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15 January 1950
Miss Hilda Thomas2
Dear Bahá'í Sister,
Your cabled message to our beloved Guardian reached him, and he has instructed me to answer it by airmail on his behalf, as what he would like to say is better expressed this way than in a cablegram.
He thinks you should by all means write the biography of our dear Bahá'í sister, Mrs Axford, who was such an old, loyal and devoted believer. Such histories will mean a great deal more in the future than we can appreciate at present, and you should, therefore, devote yourself to compiling and presenting the facts as thoroughly and authentically as possible.
He wishes you every success in this service you are rendering to one of the earliest and dearest of those believers associated with the development of the Faith in New Zealand, and he will pray that you may be guided and assisted in this work and in all you do for the Cause of God.
With Bahá'í love, R. Rabbani
25 January 1950 [Lilian Wyss]3
Dear Bahá'í Sister:
Your letter of December 22, with enclosures, was received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He knew there was an Australian Bahá'í in Switzerland, and is now most happy to have this contact with you, and on such an auspicious occasion as your offering to do pioneer service in Europe!
He fully approves of your offering your services to the European Teaching Committee as a pioneer. There can certainly be no reason for a non-American Bahá'í to serve in this capacity! In the British Isles many pioneers are Persian or Egyptian or of some other nationality than British, and they are ardently working to achieve the goals of the British believers' Plan. Likewise, as you know many of those serving in Switzerland are Oriental Bahá'ís.
He will pray that your family may accept this with a good spirit, and that you may fulfil your heart's desire.
With warmest greetings, R. Rabbani
May the Beloved bless your high endeavours, guide you in your pioneer services, aid you to overcome every obstacle, & win memorable victories for His Faith & its nascent institutions.
Your true brother,
Shoghi.
18 February 1950
Mrs L.J. Hutchinson-Smith
Dear Bahá'í Sister:
Your letter of January 20 has been received by our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
Your wonderful trip, so full of enriching experiences, has no doubt fitted you to be much more active in the teaching field in Australia and the Guardian hopes you will accomplish great things in this all-important branch of service.
Distressing to you as many things have been in the Bahá'í administrative work there, he does not feel that the "growing pains" are any more grave than many he has seen in other countries! Unfortunately, the friends are all, for the most part, spiritually immature; if it is not one problem it is another, invariably, which springs up to test and try one's patience and steadfastness!
He does not feel that a person away from home for a prolonged trip can continue to vote in the home elections.
The Guardian urges you to persevere in your services and your efforts to unite the friends in love and devotion. Time will overcome many of the difficulties, and greater vision will help, too!
With Bahá'í love, R. Rabbani
Dear and valued co-worker:
I wish to assure you of my loving and deepfelt appreciation of your
constant and manifold services to our beloved Faith. I will supplicate the Beloved to bless continually your high endeavours, to remove every obstacle from your path, & enable you to win great victories for its institutions,
Your true brother, Shoghi
20 March 1950
Mrs Bertha Dobbins
Dear Bahá'í Sister:
Your letter of December 12 was received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer it on his behalf. He would have replied sooner had he not been so frightfully busy this winter, and had he not, just about the time your letter came, been writing to Adelaide anyway.
He hopes that by now the whole thing has been settled. So many troubles in the Cause are caused by lack of a sound knowledge of the Administration; and, like a great deal of knowledge, the only way to get it to sink deep is by the painful process of trial and error! The friends must be patient not only with each other but also with themselves. They must also really make an effort to put aside the habit of such bitter attacks on their N.S.A., their Local S.A., or on individuals. These only harm the Faith and veil those who make them from the light of guidance.
The Guardian is praying that the situation in Adelaide may improve and that the friends may concentrate on the essential work of increasing their numbers and forget about such a secondary question as whether they are divided into a series of groups in various local municipalities or form one huge community in greater Adelaide.
With warmest greetings, R. Rabbani
May the Beloved bless, sustain & guide you in your constant & deeply appreciated endeavours for the promotion of His Faith, & may He enable you to win great victories for its institutions,
Your true brother, Shoghi
23 March 1950 [Jack Bean]4
Dear Bahá'í Brother:
Your letters, dated 18 and 20 October, 1949 were received by our beloved Guardian, as well as the manuscript you forwarded him separately.
