The letters from your Assembly dated July 6, September 14, November 9 and December 18, 1953, and January 7 (2), February 28, and March 22 and 31, 1954, with enclosures, also the material sent separately, have all been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
Regarding the various matters you have raised, he does not know how the galleys of the Tahitian pamphlet and letters of Louise Bosch happened to be sent to you. He had nothing to do with it, and is perfectly satisfied that they should remain in the hands of your Assembly.
He has been delighted over the marked progress made by your Assembly in carrying out its own portion of the Ten-Year Crusade. The number of members of the National Body who have gone forth as pioneers to virgin territories which you have succeeded in opening during the first year of the Plan, the purchase of the Temple site in Sydney—all attest the vitality of the faith of the believers in the Antipodes. He is very proud of their spirit and their achievements, and believes that they will go very far in their service to the Faith on an international scale. The initiative shown through the holding of a South Pacific School pleased him immensely. In view of the work to be done, the number of languages into which the literature is to be translated, the tremendous area throughout which the Australian goals are scattered, schools and institutes of this nature are really essential.
He is also very happy to note the increase in Bahá’í membership, a sure sign of the virility of the faith of the believers.
He feels sure that the visit of the dear Hand of the Cause, Mr. Furutan, accompanied by Mr. Faizi, did a tremendous amount of good. Mr. Furutan has since made the pilgrimage to Haifa, and spoke very highly to the Guardian of the believers in that part of the world, whom he grew to love and admire very much during his visit.
He was very happy to see that Mrs. Dunn was able to attend the New Zealand Bahá’í Summer School. For a woman of her age, this was surely a remarkable achievement, and must have been a great inspiration to the New Zealand friends, coming as she did so freshly from the last Intercontinental Teaching Conference held in New Delhi.
Now that so many of the goals abroad have been settled, and active plans have been laid to settle the remaining ones, he feels that your Assembly should pay particular attention, during the coming year, to the work on the home front. The multiplication of Local Assemblies, the incorporation of Local Assemblies and the increase in centers throughout Australia and New Zealand are all-important and pressing, and will require a great deal of work. The sooner the friends “get on with it” the better!
In connection with the teaching work throughout the Pacific area, he fully believes that in many cases the white society is difficult to interest in anything but its own superficial activities. The Bahá’ís must identify themselves on the one hand, as much as they reasonably can, with the life of the white people, so as not to become ostracized, criticized and eventually ousted from their hard-won pioneer posts. On the other hand, they must bear in mind that the primary object of their living there is to teach the native population the Faith. This they must do with tact and discretion, in order not to forfeit their foot-hold in these islands which are often so difficult of access.
Sound judgment, a great deal of patience and forbearance, faith and nobility of conduct, must distinguish the pioneers, and be their helpers in accomplishing the object of their journey to these far places.
He attaches great importance to teaching the aboriginal Australians, and also in converting more Maoris to the Faith, and hopes that the Bahá’ís will devote some attention to contacting both of these minority groups.