s efforts, guide and sustain you in
your activities, aid you to extend the range of your deeply appreciated
services, and enable you to proclaim the verities of His Faith, and help
in the consolidation of its nascent and God-given institutions,

Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi

LETTER OF 12 APRIL 1947

12 April 1947

The Baha'is of Esslingen

Dear Baha'i Friends:

Your loving Naw-Ruz greeting was received, and our beloved Guardian has
instructed me to answer it on his behalf.

He assures you all he will pray in the Holy Shrines for you, for the
growth of your Community and the success of your services to our glorious
Faith. You are all dear to him!

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved bless, guide and sustain you at all times, enable you to
extend the scope of your activities, and win great and memorable victories
for the institutions of our beloved Faith,

Your true brother,
Shoghi

LETTER OF 3 MAY 1947(23)

3 May 1947

Your letters to our beloved Guardian, dated Feb. 7th and 11th, as well as
the manuscript of "Hidden Words" have been received, and he has instructed
me to answer them on his behalf.

He is very happy to have this opportunity of communicating with you
personally, and assuring you of how much he appreciates your devoted
services in the path of our glorious Faith.

Regarding the questions you have asked him:

There is no correspondence or connection between the Hidden Word (Arabic)
no. 1 and the last Arabic Hidden Word, or between these and any passage of
the Seven Valleys.

The Cairo edition of the Hidden Words, approved by the Master, is the one
you must refer to for accuracy, and disregard all other texts. This
answers the questions connected with Hidden Words number 18 and 39 and 1
(two) and 35 (two).

Hidden Word no. 70: this is not addressed to any person but is a mystical
expression and an allusion to the Manifestation of God.

No marginal notes should be added except any of 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself or
the notes of the Cairo edition.

The whole question of translation from the original text is very
important. He has just written on this subject, at some length, to
Baroness von Werthern, explaining to her that he considers now is not the
time to translate the teachings into German from Persian and Arabic. No
Persian with a sufficient expert knowledge of German is available to help
in this matter; he does not feel, therefore, that such works as "So