The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 6/Epistles - Second Series/LXIV Mrs. Bull
LXIV
54 W. 33rd STREET, NEW YORK, 25th April, 1895.
DEAR MRS. BULL,
The day before yesterday I received a kind note from Miss Farmer including a
cheque for a hundred dollars for the Barbar House lectures. She is coming to
New York next Saturday. I will of course tell her to put my name in her
circulars; and what is more, I cannot go to Greenacre now; I have arranged
to go to the Thousand Islands, wherever that may be. There is a cottage
belonging to Miss Dutcher, one of my students, and a few of us will be there
in rest and peace and seclusion. I want to manufacture a few "Yogis" out of
the materials of the classes, and a busy farm like Greenacre is the last
place for that, while the other is quite out of the way, and none of the
curiosity-seekers will dare go there.
I am very glad that Miss Hamlin took down the names of the 130 persons who come to the Jnana-Yoga class. There are 50 more who come to the Wednesday Yoga class and about 50 more to the Monday class. Mr. Landsberg had all the names; and they will come anyhow, names or no names.... If they do not, others will, and so it will go on — the Lord be praised.
Taking down names and giving notices is a big task, no doubt, and I am very
thankful to both of them for doing that for me. But I am thoroughly
persuaded that it is laziness on my part, and therefore immoral, to depend
on others, and always evil comes out of laziness. So henceforth I will do it
all myself. ...
However, I will be only too glad to take in any one of Miss Hamlin's "right
sort of persons", but unfortunately for me, not one such has as yet turned
up. It is the duty of the teacher always to turn the "right sort" out of the
most "unrighteous sort" of persons. After all, though I am very, very
grateful to the young lady, Miss Hamlin, for the great hope and
encouragement she gave tine of introducing me to the "right sort of New
Yorkers" and for the practical help she has given me, I think I hard better
do my little work with my own hands. . . .
I am only glad that you have such a great opinion about Miss Hamlin. I for
one am glad to know that you will help her, for she requires it. But,
mother, through the mercy of Ramakrishna, my instinct "sizes up" almost
infallibly a human face as soon as I see it, and the result is this: you may
do anything you please width my affairs, I will not even murmur; — I will be
only too glad to take Miss Farmer's advice, in spite of ghosts and spooks.
Behind the spooks I see a heart of immense love, only covered with a thin
film of laudable ambition — even that is bound to vanish in a few years.
Even I will allow Landsberg to "monkey" with my affairs from time to time;
but here I put a full stop. Help from any other persons besides these
frightens me. That is all I can say. Not only for the help you have given
me, but from my instinct (or, as I call it, inspiration of my Master), I
regard you as my mother and will always abide by any advice you may have for
me — but only personally. When you select a medium, I will beg leave to
exercise my choice. That is all.
Herewith I send the English gentleman's letter. I have made a few notes on
the margin to explain Hindustani words.
Your obedient son,
VIVEKANANDA.