Part VTelegrams to New Zealand.

Part VTelegrams to New Zealand.To Summer School care Bahá’í Assembly Postbox 1906 Auckland.(70) January 22nd, 1949ASSURE ATTENDANTS HEARTFELT LOVING PRAYERS SUCCESS SESSION REALIZATION DEAREST HOPES DEEPEST APPRECIATION. SHOGHI RABBANI To Auckland Assembly Box 1906 Auckland.(71) December 29th, 1949GRIEVED PASSING PRECIOUS PIONEER PROMOTER FAITH MRS AXFORD PRAYING FERVENTLY SHRINES PROGRESS SOUL ABHÁ KINGDOM HER SERVICES UNFORGETTABLE. SHOGHI To Summer School Care Auckland Assembly Box 1906 Auckland.(72) December 29th, 1949ASSURE ATTENDANTS SUPPLICATING RICHEST BLESSINGS DELIBERATIONS SCHOOL. SHOGHI To New Zealand School Care NatBaha’i Sydney.(73) December 30th, 1953LOVING APPRECIATION ASSURANCE FERVENT PRAYERS. SHOGHIPart VIStatements on Various Subjects.These statements extracted from letters to individuals are not found elsewhere in this compilation and are taken from letters written by the Guardian’s secretaries at his specific direction. The arrangement is according to subject matter.ALCOHOL (74)You had asked in connection with the subject of prohibition. Of course in every country one must take into consideration the exact conditions as to whether by force of legislation people can be stopped from drinking, but as a principle the Bahá’í teachings are quite against drinking intoxicating liquors and from the Bahá’í point of view every thing that helps to stop drinking is welcome.(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, December 30th, 1925)EVOLUTION (75)We cannot prove man was always man for this is a fundamental doctrine, but it is based on the assertion that nothing can exceed its own potentialities, that everything, a stone, a tree, an animal and a human being existed in plan, potentially, from the very “beginning” of creation. We don’t believe man has always had the form of man, but rather that from the outset he was going to evolve into the human form and species and not be a haphazard branch of the ape family.You see our whole approach to each matter is based on the belief that God sends us divinely inspired Educators; what they tell us is fundamentally true, what science tells us today is true; tomorrow may be entirely changed to better explain a new set of facts.When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says man breaks the laws of nature, He means we shape nature to meet our own needs, as no animal does. Animals adapt themselves to better fit in with and benefit from their environment. But men both surmount and change environment. Likewise when He says nature is devoid of memory He means memory as we have it, not the strange memory of inherited habits which animals so strikingly possess.These various statements must be taken in conjunction with all the Bahá’í teachings; we cannot get a correct picture by concentrating on just one phrase.(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, June 7th, 1946“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(76)Persevere I shall pray from all my heart for the steady development and the growing influence of the “Herald of the South”. May its voice grow in strength and power, and may its pages increasingly reflect the dynamic spirit of the Faith and mirror forth the ever-expanding activities of the friends in Australasia as well as in distant lands. Persevere in your efforts, let not obstacles damp your zeal and determination and rest assured that the Power of God which is reinforcing your efforts will in the end triumph and enable you to fulfil your cherished desire.(Extract, undated letter by Shoghi Effendi)“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(77)Effective teaching medium. ...Regarding the “Herald of the South” magazine, Shoghi Effendi very much appreciates the fact that in spite of the many difficulties that your Assembly had to overcome this review is being regularly published, and that its standard is gradually improving. He would call upon all the English-speaking friends to contribute, as often as they can, such articles for publication in that magazine as would serve to make it a more direct and effective teaching medium for the spread of the Cause throughout Australia and New-Zealand. He is advising the American N. S. A. to specially ask the cooperation of the American believers for that purpose, and hopes that the response they will make to this call will be such as to further encourage you in your splendid efforts for the publication of this national organ of the Faith....(Extract, ibid., pp. 12, 13, dated April 15th, 1936)“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(78)Difficulties. ...The Guardian, while fully aware of the difficulties, both financial and otherwise which your N. S. A.9is 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 Assembly in this connection. May Bahá’u’lláh 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” entitled “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 assist 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-Bahá’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-Bahá 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 Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í 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 Bahá’ís do believe though is that we have three aspects of our humanness, so to speak, a body, a mind and an immortal identity--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: NotesNote 1. (Letter No. 1)Margaret Stevenson, the first New Zealand Bahá’í was born on November 30th, 1865. Her first intimation of the Bahá’í 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-Bahá 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-Bahá 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 Bahá’í Cause and her own meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. 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 God’s grace and mercy I was enabled to grasp and believe in Bahá’u’lláh and His Message”.10Margaret 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 classes. It was here that the first Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í community. The pilgrims arrived back in Auckland in December, 1925, bringing with them some dust from the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh 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 Bahá’í administration and erroneously called themselves an Assembly as early as 1924. This was corrected with the receipt of a booklet on the subject and the first properly constituted Bahá’í Assembly 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 Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand which was elected in 1934, and served the Bahá’í Cause with faithfulness and efficiency until her passing to the Abhá 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 Akká and the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; 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 God to His wandering creatures--a Message from the Supreme to the sons of men”.11Recognising the Truth, Hyde Dunn interrupted the conversation, and accepted immediately the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. The year was 1905.In 1912, he was present at a meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 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 1922–3, 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 Bahá’ís as “Mother” and “Father” Dunn, they carried the Message of Bahá’u’lláh 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 Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand in 1934. After his passing on February 17th, 1941, “Mother” Dunn’s dedication to the Bahá’í Faith continued unabated and in 1952 she was elevated to the station of Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í 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 Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand. In March, 1958, at the request of the Guardian, she placed plaster from the Castle of Máh-Kú in the foundations of the Australasian Bahá’í House of Worship in Sydney during the Australian Inter-Continental Conference. Until her passing to the Abhá Kingdom in 1960 at the age of 91 years, “Mother” Dunn retained her memory of many Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í history as that of the Báb’s martyrdom, and was destined to become one of the pioneers of the Bahá’í 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 classes 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-Bahá’s visit to London in 1911 and sent overseas for additional literature. When Mr and Mrs Dunn arrived in Auckland in 1922–3, 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 Bahá’í meeting held in New Zealand and shortly afterwards Mrs Blundell accepted the Bahá’í 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 Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and to meet in person many other Bahá’ís--this was “a crowning gift to one whose spiritual path had been travelled alone.”12She 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 Bahá’í community. She continued to work unsparingly in New Zealand to serve the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh until her passing at the age of eighty-four years on December 20th, 1934.One of her daughters, Ethel Blundell who accepted the Bahá’í Faith in 1925, was a delegate to the first Bahá’í Convention and was elected as a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand in May, 1934.Mrs Blundell’s son, Hugh, was also destined to serve the Bahá’í Cause. Although not at that time a Bahá’í, Hugh accompanied his mother and sister on their pilgrimage to Haifa in 1925 and accepted the Faith the following year. A tireless worker for the Cause, he was New Zealand’s first Auxiliary Board Member and passed to the Abhá Kingdom on October 16th, 1976 in his ninety-second year.Note 4. (Letter No. 2)Effie Baker became disenchanted with the Church and, having an open and enquiring attitude, was one of a committee formed in Melbourne responsible for arranging speakers to address the “New Thought” organisation. This led her to attend a public meeting at which Hyde Dunn spoke on the Bahá’í Faith and, recognising the truth of the Message, Effie Baker accepted the Faith the same evening and so became the first woman believer in Australia. She accompanied Martha Root on the latter’s lecture tour of New Zealand and, learning of the New Zealand Bahá’ís projected journey to the Holy Land in 1925, Effie sold her home and joined the pilgrims.After the bounty of visiting the Shrines and meeting with the Guardian and the Greatest Holy Leaf, Effie acceded to Shoghi Effendi’s request and accompanied the New Zealand friends to London so as to contact the British Bahá’í community. She planned to return to Australia and assist the Dunns, and had accepted an invitation from the Ladies of the Holy Family to stop over in Haifa on her homeward journey, but on arriving there in June, she found Shoghi Effendi was away from the Holy Land and so decided to wait until he returned. Her offer to