The train bearing Vivekananda to Chicago arrived late in the evening, and he had
mislaid, unfortunately, the address of the committee in charge of the delegates. He did
not know where to turn for help, and no one bothered to give information to this
foreigner of strange appearance. Moreover the station was located in a part of the city
inhabited mostly by Germans, who could hardly under stand his language. He knew he
was stranded there, and looking around saw a huge empty wagon in the railroad freight-
yard. In this he spent the night without food or a bed.
In the morning he woke up 'smelling fresh water,' to quote his own words, and he
walked along the fashionable Lake Shore Drive, which was lined with the mansions of
the wealthy, asking people the way to the Parliament grounds. But he was met with
indifference. Hungry and weary, he knocked at several doors for food and was rudely
treated by the servants. His soiled clothes and unshaven face gave him the appearance
of a tramp. Besides, he had forgotten that he was in a land that knew thousands of ways
of earning the 'almighty dollar,' but was unfamiliar with Franciscan poverty or the
ways of religious vagabonds. He sat down exhausted on the sidewalk and was noticed
from an opposite window. The mistress of the house sent for him and asked the Swami
if he was a delegate to the Parliament of Religions. He told her of his difficulties. The
lady, Mrs. George W. Hale, a society woman of Chicago, gave him breakfast and
looked after his needs. When he had rested, she accompanied him to the offices of the
Parliament and presented him to Dr. J.H. Barrows, the President of the Parliament,
who was one of her personal friends. The Swami was thereupon cordially accepted as a
representative of Hinduism and lodged in the house of Mr. and Mrs. John B. Lyons.
Mr. and Mrs. Hale and their children as well as the Lyons, became his lifelong friends.
Once again the Swami had been strengthened in his conviction that the Lord was
guiding his footsteps, and he prayed incessantly to be a worthy instrument of His will.
THE PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS
On Monday, September 11, 1893 the Parliament of Religions opened its deliberations
with due solemnity. This great meeting was an adjunct of the World's Columbian
Exposition, which had been organized to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of
the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. One of the main goals of the
Exposition was to disseminate knowledge of the progress and enlightenment brought
about in the world by Western savants and especially through physical science and
technology; but as religion forms a vital factor in human culture, it had been decided to
organize a Parliament of Religions in conjunction with the Exposition.