The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-12-20


thing that is beyond matter. We have
been taught for ages after ages and
centuries after centuries to turn our
gaze inward. toward realms that are
not those which are reached by the help
of the physical senses. This fact has
given rise to the various schools OF
philosophy that exist today in India, ex-
citing the wonder and admiration, not
only of the dead East, but of the living
and rising West. We have in India,
! even TO this day. thousands of people
who give up as trash, as nothing, all
the material comforts and luxuries OF
life with the hope, with the realization,
that, great as the physical body may be,
/ there Is something greater within man.
underneath the universe, that is to be
longed for and striven after.
IN the West you have evolved such
stupenduouS energy on the physical
plane. such unparalleled vigor on the
intellectual plane that it strikes any
stranger landing on your shores with Il
strange amazement. And yet can read.
even in this atmosphere of material
progress. I can discern beneath this
thickness Of material luxury q secret and
mystic aspiration to something spiritual.
Il can see that even you are getting
tired of your steam, Of your electricity
ard the thousand different material COM
! forts that follow these two great powers.
I see that there IS a feeling Of de-
spondency coming even here-that
-
can be only to the death OF all, and ii
| is only through the clear atmosphere of
| spirituality that you can mount up to
the regions Of peace and harmony. In
| the West, therefore, you have developed
| this material tendency. In the East we
have developed great deal Of the
spiritual tendency, but even in this
| West, as 1 travel from place to place,
/ from New York to Cincinnati and from
Cincinnati to Chicago, 1 have observed
an ever increasing readiness of people
to assiuulate spiritual ideas, regardless
Of the source from which they eminate.
/ This. ladies and gentlemen, / consider
a most significant sign of the future,
because through this and through the
mists Of prejudice that still hang on
the horizon will be consummated the great
event of the future, the union of the
| East and Of the West. / look,
Therefore, upon a union of the East and
West as a most significant event. and
/ look with great hope upon the day when
/ the East and West will be like brothers
helping each other, each supplying to
| the other what it wants-the West sup
/ plying the vigor, the youth, the power
Of organization, and the East opening up
/ it's inestimable treasures of a spiritual
/ law and which are now locked up IN the
! treasure boxes grown rusty with age.
I And I think that this day, with the
sitting of the parliament Of religions. we
| begin the work OF building up per-
! ennial fountain from which will flow
/ for the next century waters OF life and
! light and Of peace. stacking the thirst
/ of the thousands OF millions that are TO
come after u.s.
! Next presented was the orange-rObed
/ Swamie Vivekananda of Bombay, India.
/ whose stately bearing and youthful,
| genial face always attra cted great deal
/ of attention. When Mr.. Vivekananda adj
dressed the audience as sisters and
| brothers Of America" there arose a peal
of applause lasting for several minutes.
Continuing he said:
/ 1T fills my heart with joy unspeak-
! able to rise in response to the warm and
! cordial welcome which you have given
/ US. 1 thank you in the name Of the
| most ancient order Of monks in the
| world; l thank you in the name of The
| mother of religions, and l thank you
! in the name of the millions and millions
| of Hindoo people OF all classes and
! sects.
THE present convention. which is one
| of the most august assemblies ever held,
| is in itself a vindicatiOn, a declaration
| to the world of the wonderful doctrine
preached in Gita- whatsoever comes to
! me, through whatsoever form i reach
/ him, they are all struggling through
paths that in the end always lead to
| me- Sectarianism, bigOtry and its hOr-
| rible dascendent, fanaticism, have pos
| sessed long this beautiful earth. 1t has
| filled the earth with violence, drenched
/ it often and often with human blood,
! destroyed civilization and sent whole ma
| tons to despair. Had il not been for
/ this horrible demon human society
/ would be far more advanced than ii is
| now. But it's time has come and
! fervently hope that the bell that tolled
| this morning in honor Of this convention
be the deathknell to all fanaticism. to
! all prosecutions with the sword or the
! pen and to all uncharitable feelings be
| tween persons vending their way to the
| same goal"
Principal Grant of Canada next adj
dressed the congress on the racial, polit-
| ical and religious evolution of the Domin-
| ion. We viii pass this and note a few
remarks of a woman from the fear East
| Miss Jeanne Sarabji of Bombay-who
! was introduced as a representative Of
| the Parsees. She said: Or. Barrows
just told you that l belong to the order
! of Parsees. He is correct in one way
| and not in anotheS My people were fire
wOrshippers, but / am not now. Before
| ] go on further 1 wish to thank all
| those who have extended their welcome
| to Us. This morning, as | looked around
and saw the many faces that greeted a
| welcome. / felt indeed that 1t was the
! best day / have seen in Chicago. I have
| been here for some time and I have
| asked the question over and over again,
| Where is religious America TO be found :;
| Christian America? Today l see 1t all
| come. l VIII give you n greeting from
| my country. When we meet one an
! other in our land the first thing we say
| to each other is Peace be with you
say it TO you today In all sincerity, in
| all love. I feel today that the great
| banner over us is the banner of love.
| feel today more than ever that ii Is
| beautiful to belong to the family of God.
to acknowledge the Christ.
! In the name Of the Lord Jesus Christ
thank you You will hear, possibly, the
words in His own voice saying unto
| you. 'inasmuch as We have done it unto
| the least Of these, my brethren, ye have
| done it unto me- "
Following Miss Serabii was another
J message from Bombay by b. B. Nargar-
/ kar from which we give the following:
q represent the theistic movement in
India, known IN my native country as
| the religion Of the Brahma SOmaj =
| The Brahma SOmaj is the result as vow
| may know. of the influence Of various
| religions. and the fundamental priv tll s
OF the theistic church Of India is univer-
sal love. unity of prophets and harmony
of faiths. The reverence we pay the
/ other prophets and faiths IS not mere
Up loyalty. But 4 is the universal love
/ for all the prophets and for all the forms
and shades of truth by their own inher-
| ent merit. We try not only to learn in
| an Intellectual way what those prophets
/ have 20 teach. hut % assimiate end i'm
; bibe these truths that are very near our
spiritual beinE. It was the grandest
, Of l. II,