,illustration3 ,,russell ,h ,,conwell ,,russell ,h4 ,,conwell ,founder of the ,institutional ,church in ,america ,,the ,,work ,,and ,,the ,,man ,,by ,,agnes ,,rush ,,burr ,with ,his ,two ,famous ,lectures as ,recently ,delivered1 entitled ,acres of ,diamonds1 and ,personal ,glimpses of ,celebrated ,men and ,women ,with an ,appreciative ,introduction by ,,floyd ,w4 ,,tomkins1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d4 #aije ,,to ,,the ,,members ,,of ,,grace ,,baptist ,,church ,,to ,,those ,,who ,,in ,,the ,,old ,,days ,,worked ,,with ,,such ,,self ,,sacrifice ,,and ,,devotion ,,to ,,build ,,the ,,temple ,,walls2 ,,to ,,those ,,who ,,in ,,the ,,later ,,days ,,anywhere ,,work ,,in ,,like ,,spirit ,,to ,,enlarge ,,their ,,sphere ,,of ,,usefulness1 ,,this ,,book ,,is ,,dedicated ,,an ,,appreciation ,the measure of greatness is helpfulness4 ,we have gone back to the method of the ,master and learned to test men not by wealth1 nor by birth1 nor by intellectual power1 but by service4 ,wealth is not to be despised if it is untainted and consecrated4 ,ancestry is noble if the good survives and the bad perishes in him who boasts of his forebears4 ,intellectual force is worthy if only it can escape from that cursed attendant1 conceit4 ,but they sink1 one and all into insignificance when character is considered2 for character is the child of godly parents whose names are self-denial and love4 ,the man who lives not for himself but for others1 and who has a heart big enough to take all men into its living sympathies--he is the man we delight to honor4 ,biographies have a large place in present day literature4 ,a woman long associated with some foreign potentates tells her story and it is read with unhealthy avidity4 ,some man fights many battles1 and his career told by an amiable critic excites temporary interest4 ,yet as we read we are unsatisfied4 ,the heart and mind1 consciously or unconsciously1 ask for some deeds other than those of arms and sycophancies4 ,did he make the world better by his living8 ,were rough places smoothed and crooked things straightened by his energies8 ,and withal1 had he that tender grace which drew little children to him and made him the knight-attendant of the feeble and overborne amongst his fellows8 ,the life from which men draw daily can alone make a book richly worth the reading4 ,it is good that something should be known of a man whilst he yet lives4 ,we are overcrowded with monuments commemorating those into whose faces we cannot look for inspiration4 ,it is always easy to strew flowers upon the tomb4 ,but to hear somewhat of living realities2 to grasp the hand which has wrought1 and feel the thrill while we hear of the struggles which made it a beautiful hand2 to see the face marked by lines cut with the chisel of inner experience and the sword of lonely misunderstanding and perchance of biting criticism1 and learn how the brave contest spelt out a life-history on feature and brow2--this is at once to know the man and his career4 ,this life of a man justly honored and loved in ,philadelphia will find a welcome seldom accorded to the routine biography4 ,it is difficult for one who rejoices in ,dr4 ,conwell's friendship to speak in tempered language4 ,it is yet more difficult to do justice to the great work which ,church and ,college and ,hospital1 united in a trinity of service1 have accomplished in our very midst4 ,god hath done mighty things through this ,his servant1 and the end is not yet4 ,to attend the ,temple services on ,sunday and feel the pulse of worship is to enter into a blessed fellowship with ,god and men4 ,to see the thousands pursuing their studies during the week in ,temple ,college and to realize the thoroughness of the work done is to gain a belief in ,christian education4 ,to move through the beautiful ,hospital and mark the gentle ministration of ,christian physician and nurse is to learn what ,jesus meant when1 quoting ,hosea1 ,he said3 ,i will have mercy and not sacrifice4 ,and these all bring one very near to the great human heart1 the intelligent and far-reaching judgment1 the ripe and real religion of him whose life this volume tells4 ,may ,god bless ,dr4 ,conwell in the days to come1 and graciously spare him to us for many years6 ,we need such men in this old sin-stained and weary world4 ,he is an inspiration to his brothers in the ministry of ,jesus ,christ1 ,he is a proof of the power in the world of pure ,christianity4 ,he is a friend to all that is good1 a foe to all that is evil1 a strength to the weak1 a comforter to the sorrowing1 a man of ,god4 ,he would not suffer these words to be printed if he saw them4 ,but they come from the heart of one who loves1 honors1 and reverences him for his character and his deeds4 ,they are the words of a friend4 ,illustration3 ,floyd ,w4 ,tomkins ,church of the ,holy ,trinity ,philadelphia1 ,oct4 #fth #aije4 ,,foreword ,,conwell ,,the ,,pioneer ,speaking of ,russell ,conwell's career1 a ,western paper has called it1 a pioneer life4 ,no phrase better describes it4 ,dr4 ,conwell preaches to the largest ,protestant congregation in ,america each ,sunday4 ,he is the founder and president of a college that has a yearly roll-call of three thousand students4 ,he is the founder and president of a hospital that annually treats more than five thousand patients4 ,yet great as these achievements are1 they are yet greater in prophecy than in fulfilment4 ,for they are the first landmarks in a new world of philanthropic work4 ,he has blazed a path through the dark1 tangled wilderness of tradition and convention1 hewing away the worthless1 making a straight road for progress1 letting in ,god's clear light to show what the world needs done and how to do it4 ,he has shown how a church can reach out into the home1 the business1 the social life of thousands of people until their religion is their life1 their life a religion4 ,he has given the word church its real meaning4 ,no longer is it a building merely for worship1 but1 with doors never closed1 it is a vital part of the community and the lives of the people4 ,he has proven that the great masses of people are hungry and thirsty for knowledge4 ,the halls of ,temple ,college have resounded to the tread of an army of working men and women more than fifty thousand strong4 ,the man with an hour a day and a few dollars a year is as eager and as welcome a student there1 and has the same educational opportunities to the same grade of learning as though he had the birthright of leisure and money which opens the doors to ,harvard and ,yale4 ,he has shown that a hospital can be built not merely as a charity1 not merely as a necessity1 but as a visible expression of ,christ's love and command1 ,heal the sick4 ,in all these three lines he has blazed new paths1 opened new worlds for man's endeavors--new worlds of religious work1 new worlds of educational work4 ,he has not only proven their need1 demonstrated their worth1 but he has shown how it is possible to accomplish such results from small beginnings with no large gifts of money1 with only the hands and hearts of willing workers4 ,not only has he done a magnificent pioneer work in these great fields1 but from boyhood he has blazed trails of one kind or another1 for the pioneer fever was in his blood--that burning desire to do1 to discover1 to strike out into new fields4 ,as a mere child1 he organized a strange club called ,silence1 also the first debating society in the district schoolhouse1 and circulated the first petition for the opening of a post-office near his home in ,south ,worthington1 ,mass4 ,in his school days at ,wilbraham ,academy1 he organized an original critics' club1 started the first academy paper1 organized the original alumni association4 ,in war time1 he built the first schoolhouse for the first free colored school1 still standing at ,newport1 ,n4,c42 and started the first ,comfort ,bag movement at a war meeting in ,springfield1 ,mass4 ,as a lawyer1 he opened the first noon prayer meeting in the ,northwest1 called the first meeting to organize the ,y4,m4,c4,a4 at ,minneapolis1 ,minn41 organized four literary and social clubs in ,minneapolis1 started the first library in that city1 began the publication of the first daily paper there called ,the ,daily ,chronicle1 afterward ,the ,minneapolis ,tribune4 ,in ,boston1 he started the ,somerville ,journal1 now edited by his son1 ,leon ,m4 ,conwell1 one of the most quoted publications in the country4 ,he called the first meeting which organized the ,boston ,young ,men's ,congress1 and was one of the first editors of the ,boston ,globe4 ,he was the personal adviser of ,james ,redpath1 who opened the first ,lecture and ,lyceum ,bureau in the ,united ,states4 ,he began a new church work in the old ,baptist church building at ,lexington1 ,mass41 and he opened in a schoolhouse the mission from which grew the ,west ,somerville 7,mass47 ,baptist church4 ,he was special counselor for four new ,railroad companies and for two new ,national banks4 ,in ,philadelphia1 in addition to being the founder of the first ,institutional church in ,america1 of a college practically free for busy men and women1 and a hospital for the sick poor1 he has organized twenty or more societies for religions and benevolent purposes including the ,philadelphia ,orphan's ,home ,society4 ,his pioneer work is not all4 ,as a lecturer ,dr4 ,conwell is known from the ,atlantic to the ,pacific1 having been on the lecture platform for forty-three years1 speaking from one hundred to two hundred and twenty-five nights each year4 ,as an author he has written books that have run into editions of hundreds of thousands1 his ,life of ,spurgeon selling one hundred and twenty-five thousand copies in four months4 ,he has been around the globe many times1 counted among his intimate friends ,garibaldi1 ,bayard ,taylor1 ,stanley1 ,longfellow1 ,blaine1 ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 ,john ,g4 ,whittier1 ,president ,garfield1 ,horace ,greeley1 ,alexander ,stevens1 ,john ,brown1 ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson1 ,john ,b4 ,gough and ,general ,sherman4 ,he fought in the war of the ,rebellion1 was left for dead on the battlefield of ,kenesaw mountain--in fact1 he has had a career as picturesque and thrilling as a ,scott or ,dumas could picture4 ,yet the man whose energy has reared enduring monuments of stone1 and more lasting ones in the hearts of thousands whose lives he has made happier and brighter1 fought his way upward alone and single-handed from a childhood of poverty4 ,he rose by his own efforts1 in the face of great and seemingly insurmountable obstacles and discouragements4 ,the path he took from that little humble farmhouse to the big church1 the wide-reaching college1 the kindly hospital1 the head of the ,lecture ,platform1 it is the purpose of this book to picture1 in the hope that it may be helpful to others1 either young or old1 who desire to better their condition1 or to do some work of which the inner voice tells them the world is in need4 ,dr4 ,conwell believes1 with ,george ,macdonald1 that ,the one secret of life and development is not to devise or plan1 but to fall in with the forces at work--to do every moment's duty aright--that being the part in the process allotted to us2 and let come 444 what the ,eternal ,thought wills for each of us1 has intended in each of us from the first4 ,or in the words of the greatest of ,books1 ,see that thou make it according to the pattern that was shewed thee in the mount4 ,every one at some time in his life has been in the mount4 ,to follow and obey the ,heavenly ,vision means a life of usefulness and happiness4 ,that obstacles and discouragements can be surmounted1 the life of ,russell ,conwell shows4 ,for this purpose it is written1 that others who have heard the ,voice may go forward with faith and perseverance to work of which the world stands in need4 ,,acknowledgment ,in the preparation of this book1 the three excellent biographies already written1 ,scaling the ,eagle's ,nest1 by ,wm4 ,c4 ,higgins1 ,the ,modern ,temple and ,templars1 by ,robert ,j4 ,burdette1 and ,the ,life of ,russell ,h4 ,conwell1 by ,albert ,hatcher ,smith1 have been of the utmost help4 ,the writer wishes to acknowledge her great indebtedness to all for much of the information in the present work4 ,these writers have with the utmost care gathered the facts concerning ,dr4 ,conwell's early life1 and the writer most gratefully owns her deep obligation to them4 ,,table ,,of ,,contents ,chapter ,i4--,ancestry4 ,john ,conwell1 the ,english ,ancestor who fought for the ,preservation of the ,english ,language4 ,martin ,conwell of ,maryland4 ,a ,runaway ,marriage4 ,the ,parents of ,russell ,h4 ,conwell4 ,chapter ,,ii4--,early ,environment4 ,the ,family ,circle4 ,an ,unusual ,mother4 ,what ,she ,read ,her ,children4 ,a ,preacher at ,three ,years of ,age4 ,chapter ,,iii4--,days of ,study1 ,work and ,play4 ,the ,schoolhouse in the ,woods4 ,maple ,sugar-making4 ,the ,orator of the ,dawn4 ,a ,boyish ,prank4 ,capturing the ,eagle's ,nest4 ,chapter ,,iv4--,two ,men and ,their ,influence4 ,john ,brown4 ,fireside ,discussions4 ,runaway ,slaves4 ,fred ,douglas4 ,rev4 ,asa ,niles4 ,a ,runaway ,trip to ,boston4 ,chapter ,v--,trying ,his ,wings4 ,boyhood ,days4 ,russell's ,first ,case at ,law4 ,a ,cure for ,stage ,fever4 ,studying ,music4 ,a ,runaway ,trip to ,europe4 ,chapter ,,vi--,out of the ,home ,nest4 ,school ,days at ,wilbraham ,academy4 ,the ,first ,school ,oration and ,its ,humiliating ,end4 ,the ,hour of ,prayer in the ,conwell ,home at the ,time of ,john ,brown's ,execution4 ,chapter ,,vii4--,war's ,alarms4 ,college ,days at ,yale4 ,the ,outbreak of the ,civil ,war4 ,patriotic ,speechmaking4 ,new ,york and ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,chapter ,,viii4--,while the ,conflict ,raged4 ,lincoln's ,call for ,one ,hundred ,thousand ,men4 ,enlistment4 ,captain ,conwell4 ,in ,camp at ,springfield1 ,mass4 ,the ,famous ,gold-sheathed ,sword4 ,chapter ,,ix4--,in the ,thick of the ,fight4 ,company ,f at ,newberne1 ,n4,c4 ,the ,fight at ,batchelor's ,creek4 ,the ,goldsboro ,expedition4 ,the ,battle of ,kingston4 ,the ,gum ,swamp ,expedition4 ,chapter ,x4--,the ,sword and the ,school ,book4 ,scouting at ,bogue ,sound4 ,captain ,conwell ,wounded4 ,the ,second ,enlistment4 ,jealousy and ,misunderstanding4 ,building of the ,first ,free ,school for ,colored ,children4 ,attack on ,newport ,barracks4 ,heroic ,death of ,john ,ring4 ,chapter ,,xi4--,a ,soldier of the ,cross4 ,under ,arrest for ,absence ,without ,leave4 ,order of ,court ,reversed by ,president4 ,certificate from ,state ,legislature of ,massachusetts for ,patriotic ,services4 ,appointed by ,president ,lincoln1 ,lieutenant-,colonel on ,general ,mc,pherson's ,staff4 ,wounded at ,kenesaw ,mountain4 ,conversion4 ,public ,profession of ,faith4 ,chapter ,,xii4--,westward4 ,resignation from ,army4 ,admission to ,bar4 ,marriage4 ,removal to ,minnesota4 ,founding of the ,minneapolis ,y4,m4,c4,a4 and of the ,present ,minneapolis ,tribune4 ,burning of ,home4 ,breaking ,out of ,wound4 ,appointed ,emigration ,agent to ,germany by ,governor of ,minnesota4 ,joins ,surveying ,party to ,palestine4 ,near to ,death in ,paris ,hospital4 ,journey to ,new ,york for ,operation in ,bellevue ,hospital4 ,return to ,boston4 ,chapter ,,xiii4--,writing ,his ,way ,around the ,world4 ,days of ,poverty in ,boston4 ,sent to ,southern ,battlefields4 ,around the ,world for ,new ,york and ,boston ,papers4 ,in a ,gambling ,den in ,hong ,kong1 ,china4 ,cholera and ,shipwreck4 ,chapter ,,xiv4--,busy ,days in ,boston4 ,editor of ,boston ,traveller4 ,free ,legal ,advice for the ,poor4 ,temperance ,work4 ,campaign ,manager for ,general ,nathaniel ,p4 ,banks4 ,urged for ,consulship at ,naples4 ,his ,work for the ,widows and ,orphans of ,soldiers4 ,chapter ,,xv4--,troubled ,days4 ,death of ,wife4 ,loss of ,money4 ,preaching on ,wharves4 ,growth of ,sunday ,school ,class at ,tremont ,temple from ,four to ,six ,hundred ,members in a ,brief ,time4 ,second ,marriage4 ,death of ,father and ,mother4 ,preaching at ,lexington4 ,building ,lexington ,baptist ,church4 ,chapter ,,xvi4--,his ,entry ,into the ,ministry4 ,ordination4 ,first ,charge at ,lexington4 ,call to ,grace ,baptist ,church1 ,philadelphia4 ,chapter ,,xvii4--,going to ,philadelphia4 ,the ,early ,history of ,grace ,baptist ,church4 ,the ,beginning of the ,sunday ,breakfast ,association4 ,impressions of a ,sunday ,service4 ,chapter ,,xviii4--,first ,days at ,grace ,baptist ,church4 ,early ,plans for ,church ,efficiency4 ,practical ,methods for4 ,chapter ,,xxxi4--,the ,manner of the ,message4 ,the ,style of the ,sermons4 ,their ,subject ,matter4 ,preaching to ,help ,some ,individual ,church ,member4 ,chapter ,,xxxii4--,these ,busy ,later ,days4 ,a ,typical ,week ,day4 ,a ,typical ,sunday4 ,mrs4 ,conwell4 ,back to the ,berkshires in ,summer for ,rest4 ,chapter ,,xxxiii4--,as a ,lecturer4 ,wide ,fame as a ,lecturer4 ,date of ,entrance on ,lecture ,platform4 ,number of ,lectures ,given4 ,the ,press on ,his ,lectures4 ,some ,instances of ,how ,his ,lectures ,have ,helped ,people4 ,address at ,banquet to ,president ,mc,kinley4 ,chapter ,,xxxiv4--,as a ,writer4 ,rapid ,method of ,working4 ,a ,popular ,biographical ,writer4 ,the ,books ,he has ,written4 ,chapter ,,xxxv4--,a ,home ,coming4 ,reception ,tendered by ,citizens of ,philadelphia in ,acknowledgment of ,work as ,public ,benefactor4 ,chapter ,,xxxvi4--,the ,path ,that ,has ,been ,blazed4 ,problems ,that ,need ,solving4 ,the ,need of ,men ,able to ,solve ,them4 ,acres of ,diamonds4 ,personal ,glimpses of ,celebrated ,men and ,women4 ,illustration3 ,,martin ,,conwell ,,chapter ,i ,,ancestry ,john ,conwell1 the ,english ,ancestor who fought for the ,preservation of the ,english ,language4 ,martin ,conwell of ,maryland4 ,a ,runaway ,marriage4 ,the ,parents of ,russell ,conwell4 ,when the ,norman-,french overran ,england and threatened to sweep from out the island the ,english language1 many time-honored ,english customs1 and all that those loyal early ,britons held dear1 a doughty ,englishman1 ,john ,conwell1 took up cudgels in their defence4 ,long and bitter was the struggle he waged to preserve the ,english language4 ,insidious and steady were the encroachments of the ,norman-,french tongue4 ,the storm centre was the ,castle school1 for ,john ,conwell realized that the language of the child of to-day is the language of the man of to-morrow4 ,right royal was the battle1 for it was in those old feudal days of strong feeling and bitter1 bloody partisanship4 ,but this plucky ,briton stood to his guns until he won4 ,norman-,french was beaten back1 ,english was taught in the schools1 and preserved in the speech of that day4 ,it was a tale that was told his children and his children's children4 ,it was a tradition that grew into their blood--the story of perseverance1 the story of a fight against oppression and injustice4 ,blood is after all but family traditions and family ideals1 and this fighting ancestor handed down to his descendants an inheritance of greater worth than royal lineage or feudal castle4 ,the centuries rolled away1 a new world was discovered1 and the progressive1 energetic ,conwell family were not to be held back when adventure beckoned4 ,two members of it came to ,america4 ,courage of a high order1 enthusiasm1 faith1 must they have had1 or the call to cross a perilous1 pathless ocean1 to brave unknown dangers in a new world would have found no response in their hearts4 ,they settled in ,maryland and into this fighting pioneer blood entered that strange magic influence of the ,south1 which makes for romance1 for imagination1 for the poetic and ideal in temperament4 ,illustration3 ,,miranda ,,conwell ,of this family came ,martin ,conwell1 of ,baltimore1 hot-blooded1 proud1 who in #ahaj1 visiting a college chum in western ,massachusetts1 met and fell in love with a ,new ,england girl1 ,miss ,hannah ,niles4 ,she was already engaged to a neighbor's son1 but the ,southerner cared naught for a rival4 ,he wooed earnestly1 passionately4 ,he soon swept away her protests1 won her heart and the two ran away and were married4 ,but tragic days were ahead4 ,on her return her incensed father locked her in her room and by threats and force compelled her to write a note to her young husband renouncing him4 ,he would accept no such message1 but sent a note imploring a meeting in a nearby schoolhouse at nightfall4 ,the letter fell into the father's hands4 ,he compelled her to write a curt reply bidding him leave her forever4 ,then the father locked the daughter safely in the attic1 and with a mob led by the rejected suitor1 surrounded the schoolhouse and burnt it to the ground4 ,the husband1 thinking he had been heartlessly forsaken1 made a brave fight against the odds1 but seeing no hope of success1 leaped from the burning building1 amid the shots fired at him1 escaped down a rocky embankment at the back of the schoolhouse1 and under cover of the woods1 fled4 ,they told his wife that he was dead4 ,a little son came to brighten her shadowed life1 whom she named1 after him1 ,martin ,conwell2 and after seven years she married her early lover4 ,but ,martin was the son of her first husband and always her dearest child1 and day after day when old and gray and again a widow1 she would come over the ,new ,england hills1 a little lonely old woman1 to sit by his fireside and dream of those bygone days that were so sweet4 ,too proud to again seek an explanation1 ,martin ,conwell1 her husband1 returned to his ,maryland home1 living a lonely1 bitter life1 believing to the day of his death1 thirty years later1 that his young wife had repudiated and betrayed him4 ,martin ,conwell1 the son1 grew to manhood and in #ahci brought a bride to a little farm he had purchased at ,south ,worthington1 up in the ,hampshire ,highlands of the ,berkshire ,hills in ,massachusetts4 ,here and there among these hills1 along the swift mountain streams1 the land sweeps out into sunny little meadows filled in summer with rich1 tender grasses1 starred with flowers4 ,it is not a fertile land4 ,the rocks creep out with frequent and unpleasing persistency4 ,but ,martin ,conwell viewed life cheerfully1 and being an ingenious man1 added to the business of farming1 several other occupations1 and so managed to make a living1 and after many years to pay the mortgage on his home which came with the purchase4 ,the little farmhouse1 clinging to the bleak hillside1 seemed daring to the point of recklessness when the winter's winds swept down the valley1 and the icy fingers of the storm reached out as if to pluck it bodily from its exposed position4 ,but when spring wove her mantle of green over the hills1 when summer flung its leafy banners from a million tree tops1 then in the wonderful panorama of beauty that spread before it1 was the little home justified for the dangers it had dared4 ,back of the house the land climbed into a little ridge1 with great1 gray rocks here and there1 spots of cool1 restful color amid the lavish green and gold and purple of nature's carpeting4 ,to the north swept hills clothed with the deep1 rich green of hemlock1 the faint green flutter of birch1 the dense foliage of sugar maples4 ,to the east1 in the valley1 a singing silver brook flashed in and out among somber boulders1 the land ascending to sunny hilltop pastures beyond4 ,but toward the south from the homestead lay the gem of the scenery2 one of the most beautiful pictures the ,berkshires know4 ,down the valley the hills divided1 sweeping upward east and west in magnificent curves2 and through the opening1 range on range of distant mountains1 including ,mount ,tom1 filled the view with an ever-changing fairyland of beauty--in the spring a sea of tender1 misty green2 in the summer1 a deep1 heaving ocean of billowy foliage2 in the fall1 a very carnival of color--gold1 rich reds1 deep glowing browns and orange4 ,and always1 at morning1 noon and night1 was seen subtle tenderness of violet shadows1 of hazy blue mists1 of far-away purple distances4 ,such was the site ,martin ,conwell chose for a home1 a site that told something of his own character2 that had marked influence on the family that grew up in the little farmhouse4 ,a mixture of the practical1 hard common sense of ,new ,england and the sympathetic1 poetic temperament of the ,south was in this young ,new ,england farmer--the genial1 beauty-loving nature of his ,southern father1 the rigid honesty1 the strong convictions1 the shrewd sense of his ,northern mother4 ,quiet and reserved in general1 he was to those who knew him well1 kind-hearted1 broad-minded1 fun-loving4 ,he not only took an active interest in the affairs of the little mountain community1 but his mind and heart went out to the big problems of the nation4 ,he grappled with them1 sifted them thoroughly1 and having decided what to him was the right course to pursue1 expressed his convictions in deed as well as word4 ,his was no passive nature4 ,the square chin denoted the man of will and aggression1 and though the genial mouth and kindly blue eyes bespoke the sympathetic heart1 they showed no lack of courage to come out in the open and take sides4 ,the young wife1 ,miranda ,conwell1 shared these broader interests of her husband4 ,she came from central ,new ,york ,state and did not have that ,new ,england reserve and restraint that amounts almost to coldness4 ,her mind was keen and vigorous and reached out with her husband's to grasp and ponder the higher things of life4 ,but the beauty of her character lay in the loving1 affectionate nature that shone from her dark eyes1 in the patient1 self-sacrificing1 self-denying disposition which found its chief joy in ministering to her husband and children4 ,deeply religious1 she could no more help whispering a fervent little prayer1 as she tucked her boys in bed1 that the ,father above would watch over and protect them1 than she could help breathing1 her trust in ,god was so much a part of her nature4 ,such a silent1 beautiful influence unconsciously permeates a child's whole character1 moulding it1 setting it4 ,unconscious of it at the time1 some day a great event suddenly crystalizes it like a wonderful chemical change1 and the beauty of it shines evermore from his life4 ,miranda ,conwell built better than she knew when in the every-day little things of her life1 she let her faith shine4 ,not a usual couple1 by any means1 for the early #dj's in rugged ,new ,england4 ,yet their unusualness was of a kind within every one's reach4 ,they believed the making of a life of more importance than the making of a living1 and they grasped every opportunity of those meagre days to broaden and uplift their mental and spiritual vision4 ,martin ,conwell's thoughts went beyond his plow furrow1 ,miranda's further than her bread-board2 and so the little home had an atmosphere of earnest thought and purpose that clothed the uncarpeted floors and bare walls with dignity and beauty4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,early ,,environment ,the ,family ,circle4 ,an ,unusual ,mother4 ,what ,she ,read ,her ,children4 ,a ,preacher at ,three ,years of ,age4 ,such was the heritage and the home into which ,russell ,h4 ,conwell was born ,february #ae1 #ahdc4 ,think what a world his eyes opened upon--fair1 searching eyes of youth--steadfast hills holding mystery and fascination in green depths and purple distances1 streams rushing with noisy joy over stony beds1 sweet violet gloom of night with brilliant stars moving silently across infinite space2 tender moss1 delicate fern1 creeping vine1 covering the brown earth with living beauty--a fascinating world of loveliness for boyish eyes to look upon and wonder about4 ,the home inside was as unpretentious as its exterior suggested4 ,the tiny hall admitted on one side to a bedroom1 on the other to a living room1 from which opened a room used as a store4 ,above was an attic4 ,the living room was the bright1 cheery heart of the house4 ,the morning sun poured in through two windows which faced the east2 a window and door on the south claimed the same cheery rays as the sun journeyed westward4 ,the big open fireplace made a glowing spot of brightness4 ,the floor was uncarpeted1 the walls unpapered1 the furnishing of the simplest1 yet cheerfulness and homely comfort pervaded the room as with an almost tangible spirit4 ,a brother three years older and a sister three years younger made a trio of bright1 childish faces about the hearth on winter evenings as the years went by1 while the mother read to them such tales as childish minds could grasp4 ,it was a loving little circle1 one that riveted sure and fast the ties of family affection and which helped one boy at her knee in after life to enter with such sure sympathy into the plain1 simple lives of the humblest people he met4 ,he had lived that same life1 he knew the family affection that grows with such strength around simple firesides1 and those of like circumstances felt this knowledge and opened their hearts to him4 ,that ,miranda ,conwell was an unusual woman for those times and circumstances is shown in those readings to her children4 ,not only did she read and explain to them the beautiful stories of the ,bible1 implanting its truths in their impressionable natures to blossom forth later in beautiful deeds2 but she read them the best literature of the ancient days as well as current literature4 ,into this poor ,new ,england home came the ,new ,york ,tribune and the ,national ,era4 ,the letters of foreign correspondents opened to their childish eyes another world and roused ambitions to see it4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher's sermons1 and ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin1 when it came out as a serial1 all such good and helpful literature1 she poured into the eager childish ears4 ,these readings went on1 all through the happy days of childhood4 ,interesting things were happening