hopes that Mr. John Mitchell's condition has improved. He was very
sorry indeed to hear that he had been forced to leave Malta. Please assure
him of the Guardian's loving and fervent prayers on his behalf.

As regards the question of Baha'is belonging to churches, synagogues,
Freemasonry, etc., the friends must realise that now that the Faith is
over a hundred years old, and its own institutions arising, so to speak,
rapidly above-ground, the distinctions are becoming ever sharper, and the
necessity for them to support whole-heartedly their own institutions and
cut themselves off entirely from those of the past, is now clearer than
ever before. The eyes of the people of the world are beginning to be
focussed on us; and, as humanity's plight goes from bad to worse, we will
be watched ever more intently by non-Baha'is, to see whether we do uphold
our own institutions whole-heartedly; whether we are the people of the new
creation or not; whether we live up to our beliefs, principles and laws in
deed as well as word. We cannot be too careful. We cannot be too
exemplary.

There is another aspect to this question which the friends should
seriously ponder, and that is that, whereas organisations such as
Freemasonry may have been in the past entirely free from any political
taint, in the state of flux the world is in at present, and the
extraordinary way in which things become corrupted and tainted by
political thought and influences, there is no guarantee that such an
association might not gradually or suddenly become a political instrument.
The less Baha'is have to do, therefore, with such things, the better.

He wishes you to thank ... on his behalf for the spirit of devotion to the
Faith which he has shown in connection with this matter. He feels sure
that he will see the necessity to sever himself from his previous
association with Freemasonry. The older Baha'is, through their example in
such matters, form rallying points around which the younger Baha'is, not
so steady yet on their spiritual legs, so to speak, can cluster.

If you send him five copies of everything published in the British Isles,
it will be sufficient for the libraries here at the World Centre....

The Africa Committee should carefully consider such problems as that of
the Negro pioneers being too long apart from their wives; and, if no other
solution is feasible, the pioneer will have to return to his family. In
the case of some of the very distinguish