4 / The Blessed Poor

4

The Blessed Poor

On a snowy February night about two months before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to the West, Juliet Thompson had visited the Bowery Mission. It was in a poor, neglected part of New York City, and she went there against her mother’s wishes. Though she was about thirty-nine years old, it was the first time she had ever been dishonest with her mother.

The Bowery was a shelter for homeless men who had nowhere to go—they often slept in doorways or on park benches. The minister of the Bowery, Dr. Hallimond, tried to give them hope and guidance. The first two times Dr. Hallimond had invited Juliet to talk to the men who came to the Bowery Mission about the Bahá’í Faith, she had refused. Her mother didn’t want her to go to the mission—perhaps because it was in an unpleasant part of the city. But when Dr. Hallimond asked a third time, Juliet couldn’t bring herself to refuse. She told her mother she was having dinner with her friend Sylvia, and after dinner, the two women went to the mission.

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When Juliet and Sylvia went inside, Dr. Hallimond greeted them kindly. The bitterly cold night had brought about three hundred men to the mission. Dr. Hallimond introduced Juliet, and she stood before them. As she looked out at the tired faces, she saw men who had been through difficulty and pain. Some of them looked angry and discouraged. She noticed one enormous man with white hair, who looked especially unhappy.

Juliet thought of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who had endured so much difficulty in His life, yet was full of love and joy. She began to speak. She told the men about the Bahá’í teachings. She explained that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had been unfairly imprisoned for forty years, and had finally been released just a few years ago. Now He was traveling in the West to encourage people to love one another and establish peace.

When Juliet finished her talk, Dr. Hallimond stood. He said, “We have heard from Juliet Thompson that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá will be here in April. How many of you would like to invite Him to speak at the Mission? Will those who wish it please stand?”

All three hundred men rose to their feet.

“Now,” said Dr. Hallimond, “how many would like to study the thirteenth Chapter of Corinthians with Miss Thompson and myself?”

The Bible chapter he suggested was all about love. Thirty men rose, including the unhappy man with white hair.

Dr. Hallimond said, “Then we will meet every Wednesday at eight p.m. and learn something about this Love of which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is our Great Example.”1

When Juliet got home, she told her mother what had happened that night. Her mother was so touched by the story of the men’s enthusiasm

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that she was happy for Juliet to continue visiting the mission. Dr. Hallimond escorted Juliet safely to and from the mission each Wednesday evening.

Later, Juliet learned about the large man with white hair. His name was John Good. He had spent most of his life in jail. On the same day Juliet gave her talk, he had just been released from Sing Sing prison. He had been so disruptive there that the wardens punished him by hanging him up by his thumbs. Juliet wrote that he had left prison “full of hate and without one grain of belief in anything. . . .”2 And yet, after hearing about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he began to study the Bible each week.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá once told Juliet, “You speak with a feeling, an emotion, which makes people ask: ‘What is this she has?’”3 Juliet had learned about the Bahá’í Faith while studying art in Paris. She became a Bahá’í and soon traveled to ‘Akká to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Later, she went to France and Switzerland to be near Him during His journeys there as well. And when He came to America, she was in His presence as much as possible.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá accepted the invitation to speak at the Bowery Mission on April 19. Before His talk, He gave some money to Juliet and another Bahá’í, Edward Getsinger. He asked them to exchange the money for quarters. He told Juliet, “I want to give them some money. I am in love with the poor.”4

That evening ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked toward the Bowery in His flowing robes and turban, followed by several Persian and American friends. Each of the Persian men wore a tall hat. Attracted by this unusual sight, some rowdy neighborhood boys began to bother the group. A

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few of them called names and threw sticks at them. Carrie Kinney, who had sons of her own, stopped and spoke with the boys as the others went ahead. She told them that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a holy man who had been in prison for many years because of His beliefs, and He was going to speak to the poor men at the Bowery. After learning this, the boys wanted to listen too, but she invited them to hear ‘Abdu’lBahá speak at another time.

In the chapel of the mission, Juliet and Edward each held a huge bag of quarters. They sat behind ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on a platform. The long hall was packed with four hundred men. Juliet was asked to introduce ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Then He rose to speak.

Tonight I am very happy, for I have come here to meet my friends. I consider you my relatives, my companions; and I am your comrade.

You must be thankful to God that you are poor, for Jesus Christ has said, “Blessed are the poor.”. . . Therefore, you must be thankful to God that although in this world you are indigent, yet the treasures of God are within your reach; and although in the material realm you are poor, yet in the Kingdom of God you are precious. Jesus Himself was poor. He did not belong to the rich. He passed His time in the desert, traveling among the poor, and lived upon the herbs of the field. He had no place to lay His head, no home. He was exposed in the open to heat, cold and frost—to inclement weather of all kinds—yet He chose this rather than riches. . . . Therefore, you are the disciples of Jesus Christ; you are His comrades, for He outwardly was poor, not

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rich. Even this earth’s happiness does not depend upon wealth. . . . While Bahá’u’lláh was in Baghdád, still in possession of great wealth, He left all He had and went alone from the city, living two years among the poor. They were His comrades. He ate with them, slept with them and gloried in being one of them. He chose for one of His names the title of The Poor One and often in His Writings refers to Himself as Darvish, which in Persian means poor; and of this title He was very proud. He admonished all that we must be the servants of the poor, helpers of the poor, remember the sorrows of the poor, associate with them; for thereby we may inherit the Kingdom of heaven. . . .

So, my comrades, you are following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Your lives are similar to His life; your attitude is like unto His; you resemble Him more than the rich do. Therefore, we will thank God that we have been so blessed with real riches. And in conclusion, I ask you to accept ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as your servant.5

After His talk, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stood at the door and waited for the men to walk by. Edward and Juliet stood on each side of Him, holding the big bags of quarters. The men shuffled past ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, looking grimy and worn. He greeted each one like His own child. He grasped each hand and pressed some coins into the poor man’s palm—sometimes five or six quarters. These men had seen little love and kindness in their lives. Sometimes they looked up at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in surprise, and seemed amazed at the love in His face. Juliet said many looked like a “drowning man rescued.”6

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When He returned to the hotel, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stopped the maid who cleaned the rooms. The day before He had given her some roses. The maid had told Juliet, “I think He is a great Saint.”

There were about eighty quarters left in Juliet’s bag. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked the maid to hold out her apron. He took the bag from Juliet and poured all the quarters into the apron. Then He walked into His room.

Amazed, the maid stopped one of the men following ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and said, “Oh, see what He has given me!” The man told her what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had done with the money at the Bowery.

The maid said, “I will do the same with this money. I will give away every cent of it.”

Later that night, the maid knocked on the door of the room. She went toward ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with tears in her eyes and said, “I wanted to say good-bye, Sir, and to thank You for all Your goodness to me—I never expected such goodness—and to ask You . . . to pray for me.”7

“We must be the servants of the poor, helpers of the poor, remember the sorrows of the poor, associate with them; for thereby we may inherit the Kingdom of heaven. . . .”

—‘Abdu’l-Bahá

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