, they had found the Faith only after intensive investigation
of various spiritual and social movements current at the time, and this
broad understanding of the concerns and interests of their contemporaries
no doubt helped make them such effective teachers of the Faith. It is
equally clear, however, that the wide range of expression and
understanding among them did not prevent them or their fellow believers
from contributing to building a collective unity that was the chief
attraction of the Cause. As the memoirs and historical accounts of the
period make clear, the secret of this balancing of individual and
community was the spiritual bond connecting all believers to the words and
example of the Master. In an important sense 'Abdu'l-Baha _was_, for all
of them, the Baha'i Cause.

No objective review of 'Abdu'l-Baha's mission to the West can fail to take
into account the sobering fact that only a small number of those who had
accepted the Faith--and infinitely fewer among the public audiences who had
thronged to hear His words--derived from these priceless opportunities more
than a relatively dim understanding of the implications of His message.
Appreciating these limitations on the part of His hearers, 'Abdu'l-Baha
did not hesitate to introduce into His relations with Western believers
actions that summoned them to a level of consciousness far above mere
social liberalism and tolerance. One example that must stand for a range
of such interventions was His gentle but dramatic act in encouraging the
marriage of Louis Gregory and Louise Mathew--the one black, the other
white. The initiative set a standard for the American Baha'i community as
to the real meaning of racial integration, however timid and slow its
members were in responding to the core implications of the challenge.

Even without a deep understanding of the Master's goals, those who
embraced His message set out, often at great personal cost, to give
practical expression to the principles He taught. Commitment to the cause
of international peace; the abolition of extremes of wealth and poverty
that were undermining the unity of society; the overcoming of national,
racial and other prejudices; the encouragement of equality in the
education of boys and girls; the need to shake off the shackles of ancient
dogmas that were inhibiting investigation of reality--these principles for
the advancement of civilization had made a powerful impression. What few,
if any, of