He invariably refuses to go over any manuscripts sent him by the friends, as he has no time to do so at all. He regrets this necessity to refuse your request, but feels sure you will understand it is in no way personal. It was very nice of you to send the dedication to him; he appreciated this very much.
He will now give you his sincere advice regarding Theosophy: this teaching has done much for you and you owe it much; you might have never been receptive to the Bahá'í Faith if Theosophy had not stirred up your mind to thinking along new lines. But when a child is born, out of mistaken loyalty it must not seek to cling to the womb. The new life is fuller and better. It can be grateful to the womb. So you, now born into the fuller Light of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings, should not cling to Theosophy any longer. You are, naturally, entirely free in this matter. But before deciding for yourself what course you wish to pursue - to be a Bahá'í or a theosophist - he advises you to pray about the matters troubling you and meditate on them. What the Master says about re-incarnation we Bahá'ís must accept as true; the proofs and evidence to the contrary are subject to other interpretations than that of re-incarnation.
The Guardian will pray for your guidance and your progress in understanding.
With Bahá'í love,
R. Rabbani
Assuring you of my loving prayers for your spiritual advancement and the success of your efforts for the promotion of our beloved Faith,
Your true brother, Shoghi
26 March 1950 Mr H. Fitzner,5 sec. Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Adelaide.
Dear Bahá'í Brother:
This is just a little note to acknowledge the receipt of your letter (with enclosures) dated 22.12.49
By now the Guardian's reply to your previous letter has no doubt reached you, and he trusts the Adelaide believers are feeling more reassured about matters, and are actively working towards the establishment of more and stronger Assemblies in that area.
With Bahá'í love, R. Rabbani
May the Almighty bless your efforts, guide & sustain you & enable you to contribute effectively to the multiplication & consolidation of the institutions of His Faith,
Your true brother, Shoghi
26 March 1950 [Ethel Dawe]
Dear Bahá'í Sister:
Because our beloved Guardian has delayed so long in answering your letters (dated May 18, July 17, and November 8, 1949, and January 2, 1950) you must not think he did not appreciate receiving them. On the contrary, he was delighted to hear of all you could accomplish on the Continent and with the British Plan, and as he was in cable communication with you, he let your letters wait while he attended to more urgent ones. He is often forced to do this, but feels sure the friends understand the reason for delay.
Your extended visit has been of great help to the friends in many places. It was much more important for you to do what you did than to go back via Persia and India, and have so little time en route to see the Bahá'ís.
It seems as if temporarily at least we must resign ourselves to the fact that people of real prominence in the world are too ambitious, too timid or too spiritually weak, to embrace the Faith and stand up for it. However, contacts such as that you made with Countess Gowrie are very worth while. They serve to make us known in higher circles and to create a favourable opinion of us.
The Guardian is sorry you should have been so near - in the Suez Canal - and yet not able to come here. But as he has not made any exceptions he did not feel it would be fair to let you come when others, who have never seen Haifa, have been refused. No doubt in the future the way will open.
He will particularly pray that your health may improve, and deeply values your devoted services and your love for the Cause.
With Bahá'í love, R. Rabbani.
May the Beloved abundantly reward you for your recent notable international services to His Faith, guide, protect & sustain you always, remove every obstacle in your path, & graciously assist you to enrich the splendid record of your services to His Faith & its institutions.
Your true & grateful brother, Shoghi.
9 April 1950 [National Spiritual Assembly]
PROMPTLY PREPARE MAP SHOWING ASSEMBLIES GROUPS ISOLATED CENTRES AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND TASMANIA AIRMAIL HAIFA SHOGHI
29 April 1950 [National Convention]
PRAYING FERVENTLY SUCCESS CONVENTION SHOGHI
1 May 1950 [National Convention]
ASSURE DELEGATES CONVENTION LOVING REMEMBRANCE SHRINES FERVENTLY SUPPLICATING ALMIGHTY BLESSINGS DELIBERATIONS MAY REDEDICATION PARTICIPANTS YIELD RICHEST FRUIT AND UNPRECEDENTED IMPETUS EXPANSION FAITH CONSOLIDATION MULTIPLICATION ITS INSTITUTIONS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND TASMANIA SHOGHI
1 May 1950
National Youth Conference, care Natbahai, Sydney.
