The daily sentinel., 1909-02-05

Those who heard DR.. Conwell
when he was here six years ago
knew what a rich treat was in store
for the audience last evening. those
who had never heard him but knew
of his reputation knew that wonder
ful man would make a wonderful
talk. Nobody was disappointed save
the man and woman who let pass the
opportunity of hearing DR.. Conwell
last night
The distinguished lecturer was fit
tingly introduced by Rev II. II.
Beach. of the Baptist church To
look at this tall powerfully built,
ruggedly constituted man. with raven
black hair and mustache, vigorous in
personality, quick in his movements,
youthful in his countenance, IL is
hard indeed to realize that he is
nearly 20 years of age. that he has
been lecturing for AZ consecutive
years. that he is a veteran of the Civil
war, that he was an intimate assoc
late of great men who have been
dead for many years. His life. the
life of a self-made man, has been
marvelously crowded with thrilling
and unusual events. great deeds,
strenuous and effective work. AS a
soldier. newspaper man, preacher.
lecturer, author, friend of the strug-
Cling youth of America, head of n
great university, founder of orphan
homes and benefactor of many other
institutions, pastor of the largest
protestant congregation in America,
Richard Conwell has done sublime,
unselfish, noble work that will keep
his memory alive for generations to
come yet he is one of the most un-
assuming and simple men. Certain
fy, then, il is privilege that is rare,
ff.l or tn, 10 ma of sh1t1 r1n
a. Dana said, II regard Russell II.
Conwell. of Philadelphia, as Amer
ica's greatest man in the best FORM
and of whom Harpers Weekly said,
For creating much out of nothing
and doing great deeds with the small
est means. Conwell has no peer in the
United States"
THE Jolly Earthquake. the Power
OF a Cheerful Life was the unique
subject chosen by Dir. Conwell last
night and for two hours he held the
close and enraptured attention of the
large audience. Space will not per-
nit an extended review of that great
talk. Conwell is true orator. his
voice is remarkable in its strength.
He talks rapidly and pleasingly. His
flow of language is astounding. He
gives no room for a single dull mo-
ment. AS the basis of his lecture he
told of the quaint and weird tradi-
tion of the laughing earthquake"
that in 1905 visited the barren. desc
late, prison island of Osemar off the
coast of Japan. and Nature in the
t;iroes of wild and terrible emo
ton worked strange transformation
during the process of which there
eoemed to come from the interior of
the earth and envelope the island as
the work of destruction and trans
formation went on, mighty. awful,
awe inspiring shrieks of inhuman
laughter, and then when the great
earthquake had passed it was found
that the upheaval had transformed
that barren and bleak island of sor-
row and desert waste into low
lying island of rich soil and rare
resources and in the course of time
that island blossomed out, as result
OF that change of nature, into one
of the most beautiful. verdant and
heaven-lilSe spots on the face of the
globe. The tradition says that every
inhabitant of that desolate island,
nearly all of whom had been exiled
from the mainland for one reason or
other was found conNulsed in laugh
ter after the great laughing earth
quake" had passed. Then Mr.. Con-
well drew series of most sublime
lessons from that laughing earth
quake" as he told the different Incl
dents of that quaint tradition which
rs based on historic fact, and in n