| The volume by Shoghi Effendi written as a letter to the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada in 1938. In it, against the background of the events preceding World War II, he calls upon the Bahá'ís of North America to arise to establish the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh. He describes the opportunities and responsibilities facing the Bahá'ís of North America, their mission and the tasks they are to carry out, and outlines as standards the 'essential spiritual requirements'15 for success: a high sense of moral rectitude, absolute chastity and freedom from racial prejudice, which he terms 'the most vital and challenging issue confronting the Bahá'í community at the present stage of its evolution'.16 He calls upon the American Bahá'ís to arise to pioneer and to attain the goals of the Seven Year Plan (1937-44), cites passages from Bahá'u'lláh about the tests ahead of the community and outlines the future role of the American nation in helping to bring about universal peace. |
