soon be established in that center. Kindly convey to these friends the expression of his warmest good wishes for the extension and success of their labours in service to our beloved Faith, and do urge them whole-heartedly, joyously and confidently persevere in their task of promulgating the message in Hobart.
        With regard to Mrs. Routh's request for permission to visit Haifa; much as the Guardian desires her to undertake such longed for visit to the Holy Shrines, he feels that owing to the continued disturbances agitating the Holy Land, and which give no sign of abating, it would be inadvisable for her to come at such a dangerous time. He hopes some day when the situation will have returned to normal in Palestine, she will have an opportunity of undertaking this pilgrimage.
        Assuring you, and your newly-elected fellow-members in the N.S.A. of his continued prayers and best wishes, and with affectionate greetings to all the friends,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.

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        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-workers:
        The recent evidences of your marvellous activities in the service of our beloved Faith have brought infinite joy to my heart. The institutions you are so devotedly and laboriously erecting, multiplying and perfecting, notwithstanding your limited numbers, the scarcity of Bahá'í teachers and proper facilities, and despite your limited resources and the varied obstacles in your way, attest the splendid progress you have achieved and augur well for the future of your historic work in His service. The summer-school is but one of those institutions which you have established with such a rare spirit of devotion, such magnificent loyalty and such assiduous care. The foundation you have laid is broad, solid and unassailable. The rising generation who will build upon it will extol your virtues, ennoble your task, preserve the record of your acts, and transmit to posterity the great tradition which you are now so happily and nobly establishing. My heart brims over with gratitude for all that you are achieving, and is filled with hopes for all that you will achieve in the near and distant future. Perseverance, fidelity, redoubled effort, will enable you to reap a rich harvest and to attain your shining goal.
                Your true and grateful brother,
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                November 4th, 1940

Dear Miss Brooks,
        Your communications dated April 22nd and August 23rd written on behalf of the N.S.A. of Australia and New-Zealand with the enclosed reports have all been safely received, and their contents noted with feelings of deepest satisfaction and gratitude by our beloved Guardian.
        Also he has received the copy of the Mittagong Star, the reproduction of registration certificate, the three snaps and the three photographs which you had mailed under separate cover, for all of which he wishes you to heartily thank the N.S.A. on his behalf.
        He wishes you, in particular, to convey his warmest greetings and congratulations to the members of the newly-elected N.S.A., whose names he has been very pleased to note, and to assure

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them of his prayers for their guidance and confirmation in the discharge of their heavy and sacred duties and responsibilites throughout this year. Despite the sorrow and distress created by the war, and the heavy sacrifices it is increasingly imposing upon the community of the faithful throughout Australia and New-Zealand, he confidently hopes that your Assembly, with the help and support of all the believers in that land, will continue prosecuting, with the same devoted zeal, resourcefulness and determination as before, its twofold task of extending the scope of the teaching work, and of further consolidating the foundations of the Administration. The unity and efficiency with which it has been functioning in the past year, as attested by the rich record of its accomplishments, indeed augur well for the future of its activities, and it is the Guardian's fervent hope that, notwithstanding the delay and dislocation which the prosecution of the war has inevitably occasioned, it will continue to advance and prosper, and receive unforseen opportunities of spreading and of strengthening the foundations of the Cause throughout that far-off Continent.
        In this time of world calamity his thoughts and prayers are often with our dearly-beloved friends in Australia and New Zealand, and he is ardently supplicating Bahá'u'lláh, on their behalf, that He may bestow upon them such measure of His guidance, protection and strength as would enable them to courageously and successfully meet the tests and trials of the days ahead.
        Assuring you, in closing, of his special prayers on your own behalf, and reciprocating your greetings,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear co-worker:
        The report of your activities and of those of your fellow-workers, undertaken at such a time, and despite such difficulties and with such a courage, devotion, determination, thoroughness and fidelity, deserves indeed the highest praise and constitutes a powerful evidence of the unconquerable Spirit and the ever-extending range, and the ever-deepening influence of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh. Your work is surely blessed by Him, and your