WELCOME PLANS SUPPLICATING DIVINE BLESSINGS DELIBERATIONS SUCCESS HIGH ENDEAVOURS REALIZATION DEAREST HOPES
28 June 1950 [National Spiritual Assembly]
Dear Bahá'í Friends:
Your letters of August 9, 19; September 14, 22; November 7, 10, 21; of 1949; January 19; February 28; March 8, 31; April 11; May 2 (two), 1950, have been received by our beloved Guardian and he has instructed me to answer them on his behalf. The many enclosures and material forwarded have, likewise, been safely received.
It has been impossible for our Guardian to keep abreast of his correspondence and other work this Winter and Spring. It is only during the last week that he has been able to turn to the mountain of mail, representing the correspondence of the various National Assemblies, and commence replying. The reason for this regrettable delay is that in order to get the arcade of the Shrine of the Báb finished in time for the centenary of His Martyrdom he had to undertake extensive excavations into the solid rock of the mountain behind the Shrine - the new edifice being much larger than the precious original building it is designed to enshrine and protect. This work he personally supervised in order to ensure the Shrine was in no way damaged, and to see the cost was kept within bounds. You can imagine this was a very exacting and tiring ordeal for him.
Then, just as he had hoped to take up his overburdening correspondence, Mr. Maxwell, the architect of the Shrine, at the beginning of April became desperately ill, and for ten weeks absorbed the anxious care and attention of us all, as his condition was seemingly hopeless. Thanks to the Mercy of Bahá'u'lláh and the determination of the Guardian, he is recovering and our lives are getting back to normal routine.
The Guardian regrets very much the conduct of Mr Perdu; it seems now fairly clear that he is a former Bahá'í from India who misconducted himself there over a period of years and then showed up, under a different name, in Australia. No one who conducts himself as he has can remain a voting member of the Bahá'í Community for - in spite of his wide knowledge of the Faith and his belief in it - his acts are contrary to its teachings and bring not only confusion into the Community and create inharmony, but disgrace the Cause in the eyes of non-Bahá'ís.
The Guardian fully realizes that the process of splitting up large communities into smaller ones, each existing within its own civil units, has been difficult for the Australian friends. What they do not seem to fully appreciate is that this has been done in Canada and the United States as well, and is only in order to organize the Assemblies on a logical basis, and one with a firmer legal foundation. The fact that this may create more Assemblies in the end, and that it sometimes breaks up existing ones, is only incidental; the important point is to consolidate the communities on a sound basis, i.e. every Assembly within the limits of the Municipality its members reside in.
As Mrs Axford requested Mrs Thomas to write about her Bahá'í life there is every reason to respect her wishes. This in no way precludes the New Zealand Community from writing about her services and life and keeping this record in the National archives. The Guardian feels the Auckland Assembly should be consulted, as her, (Mrs Axford's), home community, by Mrs Thomas. He hopes this In Memoriam article, about so dear and tireless a servant of the Faith, will produce a spirit of love and co-operation amongst all concerned.
The gift by Miss Perks of an additional piece of land to the Yerrinbool School is deeply appreciated. It enriches the endowments already held by your Assembly. Please thank Miss Perks, on behalf of the Guardian, for this generous contribution, to the institutions of the Faith in Australia, and tell her he does not feel any name should be given the property other than of Yerrinbool School, of which it will form a part, and that she will always be remembered as the donor of it.
The acquisition of the site for the New Zealand Summer School was a great step forward in the progress of the Faith there, and he was very pleased about it. He was also delighted to hear of the formation of the Devonport Assembly, and he hopes next year there will be still more.
