d been to unfurl the standard of
Baha'u'llah in the very heart of that Republic. This was followed by His
own prolonged visit to its shores, by His dedication of the first House of
Worship to be built by the community of His disciples in that land, and
finally by the revelation, in the evening of His life, of the Tablets of
the Divine Plan, investing His disciples with a mandate to plant the
banner of His Father's Faith, as He had planted it in their own land, in
all the continents, the countries and islands of the globe. He had,
furthermore, acclaimed one of their most celebrated presidents as one who,
through the ideals he had expounded and the institutions he had
inaugurated, had caused the "dawn" of the Peace anticipated by Baha'u'llah
to break; had voiced the hope that from their country "heavenly
illumination" may "stream to all the peoples of the world"; had designated
them in those Tablets as "Apostles of Baha'u'llah"; had assured them that,
"should success crown" their "enterprise," "the throne of the Kingdom of
God will, in the plenitude of its majesty and glory, be firmly
established"; and had made the stirring announcement that "the moment this
Divine Message is propagated" by them "through the continents of Europe,
of Asia, of Africa and of Australasia, and as far as the islands of the
Pacific, this community will find itself securely established upon the
throne of an everlasting dominion," and that "the whole earth" would
"resound with the praises of its majesty and greatness."

That Community had already, in the lifetime of Him Who had created it,
tenderly nursed and repeatedly blessed it, and had at last conferred upon
it so distinctive a mission, arisen to launch the enterprise of the
Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar through the purchase of its land and the laying of
its foundations. It had despatched its teachers to the East and to the
West to propagate the Cause it had espoused, had established the basis of
its community life, and had, since His passing, erected the superstructure
and commenced the external ornamentation of its Temple. It had, moreover,
assumed a preponderating share in the task of erecting the framework of
the Administrative Order of the Faith, of championing its cause, of
demonstrating its independent character, of enriching and disseminating
its literature, of lending moral and material assistance to its persecuted
followers, of repelling the assaults of its adversaries and of winning the
alle