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It should be borne in mind in this connection that the preliminary steps aiming at the disclosure of the scope and working of this Administrative Order, which was now to be formally established after Abdu'l- Baha's passing, had already been taken by Him, and even by Baha'u'llah in the years preceding His ascension. The appointment by Him of certain outstanding believers in Persia as "Hands of the Cause"; the initiation of local Assemblies and boards of consultation by Abdu'l- Baha in leading Baha'i centers in both the East and the West; the formation of the Baha'i Temple Unity in the United States of America; the establishment of local funds for the promotion of Baha'i activities; the purchase of property dedicated to the Faith and its future institutions; the founding of publishing societies for the dissemination of Baha'i literature; the erection of the first Mashriqu'l- Adhkar of the Baha'i world; the construction of the Bab's mausoleum on Mt. Carmel; the institution of hostels for the accommodation of itinerant teachers and pilgrims-- these may be regarded as the precursors of the institutions which, immediately after the closing of the Heroic Age of the Faith, were to be permanently and systematically established throughout the Baha'i world.
(329:3)
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