present administration is endeavoring to propagate;
by the character of those indissoluble bonds of Baha'i fellowship that
cement the union of the mass of the believers with their elected
councillors; by the distinctiveness of their future contributions in the
domain of art, of science and of trade, of education and of industry--by
these and by still other convincing manifestations of the quickening
vitality of their Faith, our Persian brethren are destined to demonstrate
to the ruling powers on earth the majesty, the enduring stability and the
unfailing efficacy of the Government of Baha'u'llah.

The following passage from the Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Baha, revealed more than
thirty years ago, while incarcerated within the walls of the prison-city
of Akka, and addressed to the Baha'is of _Kh_urasan, will undoubtedly
stimulate those energetic friends of the West who long to contribute by
every means in their power to the rehabilitation of their Master's native
land:--

"Erelong will your brethren from Europe and America journey to Persia.
There they will promote to an unprecedented degree the interests of art
and industry. There they will rear the institutions of true civilization,
promote the development of husbandry and trade, and assist in the spread
of education.... Assuredly they will come; assuredly they will contribute
in making of the land of Iran the envy and the admiration of the peoples
and nations of the world."

And as we ponder these words of 'Abdu'l-Baha in our hearts, let us also
remember the prophetic utterances of Baha'u'llah, which reveal not only
the merciless cruelty of the ecclesiastical leaders of Islam but also the
measure of Divine retribution which now afflicts the oppressors of God's
holy Faith:--

"O people of the Qur'an! Verily the prophet of God, Muhammad, sheddeth
tears at the sight of your cruelty. Ye have assuredly followed your evil
and corrupt desires and turned away your face from the light of guidance.
Erelong will ye witness the result of your deeds; for the Lord My God
lieth in wait and is watchful of your behavior.... Erelong He will raise
in every city the standard of His sovereignty, and will wipe away the
traces of them that have denied Him on the day of His return.... O
concourse of Muslim divines! By your deeds the exalted station of the
nation hath been abased, the standard of Islam hath been reversed and its
mighty throne hath fallen. Whenever the Divine Reformer has sought to