I would also like to answer here a question raised in Mrs Bolton's letter of March 8: the Guardian feels that no annual fixed pilgrimage should be made to the grave of Father Dunn. The friends will naturally always want to go there, when and how they like, but it must not become a ceremony, otherwise it will constitute a precedent for similar things in the future.
It is premature, and will weaken the national and local work, for delegates to be elected by State elections rather than by Assemblies. There is no question involved about believers losing their voting rights: all the time believers are gaining and losing their voting rights by becoming members of communities with Assemblies or moving out into places where they are isolated believers. The friends should not dwell on these minor details, but concentrate on teaching the Cause and exemplifying the Bahá'í life. Voting is a purely administrative detail, but teaching and serving are vital spiritual obligations. Regarding the change of the By-Laws: the Guardian considers the letter he wrote you about this subject is final. He is considerably surprised by the fact that of all the National Bodies in the Bahá'í World, operating under these By-Laws, it is only the Assembly of Australia and New Zealand, evidently acting under pressure from their legal committee, that constantly raises the question of changing them. This he considers is going too far, and is not necessary. He holds very bright hopes for the future of your work, and urges you, and through you all the believers, to concentrate on your glorious teaching tasks and forge ahead to win new victories for the beloved Faith.
With Bahá'í love, R. Rabbani.
P.S. Your letter of June 9 has been received, and the Guardian deeply appreciates the contribution you sent. Please find receipt enclosed. The map you forwarded will be published in the next volume of "Bahá'í World" as the progress it shows will be of great interest to all readers.6
Dear and valued co-workers:
The remarkable progress achieved by the Bahá'í communities in Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania in promoting the Plan, designed to further the interests of the Faith in the Antipodes, is most encouraging, and will, when consummated, mark the opening of a new and glorious chapter in the history of the Faith in that continent. The varied and welcome evidences of the steady extension in the range of the manifold activities of these communities, the multiplication of Bahá'í institutions and their rapid consolidation, are particularly gratifying and merit the highest praise.
The territories in which these communities conduct their meritorious, strenuous and highly promising activities with such diligence, resolution, fidelity and devotion, are admittedly vast and constitute a direct challenge to those who are called upon to diffuse the light of the Faith, and lay an unassailable foundation for its rising Administrative Order, throughout the length and breadth of these territories.
The Plan, now operating with increasing momentum in that far-off continent, is designed to enable its prosecutors to lay the first foundations of the structure which the members of these communities must rear in the years to come. As these primary pillars of a divinely ordained steadily evolving, spiritually propelled order are successively erected and sufficiently consolidated, and the agencies designed for the launching of a systematic campaign aiming at the future proclamation of the Faith to the masses inhabiting these far-flung territories multiply, a simultaneous effort should be exerted, and measures should be carefully devised, by the national elected representatives of these same communities, for the launching of the initial enterprises destined to carry the Message of the Faith, beyond the confines of these territories, to the Islands of the Pacific, lying in their immediate neighbourhood.
For whatever may be the nature of the future successive crusades which the American and Canadian Bahá'í communities, may, under the Divine Plan of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, launch in the course of the opening decades of the second Bahá'í century, and however extensive the range of their operations, and no matter how far-reaching the future campaigns which the Bahá'í community, centred in the heart of the British Isles, may undertake throughout the widely-scattered dependencies of the British Crown, the responsibility devolving upon the National elected representatives of the Bahá'ís of the Australasian continent for the introduction of the Faith and its initial establishment in the Islands of the Pacific, linking them, on the one hand, with their sister communities in the American continents and on the other hand, with the communities in South-Eastern Asia, remains clear and inescapable.
