the lamp of Thy guidance. May every
portionless one receive a share. May the deprived become the confidants of
Thy mysteries.

O Almighty! Look upon us with the glance of mercifulness. Grant us
heavenly confirmation. Bestow upon us the breath of the Holy Spirit, so
that we may be assisted in Thy service and, like unto brilliant stars,
shine in these regions with the light of Thy guidance.

Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Wise and the Seeing.

10: TABLET TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE SOUTHERN STATES

_Revealed on February 3, 1917, in Haifa in Isma'il Aqa's room, and
addressed to the Baha'is of the sixteen Southern States of the United
States: Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. _

1 O ye blessed, respected souls:

2 The philosophers of the ancients, the thinkers of the Middle Ages and
the scientists of this and the former centuries have all agreed upon the
fact that the best and the most ideal region for the habitation of man is
the temperate zone, for in this belt the intellects and thoughts rise to
the highest stage of maturity, and the capability and ability of
civilization manifest themselves in full efflorescence. When you read
history critically and with a penetrating eye, it becomes evident that the
majority of the famous men have been born, reared and have done their work
in the temperate zone, while very, very few have appeared from the torrid
and frigid zones.

3 Now these sixteen Southern States of the United States are situated in
the temperate zone, and in these regions the perfections of the world of
nature have been fully revealed. For the moderation of the weather, the
beauty of the scenery and the geographical configuration of the country
display a great effect in the world of minds and thoughts. This fact is
well demonstrated through observation and experience.

4 Even the holy, divine Manifestations have had a nature in the utmost
equilibrium, the health and wholesomeness of their bodies most perfect,
their constitutions endowed with physical vigor, their powers functioning
in perfect order, and the outward sensations linked with the inward
perceptions, working together with extraordinary momentum and
coordination.

5 Therefore in these sixteen states, because they are contiguous to other
states and their climate being in the utmost o