When the students who had been attending Swami Vivekananda's classes in New York
heard of Miss Dutcher's proposal, they were immensely pleased, because they did not
want any interruption of their lessons. The Swami, too, after two years' extensive work
in America, had become eager to mould the spiritual life of individual students and to
train a group that would carry on his work in America in the future. He wrote to one of
his friends that he intended to manufacture 'a few yogis' from the materials of the
classes. He wanted only those to follow him to Thousand Island Park who were
completely earnest in their practice of spiritual disciplines, and he said that he would
gladly recognize these as his disciples.
By a singular coincidence just twelve disciples were taught by him at the summer
retreat, though all were not there the full seven weeks; ten was the largest number
present at any one time. Two, Mme. Marie Louise and Mr. Leon Landsberg, were
initiated at Thousand Island Park into the monastic life. The former, French by birth
but a naturalized American, a materialist and socialist, a fearless, progressive woman
worker known to the press and platform, was given the name Abhayananda. The latter,
a Russian Jew and member of the staff of a prominent New York newspaper, became
known as Kripananda. Both took the vows of poverty and chastity.
In many respects the sojourn in Miss Dutcher's cottage was ideal for the Swami's
purpose. Here, to this intimate group, he revealed brilliant flashes of illumination, lofty
flights of eloquence, and outpourings of the most profound wisdom. The whole
experience was reminiscent of the Dakshineswar days when the Swami, as the young
Narendra, had been initiated into the mysteries of the spiritual life at the feet of his
Master Ramakrishna.
Thousand Island Park, near the western tip of Wellesley Island, the second largest of
the seventeen hundred islands in the St. Lawrence River, has for its setting one of the
scenic show-places of America. A prosperous village during the last part of the
nineteenth century, it was, at the time of the Swami's visit, a stronghold of orthodox
Methodist Christianity. The local tabernacle, where celebrated preachers were invited
to conduct the divine service on Sunday mornings, attracted people from the
neighbouring islands. Since secular activities were not allowed on the Sabbath, the
visitors would arrive at Thousand Island Park the previous day and spend the night
camping out. No such profanities as public drinking, gambling, or dancing were
allowed in the summer resort — a rule that is still enforced half a century later. Only
people of serious mind went there for their vacation.
Miss Dutcher's cottage was ideally located on a hill, which on the north and west
sloped down towards the river. It commanded a grand view of many distant islands, the
town of Clayton on the American mainland and the Canadian shores to the north. At
night the houses and hotels were brightly illuminated by Chinese lanterns.
Miss Dutcher, an artist, had built her cottage literally 'on a rock,' with huge boulders
lying all around. It was surrounded by rock-gardens with bright-coloured flowers. At
that time the tress at the base of the hill had not grown high; people from the village
often visited the upstairs porch to survey the magnificent sweep of the river.