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8

The Second Local Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá'ís of Tainan


      On April 21, 1957 the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Tainan was elected for the second time. The members were Mr. Jerome Chu, Mrs. and Mrs. Suleimani, Mrs. Ruthy Tu, Mr. Winston Luk, Mr. Tsao Li-shih, Mr. Ho Cheng-tzu, Mr. Wang Chi-chang, and Mr. Pai Chung-chien. Mr. Chu was the chairman and Mr. Suleimani the secretary.

      According to an annual report sent for 1957/58 to the parent assembly in Tokyo, the Tainan Assembly was very active. For example it met regularly, had study classes twice a week, public meetings every Sunday, conducted a once-a-week fireside and on Saturday night had a dinner party. All of these activities were held in the Bahá'í Center. Mrs. Tu also had her own study class. The Suleimanis made forty-two teaching trips that year to Taipei, Tsoying and Chia-yi. Mr. Wong Hou-len had a study class at his residence in Tsoying, and the Tainan Bahá'ís helped.

      During 1957 the National Spiritual Assembly of North East Asia appointed Mr. Jerome Chu and Professor Tsao Li-shih to the Translation Committee of Taiwan. Their first project was to revise and print one thousand copies of a pamphlet in Chinese which had originally been translated by the Chinese Bahá'ís in Kuching, Borneo (now Sarawak), and printed there. However, Mr. Chu assured the National Assembly the essence of the original pamphlet had not been changed.

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9

The First Bahá'í Summer School


      September 28 - 30, 1957 the first Taiwan Summer School was held. About 20 Bahá'ís attended from four localities: Taipei, Tainan, Tsoying and Chia-yi. Mr. Philip Marangella represented the National Spiritual Assembly of North East Asia (in Tokyo) and Auxiliary Board Member Carl Scherer came from Macau. Mr. Shen Chien of Chia-yi, a friend of Mr. Huang Hsi, became a Bahá'í during the summer school. Mr. Huang had become a Bahá'í sometime earlier. There were now two Bahá'ís in that town.

      The Bahá'ís were so inspired by the summer school that they sent a cable to the Guardian. He replied, "Deeply appreciate message assure attendants fervent prayers success deliberations deepest love Shoghi."

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      The first Bahá'í Summer School in Taiwan was held September 28-30, 1957 in Tainan at the Eastern Garden Hotel.

      In the first row at the right are Mr. Suleimani and Auxiliary Board Member from Macau Mr. Carl Scherer. Behind him is Mr. Philip Marangella representing the National Spiritual Assembly of North East Asia. Mrs. Suleimani is standing next to him.
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      As the Faith was not registered, official government permission was necessary to hold the summer school. Since November of 1955 the Tainan group had been trying to obtain official recognition of the Faith. According to Mr. Suleimani, they visited the Tainan mayor's office, the Social Department of the Provincial Government in Taipei, and the Interior Ministry of the central government in Taipei. The Social Department head explained that there was freedom of religion in Taiwan for religious groups which were officially recognized, but that to date only Christianity, Buddhism and Islam had this status. An appeal was made in December, 1956 to the Interior Ministry, and Hand of the Cause Mr. Kházeh with the Suleimanis visited the ministry in the spring of 1957, but official recognition was not immediately granted. Nevertheless, permission was later given to hold the Summer School.

The Passing of the Guardian
      In November 1957 the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, passed away. It was so unexpected that the Bahá'í world, while faithfully and diligently carrying on the Ten Year Crusade, was in a state of shock.

      There were several letters back and forth between the Tainan Local Spiritual Assembly and the National Spiritual Assembly of North East Asia in Tokyo concerning this great loss. The Tainan Local Spiritual Assembly, in addition to having special prayer meetings after being informed of the tragic situation, arranged for memorial services in Tainan, Taipei and Tsoying. One of the believers in Chia-yi, Mr. Huang, joined the Tainan memorial services and took back the spirit to the other Bahá'í who couldn't attend. The memorial services included prayers in three languages and the reading of a description of the Guardian's first twenty-five years as written by Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhiyyih Khánum in The Bahá'í World, Vol. XI.

      The Taiwan community sent a cable of condolence to Rúhiyyih Khánum which she answered saying that she deeply appreciated their message.

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      Following the first Summer School, Mr. Marangella accompanied by Mrs. Tu visited the Pescadores. They are shown here introducing the Faith to Mr. Fan, principal of a government school at Mahkong.

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10

Hand of the Cause Mr. Jalál Kházeh


      Mr. Kházeh represented the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, at the first Convention of the Bahá'ís of North East Asia in Tokyo in 1957. After the Convention he visited various countries in Asia. When he went to Taiwan one of his services was to accompany Mr. Suleimani, who on behalf of the Tainan Local Spiritual Assembly paid a visit to the Ministry of the Interior in Taipei to determine if they could register the Faith as a religion. The section chief was sympathetic; however, Mr. Kházeh advised the Local Assembly not to pursue it at that time as Bahá'í membership was small and it would not do to get a negative reply. But, he said, let them know about the Faith.

