re being taken for the acquisition of such historical
sites as are associated with the lives of its Forerunner and its Author,
its heroes and martyrs; in the foundations that are being laid for the
gradual formation and establishment of its educational, its cultural and
humanitarian institutions; in the vigorous efforts that are being exerted
to safeguard the character, stimulate the initiative and coordinate the
world-wide activities of its youth; in the extraordinary vitality with
which its valiant defenders, its elected representatives, its itinerant
teachers and pioneer administrators are pleading its cause, extending its
boundaries, enriching its literature, and strengthening the basis of its
spiritual conquests and triumphs; in the recognition which civil
authorities have, in certain instances, been induced to grant to the body
of its local and national representatives, enabling them to incorporate
their councils, establish their subsidiary institutions, and safeguard
their endowments; in the facilities which these same authorities have
consented to accord to its shrines, its consecrated edifices, and
educational institutions; in the enthusiasm and determination with which
certain communities that had been severely tested and harassed are
resuming their activities; in the spontaneous tributes paid by royalty,
princes, statesmen and scholars to the sublimity of its cause and the
station of its Founders--in these, as in many others, the Faith of
Baha'u'llah is proving beyond doubt its virility and capacity to
counteract the disintegrating influences to which religious systems, moral
standards, and political and social institutions are being subjected.

From Iceland to Tasmania, from Vancouver to the China Sea spreads the
radiance and extend the ramifications of this world-enfolding System, this
many-hued and firmly-knit Fraternity, infusing into every man and woman it
has won to its cause a faith, a hope, and a vigor that a wayward
generation has long lost, and is powerless to recover. They who preside
over the immediate destinies of this troubled world, they who are
responsible for its chaotic state, its fears, its doubts, its miseries
will do well, in their bewilderment, to fix their gaze and ponder in their
hearts upon the evidences of this saving grace of the Almighty that lies
within their reach--a grace that can ease their burden, resolve their
perplexities, and illuminate their path.

Divine Retribution