Andrew Jackson Davis 1826-1910
American thinker comments on Swami Dayanand in his book Beyond the Valley 1885 page 383
I behold a fire that is universal — the fire of infinite love, which burneth to destroy all hate, which dissolve the all things to their purification.
Over the fair fields of America, — over the great land of Africa, — over the everlasting mountains of Asia, — over the wide empires and kingdoms of Europe, — I behold the kindling flames of the all-consuming, all-purifying, fire ! It speak at first in all the lowest places; it is kindled by man for his own comfort and progress; for man is the only earthly creature that can originate and perpetuate afire; even as he is the only being on earth that can originate and perpetuate words, so he is the first to start the fires of hell in his own habitations, and the first, also, to seek and obtain from heaven the Promethean fire whereby Plutonian abodes will be purified by love and whitened with wisdom.
Beholding this infinite fire, which is certain to melt the kingdoms and empires and governmental evils of the whole earth, I rejoice exceedingly, and I take hold of life with an enkindling enthusiasm. All loftiest mountains will begin to burn; the beautiful cities of the valleys will be consumed; sweet homes and loving hearts will dissolve together ; and the good and the evil will interfuse and disappear, like dew drops vanishing in the sun's golden horns.
The spirit of man is on fire with the lightnings of infinite progression. Only the sparks thereof ascend today into the heavens. Lambent flames here and there appear in the inspirations of orators, poets, writers of scriptures. To restore primitive Aryan religion to its first pure state was the fire in the furnace called "Arya Samaj," which started and burned brightly in the bosom of that inspired Son of God in India, Dayananda Saraswati. From him the fire of inspiration was transferred to many noble inflaming souls in the land of Eastern Dreams. Ram Mohan Roy, with a hotter and more expanded fire blazing within him, opposed and condemned all Idolatry. Under his lightning thunderbolts venerated idols dissolved before the eyes of their worshippers. Hindus and Muslims run together to extinguish the consuming fire, which was flaming on all sides with a fierceness that was never dreamed of by the first kindler, Dayananda. And Christians, too, whose Altar fires and sacred candles were originally lighted in the dreamy East, joined Moslem and Hindu in their efforts to extinguish the New Light of Asia. But the heavenly fire increased and propagated itself.