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fellow-labourers in distant lands derive great encouragement and inspiration from the incessant and remarkable efforts you are so devotedly exerting. Persevere and rest assured that I will, with increasing fervour, pray on your behalf at the Holy Shrines,
                Your true and grateful brother,
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                January 3rd, 1941

Dear Miss Brooks,
        At the Guardian's direction I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of December 17th just arrived, together with the copy of the resolutions passed by the N.S.A. of Australia and New-Zealand in its August meeting, as well as the copy of the statement on the "Bahá'í Attitude to War" recently issued by your Assembly. He found that statement most satisfactory both in its form and in its clear and comprehensive presentation of the underlying principles governing the collective attitude of the believers in this vital issue of the hour.
        The friends should indeed make a careful study of this statement, so as to be able to intelligently and correctly answer any questions put to them either by the authorities or individual inquirers.
        The Guardian has been particularly pleased to note that the response of the Prime Minister, and of the premier of Victoria and other ministers to whom you had submitted a copy of the above statement has been so cordial, and he feels relieved to know that through this action of your Assembly any doubts or misapprehensions regading the attitude of the Bahá'ís to war have been dispelled, and that the authorities feel, as a result, much more favourable towards the Cause, now that they know for themselves that it is entirely non-political in character and that it enjoins absolute loyalty and obedience to the Government.
        This opportunity your Assembly has had of establishing direct contact with the authorities is indeed a step of vital significance to the Cause in Australia and New-Zealand, and is bound to pave the way for its ultimate recognition as an independent religious Faith, entitled to the same rights and privileges which other religious bodies and institutions enjoy in that land.
        The Guardian wishes me in closing to express his deepfelt

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appreciation of your teaching services in Melbourne and Hobart, in which cities you seem to have accomplished such splendid work, both in introducing the Cause to the general public and by assisting the friends in better conducting their teaching and administrative activities.
        May the Beloved ever bless and guide your efforts, and may He also strengthen and confirm your fellow-members in the N.S.A. in the discharge of their arduous duties and responsibilities. To you and to them all he sends his warmest greetings,
                Yours in His Service,
                H. Rabbani.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear co-workers:
        The manner and spirit in which the dearly-beloved friends in Australia and New Zealand are discharging their multifarious and sacred responsibilities, in these days of strife and peril, augur well for the future of their mission in that far-off continent. The sound lines along which the administration of the Faith is evolving, the courage and fidelity with which they defend the integrity and assert the claims, and proclaim the verities of their beloved Cause are evidences of their onward march and the potentialities with which they are endowed. I rejoice and am thankful. I will continue to pray and seek for them still greater blessings.
                Your true and grateful brother,
                Shoghi.



                --------------



                                                                Haifa, April 19th, 1941

Dear Bahá'í friends:
        Shoghi Effendi has instructed me to answer your letter of March 16th, 1941.
        He was very pleased to learn that Mother Dunn has accepted in such a noble and exemplary Bahá'í spirit the loss of dear Father Dunn, and that the friends of Sydney are preparing a full description of his death and the funeral. The Guardian would like very much to receive all such histories and reports for the next Vol. of "Bahá'í World". He would also like you to send him three good photographs of Father Dunn and some of his grave and tombstone--whenever the latter are available.

