Today for sure Swamiji is in Detroit and i am missing being with with Him. His exact date of leaving Chicago is not known but from one of His letter written to Mrs. Kate Tannat Woods we come to know about His Madison and Minniapolis plans. He must have started for His Midwestern tour on 20th Nov.1893 which continued till almost April 1894. He first went to Madison which is the capital of Wisconsin, then to Minneapolis and also to Des Moines.
He again visited Minniapolis in midst of December and in January 1894 went to Memphis and Tennessee. His first stop was at Madison which is 140 trainmiles from northwest of Chicago. He didn't stay here and then went to Minniapolis frrom where He wrote a beautiful letter to Mrs. Hale.
I love the way Swamiji ends His letters always. This letter of 21st Nov.1893 ends beautifully as -
"May you be blessed for ever my kind friend you and your whole family have made such a heavenly impression on me as I would carry all my life."
In Madison Swamiji gave lecture at the Congregational Church. The Wisconsin State Journal gave a very short report of His lecture but what appealed to me most in that report was -
" Pagan though he be, Christianity may well follow many of his teachings. His creed is as wide as the universe, taking in all religions, and accepting truth wherever it may be found. Bigotry and superstition and idle ceremony, he declared, have no place in "the religions of India."
But the a newspaper by the students of 'Wisconsin University' of Madison named 'Daily Cardinal' gave a full report of the lecture. I will just write the title of it -
RELIGIONS OF INDIA
Viva Kananda, the Hindoo Orator Delivers an Interesting Lecture
It is vey tempting for me to quote His entire speech but i shall just tell you the last paragraph of it -
" Viva Kananda came to this country from India in the interest of the world's congress of religions, and his lecture last evvening on the " Religions of India" was an inspiration to all who heard him. He has a pleasant , clear-cut, dusky face, and a decidedly impressive manner and bearing. His voice is low and pleasant, with a secret something which rivets your attention at the start."
I sincerely am praying to Swamiji to make me finish this task i have undertaken and to force me to write my blog without a gap. Amen!!!
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