respective centres in the proportions you mention, i.e. 12 delegates
from among the London friends, five from the Manchester friends, and two
from the Bournemouth group, that then, these 19 delegates assembled should
choose by secret ballot from the whole body of the believers in Gt.
Britain and Ireland, the nine friends they consider most suitable as
members of the National Assembly. Heretofore, as I understand it, it has
rather been our practice that the 12 London delegates elected six from the
London friends--the Manchester five delegates elected two from Manchester
and the Bournemouth delegates elected one from Bournemouth. But, Shoghi
Effendi says, all the 19 delegates must clearly understand that they must
select from the whole body of the believers in Gt. Britain and Ireland
those 9 whom they consider the most fit and suitable members to constitute
the National Assembly. Therefore it will be necessary to supply each of
the 19 delegates with a complete list of all those believers in Gt.
Britain and Ireland. From that complete list of course must be eliminated
all those who from one cause or another are unable to serve on the
National Assembly. Also--Shoghi Effendi says that those 19 elected
delegates should if possible meet during the Feast of Ridvan in London
thus forming as it were a baby Convention! I had not realised before that
the annual Baha'i Convention in the U.S.A. consists solely of those
delegates who had been chosen by their respective Centres in order that
they may elect the 9 to form the National Assembly of that country. Did
you understand this? I certainly did not. As Shoghi Effendi points out--it
is quite possible that--e.g. in the future--7 members might be elected from
the Manchester friends and only two from London! On the other hand--it is
quite possible that all nine members chosen by the 19 delegates might be
from the London group. Of course, on reflection one sees clearly that the
proceedings must be as now described because in the future there may be 21
or 53 separate local Assemblies in Gt. Britain just as is now the case in
the U.S.A.--and it would obviously be impossible for each of these
Assemblies to elect one of their number to sit as their representative on
the National Assembly. No doubt I ought to have understood this before--but
I must confess I did not!...

It is very grievous that our dear Mrs. Cropper should have been so ill--we
have all been praying for her recovery since we