above and beyond the plans which the deliberations of the
National Spiritual Assembly have already evolved. In the matter of
affiliation with bodies and organizations that advocate ideals and
principles that are in sympathy with the Baha'i Revelation; in
establishing magazines beyond those that already are designed to advance
openly and indirectly the interests of the Baha'i Teachings; in the
financial support we may sooner or later be called upon to extend to
philanthropic institutions and the like; in advancing the cause of any
particular activity to which we may feel sentimentally inclined;--these, as
well as all similar undertakings, we should only approach after having
definitely ascertained, through careful deliberation with those who are in
a responsible position, that the institutions representing the paramount
interests of the Cause are already assured of adequate and continuous
assistance. Nothing short of the spirit of earnest and sustained
consultation with those whom we have prayerfully and of our own accord
placed in the forefront of those who are the custodians of the priceless
heritage bequeathed by Baha'u'llah; nothing less than persistent and
strenuous warfare against our own instincts and natural inclinations, and
heroic self-sacrifice in subordinating our own likings to the imperative
requirements of the Cause of God, can insure our undivided loyalty to so
sacred a principle--a principle that will for all time safeguard our
beloved Cause from the allurements and the trivialities of the world
without, and of the pitfalls of the self within. I entreat you,
well-beloved brethren, to resolve as you never have resolved before to
pledge undying loyalty and sleepless vigilance in upholding so essential a
principle in the course of your manifold activities, that yours may be the
abiding satisfaction of having done nothing that may tend in the least to
impede the flow or obscure the radiance of the rejuvenating spirit of the
Faith of Baha'u'llah.

Relations of Committees to Assembly

Touching the recent decision of the National Spiritual Assembly to place
as much as possible of the current details of the work in the hands of its
national committees, I feel I should point out that this raises a
fundamental issue of paramount importance, as it involves a unique
principle in the administration of the Cause, governing the relations that
should be maintained between the central administrative body and its