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        The truly remarkable services of Hyde Dunn will never be forgotten. They have added a golden page to the history of the Formative Period of our Faith. The whole-hearted response to Abdu'l-Bahá's call, raised more than twenty years ago, which he and Mother Dunn made; their quiet and unassuming sacrifices for the Cause; the wisdom and permanence with which he laid the foundations of the work in Australia and New-Zealand; and the faithful love with which both of these noble souls tended the growing institutions of the Faith--all constitute a landmark in the victorious progress of the Faith. He is indeed the spiritual conqueror of that continent!
        The Guardian was very impressed by your Assembly's recent statement published in the January issue of "Bahá'í Quarterly". So much so that he felt impelled to have the American N.S.A. publish it in "Bahá'í News" and also have it read at the annual Convention. He feels that in excellent form you have presented the very essence of the Bahá'í attitude on these matters. This has further strengthened his conviction that the Bahá'ís of Australia and New-Zealand display a remarkable soundness in their views on all matters concerning the Faith, a characteristic which greatly pleases him.
        Concerning your question whether a Bahá'í Burial Service can be conducted for non-Bahá'ís if requested by them: if non-Bahá'ís desire that the believers should conduct such a service there is no objection at all.
        The contemplated teaching trip of Miss Brooks, Mrs Hawthorne and Mrs Moffit to Queensland, meets with the Guardian's whole-hearted approval. He will pray in the Holy Shrines that its outcome will be richly blessed and fruitful.
        He was very sorry to learn that Miss Stevenson has passed on. He will pray for her joy and advancement in the Worlds beyond. She had the great honour and blessing of being the first New-Zealand believer and her reward must be great.
        With the assurance of Shoghi Effendi's most loving prayers for you all and with Bahá'í greetings,
                Yours in His Service,
                R. Rabbani.

P.S. He wishes me also to thank you for the Naw-Rúz and Ridván greetings from all the dear friends in Australia and New Zealand.

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        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-workers:
        The community of the Most Great Name in these far-off islands have lost a great leader, a stalwart upholder of the new World Order of Bahá'u'lláh. The influence he has exercised will however continue to live, and the example he has set will inspire the rising generation to perform deeds as great and brilliant as those which will ever remain associated with his name. Our dear friend, Mr. Hyde Dunn, will, from his exalted station intercede on your behalf, and you should, on your part strive to emulate one whom Bahá'í historians will recognise and acclaim as Australia's spiritual conqueror. I will pray for his dear spiritual children from the depths of my heart.
                Your true brother,
                Shoghi.
        The passing of yet another staunch and indefatigible worker, Miss Stevenson, constitutes yet another loss to the believers in that continent. The work which that exemplary pioneer has achieved however is imperishable. Kindly assure her relatives of my deepfelt sympathy.
                Sh.



                --------------



                                                                July 30th, 1941

Dear Bahá'í Sister:
        The Guardian has instructed me to answer your welcome letter to him of June 20th, with all its good news.
        The response your teaching work met with in Brisbane is truly most encouraging and shows a remarkable receptivity on the part of the people of Australia to the Divine Message. Shoghi Effendi hopes that you will be able to undertake many such trips in furtherance of the teaching work and that an increasing number of the friends will do likewise.
        Indeed all the news that comes from the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand bears witness to the soundness of their understanding of the teachings, their loyalty and devotion to the Cause and its laws, and the excellence of their faith itself.
        The Guardian has recently written a long general letter to the Bahá'ís of the West. Owing to its length and the difficulty of

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sending a large number of manuscripts abroad at such a time, he has requested the N.S.A. of America to forward it to the other National Spiritual Assemblies. He trusts it will soon reach you.
        The news received of the Winter session of the Yerrinbool school was very encouraging. Shoghi Effendi hopes that many of these points of community contact, such as school sessions, teaching conferences--whatever form of activity is most feasible--will be increasingly inaugurated, as they are of vital importance in fostering the work of the Cause.
        He most deeply appreciates your own untiring services in promotion of the Faith in all its branches. You may rest assured that he will often pray for you, and he will also pray for the confirmation of those souls whom you and Mrs. Hawthorne attracted during your recent trip.
        With Bahá'í love,
                Yours in His service,
                R. Rabbani.

P.S. The Guardian has not yet received the record of Martha's voice nor photographs of Father Dunn. Will you kindly send one copy of each to him as soon as convenient.
                R. R.





        [From the Guardian:]



Dear and valued co-workers:
        It is indeed thrilling to note the rapidity and soundness with which the flourishing Bahá'í community in that far-off land is establishing the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, is fearlessly proclaiming its truths, upholding its verities and standards, multiplying its institutions, defending its interests, disseminating its literature, and exemplifying its invincible power and spirit. I rejoice, feel proud, and am eternally grateful. I cannot but pray, with redoubled fervour, to Him Who so manifestly guides and sustains you, to increase your numbers, to remove every barrier that obstructs your path, to safeguard your unity, to bless your undertakings and to enable you to demonstrate, afresh and with still greater force, the reality of the faith that animates you in the discharge of your sacred duties. Be assured and persevere.
                Shoghi.

