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Wilmettes 75th Anniversary 1872-1947WILMETTE LIFEWilmette Made Hub of WorldMovement With Bahai TempleThe national Bahai offices werer"oved to Wilmette fiom New Yorkhas been used in Bahai advertising,City on Oct. 1, 1939. This step wascarried by magazines with a circula-taken in order to associate the ad-ministrativtion of over a million copies, ande work with the Bahaithe reproduction of a Navy aerialTemple, the national shrine of thephoto of the building used in morefaith in North America. Shortly aft-than 400 local newspapers.erward the publishing office wasPurchase Land in 1908also established in the village.Around this center began to gatherThe present development of na-certain important committee work,tional Bahai interest in Wilmetteincluding both the American andis the result of the choice of theSouth American teaching branches.village as site of the House of Wor-By 1946, a new teaching arm wasship about forty years ago, the firstadded to deal with activities in tenpurchase of land having been madecountries of western Europe.in April, 1908.For members of the Bahai relig-Hold National Meetings Hereion the important date of localAt present the series of Bahaihistory is May 1, 1912, whenoffices operating near the TempleAbdu1-Baha (pictured on this page)WHEN BAHAI LEADER VISITED WILMETTE Abdu1-Baha, leaderdeal with a far-flung program ofvisited the temple site with a com-workof the Bahai Faith from 1892 to 1921, (shown above with other, including book and pamphletpany of believers from Chicago.Bahais) traveled throughout America in 1912. He visited the groundspublication, a monthly magazine, aThis event took place during hison Sheridan road and Linden avenue and dedicated the site of thenational advertising and publicityjourney throughout America, wherepresent structure on May 1, 1912.schedule, teaching campaigns underhe spoke on the promulgation ofway in more than thirty countries;universal peace in universities, be-and the general supervision of thefore peace societies, and in churchesbe incorporated in every Bahai tem-unit, forming an auditorium over-work of local religious communities?nd synagogues.ple, but Louis Bourgeoiss uniquearched by the great dome.in some eight hundred cities andachievement consists in the schemeAbdu1-Baha gave definite warn-No Race, Creed Discriminationtowns.ing of the imminent first worldof decoration he devised for bothThiThe services of worship will bes concentration of responsibil-war and emphasized the construc-the exterior and interior areas.Constructioentirely public, without discrimina-n began in December,tion of race or creed. Their feature1920, when the foundation was builtwill be the reading of passages fromon a supporting system of nineall the Holy Books by which man-caissons resting on bedrock 124 feetkind has been guided and inspired,below the surface. The superstruc-and without ritualistic element, sinceture of steel and concrete arose be-the Bahai religion has no profession-tween September, 1930 and April 30,al clergy and identifies faith with1931.the right living of daily life.Unusual technical problems wereThe concentration (3f energy whichencountered in connection with theproduced this building in Wilmetteapplication of the exterior ornamen-created a center, the circumferencetal surface. It was eventually foundcf which is bounded by Buenosthat the most feasible method ofAires, Hawaii, Alaska and Sweden.developing the intricate design wasTo vitalize the concept of "onethrough the use of architecturalworld" and find stronger foundationsconcrete as perfected by the latefor unity than for strife is the aimJohn J. Earley.cf those who recognize that in thisThe Earley method involved thevillage something has taken placeproduction of hand-carved models,which brings hope to many in otherand the pouring of a mixture oflands.Portland cement and crushed quartz.The entire surface was coveredby unit castings and. unit by unil.McKittrick Notedthe scheme of decoration becameperpetuated in a substance whichChicago Lawyerpromised to endure as long as thebuilding itself.Joseph Lyman McKittrick, villageThepresident and village attorney, was concrete industry recognizeda noted Chicago lawyer. Born inin the Bahai Temple the most im-pressiveOhio in 1848, he enlisted In the and successful demonstra-Union armies in the Civil war attion of the possibilities of a newarchitecturathe age of 14, and later servedl medium, as has fre-quentlyagainst the Indians in the west. been noted in the technicalpress.Some time after his army serviceNewhe went into the practice of law. Conception of World UnityTOHe was village attorney of Nor- BE COMPLETED Work will begin this year to complete the in-For those who had made the build-wood Park from 1885 to 1889, wasterior of the Bahai House of Worship. Plans call for a finished build-ing possible, however, by their con-village attorney of Wilmette in 1897ing and the initiation of public service of worship by 1953. The exteriortributions to the project, thewaand 1898, village president in 1899s completed in January, 1943. ($1,500,000 entrusted to the enter-and 1900, and attorney for the vil-prise represented a material meanslage again from 1902 to 1906.to an ideal end: the raising of aity in Wilmette on the part of the jtive principles which would helpBahaimonument dedicated to a new con-s had for 10 years previouslypeople survive and surmount theception of world unity and peace.been anticipated by the holding oflong interval of dislocation about toOvePopulation Growthr the nine entrance ways arethedescend. annual national Bahai conven-Unticarved brief texts which explainl 1920 the design of the templetion in the temple foundation hall, athe principles far which the TempleShown by Figuresmeetinghad not been selected. The late Louis which assembles in thestands: "The earth is but one coun-villageJThe growth in population of the every spring for four daysW. ilmBoetutrgeois, for some years atry; and mankind its citizen"; "Oe resident, developed theandVillage of Wilmette is shown in the is attended by between six hun-rich ones on earth! The poor in yourarchitectural scheme which the Ba-dred and nine hundred delegateshamidsfigures below. Unless otherwise in-t are My trust; guard ye Myi convention approved in thatdicated, the source is the Unitedand visitors.trust"; "The source of all learningWhilyear, after endorsement by a groupStates census reports.is the knowledge of God, exalted bye most of the administrativeof prominent architects and engi-worHis glory."1873 .. 300*k is conducted by correspon-neers who had been invited to viewdence, the completion of the exteriorMr. Bourgeoiss scale model.A1880419 new stage of construction isornamentation of the temple in Jan-now18901,458 under way. Mr. Bourgeois de-uarySecond Bahai Temple, 1943, strengthened a trend onsign19002,300 for the interior ornamentationthe part of non-members to visit theThe House of Worship in Wilmettehas1910 ....... 4,943 been modified. Working draw-temple. During the summer of 1946.is the second Bahai temple to heings and specifications are to be19207,814the number of visitors was almostconstructed. The first was built incompleted as rapidly as possible,1930- 15,233ai.000. while the total count up toIhe city of Ishqabad, Southern Rus-pud actual construction begun this194017,226last October was over 24C.00O. Onesia, in the early 1890s, and gave theyear. The intention of the Bahais1946.17,650tfactor contributing to this wide-Chicago Bahais their inspiration tois from a Chicago newspaper article; to complete the interior by 1953,ffijom school district census plus dataspread interest in the building isinitiate a similar building here. Theat a cost of approximately $550,000.collected by village authorities in areathe fact that the temple illustrationnine sides are a feature which willThe interior will be treated as oneoutside Wilmette school district (No. 39),