- 1911-09-09 —
'Abdu'l-Bahá visited the home of Mrs Thornburgh-Cropper at
31 Evelyn Mansions, Carlisle Place, Victoria.-
In the afternoon 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited the home of Miss Anett Schepel and Miss Alice Buckton,
Vanners, Byfleet, Surrey (since demolished), some 20 miles out of London. He spoke with a number of working women from the Passmore Edwards' Settlement who were visiting while on holidays. (The Passmore Edwards' Settlement began in 1890 as one of the first "settlements" run by socially-conscious middle-class educators for the benefit of local working people and their children.) The talk has been entitled, "The small house and the path to true happiness". ['Abdu'l-Bahá Speaks, SYH39]
- Alice Mary Buckton (1867-1944) wrote many plays and poems. Her play Eager Heart
was seen by 'Abdu'l-Bahá on His second visit to England. She became a member of the
Froebelian Society which was formed to reform educational methods. She persuaded
Anett Schepel who had worked at Pestalozzi-Froebel Haus in Germany to move to
England and together they worked to improve child education, opening a school in St
John's Wood.
[ABL85-86, In the Footsteps of 'Abdu'l-Bahá p9-10]
- 1911-09-28 —
'Abdu'l-Bahá visited Byfleet for a second time by motorcar. He stayed the night and returned the evening of the next day. [ABL86, 99, In the Footsteps of 'Abdu'l-Bahá p.17]
- He committed the poor, saying they were very poor. [SYH39]
- Mrs Thornburgh Cropper had place her motorcar at His service. She and Ethel Rosenberg who had visited Him in 'Akká were lovingly attentive to Him. [BW4p384]
- 1911-09-29 —
A farewell reception was given for 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the hall of the Passmore Edwards' Settlement in Tavistock Place. The Settlement movement of the late 19th century was intended to bridge the ever-widening gap between the poor and the middle classes. A purpose-built building would be constructed in a working class area and young solicitors, doctors, architects and other middle class professionals would be encouraged to live there while at the same time the working classes would be free to use the building and mix with them, using the building more or less as a community centre.
It was attended by a capacity crowd of some 460 people. [SAR87-88; SYH41; ABL31-39; In the Footsteps of 'Abdu'l-Bahá p.18; SoW Vol 2 No 13 November 4, 1911 p4]
- For more information on this remarkable philanthropist see John Passmore Edwards.
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