Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand Part 18

Difficulties. ...The Guardian, while fully aware of the difficulties, both financial and otherwise which your N. S. A.(9) is facing in connection with the publication of the "Herald of the South", feels nevertheless the urge to advise you to continue with this magazine and not to feel in the least discouraged if your efforts for meeting the expenses incurred for its printing and circulation, and for raising its literary standard, do not bring the expected results. He very deeply values the self-sacrificing and sustained efforts exerted by your a.s.sembly in this connection. May Baha'u'llah richly reward you for all your meritorious endeavours....

(Extract, ibid., p. 16, dated September 23rd, 1936)

"HERALD OF THE SOUTH"--(79)

Psychic practices.

...In connection with the article published in the October number of the "Herald of the South" ent.i.tled "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 magazines 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 a.s.sist 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....

(Extract, ibid., pp. 25, 26, dated March 30th, 1938)

PHILOSOPHERS (80)

We must not take many of 'Abdu'l-Baha's statements as dogmatic finalities, for there are other points which when added to them round out the picture.

For instance, when He calls Aristotle and Plato Philosophers of the East, He is obviously placing them in that category because He believes they belong more correctly to Eastern culture than to Central European and the New World cultures of the West. When He calls the philosophers of the West materialistic this does not for a moment mean He includes all Western philosophers for, as you truly point out, many of them have been very spiritual in their concepts....

Historians cannot be sure Socrates did not visit the Holy Land. But believing as we do that 'Abdu'l-Baha had an intuitive knowledge quite different from our own, we accept His authority on this matter....

The Guardian hopes this will better enable you to understand our wonderful Faith--for a living religion it is, and not merely a philosophy!

(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, June 7th, 1946)

SCOUTING (81)

As to the Scout movement, they afford a great disciplinary lesson to the young boys and girls provided they are not prepared directly for the army.

In some towns here we have in some of the schools Scout troops who are also students of the Colleges and it has proved to be a great educational scheme for helping the development of the children but they are never taught to carry arms or even the use of firearms. And furthermore they are often taught the evils of war rather than encourage them to become in future active soldiers with imperialistic designs. This of course is my own personal view.

(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, December 30th, 1925)

SOUL, MIND AND SPIRIT (82)

When studying at present, in English, the available Baha'i writings on the subject of body, soul and spirit, one is handicapped by a certain lack of clarity because not all were translated by the same person, and also there are, as you know, still many Baha'i writings untranslated. But there is no doubt that spirit and soul seem to have been interchanged in meaning sometimes; soul and mind have, likewise, been interchanged in meaning, no doubt due to difficulties arising from different translations. What the Baha'is do believe though is that we have three aspects of our humanness, so to speak, a body, a mind and an immortal ident.i.ty--soul or spirit. We believe the mind forms a link between the soul and the body, and the two interact on each other.

(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, June 7th, 1946)

APPENDIX: NOTES

Note 1. (Letter No. 1)

Margaret Stevenson, the first New Zealand Baha'i was born on November 30th, 1865. Her first intimation of the Baha'i Faith was through reading "The Christian Commonwealth" and she admitted later that "she did not think any more about it". She received this journal from her sister who was in London studying music and had heard 'Abdu'l-Baha address the congregation of St. John's, Westminster at the invitation of Canon Wilberforce. She was so impressed that when another discourse given by 'Abdu'l-Baha at City Temple, London was printed in "The Christian Commonwealth" dated March 27th, 1911, she sent a copy of the journal to Margaret in New Zealand. In 1912, Miss Dorothea Spinney arrived in Auckland from London and stayed with Margaret at her home, "Clunie", 3, Cowie Street, Parnell where she talked about the Baha'i Cause and her own meeting with 'Abdu'l-Baha. To quote Margaret's own words: "As a child, I used to wish I had lived when Christ was on earth. As Miss Spinney spoke, I remembered my childhood wish, and the thought came to me that I too might have denied Him as so many others had done. It was this secret thought that made me seriously think of what I heard from Miss Spinney, and through G.o.d's grace and mercy I was enabled to grasp and believe in Baha'u'llah and His Message".(10) Margaret spoke to others of her belief and obtained literature from America, becoming a subscriber to "Star of the West". Eventually a study group was formed in Auckland and for ten years, Margaret's home was a venue for these cla.s.ses. It was here that the first Baha'i Feast in New Zealand took place in January, 1923.

In 1925, Margaret was one of a small group who journeyed from New Zealand to the Holy Land on pilgrimage, and after an inspiring nineteen days in Haifa, travelled on to England where she met with the English Baha'i community. The pilgrims arrived back in Auckland in December, 1925, bringing with them some dust from the Tomb of Baha'u'llah which was placed in New Zealand soil at the Stevenson's home in a ceremony held on February 14th, 1926.

