Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper was the first Baha'i in England and
one of the first Western people to recognize the Revelation of Baha'u'llah. She
received the name "Maryam Khanum" from 'Abdu'l-Baha. She put her car
at the Master's disposal during His visits to London. Her tall, graceful figure
with her serene angel face shining beneath a crown of silver hair, her blue
eyes, and the soft blend of blues and purples in her dress, gracious to all,
and ready to be of constant service to her exalted Guest.
In a letter to Lady Blomfield, now published in The
Chosen Highway, Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper tells how she became aware of the
new Revelation. "Early in 1900 I received a letter from Mrs. Phoebe Hearst,
my life long friend from California, telling me of a wonderful new religious teaching
she had contacted. She said that she felt it would be of great interest to me, and
that when she came to London, she would tell me all about it. A short time later
I was searching in the encyclopedia for some information about King David, about
whom I had had an argument. In turning over the pages, my eye was caught by a
name "Báb." . . . There was something so moving in this story of a
martyr for His faith, that so moved me that I went to the British Museum to
search for further information regarding Him and His teaching."
Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper accompanied Mrs. Hearst to 'Akka in 1902, and later made another pilgrimage in 1906, both times being received by the Master. Of her first encounter with Him she says: "Someone went before us with a small piece of candle which cast strange shadows on the walls of this silent place. Suddenly the light caught a form that at first seemed a vision of mist and light. It was the Master the candle light had revealed to us. His white robe, and silver flowing hair, and shining blue eyes, gave the impression of a spirit, rather than of a human being. We tried to tell Him how deeply grateful we were at His receiving us. "No," he answered, "you are kind to come." This was spoken in a very careful English. Then He smiled, and we recognized the Light which He possessed in the radiance which moved over His fine and noble face. It was an amazing experience. We four visitors from the Western world felt that our voyage, with all its accompanying inconveniences was a small price to pay for such treasure as we received from the spirit and words of the Master Whom we had crossed mountains and seas and nations to meet. This began our work 'to spread the teaching,' to 'mention the Name of Baha'u'llah, and acquaint the world with the Message'."
To many Baha'is of the present generation Mrs.
Thornburgh-Cropper was unknown personally. The infirmity of her declining years
prevented her from active association with the friends, but she was known as a
staunch and loyal servant, and it was a delight to hear from Lady Blomfield the
story of how she sent an envoy to the great Tolstoy.
She passed away on March 15th, 1938.
The following account is written by a friend who wishes to remain
anonymous.
Nearly forty years ago (1902) the late Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper
in company with a group of friends made the pilgrimage to Haifa. It was during a casual conversation with
an acquaintance at a hotel that she first heard of 'Abdu'l-Baha. Some weeks
later after making independent inquiries and carefully considering the real
purport of the account of this remarkable Personage, she decided to take the
journey with the intimate friends who had been fired by her enthusiasm.
They first went to Alexandria where they managed to secure
accommodation on a steamer which would call at 'Akka, the ancient seaport of
Syria. This was a notoriously rough sea passage at the best of times but on the
day of their disembarkation it was necessary for the ship to lower boats as she
could not make the port.
One can imagine the daring adventure for these ladies
accoutred in the voluminous apparel of that day when they had to make the
tricky descent into a rowing boat which had been brought alongside the ship on
the crest of an accommodating wave! Except for a soaking wet trip to the pier
the party were none the worse for their experiences.
They stayed the night at 'Akka and the next day drove about
a dozen miles to Haifa in a lumbering landau drawn by high-spirited Arabian
horses.
At this period of his life 'Abdu'l-Baha was virtually a
prisoner in His large greyish stone house in Haifa. Although there was no
visible guard enforcing this incarceration it was believed that He was on parole
not to leave the premises without permission from Turkish officials.
Several members of His family lived with him and when the
travellers arrived they were graciously received by the ladies or the household
who showed them into a spacious room furnished only with a few small tables and
upholstered seats against the walls. Armchairs were specially brought for
the Western visitors. Then coffee and a variety of sweet meats were
served.
They had not long to wait before a turbaned figure clad in
flowing white robes appeared in the doorway. It was the Master.
It would be
difficult to describe the effect created by the Master's presence. As He sat there
the light from an opposite narrow window focused upon His countenance revealing
the finely modelled manly features and the large arresting grey blue eyes. In those eyes were mysterious depths;
a glow of luminous inner power holding the secrets of a great soul.
With the assistance of one of His daughters who spoke
French, 'Abdu'l-Baha first welcomed His guests and then began a
course upon the teachings of Baha’u’llah.
This interview lasted about an hour.
When the time came for leave-taking, the
Master rose and made His way across the room with the light, noiseless step more
like that of a supernatural being than of a man. They watched
Him as He lingered awhile in the courtyard among His flowers in the brilliant sunshine - and
the finally passed on to His private quarters for rest and meditation.
The friends returned the next day at ‘Abdu'l-Baha's
invitation and had the privilege of sitting at His table. A simple repast was
served, consisting of beautifully cooked rice and diced meat, besides
numerous little dishes of condiments and followed by sweet meats and fresh
fruit.
During most of the meal the Master gave His audience further
and more detailed accounts of the Baha'i Cause.
Before the visitors left, 'Abdu'l-Baha bade them spread the
Word among their people. He also made a certain prophetic pronouncement, the
general trend of which has in a large measure come to pass in the world's history.
The gist of His words is as follows:
“There will be a great struggle among the nations for
material gain; abysmal darkness will envelope the nations for nearly half a century
before the Light comes to show them the true way to spiritual
development."
When this group of friends returned to Europe they told
those interested of their visits to the Master and gave out what they had
gleaned from the teachings of Baha'u'llah.
In 1906 Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper again went to Haifa. On this
occasion she was able to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the
Message. There were present several interpreters with a working knowledge of
English who could produce more complete translations….
Over a period of many years, Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper gave
unstinted help to the Cause and kept in close touch with 'Abdu'l-Baha and His
family, not forgetting the younger generation who were completing their
education in England. The latter always found in her a sympathetic generous friend
who would never spare herself to assist them in their problems.
(The Baha’i World
1938-1940)
