I I BAHA'I NEWS PUBLIS HED BY TH E NAT IONAL SP IRITUAL ASSEMBLY , I OF THE BAHA'I S OF THE UN ll ED STATES NO. 267 BAHA'I YEAR 110 JUNE, 1953 nunciation, don (the) armor (of) the) opening year (of the) decade­ THE GUARDIAN ~- , utter consecration (to) God' s Cause, long, greatest collective enterprise gird themselves (with the) girdle (of since (the) memorable episodes as­ a) chaste (and) holy life, unsheathe sociated (with the) Dawn-Breakers (the) sword (of) Baha'u'llah' s utter­ (of the) Heroic Age. "THE PARAMOUNT ISSUE ance, buckle on (the) shield (of) His CHALLENGING PROSECUTORS Planning (to) inscribe, (in) chron­ love, carry as sole provision implicit ological order, (the) names (of the) OF THE TEN YEAR PLAN" trust (in) His promise, flee (their) spiritual conquerors (on an) illumi­ homelands, (and) scatter far (and) nated Roll (of) Honor, to be deposit­ (On) occasion (of the) sixty-first wide (to) capture (the) unsurrend­ ed (at the) entrance door (of the) Anniversary (of the) Ascension (of) ered territories (of the) entire planet. Baha'u 'llah, (on the) morrow (of the) inner Sanctuary (of the) Tomb (of) opening, initial phase (of the) mo­ Would to God (that) Baha'i war­ Baha'u'llah, (as a) permanent me­ mentous World Crusade, call upon riors, six score (and) ten, (the) num­ morial (of the) contribution (by the) His followers (in) all continents (to) ber, required (to) fill (the) gaps (in champions (of) His Faith (at the) allow no slackening, nay, (to) insure the) still unconquered territories (of victorious conclusion (of the) open­ acceleration (of the) marvelous mo­ the) globe, (will) promptly arise ing campaign (of the) Global Cru­ mentum generated (by the) historic (and) enroll themselves (to) achieve sade (which is) destined (to) attain celebrations climaxing (the) festiv­ (the) goals ere (the) conclusion (of consummation (at the) Most Great ities (of) Holy Year. (The) dispersal, immediate, determined, sustained (and) universal, throughout (the) un­ opened territories (of the) planet, (is the) paramount issue challenging (the) spirit (and) resources (of the) privileged prosecutors (of the) Ten­ Year Plan (in the) course (of the) current year. All National Assemblies (are) urged (to) give it priority a ssign­ ments (in their) national budg­ ets. (The) chief executors (of) 'Abdu'l-Baha's Plan, (by) virtue (of the) primacy conferred (in) His Tab­ l~ts , (are) accorded (the) preroga. tive (to) stimulate (the) vital pro­ cess (of the) dispersal through (the) dispatch, in addition (to) their allot­ ed tasks, (of) pioneers (to the) vir­ gin territories allocated (to their) sister communities East (and) West. Once again (I) appeal (to) mem­ bers (of) all communities (to) arise (and) enlist, ere (the) present oppor­ tunity (is) irretrievably lost, (in the) army (of) Baha'u'llah's crusaders. (The) hour (is) ripe (to) disencum­ Main App roach to the Shrine of B a h a'u ' lla h at B a h ji taken from in fr ont of th e Shrine ber themselves (of) worldly vanities, sh owing th e beautiful entrance gate to the H arami-Aqdas. ' (to) mount (the) steed (of) stead­ fastness , unfurl (the) banner (of) re- 2 JUNE, 1953 Views of the new entrance to the Shrine of Baha'u'llih at Bahji near Acea, Israel. Photo at right shows the beautiful detail of new entrance gate . •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Jubilee commemorating (the) Cente­ OPEN ING THE of our own deeds in the World Cru­ nary (of the) Declaration (of) His WORLD CRUSADE sade from now until 1963. Yester­ Mission. Anticipate making periodic day's action does not weigh in the announcements (of the) names (of ( C O M MENTARY : NATI ONAL SP I R IT UA L ASS EMB LY ) balance now held. One hundred thir­ the) valiant knights upon (their) ar­ ty-one unoccupied territories await. rival (at their) posts (to) discharge Dear Baha'i Friends: One hundred thirty-one valiant pion­ (their) historic missions. In the two cablegrams published eers can bring the light of the Faith Share message National Assem­ above, dated May 13 and May 28, to all these areas of the globe. This blies (of the) Baha'i World. the great Commander of our Baha'i is the first action of the Crusade. -SHOGHI forces throughout the world has sig­ One notes likewise that Baha'is of Haifa, Israel nalled the first, decisive advance. He the United States are not to think May 28 , 1953 calls upon the believers of East and only of those places definitely as­ West to arise and volunteer for pi­ signed to our community in the Cru­ oneer service in some unoccupied sade plan. We are held responsible territory of those listed in the World for the placing of pioneers in all one "STRONGLY URGE Crusade. The first challenge is to the INTENDING PIONEERS" hundred thirty-one territories-that spirit of faith within the individual is, in every area assigned to another Strongly urge intending pioneers Baha'i - a challenge which we can­ National Assembly which that As­ scatter as widely as possible, settle not put aside as something for the sembly cannot allocate to a pioneer even territories, islands