It was indeed a never-to-be-forgotten occasion when, on the eve of the day
commemorating the passing of Baha'u'llah, a handful of us, His sorrowing
servants, had gathered round His beloved Shrine supplicating relief and
deliverance for the down-trodden in Persia, to receive in the midst of the
silence of that distressing hour the glad-tidings of this notable triumph
which the unbending energy and indomitable spirit of our beloved Martha
has achieved for our sacred Cause.

With bowed heads and grateful hearts we recognize in this glowing tribute
which royalty has thus paid to the Cause of Baha'u'llah an epoch-making
pronouncement destined to herald those stirring events which, as
'Abdu'l-Baha has prophesied, shall in the fulness of time signalize the
triumph of God's holy Faith. For who can doubt but that the deeds of those
valiant pioneers of the Faith, unexampled though they have been in the
abundance of their number and unexcelled in their sublime heroism, are but
a faint glimmer of what, according to the divine promise, its steadfast
followers are destined to perform? Those heroic exploits that have
immortalized the names of its primitive adherents will continue to adorn
and illuminate the pages of its blood-stained history; yet we cannot
forget that the period of its full fruition with all its promise of world
felicity and undreamt-of achievements is yet to be realized, its golden
age yet to unfold. Indeed, how chastening to our pride, how challenging to
our enthusiasm, if we but pause for a moment amidst the world's many
distractions and ponder in our hearts the vastness, the compelling
urgency, the ineffable glory of what still remains unachieved.

The Regenerating Power

But let us all remember, in this connection, that prior to every
conceivable measure destined to raise the efficiency of our administrative
activities, more vital than any scheme which the most resourceful amongst
us can devise, far above the most elaborate structure which the concerted
efforts of organized Assemblies can hope to raise, is the realization down
in the innermost heart of every true believer of the regenerating power,
the supreme necessity, the unfailing efficacy of the Message he bears. I
assure you, dear friends, that nothing short of such an immovable
conviction could have in days past enabled our beloved Cause to weather
the blackest storms in its history. Naught else can today vitalize the
manifold activities in which