Pilgrim Notes

Corinne True

1925

Mrs. True having just returned from Haifa, related some of her experiences and talks with Shoghi Effendi.

Shoghi Effendi told me I could stay as long as I wished and by having a long time we could take it easy and when convenient for him to talk about things we could take a walk to the sea, or go to the Shrine, and. I gained a great deal more that way than to go for only a week o so and feel I must rush. There is so much to be absorbed and to talk about. Shoghi Effendi is very well.

The first pilgrims from Australia and New Zealand came while I was there. Martha Root is being sent to Europe, to Geneva, by Shoghi, will be located at Geneva for the summer where there will be many congresses. Shoghi Effendi says the work in Europe is very is very necessary just now.

All the big tourist ships now stop at Haifa making it their chief port, so that there are thousands of American tourists who land at Haifa, Gook has an agency in Haifa and his man asked Shoghi Effendi if he could have the privilege of Showing the Shrine to the tourists and this was granted, and this may be an avenue. There is a drive around the city and they always take them around the Shrine and gardens, and the people from the town come there on Sunday afternoons. 500 people visited the Shrine One Sunday, they do not enter, only on special request. Such changes are going on. Haifa does not know itself. Shoghi says that through the Zionists Haifa will be very wonderful. He is very much in favor of the Zionist work in Palestine a brilliant pearl. One reason is this. It has been a Mohammedan country and Syria the same way but through the coming of the Jews they, with the Christians, are in the majority and then progressive movements will be produced and Palestine will go far ahead of lyrist because it has a Mohammedan majority.

In speaking of the work. Mr. Mills had done at Bagdad in connection with the houses there, Mrs. True said he had wonderful letters of introduction to many people and it was surprising to them that a man like Mr. Mills was interested in the movement and it opened their eyes to the fact that the people of the lost were really taking such an interest in the Cause of Baha’u’llah and Mr. Mills did great good in meeting these prominent officials.

Shoghi Effendi is very busy. The greatest Holy Leaf built him a lit apartment on the Master’s house, an office, bedroom and bath. He has maps of different countries, marked with red ink and dots for every city where there are Baha’is. You can see right away in what part of the country the work is being done. Germany and Australia are doing more for the Cause, it is spreading fast in these two countries, more so than in any other country. Shoghi would be very happy when we as get matters established and relieve him of a great deal of work that should be taken care of by the different assemblies. He has a tremendous correspondence. He dictates letters and then adds a few works by hand. His sense of justice is wonderful. Today is the day for Rouse of Justice. Justice is a marvellous characteristic he has. He feels he cannot write to anyone for justice demands then that he write to all.

Shoghi Effendi talked a great deal to us about teaching by living the Baha’i life. Each one of the great Manifestations of God have brought a springtime in the spiritual world when they came and there are certain things they bring and teach us by living which have not been given before, and it is very essential that the Baha’is live the life that Baha’u’llah has taught and ‘Abdu’l-Baha has explained, and then the deeds that would follow a life according to their teachings would be like new fresh flowers, not like last year’s flowers but would have a newness and a fragrance, and an attractiveness of the new spirit then we would attract more people to the Cause, because they leek new spring flowers and come and ask for them and in that way we could quicken the whole earth. Shoghi Effendi said it would be advisable for any soul who felt Gilled, upon to do so to arise and go forth and teach and he wished the friends could fulfill the Divine Plan and follow those teachings. Go forth and spread the teachings as broadly as possible.

They are expecting to elect a National Spiritual Assembly in Egypt an April 21st that was before Mrs. True left.

One thing Shoghi said about organization was, to go ahead and get your organization created and when you have created do not forget the object of that organization. There might be a little tendency to give too much time to perfecting the organization and forgetting the ob4eot behind it which is to spread the Cause. Es laid great stress on the point of being sure that the organization performed its function. Through these committees Shoghi himself will be able to promulgate the Cause. Ever have before your mind – how are we going to further the Cause. Have frequent meetings and make business if you have no business. The less often you meet the less business you have but do not forget what the organization was created for primarily. We are not trying to establish a perfect organization in the world but are establishing an organization to promulgate the Cause. We need machinery but not machinery without a soul.

Shoghi spoke of how we should name spiritual assemblies. On letterheads, speaking of National Assemblies, they should be called. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY, in large letters, and in small letters, of the Baha’is of the United States, etc. Local – THE SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY in large letters, of the Baha’is of New York, in small letters. The spiritual assembly in any city means the nine elected members for that city.

Shoghi does not change anything of ‘Abdu’l Baha’s. The master made two kinds of statements in his Tablets, one was for temporary expediency and the other permanent. Where it was temporary, when the time came to change that, Shoghi has the privilege to make that change. In Persia he found two or three Tablets about electing committees that were different. He found these differences and is making a uniformity and has sent instructions to elect committees once a year. He changes those that are temporary according to the expediency of the time and its requirements but those that are permanent – nothing on the face of the earth could change these things.

