#259 YANKEES vis-a-vis- BLACKS -vis-a-vis INDIANS

We cannot find from swAmi vivEkAnanda‷s published letters, whether during his two stints in USA and Europe, had any time visited the ghettoes of blacks or spent a night with them. His opinion about blacks (he called them Negroes, as was the wont of those days) vis-a-vis whites and Indians can be traced from his Complete Works. See this letter swAmijI wrote to DIWANJI (Shri Haridas Viharidas Desai) from 541 DEARBORN AVENUE, in Nov. 1894.

. . . If any man tries to move forward here, everybody is ready to help him. In India you may try tomorrow by writing a single line of praise for me in any of our papers (Hindu), and the next day they would be all against me. Why? It is the nature of slaves. They cannot suffer to see any one of their brethren putting his head the least above their rank. . . . Do you mean to compare such stuff with these children of liberty, self-help, and brotherly love? The nearest approach to our people are the freed slaves of the U.S.A., the Negroes. Why, in the South they are about twenty millions and are now free. The whites are a handful, still the whites hold them down all the same. Why, even when they have every right by law, a bloody war between the brothers has been fought to free these slaves? The same defect — jealousy. Not one of these Negroes would bear to see his brother-Negro praised or pushing on. Immediately they would join the whites to crush him down. You can have no idea about it until you come out of India. ...

DEDUCTIONS
Indians are slaves.

Indians suffer from jealousy, because they are slaves.

Indians cannot tolerate their ilk going out of their folk, to above, far and beyond.

Americans are children of liberty, self-help and brotherly love.

Nearest in approach to Indians, were the blacks.

Handful of whites hold down blacks only because blacks suffer from jealousy.

Blacks cannot see their brother-blacks praised or pushing on.
Blacks immediately join whites to crush brother blacks.

This swAmiji learnt, only after leaving India to the yankee-land.

Now, let us see what he wrote about Americans. He wrote to Ms. Isabelle Mckindley from New York on March 27, 1895:

"...This is a wonderful country for cheating, and 99.9 per cent have some motive in the background to take advantage of others. If any one just but closes his eyes for a moment, he is gone!! ..."

Jan 17, 1900 to Mother Ole:

"...They come in crowds when there is a free lecture and very few when there is something to pay...

YBRAO A DONKEY`s personal views
*Where has all the LIBERTY, SELF HELP and BROTHERLY-LOVE of Americans GONE? How did they suddenly become cheats?

*Comparison of MahAtma gAndhi with vivEkAnanda in one respect: When gAndhijI was in South African jails, he seemed to have abhorred cohabiting with kAffirs (in those days probably a custom in South Africa). He did not like sharing the same cell with blacks. Here vivEkAnanda is ready to share everything with whites, while compelling Blacks and Indians to share jealousy slavishly.
VIVEKANANDA`S LAMENTATIONS ABOUT HINDU PREACHERS and RICH not WEEPING FOR POOR
vivEkAnanda too suffered from the same malice as the Hindu Preachers and the Indian Rich. When vivEkAnanda hired a palatial bungalow for entertaining his Euro-American guests at a HimAlayan Hill Station, paying Rs. 80/- per month (equal to Rs. 80000 per month in these days), his principal donor for the bElur monastery land Ms. Henrietta Muller realised that something was some jiggery-pokery and shifted to theosophy of Anne Besant. At the same period, when nivEdita wanted Rs.100 for plague and drought relief work, swAmiji grudgingly released. This release also took place because niVEdita was a Euro-American and a piece of Exhibit to other Euro-Americans for mobilising funds. Suppose his brother-disciples or his own disciples (vivEkAnanda`s own disciples) ask for support, he would have banged them. vivEkAnanda`s approach to his fellow-disciples was `feed yourself from your pocket` and `I shall have three meals (from donations implied)`.

Naugatuck Daily News, an American Newspaper, in its issue dt. May 15, 1899, published that Ms. Henrietta Muller (Mueller) was reported as saying in a newspaper that

"she is face to face with the unavoidable conclusion that it is utterly rotten and corrupt from beginning to end and full of danger to the unhappy people who place their full faith in it. She will henceforth have no more to do with Vivekananda."

Charity homes and orphanages were EXHIBITS not only for vivEkAnanda, but it was and is a universal custom, to which missionaries of other religions were and are not exceptions. Feigning to weep for poor was, and is a part of that business.
Another proof for the partisan and selfish approach of vivEkAnanda:

`...Christina: A little gold will not be amiss to keep my jewel in proper surroundings...`

`...Christina:

Herewith I send you four hundred and eighty dollars by cheque drawn on Thomas Cook & Son, Broadway, New York. They have no branch office in Detroit. On receipt of this, you write to Thomas Cook & Son, Broadway, New York, that you have got a cheque from India — mentioning the amount and number — drawn by Thomas Cook & Son on the firm of Thomas Cook & Son, and want to be advised as to how to cash it. Don't send the cheque ahead. (Excuse all these details. I feel you are a baby in business, though I am worse.) This is to pay your "passage to India"1 if you think fit to accept Mrs. Sevier's invitation. If you get leave and come, I am sure you will find somebody who is coming to England, at least. Then from there, again, somebody who is coming to Egypt. You come with them as far as Italy, thence direct on a boat to India.

Second-class passage across the Atlantic is all right, but the second class from Italy to Bombay is rather bad. There are always a few rough men and fast women. There is money enough for travelling first class all through, if you so like. The Mother will see to it, even as [She did when] this money came. Drop me a line as soon as you engage your passage —better a week ahead; otherwise I don't see how the letter can reach me. The vessel to India you get from London; and possibly a letter may reach me with the name of the vessel, etc. In any case, however, you wire me as soon as you land and get into a good hotel. You will find many persons to receive you — and me too, most probably. In case, however, things take another turn and you cannot come, no matter. Do with the money just as it pleases you.

HAD THE DONORS NOT ASKED FOR ACCOUNTS, HOW THE THINGS WOULD HAVE BEEN

*Euro-American donors asked for accounts.

*Vivekananda had to confess that he spent part of the Charity Funds for personal use.

*Vivekananda has to create Trusts for administering Trust Properties.

*vivEkAnanda started washing off his hands from Trusts both in USA and India.

*After separating Trust Funds and own funds, a greater thrust to mobilise funds for personal use arose. Appeal to rAja of Khetri, and khEtri`s death accentuated this insecurity.