in the world then2 things that were to mould the future of one of the boys at her knee in a way she little dreamed4 ,a war was being waged in ,mexico to train soldiers for a greater war coming4 ,out in ,illinois1 a plain rail-splitter1 farmer and lawyer was beginning to be heard in the cause of freedom and justice for all men1 black or white4 ,these rumors and discussions drifted into the little home and arguments rose high around the crackling woodfire as neighbors dropped in4 ,martin ,conwell was not a man to watch passively the trend of events4 ,he took sides openly1 vigorously1 and though the small1 blue-eyed boy listening so attentively did not comprehend all that it was about1 ,martin ,conwell's views later took shape in action that had a marked bearing on ,russell's later life4 ,but the mother's reading bore more immediate1 if less useful1 fruit4 ,hearing rather unusual sounds from the back yard one day1 she went to the door to listen4 ,the evening before she had been reading the children one of the sermons of ,henry ,ward ,beecher and telling them something of this great man and his work4 ,mounted upon one of the largest gray rocks in the yard1 stood ,russell1 solemnly preaching to a collection of wondering1 round-eyed chickens4 ,it was a serious1 impressive discourse he gave them1 much of it1 no doubt1 a transcript of ,henry ,ward ,beecher's4 ,what led his boyish fancy to do it1 no one knew1 though many another child has done the same1 as children dramatize in play the things they have heard or read4 ,but a chance remark stamped that childish action upon the boyish imagination1 making it the corner stone of many a childish castle in ,spain4 ,telling her husband of it in the evening1 ,miranda ,conwell said1 half jokingly1 our boy will some day be a great preacher4 ,it was a fertile seed dropped in a fertile mind1 tilled assiduously for a brief space by vivid childish imagination2 but not ripened till sad experiences of later years brought it to a glorious fruition4 ,another result of the fireside readings might have been serious4 ,a short distance from the house a mountain stream leaps and foams over the stones1 seeming to choose1 as ,ruskin says1 the steepest places to come down for the sake of the leaps1 scattering its handfuls of crystal this way and that as the wind takes them4 ,the walls of the gorge rise sheer and steep2 the path of the stream is strewn with huge boulders1 over which it foams snow white1 pausing in quiet little pools for breath before the next leap and scramble4 ,here and there at the sides1 stray tiny little waterfalls1 very ,thoreaus of streamlets1 content to wander off by themselves1 away from the noisy rush of the others1 making little silvery rills of beauty in unobtrusive ways4 ,over this gorge was a fallen log4 ,russell determined to enact the part of ,eliza in ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin1 fleeing over the ice4 ,it was a feat to make a mother's heart stand still4 ,three separate times she whipped him severely and forbade him to do it4 ,he took the punishment cheerfully1 and went back to the log4 ,he never gave up until he had crossed it4 ,the vein of perseverance in his character was already setting into firm1 unyielding mould--the one trait to which ,russell ,h4 ,conwell1 the preacher1 the lecturer1 writer1 founder of college and hospital1 may attribute the success he has gained4 ,this childish escapade was the first to strike fire from its flint4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,days ,,of ,,study1 ,,work ,,and ,,play ,the ,schoolhouse in the ,woods4 ,maple ,sugar-making4 ,the ,orator of the ,dawn4 ,a ,boyish ,prank4 ,capturing the ,eagle's ,nest4 ,at three years of age1 he trudged off to school with his brother ,charles4 ,though ,charles was three years the senior1 the little fellow struggled to keep pace with him in all their childish play and work4 ,two miles the children walked daily to the schoolhouse1 a long walk for a toddler of three4 ,but it laid the foundation of that strong1 rugged constitution that has carried him so unflinchingly through the hard work of these later years4 ,the walk to school was the most important part of the performance1 for lessons had no attraction for the boy as yet4 ,but the road through the woods to the schoolhouse was a journey of ever new and never-ending excitement4 ,the road lay along a silver-voiced brook that rippled softly by shadowy rock1 or splashed joyous and exultant down its boulder-strewn path4 ,it was this same brook whose music drifted into his little attic bedroom at night1 stilled to a faint1 far-away murmur as the wind died down1 rising to a high1 clear crescendo of rushing1 tumbling water as the breeze stirred in the tree tops and brought to him the forest sounds4 ,hour after hour he lay awake listening to it1 his childish imagination picturing fairies and elves holding their revels in the woods beyond4 ,an oratorical little brook it was1 unconsciously leaving an impress of its musical speech on the ears of the embryo orator4 ,moreover1 in its quiet pools lurked watchful trout4 ,few country boys could walk along such a stream unheeding its fascinations1 especially when the doors of a school house opened at the farther end1 and many an hour when studies should have claimed him1 he was sitting by the brookside1 care-free and contented1 delightedly fishing4 ,nor are any berries quite so luscious as those which grow along the country road to school4 ,it takes long1 long hours to satisfy the keen appetite of a boy1 and lessons suffered during the berry seasons4 ,another keen excitement of the daily journey through a living world of mystery and enchantment was the search for frogs4 ,woe to the unlucky frog that fell in the way of the active1 curious boy4 ,some one had told him that old1 old countryside story1 ,if you kill a frog1 the cows will give bloody milk4 ,eager to see such a phenomenon1 he watched sharply4 ,let an unlucky frog give one unfortunate croak1 quick1 sure-aimed1 flew a stone1 and he raced home at night to see the miracle performed4 ,he was just a boy as other boys--mischievous1 disobedient1 fonder of play than work or study4 ,but underneath1 uncalled upon as yet1 lay that vein of perseverance as unyielding as the granite of his native hills4 ,the schoolhouse inside was not unattractive4 ,six windows gave plenty of light1 and each framed woodland pictures no painter's canvas could rival4 ,the woods were all about and the voice of the little brook floated in1 always calling1 calling--at least to one small listener--to come out and see it dance and sparkle and leap from rock to rock4 ,if he gained nothing else from his first school days but a love and appreciation of nature's beauties1 it was a lesson well worth learning4 ,to feed the heart and imagination of a child with such scenery is to develop unconsciously a love of the beautiful which brings a pure joy into life never to be lost1 no matter what stress and storm may come4 ,in the darkest1 stormiest hours of his later life1 to think back to the serene beauty of those ,new ,england hills was as a hand of peace laid on his troubled spirit4 ,this love and joy in nature--and the trait was already in his blood--was at first all that he gained from his trips to school4 ,then came a teacher with a new way of instructing1 a ,miss ,salina ,cole1 who had mastered the art of visual memory4 ,she taught her pupils to make on the mind a photographic impression of the page1 which could be recalled in its entirety1 even to the details of punctuation4 ,this was a process of study that appealed immediately to ,russell's boyish imagination4 ,moreover1 it was something to see if he could do1 always fascinating to his love of experiment and adventure4 ,it had numerous other advantages4 ,it was quick4 ,it promised far-reaching results4 ,if page after page of the school books could be stored in the mind and called up for future reference1 getting an education would become an easy matter4 ,besides1 they could be called up and pondered on in various places--fishing1 for instance4 ,he quickly decided to would master this new method1 and he went at it with his characteristic energy and determination4 ,concentrating all his mental force1 he would study intently the printed page1 and then closing his eyes1 repeat it word for word1 even giving the punctuation marks4 ,with the other pupils1 ,salina ,cole was not so successful1 but with ,russell ,conwell1 the results were remarkable4 ,it was a faculty of the utmost value to him in after years4 ,when in military camp and far from books1 he would recall page after page of his law works and study them during the long days of garrison duty as easily as though the printed book were in his hand4 ,but the work was of more value to him than the mere mastery of something new4 ,it whetted his appetite for more4 ,he began to want to know4 ,school became interesting1 and he plunged into studies with an interest and zest that were unflagging4 ,and as he studied1 ambitions awoke4 ,the history of the past1 the accomplishments of great men stirred him4 ,he began to dream of the things to do in the days to come4 ,outside of school hours his time was filled with the ordinary duties of the farm4 ,in the early spring1 the maple sugar was to be made and there were long1 difficult tramps through woods in those misty1 brooding days when the miracle of new life is working in tree and vine and leaf4 ,often the very earth seemed hushed as if waiting in awe for this marvelous change that transforms brown earth and bare tree to a vision of ethereal1 tender green4 ,but his books went with him1 and in the long night watches far in the woods alone1 when the pans of sirrup were boiling1 he studied4 ,so enrapt did he become that sometimes the sugar suffered1 and the patience of his father was sorely taxed when told the tale of inattention4 ,it was during those long night watches that he learned by heart two books of ,milton's ,paradise ,lost1 and so firmly were they fixed in the boyish memory that at this day1 ,dr4 ,conwell can repeat them without a break4 ,many a time as the shadows lightened and the dim1 misty dawn came stealing through the forest1 would the small boy step outside the rude sugar-house and repeat in that musical1 resonant voice that has since held audiences enthralled1 ,milton's glorious ,invocation to the ,light4 ,strange scene--the great shadowy forest1 the distant mist-enfolded hills1 the faintly flushing morning sky1 the faint splash of a little mountain stream breaking the brooding stillness1 and the small boy with intent1 inspired face pouring out his very heart in that wonderful invocation3 ,hail1 holy light1 offspring of ,heaven1 ,firstborn ,or of the ,eternal1 co-eternal beam1 ,may ,i express thee ,unblamed8 since ,god is light1 ,and never but in unapproached light ,dwelt from eternity--dwelt then in thee1 ,bright effluence of bright essence increate6 ,or hear'st thou1 rather1 pure ,eternal ,stream1 ,whose fountain who shall tell8 ,before the sun1 ,before the ,heavens thou wert1 and at the voice ,of ,god as with a mantle didst invest ,the rising world of waters dark and deep1 ,won from the void and formless ,infinite6 ,later in spring there was plowing1 though the farm was so rocky and stony1 there was little of that work to do4 ,but here and there1 a sunny hilltop field made cultivation worth while1 and as he followed the patient oxen along the shining brown furrow1 he looked away to the encircling hills so full of mystery and fascination4 ,what was there8 ,what was beyond8 ,then into the the morning and well into the afternoon they pried and labored4 ,they dug away earth and exerted to the utmost their childish strength4 ,charles would soon have given up the gigantic task1 but ,russell was not of the stuff that quits1 and so they toiled on4 ,the father and mother at home wondered and searched for the boys4 ,then as they began truly to get alarmed1 from the woods to the south came a crash and roar1 the sound of trees snapping and then a shock that made the earth tremble4 ,the rock had fallen1 traversing a mile1 in its downward rush to the river bed4 ,flushed and triumphant the boys returned1 and the neighbors who had heard the noise1 when it was explained to them1 went to see the wreckage4 ,it had dropped first a fall of fifteen feet1 where it had paused an instant4 ,then the earth giving way under its tons of weight1 it had plowed a deep furrow right down the mountain side1 dislodging rocks1 uprooting trees1 until with a mighty crash1 it struck the borders of the stream where it stands to this day1 a monument to boyish ingenuity and perseverance4 ,but of all the mischievous pranks of these childish days1 the one that had perhaps the greatest influence on his life was the capture of an eagle's nest from the top of a dead hemlock4 ,to the north of the farmhouse a hill rises abruptly1 covered with bare1 outcropping rocks1 their fronts sheer and steep4 ,on top clusters a little sombre grove of hemlock trees1 and from the midst of these rose the largest one1 straight1 majestic1 swaying a little in the wind that swept on from the distant hills4 ,in the top of this tree1 an eagle had built her nest1 and it had long been a secret ambition of the boy to capture it1 the more resolved upon because it seemed impossible4 ,one day in ,october he left his sheep1 ran to the foot of the hill1 and with the sure-footed agility of a mountain boy climbed the rocks and began the ascent of the tree4 ,from the top of a high ledge nearby two men hid and watched him4 ,a fall meant death1 and many a time their hearts stood still1 as the intrepid lad placed his foot on a dead branch only to have it break under him1 or reached for a limb to find it give way at his touch4 ,the tree was nearly fifty feet high and at some time a stroke of lightning had rent it1 splintering the trunk4 ,only one limb was left whole1 the others had been broken off or shattered by the storms of winter4 ,in the very crown of the tree swayed the nest1 a rude1 uncouth thing of sticks and hay4 ,up and up he climbed1 stopping every now and then in the midst of his struggles to call to the sheep if he saw them wandering too far4 ,he had only to call them by name to bring them nibbling back again4 ,not a man in the mountains1 wrote one of those who watched him in that interesting sketch of ,mr4 ,conwell's life1 ,scaling the ,eagle's ,nest1 would have thought it possible to do anything else but shoot1 that nest down4 ,when we first saw him he was half way up the great tree1 and was tugging away to get up by a broken limb which was swinging loosely about the trunk4 ,for a long time he tried to break it off1 but his little hand was too weak4 ,then he came down from knot to knot like a squirrel1 jumped to the ground1 ran to his little jacket and took his jack-knife out of the pocket4 ,slowly he clambered up again4 ,when he reached the limb1 he clung to another with his left hand1 threw one leg over a splintered knot and with