Sutherland, although greatly involved in the Maxwell brothers
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When in Bahá'í history
Montreal (today: Montreal, Canada)
Sutherland, although greatly involved in the Maxwell brothers' architectural firm, a good sportsman and a member of many clubs in Montréal, particularly those connected with the arts, was a reserved person who did not enjoy a lot of attention. All his sensitive Scots reticence shrank from the publicity and limelight that would be thrown upon him as the host of such an attention-attracting guest as the Persian Prophet and His entourage. He explained to May that although he wanted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to be their guest, he really didn't want the Master to stay in their house and would book a suite for him at the Windsor Hotel. The day before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived, however, Sutherland rushed into the bedroom and looking critically at the furniture declared: "this is not good enough for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. I am going right down to Morgan's to buy a new set", then rushed downtown and bought a whole new suite just for the Master. Sutherland met the Master at the railway station and humbly begged Him to stay in the Maxwell home. The Master accepted.
Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 181
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: abdul-baha-montreal).
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