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6 January 1938 [Yerrinbool Summer School]
CONVEY SUMMER SCHOOL ATTENDANTS HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS LOVING FERVENT PRAYERS SUCCESS DELIBERATIONS. SHOGHI
31 January 1938 [National Spiritual Assembly]
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 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 frequently 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
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
30 March 1938 [National Spiritual Assembly]
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 a 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 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.
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.
11 April 1938
Dear Miss Dawe:
You must think I forgot all about you and your visit as I have delayed so long in writing! But I assure you I have not forgotten and never will. It was such a great pleasure for me to meet and know a believer from far away Australia - and I can truly say you impress me as having something unique among the Western Bahá'ís in your part of the world. You are not like either the Europeans or the Americans and from the reports and quarterly, which the Guardian was kind enough to share with me, I feel as if almost a spiritual breeze blew from you all!
The picture of the first summer school at Yerrinbool delighted Shoghi Effendi, as also did the incorporation or registration of the National Assembly and the spirit shown by the friends in offering the prayer for entering a City on visiting the Capital. How wonderful it would be if the news each day that he received could bring him such encouragement and happiness.
Australia and New Zealand must offer wonderful opportunities for the future development of the Cause, and it is wonderful to feel we are living in times of the spreading and conquest by the Faith of virgin territories.
I wish I knew which was your cousin, Maisie Almond, in the photograph of the Summer School! I hope someday you will come to Haifa together.
Anytime you ever feel you might like to write me it would be most welcome to me! It was lovely having you here and I am happy to have a friend whom I know out there!
Ever lovingly in His Cause, Ruhiyyih
P.S. Though I don't know Mr and Mrs Dunn would you give them my dearest love! I have always admired them so much.
I hope you are in excellent health? R
26 April 1938 [National Spiritual Assembly]
Dear Bahá'í friend,
I am directed by our beloved Guardian to convey his thanks to you for your letter of the 13th instant and to express his profound and loving appreciation of the contribution you have enclosed in the name of the National Assembly of Australia and New Zealand toward the International Fund of the Cause. I am sending herewith a separate receipt duly signed by him for your files. The spirit of true sacrifice and devotion which this offering represents is indeed a source of deepest satisfaction to the Guardian and he will certainly pray that, as the years go by, it may increasingly gain in strength, and become so intensified as to enable the believers throughout Australia and New Zealand to accomplish such deeds of service as would make them the object of the admiration and envy of all their sister communities in both Europe and America. Already the signs of tremendous vitality which the Australian and New Zealand Bahá'í community is evincing are sufficiently numerous to justify such high hopes, and augur well for the glorious future it is destined to have. The news of the safe arrival of Miss Dawe to Australia and of the inspiration the friends have gained through sharing the impressions of her memorable pilgrimage to the Holy Land is yet another source of deep gratification to the Guardian. He fervently hopes that the way may be opened for most of our Australian and New Zealand friends to visit the Holy Shrines in the not distant future.
With seasons best greetings and with renewed thanks.
Yours in His Service, H. Rabbani
Dear and valued co-worker,
I am deeply impressed by the splendid progress that is being achieved along such sound lines and in so many spheres of Bahá'í activity by the believers in Australia and New Zealand. My heart overflows with love and gratitude to them all and feels increasingly proud of their noble achievements. I appeal to them all to persevere and surmount every obstacle in their path. Shoghi
28 April 1938 [National Spiritual Assembly]
HOLY MOTHER MUNIRIH KHANUM ASCENDED ABHA KINGDOM SUSPEND RIDVAN FESTIVITIES HOLD BEFITTING MEMORIAL GATHERINGS. SHOGHI
27 May 1938
Dear Miss Carpenter,
The Guardian is in receipt of your letter of the 19th ins., and is indeed pleased to know that your visit to Cairo has been so happy & successful, & that the friends have extended to you such a warm hospitality all through your stay.
He hopes this letter will find you well, & enjoying your visit to your relatives & fellow-believers in England.
