of maturity as true servants of the world of
humanity and as bright candles in the assemblage of mankind.

("Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha", Sec. 112, p. 138) [83]

"84: Your letter hath come and hath occasioned the utmost joy, with its
news..."

Your letter hath come and hath occasioned the utmost joy, with its news
that, praised be God, in Hamadan a welfare and relief association hath
been established. I trust that this will become a source of general
prosperity and assistance, and that means will be provided to set the
hearts of the poor and weak at rest, and to educate the orphans and other
children.

The question of training the children and looking after the orphans is
extremely important, but most important of all is the education of girl
children, for these girls will one day be mothers, and the mother is the
first teacher of the child. In whatever way she reareth the child, so will
the child become, and the results of that first training will remain with
the individual throughout his entire life, and it would be most difficult
to alter them. And how can a mother, herself ignorant and untrained,
educate her child? It is therefore clear that the education of girls is of
far greater consequence than that of boys. This fact is extremely
important, and the matter must be seen to with the greatest energy and
dedication.

God sayeth in the Qur'an that they shall not be equals, those who have
knowledge and those who have it not.(15) Ignorance is thus utterly to be
blamed, whether in male or female; indeed, in the female its harm is
greater. I hope, therefore, that the friends will make strenuous efforts
to educate their children, sons and daughters alike. This is verily the
truth, and outside the truth there is manifestly naught save perdition.

(From a Tablet--translated from the Persian and Arabic) [84]

"85: Thou didst write about the believers' daughters who attend the
schools of..."

Thou didst write about the believers' daughters who attend the schools of
other faiths. It is true that, while these children do learn a little in
such schools, still the character and behaviour of the women teachers have
an effect on them, and through the inculcation of doubts and ambiguities,
the minds of these girls are influenced and changed.

It is incumbent upon the friends to provide a school for Baha'i girls
whose women teachers will educate their pupils according to the teachings
of G