Issue no. 7, September 1925: Green Acre Fulfilling its Spiritual Destiny

The Green Acre Fellowship at its annual meeting in August voted a special resolution, the result of which will be that Green Acre in August, 1926, will come under the direct supervision of the National Spiritual Assembly, and its unique tradition and splendid resources will be joined to the Baha’i Cause in North America. It is the great significance of Green Acre that it brings an opportunity of applying the Baha’i spirit and principles to the most practical problems of daily life, besides affording a most adequate platform for the spread of the Message in a dignified and universal way. This action on the part of the Fellowship is a truly gratifying indication that a new period of expansion has opened for the Cause.

Several Committees are already engaged in planning for an increase of the activities of Green Acre and details will be published in an early number of the News Letter.

Issue no. 7, September 1925: News of the Cause

The first fruits of the beautiful Green Acre Convention was the cordial invitation extended fey Dr. Leslie P. Hill that a Baha’i teacher be sent to speak at the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools at Durham, N.C.

A letter from Dr. Hill informs us of the success of this trip:

“I want to let you know how deeply grateful I am that the N.S.A. decided to send Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler to Durham on July 29, 30 and 31st. Mrs. Ransom-Kehler arrived at the very beginning of these meetings and stayed through to the end. She spoke at Departmental meetings and made an address on Thursday evening before the whole Association. She was heard not only by the colored teachers in attendance but by the United States Commissioner of Education and a number of white superintendents, supervisors and specialists in our field.

“Mrs. Ransom-Kehler, moreover, in addition to her speeches, made a large number of direct personal contacts, and in that way made a more intensive impression. It was our general feeling that she was not only brilliant in her discussion of the whole big question before us, but that she brought to our cause a sincerity and a courageous consecration that touched the hearts of all who heard her. I believe that she created many centers of influence from which the light and the truth will spread.”

Issue no. 7, September 1925: National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States and Canada

Mountfort Mills: Chairman

Roy C. Wilhelm:  Vice Chairman

Horace Holley: Secretary

Florence Morton: Treasurer

Amelia Collins

Ali Kuli Khan

Allen McDaniel

Carl Scheffler

Siegfried Schopflocher

Office of the Secretary

169 Christopher Street

New York City

Office of the Treasurer

5 Wheeler Avenue

Worcester, Mass.

Issue no. 7, September 1925: National Baha’i Fund

The following summary has been prepared from the fully itemized and complete Annual Report presented by Mrs. Florence Morton, Treasurer, to the 1925 Convention.

This Annual Report covered the period from April 1, 1924, to March 31, 1925, as in the case of all previous financial statements.

The National Baha’i Fund represents several different funds, the records of which are kept as separate accounts in the office of the Treasurer, disbursements from each fund being according to the nature of the fund itself. In the current Annual Report, the records include: Central Fund, Teaching Fund, Temple Fund, Publishing Fund, and Special Fund for relief of the Nayriz flood sufferers.

On April 1, 1924, the then Treasurer, Mr. W.H. Randall, had on hand the following amounts: Central Fund, $1,483.17; Teaching Fund, $386.00; Temple Fund, $1,191.23; Publishing Fund, $1,033.65. These sums were turned over to Mrs. Florence Morton after her election to the office of Treasurer by the National Spiritual Assembly established at the 1924 Convention.

From April 1, 1924, to March 31, 1925, the contributions received were as follows:

Central Fund, $11,977.21; Teaching Fund, $589.95; Temple Fund, $20,179.62; Publishing Fund, $497.63; Special Nayriz Fund, $3,818.11.

The total of all contributions received during the year was $37,062.52. Adding the amounts on hand, April 1, 1924, or $4,094.05, the National Baha’i Fund in 1924-1925 held a total of $41,156.57.

Issue no. 7, September 1925: Change of Address of NSA

Beginning with October 5th, 1925, all letters and telegrams intended for the National Spiritual Assembly should be addressed as follows:

National Baha’i Assembly,

Office of the Secretary,

Green Acre, South Eliot,

Maine, U.S.A.

Cablegrams from foreign countries should be addressed “Baha’i,” New York.

The 169 Christopher Street address which has been used during the past seventeen months was placed at the disposal of the National Spiritual Assembly through the courtesy of Miss Nellie Lloyd.