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."
