The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahai Community Part 5

I am highly gratified with your splendid achievements and deeply appreciative of your painstaking efforts. More power to your elbow! You are rendering our precious Cause a splendid service in its hour of need!

Lady Blomfield's idea of a reception was undoubtedly inspired and was admirably executed. It has indeed rejoiced my heart. My love and my grat.i.tude for her wise, patient and fruitful efforts.

Your brother, Shoghi

Letter of 25 October 1924

25 October 1924

My dear Baha'i Brother,

Your very interesting letter of Oct. 15th. written to our beloved Guardian together with the printed copy of the sermon of Dr. Walsh arrived the day before yesterday and imparted great joy to his dear heart. He cherishes great hopes for the bright future of the Cause in England. Of course his hopes are partly based on the intrinsic mighty power of the Cause of G.o.d and partly on the dignified way the dear friends in England are presenting the Cause of G.o.d to the public.

Yesterday afternoon he instructed me to write this informing you of the safe arrival of your letter and a.s.sure you that he appreciates with great love your distinguished services to the Cause of G.o.d. He prays at the Holy Shrines that fresh confirmations may reach you from the Abha Kingdom day by day so that you may have material comfort and spiritual success. He is sure that the holy spirit of our beloved Lord, 'Abdu'l-Baha is watching over you and guiding your steps in life.

The members of the Holy Family and the friends in Haifa are thinking of you and the other dear friends in England with love and admiration, joining all in prayers for your happiness.

[From the Guardian:]

My dearest friend,

I wish to add a few words of a.s.surance and sympathy in view of the heavy burden of responsibility that rests on your shoulders in these difficult and trying times. My fervent and increasing prayer is that 'Abdu'l-Baha may show you the way that will enable you to continue your splendid pioneer work effectually, peacefully, free from every earthly care and anxiety. Dr. Walsh's sermon is astonis.h.i.+ngly good. I wish you would send me about 50 copies of the same. I pray unceasingly for my friends in England.

Shoghi

Letter of 4 November 1924

4 November 1924

My dear Mr. Simpson,

It is always a pleasure to acknowledge receipt of your letters to our dear Guardian, and he was deeply interested in the minutes of the last meeting of the N.S.A. which you were so kind as to enclose.

Your own letter, however, brought up a very interesting and vital question in regard to the future progress of the Cause in England, especially now that through the efforts of you all the spread of the Baha'i Movement has been well placed on the road to our ultimate victory. Now is the time to take all necessary measures against a slacking in our pace and it is truly unfortunate that just when the individual endeavours of every single member is most needed and necessary, age and earthly cares deprive us of some of our experienced and able co-workers. It would, I believe, be a great service if just as few as possible could manage to deny themselves of the joy and enthusiasm of serving as n.o.ble a Cause.

I am sure it would interest you to know that Mr. and Mrs. Mills are now in Haifa and all that they have to say proves well the energy and efforts of the London friends. We already have about ten pilgrims and are expecting some more. I suppose Dr. Esslemont who would have much to tell us and whose arrival Shoghi Effendi is eagerly awaiting, is among those who will soon arrive....

[From the Guardian:]

My dear fellow-worker,

I trust that the prolonged visit of Dr. Esslemont will prove to be in future pregnant with far-reaching possibilities for the service of the Cause in England. To yourself I send my imperishable love and brotherly greetings.

Affectionately, Shoghi

Letter of 22 November 1924

22 November 1924

My dear Mr. Simpson,

The letter you had sent through Dr. Esslemont to Shoghi Effendi has arrived and it gave him very great pleasure to read it. Although it is quite beyond me to express to you just what thoughts and sentiments your frank expressions of loyalty and love aroused in his heart, this I feel I can a.s.sure you that it made him hopeful of the future and added to his great confidence in you.

The Baha'i Cause has a great mission to the people of England but the field of service though immensely vast presents innumerable difficulties, and it needs the able hand of a staunch and true Baha'i primarily and the dexterity of a good supervisor, to overcome every confronting difficulty and to carry His Message to millions of people. This responsibility has been entrusted to you by the guided decision of the Baha'is in England and our Guardian finds great pleasure in confiding the same duty in you and in endorsing the happy decision of the friends there.

In regard to your contemplated withdrawal from the presidency of the N.S.A. and the London a.s.sembly, it made him very happy to know that even the thought of it has totally vanished. The hopes that he cherished in you are far too many to permit you a more quiet part in Baha'i activities in England, and the hopeful signs of progress in the past year has made the prospects of the coming year very bright and it all depends upon the efforts of the friends in England and the guidance of our Master from on high just how bright it shall turn out to be.

We still have Mr. Mills with us in Haifa and I a.s.sure you, we miss you very much. The photograph you had sent to Shoghi Effendi has been received and it shall be framed and placed in the Persian Pilgrim House...

...just of late we had the very sad news of the martyrdom of a Baha'i woman expecting to be soon a mother, and although she was related to very influential officers in the army, nothing could make the criminals, who sought refuge in the house of one of the Mullas, arrested. Though such cases of untold carnage prove with much more force than mere words just what the spirit of Baha'u'llah infused into every such Baha'i has been, and exactly what it means in Persia to try and become one, the horrors of such a murder are truly beyond words. All that we have to do is to seek His Grace and to beg and implore for G.o.d's mercy.

May I also write a further a.s.surance of Shoghi Effendi's reliance upon you and with an expression of his heartfelt love for you....

[From the Guardian:]

My most precious fellow-worker,

But for your unremitting labours, your sound and selfless efforts, the burden that weighs upon me would prove well-nigh unbearable. I am sure your heart responds to the sentiments that surge in my heart. I have a profound admiration for the heroic manner in which you are rendering such pioneer service to the Cause in England. May the Master sustain you, comfort you and uphold you in your great task. Be a.s.sured of my brotherly, unfailing prayers.

I am your true and affectionate brother, Shoghi

Letter of 24 November 1924

24 November 1924(5)

To my dearly beloved brothers and sisters in 'Abdu'l-Baha.

Care of the English National Spiritual a.s.sembly.

Dearest friends!

The day is drawing near when for the third time we shall commemorate the world over the pa.s.sing of our well-beloved 'Abdu'l-Baha. May we not pause for a moment, and gather our thoughts? How has it fared with us, His little band of followers, since that day? Whither are we now marching, what has been our achievement?

We have but to turn our eyes to the world without to realise the fierceness and the magnitude of the forces of darkness that are struggling with the dawning light of the Abha Revelation. Nations, though exhausted and disillusioned, have seemingly begun to cherish anew the spirit of revenge, of domination, and strife. Peoples, convulsed by economic upheavals, are slowly drifting into two great opposing camps with all their menace of social chaos, cla.s.s hatreds, and world-wide ruin. Races, alienated more than ever before, are filled with mistrust, humiliation and fear, and seem to prepare themselves for a fresh and fateful encounter.