As the various Bahá'í national communities, labouring directly as well as indirectly, under the impulse of a Divine Plan, broaden and consolidate the base of their operations in their respective homelands, and acquire the potentialities that will empower them to lend, in an ever-increasing measure, their share, and participate in the world-wide propagation of the Faith, the Australian and New Zealand believers must, for their part, contribute worthily to the overseas teaching activities and accomplishments of these communities. Already the Bahá'í community in the Great Republic of the West, the vanguard of the irresistibly marching army of Bahá'u'lláh, has launched its twin crusades in Latin America and the continent of Europe. Its collaborator in the execution of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Divine Plan, the Canadian Bahá'í community is busily engaged in establishing the Faith beyond the Canadian mainland and further north in the vast territory of Greenland. The Persian and Iraqi Bahá'í communities are, moreover, assiduously labouring in the adjacent territories of the Arabian Peninsula and the Kingdom of Afghanistan, while their sister-communities in the sub-continent of India are pushing the frontiers of the Faith as far as Ceylon in the South and Siam and Indonesia to the North and Southeast of that subcontinent. More recently the members of the British Bahá'í community, having brought to a successful conclusion their first historic Plan, are devising the necessary measures for the launching of a teaching enterprise in the heart of Africa, supplementing the work already accomplished by the Egyptian Bahá'í community in that continent. Shortly, and at its appointed time, yet another national community, already established in the heart of the European continent, will, as soon as the present obstacles are removed, and its internal activities are sufficiently consolidated, embark on a campaign, beyond the borders of its homeland, that will carry the light of the Faith to the adjoining Balkan territories, the Baltic states and, across the eastern frontiers of Europe, into Asia.
In this stupendous and laudable collective enterprise, world-wide in its range, divinely propelled, world-redemptive in its purpose, in which National Bahá'í communities, already sufficiently consolidated from within, are participating, each in accordance with the provisions of its own specific plan and constituting, in its proportions and potentialities, the mightiest spiritual crusade launched since the inception of the Formative Age of the Faith, - in such an enterprise the Bahá'í communities of Australia and New Zealand can neither afford to remain inactive or play a negligible part. The situation they occupy, the unnumbered virgin territories lying in their neighbourhood, the vitality and adventurous spirit the members of these communities have so strikingly manifested - all demand that they arise, as soon as the process of internal consolidation is sufficiently advanced, to play their part in this world-encompassing crusade now unfolding itself in, and constituting the brightest feature of, the opening years of the second Bahá'í century.
With this glorious vision before them, assured that a full measure of Divine guidance and sustenance will be vouchsafed to them when they embark on the second stage of their collective activities, let them concentrate, in the years immediately ahead, on the tasks that require their earnest and undivided attention. The prosecution of the Plan, in all its aspects, is their primary obligation. Whatever contributes to the broadening and reinforcement of the Administrative Base, designed to guide, coordinate and extend the ramifications of their future enterprises overseas, should be unhesitatingly welcomed and carried out at the present hour and during the opening phase of their collective unified endeavour in the service of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
May they seize every opportunity that presents itself, surmount every obstacle that may confront them in the future, and pave the way for a befitting inauguration of the subsequent phase of their historic and rapidly unfolding mission. Shoghi.
17 July 1950
Miss Leila V. Clark7
Dear Bahá'í Sister:
Your letter dated June 25 reached our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He hopes during your visit to England you will visit as many of the Bahá'í centers as possible, and stimulate and assist the friends all you can in their teaching work.
There is always a let-down after a period of intense effort, and the British Bahá'ís have worked very hard - and very successfully - for their Plan. They must now beware not to lose the newly-created Assemblies, and any assistance and inspiration you can give them will be deeply appreciated, he feels sure. He will pray for your success in rendering this service.
With Bahá'í love,
R. Rabbani
May the Beloved bless your efforts, guide your steps, & enable you to promote the best interests of His Faith,
Your true brother, Shoghi
28 July 1950
Mrs Viva Rodwell8
Dear Bahá'í Sister:
Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated May 23, has been received, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He is very happy to welcome you into this glorious Faith for this day, and hopes you, and your family, will be assisted by God in serving it. You may be sure he will pray for you all.
As you perhaps know, we do not accept, except from recognised Bahá'ís, any money for Bahá'í work, because we feel this is our gift to the world! But as soon as you are a registered believer, if you wish to contribute to the work on the Báb's Shrine, he would be happy to accept it. You can send it to him direct, or through the N.S.A., which ever you like.
With warmest greetings to you, R. Rabbani
May the Almighty guide, sustain & bless you, enable you to deepen your understanding of the essentials of His Faith, & promote effectively its best interests.
