endeavor to fulfill these conditions the Grace of the
Holy Spirit shall be vouchsafed unto them, and that assembly shall become
the center of the Divine blessings, the hosts of Divine confirmation shall
come to their aid, and they shall day by day receive a new effusion of
Spirit."

So great is the importance and so supreme is the authority of these
assemblies that once 'Abdu'l-Baha after having himself and in his own
handwriting corrected the translation made into Arabic of the I_sh_raqat
(the Effulgences) by Sheikh Faraj, a Kurdish friend from Cairo, directed
him in a Tablet to submit the above-named translation to the Spiritual
Assembly of Cairo, that he may seek from them before publication their
approval and consent. These are His very words in that Tablet:--"His honor,
Sheikh Faraju'llah, has here rendered into Arabic with greatest care the
I_sh_raqat and yet I have told him that he must submit his version to the
Spiritual Assembly of Egypt, and I have conditioned its publication upon
the approval of the above-named Assembly. This is so that things may be
arranged in an orderly manner, for should it not be so any one may
translate a certain Tablet and print and circulate it on his own account.
Even a non-believer might undertake such work, and thus cause confusion
and disorder. If it be conditioned, however, upon the approval of the
Spiritual Assembly, a translation prepared, printed and circulated by a
non-believer will have no recognition whatever."

This is indeed a clear indication of the Master's express desire that
nothing whatever should be given to the public by any individual among the
friends, unless fully considered and approved by the Spiritual Assembly in
his locality; and if this (as is undoubtedly the case) is a matter that
pertains to the general interest of the Cause in that land, then it is
incumbent upon the Spiritual Assembly to submit it to the consideration
and approval of the national body representing all the various local
assemblies. Not only with regard to publication, but all matters without
any exception whatsoever, regarding the interests of the Cause in that
locality, individually or collectively, should be referred exclusively to
the Spiritual Assembly in that locality, which shall decide upon it,
unless it be a matter of national interest, in which case it shall be
referred to the national body. With this national body also will rest the
decision whether a given question is of local