the right hand hacked away with his knife4 ',he will give it up1' we both said4 ,but he did not4 ,he chipped away until at last the limb fell to the ground4 ,then he pocketed his knife1 and bravely strove to get up higher4 ,it was a dizzy height even for a grown hunter1 but the boy never looked down4 ,he went on until he came to a place about ten feet below the nest1 where there was a long1 bare space on the trunk1 with no limbs or knots to cling to4 ,he was baffled then4 ,he looked up at the nest many times1 tried to find some place to catch hold of the rough bark and sought closely for some rest higher up to put his foot on4 ,but there was none4 ,an eagle's nest was a rare thing to him1 and he hugged the tree and thought4 ,suddenly he began to descend again hastily1 and soon dropped to the ground4 ,away he ran down through the ravines1 leaped the little streams and disappeared toward his home4 ,in a few minutes the torn straw hat and blue shirt came flitting back among the rocks and bushes4 ,he called the sheep to him1 talked to them1 and shook his finger at them1 then he clambered up the tree again1 dragging after him a long piece of his mother's clothes line4 ,at one end of it1 he had tied a large stone1 which hindered his progress1 for it caught in the limbs and splinters4 ,the wind blew his torn straw hat away down a side cliff1 and one side of his trousers was soon torn to strips4 ,but he went on4 ,when he got to the smooth place on the tree again1 he fastened one end of the rope about his wrist1 and then taking the stone which was fastened to the other end1 he tried to throw it up over the nest4 ,it was an awkward and dangerous position1 and the stone did not reach the top4 ,six or seven times he threw that stone up1 and it fell short or went to one side1 and nearly dragged him down as it fell4 ,the boy felt for his knife again1 opened it with his teeth as he held on1 and hauling the rope up1 cut off a part of it4 ,he threw a short piece around the trunk and tied himself with it to the tree4 ,then he could lean back for a longer throw4 ,he tied the rope to his hand again1 and threw the stone with all his energy4 ,it went straight as an arrow1 drew the rope squarely over the nest and fell down the other side of the tree4 ,after a struggle he reached around for the stone1 and tied that end of the rope to a long broken limb4 ,when he drew the other end of the rope which had been fastened to his hand1 it broke down the sides of the nest1 and an old bird arose with a wild scream4 ,then he loosed the rope which held him to the tree1 and pulling himself up with his hands on the scaling line1 digging his bare toes1 heels and knees at times into the ragged bark1 he was up in two minutes to the nest4 ,that is a child's ambition1 said one of the men1 as they both drew a breath of relief1 when he stepped safely to the ground4 ,wait until he has a man's ambition4 ,if that vein of perseverance doesn't run out1 he will do something worth while4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,two ,,men ,,and ,,their ,,influence ,john ,brown4 ,fireside ,discussions4 ,runaway ,slaves4 ,fred ,douglas4 ,rev4 ,asa ,niles4 ,a ,runaway ,trip to ,boston4 ,two men entered into ,russell ,conwell's life in these formative days of boyhood who unconsciously had much to do with the course of his after life4 ,one was ,john ,brown1 that man who would rush through fire though it burn1 through water though it drown1 to do the work which his soul knew that it must do4 ,during his residence in ,springfield1 this man possessed like ,socrates with a genius that was too much for him was a frequent visitor at the ,conwell home4 ,russell learned to know that face with features chiselled1 as it were1 in granite1 the large clear eyes that seemed fairly to change color with the intensity of his feelings when he spoke on the one subject that was the very heart of the man4 ,tall1 straight1 lithe1 with hair brushed back from a high forehead1 thick1 full beard and a wonderful1 penetrating voice whose tones once heard were never forgotten1 his arrival was always received with shouts by the ,conwell boys4 ,had he not lived in the ,west and fought real ,indians6 ,what surer open sesame is there to a boy's heart8 ,he was not so enrapt in his one great project1 but that he could go out to the barn and pitch down hay from the mow with ,russell1 or tell him wonderful stories of the great ,west where he had lived as a boy1 and of the wilderness through which he had tramped as a mere child when he cared for his father's cattle4 ,russell was entirely too young to grasp the meaning of the earnest discussions that went on about the fireplace of which this ,spartan was then the centre4 ,but in later years their meaning came to him with a peculiar significance4 ,a light seemed to be shed on the horrors of slavery as if the voice of his childhood's friend were calling from the grave in impassioned tones1 to aid the cause for which he had given his life4 ,martin ,conwell1 progressive1 aggressive1 was not a man to let his deeds lag behind his words4 ,such help as he could1 he lent the cause of the oppressed4 ,he made his home one of the stations of the ,underground ,railway1 as the road to freedom for escaping slaves was called4 ,many a time in the dead of night1 awakened by the noise of a wagon1 ,russell would steal to the little attic window1 to see in the light of the lantern1 a trembling black man1 looking fearfully this way and that for pursuers1 being hurried into the barn4 ,back to bed went ,russell1 where his imagination pictured all manner of horrible cruelties the slaves were suffering until the childish heart was near to bursting with sympathy for them and with fiery indignation at the injustice that brought them to this pitiful state4 ,not often did he see them1 but sometimes childish curiosity was too strong and he searched out the cowering fugitive in the barn1 and if the runaway happened to be communicative1 he heard exaggerated tales of cruelty that set even his young blood to tingling with a mighty desire to right their wrongs4 ,then the next night1 the wagon wheels were heard again and the slave was hurried away to the house of a cousin of ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 at ,cummington4 ,as the wheels died in the distance up the mountain road1 the boyish imagination pictured the flight1 on1 on1 into the far north till the ,canada border was reached and the slave free4 ,little wonder that when the war broke out1 this boy1 older grown1 spoke as with a tongue of fire and swept men up by the hundreds with his impassioned eloquence1 to sign the muster roll4 ,one of these slaves thus helped to freedom is now ,rev4 ,j4,g4 ,ramage1 of ,atlanta1 ,ga4 ,in #aije1 he applied to ,temple ,college for the degree of ,,ll4,d4 ,noticing on the letter sent in reply to his request1 the name of ,russell ,conwell1 ,president of the ,college1 he wrote ,dr4 ,conwell1 telling him that in #ahef when a runaway slave he had stopped at a farmhouse at ,south ,worthington1 ,mass41 and remembered the name of ,conwell4 ,undoubtedly ,martin ,conwell was one of the men who had helped him to freedom4 ,john ,brown brought ,fred ,douglas1 the colored orator1 with him on one of his visits4 ,when ,russell was told by his father that this was a celebrated colored speaker and statesman1 the boyish eyes opened wide with amazement1 and not able to control himself1 he burst out in a fit of laughter1 saying1 ,why1 he's not black1 much to the amusement of ,douglas1 who afterwards told him of his life as a slave4 ,the other man who so helped ,russell in his younger days was the ,rev4 ,asa ,niles1 a cousin of his father's who lived on a neighboring farm4 ,he had heard of ,russell's various exploits and saw that he was a boy far above the average1 that he had talents worth training4 ,himself a scholar and a ,methodist minister1 he knew the value of an education1 and the worth to the world of a brilliant1 forceful character with clear ideas of right1 and high ideals of duty4 ,he was a man far ahead of his times1 broad-minded1 spiritual in its best sense1 and with a winning personality1 just the man to attract a clear-sighted1 keen-witted boy who quickly saw through shams and despised affectations4 ,russell at that plastic period could have fallen into no better hands4 ,with loving interest in the boy's welfare1 ,asa ,niles inspired him to get the broadest education in order to make the most of himself1 yet ever held before him the highest ideals of life and manhood4 ,out of the stores of his own knowledge he told him what to read1 helped1 encouraged1 talked over his studies with him1 and in every way possible not only made them real and vital to him1 but at every step aided him to see their worth4 ,his curiosity keenly aroused1 his ambitions kindled by his studies1 ,russell was restless to be off to see this great world he had read and studied about4 ,the mountains suddenly seemed like prison walls holding him in4 ,an uncontrollable longing swept his soul4 ,he determined to escape4 ,telling no one of his intentions1 one morning just before dawn1 he raised the window of the little attic in which he and his brother slept1 climbed out over the roof of the woodshed1 slipped to the ground and made off down the valley to seek his fortune in the world4 ,it was a hasty resolve4 ,in a little bundle slung over his shoulders he had a few clothes and something to eat4 ,how his heart thumped as he went down the familiar path in the woods1 crossed the little brook and began the tramp toward ,huntington6 ,every moment he expected to hear his father's footsteps behind him4 ,charles might have awakened1 found him missing and roused the family6 ,when morning came he climbed a little hill1 from which he could look back at the house4 ,he gazed long1 and his heart nearly failed him4 ,he could see in imagination every homely detail of the living room1 his father's chair to the right of the fireplace1 his mother's on the left1 the clock between the front windows1 which his father wound every night4 ,on a nail hung his old rimless hat1 ,charlie's coat1 and the little sister's sunbonnet4 ,his mother would soon be up and getting breakfast4 ,they would all sit down without him--a lump began to rise in his throat and he almost turned back4 ,but something in his nature always prevented him from giving up a thing he had once undertaken4 ,he set his teeth1 picked up his bundle and went down the road between the mountains1 the woods stretching1 dense1 silent1 on each side1 the little brook keeping close by him like the good1 true friend it was4 ,it was a long1 long tramp to the little village of ,huntington1 a walk that went for miles beneath overarching green trees1 the sunlight sifting down like a shower of gold in the dim wood aisles4 ,the wild mountain stream merged into the quiet ,westfield river that flowed placidly through little sunny meadows and rippled in a sedate way here and there over stones as became the dignity of a river4 ,small white farmhouses1 set about with golden lilies and deep crimson peonies1 here and there looked out on the road4 ,but his mind was intent on the wonderful experiences ahead of him2 he walked as in a dream4 ,reaching ,huntington1 he asked a conductor if he could get a job on the train to pay his way to ,boston4 ,the conductor eyed the lanky country boy with sympathetic amusement4 ,he appreciated the situation and told ,russell he didn't think he had any job just then1 but he might sit in the baggage car and should a job turn up1 it would be given him4 ,delighted with this piece of good luck1 ,russell sat in the baggage car and journeyed to ,boston4 ,he arrived at night4 ,he found himself in a new world1 a world of narrow streets1 of hurrying people1 of house after house1 but in none of them a home for him4 ,they would not let him sit in the station all night1 as he had planned to do in his boyish inexperience1 and he had no money1 for money was a scarce article in the ,conwell home4 ,he wandered up one street and down another till finally he came to the water4 ,footsore and hungry1 he crawled into a big empty cask lying on ,long ,wharf1 ate the last bit of bread and meat in his bundle1 and went to sleep4 ,the next day was ,sunday1 not a day to find work1 and he faced a very sure famine4 ,he began again his walk of the streets4 ,it was on toward noon when he noticed crowds of children hurrying into a large building4 ,he stood and watched them wistfully4 ,they made him think of his brother and sister at home4 ,suddenly an overwhelming longing seized him to be back again in the sheltering farmhouse1 to see his father1 hear his mother's loving voice1 feel his sister's hand in his4 ,perhaps it was his forlorn expression that attracted the attention of a gentleman passing into the building4 ,he stopped1 asked if he would not like to go in2 and then taking him by the hand led him in with the others4 ,it was ,deacon ,george ,w4 ,chipman1 of ,tremont ,temple1 and ever afterwards ,russell ,conwell's friend4 ,many1 many years later1 the boy1 become a man1 came back to this church1 organized and conducted one of the largest and most popular ,sunday ,school classes that famous church has ever known4 ,after ,sunday ,school1 ,deacon ,chipman and ,russell talked things over4 ,the ,deacon1 amused and impressed by the original mind of the country boy1 persuaded him to go home1 and the next morning put him on the train that carried him back to the ,berkshires4 ,,chapter ,v ,,trying ,,his ,,wings ,boyhood ,days4 ,russell's ,first ,case at ,law4 ,a ,cure for ,stage ,fever4 ,studying ,music4 ,a ,runaway ,trip to ,europe4 ,so scanty was the income from the rocky farm that the father and mother looked about them to see how they could add to it4 ,miranda ,conwell turned to her needle and often sewed far into the night1 making coats1 neckties1 any work she could obtain that would bring in a few dollars4 ,she was never idle4 ,the moment her housework was done1 her needle was flying1 and ,russell had ever before him the picture of his patient mother1 working1 ever working1 for the family good4 ,the only time her hands rested was when she read her children such stories and pointed such lessons as she knew were needed to develop childish minds and build character4 ,she never lost sight of this in the pressing work and the need for money4 ,she had that mental and spiritual breadth of view that could look beyond problems of the immediate present1 no matter how serious they might seem1 to the greater1 more important needs coming in the future4 ,martin ,conwell worked as a stonemason every spare minute1 and in addition opened a store in the mountain home in a small room adjoining the living room4 ,neighbors and the world of his day saw only a poor farmer1 stonemason and small storekeeper4 ,but in versatility1 energy and public spirit1 he was far greater than his environment4 ,considered only as the man there was a largeness of purpose1 a broadness of mental and spiritual