serve was accepted and she remained at the World Centre of the Bahá’í Faith in Israel for the next eleven years where she assumed the duties of hostess, welcoming the friends to the Pilgrim House, using her artistry and talent to photograph events in Haifa for the Guardian. In 1930, when the need arose to secure photographs of places in Persia associated with the early history of the Bahá’í Faith, Effie undertook arduous journeys by road through Syria and Iraq, undeterred by danger from hostile bandits. This intrepid worker now embarked on an exacting and fruitful period of direct service to the Guardian, often using cars supplied by the Persian believers, at times travelling on horseback, mule or donkey to all but a few sites where it was too dangerous for a westerner to venture. The unique photographic record she obtained was immortalised by being selected by the Guardian for inclusion in Nabil’s “The Dawnbreakers”.In 1936, Effie returned to her homeland, Australia, where she looked after the National Archives over a long period. Her last years were spent in a small flat in the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Sydney at the invitation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand who had been requested by the Guardian to take care of her until her passing on January 2nd, 1968.Note 5. (Letter No. 15)Mrs Amy Dewing and her son Bertram were among New Zealand’s earliest Bahá’ís; Mrs Dewing came from an orthodox Church of England background and viewed with disapproval her son’s questioning attitude which led him to describe himself as a Rationalist. They heard of and accepted the Truth of the Bahá’í Cause after meeting with “Mother” and “Father” Dunn in Devonport, Auckland and, in 1926, both of them served as members of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Auckland. Amy Dewing, as one of a small and persevering group of New Zealand believers, was active in spreading the Message as was her son through whose efforts a Bahá’í magazine was published in Australia and New Zealand to promote the teachings. Prior to her passing in 1957, Amy Dewing witnessed the emergence of the New Zealand community as an independent entity.Having travelled extensively overseas, Bertram Dewing eventually settled in Auckland. A tireless worker for the Faith, he was a member of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Devonport in 1951 and in 1958 was elected to the second National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand. He pioneered to Hokianga in the same year and a decade later assisted in spreading the Faith to New Plymouth where he worked for the Cause with unabated zeal until he passed to the Abhá Kingdom in 1972 at the age of seventy.Note 6. (Letter No. 16)Dr Habíb, whose older brother attained martyrdom, was born in 1888 at Kermánsháh, Persia and was given the name Mu’ayyad (meaning ‘confirmed’) by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. At the age of twenty-one, when en route to Beirut to begin his medical studies at the American University, he spent a month in the Holy Land with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who took a personal interest in his progress. Thereafter he returned each summer to serve the Cause, extending hospitality to visitors and pilgrims, recording daily events, acquiring spiritual knowledge from outstanding Bahá’í scholars and being entrusted with the receipt and dispatch of Tablets. Referring to Habíb’s student days, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá extolled the young man’s influence, detachment and sanctity, saying “the fragrance of Beirut” perfumed His nostrils.After graduating from the University of Beirut in 1914, Dr Habíb operated a dispensary at Abú-Sínán, a Druse village northeast of Akká where the Master had temporarily settled the Bahá’ís: this period of close contact with the Holy Family and daily lessons from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá he was later to describe as the “most precious segment of his life”. In a Tablet to Dr Habíb’s father, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá described this dedicated young Bahá’í as “A lamp enkindled with the love of God”.In 1915, responding to the Master’s specific instructions, Dr Habíb returned to his birthplace to practice his profession and teach the Faith to which he was so deeply devoted, and was for forty years a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Kermánsháh, also serving for a period on the National Spiritual Assembly. His published works include two volumes of reminiscences based on the principles of the Covenant and the history of the Cause, whilst his much loved poem entitled “Hold Thou my Hand, O ‘Abdu’l-Bahá” is widely sung at gatherings of the Bahá’ís in Írán. Dr Habíb Mu’ayyad passed to the Abhá Kingdom on October 29th, 1971.Note 7. (Letter No. 16)The Moslem calendar dates from Muḥammad’s emigration or Hijrah from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D. The Moslem year begins with the month of Muharram of which the first ten days are observed byShí’ah Moslems as part of their mourning period for the Imáms. The tenth day is called Ashura and commemorates the martyrdom of Ḥusayn, the grand-son of Muḥammad, who was cut down by thirty-three strokes of swords and lances and decapitated: his clothes were torn from him and his naked body trampled by horses hooves.Note 8. (Letter No. 23)Mrs Emily Axford was born in Huddersfield, England on October 19th, 1870 and was an infant teacher before her marriage. In 1907, the family emigrated to New Zealand where her husband practiced medicine in Te Aroha until his passing in 1912, after which Mrs Axford moved to Auckland so as to educate her three children. Having rejected conventional Christianity, she was attracted by the New England Transcendental Movement until she became aware of the Bahá’í Faith through her friendship with Sarah Blundell and was enrolled as a member in 1923. Three years later, Mrs Axford was elected Chairman of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Auckland and for many years conducted classes in public speaking to help the friends overcome their shyness and reticence so that they might teach the Faith effectively. Emily was one of three New Zealand delegates who attended the National Convention held in Sydney during 1934 and the following year was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand. She continued to work staunchly for the Faith, being appointed in 1946 to the Regional Teaching Committee responsible for formulating teaching plans throughout New Zealand. The following year, she assumed the delicate task of conducting negotiations with the immigration authorities so that Bahá’ís from Persia might be permitted to enter New Zealand as University students, and was actively engaged in this work up to the time of her passing on December 26th, 1949.Note 9. (Letter No. 33)Born in 1900, Miss Kitty Carpenter became a Bahá’í in 1936 since when many members of the Carpenter-Hancock family of which she is a member have followed her and joined the Faith. An adventurous and enquiring soul, she undertook her first pilgrimage to Haifa in 1938, arriving there shortly after the marriage of Shoghi Effendi and, after living for two years in Australia, she returned to New Zealand where she embarked on a life of service to the Cause. Towards the end of the Second World War, she willingly made available her premises (a counter lunch-shop) in Anzac Avenue as a venue for the Auckland Bahá’í community and, in the 1950’s, responded to the call by travel teaching in Mangakino and Whangarei. She served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand during 1958 and, two years later, moved from Christchurch to Hamilton to aid in establishing an assembly there. 1964 saw her travel teaching in Invercargill and the following year she was appointed to the National Teaching Committee. Responding to the need for the believers to establish another assembly, Kitty finally made her home in Tauranga where she is an active and much loved exponent of the Cause.Note 10. (Letter No. 37)This refers to a book on Islám written by Bertram Dewing which was never published.Individual AddresseesLetters addressed to individuals by letter number. Only letters presented in their entirety are indicated.1. Margaret Stevenson2. Sarah Blundell3. Margaret Stevenson4. Bertram Dewing5. Margaret Stevenson6. Margaret Stevenson7. Bertram Dewing8. Margaret Stevenson9. Sarah Blundell10. Sarah Blundell11. Margaret Stevenson12. Evelyn Watkin13. Bertram Dewing14. Sarah Blundell15. Amy Dewing16. Amy Dewing17. Evelyn Watkin18. Margaret Stevenson19. ...1320. Bertram Dewing21. Amy Dewing22. Amy Dewing23. Emily Axford24. Eleanor Leighton25. Bertram Dewing26. Ethel Blundell27. Amy Dewing28. Ethel Blundell29. Emily Axford30. Emily Axford31. Emily Axford32. Emily Axford33. Kitty Carpenter34. Emily Axford35. Emily Axford36. Emily Axford37. Bertram Dewing38. Kitty Carpenter39. Bertram Dewing40. Kitty Carpenter41. Kitty CarpenterInstitution AddresseesLetters addressed to institutions by letter number42. E. Axford, Auckland Bahá’í Group43. E. Axford, Chairman, Auckland Spiritual Assembly44. M. Stevenson, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual Assembly45. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand46. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand47. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand48. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand49. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand50. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand51. Auckland Spiritual Assembly52. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand53. Auckland Spiritual Assembly54. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand55. D. Dive, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual Assembly56. Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Auckland, New Zealand57. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand58. E. B. Dewing, Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Auckland, New Zealand59. M. G. Bolton, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand60. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand61. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand62. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand63. Secretary, Regional Teaching Committee for New Zealand64. The Guardian’s message to the first Bahá’í Convention in New Zealand, sent to Mrs Clara Dunn; she was asked to read it on behalf of the Guardian at the Convention and then give it to the New Zealand National Spiritual Assembly65. Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand66. Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand67. N. P. L. Walker, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia68. Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the City of Auckland69. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand

To Summer School care Bahá’í Assembly Postbox 1906 Auckland.

