'Abdu'l-Bahá's journey across America was remarkable. He was
68 years old and had been a prisoner most of His life. When He set out from
Egypt He was unwell and planned only to travel to the American East coast and
to Chicago. However, the American Bahá'ís begged Him to visit their communities
and He undertook the strenuous three thousand-mile journey across the continent
by train, sitting up most nights in a chair rather than spend money on a
sleeping compartment. He spoke at public meetings nearly every day, sometimes
three times a day, and gave hundreds of private interviews. His hectic and
exhausting schedule is well-documented
by Mírzá Mahmúd, who frequently alludes to the anxiety of the Master's
companions over His health. Mahmúd's telling references to the simplicity of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's lifestyle -- `For dinner, 'Abdu'l-Bahá ate only a little bread
and cheese and went to bed' -- contrast with the opulent lives lived by many of
the Americans who visited Him.
(Preface to 'Mahmud’s Diary', published by George
Ronald, 1997)