vision about him that gave a subtle atmosphere of greatness and unconsciously influenced his son to take big views of life4 ,in the little store one day was enacted a drama not without its effect on ,russell's impressionable mind4 ,for a brief time1 the store became a court room2 a flour barrel was the judge's bench1 a soap box and milking stool1 the lawyers' seats4 ,the proceedings greatly interested ,russell1 who lay flat on his breast on the counter1 his heels in the air1 his chin in his hands1 drinking it in with ears and eyes4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,conwell ,,farmhouse ,,at ,,south ,,worthington1 ,,mass4 ,a neighbor had lost a calf1 a white-faced calf with a broken horn4 ,in the barn of a neighbor had been seen a white-faced calf with a broken horn4 ,the coincidence was suspicions4 ,the plaintiff declared it was his calf4 ,the defendant swore he had never seen the lost heifer1 and that the one in his barn he had raised himself4 ,neighbors lent their testimony1 for the little store was crowded1 a justice of the peace from ,northampton having come to try the case4 ,one man said he had seen the defendant driving a white-faced calf up the mountain one night just after the stolen calf had been missed from the pasture4 ,the defendant intimated in no mild language that he must be a close blood relation to ,ananias4 ,hot words flew back and forth between judge1 lawyers and witnesses1 and it began to look as if the man in whose barn the calf was placidly munching was guilty4 ,just then ,russell1 with a chuckle1 slipped from the counter and disappeared through the back door4 ,in a minute he returned1 and solemnly pushed a white-faced calf with a broken horn squarely among the almost fighting disputants4 ,there was a lull in the storm of angry words4 ,here was the lost calf4 ,with a bawl of dismay and many gyrations of tail1 it occupied the centre of the floor4 ,none could dispute the fact that it was the calf in question4 ,the defendant assumed an injured1 innocent air1 the plaintiff looked crestfallen4 ,russell explained he had found the calf among his father's cows4 ,but1 knowing the true situation1 he had enjoyed the heated argument too hugely to produce the calf earlier in the case4 ,the event caused much amusement among the neighbors4 ,some said if they ever were hailed to court1 they should employ ,russell as their lawyer4 ,the women1 when they dropped in to see his mother1 called him the little lawyer4 ,the boyish ambition to be a minister faded4 ,once more he went to building castles in ,spain1 but this time they had a legal capstone4 ,thus the years rolled by much as they do with any boy on a farm4 ,of work there was plenty1 but he found time to become a proficient skater1 and a strong1 sturdy swimmer1 to learn and take delight in outdoor sports1 all of which helped to build a constitution like iron1 and to give him an interest in such things which he has never lost4 ,the boys of ,temple ,college find in him not only a pastor and president1 but a sympathetic and understanding friend in all forms of healthy1 honorable sport4 ,attending a ,fourth of ,july parade in ,springfield1 he was so impressed with the marching and manoeuvres of the troops that he returned home1 formed a company of his schoolmates1 drilled and marched them as if they were already an important part of the ,g4,a4,r4 ,he secured a book on tactics and studied it with his usual thoroughness and perseverance4 ,he presented his company with badges1 and one of the relics of his childhood days is a wooden sword he made himself out of a piece of board4 ,little did any one dream that this childish pastime would in later years become the serious work of a man4 ,in all the school and church entertainments he took an active part4 ,his talent for organizing and managing showed itself early1 while his magnetism and enthusiasm swept his companions with him1 eager only to do his bidding4 ,many were the entertainments he planned and carried through4 ,recitations1 dialogues1 little plays all were presented under his management to the people of ,south ,worthington4 ,it was these that gave him the first taste of the fascination of the stage and set him to thinking of the dazzling career of an actor4 ,he is not the only country boy that has dreamed of winning undying fame on the boards1 but not every one received such a speedy and permanent cure4 ,one day in the height of the maple sugar season1 says ,burdette1 in his excellent life of ,mr4 ,conwell1 ,the ,modern ,temple and ,templars1 ,russell was sent by his father with a load of the sugar to ,huntington4 ,the ancient farm wagon complicated1 doubtless1 with sundry ,conwell improvements1 drawn by a venerable horse1 was so well loaded that the seat had to be left out1 and the youthful driver was forced to stand4 ,down deep in the valley1 the road runs through a dense woodland which veiled the way in solitude and silence4 ,the very place1 thought ,russell1 for a rehearsal of the part he had in a play to be given shortly at school2 a beautiful grade1 thought the horse1 to trot a little and make up time4 ,russell had been cast for a part of a crazy man--a character admirably adapted for the entire cast of the average amateur dramatic performer4 ,he had very little to say1 a sort of ',the-carriage-waits-my-lord' declamation1 but he had to say it with thrilling and startling earnestness4 ,he was to rush in on a love scene bubbling like a mush-pot with billing and cooing1 and paralyze the lovers by shrieking ',woe6 ,woe6 unto ye all1 ye children of men6' ,throwing up his arms1 after the manner of the ,fourth of ,july orator's justly celebrated windmill gesture1 he roared1 in his thunderous voice3 ',woe6 ,woe6 unto ye--' ,that was as far as the declamation got1 although the actor went considerably farther4 ,the obedient horse1 never averse to standing still1 suddenly and firmly planted his feet and stood--motionless as a painted horse upon a painted highway4 ,russell1 obedient to the laws of inertia1 made a parabola over the dashboard1 landed on the back of the patient beast1 ricochetted to the ground1 cutting his forehead on the shaft as he descended1 a scar whereof he carries unto this day1 and plunged into a yielding cushion of mud at the roadside4 ,he returned home1 a confused mixture of blood1 mud1 black eyes and torn clothes4 ,such a condition must be explained4 ,it could not be turned aside by any off-handed joke4 ,the jeers and jibes1 the unsympathetic and irritating comments effectually killed any desire he cherished for the life of the stage4 ,it became a sore subject4 ,he didn't even want it mentioned in his hearing4 ,he never again thought of it seriously as a life work4 ,but one thing these entertainments did that was of great value4 ,they developed and fostered a love of music and eventually led to his gaining the musical education which has proven of such value to him4 ,he had a voice of singular sweetness and great power4 ,at school1 at church1 in the little social gatherings of the neighborhood1 whenever there was singing his voice led4 ,it was almost a passion with him4 ,at the few parades and entertainments he saw in nearby towns1 he watched the musicians fascinated4 ,he was consumed with a desire to learn to play4 ,inventive as he was and having already made so many things useful about the farm or in the house1 it is a wonder he did not immediately begin the making of some musical instrument rather than go without it4 ,probably he would1 if an agent had not appeared for the ,estey ,organ ,company4 ,they were beginning to make the little home organs which have since become an ornament of nearly every country parlor4 ,but they were rare in those days and the price to ,martin ,conwell1 almost prohibitive4 ,knowing ,russell's love of music1 the father fully realized the pleasure an organ in the home would give his son4 ,but the price was beyond him4 ,he offered the man every dollar he felt he could afford4 ,but it was ten dollars below the cost of the organ and the agent refused it4 ,martin ,conwell felt he must not spend more on a luxury1 and the agent left4 ,crossing the fields to seek another purchaser1 he met ,miranda ,conwell4 ,she asked him if her husband had bought the organ4 ,his answer was a keen disappointment ,the mother's heart had sympathized with the boy's passion for music and knew the joy such a possession would be to ,russell4 ,ever ready to sacrifice herself1 she told the man she would pay him the ten dollars1 if he would wait for it1 but not to let her husband know4 ,the agent returned to ,martin ,conwell1 told him he would accept his offer1 and in a short time a brand new organ was installed in the farmhouse4 ,miranda ,conwell sewed later at nights1 that was all4 ,not till she had earned the ten dollars with her needle did she tell her husband why the agent had1 with such surprising celerity1 changed his mind in regard to the price4 ,russell's joy in the organ was unbounded1 and the mother was more than repaid for her extra work by his pleasure and delight4 ,he immediately plunged unaided into the study of music1 and he never gave up until he was complete master of the organ4 ,his was no half-hearted love4 ,the work and drudgery connected with practising never daunted him4 ,he kept steadily at it until he could roll out the familiar songs and hymns while the small room fairly rang with their melody4 ,he also improvised1 composing both words and music1 a gift that went with him into the ministry and which has given the membership of ,grace ,baptist ,church1 ,philadelphia1 many beautiful hymns and melodies4 ,later he learned the bass viol1 violoncello and cornet1 and made money by playing for parties and entertainments in his neighborhood4 ,years afterward1 when pastor of ,grace ,church1 and with the ,sunday ,school on an excursion to ,cape ,may1 he saw a cornet lying on a bench on the pier4 ,seized with a longing to play again this instrument of his boyhood1 he picked it up and began softly a familiar air4 ,soon lost to his surroundings1 he played on and on4 ,at last remembering where he was1 he laid down the instrument and walked away4 ,the owner1 who had returned1 followed him and offered him first five dollars and then ten to play that night for a dance at ,congress ,hall4 ,martin ,conwell1 during ,russell's boyhood days1 carefully guarded his son from being spoiled by the flattery of neighbors and friends4 ,he realized that ,russell was a boy in many ways above the average1 but his practical common sense prevented him from taking such pride in ,russell's various achievements as to let him become spoiled and conceited4 ,many a whipping ,russell received for the personal songs he composed about the neighbors4 ,but that was not prohibitive4 ,the very next night1 ,russell would hold up to ridicule the peculiarity of some one in the neighborhood1 much to his victim's chagrin and to the amusement of the listeners4 ,he was forever inventing improvements for the fishing apparatus1 oars1 boats1 coasting sleds1 household and farm utensils1 often forgetting the tasks his father had given him while doing it4 ,naturally1 this exasperated ,martin ,conwell1 who had no help on the farm but the boys1 and the rod would again be brought into active service4 ,once1 after whipping him for such neglect of work--he had left the cider apples out in the frost--,martin ,conwell asked his son's pardon because he had invented an improved ox-sled that was of great practical value4 ,when he was fifteen he ran away again4 ,no friendly ,deacon ,chipman interfered this time1 nor is it likely he would easily have been turned from the project1 for he planned to go to ,europe4 ,he went to ,chicopee to an uncle's1 whom he frankly told of his intended trip4 ,the uncle kept ,russell for a day or two by various expedients1 while he wrote to his father telling him ,russell was there and what he intended doing4 ,the father wrote back saying to give him what money he needed and let him go4 ,so ,russell started on his journey over the sea4 ,he worked his way on a cattle steamer from ,new ,york to ,liverpool4 ,but it was a homesick boy that roamed around in foreign lands1 and as he has said most feelingly since1 ,i felt that if ,i could only get back home1 ,i would never1 never leave it again4 ,he did not stay abroad long and when he returned to his home1 his father greeted him as if he had been absent a few hours1 and never in any way1 by word or action1 referred to the subject4 ,in fact1 so far as ,martin ,conwell appeared1 ,russell might have been no farther than ,huntington4 ,thus boyhood days passed with their measure of work and their measure of play4 ,he lived the healthy1 active life of a farm boy1 taking a keen interest in the affairs of the young people of the neighborhood1 amusing the older heads by his mischievous pranks4 ,he diligently and perseveringly studied in school hours and out4 ,he read every book he could get hold of4 ,he was sometimes disobedient1 often intractable1 in no way different from thousands of other farm boys of those days or these4 ,but the times were coming which would test his mettle4 ,would he continue to climb as he had done after the eagle's nest1 though compelled many times to go to the very ground and begin over again8 ,would the experiences of life transmute into pure gold1 these undeveloped traits of character or prove them mere dross8 ,it rested with him4 ,he was the alchemist1 as is every other man4 ,the philosopher's stone is in every one's hands4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,home ,,nest ,school ,days at ,wilbraham ,academy4 ,the ,first ,school ,oration and ,its ,humiliating ,end4 ,the ,hour of ,prayer in the ,conwell ,home at the ,time of ,john ,brown's ,execution4 ,the carefree days of boyhood rapidly drew to a close4 ,the serious work of life was beginning4 ,the bitter struggle for an education was at hand4 ,and because one boy did so struggle1 thousands of boys now are being given the broadest education1 practically free4 ,russell had gone as far in his studies as the country school could take him4 ,should he stop there as his companions were doing and settle down to the work of the farm8 ,the outlook for anything else was almost hopeless4 ,he had absolutely no money1 nor could his father spare him any4 ,he knew no other work than farming4 ,it was a prospect to daunt even the most determined1 yet ,russell ,conwell is not the only farmer's boy who has looked such a situation in the face and succeeded in spite of it4 ,nor were helping hands stretched out in those days to aid ambitious boys1 as they are in these4 ,asa ,niles1 matching ,russell's progress with loving interest1 told ,martin ,conwell the boy ought to go to ,wilbraham ,academy4 ,his own son ,william was going1 and he strongly urged that ,charles and ,russell ,conwell enter at the same time4 ,it was no light decision for the father to make4 ,he needed the boys in the work on the farm4 ,not only was he unable to help them1 but it