In such a geographically remote country, the early New Zealand believers had scant knowledge of Baha'i administration and erroneously called themselves an a.s.sembly as early as 1924. This was corrected with the receipt of a booklet on the subject and the first properly const.i.tuted Baha'i a.s.sembly in New Zealand was formed on April 21st, 1926, with Margaret Stevenson as its Secretary. A steadfast worker, Margaret was a member of the first National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand which was elected in 1934, and served the Baha'i Cause with faithfulness and efficiency until her pa.s.sing to the Abha Kingdom on February 11th, 1941.

Note 2. (Letter No. 1)

Born in London in 1855, Hyde Dunn was engaged in business in Britain and continental Europe before emigrating to the United States. In 1905, whilst at a tinsmith's shop in Seattle, he observed the shopkeeper in excited conversation with a man who had just returned from the Prison of Akka and the presence of 'Abdu'l-Baha; he overheard the quotation "Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country, but let him glory in this, that he loves his kind". Hyde Dunn later recalled that "The words reached me with dynamic force, its truth and power crystallised in my heart--a new consciousness awakened... That one glorious utterance magnetised my whole being, appealed as a new note, sent forth from G.o.d to His wandering creatures--a Message from the Supreme to the sons of men".(11) Recognising the Truth, Hyde Dunn interrupted the conversation, and accepted immediately the Revelation of Baha'u'llah. The year was 1905.

In 1912, he was present at a meeting with 'Abdu'l-Baha in San Francisco and declared it was the Master's "penetrating glance, his life giving words, he felt gave him the power that enabled him later to become the spiritual conqueror of a continent". Accompanied by his English born wife, Clara, he answered the call of the "Tablets of the Divine Plan" and on April 18th, 1920 reached Australia whence they travelled to New Zealand in 19223, not knowing there was already a believer there (Margaret Stevenson). With their arrival in Auckland, the Cause grew in that country and when Hyde Dunn left to return to Australia, Clara remained for a time to organise a study group in New Zealand.

Known affectionately among Baha'is as "Mother" and "Father" Dunn, they carried the Message of Baha'u'llah from New South Wales to Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, across the desert to Perth and to tropical Queensland and became the spiritual parents of Australia. After "Mother" Dunn returned from a lone pilgrimage to the Holy Land, "Father" was elected a member of the first National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand in 1934. After his pa.s.sing on February 17th, 1941, "Mother" Dunn's dedication to the Baha'i Faith continued unabated and in 1952 she was elevated to the station of Hand of the Cause of G.o.d by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith: "Father" Dunn was subsequently elevated to the same station posthumously.

Despite her advanced years, "Mother" Dunn returned to New Zealand in 1957 as representative of the Guardian at the formation of the first National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of New Zealand. In March, 1958, at the request of the Guardian, she placed plaster from the Castle of Mah-Ku in the foundations of the Australasian Baha'i House of Worship in Sydney during the Australian Inter-Continental Conference. Until her pa.s.sing to the Abha Kingdom in 1960 at the age of 91 years, "Mother" Dunn retained her memory of many Baha'i prayers and was reciting these at the time of her death.

Note 3. (Letter No. 2)

The Blundell family: Mrs Sarah Blundell was born at Burwell, Cambridgeshire, England in 1850, a year sacred in Baha'i history as that of the Bab's martyrdom, and was destined to become one of the pioneers of the Baha'i Cause in New Zealand. She received her early religious training from her "Non-Conformist" father, a man whose strong convictions led him to withdraw his seven year old daughter from religious instruction cla.s.ses at her boarding school. The feeling of isolation which followed caused her to think for herself and she had the rare distinction of being one of the first women to enter the Cambridge University Examinations in an age prejudiced against the education of women.

In 1886, with her husband and seven children, she arrived in New Zealand where she endured hardship and difficulties in a strange country. She persisted in her unfettered search for truth and rejected several dogmas until, with an open mind and a prepared heart, she read in "The Christian Commonwealth" of 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit to London in 1911 and sent overseas for additional literature. When Mr and Mrs Dunn arrived in Auckland in 19223, Mrs Blundell invited them to her home, "Lymbury", Ridings Road, Remuera to meet a group of twenty people whom she thought might be interested. This was the first Baha'i meeting held in New Zealand and shortly afterwards Mrs Blundell accepted the Baha'i Faith.

On hearing from Martha Root that Shoghi Effendi and the Ladies of the Household were eager to welcome the New Zealand friends, Sarah Blundell arranged to make the journey to the Holy Land in 1925 visit the Holy Family, and the Shrines of the Bab, Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha, and to meet in person many other Baha'is--this was "a crowning gift to one whose spiritual path had been travelled alone."(12) She returned to New Zealand after first going home to England to see her relatives and, at the Guardian's suggestion, make personal contact with the English Baha'i community. She continued to work unsparingly in New Zealand to serve the Cause of Baha'u'llah until her pa.s.sing at the age of eighty-four years on December 20th, 1934.

One of her daughters, Ethel Blundell who accepted the Baha'i Faith in 1925, was a delegate to the first Baha'i Convention and was elected as a member of the first National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand in May, 1934.

Mrs Blundell's son, Hugh, was also destined to serve the Baha'i Cause.