In February and March 1894, Vivekananda delivered all eight lectures in Detroit, apart from those in other nearby towns. In short, what ultimately transpired was the combined wrath of the indignant Christian missionaries of Detroit, who, since the religious parliament, had been nurturing their grievances against Vivekananda. Here is what a distinguished visitor, who saw the Swami at the religious parliament, wrote afterwards about the plight of the missionaries:
“A few years ago there was a Congress of Religions at Chicago. … Viva Kananda, from the oldest monastery in the world…was of commanding presence and vast learning, speaking English like a Webster. The American Protestants, who vastly outnumbered all others, imagined that they would have an easy task, and commenced proceedings with the greatest confidence, and with the air of ‘Just see me wipe you out.’ However, what they had to say was the old commonplace twaddle that had been mouthed over and over again in every little hamlet from Nova Scotia to California. It interested no one, and no one noticed it. … When, however, Viva Kananda spoke, they saw that they had a Napoleon to deal with. His first speech was no less than a revelation. Every word was eagerly taken down by the reporters, and telegraphed all over the country, where it appeared in thousands of papers. Viva Kananda became the lion of the day. … They had been sending silly girls and half educated simpletons of men, and millions of dollars, to Asia for years to convert the poor benighted heathen and save his alleged soul; and here was a specimen of the unsaved who knew more of philosophy and religion than all the parsons and missionaries in the whole country. Religion was presented in an agreeable light for the first time to them. There was more in it than they had ever dreamed; argument was impossible. He played with the parsons as a cat plays with a mouse. They were in a state of consternation. What could they do? What did they do? What they always do—they denounced him as an agent of the devil. But the deed was done; he had sown the seed, and the Americans commenced to think. They said to themselves: ‘Shall we waste our money in sending missionaries who know nothing of religion, as compared with this man, to teach such men as he? No!’ And the missionary income fell off more than a million dollars a year in consequence.”[1]
Therefore, with Swami Vivekananda in their den, the Protestant missionaries decided to square up in Detroit what they lost in Chicago, and thereby show the Americans what true religion meant. Two other things were there too. First, the liberals―the eager and enthusiastic people of Detroit, ready to move in whatever way their opinions would influence them. Second, even when in the Midwestern Cities earlier, Vivekananda had occasions to experience acerbity and resentments―though much subdued; this would now reach its height in Detroit. But the most important thing had been how he faced these collective assaults of the antagonistic clergies in a far-off land and all on his own while among unknown people in a distant land. However, instead of going into detail about how he faced such well-planned attacks and, more so, could finally silence all adversaries with his words—we may briefly look into how he triumphed without making himself a party to the war waged against him. The fact is important to us, for after this unsought victory, Vivekananda, as we shall see, would long for something else in his letter to Mary Hale.
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Christine Greenstiedel, later more known as Sister Christine, and Mary C. Funke—both of whom attended the Swami’s first lecture in Detroit, and never missed any of the later ones there. In 1908, Mrs Funke sent some newspaper clippings from fifteen years before to Swami Brahmananda in Belur Math, which were reports of the Swami’s lectures in the Detroit Free Press. We shall selectively go through them now, remembering, though, that they are not verbatim to what he said in his lectures. The Detroit Free Press of 15 February highlighted the spiritual heritage of India while reporting the lecture:
“The early kings, who, 260 B.C. commanded that there should be no more bloodshed, no more wars, and who sent forth instead of soldiers an army of instructors, acted wisely, although in material things the land has suffered. But though in bondage to brutal nations who conquer by force, the Indian spirituality endures forever, and nothing can take it away from him. There is something Christlike in the humility of the people to endure the stings and arrows of outraged fortune, the while the soul is advancing towards the brighter goal. Such a country has no need of Christian missionaries to ‘preach ideas’, for theirs is a religion that makes men gentle, sweet, considerate and affectionate towards all God’s creatures, whether man or beast. Morally, said the speaker, India is head and shoulder above the United States or any other country on the globe. Missionaries would do well to come there and drink the pure waters, and see what a beautiful influence upon a great community have the lives of the multitude of holy men.” [2]
This lecture was delivered at the Unitarian Church of Detroit on February 14. Before he began, Vivekananda was introduced by Bishop Ninde, a Methodist Episcopalian, who, within a few months, would journey to China to promote the interest of foreign Christian missions. In his introduction, according to researcher Mrs Burke, the Clergy “had introduced Swamiji with the prayer that the heathens would someday see the light and who had been under the impression that he was going to hear entertaining descriptions of heathen customs and, perhaps, praise, direct or implied, for the work of Christian missions…” [3] Therefore, to save himself from the wrath of his fellow clergies, Bishop Ninde wrote a long letter to the editor of the Detroit Free Press on February 16, highlighting two points: first, that while accepting the responsibility of introducing the Indian monk, he had the idea that “nothing would be said that could be at all offensive to the Christian ears.” Secondly, to his dismay, he found that the Swami had made an “effort to magnify the virtues of the Hindoos and discount the morals of Christian nations” (ibid. 312).
This was the beginning. Many letters and editorials, both for and against the Swami, filled the Detroit papers in days to come, revealing that the war was on. But it had been fought mostly in the journals and papers alone―for in none of his lectures do we find the Swami uttering any harsh words to the missionaries. He pointed out the essence of religion and disregarded the chaff. His lectures were always easy-flowing with aspersions to none. He tried to help both, without discriminating between the admirers and detractors. Therefore, neither the people nor the press could escape his magnanimity. The above report of the Detroit Free Press ends with: “His [Vivekananda] excessive spirituality is a quality which makes itself felt with his auditors, for it manifests itself in the love for animate and inanimate things…’’ [4] For to Vivekananda Hinduism and Christianity were no warring subjects, but he was not ready to permit any distortion of facts. His message was for all. People who looked for spiritual treasures were in awe of the young Swami; and those who had scores to settle waited for some opportunity till, they liked it or not, everything was silenced.
(Cont’d in Vivekananda Stresses the Essence of Religion)
Notes and References
[1] New Discoveries, 1.138-40 [Ref.: Hiram Maxim, Li Hung Chang’s Scrap-Book (London, Watts and Co., 1913), xxiii].
[2] Pages from the Past, Vedanta Kesari, February 1924, 845
[3] New Discoveries, 1.310-11.
[4] Pages from the Past, 846.
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