a pattern to
every National Baha'i Assembly, be it in the East or in the West, which
aspires to conform, pending the formation of the First Universal House of
Justice, with the spirit and letter of the world-order ushered in by
Baha'u'llah.

I eagerly await the receipt of the complete set of the contemplated
by-laws, the purpose of which should be to supplement the provisions,
clarify the purpose, and explain more fully the working of the principle
underlying the above-mentioned Declaration. I shall, after having given it
my close and personal consideration, transmit it to you, in order that you
may submit it to the local Spiritual Assemblies, who in turn will endeavor
to secure its final ratification by the body of the recognized believers
throughout the United States and Canada. I would urge you to insert the
Text of the Declaration, the complete set of the by-laws, and the
accompanying Indenture of Trust, all combined, in the next issue of the
Baha'i Year Book, that sympathizers and believers alike in every land may
obtain a clear and correct vision of the preliminary framework of that
complete system of world administration implicit in the Teachings of
Baha'u'llah.

Spirit and Method of Baha'i Elections

In connection with the best and most practical methods of procedure to be
adopted for the election of Baha'i Spiritual Assemblies, I feel that in
view of the fact that definite and detailed regulations defining the
manner and character of Baha'i elections have neither been expressly
revealed by Baha'u'llah nor laid down in the Will and Testament of
'Abdu'l-Baha, it devolves upon the members of the Universal House of
Justice to formulate and apply such system of laws as would be in
conformity with the essentials and requisites expressly provided by the
Author and Interpreter of the Faith for the conduct of Baha'i
administration. I have consequently refrained from establishing a settled
and uniform procedure for the election of the Assemblies of the East and
the West, leaving them free to pursue their own methods of procedure which
in most cases had been instituted and practiced during the last two
decades of the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha.

The general practice prevailing throughout the East is the one based upon
the principle of plurality rather than absolute majority, whereby those
candidates that have obtained the highest number of votes, irrespective of
the fact whether they command an absolute majority of