service
of our beloved Master. I need not recall to your minds the warm and
abiding place which that gifted Dominion has always occupied in our
Beloved's heart, and the high hopes he cherished for its future
contribution towards the triumph of the Movement in those distant regions
of the earth.

I am sure the hour has struck when those dearly-beloved pioneers of the
Master's Cause, scattered throughout the length and breadth of that vast
and promising land, should unite, consolidate their forces, and
effectively combine for the laying of a firm foundation for the future
progress of their noble task. It is my earnest hope and my most cherished
desire that at the forthcoming Convention the vigour and enlightened
efforts of the Baha'i youth of India, coupled with the generous support
and devotion of the old beloved Parsee friends, and reinforced by the vast
numbers of the ardent followers of the Faith in Burma, may, by imparting
power and brilliancy to its proceedings, herald an era of unprecedented
activity for the ultimate recognition of the Cause by the peoples of that
country.

I shall welcome with genuine satisfaction every effort which that talented
and untiring servant of Baha'u'llah, our highly-esteemed sister Mrs.
Stannard, may exert in this connection, and would feel truly gratified to
learn of her determination to play a conspicuous part in the presentation
of the Cause to the eyes of the enlightened public. May the sustaining
grace of God, the power of Baha'u'llah, and the loving counsels of our
beloved 'Abdu'l-Baha guide you and aid you in your mighty endeavours for
the accomplishment of your task.

I shall eagerly await any particulars you might wish to send me regarding
your various activities in the service of the Cause, and I trust that
during the interval between now and Ridvan a complete and careful
arrangement for the successful conduct of the coming Convention will have
been drawn by all the friends and assemblies of India and Burma, and to
which, I assure you, I shall be most pleased to contribute my humble share
of cooperation and advice.

Hoping to hear from you, individually and collectively, and assuring you
of my constant prayers on your behalf.

December 5, 1923

Nothing Must Dampen Our Zeal

Nothing, I dare say, can be more encouraging and gladsome to Shoghi
Effendi than the news of the activities of the friends in such a vast and
promising field as India. In the last few year