February 27. On this date in 1922, Shoghi Effendi wrote to Auguste Forel, the Swiss scientist and eugenicist. Forel International School, a Bahá'í-inspired school located in Bratislava, Slovakia, was named after him.

 

February 27. On this date in 1922, Shoghi Effendi wrote to Auguste Forel, the Swiss scientist and eugenicist. Forel International School, a Bahá'í-inspired school located in Bratislava, Slovakia, was named after him.

27 February (1922) [to Professor Auguste Forel]

Honoured Sir:

It is with regret and sorrow that I enclose at last the long-protracted translations of `Abdu'l-Bahá's answer to your letter. His sudden passing to the Great Beyond has plunged us all in profound grief and added heavily to our preoccupations and responsibilities. Happily, however, the full answer to your epistle, had been written, and signed by him many days before his passing and were it not for the desire to have it adequately rendered into English and French, it would have reached you far sooner than now. As I am not certain of your address at the present moment, I am enclosing a copy of the original text which bears his signature, hoping to forward the text as soon as I am assured of your true address.

I am sending, too, a copy of the English version to Mr. A. Isfáhání, a Bahá'í friend of ours who, I understand, has had the pleasure and privilege of meeting you on more than one occasion, and who I am sure will submit it to you, should this letter fail to reach its destination.

The Bahá'ís the world over will be delighted to have copies of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's answer to your letter circulated amongst them, as it is unique in many respects and much appreciated in its nature and comprehensiveness. I have refrained from giving them copies until I hear of your desire to do so.

Being a personal letter I thought it incumbent upon me to inform you and request you on this point.

My very best wishes and kind regards and hoping to hear from you soon,

I am yours very sincerely

Shoghi Rabbani

(grandson of 'Abdu'l-Bahá)

On September 10, 1931, Shoghi Effendi wrote the daughter of Auguste Forel, who had died a few months previous. 

10 September 1931[to Mrs. Marta Brauns-Forel]

In regard to your father's spiritual testament, which betrays on the part of the author an inadequate knowledge of the Bahá'í Faith, the Guardian feels that you should make it clear to all the inquirers that the late Dr. Forel, as many other persons who have embraced the Cause, did not have a complete understanding of the fundamentals of the Bahá'í religion. He was particularly interested in the social aspect of the Movement and owing to some psychological reasons he did not lay much emphasis on its doctrinal side. This can be explained by the fact that our lamented doctor being advanced in age at the time of his acquaintance with the Bahá'í teachings was not able to devote all his time to a deep study of the tenets of the Faith.

Shoghi Effendi, however, in his letter addressed personally to your father explained to him that the Bahá'ís should firmly believe in the existence of God and in the immortality of the soul and in many other fundamental teachings which the Bahá'ís share with the adherents of many other religions. Our lamented doctor may have most probably considered it unwise to declare openly that he had rejected all his previous conceptions in regard to the existence of God and such similar ideas and preferred to express in an indirect way the many changes which the knowledge of the Faith had brought in his mind by declaring that he had become a Bahá'í.

At any rate there is no doubt whatever that the well-known Tablet revealed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá for him had brought a tremendous change in his monistic theories and induced him to accept the Message openly.

However great the contradictions in Dr. Forel's testament in regard to his attitude towards the Cause we cannot fail but to recognize him as a Bahá'í who had but a partial glimpse of the Bahá'í Revelation. No one can claim that his knowledge of this Revelation is adequate, especially at this time when the Bahá'í Faith is still in the embryonic stage of its development. Dr. Forel was sincere in his convictions but like every human being his comprehension was limited and this was not in his power to change.

These are the ideas which came to Shoghi Effendi's mind when he read a `&resume' of Dr. Forel's testament in one of the well-known Swiss journals and he wishes you to share them with all those who are interested to know of the Doctor's attitude towards this Movement....

In the Guardian's own handwriting:

Dear and valued co-worker:

The passing of your distinguished father has indeed grieved me profoundly and I wish to assure you of my heartfelt sympathy in your irreparable loss. I would deeply appreciate a written account of his eventful life and of the meritorious services he rendered humanity, either from your pen or any other friend in Germany, for publication in the next issue of the Bahá'í World. I feel that his reference to the Cause in the codicil of this testament indicates the perceptible change in his mental outlook since he penned the earlier passages of his will, for he must have known from the Tablet he received as well as from the letters I wrote him and from many other Bahá'í publications the fundamental and distinguishing features of the Cause. That is why I feel that with your consent and approval, the publication of his references to the Cause in his testament could very well be published in the Bahá'í World. With my best wishes and deepest sympathy,

Shoghi