(70) January 22nd, 1949ASSURE ATTENDANTS HEARTFELT LOVING PRAYERS SUCCESS SESSION REALIZATION DEAREST HOPES DEEPEST APPRECIATION. SHOGHI RABBANI To Auckland Assembly Box 1906 Auckland.

ASSURE ATTENDANTS HEARTFELT LOVING PRAYERS SUCCESS SESSION REALIZATION DEAREST HOPES DEEPEST APPRECIATION. SHOGHI RABBANI To Auckland Assembly Box 1906 Auckland.

(71) December 29th, 1949GRIEVED PASSING PRECIOUS PIONEER PROMOTER FAITH MRS AXFORD PRAYING FERVENTLY SHRINES PROGRESS SOUL ABHÁ KINGDOM HER SERVICES UNFORGETTABLE. SHOGHI To Summer School Care Auckland Assembly Box 1906 Auckland.

GRIEVED PASSING PRECIOUS PIONEER PROMOTER FAITH MRS AXFORD PRAYING FERVENTLY SHRINES PROGRESS SOUL ABHÁ KINGDOM HER SERVICES UNFORGETTABLE. SHOGHI To Summer School Care Auckland Assembly Box 1906 Auckland.

(72) December 29th, 1949ASSURE ATTENDANTS SUPPLICATING RICHEST BLESSINGS DELIBERATIONS SCHOOL. SHOGHI To New Zealand School Care NatBaha’i Sydney.

ASSURE ATTENDANTS SUPPLICATING RICHEST BLESSINGS DELIBERATIONS SCHOOL. SHOGHI To New Zealand School Care NatBaha’i Sydney.

(73) December 30th, 1953LOVING APPRECIATION ASSURANCE FERVENT PRAYERS. SHOGHI

LOVING APPRECIATION ASSURANCE FERVENT PRAYERS. SHOGHI

Part VIStatements on Various Subjects.These statements extracted from letters to individuals are not found elsewhere in this compilation and are taken from letters written by the Guardian’s secretaries at his specific direction. The arrangement is according to subject matter.ALCOHOL (74)You had asked in connection with the subject of prohibition. Of course in every country one must take into consideration the exact conditions as to whether by force of legislation people can be stopped from drinking, but as a principle the Bahá’í teachings are quite against drinking intoxicating liquors and from the Bahá’í point of view every thing that helps to stop drinking is welcome.(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, December 30th, 1925)EVOLUTION (75)We cannot prove man was always man for this is a fundamental doctrine, but it is based on the assertion that nothing can exceed its own potentialities, that everything, a stone, a tree, an animal and a human being existed in plan, potentially, from the very “beginning” of creation. We don’t believe man has always had the form of man, but rather that from the outset he was going to evolve into the human form and species and not be a haphazard branch of the ape family.You see our whole approach to each matter is based on the belief that God sends us divinely inspired Educators; what they tell us is fundamentally true, what science tells us today is true; tomorrow may be entirely changed to better explain a new set of facts.When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says man breaks the laws of nature, He means we shape nature to meet our own needs, as no animal does. Animals adapt themselves to better fit in with and benefit from their environment. But men both surmount and change environment. Likewise when He says nature is devoid of memory He means memory as we have it, not the strange memory of inherited habits which animals so strikingly possess.These various statements must be taken in conjunction with all the Bahá’í teachings; we cannot get a correct picture by concentrating on just one phrase.(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, June 7th, 1946“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(76)Persevere I shall pray from all my heart for the steady development and the growing influence of the “Herald of the South”. May its voice grow in strength and power, and may its pages increasingly reflect the dynamic spirit of the Faith and mirror forth the ever-expanding activities of the friends in Australasia as well as in distant lands. Persevere in your efforts, let not obstacles damp your zeal and determination and rest assured that the Power of God which is reinforcing your efforts will in the end triumph and enable you to fulfil your cherished desire.(Extract, undated letter by Shoghi Effendi)“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(77)Effective teaching medium. ...Regarding the “Herald of the South” magazine, Shoghi Effendi very much appreciates the fact that in spite of the many difficulties that your Assembly had to overcome this review is being regularly published, and that its standard is gradually improving. He would call upon all the English-speaking friends to contribute, as often as they can, such articles for publication in that magazine as would serve to make it a more direct and effective teaching medium for the spread of the Cause throughout Australia and New-Zealand. He is advising the American N. S. A. to specially ask the cooperation of the American believers for that purpose, and hopes that the response they will make to this call will be such as to further encourage you in your splendid efforts for the publication of this national organ of the Faith....(Extract, ibid., pp. 12, 13, dated April 15th, 1936)“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(78)Difficulties. ...The Guardian, while fully aware of the difficulties, both financial and otherwise which your N. S. A.9is 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 Assembly in this connection. May Bahá’u’lláh 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” entitled “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 assist 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-Bahá’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-Bahá 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 Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í 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 Bahá’ís do believe though is that we have three aspects of our humanness, so to speak, a body, a mind and an immortal identity--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)

These statements extracted from letters to individuals are not found elsewhere in this compilation and are taken from letters written by the Guardian’s secretaries at his specific direction. The arrangement is according to subject matter.

ALCOHOL (74)You had asked in connection with the subject of prohibition. Of course in every country one must take into consideration the exact conditions as to whether by force of legislation people can be stopped from drinking, but as a principle the Bahá’í teachings are quite against drinking intoxicating liquors and from the Bahá’í point of view every thing that helps to stop drinking is welcome.(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, December 30th, 1925)

You had asked in connection with the subject of prohibition. Of course in every country one must take into consideration the exact conditions as to whether by force of legislation people can be stopped from drinking, but as a principle the Bahá’í teachings are quite against drinking intoxicating liquors and from the Bahá’í point of view every thing that helps to stop drinking is welcome.

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

EVOLUTION (75)We cannot prove man was always man for this is a fundamental doctrine, but it is based on the assertion that nothing can exceed its own potentialities, that everything, a stone, a tree, an animal and a human being existed in plan, potentially, from the very “beginning” of creation. We don’t believe man has always had the form of man, but rather that from the outset he was going to evolve into the human form and species and not be a haphazard branch of the ape family.You see our whole approach to each matter is based on the belief that God sends us divinely inspired Educators; what they tell us is fundamentally true, what science tells us today is true; tomorrow may be entirely changed to better explain a new set of facts.When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says man breaks the laws of nature, He means we shape nature to meet our own needs, as no animal does. Animals adapt themselves to better fit in with and benefit from their environment. But men both surmount and change environment. Likewise when He says nature is devoid of memory He means memory as we have it, not the strange memory of inherited habits which animals so strikingly possess.These various statements must be taken in conjunction with all the Bahá’í teachings; we cannot get a correct picture by concentrating on just one phrase.(Extract, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, June 7th, 1946

We cannot prove man was always man for this is a fundamental doctrine, but it is based on the assertion that nothing can exceed its own potentialities, that everything, a stone, a tree, an animal and a human being existed in plan, potentially, from the very “beginning” of creation. We don’t believe man has always had the form of man, but rather that from the outset he was going to evolve into the human form and species and not be a haphazard branch of the ape family.

You see our whole approach to each matter is based on the belief that God sends us divinely inspired Educators; what they tell us is fundamentally true, what science tells us today is true; tomorrow may be entirely changed to better explain a new set of facts.

When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says man breaks the laws of nature, He means we shape nature to meet our own needs, as no animal does. Animals adapt themselves to better fit in with and benefit from their environment. But men both surmount and change environment. Likewise when He says nature is devoid of memory He means memory as we have it, not the strange memory of inherited habits which animals so strikingly possess.

These various statements must be taken in conjunction with all the Bahá’í teachings; we cannot get a correct picture by concentrating on just one phrase.