was a decided loss to let them go4 ,long and earnest were the consultations the father and mother held4 ,the mother1 willing to sacrifice herself to the utmost1 said1 of course1 let them go1 deciding she could earn something to help them along by taking in more sewing4 ,so it was decided1 and in the fall of #aheh1 ,russell and his brother entered the ,academy of ,wilbraham1 a small town about twelve miles east from ,springfield4 ,it was bitter1 uphill work4 ,all the money the two boys had1 both to pay their tuition and their board1 they earned4 ,they worked for the near-by farmers4 ,they spent long days gathering chestnuts and walnuts at a few cents a quart4 ,they split wood1 they did anything they could find to do4 ,in fact1 they worked as hard and as long as though no studies were awaiting to be eagerly attacked when the exhausting labor was finished4 ,such tasks interfered with their studies1 so that ,russell never stood very high in his ,academy classes4 ,part of the time they lived in a small room on the outskirts of the village1 barren of all furniture save the absolutely necessary1 and for six weeks at a stretch1 lived on nothing but mush and milk4 ,their clothes were of the cheapest kind1 countrified in cut and make1 a decided contrast to those of their fellow students1 who came from homes of wealth and refinement ,it is very easy for outsiders and older heads to talk philosophically of being above such things1 but young1 sensitive boys feel such a position keenly and none but those who have actually endured such a martyrdom of pride know what they suffer4 ,it takes the grittiest kind of perseverance to face such slights1 to seem not to see the amused glance1 not to hear the sneering comment1 not to notice the contemptuous shrug4 ,such slights ,russell endured daily from certain of his classmates1 and though he realized fully that the opinion of these was of little value1 nevertheless they hurt4 ,but to the world he stood his ground unflinchingly1 even if there were secret heartaches4 ,he studied hard1 and what he studied he learned4 ,he had his own peculiar way of studying4 ,once he was missing from his classes several days4 ,the teachers reported it to the principal1 ,dr4 ,raymond1 who investigated4 ,he found ,russell completely absorbed in history and mastering it at a mile-a-minute gait4 ,dr4 ,raymond was wise in the management of boys1 especially such a boy as ,russell1 and he reported to the teachers1 ,let him alone4 ,conwell is working out his own education1 and it isn't worth while to disturb him4 ,his passion for debate and oratory found full scope in the debating societies of the ,academy4 ,these welcomed him with open arms4 ,he was so quick with his witty repartee1 could so readily turn an opponent's arguments against him1 that the nights it was known he would speak1 found the ,old ,club hall always crowded to hear that boy from the country4 ,thus working as hard as though he were doing nothing else1 and studying as hard as though he were not working1 ,russell made his way through two terms of the academic year4 ,nobody knows or ever will know1 all he suffered4 ,often almost on the point of starvation1 yet too proud and sensitive to ask for help1 he toiled on1 working by day and studying by night4 ,he never thought of giving up the fight and going back to the farm4 ,but funds completely ran out for the spring term and he yielded the struggle for a brief while1 returning to help his father1 or to earn what he could teaching school1 or working on neighboring farms1 saving every cent like a very miser for the coming year's tuition4 ,in addition1 he kept up with his studies1 so that when he returned the next fall1 he went on with his class the same as if he had attended for the entire year4 ,the second year was a repetition of the first1 work and study1 grinding poverty1 glorious perseverance4 ,again the spring term found him out of funds1 and this time he replenished by teaching school at ,blandford1 ,massachusetts4 ,among his pupils here was a bully of the worst type1 whose conduct had caused most of the former teachers to resign4 ,in fact1 he was quite proud of his ability to give the school a holiday1 and as on former occasions1 made his boasts that it wouldn't be long before the new teacher would take a vacation4 ,the other pupils watched with eager curiosity for the conflict4 ,in due course of time it came4 ,russell at first dealt with him kindly4 ,it hadn't been so many years since he himself had been the cause of numerous uproars at school4 ,but this youth was not of the kind to be impressed by good treatment4 ,he simply took it as a showing of the white feather on the part of the new teacher and became bolder in his misconduct4 ,on a day1 when he was unruly beyond all pardon1 ,russell took down the birch and invited him up before the school to receive the usual punishment4 ,the great occasion had come4 ,the children waited with bated breath4 ,the boy refused openly1 sneeringly4 ,the next moment1 he thought lightning had struck him4 ,he was grabbed by the neck1 held with a grip of iron despite all his struggles1 whipped before the gaping school1 taken to the door and kicked out in the snow4 ,then the school lessons proceeded4 ,it made a sensation1 of course4 ,some of the parents wanted to request the new teacher to resign4 ,but others rallied to his support and protested to the school board that the right man had been found at last4 ,and so ,russell held the post until the school term was over4 ,thirty-five years after1 ,russell ,conwell1 pastor of the ,baptist ,temple1 was asked to head a petition to get this same evil doer out of ,sing ,sing prison4 ,but despite his hard work and hard study at ,wilbraham1 the spirit of fun cropped out as persistently as in his younger days at the country school4 ,a chance to play a good joke was not to be missed4 ,at one of the school entertainments1 a student whom few liked was to take part4 ,relatives of his had given a large sum of money to the ,academy1 and on this account he somewhat lorded it over the other boys4 ,he was1 in addition1 foppish in his dress1 and on account of his money1 position1 and tailor1 felt the country boys of the class a decided drawback to his social status4 ,so the country boys decided to get even1 and they needed no other leader while ,russell ,conwell was about4 ,finally it came the dandy's turn to go on the platform to deliver a recitation4 ,just as he stepped out of the little anteroom before the audience1 ,russell1 with deft fingers1 fastened a paper jumping-jack to the tail of his coat1 where it dangled back of his legs in plain view of the audience but unobserved by himself4 ,with every gesture the figure jumped1 climbed1 contorted1 and went through all manner of gymnastics4 ,the more enthusiastic became the young orator1 the more active the tiny figure in his rear4 ,the audience went into convulsions4 ,utterly unable to tell what was the matter1 he finally retired1 red and confused1 and the audience wiped away the tears of laughter4 ,it was at one of these entertainments that ,russell himself met with a bitter defeat4 ,a public debate was announced in which he was to take part4 ,his classmates had spread abroad the story of his eloquence and the hall was packed to hear him4 ,knowing that it would be a great occasion and conscious of his poor clothes1 he determined to make an impression by his speech4 ,he prepared it with the utmost care1 and to make assurance doubly sure1 committed it to memory1 a thing he rarely did4 ,his turn came4 ,there was an expectant rustle through the audience1 some almost audible comments on his clothes1 his height1 his thinness4 ,he cleared his voice4 ,he started to say the first word4 ,it was gone4 ,frantically he searched his memory for that speech4 ,his mind was a blank4 ,again he cleared his voice and wrestled fiercely with his inner consciousness4 ,only one phrase could he remember1 and shouting in his thunderous tones1 ,give me liberty or give me death1 sat down1 not caring much which he got1 as ,burdette says1 so it came quickly and plenty of it4 ,it was while at ,wilbraham that he laid down text books and stepped aside for a brief space to pay honor to a hero4 ,sorrow hung like a pall over the little home at ,south ,worthington4 ,in far-off ,virginia1 a brave1 true-hearted man had raised a weak arm against the hosts of slavery1 raised it and been stricken down4 ,john ,brown had been tried1 convicted and sentenced to be hanged4 ,the day of his execution was a day of mourning in the ,conwell home4 ,as the hour for the deed drew near1 the father called the family into the little living room where ,brown had so often sat among them4 ,and during the hour while the tragedy was enacted in ,virginia1 the family sat silent with bowed heads doing reverence to the memory of this man who with single-minded earnestness went forward so fearlessly when others held back1 to strike the shackles from those in chains4 ,it was a solemn hour1 an hour in which worldly ambitions faded before the sublime spectacle of a man freely1 calmly giving his very life because he had dared to live out his honest belief that all men should be free4 ,like a kaleidoscope1 ,brown's history passed through ,russell's mind as he sat there4 ,he saw the brutal whipping of the little slave boy which had so aroused ,brown's anger when1 a small boy himself1 he led cattle through the western forests4 ,russell's hands clenched as he pictured it and he felt willing to fight as ,brown had done1 single-handed and alone if need be1 to right so horrible a wrong4 ,he could see how the idea had grown with ,john ,brown's growth and strengthened with his strength until he came to manhood with a single purpose dominating his life1 and a will to do it that could neither be broken nor bent4 ,he pictured him in ,kansas when son after son was laid on the altar of liberty as unflinchingly as ,abraham held the knife at his own son's breast at ,god's behest4 ,then the first blow at ,harper's ,ferry in the cause of liberty for all men--the capture of the town of three thousand by twenty-two men1 and now this--the public execution--the fearless spirit that looked only to ,god for guidance1 that feared neither man nor man's laws1 stopped on the very threshold of the supreme effort for which he had planned his life4 ,stopped8 ,it was the #bnd ,massachusetts ,regiment of ,infantry that was the first to sing on its way ,south1 that song1 afterward sung by the armies of a nation to the steady tramp of feet1 ,john ,brown's body lies mouldering in the grave1 ,but his soul goes marching on4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,war',s ,,alarms ,college ,days at ,yale4 ,the ,outbreak of the ,civil ,war4 ,patriotic ,speechmaking4 ,new ,york and ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,school days at ,wilbraham ended1 ,russell determined to climb higher4 ,as yet1 he scarcely knew the purpose of his studying4 ,ambitions seethed in him to know1 to be able to do4 ,he only realized that he must have the tools ready when the work came4 ,not daunted1 therefore1 by the bitter experiences at ,wilbraham1 ,russell determined to go to ,yale4 ,this meant a stern fight indeed1 one that would call out all his reserves of determination1 perseverance and indifference to the jeers and jibes of unthinking and unfeeling classmates4 ,but he did not flinch at the prospect4 ,his brother ,charles went with him1 and in the fall of '#fj they entered ,yale ,college4 ,if poverty was bitter at ,wilbraham1 it was bitterer here4 ,they were utter strangers among hundreds of boys from all parts of the country1 the majority of them coming from homes of luxury and with money for all their needs4 ,at ,wilbraham1 there had been a certain number of boys from their own section1 many of them poor1 though few so poor as themselves4 ,they had not felt so altogether alone as they did at ,yale4 ,it is perhaps for this reason that so little is known of ,russell ,conwell's career at ,yale4 ,he was as unobtrusive as possible4 ,silent as the ,sphinx1 some describe him4 ,his sensitive nature withdrew into itself1 and since he could not mingle with his classmates on a ground of equality1 he kept to himself1 alone1 silent1 studying1 working1 but telling no one how keenly he felt the difference between his own position and that of his fellow students4 ,he worked for the nearby farmers as at ,wilbraham and did anything that he could to earn money4 ,but his clothes were poor1 his manner of living the cheapest1 and except in classes1 his fellow students met him little4 ,he took the law course and followed fully the classical course at the same time--a feat no student at that time had ever done and few1 if any1 since4 ,how he managed it1 working as hard as he did at the same time1 to earn money1 seems impossible to comprehend4 ,his iron constitution1 for one thing1 that seemed capable of standing any strain1 helped him4 ,and his remarkable ability to photograph whole pages of his text books on his memory was another powerful ally4 ,he could reel off page after page of ,virgil1 ,homer1 ,blackstone--anything he memorized in this unusual fashion4 ,well for him that he grasped the opportunity to learn this method presented him as a child4 ,but it has always been one of the traits of his character to see opportunities where others walk right over them1 and to seize and make use of them4 ,he did not register in the classical course as he was too poor to pay the tuition fee1 nor did he join any of the clubs1 as he could not afford it4 ,he seldom appeared in debates or the moot courts1 for he was so shabbily dressed he felt he would not be welcome4 ,it was undoubtedly these humiliating experiences1 combined with certain of his studies and reading1 that caused him to drift into an atheistic train of thought4 ,working hard1 living poor1 desiring so much1 yet on all sides he saw boys with all the opportunities he longed for1 utterly indifferent to them4 ,he saw boys spending in riotous dissipation the money that would have meant so much to him4 ,he saw them recklessly squandering health1 time1 priceless educational opportunities1 for the veriest froth of pleasure4 ,he saw them sowing the wind1 yet to his inexperienced eyes not reaping the whirlwind1 but faring far more prosperously than he who worked and studied hard and yet had not what they threw so lightly away4 ,it was all at variance with his mother's teaching1 with such of the preaching at the little white church as he had heard4 ,bible promises1 as he interpreted them1 were not fulfilled4 ,so he scoffed1 cynically1 bitterly1 and said1 as many another has done before he has learned the lessons of the world's hard school1 ,there is no ,god4 ,and having said it1 he took rather a pride in it and said it openly1 boastingly4 ,as at ,wilbraham1 funds ran out before the school year was completed and he left ,yale and taught district school during the day and vocal and instrumental music in the evenings4 ,but into this