Why Keep Two?
Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, (1937), George Ronald · Read original
When in Bahá'í history
A retelling for children, based on Portals to Freedom by Howard Colby Ives (George Ronald, 1937).
From her window, a lady watched 'Abdu'l-Bahá walking up and down the street below, talking quietly as He went.
Then an old man came shuffling along. His clothes were torn, and his trousers were so thin and worn that they could not keep out the cold. 'Abdu'l-Bahá saw him at once, and called him over with a warm smile.
What happened next made the lady catch her breath. 'Abdu'l-Bahá stepped into a quiet corner of the porch, out of sight — and took off His own trousers, and gave them to the old man to wear. Then He said a kind goodbye and went right back to His walking, as if nothing unusual had happened at all.
Later, someone asked Him why He had given his own clothes away. And 'Abdu'l-Bahá answered with a question that is easy to remember:
Why should I have two, when there are so many who have none?
He could not be happy keeping two of something while another person had nothing. That is a small story, but it teaches a big and beautiful thing: when we have more than we need, the kind thing is to share.
This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "Why Should I Have Two?".
Cite this story
Ives, H. C.. (1937). *Portals to Freedom*. George Ronald. https://bahai-library.com/ives_portals_freedom
This story shares quotes with 1 other story
“Why should I have two, when there are so many who have none?”
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- Why Should I Have Two?— Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom
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