Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-06
Young Idaho Couple
Find Way Of Life
In BAHIA i Religion
BY the Associated Press

- - = =
BY the Associated Press
LEWISTOWN. Idaho, Sept. 6.
"A young couple arrived in this
city of $4,000 early this year
with one purpose: to change a
statistic.
They knew no one here, had no
contract for work, did not know
where they were to set up house
keeping. In order to live in Lew
iston, they had changed their
whole way Of life. had sold their
share Of a profitable family furn-
iture business in Milwaukee. a
fashionable home, a car. and had
abandoned prominent position
in Milwaukee's social life.
Bob and Shirley Miss decided to
make this Northern Idaho COM
munity their home because it was
q gold city"-nowhere in it or
near it was a single adherent Of
the new religion. Bahai.
Found. Good Way of Life.
Mr.. Miss has a simple explana-
ton of the couples decision to
leave familiar surroundings and
start again from scratch:
We've found a good way of
life and we want to share it with
Others"
Their job of sharing has not
been easy. Since their arrival in
February. there has been oppo-
sition from some local ministers
and lay people to the use of the
YWCA building for explanatory
discussions of Bahai'i, which,
generally speaking-is a way of
life that its disciples maintain
embraces all religions, all peoples
and all countries, seeking to unite
them in brotherhood.
Sure of Progress
But after six months. Mr.. Miss
feels sure progress is being made,
1--WE feel as if we've been here
all our lives" he says, "We like
it and we're getting along we'll"
He reports the attendance at
Bahai meetings has increased
steadily, though not rapidly. and
maintains that more and more of
the simply curious are becoming
genuinely interested in Bahai.
The Misses stayed at a motel
after they first arrived, while
Bob looked for a job and a home.
He shortly found both-he'S
working now at St. Joseph's
Hospital and they have moved
into a small house. The couple
has one child, John, 8.
What is the way of life that
uproots young intellectuals like
35-year-old Mr.. Miss and his
wife, a beautiful former model,
and sends them as missionaries
within their own country?
Called Task Of Holiness.
Bahal finds expression in
words you might think unfam-
iliar to the ranch house living
rooms of SUBURBAN society such
as the Misses knew in Milwaukee.
The words are taken not only
from the advice of Jesus Christ
to his Apostles to spread the gos-
pei. 1t is also in the Injunction
of Krishna, eighth avatar of
Vishnu. who in the Hindu epic
Bhagavadgita says, There is a
task of holiness to do unlike
worldbinding, which bindeth not
the faithful soul; such earthly
duty do, free from desire, and
thou shalt well perform thy
heavenly purpose"
Baha'is recognize all the ma
jor religious figures of old. They
say each prophet came to the
world to interpret the word of
God according to the worlds
ability to understand it at the
time Of the prophets appear
ance.
Thus, they say, the latest in
the line OF divinely inspired
messengers that includes Moses
and Zoroaster is the father of
their universal faith--a Persian
princeling named BAHIA 'u'llah,
who died in 1892 after % years
Of teaching.
The major principles Of his
program are these:
Men must seek for truth in
spite of custom, prejudice, and
tradition.
Men and women must have
equal opportunities, rights and
privileges.
The nations must choose an
international language +, to be
used along with their mother
tongues.
All children must receive a
basic education.
Men must make a systematic
effort to wipe out all those
prejudices which divide peoples.
Men must recognize that re-
lgion should go hand-in- hand
with science.
Men must work to abolish ex-
IRENE wealth and extrem e
poverty.
At present, the Bahai move
ment has members in ITS coun-
tries. =