mons him, let him turn to his second task, and, with befitting confidence and vigor, assail the devastating power of those forces which in his own heart he has already succeeded in subduing. Fully alive to the unfailing efficacy of the power of Bahá’u’lláh, and armed with the essential weapons of wise restraint and inflexible resolve, let him wage a constant fight against the inherited tendencies, the corruptive instincts, the fluctuating fashions, the false pretenses of the society in which he lives and moves.
“In their relations amongst themselves as fellow-believers, let them not be content with the mere exchange of cold and empty formalities often connected with the organizing of banquets, receptions, consultative assemblies, and lecture-halls. Let them rather, as equal co-sharers in the spiritual benefits conferred upon them by Bahá’u’lláh, arise and, with the aid and counsel of their local and national representatives, supplement these official functions with those opportunities which only a close and intimate social intercourse can adequately provide. In their homes, in their hours of relaxation and leisure, in the daily contact of business transactions, in the association of their children, whether in their study-classes, their play-grounds, and club-rooms, in short, under all possible circumstances, however insignificant they appear, the community of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh should safisfy themselves that in the eyes of the world at large and in the sight of their vigilant Master they are the living witnesses of those truths which He fondly cherished and tirelessly championed to the very end of His days. If we relax in our purpose, if we falter in our faith, if we neglect the varied opportunities given us from time to time by an all-wise and gracious Master, we are not merely failing in what is our most vital and conspicuous obligation, but are thereby insensibly retarding the flow of those quickening energies which can alone insure the vigorous and speedy development of God’s struggling Faith.”
During the period since the Congress of Religions held in connection with the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893, on which occasion the first reference was made to the Bahá’í Movement in America, three pieces of property have come under the control of the American Bahá’ís. The most recent of these consists of an especially beautiful tract of pine grove situated on the hills at Geyserville, California, commanding a wide view over the Russian River. This grove is a portion of the estate of Mr. and Mrs. John Bosch, dedicated by them to Bahá’í service as the site of a summer school. By this gift, there has been created for the Pacific Coast a Bahá’í center capable of development along the same lines as Green Acre at Eliot, Maine, described in a separate article in the present volume.
The Bahá’í summer school at Geyserville was formally opened on August 1, 1927, with an attendance of nearly one hundred and fifty Bahá’ís from many cities in California, Oregon, Washington and also British Columbia. Daily classes were conducted during the month of August and the work of the summer school was permanently established. The second season will open on August 1, 1928.
For some years also, another spot of unique beauty in the same county has been hospitably offered to Bahá’ís and other groups promoting universal principles. This land is a natural glen on the Griffith property which has been landscapedin the Japanese manner and developed with an open-air theatre and auditorium. The ideal which the Griffiths have expressed through this land has been to combine the spirit of hospitality with the inspiring effect of unspoiled natural beauty. Their estate has in consequence become a center making for genuine friendliness among liberal groups of Sonoma County, California.
At the other end of the country at West Englewood, New Jersey, a similar center has been in existence since 1912. During ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to New York City in that year, He invited the Bahá’ís of Greater New York to a feast in the pine
