But the Swami took himself and his message seriously, and he was inspired with the courage to fulfil his Master's will. He had become bold. An incident that occurred in the Parliament is told in the second volume of The Times's Historian's History of the World, on pages 547 and 548. These were substituted in deference to the violent objection taken by the Indian subscribers to some serious calumnies that had appeared in it against Hinduism. The following passage, later reproduced in Prabuddha Bharata of June 1908, illustrates the Swami's boldness of spirit and self-confidence:_x000d_
A striking illustration of what in another case would be termed insularity of outlook was brought to view by, a noted Hindu when addressing a vast audience at the World's Congress of Religions in America, in the city of Chicago, in 1893. Pausing in the midst of his discourse, the speaker asked that every member of the audience who had read the sacred books of the Hindus, and who therefore had first¬hand knowledge of their religion, would raise his hand. Only three or four hands were raised, though the audience represented, presumably, the leading theologians of many lands. Glancing benignly over the assembly, the Hindu raised himself to his full height, and in a voice every accent of which must have smitten the audience as a rebuke, pronounced these simple words, "And yet you dare to judge us!"