1907


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
copy 83                                 5 Jan. 1907

     A circular letter is being translated into Persian.
     They wrote to Kenosha, replying to their letter.
     The House of Spir. discusses how to better the Sunday worship service.  A list of 
points is drawn up.  The purpose of the meeting is 1) worship and 2) attracting 
outsiders.  Talks on vital issues should be given.


              House of Spir. Circular to the Orient
                                        15 Jan. 1907

     In English and Persian.  1000 copies were printed; 600 were sent to the Orient by 
the House of Spir.


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        22 Jan. 1907

     The Sunday services will be planned more.  The Bible and the Iqan will both be read 
from at the meetings and will be "expounded."
     The nineteen day feast of 19 Jan. will be at Mrs. Russell's house.


          Baha'i Assembly of Wash. D.C. Circular Letter
                                        9 Jan. 1907

     Let us pray for the Shah, whose health is not good.
     Remey includes a petition to the Shah inside, to be sent to him by all local 
communities.  It expresses our support.
     The circular was mailed to: Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Chicago, 
Cleveland, Corry [Kenosha?], Denver, Fair Hope, Fruit Port, Ithaca, Johnstown, 
Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Los Ang., Montreal, Newark, New York, North Hudson, 
Philadelphia, Portland, Racine, Sandusky, San Fran., Seattle, Wash. D.C.  27 places, 
total.


               Mr. William Hoar to Chicago Baha'is
T. Chase pap.                           19 Jan. 1907

     The Harris fund is becoming depleted.  $1500-2000 was raised in New York; 
Chicago must provide $750.00.  If they can, the Harris trip will be adequately 
funded.


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        26 Jan. 1907

     The Bahai Publishing Society is sending a copy of the School of the Prophets to the 
Literary Digest for review; Dr. Moody suggested it.


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.                                           2 Feb. 1907

     The hall they are renting for the meetings is at the Masonic Temple and costs 
$32/month; it holds 150.  A hall of capacity 300 costs $40/month.
     Miss Barney took notes in the presence of `Abdu'l-Baha; Miss Rosenberg is helping 
her organize them.
     There will be a suggestion box at the Sunday meeting.


           Bahai Publishing Society to Literary Digest
                                        29 Jan. 1907

     The letter was written by Mrs. Russell, reviewed by A. Agnew, and signed by 
Windust.  It includes a leaflet announcing the School of the Prophets; it was written, 
it says, in Nov. 1906.  [It must have just come out in Jan. 1907.]


                  T. Chase to Bernard Jacobsen
                              1 p.      Chicago, 17 Jan. 1907

     A. Agnew will take all 400 tablets to Akka to show them to `Abdu'l-Baha and 
request permission to publish.  Is this agreeable with Kenosha?  We have asked New 
York and Wash. D.C. also.


               Dr. Adolfo Luria to House of Spir.
                                   Wash. D.C., 26 Jan. 1907

     He lives in Chicago and will go to Akka in April.  He congratulates A. Agnew (?) and 
Russell for going there.


                 House of Spir. to `Abdu'l-Baha
copy 82                       3 p.      Chicago, 26 Jan. 1907

     The letter asks whether it is really necessary to build the Temple; the costs are so 
high, and so many people are poor.
     The necessity to obey the House of Spir.
     What is the difference between a House of Spir., a House of Justice, a "House of the 
Covenant," and a Council Board?


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        9 Feb. 1907

     The House of Spir. will put notices in Sunday papers about Baha'i meetings.
     New York has received a tablet about the return of Christ.  The tablet answers 
questions that caused division in New York over who was the return of Christ.  
`Abdu'l-Baha denies it again and says that Baha'u'llah and the Bab were.


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        16 Feb. 1907

     More money for the Harris-Ober trip to India is needed.  The matter will be 
presented on Sunday and a committee will go to Kenosha to talk to them about it.
     A circular about the Fast will be mailed.
     A committee of three is appointed to find a hall for next year.
     Policies for a question box are drawn up (but not carried out, Windust adds in the 
margin).


            Spiritual Assembly of Mashhad to Chicago
                                        received 4 Jan. 1907

     No notes.


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        22 Feb. 1907

     $30 is raised for the Harris fund in Kenosha.
     The lease of a hall at the Masonic Temple is considered.


               Ahmad Esphahani (Sohrab) to Windust
                                        16 Feb. 1907

     Please send me 50 circulars.
     I wrote a history of America in Persian; `Abdu'l-Baha sent it to Persia and 
commanded another one.  Please write for me a short sketch of the history of Chicago.
     Sohrab sends to Chicago a letter from Benah, Persia (Azerbaijan) that he had 
translated.


            Windust to Mirza Ahmad Esphahani (Sohrab)
                                        12 Feb. 1907

     The circulars that Sohrab requested are those about filing copies of tablets in the 
Chicago archives.  Windust is pleased that Sohrab will send out a copy of the circular 
with any translations that he makes.


                  Esphahani (Sohrab) to Windust
                                        5 Mar. 1907

     T. Chase came through Wash. D.C. and briefed Sohrab about the history.  He took 
notes.
     Sohrab has the originals of 300 tablets.  He's collecting them (copies of the 
originals, I think he means.  He says if you send originals, I'll send them back).


                House of Spir. to Percy Woodcock
                                        27 Feb. 1907

     Come visit us in Chicago and teach the Faith.
     Woodcock is in Ontario.


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        2 Mar. 1907

     The nineteen day feast will be held on 17 March, without refreshments.


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        16 Mar. 1907

     The House of Spir. decides to write Sohrab: is Baha'u'llah the return of Christ, or 
both He and the Bab?


