difice at once
so precious, so holy; consecrated to the memory of so heroic a Soul; whose
site no one less than the Founder of our Faith has selected; whose inner
chambers were erected by the Center of His Covenant with such infinite
care and anguish; embosomed in so sacred a mountain, on the soil of so
holy a land; occupying such a unique position; facing on the one hand the
silver-white city of Akka, the Qiblih of the Baha'i world; flanked on its
right by the hills of Galilee, the home of Jesus Christ, and on its left,
by the Cave of Elijah; and backed by the plain of Sharon and, beyond it,
Jerusalem and the Aqsa mosque, the third holiest shrine in Islam--to
participate in the erection of such an edifice is a privilege offered to
this generation at once unique and priceless, a privilege which only
posterity will be able to correctly appraise.

THE CHOSEN TRUSTEES OF A DIVINE PLAN

In this supreme, this sacred and international undertaking in which the
followers of Baha'u'llah, in all the continents of the globe, are summoned
to show forth the noblest spirit of self-sacrifice, the members of the
American Baha'i Community must by virtue of the abilities they have
already demonstrated and of the primacy conferred upon them as the chosen
trustees of a Divine Plan, play a preponderating role, and, together with
their brethren residing in the cradle of their Faith, who are linked by
such unique ties with its Herald, set an example of self-abnegation worthy
to be emulated by their fellow-workers in every land.

Whilst the members of this privileged community, laboring so valiantly in
the Western Hemisphere, are widening the range of their manifold
activities, and thereby augmenting their responsibilities, in both the
Holy Land and the African continent, the original tasks, associated with
the prosecution of the Second Seven Year Plan, must, simultaneously with
this added and meritorious effort which is being exerted, in memory of the
beloved Bab, and for the spiritual emancipation of the downtrodden races
of Africa, be carried to a triumphant conclusion. Though the present
deficit in their National Fund may, in a sense, register a failure on
their part to meet their pressing obligations, and may arouse in their
hearts feelings of self-reproach and anxiety, I can confidently assert
that the supplementary duties they have discharged, and the material
support they have extended, and are now extending, for the conduct o