A Dollar for the Chambermaid
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When in Bahá'í history
Buffalo (today: Buffalo, New York, USA)
On 12 September 1912, in Buffalo, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was up and packed before dawn and calling for the rest of His party to get up. As He left, He gave the hotel manager a one dollar tip for the chambermaid since she was not there at that time.
When He reached the railway station, the driver wanted more money than the usual fare. Mírzá Maḥmúd recorded that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá paid no heed to him, saying:
A man may give $1,000 without minding it but he should not yield even a dollar to the person who wishes to take it wrongfully, for such wrongful behavior flouts justice and disrupts the order of the world.
Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 190; Mahmúd’s Diary, 12 September 1912.
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: generosity).
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