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

“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(76)Persevere I shall pray from all my heart for the steady development and the growing influence of the “Herald of the South”. May its voice grow in strength and power, and may its pages increasingly reflect the dynamic spirit of the Faith and mirror forth the ever-expanding activities of the friends in Australasia as well as in distant lands. Persevere in your efforts, let not obstacles damp your zeal and determination and rest assured that the Power of God which is reinforcing your efforts will in the end triumph and enable you to fulfil your cherished desire.(Extract, undated letter by Shoghi Effendi)

Persevere I shall pray from all my heart for the steady development and the growing influence of the “Herald of the South”. May its voice grow in strength and power, and may its pages increasingly reflect the dynamic spirit of the Faith and mirror forth the ever-expanding activities of the friends in Australasia as well as in distant lands. Persevere in your efforts, let not obstacles damp your zeal and determination and rest assured that the Power of God which is reinforcing your efforts will in the end triumph and enable you to fulfil your cherished desire.

(Extract, undated letter by Shoghi Effendi)

“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(77)Effective teaching medium. ...Regarding the “Herald of the South” magazine, Shoghi Effendi very much appreciates the fact that in spite of the many difficulties that your Assembly had to overcome this review is being regularly published, and that its standard is gradually improving. He would call upon all the English-speaking friends to contribute, as often as they can, such articles for publication in that magazine as would serve to make it a more direct and effective teaching medium for the spread of the Cause throughout Australia and New-Zealand. He is advising the American N. S. A. to specially ask the cooperation of the American believers for that purpose, and hopes that the response they will make to this call will be such as to further encourage you in your splendid efforts for the publication of this national organ of the Faith....(Extract, ibid., pp. 12, 13, dated April 15th, 1936)

Effective teaching medium. ...Regarding the “Herald of the South” magazine, Shoghi Effendi very much appreciates the fact that in spite of the many difficulties that your Assembly had to overcome this review is being regularly published, and that its standard is gradually improving. He would call upon all the English-speaking friends to contribute, as often as they can, such articles for publication in that magazine as would serve to make it a more direct and effective teaching medium for the spread of the Cause throughout Australia and New-Zealand. He is advising the American N. S. A. to specially ask the cooperation of the American believers for that purpose, and hopes that the response they will make to this call will be such as to further encourage you in your splendid efforts for the publication of this national organ of the Faith....

(Extract, ibid., pp. 12, 13, dated April 15th, 1936)

“HERALD OF THE SOUTH”--(78)Difficulties. ...The Guardian, while fully aware of the difficulties, both financial and otherwise which your N. S. A.9is 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 Assembly in this connection. May Bahá’u’lláh richly reward you for all your meritorious endeavours....(Extract, ibid., p. 16, dated September 23rd, 1936)

Difficulties. ...The Guardian, while fully aware of the difficulties, both financial and otherwise which your N. S. A.9is 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 Assembly in this connection. May Bahá’u’lláh 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” entitled “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 assist 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)

Psychic practices.

...In connection with the article published in the October number of the “Herald of the South” entitled “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 assist 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-Bahá’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-Bahá 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)

We must not take many of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’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-Bahá 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)

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 Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í 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 Bahá’ís do believe though is that we have three aspects of our humanness, so to speak, a body, a mind and an immortal identity--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)