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                                                                Haifa, December 26th, 1941.

Dear Bahá'í Sister:
        The Guardian has instructed me to answer your letters dated Sep. 23rd. and Oct. 1st, and to acknowledge the receipt of the manuscript you sent for "Bahá'í World" vol. IX, also the photographs of Father Dunn's home and his own picture.
        Regarding the questions you asked in your letter:


No. 1. Confucius was not a Prophet. It is quite correct to say he is the founder of a moral system and a great reformer.


No. 2. The Buddha was a Manifestation of God, like Christ, but his followers do not possess his authentic writings.


No. 3. Zoroaster was not Abraham; the Muslims, some of them, contend that they were the same, but we believe they were two distinct Prophets. There is a misunderstanding in the reference in "Bahá'í Proofs" to this matter.


No. 4. There are no Prophets, so far, in the same category as Bahá'u'lláh, as He culminates a great cycle begun with Adam.


No. 5. The Greatest Name is the Name of Bahá'u'lláh. "Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá" is an invocation meaning: "O Thou Glory of Glories"! "Alláh-u-Abhá" is a greeting which means: "God the All-Glorious". Both refer to Bahá'u'lláh. By Greatest Name is meant that Bahá'u'lláh has appeared in God's Greatest Name, in other words, that He is the Supreme Manifestation of God.


No. 6. Revelations 3.12, refers to the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh.


No. 7. References in the Bible to "Mt. Paran" and "Paraclete" refer to Muhammad's Revelation. Deuteronomy 33.2; Genesis 21.21.; Numbers 12.16; Numbers 13.3.; Genesis 17.20 refers to the twelve Imams and in the Revelation of St. John, Chap. 11.; where it mentions two witnesses, it refers to Muhammad and 'Alí.


No. 8. The statement in the "Gleanings", p. 64-65, "who out of utter nothingness.." etc., should be taken in a symbolic and not literal sense. It is only to demonstrate the power and greatness of God.


No. 9. The Guardian considers that the gist of what Mrs. Hanford Ford reported can be considered quite correct.


No. 10. The figures 1290 date from the declaration of Muhammad, ten years before His flight to Medina.

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No. 11. The intercalary days are specially set aside for hospitality, the giving of gifts, etc. Bahá'u'lláh Himself specified that they be used this way, but gave no explanation for it.


No. 12. The Bahá'í Summer-Schools were originated in America to meet the requirements of the friends. They have been adopted by other Bahá'í communities the world-over, but there is no reason why they should be called "Summer Schools". There is nothing rigid about the term, it is purely descriptive. The Guardian feels that although you can have the immediate affairs of your Summer-Schools managed by a convenient local assembly, they should remain under the direct supervision of the National Spiritual Assembly as they are national in character and not purely local.



        A few days ago Mr. Jim Heggie came to see the Guardian. He was able to visit all the shrines and archives as well. Shoghi Effendi was delighted with him, he found him devoted, full of faith and zeal, and very well read in the teachings. He feels that if this is a sample of the Bahá'í youth of Australia, there is, indeed, a wonderful future ahead of that country!
        He will be very pleased to receive the picture of Father Dunn's grave as soon as it is available.
        The Guardian assures you and the members of the National Spiritual Assembly that his prayers are constantly being offered on your behalf. He is so very pleased with the good news he receives of your activities and the spread of the Cause in those distant lands.
        Only yesterday he was reading a most heartening and enthusiastic report of the work in Tasmania, which greatly cheered him.
        Dark as these days are he feels confident that the Australian and New-Zealand Bahá'ís will continue with unabated devotion to carry on their excellent and exemplary services to the Faith.
        His prayers are with them all, and his loving gratitude goes out to you who lead and co-ordinate their activities.
        With warm Bahá'í greetings
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