he malicious
misrepresentations and unfortunate misunderstandings that have so long and
so grievously clouded the luminous Faith of Baha'u'llah.

Your true brother,
Shoghi

Letter of 21 December 1928

21 December 1928(21)

To the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout
the West.

Dearly-beloved brothers and sisters in 'Abdu'l-Baha!

With feelings of profound sorrow I am moved to address you these few lines
mourning the loss which the Cause has undoubtedly sustained by the passing
of one who, for many years and in circumstances of exceptional
significance, rendered the sacred Threshold distinctive and inestimable
services. The hand of Divine Decree has removed, by the death of our
talented and dearly-beloved friend, Mr. Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney, yet
another outstanding figure in the Cause of Baha'u'llah, who, by his
brilliant gifts of mind and heart as well as by the divers achievements of
his life, has truly enriched the annals of God's immortal Faith.

A pioneer of the Cause of Baha'u'llah ever since its celestial light first
warmed and illuminated the West, he has, by his close association with the
person of 'Abdu'l-Baha, by his contact with all sections of society, by
his scholarly presentation of the history and fundamentals of the Faith,
and lastly by his unforgettable share in the settlement of the complex and
pressing issues that called for expert assistance in the days following
'Abdu'l-Baha's passing, achieved a standing which few have as yet
attained.

The days of his spiritual communion with 'Abdu'l-Baha and His household
within the walls of the prison-city of Akka, wherein he imbibed the
principles which he later so ably expounded to the peoples of the West;
his pre-eminent role on his return to Paris in kindling the torch which is
destined to shed eternal illumination upon his native land and its people;
the links of abiding fellowship which he forged with our Persian brethren
in the course of the historic mission entrusted to his charge by our
Beloved; the seeds which he scattered far and wide during his subsequent
travels to the heart of Asia, throughout India, beyond the remotest
villages of Burma and as far as the eastern confines of Indo-China; the
able support he lent in its initial and intermediary stages to the case of
Baha'u'llah's house in Ba_gh_dad; his unhesitating intervention with State
officials in paving the way for the ultimate emancipation of our