When studying at present, in English, the available Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í 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 Bahá’ís do believe though is that we have three aspects of our humanness, so to speak, a body, a mind and an immortal identity--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: NotesNote 1. (Letter No. 1)Margaret Stevenson, the first New Zealand Bahá’í was born on November 30th, 1865. Her first intimation of the Bahá’í 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-Bahá 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-Bahá 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 Bahá’í Cause and her own meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. 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 God’s grace and mercy I was enabled to grasp and believe in Bahá’u’lláh and His Message”.10Margaret 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 classes. It was here that the first Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í community. The pilgrims arrived back in Auckland in December, 1925, bringing with them some dust from the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh 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 Bahá’í administration and erroneously called themselves an Assembly as early as 1924. This was corrected with the receipt of a booklet on the subject and the first properly constituted Bahá’í Assembly 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 Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand which was elected in 1934, and served the Bahá’í Cause with faithfulness and efficiency until her passing to the Abhá 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 Akká and the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; 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 God to His wandering creatures--a Message from the Supreme to the sons of men”.11Recognising the Truth, Hyde Dunn interrupted the conversation, and accepted immediately the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. The year was 1905.In 1912, he was present at a meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 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 1922–3, 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 Bahá’ís as “Mother” and “Father” Dunn, they carried the Message of Bahá’u’lláh 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 Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand in 1934. After his passing on February 17th, 1941, “Mother” Dunn’s dedication to the Bahá’í Faith continued unabated and in 1952 she was elevated to the station of Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í 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 Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand. In March, 1958, at the request of the Guardian, she placed plaster from the Castle of Máh-Kú in the foundations of the Australasian Bahá’í House of Worship in Sydney during the Australian Inter-Continental Conference. Until her passing to the Abhá Kingdom in 1960 at the age of 91 years, “Mother” Dunn retained her memory of many Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í history as that of the Báb’s martyrdom, and was destined to become one of the pioneers of the Bahá’í 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 classes 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-Bahá’s visit to London in 1911 and sent overseas for additional literature. When Mr and Mrs Dunn arrived in Auckland in 1922–3, 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 Bahá’í meeting held in New Zealand and shortly afterwards Mrs Blundell accepted the Bahá’í 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 Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and to meet in person many other Bahá’ís--this was “a crowning gift to one whose spiritual path had been travelled alone.”12She 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 Bahá’í community. She continued to work unsparingly in New Zealand to serve the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh until her passing at the age of eighty-four years on December 20th, 1934.One of her daughters, Ethel Blundell who accepted the Bahá’í Faith in 1925, was a delegate to the first Bahá’í Convention and was elected as a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand in May, 1934.Mrs Blundell’s son, Hugh, was also destined to serve the Bahá’í Cause. Although not at that time a Bahá’í, Hugh accompanied his mother and sister on their pilgrimage to Haifa in 1925 and accepted the Faith the following year. A tireless worker for the Cause, he was New Zealand’s first Auxiliary Board Member and passed to the Abhá Kingdom on October 16th, 1976 in his ninety-second year.Note 4. (Letter No. 2)Effie Baker became disenchanted with the Church and, having an open and enquiring attitude, was one of a committee formed in Melbourne responsible for arranging speakers to address the “New Thought” organisation. This led her to attend a public meeting at which Hyde Dunn spoke on the Bahá’í Faith and, recognising the truth of the Message, Effie Baker accepted the Faith the same evening and so became the first woman believer in Australia. She accompanied Martha Root on the latter’s lecture tour of New Zealand and, learning of the New Zealand Bahá’ís projected journey to the Holy Land in 1925, Effie sold her home and joined the pilgrims.After the bounty of visiting the Shrines and meeting with the Guardian and the Greatest Holy Leaf, Effie acceded to Shoghi Effendi’s request and accompanied the New Zealand friends to London so as to contact the British Bahá’í community. She planned to return to Australia and assist the Dunns, and had accepted an invitation from the Ladies of the Holy Family to stop over in Haifa on her homeward journey, but on arriving there in June, she found Shoghi Effendi was away from the Holy Land and so decided to wait until he returned. Her offer to serve was accepted and she remained at the World Centre of the Bahá’í Faith in Israel for the next eleven years where she assumed the duties of hostess, welcoming the friends to the Pilgrim House, using her artistry and talent to photograph events in Haifa for the Guardian. In 1930, when the need arose to secure photographs of places in Persia associated with the early history of the Bahá’í Faith, Effie undertook arduous journeys by road through Syria and Iraq, undeterred by danger from hostile bandits. This intrepid worker now embarked on an exacting and fruitful period of direct service to the Guardian, often using cars supplied by the Persian believers, at times travelling on horseback, mule or donkey to all but a few sites where it was too dangerous for a westerner to venture. The unique photographic record she obtained was immortalised by being selected by the Guardian for inclusion in Nabil’s “The Dawnbreakers”.In 1936, Effie returned to her homeland, Australia, where she looked after the National Archives over a long period. Her last years were spent in a small flat in the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Sydney at the invitation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand who had been requested by the Guardian to take care of her until her passing on January 2nd, 1968.Note 5. (Letter No. 15)Mrs Amy Dewing and her son Bertram were among New Zealand’s earliest Bahá’ís; Mrs Dewing came from an orthodox Church of England background and viewed with disapproval her son’s questioning attitude which led him to describe himself as a Rationalist. They heard of and accepted the Truth of the Bahá’í Cause after meeting with “Mother” and “Father” Dunn in Devonport, Auckland and, in 1926, both of them served as members of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Auckland. Amy Dewing, as one of a small and persevering group of New Zealand believers, was active in spreading the Message as was her son through whose efforts a Bahá’í magazine was published in Australia and New Zealand to promote the teachings. Prior to her passing in 1957, Amy Dewing witnessed the emergence of the New Zealand community as an independent entity.Having travelled extensively overseas, Bertram Dewing eventually settled in Auckland. A tireless worker for the Faith, he was a member of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Devonport in 1951 and in 1958 was elected to the second National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand. He pioneered to Hokianga in the same year and a decade later assisted in spreading the Faith to New Plymouth where he worked for the Cause with unabated zeal until he passed to the Abhá Kingdom in 1972 at the age of seventy.Note 6. (Letter No. 16)Dr Habíb, whose older brother attained martyrdom, was born in 1888 at Kermánsháh, Persia and was given the name Mu’ayyad (meaning ‘confirmed’) by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. At the age of twenty-one, when en route to Beirut to begin his medical studies at the American University, he spent a month in the Holy Land with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who took a personal interest in his progress. Thereafter he returned each summer to serve the Cause, extending hospitality to visitors and pilgrims, recording daily events, acquiring spiritual knowledge from outstanding Bahá’í scholars and being entrusted with the receipt and dispatch of Tablets. Referring to Habíb’s student days, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá extolled the young man’s influence, detachment and sanctity, saying “the fragrance of Beirut” perfumed His nostrils.After graduating from the University of Beirut in 1914, Dr Habíb operated a dispensary at Abú-Sínán, a Druse village northeast of Akká where the Master had temporarily settled the Bahá’ís: this period of close contact with the Holy Family and daily lessons from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá he was later to describe as the “most precious segment of his life”. In a Tablet to Dr Habíb’s father, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá described this dedicated young Bahá’í as “A lamp enkindled with the love of God”.In 1915, responding to the Master’s specific instructions, Dr Habíb returned to his birthplace to practice his profession and teach the Faith to which he was so deeply devoted, and was for forty years a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Kermánsháh, also serving for a period on the National Spiritual Assembly. His published works include two volumes of reminiscences based on the principles of the Covenant and the history of the Cause, whilst his much loved poem entitled “Hold Thou my Hand, O ‘Abdu’l-Bahá” is widely sung at gatherings of the Bahá’ís in Írán. Dr Habíb Mu’ayyad passed to the Abhá Kingdom on October 29th, 1971.Note 7. (Letter No. 16)The Moslem calendar dates from Muḥammad’s emigration or Hijrah from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D. The Moslem year begins with the month of Muharram of which the first ten days are observed byShí’ah Moslems as part of their mourning period for the Imáms. The tenth day is called Ashura and commemorates the martyrdom of Ḥusayn, the grand-son of Muḥammad, who was cut down by thirty-three strokes of swords and lances and decapitated: his clothes were torn from him and his naked body trampled by horses hooves.Note 8. (Letter No. 23)Mrs Emily Axford was born in Huddersfield, England on October 19th, 1870 and was an infant teacher before her marriage. In 1907, the family emigrated to New Zealand where her husband practiced medicine in Te Aroha until his passing in 1912, after which Mrs Axford moved to Auckland so as to educate her three children. Having rejected conventional Christianity, she was attracted by the New England Transcendental Movement until she became aware of the Bahá’í Faith through her friendship with Sarah Blundell and was enrolled as a member in 1923. Three years later, Mrs Axford was elected Chairman of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Auckland and for many years conducted classes in public speaking to help the friends overcome their shyness and reticence so that they might teach the Faith effectively. Emily was one of three New Zealand delegates who attended the National Convention held in Sydney during 1934 and the following year was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand. She continued to work staunchly for the Faith, being appointed in 1946 to the Regional Teaching Committee responsible for formulating teaching plans throughout New Zealand. The following year, she assumed the delicate task of conducting negotiations with the immigration authorities so that Bahá’ís from Persia might be permitted to enter New Zealand as University students, and was actively engaged in this work up to the time of her passing on December 26th, 1949.Note 9. (Letter No. 33)Born in 1900, Miss Kitty Carpenter became a Bahá’í in 1936 since when many members of the Carpenter-Hancock family of which she is a member have followed her and joined the Faith. An adventurous and enquiring soul, she undertook her first pilgrimage to Haifa in 1938, arriving there shortly after the marriage of Shoghi Effendi and, after living for two years in Australia, she returned to New Zealand where she embarked on a life of service to the Cause. Towards the end of the Second World War, she willingly made available her premises (a counter lunch-shop) in Anzac Avenue as a venue for the Auckland Bahá’í community and, in the 1950’s, responded to the call by travel teaching in Mangakino and Whangarei. She served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand during 1958 and, two years later, moved from Christchurch to Hamilton to aid in establishing an assembly there. 1964 saw her travel teaching in Invercargill and the following year she was appointed to the National Teaching Committee. Responding to the need for the believers to establish another assembly, Kitty finally made her home in Tauranga where she is an active and much loved exponent of the Cause.Note 10. (Letter No. 37)This refers to a book on Islám written by Bertram Dewing which was never published.Individual AddresseesLetters addressed to individuals by letter number. Only letters presented in their entirety are indicated.1. Margaret Stevenson2. Sarah Blundell3. Margaret Stevenson4. Bertram Dewing5. Margaret Stevenson6. Margaret Stevenson7. Bertram Dewing8. Margaret Stevenson9. Sarah Blundell10. Sarah Blundell11. Margaret Stevenson12. Evelyn Watkin13. Bertram Dewing14. Sarah Blundell15. Amy Dewing16. Amy Dewing17. Evelyn Watkin18. Margaret Stevenson19. ...1320. Bertram Dewing21. Amy Dewing22. Amy Dewing23. Emily Axford24. Eleanor Leighton25. Bertram Dewing26. Ethel Blundell27. Amy Dewing28. Ethel Blundell29. Emily Axford30. Emily Axford31. Emily Axford32. Emily Axford33. Kitty Carpenter34. Emily Axford35. Emily Axford36. Emily Axford37. Bertram Dewing38. Kitty Carpenter39. Bertram Dewing40. Kitty Carpenter41. Kitty CarpenterInstitution AddresseesLetters addressed to institutions by letter number42. E. Axford, Auckland Bahá’í Group43. E. Axford, Chairman, Auckland Spiritual Assembly44. M. Stevenson, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual Assembly45. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand46. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand47. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand48. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand49. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand50. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand51. Auckland Spiritual Assembly52. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand53. Auckland Spiritual Assembly54. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand55. D. Dive, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual Assembly56. Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Auckland, New Zealand57. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand58. E. B. Dewing, Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Auckland, New Zealand59. M. G. Bolton, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand60. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand61. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand62. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand63. Secretary, Regional Teaching Committee for New Zealand64. The Guardian’s message to the first Bahá’í Convention in New Zealand, sent to Mrs Clara Dunn; she was asked to read it on behalf of the Guardian at the Convention and then give it to the New Zealand National Spiritual Assembly65. Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand66. Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand67. N. P. L. Walker, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia68. Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the City of Auckland69. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand

Note 1. (Letter No. 1)Margaret Stevenson, the first New Zealand Bahá’í was born on November 30th, 1865. Her first intimation of the Bahá’í 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-Bahá 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-Bahá 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 Bahá’í Cause and her own meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. 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 God’s grace and mercy I was enabled to grasp and believe in Bahá’u’lláh and His Message”.10Margaret 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 classes. It was here that the first Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í community. The pilgrims arrived back in Auckland in December, 1925, bringing with them some dust from the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh 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 Bahá’í administration and erroneously called themselves an Assembly as early as 1924. This was corrected with the receipt of a booklet on the subject and the first properly constituted Bahá’í Assembly 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 Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand which was elected in 1934, and served the Bahá’í Cause with faithfulness and efficiency until her passing to the Abhá Kingdom on February 11th, 1941.