      A Certificate of Registration was granted to the National Spiritual Assembly December 8,1970.

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The program of the first Bahá'í Summer School in Taiwan.

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11

The First Local Spiritual Assembly of Taipei


      Keith and Edith Danielsen-Craig, the second couple to pioneer to Taiwan, arrived April 11, 1958 to settle in Taipei. Their arrival and the enrollment of Mr. Pershing Wang made it possible to form the Local Spiritual Assembly of Taipei, which was the second Local Spiritual Assembly in Taiwan. The nine members were Mr. Pershing Wang, Mr. Yuan Hsu-chang, Mrs. Edith Danielsen-Craig, Mr. Keith Craig, Mr. Gellan Wang, Mr. Yuan Mein-hsien (Mason), Hsiao Tsan-chang (Johnson), Mr. Hong Li-ming (Jimmy), and Mr. Shih Hung-mok. Mrs. Danielsen-Craig was chairman and Mr. Hong was secretary. Mr. Hong, originally from Chia-yi, was in the army but was released from it the following year and left Taipei.

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The first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Taipei, 1958

      We can identify the following. Seated from the left: Mr. Keith Craig, Mr. Yuan Mein-shien (Mason) and Mrs. Edith Danielsen-Craig. Standing: second from the left Mr. Yuan Hsu-chang, Mr. Gellan Wang, Mr. Hsiao Tsan-chang (Johnson) and Mr. Hong Lee-ming (Jimmie). We have ascertained that the top far left and bottom far right are Mr. Pershing Wang and Mr. Shih Hung-mok but we do not know which is which.

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      Mrs. Edith Danielsen-Craig was designated a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh as she was the first Bahá'í to pioneer to the Cook Islands (1953), which was one of the unopened areas mentioned by the Guardian at the launching of the Ten Year Crusade.
     
      In Taipei there was much activity after the arrival of the Danielsen-Craigs. They stayed for three years until 1961, devoting all energies to the advancement of the Faith. In 1960 Mrs. Danielsen-Craig wrote about the first youth to enroll, Wang P'u-sheng (Steven), brother of Pershing Wang. She said he was a quiet, thoughtful boy who was "filled with the love of Bahá'u'lláh."

      In 1959, due to a change in the administrative area, which had the effect of removing some of the Bahá'ís from the city limits, the Local Spiritual Assembly was not able to form. Nor could it the year after. In 1961 things had progressed to a point where the Bahá'ís could elect an assembly, but not the year after that.

      In 1963 assisted by the arrival of pioneers Mr. and Mrs. Enger, they were able to elect the assembly but its status was lost the following year. Then in 1965 an assembly was elected and that status has continued. Taipei had steady enrollments but much of the problem stemmed from the fact that the active Bahá'ís tended to move out; many left Taiwan to continue their studies in the U.S. But then many of the Bahá'ís were quite internationally minded so it is not surprising that they would try to advance their education by moving to another country.

      Tainan also had a moving population of Bahá'ís but always managed to elect the local assembly, from 1956 on. Much of this was undoubtedly due to the steadfastness and stability of Mr. and Mrs. Suleimani. They were always there, teaching, deepening, making new friends, from the beginning in 1954 to the end of their lives.

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12

The Second Bahá'í Summer School


      In October 1958 the second Bahá'í Summer School was held in Taipei. It lasted for three days with thirty-three people attending, including several non Bahá'ís. The Summer School Committee was pleased that the location was International House, which was newly constructed. The committee designed an attractive sign-board in both Chinese and English which was displayed at the entrance.

      Hand of the Cause Miss Alexander and Auxiliary Board Member from Macau, Mr. Scherer, attended. Miss Alexander spoke on the timely subject of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the Guardianship.

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      The Second Taiwan Summer School was held in Taipei, October 10-12, 1958 at the International House. Thirty-three people attended, including Hand of the Cause Miss Agnes Alexander from Japan.

      The photo shows only some of the Bahá'ís who attended. Auxiliary Board Member Carl Scherer from Macau is standing at the left. Mr. Suleimani is next to him. Behind him is Mr. Keith Danielsen-Craig. Mrs. Suleimani is holding the plaque and Miss Alexander is standing next to her. Mrs. Danielsen-Craig is next. Unfortunately, the other friends are unidentified.
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      In 1958 Mr. Wang Chi-chang was elected to be delegate from Taiwan to the second Convention of North East Asia, but as he could not get the passport he wasn't able to attend.

      The Faith was slowly growing. By April 1958 the number of Bahá'ís in Taiwan had increased to twenty-two representing five localities, Tainan, Taipei, Tsoying, Hsin-ying and Chia-yi.

(click for larger picture)
      Mrs. Danielsen-Craig conducted a youth study class three nights a week in Taipei (1958). Three of the young people (two girls and one boy) were children of a Bahá'í. Two young men were brothers of a Bahá'í.

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(click for larger picture)

A youth study class at the Tainan Bahá'í Center in 1960.

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