On behalf of the Guardian I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your deeply appreciated message of August 19th written through the care of dear Mr.

Schultheiss, and to thank you for it, as well as for the beautiful photographs which you have been most kind in sending to him. From them all he has gathered a very good impression about the conditions of the Cause in your centre, and was much encouraged to witness the beautiful spirit of fellowship and of service which is animating your group. He cherishes, indeed, the brightest hopes for the future expansion of the Faith not only in your two localities but throughout Germany as a whole. He is ardently praying that the beloved Master's promises to that effect may gradually and by means of your painstaking and continued labours be completely realized. In the meanwhile he wishes you to persevere in your efforts for the study and the spread of the Teachings, and to confidently and quietly toil for the future establishment of Baha'u'llah's world order in your country.

His prayers on behalf of each and every one of you will be continually offered to G.o.d, that through His guidance and love you may individually and collectively make a steady advancement in His Cause.

With hearty greetings and good wishes to you all,

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved co-workers:

I was so pleased to receive your most welcome message. Any letter bearing such evidences of exemplary devotion to the Cause of G.o.d is a source of immense joy to my heart. I will most a.s.suredly pray for you all and cherish the brightest hopes for your future contribution to the spread of our glorious Faith. Persevere and never feel depressed or discouraged. May the Almighty enable you to mirror forth the glory and splendour of this stupendous Revelation.

Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 20 NOVEMBER 1934(8)

20 November 1934

Dear Baha'i Friends,

Your welcome message dated November 4th is just at hand, and its perusal has, as usual, greatly cheered our Guardian's heart. He feels ever so grateful to you for the remarkable spirit and manner in which you are collaborating for the further consolidation of Baha'i administration in your locality. Your painstaking labours to this end are being surely rewarded and guided by Baha'u'llah Who, as so often promised in His writings, will sustain and bless all those who arise to promote His message, and whom, no consideration whatever, deters from serving His Cause.

Shoghi Effendi is specially pleased to realize that you are in such a close touch with the friends in other parts of Germany, and in particular with those two indefatigable and devoted servants of the Cause Mrs. A. M.

Schweizer and Miss A. Kostlin. Their frequent and warm visits to Goppingen are surely of an incalculable benefit to you all, and it is hoped that by their means your centre will come to play an increasingly important role in the spread of the Teachings, as well as in the general administration of the Cause in Southern Germany...

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved co-workers:

Your most welcome letter rejoiced my heart and served to remind me of the spirit of devotion, of determination and zeal that animate the believers in that promising country. I will no doubt continue to pray for you from the bottom of my heart, that you may each and all arise to diffuse far and wide the fragrance of this wondrous Revelation and to establish its truths in the hearts of your fellow countrymen.

Your true brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 20 NOVEMBER 1934

20 November 1934

He is, indeed, happy to realize the remarkable share you are having in the promotion of the general interests of the Faith in Goppingen. Your active partic.i.p.ation in all Baha'i gatherings and meetings, and the zeal and enthusiasm which you succeed in creating among the attendants are, indeed, a real source of strength to the community of the believers in your centre.

The Guardian hopes, therefore, that you will continue exercising this highly-beneficial and much-needed influence among the friends, so that by its means you may all work as unitedly and harmoniously as possible.

For what the Cause greatly needs in Germany at present is unity, both of thought and action. Not until the believers succeed in putting the Baha'i principle of cooperation and fellowship into actual practice can they hope to vindicate the truth of the Message. Unity, therefore, is vital, and const.i.tutes the main key to the success of your endeavours in every field of Baha'i activity.

LETTER OF 7 DECEMBER 1934(9)

7 December 1934

Dear Friends and co-workers:

Shoghi Effendi was deeply moved by your beautiful message dated November 27th, and he has directed me to convey to you on his behalf the expression of his loving appreciation and grat.i.tude for the sentiments of love, devotion and loyalty which that message expressed.

He was, indeed, so pleased to learn that you had gathered at the home of our dearly-beloved sister and co-worker Miss Johanna Hirsch, and that you had heard from her the story of her pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

It is his hope that you may also one day have the privilege of undertaking a similar journey and of visiting the Holy Shrines in Akka and Haifa.

Shoghi Effendi is continually praying on behalf of each and every one of you, and is entreating Baha'u'llah that He may continue sending you His blessings and guidance, that as a result your efforts for the promulgation of His message may be crowned with success....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved of our hearts guide and strengthen you, bless your efforts, add to your numbers, remove every obstacle from your path, and deepen your knowledge of the fundamentals of His Cause, and the distinguishing features of His glorious Revelation.

Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 13 DECEMBER 1934(10)

13 December 1934

He has been deeply gratified and comforted, indeed, to learn that the authorities have, as a result of your efforts and of those of Mrs. Bishop, accepted to grant permission for the holding of Baha'i meetings in Berlin.

For this, the friends must feel deeply grateful to the Government and should strive, through both their words and actions, to win the full confidence of the authorities, and to demonstrate that they are law-abiding and faithful citizens.

The Guardian fervently hopes and prays that, now that the believers are permitted to hold meetings, they will take full advantage of this opportunity and will come together as frequently as possible, and will thus resume their activities which had been abated for such a long time....

LETTER OF 13 JANUARY 1935(11)