On December 6, the Indian Mirror editorialized:_x000d_ . . . But the one figure among the audience, the one Indian representative, on whom were riveted all eyes, and who conquered as he went, was Swami Vivekananda, who appeared in the robes of the sannyasi, of handsome presence, somewhat portly form, and with eyes glittering like large brilliants . . . But when he spoke, when the inner man emerged from the shell, then the power was doubled, and the vast audiences heard his fervid exposition of the Vedic faith of the Hindus with rapture. We can well understand the enthusiasm of the Americans over Swami Vivekananda. . . .

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!"

Again, on December 12, after the news of the close of the Parliament of Religions had reached India, the Indian Mirror wrote:_x000d_ Among those who created the greatest stir at Chicago was Swami Vivekananda, a Hindu. His utterances on Hinduism created wide¬spread interest, and some sensation even. The majority of his audi¬ences heard of Hinduism, for the first time, from his lips. Other Hindus also spoke of that [their] religious creeds at Chicago, though their speeches were not listened to, perhaps, with much interest as those of Vivekananda. . . . The Parliament of Religions at Chicago is, we believe, the beginning of the movement that will come into greater prominence by and by for unification of all nations into a common religious bond. That was the impression, at least, of all those who attended the Parliament of Religions, and listened intelligently to the presentment of the different religious creeds by their representatives. We must own that the holding of the Parliament of Religions was a splendid idea, splendidly carried out.

The second came two months later on the publication of the Rev. John Henry Barrows's two-volume work, The World's Parliament of Reli¬gions - an official and detailed history of the event. The book was reviewed exhaustively in the January issue of the American . periodical the Review of Reviews, which account was, in turn, commented upon at length in an editorial in the Indian Mirror of February 21, 1894. The fact that Barrows had given a prominent place to Swami Vivekananda and to his paper on Hinduism in his history put an official and impressive seal on the Swami's great accomplishment. His achievement could no longer be brushed aside as a passing sensation by Christian missionaries and others to whose interest it was to discredit him. The deep mark he had made was now a matter of solid historical record.

There having been an occasional note of discord in chorus of praise which the delegates from India in the World's Parliament of Religions -and especially the Swami Vivekananda-elicited from the American Press and People, I have felt inspired to acquaint your people with the true state of the case, to voice the unanimous and heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of the cultured and broadminded portion of our public, and to give my personal testimony, as the President of the Scientific Section of the Parliament and of all the Conferences connected with the latter, and therefore an eyewitness, to the esteem in which he is held here, the influence that he is wielding and the good that he is doing. . . . Intense is the astonished admiration which the personal presence and bearing and language of Paramahamsa . Vivekananda have wrung from a public accustomed to think of . Hindus-thanks to the fables and half-truths of the missionaries-as ignorant and degraded "heathen"; there is no doubt that the conti¬nued interest is largely due to a genuine hunger for the spiritual truths which India through him has offered to the American people. . . ._x000d_ All the Hinduizing forces hitherto at work have received a notable impulse from the labours of Swami Vivekananda. Never before has so authoritative a representative of genuine Hinduism-as opposed to the emasculated and Anglicized versions of it so common in these days-been accessible to American inquirers: and it is certain that the American people at large will, when he is gone, look forward with eagerness to his return, or the advent of some of his confreres of the institute of Sankaracharya. . . America thanks India for sending him.

The spirit that reigned over the Parliament and dominated the soul of almost every religious representative present, was that of universal toleration and universal deliverance, and it ought to be a matter of pride to India, to all Hindus specially, that no one ex¬pressed, as the American papers say, this spirit so well as the Hindu representative, Swami Vivekananda. His address, in every way worthy of the representative of a religion, such as Hinduism is, struck the keynote of the Parliament of Religions. . . . The spirit of catholi¬city and toleration which distinguishes Hinduism, forming one of its broad features, was never before so prominently brought to the notice of the world, as it has been by Swami Vivekananda, and we make no doubt that the Swami's address will have an effect on other religions, whose teachers, preachers and Missionaries heard him, and were impressed by his utterances.

I am extremely sorry to see that the unprecedented success of Swami Vivekananda has created a strong jealousy and heart burning among the Christians and the Brahmos, who are trying their best to damage his reputation. They have commenced regular warfare in writing and speaking against the Swami in his absence. But they are fighting a losing battle. Swami Vivekananda is a mighty power now. His culture, his eloquence and his fascinating personality have given to the world a new idea of Hindu religion. . . . The Swami’s address on Hinduism, which has been printed and circulated, is a precious gem. It should be read, pondered over and thoroughly grasped. Every sentence uttered by him is a museum of thoughts, and it is a wonder how he succeeded in giving such a remarkable picture in half an hour's time. . . .

. . . Had the late lamented Swami Vivekananda done nothing more than attend the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, and deliver that one speech which brought India and America together in juxtaposition almost immediately, he will still have been entitled to our fullest gratitude. That speech compelled attention both in method and substance: To Swami Vivekananda belongs the undying honour of being the pioneer in the noble work of Hindu religious revival.

The Swami's appearance at the Parliament of Religions had without question made him irreversibly famous throughout the world. Never again was he to wander alone, unknown through his beloved country. His world mission in its public aspect had begun. But in the midst of all the immediate acclaim and popularity that his appearance at the Parliament had brought him; he had no thought for himself; his heart continued to bleed for India. Personally he had no more wants.

The mansions of some of the wealthiest of Chicago society were open to him, and he was received as an honoured guest. On the very day of his triumph, he was invited by a man of great wealth and distinction to his home in one of the most fashionable parts of the city. Here he was entertained royally; a princely room fitted with a luxury beyond anything he could have conceived was assigned to him. But instead of feeling happy in this splendid environment, he was miserable. Name and fame and the approval of thousands had in no way affected him; though sumptuously cared for, he was the same sannyasi as of old, thinking of India's poor. As he retired the first night and lay upon his bed, the terrible contrast between poverty stricken India and opulent America oppressed him. He could not sleep for pondering over India's plight. The bed of down seemed to be a bed of thorns. The pillow was wet with his tears. He went to the window and gazed out into the darkness until he was well-nigh faint with sorrow. At length, overcome with emotion, he fell to the floor, crying out, "O Mother, what do I care for name and fame when my motherland remains sunk in utmost poverty! To what a sad pass have we poor Indians come when millions of us die for want of a handful of rice, and here they spend millions of rupees upon their personal comforts! Who will raise the masse in India! Who will give them bread? Show me, O Mother, how I can help them."

Over and over again one finds the same intense love for India shining out in his words and actions. The deep and spon¬taneous love that welled in his heart for the poor, the distressed and the despised, was the inexhaustible spring of all his activities. From now on, the student of the Swami's life is led into a world of intense thought and work. He will discover that hand in hand with giving the message of Hinduism to the West the Swami was constantly studying, observing, and trying to turn to advantage, every new experience in seeking to solve the problems of his. country. Though the dusty roads and the parched tongue and the hunger of his days as a wandering monk were ascetic in the extreme, the experiences he was to undergo in foreign lands were to be even more severe. He was to strain himself to the utmost. He was to work until work was no longer possible and the body dropped off from sheer exhaustion.