Margaret Stevenson, the first New Zealand Bahá’í was born on November 30th, 1865. Her first intimation of the Bahá’í 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-Bahá 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-Bahá 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 Bahá’í Cause and her own meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. 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 God’s grace and mercy I was enabled to grasp and believe in Bahá’u’lláh and His Message”.10Margaret 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 classes. It was here that the first Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í community. The pilgrims arrived back in Auckland in December, 1925, bringing with them some dust from the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh 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 Bahá’í administration and erroneously called themselves an Assembly as early as 1924. This was corrected with the receipt of a booklet on the subject and the first properly constituted Bahá’í Assembly 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 Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand which was elected in 1934, and served the Bahá’í Cause with faithfulness and efficiency until her passing to the Abhá 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 Akká and the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; 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 God to His wandering creatures--a Message from the Supreme to the sons of men”.11Recognising the Truth, Hyde Dunn interrupted the conversation, and accepted immediately the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. The year was 1905.In 1912, he was present at a meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 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 1922–3, 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 Bahá’ís as “Mother” and “Father” Dunn, they carried the Message of Bahá’u’lláh 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 Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand in 1934. After his passing on February 17th, 1941, “Mother” Dunn’s dedication to the Bahá’í Faith continued unabated and in 1952 she was elevated to the station of Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í 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 Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand. In March, 1958, at the request of the Guardian, she placed plaster from the Castle of Máh-Kú in the foundations of the Australasian Bahá’í House of Worship in Sydney during the Australian Inter-Continental Conference. Until her passing to the Abhá Kingdom in 1960 at the age of 91 years, “Mother” Dunn retained her memory of many Bahá’í prayers and was reciting these at the time of her death.

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 Akká and the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; 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 God to His wandering creatures--a Message from the Supreme to the sons of men”.11Recognising the Truth, Hyde Dunn interrupted the conversation, and accepted immediately the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. The year was 1905.

In 1912, he was present at a meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 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 1922–3, 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 Bahá’ís as “Mother” and “Father” Dunn, they carried the Message of Bahá’u’lláh 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 Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand in 1934. After his passing on February 17th, 1941, “Mother” Dunn’s dedication to the Bahá’í Faith continued unabated and in 1952 she was elevated to the station of Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í 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 Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand. In March, 1958, at the request of the Guardian, she placed plaster from the Castle of Máh-Kú in the foundations of the Australasian Bahá’í House of Worship in Sydney during the Australian Inter-Continental Conference. Until her passing to the Abhá Kingdom in 1960 at the age of 91 years, “Mother” Dunn retained her memory of many Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í history as that of the Báb’s martyrdom, and was destined to become one of the pioneers of the Bahá’í 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 classes 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-Bahá’s visit to London in 1911 and sent overseas for additional literature. When Mr and Mrs Dunn arrived in Auckland in 1922–3, 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 Bahá’í meeting held in New Zealand and shortly afterwards Mrs Blundell accepted the Bahá’í 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 Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and to meet in person many other Bahá’ís--this was “a crowning gift to one whose spiritual path had been travelled alone.”12She 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 Bahá’í community. She continued to work unsparingly in New Zealand to serve the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh until her passing at the age of eighty-four years on December 20th, 1934.One of her daughters, Ethel Blundell who accepted the Bahá’í Faith in 1925, was a delegate to the first Bahá’í Convention and was elected as a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand in May, 1934.Mrs Blundell’s son, Hugh, was also destined to serve the Bahá’í Cause. Although not at that time a Bahá’í, Hugh accompanied his mother and sister on their pilgrimage to Haifa in 1925 and accepted the Faith the following year. A tireless worker for the Cause, he was New Zealand’s first Auxiliary Board Member and passed to the Abhá Kingdom on October 16th, 1976 in his ninety-second year.

The Blundell family: Mrs Sarah Blundell was born at Burwell, Cambridgeshire, England in 1850, a year sacred in Bahá’í history as that of the Báb’s martyrdom, and was destined to become one of the pioneers of the Bahá’í 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 classes 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-Bahá’s visit to London in 1911 and sent overseas for additional literature. When Mr and Mrs Dunn arrived in Auckland in 1922–3, 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 Bahá’í meeting held in New Zealand and shortly afterwards Mrs Blundell accepted the Bahá’í 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 Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and to meet in person many other Bahá’ís--this was “a crowning gift to one whose spiritual path had been travelled alone.”12She 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 Bahá’í community. She continued to work unsparingly in New Zealand to serve the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh until her passing at the age of eighty-four years on December 20th, 1934.

One of her daughters, Ethel Blundell who accepted the Bahá’í Faith in 1925, was a delegate to the first Bahá’í Convention and was elected as a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand in May, 1934.

Mrs Blundell’s son, Hugh, was also destined to serve the Bahá’í Cause. Although not at that time a Bahá’í, Hugh accompanied his mother and sister on their pilgrimage to Haifa in 1925 and accepted the Faith the following year. A tireless worker for the Cause, he was New Zealand’s first Auxiliary Board Member and passed to the Abhá Kingdom on October 16th, 1976 in his ninety-second year.

Note 4. (Letter No. 2)Effie Baker became disenchanted with the Church and, having an open and enquiring attitude, was one of a committee formed in Melbourne responsible for arranging speakers to address the “New Thought” organisation. This led her to attend a public meeting at which Hyde Dunn spoke on the Bahá’í Faith and, recognising the truth of the Message, Effie Baker accepted the Faith the same evening and so became the first woman believer in Australia. She accompanied Martha Root on the latter’s lecture tour of New Zealand and, learning of the New Zealand Bahá’ís projected journey to the Holy Land in 1925, Effie sold her home and joined the pilgrims.After the bounty of visiting the Shrines and meeting with the Guardian and the Greatest Holy Leaf, Effie acceded to Shoghi Effendi’s request and accompanied the New Zealand friends to London so as to contact the British Bahá’í community. She planned to return to Australia and assist the Dunns, and had accepted an invitation from the Ladies of the Holy Family to stop over in Haifa on her homeward journey, but on arriving there in June, she found Shoghi Effendi was away from the Holy Land and so decided to wait until he returned. Her offer to serve was accepted and she remained at the World Centre of the Bahá’í Faith in Israel for the next eleven years where she assumed the duties of hostess, welcoming the friends to the Pilgrim House, using her artistry and talent to photograph events in Haifa for the Guardian. In 1930, when the need arose to secure photographs of places in Persia associated with the early history of the Bahá’í Faith, Effie undertook arduous journeys by road through Syria and Iraq, undeterred by danger from hostile bandits. This intrepid worker now embarked on an exacting and fruitful period of direct service to the Guardian, often using cars supplied by the Persian believers, at times travelling on horseback, mule or donkey to all but a few sites where it was too dangerous for a westerner to venture. The unique photographic record she obtained was immortalised by being selected by the Guardian for inclusion in Nabil’s “The Dawnbreakers”.In 1936, Effie returned to her homeland, Australia, where she looked after the National Archives over a long period. Her last years were spent in a small flat in the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Sydney at the invitation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand who had been requested by the Guardian to take care of her until her passing on January 2nd, 1968.

Effie Baker became disenchanted with the Church and, having an open and enquiring attitude, was one of a committee formed in Melbourne responsible for arranging speakers to address the “New Thought” organisation. This led her to attend a public meeting at which Hyde Dunn spoke on the Bahá’í Faith and, recognising the truth of the Message, Effie Baker accepted the Faith the same evening and so became the first woman believer in Australia. She accompanied Martha Root on the latter’s lecture tour of New Zealand and, learning of the New Zealand Bahá’ís projected journey to the Holy Land in 1925, Effie sold her home and joined the pilgrims.