not specific­ collective body to undertake. from its own community, a pioneer ally assigned United States. Prompt Pioneering is the supreme asser­ from the United States is to settle. opening virgin territories highly tion of faith in Baha'u'llah, the most One hundred and thirty-one pioneer meritorious, extremely urgent, vital heroic expression of the will to obey settlements before April 30, 1954: prerequisite insure triumphant con­ His Call. It is not an institutional that is what the Baha'is of the world clusion opening phase Global Cru­ action. The pioneer acts as a human are given to do. sade prerogative chief executors being, one man or one woman, in What greater evidence of the ur­ 'Abdu'l-Baha's Plan. May enrolled determination to help establish the gency, the vital importance, the pioneers arise (and) confirm primacy Kingdom on earth in its destined glory of this first step in world re­ American Baha'i community playing time of triumph. generation, than the Guardian's plan preponderating role (in) initial stage Most notable in these messages is of inscribing the names of the World Crusade pioneers on an illuminated (of) spiritual conquest (of) unopened their expression of urgency. Now is territories (and) islands (of the) Roll of Honor, in chronological or- ,,----... the time. This is the thing to do. planet. der, and depositing this Roll as a -SHOGHI Next we perceive that the primacy permanent Memorial at the entrance Haifa, Israel conferred upon America by the Mas­ door of the inner Sanctuary of the May 13, 1953 ter is conditioned upon the measure Tomb of Baha'u'llah ! BAHA'I NEWS 3 Views of the construction of the Shrine of the Bab showing scaffold­ ing erected preparatory to comple­ tion of final work on the Dome. The center view is taken from the west­ ern approaches of the Gardens, showing the Dome ready for pour­ ing of concrete for base of the golden titles . All those pioneers who volunteered MESSAGE FROM THE their services at the All-America In­ GUARDIAN TO THE FIRST tercontinental Conference, or since, IT ALO-SWISS CONVENTION, or who made their offer before the Conference convened, have received FLORENCE, APRIL 23-26, 1953 a questionnaire providing for very Hail (with) feelings (of) joy pride important information. As these are (and) gratitude (the) convocation filled out and returned to the Na­ amidst (the) celebrations (of the) tional Assembly, they are carefully Holy Year (in the) heart (of the) gone over by a special committee, Italian peninsula (the) first historic sorted out, and prepared for distrib­ Baha'i Convention, comprising (the) ution to the various Intercontinental elected delegates (of the) steadily Teaching Committees. these Committees will announce its unfolding highly promising Italian­ In order that all our facilities and general plans and report regularly Swiss Baha'i communities. Acclaim resources may be concentrated on on its activities through BAHA. 'i (the) gathering (of the) fairest fruit the work of the World Crusade, the EWS. (of the) initial enterprise launched National Spiritual Assembly has ap­ (in the pursuance (of) 'Abdu'l-Baha's BAHA'i NEWS , as the organ of pointed a Western Hemisphere Teach­ Divine Plan (in the) European conti­ ing Committee, a European Teaching World Crusade activity and plan­ ning-since news of the work of nent. Heartily congratulate (the) as­ Committee, an Africa Teaching sembled representatives (of these) Committee, and an Asia Teaching other National Assemblies will be featured-becomes the indispensible two outstanding communities (of the) Committee, each having responsi­ ten European goal countries (in the) bility for the different aspects of link between the Baha'i and the new world of the Kingdom. rapid rise (of the) administrative or­ the World Crusade Plan within its re­ der (of the) Faith (in the) heart -NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY spective area. (and) south (of the) continent, enab­ For the work within the United ling them (to) outstrip (their) sister States, a new teaching structure has communities (and to) set (the) ex­ been created, consisting of a Na­ "ESTEEMED VETERAN ample (by the) erection (of a) pillar tional Teaching Committee and a OF FAITH " (of the) Universal House (of) Jus­ number of Area Teaching Commit­ tice (the) third (in) Europe (and) " Share grief (at) passing (of) es­ tees. This simplifies the structure twelfth (in the Baha'i World. (The) by eliminating one level of adminis­ teemed veteran (of) Faith, Maria trative action and contributes to the Ioas. Soul rejoicing (in the) Abha National Assembly now being con­ resources of teaching by freeing Kingdom (at the) services rendered stituted (is) regarded (as a) step­ hundreds of trained and devoted be­ (by her) dear son (at the) World ping stone (in the) formation (of the) lievers from obligations in connec­ Center (of the) Faith (in the) triple course (of the) impending decade­ function (of) Hand (of the) Cause, tion with the former Regional Com­ long crusade (of) two independent Secretary-General (of the) Council mittees.