The Times Democrat
Previously published in the Chicago Times Herald, the anecdote below is, in our opinion, not reliable. It appears in a column of several anecdotes and news briefs in The Times Democrat of Lima, Ohio, on Friday. July 2, 1897, and refers to an incident, if true, which would have occurred in the summer of 1893.
An Indian Beauty from Georgia
When Vivekananda, the Hindoo monk, visited Chicago during the World's fair, he was greatly delighted
one afternoon to learn that the "international beauty show" on the Midway plaisance contained an East Indian princess. He lost no time in visiting the show. In one of the booths was a dusky damsel arrayed in East Indian costume and prominently placarded as a charmer from the land of the Ganges.
Vivekananda addressed her politely in Hindoostanee, and for his pains was rewarded by a stare of blank
astonishment. Then he tried Cingalese with no better success and also the several allied dialects of the interior provinces of India . At last the dusky beauty spoke in sheer self defense:
"Go 'way, man," she said. "You mus' be crazy!”
"Excuse me," remarked Vivekananda, in faultless English, "but will you kindly inform me where you were born?''
"I'ze born in Savannah , an I'ze dun lived in Georgy all mah life,' she said, "but yo' can't fool wid me,
if yo' is a stuck up no'thern niggah!" And he didn't try to do so.—-Chicago Times Herald
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- www.vivekananda.net edited by Frank Parlato Jr.
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