After the bounty of visiting the Shrines and meeting with the Guardian and the Greatest Holy Leaf, Effie acceded to Shoghi Effendi’s request and accompanied the New Zealand friends to London so as to contact the British Bahá’í community. She planned to return to Australia and assist the Dunns, and had accepted an invitation from the Ladies of the Holy Family to stop over in Haifa on her homeward journey, but on arriving there in June, she found Shoghi Effendi was away from the Holy Land and so decided to wait until he returned. Her offer to serve was accepted and she remained at the World Centre of the Bahá’í Faith in Israel for the next eleven years where she assumed the duties of hostess, welcoming the friends to the Pilgrim House, using her artistry and talent to photograph events in Haifa for the Guardian. In 1930, when the need arose to secure photographs of places in Persia associated with the early history of the Bahá’í Faith, Effie undertook arduous journeys by road through Syria and Iraq, undeterred by danger from hostile bandits. This intrepid worker now embarked on an exacting and fruitful period of direct service to the Guardian, often using cars supplied by the Persian believers, at times travelling on horseback, mule or donkey to all but a few sites where it was too dangerous for a westerner to venture. The unique photographic record she obtained was immortalised by being selected by the Guardian for inclusion in Nabil’s “The Dawnbreakers”.

In 1936, Effie returned to her homeland, Australia, where she looked after the National Archives over a long period. Her last years were spent in a small flat in the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Sydney at the invitation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand who had been requested by the Guardian to take care of her until her passing on January 2nd, 1968.

Note 5. (Letter No. 15)Mrs Amy Dewing and her son Bertram were among New Zealand’s earliest Bahá’ís; Mrs Dewing came from an orthodox Church of England background and viewed with disapproval her son’s questioning attitude which led him to describe himself as a Rationalist. They heard of and accepted the Truth of the Bahá’í Cause after meeting with “Mother” and “Father” Dunn in Devonport, Auckland and, in 1926, both of them served as members of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Auckland. Amy Dewing, as one of a small and persevering group of New Zealand believers, was active in spreading the Message as was her son through whose efforts a Bahá’í magazine was published in Australia and New Zealand to promote the teachings. Prior to her passing in 1957, Amy Dewing witnessed the emergence of the New Zealand community as an independent entity.Having travelled extensively overseas, Bertram Dewing eventually settled in Auckland. A tireless worker for the Faith, he was a member of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Devonport in 1951 and in 1958 was elected to the second National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand. He pioneered to Hokianga in the same year and a decade later assisted in spreading the Faith to New Plymouth where he worked for the Cause with unabated zeal until he passed to the Abhá Kingdom in 1972 at the age of seventy.

Mrs Amy Dewing and her son Bertram were among New Zealand’s earliest Bahá’ís; Mrs Dewing came from an orthodox Church of England background and viewed with disapproval her son’s questioning attitude which led him to describe himself as a Rationalist. They heard of and accepted the Truth of the Bahá’í Cause after meeting with “Mother” and “Father” Dunn in Devonport, Auckland and, in 1926, both of them served as members of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Auckland. Amy Dewing, as one of a small and persevering group of New Zealand believers, was active in spreading the Message as was her son through whose efforts a Bahá’í magazine was published in Australia and New Zealand to promote the teachings. Prior to her passing in 1957, Amy Dewing witnessed the emergence of the New Zealand community as an independent entity.

Having travelled extensively overseas, Bertram Dewing eventually settled in Auckland. A tireless worker for the Faith, he was a member of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Devonport in 1951 and in 1958 was elected to the second National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand. He pioneered to Hokianga in the same year and a decade later assisted in spreading the Faith to New Plymouth where he worked for the Cause with unabated zeal until he passed to the Abhá Kingdom in 1972 at the age of seventy.

Note 6. (Letter No. 16)Dr Habíb, whose older brother attained martyrdom, was born in 1888 at Kermánsháh, Persia and was given the name Mu’ayyad (meaning ‘confirmed’) by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. At the age of twenty-one, when en route to Beirut to begin his medical studies at the American University, he spent a month in the Holy Land with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who took a personal interest in his progress. Thereafter he returned each summer to serve the Cause, extending hospitality to visitors and pilgrims, recording daily events, acquiring spiritual knowledge from outstanding Bahá’í scholars and being entrusted with the receipt and dispatch of Tablets. Referring to Habíb’s student days, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá extolled the young man’s influence, detachment and sanctity, saying “the fragrance of Beirut” perfumed His nostrils.After graduating from the University of Beirut in 1914, Dr Habíb operated a dispensary at Abú-Sínán, a Druse village northeast of Akká where the Master had temporarily settled the Bahá’ís: this period of close contact with the Holy Family and daily lessons from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá he was later to describe as the “most precious segment of his life”. In a Tablet to Dr Habíb’s father, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá described this dedicated young Bahá’í as “A lamp enkindled with the love of God”.In 1915, responding to the Master’s specific instructions, Dr Habíb returned to his birthplace to practice his profession and teach the Faith to which he was so deeply devoted, and was for forty years a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Kermánsháh, also serving for a period on the National Spiritual Assembly. His published works include two volumes of reminiscences based on the principles of the Covenant and the history of the Cause, whilst his much loved poem entitled “Hold Thou my Hand, O ‘Abdu’l-Bahá” is widely sung at gatherings of the Bahá’ís in Írán. Dr Habíb Mu’ayyad passed to the Abhá Kingdom on October 29th, 1971.

Dr Habíb, whose older brother attained martyrdom, was born in 1888 at Kermánsháh, Persia and was given the name Mu’ayyad (meaning ‘confirmed’) by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. At the age of twenty-one, when en route to Beirut to begin his medical studies at the American University, he spent a month in the Holy Land with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who took a personal interest in his progress. Thereafter he returned each summer to serve the Cause, extending hospitality to visitors and pilgrims, recording daily events, acquiring spiritual knowledge from outstanding Bahá’í scholars and being entrusted with the receipt and dispatch of Tablets. Referring to Habíb’s student days, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá extolled the young man’s influence, detachment and sanctity, saying “the fragrance of Beirut” perfumed His nostrils.

After graduating from the University of Beirut in 1914, Dr Habíb operated a dispensary at Abú-Sínán, a Druse village northeast of Akká where the Master had temporarily settled the Bahá’ís: this period of close contact with the Holy Family and daily lessons from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá he was later to describe as the “most precious segment of his life”. In a Tablet to Dr Habíb’s father, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá described this dedicated young Bahá’í as “A lamp enkindled with the love of God”.

In 1915, responding to the Master’s specific instructions, Dr Habíb returned to his birthplace to practice his profession and teach the Faith to which he was so deeply devoted, and was for forty years a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Kermánsháh, also serving for a period on the National Spiritual Assembly. His published works include two volumes of reminiscences based on the principles of the Covenant and the history of the Cause, whilst his much loved poem entitled “Hold Thou my Hand, O ‘Abdu’l-Bahá” is widely sung at gatherings of the Bahá’ís in Írán. Dr Habíb Mu’ayyad passed to the Abhá Kingdom on October 29th, 1971.

Note 7. (Letter No. 16)The Moslem calendar dates from Muḥammad’s emigration or Hijrah from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D. The Moslem year begins with the month of Muharram of which the first ten days are observed byShí’ah Moslems as part of their mourning period for the Imáms. The tenth day is called Ashura and commemorates the martyrdom of Ḥusayn, the grand-son of Muḥammad, who was cut down by thirty-three strokes of swords and lances and decapitated: his clothes were torn from him and his naked body trampled by horses hooves.

The Moslem calendar dates from Muḥammad’s emigration or Hijrah from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D. The Moslem year begins with the month of Muharram of which the first ten days are observed byShí’ah Moslems as part of their mourning period for the Imáms. The tenth day is called Ashura and commemorates the martyrdom of Ḥusayn, the grand-son of Muḥammad, who was cut down by thirty-three strokes of swords and lances and decapitated: his clothes were torn from him and his naked body trampled by horses hooves.

