Northern outposts of the Faith reinforced by the settlement of pioneers in Edgedes Minde, Greenland, and in Yellowknife, Canadian North Western Territories.
Last but not least, the internal ornamentation of the Mother Temple of the West has been terminated, and design adopted, funds allocated by the Temple Trustees for the landscaping of its immediate surroundings, constituting the final step for its approaching Jubilee. Appeal American Bahá’í community standing on threshold of concluding year of second Seven Year Plan, traversing the last stage of the austerity period, confronted by the approaching centenary of the darkest, bloodiest episode in Bahá’í history, associated with the nation-wide holocaust of Táhirih’s martyrdom, and with Bahá’u’lláh’s imprisonment in the Síyáh-Chál in Ṭihrán, to arise and scale still loftier heights of self-sacrifice and efface the deficit in the National Fund. Address in particular fervent plea to brace itself to play a preponderating role in the impending world crusade, which a world community, utilizing the agencies of a divinely-appointed world administrative order, is preparing to launch, amidst the deepening shadows of a world crisis for the execution of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s world-encircling plan and the subsequent unfoldment of a world civilization, and the ultimate attainment of the supreme objective, the illumination and redemption of a whole world.
Advise share message National Assemblies East and West.
—Shoghi
[Cablegram, April 23, 1952]
Rapid Progress of a World Center—Decline in Fortunes of Covenant-Breakers
On morrow of sixtieth anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh’s Ascension share double announcement with Bahá’í world through all National Assemblies: The rapid progress of the enterprise majestically unfolding in the heart of God’s Holy Mountain, and the steady decline in the fortunes of the remnant of old Covenant-breakers still defiantly challenging the combined strength of the Bahá’í world community.
The termination of the Octagon, setting the second crown on the Holy Edifice, synchronizing with last Naw-Rúz Festival, was followed by the erection and gilding of the balustrade during the course of the succeeding Ridván period. Preliminary investigations culminated in the erection of the scaffolding and the commencement of the construction of the Drum at an estimated cost of thirteen thousand pounds, constituting the third unit of the Edifice preparatory to raising the golden Dome. Experiments, prior to the placing of the contract for the gilded tiles for the Dome, concluded. Confidently anticipate the completion of all preliminaries, enabling the builders of the mighty, sacred Structure to start construction of the Dome on the morrow of the opening of the fast approaching Holy Year, paving the way to the fulfilment of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s prophecy, uttered in the dark days of the First World War, envisaging the glory of the resplendent Dome greeting the devout gaze of future pilgrims drawing nigh to the shores of the Holy Land.