The Streetcar Fare and the Servants
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When in Bahá'í history
Montreal (today: Montreal, Canada)
‘Abdu’l-Bahá knew how to give—not just what He no longer wanted or needed. Once in Montreal when “He prepared to return to the Maxwells’ home for a meeting, the friends asked if they could call a carriage for Him. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took the streetcar, saying, ‘Oh, it matters little. It saves expenses. There is a difference of one dollar in the fare.’ When He arrived at the Maxwells’, He gave one pound to each of the servants.” After spending two nights at the estate of Phoebe Hearst, He gathered the servants together and thanked them—each received ten dollars.
Source: Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Annamarie Honnold), pp. 82–83.
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: generosity).
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