Note 8. (Letter No. 23)Mrs Emily Axford was born in Huddersfield, England on October 19th, 1870 and was an infant teacher before her marriage. In 1907, the family emigrated to New Zealand where her husband practiced medicine in Te Aroha until his passing in 1912, after which Mrs Axford moved to Auckland so as to educate her three children. Having rejected conventional Christianity, she was attracted by the New England Transcendental Movement until she became aware of the Bahá’í Faith through her friendship with Sarah Blundell and was enrolled as a member in 1923. Three years later, Mrs Axford was elected Chairman of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Auckland and for many years conducted classes in public speaking to help the friends overcome their shyness and reticence so that they might teach the Faith effectively. Emily was one of three New Zealand delegates who attended the National Convention held in Sydney during 1934 and the following year was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand. She continued to work staunchly for the Faith, being appointed in 1946 to the Regional Teaching Committee responsible for formulating teaching plans throughout New Zealand. The following year, she assumed the delicate task of conducting negotiations with the immigration authorities so that Bahá’ís from Persia might be permitted to enter New Zealand as University students, and was actively engaged in this work up to the time of her passing on December 26th, 1949.

Mrs Emily Axford was born in Huddersfield, England on October 19th, 1870 and was an infant teacher before her marriage. In 1907, the family emigrated to New Zealand where her husband practiced medicine in Te Aroha until his passing in 1912, after which Mrs Axford moved to Auckland so as to educate her three children. Having rejected conventional Christianity, she was attracted by the New England Transcendental Movement until she became aware of the Bahá’í Faith through her friendship with Sarah Blundell and was enrolled as a member in 1923. Three years later, Mrs Axford was elected Chairman of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Auckland and for many years conducted classes in public speaking to help the friends overcome their shyness and reticence so that they might teach the Faith effectively. Emily was one of three New Zealand delegates who attended the National Convention held in Sydney during 1934 and the following year was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand. She continued to work staunchly for the Faith, being appointed in 1946 to the Regional Teaching Committee responsible for formulating teaching plans throughout New Zealand. The following year, she assumed the delicate task of conducting negotiations with the immigration authorities so that Bahá’ís from Persia might be permitted to enter New Zealand as University students, and was actively engaged in this work up to the time of her passing on December 26th, 1949.

Note 9. (Letter No. 33)Born in 1900, Miss Kitty Carpenter became a Bahá’í in 1936 since when many members of the Carpenter-Hancock family of which she is a member have followed her and joined the Faith. An adventurous and enquiring soul, she undertook her first pilgrimage to Haifa in 1938, arriving there shortly after the marriage of Shoghi Effendi and, after living for two years in Australia, she returned to New Zealand where she embarked on a life of service to the Cause. Towards the end of the Second World War, she willingly made available her premises (a counter lunch-shop) in Anzac Avenue as a venue for the Auckland Bahá’í community and, in the 1950’s, responded to the call by travel teaching in Mangakino and Whangarei. She served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand during 1958 and, two years later, moved from Christchurch to Hamilton to aid in establishing an assembly there. 1964 saw her travel teaching in Invercargill and the following year she was appointed to the National Teaching Committee. Responding to the need for the believers to establish another assembly, Kitty finally made her home in Tauranga where she is an active and much loved exponent of the Cause.

Born in 1900, Miss Kitty Carpenter became a Bahá’í in 1936 since when many members of the Carpenter-Hancock family of which she is a member have followed her and joined the Faith. An adventurous and enquiring soul, she undertook her first pilgrimage to Haifa in 1938, arriving there shortly after the marriage of Shoghi Effendi and, after living for two years in Australia, she returned to New Zealand where she embarked on a life of service to the Cause. Towards the end of the Second World War, she willingly made available her premises (a counter lunch-shop) in Anzac Avenue as a venue for the Auckland Bahá’í community and, in the 1950’s, responded to the call by travel teaching in Mangakino and Whangarei. She served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand during 1958 and, two years later, moved from Christchurch to Hamilton to aid in establishing an assembly there. 1964 saw her travel teaching in Invercargill and the following year she was appointed to the National Teaching Committee. Responding to the need for the believers to establish another assembly, Kitty finally made her home in Tauranga where she is an active and much loved exponent of the Cause.

Note 10. (Letter No. 37)This refers to a book on Islám written by Bertram Dewing which was never published.

This refers to a book on Islám written by Bertram Dewing which was never published.

Individual AddresseesLetters addressed to individuals by letter number. Only letters presented in their entirety are indicated.1. Margaret Stevenson2. Sarah Blundell3. Margaret Stevenson4. Bertram Dewing5. Margaret Stevenson6. Margaret Stevenson7. Bertram Dewing8. Margaret Stevenson9. Sarah Blundell10. Sarah Blundell11. Margaret Stevenson12. Evelyn Watkin13. Bertram Dewing14. Sarah Blundell15. Amy Dewing16. Amy Dewing17. Evelyn Watkin18. Margaret Stevenson19. ...1320. Bertram Dewing21. Amy Dewing22. Amy Dewing23. Emily Axford24. Eleanor Leighton25. Bertram Dewing26. Ethel Blundell27. Amy Dewing28. Ethel Blundell29. Emily Axford30. Emily Axford31. Emily Axford32. Emily Axford33. Kitty Carpenter34. Emily Axford35. Emily Axford36. Emily Axford37. Bertram Dewing38. Kitty Carpenter39. Bertram Dewing40. Kitty Carpenter41. Kitty Carpenter

Letters addressed to individuals by letter number. Only letters presented in their entirety are indicated.

1. Margaret Stevenson2. Sarah Blundell3. Margaret Stevenson4. Bertram Dewing5. Margaret Stevenson6. Margaret Stevenson7. Bertram Dewing8. Margaret Stevenson9. Sarah Blundell10. Sarah Blundell11. Margaret Stevenson12. Evelyn Watkin13. Bertram Dewing14. Sarah Blundell15. Amy Dewing16. Amy Dewing17. Evelyn Watkin18. Margaret Stevenson19. ...1320. Bertram Dewing21. Amy Dewing22. Amy Dewing23. Emily Axford24. Eleanor Leighton25. Bertram Dewing26. Ethel Blundell27. Amy Dewing28. Ethel Blundell29. Emily Axford30. Emily Axford31. Emily Axford32. Emily Axford33. Kitty Carpenter34. Emily Axford35. Emily Axford36. Emily Axford37. Bertram Dewing38. Kitty Carpenter39. Bertram Dewing40. Kitty Carpenter41. Kitty Carpenter

Institution AddresseesLetters addressed to institutions by letter number42. E. Axford, Auckland Bahá’í Group43. E. Axford, Chairman, Auckland Spiritual Assembly44. M. Stevenson, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual Assembly45. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand46. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand47. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand48. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand49. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand50. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand51. Auckland Spiritual Assembly52. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand53. Auckland Spiritual Assembly54. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand55. D. Dive, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual Assembly56. Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Auckland, New Zealand57. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand58. E. B. Dewing, Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Auckland, New Zealand59. M. G. Bolton, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand60. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand61. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand62. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand63. Secretary, Regional Teaching Committee for New Zealand64. The Guardian’s message to the first Bahá’í Convention in New Zealand, sent to Mrs Clara Dunn; she was asked to read it on behalf of the Guardian at the Convention and then give it to the New Zealand National Spiritual Assembly65. Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand66. Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand67. N. P. L. Walker, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia68. Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the City of Auckland69. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand

Letters addressed to institutions by letter number

42. E. Axford, Auckland Bahá’í Group43. E. Axford, Chairman, Auckland Spiritual Assembly44. M. Stevenson, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual Assembly45. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand46. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand47. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand48. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand49. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand50. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand51. Auckland Spiritual Assembly52. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand53. Auckland Spiritual Assembly54. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand55. D. Dive, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual Assembly56. Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Auckland, New Zealand57. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand58. E. B. Dewing, Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Auckland, New Zealand59. M. G. Bolton, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand60. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand61. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand62. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand63. Secretary, Regional Teaching Committee for New Zealand64. The Guardian’s message to the first Bahá’í Convention in New Zealand, sent to Mrs Clara Dunn; she was asked to read it on behalf of the Guardian at the Convention and then give it to the New Zealand National Spiritual Assembly65. Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand66. Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand67. N. P. L. Walker, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia68. Secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the City of Auckland69. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand

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