Your true brother, Shoghi
25 August 1950
Bahá'í Group of Suva [Fiji Islands]
Dear Bahá'í Friends:
Your letter of June 29, and that written by your chairman and dated July 10, have been received by our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf and to thank you for the brooches you sent.
He hopes you will study deeply the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, and become Bahá'ís not only in belief but, above all, in your acts. It is to our conduct that the world must look for leadership. Beautiful thoughts and high principles can be found everywhere, but to change our lives and live as God wishes us to is much more difficult.
The standard of Bahá'u'lláh is a standard measured by deeds.
He assures you he will pray for each and every one of you, and he wishes you every success in your Bahá'í work.
With cordial greetings, R. Rabbani
May the Almighty guide & sustain you, aid you to lay a firm foundation for His Faith, & enable you to win great & memorable victories in its service,
Your true brother, Shoghi
11 September 1950 [National Spiritual Assembly]
Dear Bahá'í Sister:
Under separate cover the Guardian is mailing to you two enlargements of the finished Arcade of the Báb's Shrine. These are a gift from him to the N.S.A. and believers, and he would like you to have them circulated as widely as possible, for the friends to see them, and hang them in the National Headquarters.
Please cable receipt of these photos, so he will know they reached you safely.
Also please inform the friends in the News Letter that copies of one of these views may be purchased through the American N.S.A., to whom he has sent the original film.
With loving greetings, R. Rabbani.
1 November 1950
Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Auckland, New Zealand. Mr E.B. Dewing, sec.
Dear Bahá'í Brother:
Your letter on behalf of the Assembly, (as well as your personal note) dated July 6, have been received, but due to the pressure of work piled up during the long and serious illness of Mr Maxwell the Guardian's correspondence has piled up unanswered for some time.
He is very pleased to hear the Cause is making progress in New Zealand and the friends unitedly serving, which is the most important thing of all.
He was also pleased to hear the Summer School property will gradually be developed and serve the friends and the Community at large in other ways. He thanks you for the plan of it sent under separate cover.
He sends his loving greetings to all the members of the Assembly, and also would like to wish you success with your book.
With Bahá'í love, R Rabbani
May the Almighty bless, guide & sustain you, remove all obstacles from your path, & enable you to win great victories for His Faith & its God-given institutions,
Your true & grateful brother,
Shoghi
1 November 1950
Mrs Bertha Dobbins
Dear Bahá'í Sister:
Your letter dated June 1st was received, together with the reports & clippings you were kind enough to send, and the Guardian would have replied to you sooner had he not been so busy and over worked.
He was very pleased to see you had been able to make such an extensive and useful teaching trip.
It is always most difficult to open people's eyes to their own short-comings, and to pray for them, and encourage other members of the Community to do their share of the work, seems the best way to modify the influence of domineering characters. So often such people are immature and do not mean to do any harm at all.
He was pleased to see you regard not being re-elected to the N.S.A. as a god-sent opportunity to do more teaching. It is very unfortunate, but often the friends consider administrative positions something to be coveted, whereas in reality they are a burdensome responsibility, and teaching is the greatest joy and blessing a believer can have. He hopes you will be able to devote yourself more and more to this field of service.
with Bahá'í love, R. Rabbani
Assuring you of my loving & deepfelt appreciation of your constant & strenuous labours in the service of our beloved Faith, & of my ardent prayers for the realization of every hope you cherish for its promotion & consolidation,
Your true brother, Shoghi
2 November 1950 [National Spiritual Assembly]
Dear Bahá'í Friends:
Under separate cover the beloved Guardian has mailed you a gift from him of 2 enlargements of the finished arcade of the Báb's Shrine.
He wishes them to be shown as widely as possible to the believers, and then be hung in the National Hazíra.
Please acknowledge receipt of these by cable as soon as they reach you.
The American N.S.A. has negatives of the Shrine from which copies can be ordered if the friends desire to purchase any.
As I fear a previous letter dealing with this subject may have been lost, I am sending this one, to be sure, as a letter to Mr Holley was lost in the same mail.