eager1 undaunted struggle for an education came the trumpet call to arms4 ,with the memory of ,john ,brown like a living coal in his heart1 with the pictures of the cowering1 runaway slaves ever before his eyes1 he flung away his books and was one of the first to enlist4 ,but his father interfered4 ,russell was only eighteen4 ,martin ,conwell went to the recruiting officer and had his name taken from the rolls4 ,it was a bitter disappointment4 ,but since he might not help with his hands1 he spoke with his tongue4 ,all his pent-up enthusiasm flowed out in impassioned speeches that brought men by the hundreds to the recruiting offices4 ,his fame spread up and down the ,connecticut valley and wherever troops were to be raised1 the boy was in demand4 ,his youthful oratory1 says the author of ,scaling the ,eagle's ,nest1 was a wonderful thing which drew crowds of excited listeners wherever he went4 ,towns sent for him to help raise their quotas of soldiers1 and ranks speedily filled before his inspiring and patriotic speeches4 ,in #ahfb ,i remember a scene at ,whitman ,hall in ,westfield1 ,massachusetts1 which none who were there can forget4 ,russell had delivered two addresses there before4 ,on that night there were two addresses before his by prominent lawyers1 but there was evident impatience to hear ',the boy4' ,when he came forward there was the most deafening applause4 ,he really seemed inspired by miraculous powers4 ,every auditor was fascinated and held closely bound4 ,there was for a time breathless suspense1 and then at some telling sentence the whole building shook with wild applause4 ,at its close a shower of bouquets from hundreds of ladies carpeted the stage in a moment1 and men from all parts of the hall rushed forward to enlist4 ,the adulation and flattery showered upon him were enough to turn any other's head4 ,but it made no impression upon him4 ,heart1 mind and soul he was wrapped up in the cause4 ,he was burning with zeal to help the oppressed and suffering4 ,his words poured from a heart overflowing with pity1 love1 and indignation4 ,never once did he think of himself1 only of those in bonds crying1 ,come over and help us4 ,when ,lincoln made his great address in ,cooper ,institute in #ahfj1 ,russell was there4 ,it was a longer journey from ,new ,england to ,new ,york in those days than it is now1 and longer yet for a boy who had so little money1 but he let no obstacle keep him away4 ,he utilized his visit also to hear ,beecher1 the man who had taken so powerful a hold of his childish fancy4 ,ever since those boyish days when his mother read ,beecher's sermons to him1 and standing on the big gray rock he had imagined himself another ,beecher1 he had longed to hear this great man4 ,it was only this childish desire holding fast to him through the year that took him now1 for church-going itself had no attraction for him4 ,he sat on the steps of the gallery and heard this wonderful man preach a sermon in which he illustrated an auctioneer selling a negro girl at the block4 ,he sat as one entranced4 ,so did the immense audience1 held spellbound by the scene so graphically pictured4 ,it was the first interesting sermon he had ever heard4 ,it made a tremendous impression on him1 not only in itself1 but as a vivid contrast between the formal1 rattling-of-dry-bones sermon and the live1 vital discourse that takes hold of a man's mind and heart and compels him to go out in the world and do things for the good of his fellow men4 ,long it remained in his memory1 but the greatest inspiration from it did not come till later years1 when suddenly it stood forth as if illumined1 to throw a brilliant radiance on a path he had decided to tread4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,while ,,the ,,conflict ,,raged ,lincoln's ,call for #ajj1jjj ,men4 ,enlistment4 ,captain ,conwell4 ,in ,camp at ,springfield1 ,mass4 ,the ,famous ,gold-sheathed ,sword4 ,in #ahfb1 ,lincoln sent out an earnest call for #ajj1jjj men for the war4 ,russell was not longer to be denied1 and his father permitted him to enlist4 ,what silent agony1 what earnest prayers for his safety went up from his mother's heart1 only other mothers in those terrible days knew4 ,he raised a company from ,worthington1 ,chesterfield1 ,huntington1 ,russell1 ,blandford and the neighboring towns and was unanimously elected captain1 though only nineteen4 ,his earnest1 fiery speeches had already made him famous1 and when it was known he had enlisted and was raising a company1 there was a rush to get into it1 and the men as with one voice1 demanded that he be their captain4 ,no one ever thought of canvassing against him4 ,a committee was appointed to wait on ,governor ,andrew to persuade him to commission ,russell in spite of his age1 and when he received the appointment1 the cheers and applause of the enthusiastic1 the quiet satisfaction of the sedate1 showed the place which he had in their hearts4 ,it is almost incomprehensible to those not acquainted with the man1 but those who have come in contact with him1 know what a hold he would soon gain over those ,mountain ,boys1 as the company was called4 ,his kindly sympathy would quickly make them feel that in their captain1 each had a warm personal friend4 ,his generous heart would back up that belief with a hundred and one little acts of thoughtful kindness4 ,over each and every one would be exercised a watchful care that cheered the long days1 lightened heavy loads1 lessened discomforts4 ,it is little wonder that their devotion to him amounted almost to adoration4 ,gray-haired men followed him as proudly as though his years matched theirs4 ,indeed1 to their loyalty was added a fatherly feeling of guardianship over him1 because of his youth1 that brought a new pleasure into the relationship4 ,the company was knit together with the bonds of loving comradeship as were few others4 ,the rendezvous of the company was at ,huntington1 and there a banquet was given before the troops departed for war4 ,proud day for him when he marched down the familiar road from ,south ,worthington1 through the autumn woods with their slowly falling leaves1 their shadowy forest aisles all glorious now with the banners of autumn1 past the white farmhouses with their golden lilies1 the faithful little brook singing ever at his side4 ,sad day for his mother as she watched him go1 long looking after him1 till she could see no more for tears4 ,from ,huntington the company went into camp at ,springfield4 ,and now came into use1 those tactics and drills he had studied as a boy1 and others he had been secretly studying ever since the war broke out4 ,his men were astonished to find how perfectly at home he was in military tactics4 ,it further added to their pride in him4 ,they fully expected him to know as little as they1 but when he came to his work fully prepared1 to their admiration of him as an orator1 their love as a leader1 was now added their confidence as an officer4 ,camp life at ,springfield made war no longer a glorious contemplation but an uncomfortable reality4 ,the ground for a bed1 a spadeful of earth for a pillow1 sharp mountain winds1 cold autumn storms1 insufficient food1 hinted at the hardships to follow4 ,the gold and the alloy in the men's characters began to shine out1 and ,company ,f soon realized in practical ways1 the nature of the man who led them4 ,his new uniform overcoat went to a shivering boy1 his rations were divided with those less fortunate1 his blankets were given to a comrade in need4 ,always it was of his men1 not himself1 he thought4 ,before leaving camp for the seat of war1 ,captain ,conwell was presented with a sword by his ,company1 bearing this inscription3-- ,presented to ,captain ,russell ,h4 ,conwell by the soldiers of ,company ,f1 #dfth ,mass4 ,vol4 ,militia1 known as ',the ,mountain ,boys4' ,vera ,amicitia est sempiterna4 7,true friendship is eternal47 ,colonel ,shurtleff made the speech of presentation4 ,the passionately eloquent reply of the boy captain is yet remembered by those who heard it4 ,he received the beautiful1 glittering weapon in silence4 ,slowly he drew the gleaming steel from its golden sheath and solemnly held it upward as if dedicating it to heaven1 the sunlight bathing the blade with blinding flashes of light4 ,his eyes were fixed upon the steel1 as if in a rapt vision1 he swept the centuries past1 the centuries to come1 and saw what it stood for in the destinies of men4 ,breathless silence fell upon his waiting comrades4 ,thus for a few moments he stood and then he spoke to the sword4 ,he called up the shade of the sword of that mighty warrior ,joshua1 which purified a polluted land with libations of blood1 and made it fit for the heritage of ,god's people2 the sword of ,david1 that established the kingdom of ,israel2 the sword of that resistless conqueror1 ,alexander1 that pierced the heart of the ,orient2 the ,roman short sword1 the terrible gladius1 that carved out for the ,caesars the sovereignty of the world2 the sword of ,charlemagne1 writing its master's glorious deeds in mingling chapters of fable and history2 the sword of ,gustavus ,adolphus1 smiting the battalions of the puissant ,wallenstein with defeat and overthrow even when its master lay dead on the field of ,lutzen2 the sword of ,washington1 drawn for human freedom and sheathed in peace1 honor1 and victory2 then he bade the sword remember all it had done in shaping the destinies of men and nations2 how it had written on the tablets of history in letters red and lurid1 the drama of the ages2 closing1 he called upon it now1 in the battle for the ,union1 to strike hard and strike home for freedom1 for justice1 in the name of ,god and the ,right2 to fail not in the work to which it was called until every shackle in the land was broken1 every bondman free1 and every foul stain of dishonor cleaned from the flag4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,in ,,the ,,thick ,,of ,,the ,,fight ,company ,f at ,newberne1 ,n4,c4 ,the ,fight at ,batchelor's ,creek4 ,the ,goldsboro ,expedition4 ,the ,battle of ,kingston4 ,the ,gum ,swamp ,expedition4 ,breaking camp1 the #dfth left the beautiful1 placid scenery about ,springfield1 its silver river1 its silent mountains1 for ,boston1 where they embarked for ,north ,carolina1 ,november #eth1 #ahfb4 ,they sailed out of ,boston ,harbor in the teeth of a winter gale which increased so in fury that the boat was compelled to put back4 ,when they finally did leave1 the sea was still very rough and they had a slow1 stormy passage4 ,it goes without saying that many of the men were ill4 ,the boat was crowded1 the accommodations insufficient1 and numbers of the ,mountain ,boys had never been on the water before4 ,to the confusion of handling such a body of men was added inexperience in such work4 ,the members of ,company ,f would have fared badly had it not been for the forethought of their boy captain4 ,it seemed as if he had passed beforehand in mental review1 the experiences of these weeks and anticipated their needs4 ,out of his own funds1 he laid in a stock of medicines and delicacies for the sick4 ,indeed1 those who know1 say that he expended all of his pay in sutler's stores and various things to make his men more comfortable4 ,night and day1 he was with those who suffered1 cheering1 sympathizing1 nursing4 ,he was the life of the ship4 ,his men saw that his kindness and comradeship were not of the superficial order1 but genuine1 sincere1 a part of his very self and they became1 if possible1 more passionately attached to him than ever4 ,the placid ,neuse river was a glad sight when at last they reached its mouth and steamed up to ,newberne1 ,north ,carolina4 ,general ,burnside had already captured the town and ,company ,f began army duties in earnest with garrison work in the little ,southern city1 with its long dull lines of earthworks1 its white tents1 its fleet of gunboats floating lazily on the river4 ,the constant tramp of soldiers' feet echoed along the side-walks of this erstwhile quiet1 ,southern town4 ,sentries stood on the corners challenging passers-by1 wharves creaked under the loads of ordnance and quartermasters' stores4 ,army wagons and ambulances were constantly passing in the street1 all strange and novel at first to the ,mountain ,boys but soon familiar4 ,drilling and guard duty filled their days4 ,morning and afternoon they drilled1 and the actual possession of the enemies' country1 the warlike aspect of everything about them1 made drilling a far more real and important matter than it had seemed at home4 ,captain ,conwell felt his responsibility and threw himself into the work with an earnestness that infected his men4 ,they would rather drill with him two hours than with any other officer a half hour4 ,they not only caught the contagion of his enthusiasm1 but he changed the dull1 monotonous drudgery of it1 into real1 fascinating work by marching them into seemingly hopeless situations and then in some unexpected and surprising way1 extricating them4 ,nor did he spare himself any of the unpleasant phases of the work4 ,one day1 the ,colonel1 while drilling the regiment1 noticed that many of the men of ,company ,f marched far out of their places to avoid a mudhole in the road4 ,he marched and countermarched them over the same ground to compel the men to keep their rank and file regardless of the mud4 ,captain ,conwell saw his object1 and himself plunged into the mire1 his men followed1 and were thus saved the reprimand which threatened4 ,during these days1 ,captain ,conwell kept up with the law studies abandoned at ,yale4 ,every spare minute1 he devoted to his books and committed to memory1 one whole volume of ,blackstone during the term of his first enlistment ,not many of the soldiers so used their hours off duty4 ,but it is this turning of every minute to account that has enabled ,dr4 ,conwell to accomplish so much4 ,he has made his life count for a half dozen of most person's by never wasting a moment4 ,the monotony of garrison duty was broken first by a small fight at ,batchelor's ,creek1 seven miles above ,newbern1 but only four companies were engaged4 ,the ,mountain ,boys saw the first blood spilled at ,kingston and gained there the first glimpse of the horrors of war4 ,nearly the entire marching force was sent into the interior on this expedition1 known as the ,goldsboro expedition1 the object being to cut the ,weldon railroad at ,goldsboro1 ,north ,carolina4 ,it was a hard march with short and uncertain halts and occasional cavalry skirmishes4 ,at ,kingston1 they met the enemy in force4 ,the ,confederates were massed about the bridge over the ,neuse river and held it bravely till the charge of the #ith ,new ,jersey and #ajth ,connecticut drove them from their position and left the woods and a little open field covered with the dead and dying4 ,the #dfth ,massachusetts followed the retreating army and had that first experience with the grim1 bloody side of war that always makes such a strong impression on the green