Shoghi says the Baha’i is a person who is attracted to the principles of the Cause but a believer is one not only attracted to the principles but knows the station of the station of the founders and source of these teachings and who turns to the source for his strength and is detached from the world attracted from the world to the Cause. Try from among those who are attracted to make more believers for the work of promulgating the Cause falls on the believers. They are the ones who are spreading this Osage. It is necessary to make believers for the Cause will never be establish ea if we make only Baha’is. It is necessary to male believers of those pure souls who are attracted and who will give all their time to the Cause and then the Cause will rest on the shoulders of those people. If they are only attracted they will not serve or put their hands in their pockets and the Cause will never become an established Cause. Shoghi Effendi wants all the spiritual assemblies all over the country to get very closely united with each other and exchange speakers and visitors and get closer to each other.

Took up point with Shoghi, what Ahmad we do if the members of our local assembly cannot act. He said it might be very good idea to elect a few extra members and only all on them at specific times but each assembly could decide that for itself.

Shoghi is not pleased because the Temple work has been neglected. We must not push the Temple work now as it would out off the channel of promulgation of the Cause. We must build up the body of the Cause and must make some believers and that will build the Temple. One reason he is stressing teaching is that the, Temple is a wonderful instrument for attracting and after you have attracted them they must be instructed in the teachings. The Temple must not be neglected. He wants a complete statement of exactly how things are and any indebtedness. Wants everything cleaned off and then he will tell them what to do.

Shoghi also says we have now the right to ask for reduction in travelling expenses of teachers on railroads and the N.S.A. should take ogee of this.

We had a visit with the Greatest Holy Leaf, she gave us each a. ring and said she did not think she was going to be with us very much longer and that if God allowed her to attain the Kingdom – she hoped and prayed she would succeed in obtaining the Kingdom, she wanted. God to allow her to be an emisary to Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha to tell them of the faithfulness of the friends after the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Baha.

At the 19-Day meeting April 28th, Mrs. True spoke at the Library and while some of the foregoing was repeated the following inspiring messages were given us.

Loving greetings from Shoghi Effendi and the holy Family. I received so much in this visit. Shoghi gave me things that satisfied my heart so that now I can work with understanding. He says we must get under-standing and be happy and joyous in our work and unless we know what we are doing we cannot be happy and joyous in this work.

He talked at the necessity of living the Baha’i life according to the Baha’u’llah. ‘Abdu’l-Baha says there was many a spiritually minded woman when Christ came to this world who did not know the Mouth-piece of God so that she failed to attain, she was living the law of Moses.

So today, we have gone into still another and higher degree. Baha’u’llah has brought this wonderful new message, such a message as the world has never seen. We must live the life of the Baha’i teachings. This message has come to the world and it has a mighty potentiality and the only way we can know what that potentiality is, is by the way those who come under these teachings bring auto action those great teachings of Baha’u’llah. We must do something to prove to the world that it is a new springtime. Unless the trees do some sprouting, or you find violets you would not know that it is a new springtime, so unless the Baha’is show such qualities the people would not know that a new springtime has come into the err spiritual world. If we want to attract hearts to our Manifestation, the one of our day, we have to prove At through the teachings emanating from our teacher, we have to prove the teachings of this day. We want new, fresh, fragrant, spring flowers of our day.

After talking about the individual lives of our teachers, he talked about our teaching work. It is not enough to broadcast this message and simply proclaim the principles because the majority of the people Will agree with you on them, but every place you go, when you have given them the principles, train them and turn them to the founder of the movement and teach them to tarn to the founder as their Isar*e of inspiration.

Again referring to that Shoghi said about Baha’is, that a Baha’i is a person attracted to the principles of the Cause but a believer is one Who is not only attracted to the principles put knows the station and foamier and the source of these teachings and turns to the source for his strength, Shoghi said, try from among those who are Baha’is to make some believers for the work of promulgating the Cause falls upon the believers, An effort must be made to train as many souls as possible to become real Baha’is so they will arise and give all their energy and time to the Cause. More work should be done for this than to spread the Owls.

Shoghi wants us to demonstrate to the world that we have something the world has not. We must prove to them that there is some reason why ‘hey should seek this movement in preference to others. Then you will find it will become a magnet.

Shoghi’s wisdom and justice are wonderful. He will not do a thing that violates justice. There is a tie between Shoghi and the Greatest Holy Leaf that we on our plane cannot understand. They belong to a higher plane and they have a communion which we cannot understand which is most beautiful, to see. She is very feeble and said she did not think she would be with us much longer.