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in the province on the subject, with the result that a healthy and
intelligent interest was created in the movement among the educated
people at large. His learning, his noble bearing, his spotless character,
his child like simplicity drew large audiences every where and his
pathetic and vigorous appeals so charming and eloquent had a
marvellous effect in moving the people to open their purses in the
interest of the college. Money poured in from all sides, so much so
that those who had no cash with them at the time, gave away earrings,
chands, anants
and similar other ornaments on their persons. The
following cuttings from the
Arya Patrika
will show how the lectures of
Pandit Guru Datta were appreciated. "Pandit Guru Datta, Vidyarthi,
B.A., an able member of the Lahore Arya Samaj, then followed. He
delivered a very impressive and learned speech and proved by quoting
and explaining'a
mantra
of the Rig Veda that the assertion of the late
Maharishi Swami Dayananda Saraswati that the Vedas contained the
germs of all knowledge, was quite true. In one single
mantra
quoted by
him he showed that all the properties of air were forcefully described.
He also stated that the study of Vedas was very necessary from many
points of view. He said that even those who considered the Vedas as
worthless books should feel interest in spreading their knowledge,
because that alone was the way of shaking the faith of the people in
them, if they were really books containing childish things. In the end
he said that the first duty of every well wisher of the country was to
contribute to the funds of the Anglo Vedic College. Rs.10,000 were
collected at this speech.17 Shortly after, another was delivered at Pindi18
which fetched Rs.1,600. In April next the exigencies of the work took
him to Peshawar19 where no less than Rs.2,600 were subscribed. Some
months later Amritsar was revisited and the most impressive lecture
on the D.A.V. College delivered there which, to quote the
Patrika
again "moved the hearts of all the people present and produced a
wonderful effect. He proved to demonstration that it was one of
the chief duties of all the Arya Samagsts to help in the foundation
of his grand seminary of Sanskrit and western Sciences and technical
instruction in memory of Swami Dayananda. His appeal to public
was very impressive. On his speech being brought to a close,
Rs. 9084 in cash were collected."2°
The major portion of the year following that in which Pandit
Guru Datta passed the B.A. examination was spent in lecturing on
the aims and objects of the D.A.V. College. Though he had made