Letters from the individual members of the House of Spir. to                           `Abdu'l-
Baha
                                        Mar. 1907.

     All eleven members of the House of Spir. wrote letters to `Abdu'l-Baha, which 
must have been taken to Akka by one of the pilgrims (A. Agnew, C. Scheffler, or T. 
Chase).  James Lindsay Sutherland is one of them's complete name.


              Wash. D.C. Assembly to House of Spir.
                                        n.d. [late Mar. 1907]

     Thank you for the notice about the Fast.  "As many of the believers as could have 
observed the Fast, and the Feast of Nayrooz will be celebrated as commanded."


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        23 Mar. 1907

     Letters were read.


                        Remey to Windust
                                        14 Mar. 1907

     "We have been able to organize an Assembly Committee in Washington [Wash. D.C.] 
and from now on all the affairs of the Assembly will be carried on by it.  Later on we 
will officially notify the Chicago H.ofS. [sic] as well as the Boards of Counsel 
elsewhere of this step which is primary to the organization of a Board of Counsel 
when it may please Abdul-Baha to command it."


                 Arthur Agnew to Albert Windust
                                        en route by train, n.d.

     He is sending to Wash. D.C. a tablet from `Abdu'l-Baha telling them to support the 
Chicago temple.
     T. Chase is asleep.  We are nearing Toledo.


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        30 Mar. 1907

     Hoar was visiting and told of Harris's trip to India
     Letters are discussed.


           Kenosha Bahai Men's Board to House of Spir.
                                        28 Mar. 1907

     Did you combine Naw-Ruz and the Feast together on 17 March or hold them 
separately?  Why on the 17th?  If you drop Ayyam-i-Ha from the calendar, the feast 
should be held about the 17th.
     What are the function of these observances?


                     House of Spir. to Voelz
copy 83                                 31 Mar. 1907

     We held the meeting on 17 Mar but had no refreshments.
     Mrs. Lesch, Mrs. Foster held Naw-Ruz commemorations in their homes.
     "It is the intention of the Chicago Assembly to commence each year with the Feast 
of Narooz [Naw-Ruz] and every nineteen days thereafter to hold suppers if it is found 
possible."
     Information on the gatherings "has been very meager [sic] up to the present 
writing and has come almost entirely through Mrs Brittingham [Br-ham] and Mr 
MacNutt especially that portion referring to the nineteen (19) day Feasts." [no 
periods after Mrs or Mr].
     21 March is the "Day of Baha" of the "Month of Baha."
     "The purpose of these nineteen day Feasts, is to stimulate Fellowship, Spirituality 
and Unity, also (in our opinion) a preparation for the new order of things, namely, 
the Bahai calendar."
     Attached to the letter is a list of the names of the nineteen months and the seven 
days of the week in Arabic, with their English translations.
     [The letter is too faint to photocopy.  I have checked the quotations and found them 
to be accurate on 3 June 1986.]


                 Henry Goodale to House of Spir.
                                        24 Mar. 1907

     There is to be a peace conference in New York City.  Should not Baha'is pray for its 
success?  The House of Spir. could send out a circular to all communities about it.


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        6 Apr. 1907

     Letters are read.


                  Esphahani (Sohrab) to Windust
                                        28 Mar. 1907

     Sohrab doesn't know whether both the Bab and Baha'u'llah are the return of Christ.  
The translation of the tablet is a word-for-word translation.  Sohrab suggests that a 
footnote may be necessary when the tablet is published; otherwise `Abdu'l-Baha will 
raise a new question in trying to end an old question!


                  Esphahani (Sohrab) to Windust
                                        4 Apr. 1907

     `Abdu'l-Baha is trying to systematize the correspondence.


           Bahai Assembly if Wash. D.C. general letter
                                        19 Mar. 1907

     We have organized a Working Committee.  But they say nothing about its size, 
membership, or officers.  Its address is the same as Remey's--the same building, but 
a different room.


                      Remey general letter
                                        23 Mar. 1907

     Thank you for the signatires on the petition to the Shah.  It'll be sent to `Abdu'l-
Baha first; He will decide whether to send it to Persia or not.


               Washington Assembly circular letter
                                        30 Mar. 1907

     The letter is printed on "Bahai Assembly of Washington" stationary [Wash. D.C.].
     It includes a petition sent to communities to sign about the new Shah, to be sent to 
him (another petition?!).


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        13 Apr. 1907

     Stenstrand's pamphlet on Subh-i-Azal was considered, and "It was decided that we 
pay no attention to same."  A copy of the pamphlet is in the records.
     The House of Spir. discussed the "Sunday evening General Assembly meetings."  We 
will conduct them in the manner used for meetings in this country, "regardless of 
opposition on the part of three or four."


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        20 Apr. 1907

     It is an open meeting, and nine women came, including Miss McKinney.
     They have received 25 more tablets from Sohrab.
     There is a request for a speaker in Urbana, IL, on Sunday 28 Apr. 1907.  
Greenleaf and Fareed will go.
     The Sunday meetings were briefly discussed.


                  Minutes of the House of Spir.
                                        27 Apr. 1907

     General discussion.


                        Remey to Windust
                                        15 Apr. 1907

     We are sending out tablets from `Abdu'l-Baha in pamphlet form.
     Mr. MacNutt is visiting Wash. D.C.


                        Windust to Remey
                                        24 Apr. 1907

     MacNutt was in Wash. D.C. for two nights.
     Mr. Woodcock, wife, and daughter arrived in Chicago today by train.
     Many post cards are arriving fro T. Chase, A. Agnew,