ere the greatest battles of the Faith have been fought, and its
most rapacious enemies have lived, the march of events, the slow yet
steady infiltration of its ideals, and the fulfillment of its prophecies,
have resulted not only in disarming and in transforming the character of
some of its most redoubtable enemies, but also in securing their firm and
unreserved allegiance to its Founders. So complete a transformation, so
startling a reversal of attitude, can only be effected if that chosen
vehicle which is designed to carry the Message of Baha'u'llah to the
hungry, the restless, and unshepherded multitudes is itself thoroughly
cleansed from the defilements which it seeks to remove.

It is upon you, therefore, my best-beloved friends, that I wish to impress
not only the urgency and imperative necessity of your holy task, but also
the limitless possibilities which it possesses of raising to such an
exalted level not only the life and activities of your own community, but
the motives and standards that govern the relationships existing among the
people to which you belong. Undismayed by the formidable nature of this
task, you will, I am confident, meet as befits you the challenge of these
times, so fraught with peril, so full of corruption, and yet so pregnant
with the promise of a future so bright that no previous age in the annals
of mankind can rival its glory.

"DEARLY BELOVED FRIENDS! I HAVE ATTEMPTED, IN THE BEGINNING ..."

Dearly beloved friends! I have attempted, in the beginning of these pages,
to convey an idea of the glorious opportunities as well as the tremendous
responsibilities which, as a result of the persecution of the far-flung
Faith of Baha'u'llah, now face the community of the American believers, at
so critical a stage in the Formative Period of their Faith, and in so
crucial an epoch in the world's history. I have dwelt sufficiently upon
the character of the mission which in a not too distant future that
community must, through the impelling force of circumstances, arise and
carry out. I have uttered the warning which I felt would be necessary to a
clearer understanding, and a better discharge, of the tasks lying ahead of
it. I have set forth, and stressed as far as it was in my power, those
exalted and dynamic virtues, those lofty standards, which, difficult as
they are to attain, constitute nonetheless the essential requirements for
the success of those tasks. A word, I believe, should no