as the
wind," is Baha'u'llah's counsel to every would-be teacher of His Cause,
"while carrying the Message of Him Who hath caused the dawn of Divine
Guidance to break. Consider how the wind, faithful to that which God hath
ordained, bloweth upon all regions of the earth, be they inhabited or
desolate. Neither the sight of desolation, nor the evidences of
prosperity, can either pain or please it. It bloweth in every direction,
as bidden by its Creator." "And when he determineth to leave his home, for
the sake of the Cause of his Lord," Baha'u'llah, in another passage,
referring to such a teacher, has revealed, "let him put his whole trust in
God, as the best provision for his journey, and array himself with the
robe of virtue.... If he be kindled with the fire of His love, if he
forgoeth all created things, the words he uttereth shall set on fire them
that hear him."

Having on his own initiative, and undaunted by any hindrances with which
either friend or foe may, unwittingly or deliberately, obstruct his path,
resolved to arise and respond to the call of teaching, let him carefully
consider every avenue of approach which he might utilize in his personal
attempts to capture the attention, maintain the interest, and deepen the
faith, of those whom he seeks to bring into the fold of his Faith. Let him
survey the possibilities which the particular circumstances in which he
lives offer him, evaluate their advantages, and proceed intelligently and
systematically to utilize them for the achievement of the object he has in
mind. Let him also attempt to devise such methods as association with
clubs, exhibitions, and societies, lectures on subjects akin to the
teachings and ideals of his Cause such as temperance, morality, social
welfare, religious and racial tolerance, economic cooperation, Islam, and
Comparative Religion, or participation in social, cultural, humanitarian,
charitable, and educational organizations and enterprises which, while
safeguarding the integrity of his Faith, will open up to him a multitude
of ways and means whereby he can enlist successively the sympathy, the
support, and ultimately the allegiance of those with whom he comes in
contact. Let him, while such contacts are being made, bear in mind the
claims which his Faith is constantly making upon him to preserve its
dignity, and station, to safeguard the integrity of its laws and
principles, to demonstrate its comprehensiveness and universality, and to