Letters from the Guardian to Australia and New Zealand

The beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer your letters dated June 12th, 15th and 25th, and to acknowledge receipt of the numerous enclosures you forwarded with them.

As he has already expressed to you in his recent messages he greatly regretted the tone of certain recent communications from the N.S.A.

He cannot too strongly point out to you all that any condition of inharmony places in jeopardy the wonderful achievements recently made in the spread and consolidation of the Cause in Australia and New Zealand. The beloved Master 58 pointed out over and over again that unity and love among the friends promotes harmony and the rapid spread of the Faith, and that when these are sacrificed and disputes, anger and violent criticism take their place, the Cause cannot move forward.

The N.S.A.s the world over, owing to the spiritual immaturity of the believers, must at the present time exert the greatest patience in dealing with the friends; otherwise, as seems to be rapidly becoming the case in Australia, the friends will take sides, bitterness will increase and what started out as a small thing, (however unjustified and regrettable a departure from the Bahá’í spirit) will become a menace to the progress of the Faith and definitely retard its progress.

He feels that Mrs. … and Miss … , both of whom love their religion and are devoted to its promotion, should be called upon to forget and forgive the past, and concentrate on serving the Faith. These are the ways in which the Bahá’ís can demonstrate true spiritual nobility and detachment. In such delicate and complicated cases, the N.S.A. should appeal to the believers to put the interests of the Cause first, regardless of any personal sacrifice of feelings this may require.

He assures you he will pray ardently for the speedy and satisfactory solution of this entire matter.

It is my fervent hope and prayer that the members of the Bahá’í communities of Australia and New Zealand, will, now that the machinery of the Administrative Order of their Faith has been erected, redouble their efforts to proclaim, with one voice and in a most effective manner, those vital and healing principles for which the great mass of their war-weary and much tested countrymen are hungering. This supreme issue must have precedence over all other considerations, must be given immediate and anxious attention, must be faced courageously and continually, and be regarded by individual believers as well as their elected representatives as the supreme objective of the manifold administrative institutions they have reared and are still labouring to establish. Complete harmony, mutual understanding, 59 unity of purpose, coordination of efforts, prayerful consideration of, and mature deliberation on, all the aspects and requirements of this great and sacred objective can alone ensure its triumphant consummation during these years of stress and peril through which mankind is passing. May the national elected representatives of both communities set a superb example to their fellow-workers throughout that far-off continent, and enable them to win memorable victories in the service of their glorious Faith and its God-given institutions.