I know that Swamiji will reach Detroit in February
1894 and hence want to rush through the earlier events. I personally love the
Detroit part of His American stay.
He arrived in Memphis on 13th Jan.’1884
and was guest of Mr. Hu L. Brinkley at Miss Moon's establishment, Third Street,
near Poplar. Miss Virginia Moon was fondly known as "Miss Ginny" in
Memphis. She had turned a academy building into a boardinghouse for six or
seven bachelor gentlemen. She was around 50 when Swamiji visited Memphis and
one of the most extraordinary characters. Swamiji must be surely delighted to
meet this emancipated woman with a spirit of independence.
On 14 Swamiji gave an interview for the local
Memphis Commercial and spoke on 15th for the first time in
Memphis. He gave 3 lectures and the report came in the Appeal – avalanche, few
excerpts from which are –
“COMING WEEK'S
ATTRACTIONS
Memphis
this morning has a distinguished visitor in the person of Swami Vive Kananda, a
Brahman monk of India, who is the guest of the Nineteenth Century Club. His
culture, his eloquence, and his fascinating personality has given this country
a new idea of Hindoo civilisation. He is an interesting figure, his fine, intelligent,
mobile face in its setting of yellows and his deep, musical voice prepossessing
one at once in his favour. So it is not strange that he has been taken up by
the literary clubs, and has lectured and preached in many American churches. He
speaks without notes, presenting his facts and his conclusions with the
greatest art, the most convincing sincerity, and rising at times to a rich,
inspiring eloquence. "Hinduism" will be his subject next Tuesday
evening at 8 o'clock at the Auditorium.
What was His subject on 15th we do
not know but due to a later research by Sister Gargi, we surely know from an
item in the Appeal - avalanche of January 21 that "the address of Swami
Vive Kananda before the Nineteenth Century Club and the reception given after
the lecture was one of the pleasant events of this eventful year in club
calendar. “A piano solo and a song" formed the musical program of the
afternoon.” We wonder as how many musical programs Swamiji must have heard
while on tour!
The paper also writes further-
AMUSEMENTS
"One
of the giants of the platform," "a model representative of his
race," "a sensation of the World's Fair parliament," "an
orator by divine right " All this and more is true of Swami Vive Kananda,
the Hindu Monk, who is in the city, a guest of the Nineteenth Century Club.
Several members of the club heard Vive Kananda during the recent parliament of
religions, and were so charmed with his eloquence, his earnestness, his
culture, that they determined to have him visit Memphis, and to this end have
been in correspondence with him since the adjournment of the parliament. On
tomorrow evening at 8 o'clock in the Auditorium an opportunity will be given
the people of Memphis to see and hear this earnest, eloquent Brahman tell of
the religions, manners, and customs of his people.
THE HINDOO MONK
The
Eloquent Lecturer from the Orient Will Be Heard Tonight
Swami
Vive Kananda, the Hindoo monk, who is to lecture at the Auditorium tonight, is
one of the most eloquent men who has ever appeared on the religious or lecture
platform in this country. His matchless oratory, deep penetration into things
occult, his cleverness in debate, and great earnestness captured the closest
attention of the world's thinking men at the World's Fair Parliament of
Religion, and the admiration of thousands of people who have since heard him
during his lecture tour through many of the states of the Union.
In
conversation he is a most pleasant gentleman; his choice of words are the gems
of the English language, and his general bearing ranks him with the most
cultured people of Western etiquette and custom. As a companion he is a most
charming man, and as a conversationalist he is, perhaps not surpassed in the
drawing - rooms of any city in the Western World. He speaks English not only
distinctly, but fluently, and his ideas, as new as sparkling, drop from his
tongue in a perfectly bewildering overflow of ornamental language.
Swami
Vive Kananda, by his inherited religion or early teachings, grew up a Brahmin,
but becoming converted to the Hindoo religion he sacrificed his rank and became
a Hindoo priest, or as known in the country of oriental ideality, a sanyasin.
He had always been a close student of the wonderful and mysterious works of
nature as drawn from God's high conception, and with years spent as both a
student and teacher in the higher colleges of that eastern country, he acquired
a knowledge that has given him a worldwide reputation as one of the most
thoughtful scholars of the age.
I am purposely giving the details directly from the newspaper as they are so specifically writing about His language, His eloquence, His mannerism etc. Memphis was in love with Swamiji...let us see tomorrow how they loved Him..!
