Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-15

VI l1ldHlOiluSs AZ llS COHCluSlol WAS
introduced to the speaker, and I liked
him as much as I liked his lecture. heard
him again several times, for every year,
nearly so, he came to Barton. The story of
Al Iafed stayed in my mind. That story
l believe, serves invariably as the introduce
tion of "Acres of Diamonds" The impress
sion made by lecture and lecturer was ir-
radicabe. 1t has been thus with hundreds
and thousands of people, youngsters and
grown-ups, all over the country. And on
my very first visit to Philadelphia, and on
the first Sunday of that visit I attended
church at the Baptist Temple and heard
Conwell preach.
Big Things Every Day
But when somewhat earlier l began to
run across graduates of Temple College and
to know their work and the work of the
founder of that institution, 1 learned that
Russell Conwell was practicing what he lee
tured. He himself has found acres of dia-
monds. For he has thought in large terms
The largest term of life is service. 1t was
in Al Hafeds own garden that the diamonds
were found, not in a search far away. Big
things and everyday things go together
and not more remarkably than in the story
Of tho work which keeps the noted Philadel-
phan so interested and busy. The whole
story is not easily told. Some of the chap
ters the Baptist Temple, Temple Uni
versity, the Samaritan and Garretson hos
ptals the lecture trips which have brought
millions to the assistance of ambitious
youth, If the work thus represented hasn't
yielded acres of diamonds, if 1t hasn't been
itself a harvest of splendid opportunities
seized, then acres of diamonds are a myth
Russell Conwell's has been described as "a
pioneer life" He has done many first things
As a mere child he organized the first debat-
ing society in the countryside where he was
born. At WiIbraham Academy he started
the first paper of that school and organized
the original alumni association. In war
time he built the first schoolhouse for the
first free colored school and started the
comfort bag" movement. In Minneapolis
he instituted the Y. M. c. A., the first IL
brary and the first daily newspaper. He as
sisted James Redpath in opening the first
lyceum bureau in the United States. He was
the prime mover in the establishment of
schools and churches in various commune
ties. In Philadelphia he has initiated organi-
cations and institutions which have made
deep impress on the life of the city and on
the lives of countless individuals. He is
known as the founder of the institutional
church in America.
What is the institutional church? Let Con-
well answer the question; when Jesus was
upon earth. He devoted His attention to
three things-healing the sick, teaching the
ignorant and preaching the gospel We have
endeavored to follow Chrsts ideal. Our hos
pitfalls heal the sick; Temple University gives
an education to thousands of young men who
otherwise would never obtain it, and in the
Temple we preach the gospel"
Honors have been paid to Russell Con-
well in the spoken and the written word but
what are verbal tributes compared with the
actual story Of "a pioneer life? No need
OF praise when facts are in evidence
Russell Conwell was born on a farm I'm
Massachusetts,. Very early In boyhood he
was compelled TO earn his own living, and
he must have possessed then the twin habits
OF perseverance and do-it-now for even
while attending the district school he was
paying his way by manual labor. BY daily
labor he paid his way through the acad-
envy and by the same method he kept him
self at Yale until he enlisted IN the Union
army, After the war he studied ana prac-
tleed law. For years, too, he served as a
newspaper correspondent Ia foreign lands