Chicago Speach Of Swami Vivekanand

Sisters and Brothers of America,

It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in
response to the warm and cordial welcome which you
have given us. l thank you in the name of the most
ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in
the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you
in the name of the millions and millions of Hindu
people of all classes and sects.

My thanks, also, to some of the speaSisters and
Brothers of America,

It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in
response to the warm and cordial welcome which you
have given us. l thank you in the name of the most
ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in
the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you
in the name of the millions and millions of Hindu
people of all classes and sects.

My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this
platform who, referring to the delegates from the
Orient, have told you that these men from far-off
nations may well claim the honor of bearing to
different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to
belong to a religion which has taught the world both
tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not
only in universal toleration, but we accept all
religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation
which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of
all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud
to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the
purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to the
southern India and took refuge with us in the very
year in which their holy temple was shattered to
pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the
religion which has sheltered and is still fostering
the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will
quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which
I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood,
which is every day repeated by millions of human


"As the different streams having their sources in
different
places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord,
the
different paths which men take through different
tendencies,
various though they appear, crooked or straight, all
lead to Thee."

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 the Gita:

"Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I
reach him;
all men are struggling through paths which in the end
lead to Me."

Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant,
fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth.
They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it
often and often with human blood, destroyed
civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had
it not been for these horrible demons, human society
would be far more advanced than it is now. But their
time has come; and I fervently hope that the bell that
tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be
the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions
with the sword or with the pen, and of all
uncharitable feelings between persons wending their
way to the same goal.

kers on this platform who, referring to the delegates
from the Orient, have told you that these men from
far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to
different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to
belong to a religion which has taught the world both
tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not
only in universal toleration, but we accept all
religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation
which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of
all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud
to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the
purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to the
beings:

"As the different streams having their sources in
different
places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord,
the
different paths which men take through different
tendencies,
various though they appear, crooked or straight, all
lead to Thee."

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 the Gita:

"Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I
reach him;
all men are struggling through paths which in the end
lead to Me."

Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant,
fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth.
They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it
often and often with human blood, destroyed
civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had
it not been for these horrible demons, human society
would be far more advanced than it is now. But their
time has come; and I fervently hope that the bell that
tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be
the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions
with the sword or with the pen, and of all
uncharitable feelings between persons wending their
way to the same goal.

kers on this platform who, referring to the delegates
from the Orient, have told you that these men from
far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to
different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to
belong to a religion which has taught the world both
tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not
only in universal toleration, but we accept all
religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation
which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of
all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud
to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the
purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to the

year in which their holy temple was shattered to
pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the
religion which has sheltered and is still fostering
the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will
quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which
I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood,
which is every day repeated by millions of human
beings:

"As the different streams having their sources in
different
places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord,
the
different paths which men take through different
tendencies,
various though they appear, crooked or straight, all
lead to Thee."

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 the Gita:

"Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I
reach him;
all men are struggling through paths which in the end
lead to Me."

Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant,
fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth.
They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it
often and often with human blood, destroyed
civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had
it not been for these horrible demons, human society
would be far more advanced than it is now. But their
time has come; and I fervently hope that the bell that
tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be
the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions
with the sword or with the pen, and of all
uncharitable feelings between persons wending their
way to the same goal.