SWAMI VIVEKANANDA - Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture

Memorable Events in the Life of Swami Vivekananda39
people. Rockefeller was annoyed that anyone dared to
talk to him that way. He left the room in irritation, not
even saying goodbye. But about a week later, again
without being announced, he entered Swamiji's study
and finding him the same as before, threw on his desk a
paper which told of his plans to donate an enormous
sum of money toward the financing of a public institution.
'Well, there you are,' he said, 'you must be satisfied
now, and you can thank me for it!' Swamiji didn't even
lift his eyes, didn't move. Then taking the paper, he
quietly read it and said, 'It is for you to thank me.'
This was Rockefeller's first large donation to the
cause of public welfare. Later he became widely known
for his philanthropy.
* * •:•
It was again in Chicago that Swamiji met Robert
Ingersoll, me famous orator and agnostic. They were
poles apart, while Swamiji was spirituality in flesh and
blood having unshakable faith in transcendental truth
and was only against religious fanaticism and
pretensions, Ingersoll was opposed to all religious
beliefs and had no faith in transcendental truth.
Nevertheless, they met on more than one occasion and
discussed religious and philosophical matters.
One day Ingersoll said to Swamiji, 'I belive in
making the most out of this world, in squeezing the
orange dry, because this world is all we are sure of.'