Teheran, Dec. 19 –

My Dear Mrs Platt;

The mail has gone for today & will not go again until Thursday, it is only Monday now, but I have been promised a photo of Hadji Ameen a lovely old man who looks like Santa Claus, & if he brings it to me you will see it. if not I think I have one I can send you. he is the one we hold in highest esteem, is always welcomed by everybody, when he was young he was a follower of the Bab & became with a great many others a follower of Lubhi Azel [Subh-i Azal], but Hadji Ameen met a man very much larger & heavier than himself who argued against Baha Ullah while Hadji Ameen declared for The Blessed Perfection after long discussion they decided [page 2, left side of image 62] to wrestle the other man said “if you can overcome & throw me & sit on my chest I will accept Baha Ullah,” & altho. Hadji Ameen was small & not heavy he soon overcame the bigman & sat on his chest. we know the two sons of the bigman, one of them married the daughter of a cousin of Abdul Baha. a few months ago we 4 sat around a kursee with this same gentleman & his wife at Dr Arosto’s house where we had a lovely meeting & supper at the usual time about 10 p.m.

I believe I wrote you of an old man who came here in September bringing nine tablets. he was so very old & feeble one would wonder how he could ever take such a journey, part on foot & part on a donkey, but we did not know [page 3, right side of image 62] until very recently how he carried the tablets. he had one which Abdul Baha gave him telling him that at the first City in Persia he must call the Bahais together, read the tablet, then wash off the ink & bury the paper he reached Hamadan first & at that time there was great confusion there. immediately the tablet was read the trouble ceased but the wonderful thing is how he carried the tablets for Teheran. he put them at the bottom of a bag which he had filled with chopped straw to use as donkey food. at every caravansary where he stopped he took the bag with the straw & tablets & emptied it out on the desert & they were never discovered. when he left here on his return to Acca [page 4, left side of image 61] he carried with him a letter from each of us 4 being written in English he thought they would be safe. he had a very long visit with Miss K. & she told him much about the school, but what is so remarkable is that the very time the old man reached Abdul Baha things seemed a little more encouraging in the affairs of the school

Thursday [Thursday underlined] – ) but everything is in a state of confusion, the Nakazeers are very clever & very active & will not allow the good old man to act in conjunction with Miss K. no one can tell what will happen next.

The Caldwells arrived Mon. p.m. Dec. 18. Mrs C’s brother did not look for them until next day. I went up at noon on Tuesday & into the family sitting room when Mr C. rushed toward [page 5, right side of image 63] me knowing it was a surprise, but a greater one was your wonderful box. I came back with it. our lunch was ready & the dishes went back to the kitchen almost untouched we were so excited & anxious to open it. our nice boy Hassan who is like a real American boy enjoyed the opening of all the packages. Miss K. had told the girls about Santa Claus & they said “why does he not come to Persia” & she said “perhaps he will some time”, this morning she took a pencil to each of the teachers who were greatly pleased, they are young girls whom Miss K. has trained & The Board of Education here has given their certificates, we sent for Dr Moody & Miss Stewart who looked at each individual article & with us are [page 6, left side of image 64] filled with wonder at your judgment & wisdom. how did you ever know just what was needed, each thing we saw seemed more necessary than all the others, but when we reached the bottom of the box & found the watches we all shouted. just what we greatly needed. Miss K’s mother sent us two watches by Valliollah Khan when he was there in Abdul Baha’s party. they never reached us & no one can measure the amount of inconvenience it has been to us the robbers stole three from us & I have been using a borrowed big one thinking always of the possibility of some or one of the others being traced & now we are provided proof.

[page 7, right side of image 64] The dainty white woollen shawl has been the admiration of everyone. Miss K. is especially pleased with the small memorandum books & has not decided what is the best use for these but thinks she may give each teacher one for a spelling book.

Miss K. is going to write you too, she said to me “what will they say if I don’t send a letter at once”? but she goes to school early every a.m. & has a private pupil waiting for her when she gets home at 5.p.m. & now that there is so much dissension she goes on Sunday too. Friday being the Mohammedan Sunday [page 8, left side of image 63] she has private pupils all the a.m.

I am sure you will like Miss Straiton, everybody does & perhaps you can make her see the light in the way we do. it is strange to me why a thinking person does not immediately grasp & devour everything as I did myself.

Dr Moody is sure your money never came here or if it did it was sent as part of the general fund. Mr. Harmen has never written any instructions to Dr Moody who manages things with marvelous discretion. if a pupil who is paid for by an American does not do good work or is lazy she is very soon [page 9, image 65] given notice, warning & trial & if then she is not worthy, another one is put in her place.

I have many very dear friends in N.Y. whom I hope you may some time meet. one of them I thought you would see when the Caldwells were there. Miss Sarah Arnott, she is one of the very best women ever lived on earth, her address is Noroton Hill, Stamford, Conn. her sister lives in N.Y. 2002 Fifth Ave (Nelly Arnott) & Miss A. is often there. sometime when you think of it telephone her & ask her to come to see you that you want to know her. [page 10, image 66] The mail will close in half [illegible] & I must take this to the P.O. myself.

With a heart full of thanks for your goodness, a special one for The Ladies Home Journal (the pictures we want to frame) & all sorts of love to everybody Mrs Beede a million thanks. I can imagine how she enjoyed the shopping with you. we have sewn the cut edges of the box together & pasted cloth over it as another reminder of your great generosity –

In El Baha, Sarah A. Clock.