The Children's Festival at Esslingen

'Abdu'l-Bahá's visit to Esslingen, near Stuttgart in Germany, in April 1913 was particularly moving. Anna Köstlin had arranged a meeting—more like a festival—for the children she taught. Alma Knobloch wrote about it to her sister, Pauline Hannen, in America:

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> "We have had some wonderful meetings; the one in Esslingen surpassed them all. It was the children's meeting, last Friday, April 4th, 1913, in the afternoon. They had secured a very pretty hall, which was most beautifully decorated with greens, plants and flowers, with large and small tables near the walls and round tables in the center. About fifty children and eighty adults were present.

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In a smaller room adjoining the hall the children had been assembled holding flowers in their hands, forming two lines for 'Abdu'l-Bahá to pass through. It looked most beautiful as 'Abdu'l-Bahá came upstairs. He passed through a short hall and looked so pleased and delighted to see the dear children."

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The children presented their flowers to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and He gave them boxes of chocolates and sweets. Later He spoke to them all—children and adults, young and old—and a photograph was taken outside the hall, with 'Abdu'l-Bahá seated in their midst. The following day, at His hotel, He spoke with great joy of the gathering at Esslingen.

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