Friday, February 24, 2012

Rabindranath in America-- 2nd times -Seattle (contd-4)

Seattle Intelligence on 20th Sept. informed, "Sir Rabindranath Tagore... has accepted invitation from Dr. Lilburn Merril, of the Juvenile Court, to visit the  juvenile Industrial School of Mercer island and speak to the  boys." But no official report of this programme was  received.
New York Dramatic Mirror wrote on 7th Oct.,
" Rabindranath Tagore, Week, Sept 22, gave the first lecture in America on his arrival from India, in Tacoma, to a large audience." Pond received 60.45 dollar as his commission for this lecture.
The series of Lectures arranged by Pond started on 25th Sept at 2.30 pm to deliver to the members of the Sunset Club on " The Cult of Nationalism". The chairperson of the Club Mrs. Smith introduced Rabindranath before the audience . Rabindranath read out his written essay for about two hours. Due to the popular demand of the lecture he had to read again at 8.15 in Macaulay's Theatre. Here an entry fee of 1 dollar per head was charged. Describing the lecture Charles Eugene banks of Seattle post-Intelligence  on 26th Sept wrote;
" It was a literary feast of beauty and wisdom ...tagore is not an entertainer. He is here to say something and he has something to say. he will leave his impress on the thought of our country."
   Pearson wrote to Rathindranath on 27th Sept. about the lecture of Rabindranath at Seattle;
" In the evening he was in magnificient form as the audience was a more intelligent one than the one in the afternoon which consisted mostly of loud and overdress ladies.. From the two lectures we get $ 600...The lecture at Tacoma yielded $ 300.