The Bells of London
Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway, (1940), Bahá'í Publishing Trust
When in Bahá'í history
A retelling for children, based on The Chosen Highway by Lady Blomfield.
Long ago, in the autumn of 1911, 'Abdu'l-Bahá traveled all the way to London. It was the very first time He had ever come to England. A kind woman named Lady Blomfield was so glad to welcome Him that she invited Him to stay in her own house, on a quiet street in the city.
Every day in that house was busy from morning until night. 'Abdu'l-Bahá woke up early and prayed. He ate only a small breakfast. Then the visitors began to arrive — more and more of them, all day long. Some days He went out to speak to great crowds of people who came to hear Him. In the evenings He came back and talked with the friends some more.
One evening, after a long, full day, the last visitors had finally gone home. 'Abdu'l-Bahá stepped outside onto a little balcony to breathe the cool night air. From up there He could look out over the rooftops of London, all the way toward a part of the city called Westminster.
And just then, something happened. Across the whole city, the great bells of Westminster began to ring.
"The bells of Westminster sounded across the city, and He stood on the balcony to listen."
He did not hurry back inside. He stood very still at the balcony rail and listened to every note as the sound floated across the night.
When the ringing was over, He turned to Lady Blomfield. The bells were beautiful, He told her. Long, long ago, devout people had made those bells because they wanted to call the whole city to come and pray. He listened to them, He said, with the very same love and respect that someone far away in another land might feel hearing the call to prayer at that same hour.
It would have been easy, after such a tiring day, to walk right past the sound. But 'Abdu'l-Bahá stopped to listen. He heard the prayer hidden inside the ringing bells — and He taught us that holy and beautiful things can be found everywhere, in every land and in every kind of worship, if only we stop to notice them.
This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "Westminster Bells: The Master Walks in London, 1911".
Cite this story
Blomfield, L.. (1940). *The Chosen Highway*. Bahá'í Publishing Trust.
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Westminster Bells: The Master Walks in London, 1911
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