With Bahá'í love, R. Rabbani
14 November 1950 [National Spiritual Assembly]
Dear Bahá'í Sister:
I am replying to your letter of September 21 apart from other N.S.A. correspondence, as the beloved Guardian wishes to assure the Assembly that the contribution for the Shrine of the Báb has been received. (A receipt is herewith enclosed.)
He was very touched by the exemplary sense of duty and devotion to the interests of the Faith which this sum represents. Please, on his behalf, thank all the donors to the Yerrinbool Dormitory Fund for their prompt response to his appeal regarding the Holy Shrine.
Already the contract for the stone-work of the Octagon has been placed in Italy, and he hopes soon the preliminary arrangements locally can be made for continuing the work.
With loving Bahá'í greetings to all the Assembly members from the Guardian,
Yours in His Service, R. Rabbani
Assuring you of my deepfelt and abiding appreciation of the contribution of the Australian and New Zealand believers for so great and historic an enterprise, and of my loving and ardent prayers for their spiritual advancement and the steady expansion and consolidation of the great and historic work in which they are so devotedly engaged.
Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi.
14 November 1950
Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Adelaide, South Australia.
Dear Bahá'í Friends:
Your letter of October 5 has been received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He fully appreciates the feeling of distress Bahá'ís experience when they have to give up even an inch of hard-won ground! But he thinks it best to comply with the instructions of the N.S.A. and dissolve your incorporation, which you can always at a future date reconstruct.
Bahá'u'lláh always assists the solution of Bahá'í problems, and the Guardian feels confident that the entire question of incorporating the N.S.A. and Assemblies will work out satisfactorily in the end.
We must always remember that the vast majority of Assemblies are as yet un-incorporated, and yet manage to carry on satisfactorily their Bahá'í work. Incorporation, however, must remain the objective of all.
You must put a bold face on it, and inform any critics that this is a step demonstrating the unity of the believers and their solidarity in supporting the work on a national scale, and meantime re-double your teaching efforts.
With Bahá'í love, R. Rabbani
Dear co-workers:
I wish to assure you of my profound appreciation of your exemplary devotion to the interests of our beloved Faith & of the spirit that so powerfully animates you in safeguarding its institutions, in consolidating its foundations & in extending the range of its influence. You are often in my thoughts & prayers & I will continue to supplicate the Almighty to bless your high endeavours & aid you to win great & memorable victories in the days to come. Be happy & persevere,
Your true & grateful brother, Shoghi.
14 November 1950 [Ethel Dawe]
Dear Bahá'í Sister:
Your letter of September 19 has been received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He has just written the Adelaide S.A. informing them that he approves of their dissolving their incorporation in accordance with the instructions of the N.S.A.
He is watching the situation there carefully, and feels no real harm can be done by taking this step. They can always re-incorporate at a future date.
He was touched to hear of the consideration you and the Fitzners are showing dear Mother Dunn. He will certainly pray she may be spared to serve our beloved Cause for many years to come.
The friends must concentrate on the teaching work, as this is the most vital of all; other details will work themselves out, especially as the number of Bahá'ís increases, and the Cause gains in prestige thereby.
You are often remembered and your services very deeply valued.
With Bahá'í love, R. Rabbani.
Assuring you of my deep & abiding appreciation of the devotion, zeal & fidelity with which you are promoting the vital interests of our beloved Faith, & of my continued & ardent prayers for your happiness, success, & the realization of every hope you cherish for its promotion,
Your true & grateful brother, Shoghi.
18 December 1950 Bahá'í Group of Wanganui
Dear Bahá'í Friends:
The beloved Guardian was deeply touched to receive your contribution for the Shrine of the Báb, sent in your letter dated September 28, and for which I am enclosing a receipt.
He was also very glad to note you are two Bahá'í families there, and hopes through your labours your numbers will increase and you will be able to form a Spiritual Assembly.
With loving Bahá'í greetings to you all, R. Rabbani
May the Beloved bless, guide & sustain you, reward you abundantly for your labours, & enable you to promote the vital interests of His Faith,
Your true brother, Shoghi
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