Tasmania. The range of
their labours, the rapid consolidation of their swiftly multiplying
institutions, the soundness and solidity of the foundations, on which they
are erecting these institutions, the exemplary loyalty they demonstrate,
the solidarity and self-sacrifice, the courage and confidence they display
in their incessant and manifold activities, prove, beyond the shadow of a
doubt that the Faith they love and serve so nobly and efficiently has at
last been firmly and unassailably established in the Antipodes, and that
its upholders and defenders in those far-away yet highly promising islands
are contributing a notable and never-to-be-forgotten share to the onward
march and unfoldment of its world Administrative Order.

I desire to offer the members of this high-minded, this resolute and
dearly-beloved community, and particularly its elected representatives, my
heartfelt congratulations on their splendid achievements which posterity
will recognize as deeds that have truly enriched and adorned the annals of
the Faith in the opening years of the second Baha'i century.

As the processes impelling a rapidly evolving Order on the highroad of its
destiny multiply and gather momentum, attention should be increasingly
directed to the vital need of ensuring, by every means possible, the
deepening of the Faith, the understanding and the spiritual life of the
individuals who, as the privileged members of this community, are called
upon to participate in this glorious unfoldment, and are lending their
assistance to this historic evolution. A profound study of the Faith which
they have espoused, its history, its spiritual as well as administrative
principles; a thorough understanding of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah and of
the Will of 'Abdu'l-Baha, a deeper realization of the implications of the
claims advanced by the Founders of the Faith; strict adherence to the laws
and principles which they have established; a greater dedication to the
fundamentals and verities enshrined in their teachings--these constitute, I
feel convinced, the urgent need of the members of this rapidly expanding
community. For upon this spiritual foundation must depend the solidity of
the institutions which they are now so painstakingly erecting. Every
outward thrust into new fields, every multiplication of Baha'i
institutions, must be paralleled by a deeper thrust of the roots which
sustain the spiritual life of the community and ensure its sound
dev