News of the Los Angeles Center
HOSPITAL AND PRISON WELFARE WORK
The Center has lately begun a work that will, we are sure, have far-reaching and beneficent results. The Center staff workers are visiting the County Hospital and other hospitals. As an extension of our correspondence work among prisoners, we are planning personal contact with distribution of our magazine, books, etc. We want to do everything to make our Center a forceful and practically helpful influence in the world, and plan to extend the scope of our activities as time and means permit.
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NEW CIRCULATING LIBRARY
The Center has recently opened its new circulating library and the membership is growing fast. The Center urges all Yogoda students throughout the country to donate interesting books for this purpose.
On January 15th, the musical extravaganza, "A Night in Dreamland" directed by Mr. Jay Wellington and presented for the benefit of the Mount Washington Educational Center, appeared at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Auditorium, and was repeated a few nights later at the Gamut Club Theatre. The play scored a brilliant theatrical and artistic success. The cast included the Mexican prima donna, Alma Real, and the beautiful Virginia Pearson, motion picture star. About 275 Yogoda students took part. Mr. Wellington was an inspiring director. Mrs. C. P. Scott and others of our Center were of great assistance.
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SWAM YOGANANDA
CROSSES CONTINENT TO VISIT CENTER
On the conclusion of his Cleveland Yogoda engagements Swami Yogananda boarded the train for a visit to the Los Angeles Center, where he stayed five days. His Cleveland students had presented him with a round-trip ticket and many other gifts as tokens of their love and joy in Yogoda. Word spread like wildfire in Los Angeles that Swami Yogananda was coming, and a large number of his students met him at the depot with lei rose-garlands and bouquets ...until he was almost hidden from view behind these fragrant gifts. The automobile that the Center staff had brought to take Swami from the depot to the Center, was decorated with Cecil Brunner roses till it looked almost like a gala-day float, and all Los Angeles knew Swami Yogananda had come home!
On Saturday night, February 13th, the staff entertained Swami at a theatre party, and on Sunday the Center was packed to capacity by a huge crowd of students ...eager to welcome the Swami home. Swami conducted the service and gave an inspiring talk, filling his audience with new energy and enthusiasm. That evening the Swami played the organ, sang and chanted, and expressed his great happiness at being once more in the midst of the peaceful and uplifting vibrations of Mount Washington and the Center.
The Swami gave a special talk before the Mount Washington Men's Club, and specially emphasized the need for practical accomplishment. He praised their plan of starting an employment bureau. "Be practical," the Swami said. "You cannot feed the person who is suffering from ill-health and poverty with spiritual talks only. First help him to remove his physical troubles, through Yogoda, and aid him to procure a good position; then ...feed him all the spiritual knowledge you like. If you keep yourselves busy with fulfilling real human needs, and helping all the people of your city, your services will soon be eagerly requested, and the good you have done will be recorded in Heaven."
On February 16th Swami Yogananda departed to fulfill his Pittsburgh lecture engagement. A large number of students were at the train to say good-bye, and Swami was weighted down with bouquets and all kinds of mysterious-looking farewell packages.