The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahai Community Part 8

Letter of 5 December 1925

5 December 1925

My dear Mr. Simpson,

I write to acknowledge receipt of your two letters of Nov. 25 and 28th to Shoghi Effendi and to thank you on his behalf for all the trouble you have taken in communicating to the friends and to his family the sad news of the pa.s.sing away of Dr. Esslemont. Shoghi Effendi cannot but appreciate the many evidences of your devotion and love.

We are very glad to know that Mr. Mills is as successful in his endeavours and we trust that it should end with a decisive victory on our part. Mr.

Mills has kept us briefly in touch with what he has been doing in London but we still await more detailed news from him. He is probably too busy to write.

Shoghi Effendi has already heard from Miss Esslemont.

Everybody is well here. Shoghi Effendi and the family send you their heartfelt greetings....

[From the Guardian:]

My dear indefatigable co-worker,

Knowing what the urgency and multiplicity of pressing activities mean to a person who pursues his task almost single-handed, I can well understand, sympathise, and admire your n.o.ble endeavours and the splendid work you are doing for the Cause of G.o.d. I wish to renew the expression of my deep confidence in, and great appreciation of, the part you play at this highly-important and difficult stage of our work. Your communications regarding the houses in Ba_gh_dad have been highly satisfactory and I trust will yield the long-desired fruit. Regarding the position of ..., Azizu'llah _Kh_an Bahadur will immediately after my decision let you know on my behalf what I feel to be the most suitable way of meeting this difficult situation. I feel too overwhelmed with work to write more.

Shoghi

Letter of 9 December 1925

9 December 1925

URGE FRIENDS INQUIRE IN COURTEOUS TERMS BY CABLE AND LETTER FROM 'IRaQ HIGH COMMISSIONER RESULTS OF INVESTIGATIONS.

SHOGHI

Letter of 14 December 1925

14 December 1925

My dear Mr. Simpson,

I am sending you enclosed a copy of the pamphlet written by Dr. Esselmont.

Last year Dr. Esslemont sent you a similar copy of the pamphlet fully revised for you to publish. Shoghi Effendi would like very much to have a copy of his revised edition and is sending the enclosed only as a reminder of some of the corrections and revisions he had made in the copy he sent you. In case you have published copies of the revised edition, Shoghi Effendi would like to have a number of copies sent to him and in case you have not published it, he would like you to send him a correct copy of the revised form of the edition as you have it. He could have it published himself. In any case, however, he wishes you to send back to him the enclosed copy.

We received last night news that the keys of the houses in Ba_gh_dad have been given to the _Sh_i'ites and they had made a regular demonstration on the occasion. We await to see what will be done at last....

Letter of 23 January 1926

23 January 1926

My dear Baha'i Brother,

I take pleasure in thanking you on behalf of our dear Guardian for your letters of Dec. 9th and 13th and of Jan. 4th which he was very glad to receive. He appreciates immensely your many efforts and although so far away, you are to him, I a.s.sure you, a great and indispensable helper. It is always with confidence in its thoroughness that he refers to you anything of importance.

He is so glad to learn that the friends in England have in the different centres held memorial meetings for our departed brother. He was to us all a great friend and fellow-worker and to the Cause a faithful servant-his memory will help us to follow an equally righteous path.

The biographical sketch which you have written for the different Baha'i magazines and a copy of which you had sent to our Guardian was received and read. He fully approves of it and feels sure that the different publications will welcome your article and will be glad to devote some of their pages to the memory of one whose name and writings were often to be seen in those same magazines.

With regard to the design of the grave of Dr. Esslemont, a picture of which you had sent enclosed, Shoghi Effendi wishes to inform you that although he himself liked the design and would have been glad to follow it altogether, up till the present the tombs of the Baha'is have been very simply built and the custom has been to have them as beautiful and at the same time as simple as possible. This general custom holds true even in the case of the tombs of the Master's mother and brother. The graves are built of white marble stones but the designs have in every case been simple, and he wishes you very much to make the family of Dr. Esslemont understand that although Shoghi Effendi will not be able to follow the design strictly he will try to make the tomb as near it as possible, while keeping within the range of the customary simplicity. Even the tomb of the cousin of the Bab which is close to that of Dr. Esslemont and which Shoghi Effendi also intends to build will be very simple.

In connection with the leaflet of Dr. Esslemont, Shoghi Effendi feels that if you intend to publish a new edition you would do well to keep it until you are through with it, but if you already have many copies of the last issue and the a.s.sembly does not intend to bring out a new edition in the near future, he wants you to send him the leaflet so as to be able to send it to America where he wants to have it translated into Hebrew and other languages. At any case he wants you to send him a copy of it or the original as soon as possible.

Our Guardian has been very glad to receive a wire of late from Ba_gh_dad telling him that everything was hopeful. As yet we do not have any particulars but we trust that we can soon regain our rights in the houses.

It is perhaps very fortunate that the High Commissioner himself will be in Ba_gh_dad and will be able to help us very much....

P.S. With regard to the accent in the letter a in the transliteration of Persian names and words and the difficulty of the publishers in having a vertical mark, Shoghi Effendi feels that in case having the regular vertical mark means too much trouble and expense it would be justified to replace it by the horizontal dash on the a, but if the trouble and expense would not be much, for the sake of uniformity throughout transliterations everywhere, it would be best to have the regular vertical mark.

[From the Guardian:]

My dear fellow-worker,

I am sure you will understand, and explain my motive and reasons to dear Esslemont's relatives in connexion with the design of the tomb. Much as I love and esteem my departed friend, I feel I must pay due consideration to the general practice prevailing in Haifa and Akka particularly as it is applied even to the resting places of the Master's nearest relations. I will however follow the design as closely as it is consistent with simplicity, without altering in any way the shape and general outline presented by the architect. Please a.s.sure his relatives of my keen desire to do everything possible that will enhance and preserve the memory of such a staunch and precious friend.

Shoghi

Letter of 1 April 1926

1 April 1926

My dear Mr. Simpson,

Many thanks for your letter of Feb. 21, and I am so sorry I could not answer you earlier.

I am sending you enclosed the plan that you had sent and behind it I have marked the approximate prices of the plots. You realise that the exact price cannot be determined because they fluctuate and various causes bring about this change in price. For this reason I have given two figures one being the minimum and the other the maximum. There are no probabilities that under any conditions the maximum and the minimum will change.