With loving remembrances, and renewed thanks for your message,
Yours in His Service, H. Rabbani
May the Beloved fulfil your heart's desire in the service of His Faith, & enable you to promote effectively the interests of its new-born institutions.
Your true brother, Shoghi
17 June 1938 [Annie Miller, Perth]
Dear Bahá'í Sister,
I am directed by our beloved Guardian to express his loving thanks for the message of sympathy, dated May 15th, which you had written him on behalf of the Bahá'ís of Perth, conveying your condolences on the occasion of the passing of the Holy Mother, Munírih Khánum.
He is moved to realize how keenly you all have felt her loss, but surely the thought that she has at last been liberated from the sufferings & limitations of this world affords deepest comfort to your grief-stricken hearts. How happy she must be now in this eternal reunion with her loved ones, and with our beloved Master. No matter how profound our sorrow, we should therefore turn our hearts to Bahá'u'lláh in the hope that He may transmute our grief into an abiding and peaceful joy, whereby we may serve His Cause with added energy, & renewed & uttermost consecration.
In closing may I convey to you the Guardian's loving appreciation of the kind message you sent him through Miss Kitty Carpenter. Her stay in the Holy Land was short, but it is hoped, that the experiences she has gathered during those few days, will long serve to sustain & stimulate her energies in service to the Cause in New Zealand.
With renewed & loving thanks for your message, and with warmest greetings to all the friends in Perth,
Yours in His Service, H. Rabbani.
With the assurance of my deep & abiding appreciation of the noble sentiments of sympathy & loyalty you have expressed, and of my loving, constant & fervent prayers for the full & speedy realization of your dearest hopes for the advancement of His Faith,
Your true & grateful brother, Shoghi
22 June 1938 [National Spiritual Assembly]
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 meetings you 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 reorganise their activities, and also in order to stimulate the progress of the teaching work in that centre 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
Dear and valued co-workers,
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 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 blessings of the Abha Beauty will enable them to achieve still greater victories if they refuse to hesitate and falter. Gratefully, Shoghi
2 November 1938 [National Spiritual Assembly]
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 the 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.
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.
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.
20 December 1938
Mrs E Axford
Dear Bahá'í Sister,
Your very cordial message of the 27th November addressed to our beloved Guardian has duly reached him, and he has noted with keen appreciation indeed the desire you had expressed of visiting the Holy Shrines on your way back to New Zealand.
As you must have surely read in the newspapers however the general situation in Palestine is at present so gravely disturbed as to make it quite impossible for you to undertake this trip in the next few months, and in view of this the Guardian would advise that you postpone your visit until the November of next year, by which time, it is hoped, the situation throughout the country will have sufficiently improved to permit you to undertake this long-cherished pilgrimage. The Guardian, needless to say, would be also most delighted to meet you, & to hear from you directly of the news of the Cause in New Zealand, & to discuss certain matters which the N.S.A. has asked you to present to him for his instructions.
Regarding your question whether there is any special ceremony which the believers should perform when they wish to "name" a baby; the teachings do not provide for any ceremony whatever on such occasions. We have no "baptismal service" in the Cause, such as the Christians have. There would be no objection, however, for the friends to come together on such happy occasions, provided they do not hold an official public ceremony, & provided also they strictly avoid uniformity and rigidity in all such practices. No rule whatsoever that would tend to be rigid and uniform should be allowed in such secondary matters, particularly as there are no specific instructions in the Teachings regarding them.
With the warmest good wishes of the Guardian to you and to the friends, and assuring you again of his hearty welcome to visit the Holy Shrines during next autumn, and with greetings,
Yours in His Service, H. Rabbani
Dear & valued co-worker:
I shall indeed grieve if the situation in Palestine should prevent our meeting & prevent your pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines. I pray that this may not be the case. I am so eager to meet you, & express in person my deep & abiding sense of appreciation of the splendid & historic services you have rendered. I will continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart.
Your true & grateful brother, Shoghi
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