soldier4 ,they bivouacked at ,kingston and next day marched to the ,weldon railroad1 reaching it at the bridge below ,goldsboro1 where the ,confederates had massed a large body of troops to protect their lines of communication and supplies4 ,this was a battle in earnest1 the artillery was deafening1 and the enemy repeatedly charged the ,union lines4 ,the ,northern batteries were on a knoll in front1 and at the very moment that a long line of gray was seen approaching through this field and the ,massachusetts men were ordered to lie down1 so that the shot and shell could pass over them1 their boy captain walked openly forward to the batteries and stood there in the smoke4 ,careless of himself1 he yet realized to the full the meaning of this grim duel1 for when the fight was over and the ,northern men cheering1 he was silent ,captain ,walkley asked why he did not cheer with the others4 ,too many hearts made sad to-day1 was the significant reply that showed he counted the cost to its bitter end1 though he went forward none the less bravely4 ,long1 monotonous days of garrison duty followed for the men1 days of drilling1 of idling up and down the streets of the dull ,southern town4 ,but ,captain ,conwell used his spare minutes to advantage1 and when no work connected with his company or the personal welfare of his comrades occupied him1 he was studying4 ,then came the order to drive the ,confederates from a fort they were erecting on the ,newbern ,railroad about thirty miles inland4 ,this expedition1 known as the ,gum ,swamp ,expedition1 was an experience that tested the mettle of the men and the resources of the young captain1 and an experience none of the survivors ever forgot4 ,it was a forced march1 a quick charge4 ,the ,confederates fled leaving their fort unfinished4 ,the ,union men having successfully completed their work1 began the return to ,newberne1 and here disaster overtook them4 ,the ,confederates hung on their rear1 riddling their ranks with shot and shell4 ,suffering1 maddened1 with no way to turn and fight1 for the enemy kept themselves well hidden1 with no way of escape ahead if they remained on the road1 they plunged into the swamp1 that swept up black and dismal to the very edge of the highway4 ,the ,confederate prisoners with them1 warned them of their danger1 but the men were not to be stayed when a deadly rain of the enemy's balls was thinning their ranks every minute4 ,the swamp was one black ooze with water up to their waists1 a tangle of grass1 reeds1 cypress trees1 bushes4 ,loaded down with their heavy clothing1 and their army accoutrements1 one after another the men sank from sheer exhaustion4 ,no man could succor his brother4 ,it was all he could do to drag himself through the mire that sucked him down like some terrible1 silent monster of the black1 slimy depths4 ,but ,captain ,conwell would not desert a man4 ,he could not see his comrades left to die before his very eyes1 those men who came right from his own mountain town1 his own boy friends1 the ones who had enlisted under him1 marched and drilled with him4 ,rather would he perish in the swamp with them4 ,he worked like a ,hercules1 encouraging1 helping1 carrying some of the more exhausted4 ,a wet1 straggling remnant reached ,newberne4 ,even then1 when ,captain ,conwell found that two of his own company were missing1 he plunged back into the swamp to rescue them4 ,hours passed1 and just as a relief expedition was starting to search for him1 he came back1 his hat gone1 his uniform torn into rags1 but with one of the men with him and the other left on a fallen tree with a path blazed to lead the rescuers to him4 ,no heart could withstand such devotion as that4 ,young and old1 it touched his men so deeply1 they could not speak of it unmoved4 ,they would gladly have died for him if need be1 as one did later1 changing by his heroic act the whole current of ,russell ,conwell's life4 ,this same earnest desire to save that made him plunge back into that swamp1 regardless of self1 is with him still to-day1 now that his whole soul is consumed with a longing to save men from moral death4 ,he lets nothing stand in his way of reaching out a succoring hand4 ,then it was his comrades that he loved with such unselfish devotion4 ,now1 every man is his brother and his heart goes out with the same earnest desire to help those who need help4 ,the genuineness1 the unselfishness of it goes straight to every man's heart4 ,it binds men to him as in the old days1 and it gives them new faith in themselves4 ,the love of humanity in his heart is1 and always has been1 a clear spring1 unpolluted by love of self1 by ambition1 by any worldly thing4 ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,sword ,,and ,,the ,,school ,,book ,scouting at ,bogue ,sound4 ,capt4 ,conwell ,wounded4 ,the ,second ,enlistment4 ,jealousy and ,misunderstanding4 ,building of the ,first ,free ,school for ,colored ,children4 ,attack on ,newport ,barracks4 ,heroic ,death of ,john ,ring4 ,once more1 garrison duty laid its dull hand on the troops1 varied by little encounters that broke the monotony and furnished the material for many campfire stories1 but otherwise did little damage4 ,the men eagerly welcomed these scouting expeditions1 and when an especially dangerous one to ,bogue ,sound was planned1 and ,company ,f1 eager to be selected1 ,captain ,conwell personally interceded with the ,colonel that his men might be given the task4 ,the region into which they were sent was known to be full of rebels1 and as they approached the danger zone1 ,captain ,conwell ordered his men to lie down1 while he went forward to reconnoitre4 ,noticing a ,confederate officer behind a tree1 he stole to the tree1 and reaching as far around as he could1 began firing with his revolver4 ,not being experienced in the shooting of men and believing since it must be done1 'twere well it were done quickly1 he shot all his loads in quick succession4 ,his enemy1 more wily1 waited till the ,captain's ammunition was gone and then slowly and with steady aim began returning the fire4 ,but ,captain ,conwell's comrades watching from a distance saw big peril1 and disobeying orders1 rose as one man and came to his rescue4 ,the ,confederate fled but not before he had left a ball in ,captain ,conwell's shoulder which1 of little consequence at the time1 later came near causing his death4 ,thus the days passed away1 and as the term of enlistment drew to a close1 ,general ,foster sent for ,captain ,conwell and promised to recommend him for a colonelcy if he would enter at once upon recruiting service among his men4 ,this he willingly consented to do1 and as may be imagined his men nearly all wanted to re-enlist under him4 ,such a commission1 however1 for one so young aroused bitter jealousy among officers of other companies1 and ,captain ,conwell hearing of it1 decided not to accept the appointment4 ,he wrote the ,governor that he would be content with the captain's commission again and that he preferred not to raise contention by receiving anything higher4 ,the company returned home1 but before the new re-organization was effected1 ,captain ,conwell was attacked with a serious fever4 ,by the time he recovered1 the new regiment had been organized and new officers put over it4 ,of course1 his men were dissatisfied4 ,with the understanding that such of his old comrades as wished could join it1 he went to work immediately recruiting another company4 ,but nearly all his old men wanted to come into it1 the new men recruited would not give him up1 and the anomalous position arose of two companies clamoring for one captain4 ,while it created much comment1 it did not lessen the jealousy which his popularity had aroused1 among men and officers not intimately associated with him1 so that his second enlistment began under a cloud of disappointment for his men1 and jealousy among outsiders1 that seemed to bring misfortune in its train4 ,his new men1 however1 never failed him4 ,his thoughtful care for them1 his kindness1 his unselfishness won their loyalty and love as it had done in ,company ,f1 and ,company ,d1 #bnd ,massachusetts ,volunteers were to a man as devoted and as attached to him as ever were his old comrades of the first days of the war4 ,in this company went as ,captain ,conwell's personal orderly1 a young boy1 ,john ,ring1 of ,westfield1 ,massachusetts1 a lad of sixteen or seventeen4 ,entirely too young and too small to join the ranks of soldiers1 he had pleaded with his father so earnestly to be permitted to go to the war that ,mr4 ,ring had finally consented to put him in ,captain ,conwell's charge4 ,the boy was a worshipper at the shrine of the young ,captain4 ,he had sat thrilled and fascinated under the magic of the burning words which had swept men by the hundreds to enlist4 ,it was ,captain ,conwell's speeches that had stirred the boy and moved him with such fiery ardor to go to war4 ,no greater joy could be given him1 since he could not fight1 than to be in his ,captain's very tent to look after his belongings1 to minister in small ways to his comfort4 ,a hero worshipper the lad was1 and at an age when ideals take hold of a pure1 high-minded boy with a force that will carry him to any height of self-sacrifice1 to any depth of suffering4 ,he had been carefully reared in a ,christian home and read the ,bible every morning and every evening in their tent1 a sight that so pricked the conscience of ,captain ,conwell1 as he remembered his mother and her loving instructions1 that he forbade it4 ,but though ,john ,ring loved ,captain ,conwell with a love which the former did not then understand1 the boy loved duty and right better1 and bravely disobeying these orders1 he read on4 ,the company was stationed at ,fort ,macon1 ,north ,carolina1 for awhile1 and then sent to ,newport ,barracks4 ,here it was that ,captain ,conwell and his soldiers cut the logs and built the first free schoolhouse erected for colored children4 ,colonel ,conwell himself taught it at first and then he engaged a woman to teach4 ,it is still standing4 ,months passed away and the men received no pay4 ,request after request ,captain ,conwell sent to headquarters at ,newberne1 but received no reply4 ,the men became discontented and unruly4 ,some had families at home in need4 ,all of these tales were poured into the young ,captain's ears4 ,ready ever to relieve trouble1 impatient always to get to work and remedy a wrong1 instead of talking about it1 ,captain ,conwell decided to ride to ,newberne1 find out what was the matter and have the men's money forwarded at once4 ,leaving an efficient officer in command and securing a pass1 which he never stopped to consider was not a properly made-out permit for a leave of absence for a commanding officer1 he took an orderly and started4 ,it was a twenty-mile ride to ,newberne and meant an absence of some time4 ,but he anticipated no trouble1 for the rebels had been letting the ,northern troops severely alone for nearly a year4 ,he had covered barely two-thirds of the distance1 when a ,union man passed1 who shouted as he hurried on1 ,your men are in a fight4 ,conwell and his orderly turned1 put their horses to the gallop and rode back furiously4 ,it was too late4 ,the country between was swarming with ,confederates4 ,he ran into the enemies' pickets and barely escaped capture by swimming a deep creek1 shot spattering all around them4 ,he made desperate efforts to ride around the lines but failed4 ,then he tried descending the river by boat1 but the enemy had captured the entire line of posts4 ,frustrated at all points1 nothing was to be done but retrace his steps to ,newberne1 where the worst of news awaited him4 ,the assault upon his fort had been sudden and in overwhelming force4 ,his men had been shot down or bayonetted1 the remnant driven to the woods4 ,the whole ground was in the hands of the enemy4 ,nor was this all4 ,back at that little fort had been enacted one of the saddest tragedies of the war4 ,when the ,union soldiers fled1 they had retreated across the long railroad bridge that spanned the ,newport river1 and to prevent the enemy following1 had set it on fire4 ,just as the flames began to eat into the timbers1 ,john ,ring1 the boy orderly1 thought of his ,captain's sword1 that wonderful gold-sheathed sword which had been presented to ,captain ,conwell on the memorable day in ,springfield when he had so eloquently called upon it to fight in the cause of ,justice4 ,it had been left behind in the ,captain's tent1 the ,army ,regulations requiring that he wear one less conspicuous4 ,even now it might be in the hands of some slave-owning ,confederate4 ,maddened at the thought1 ,john ,king leaped on to the burning bridge1 plunged back through the fire1 through the ranks of the yelling1 excited ,confederates1 reached the tent unobserved and grasped the sword of his idolized ,captain4 ,again he made a rush for the flame-wrapped bridge4 ,but this time the keen eyes of the enemy discerned him4 ,look at the ,yank with the sword4 ,wing him6 ,bring him down4 ,and bullets sped after the fearless boy4 ,but he fled on undeterred1 and plunged into the mass of flame and smoke4 ,the fire had gained too great headway by this time for any living thing to pass through it unhurt4 ,he saw it was useless to attempt to cross as before1 and belting the sword about him1 he dropped beneath the stringers and tried to make his way hand over hand4 ,all about him fell the blazing brands4 ,the biting smoke blinded him4 ,the very flesh was burning from his arms4 ,the enemies' bullets sung about him4 ,but still he struggled on4 ,in sheer admiration of his courage1 the ,confederate general gave the order to cease firing1 and the two armies stood silent and watched the plucky fight of this brave boy4 ,inch by inch1 he gained on his path of fire4 ,but he could see no longer4 ,in torturing blackness he groped on1 fearful only that he might not succeed in saving the precious sword1 that in his blindness he might grasp a blazing timber and his hand be burnt from him1 that death in a tongue of flame be swept down into his face1 that the bridge might fall and the sword be lost4 ,at last he heard his comrades shouting4 ,they guided him with their cheers1 ,a little farther1 ,keep straight on1 ,you're all right now4 ,and then he dropped blazing into the outstretched arms of his comrades1 while a mighty shout went up from both sides of the river1 as enemy and friend paid the tribute of brave men to a brave deed4 ,illustration3 ,,lieutenant-,,colonel ,,conwell ,with swelling hearts and tear-blinded eyes1 they tenderly laid the insensible hero on a gun carriage and took him to the hospital4 ,two days of quivering agony followed and then he met and bravely faced his last enemy4 ,opening his eyes1 he said clearly and distinctly1 ,give the ,captain his sword4 ,then his breath fluttered and the little armor-bearer slept the sleep of peace4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,a ,,soldier ,,of ,,the ,,cross ,under ,arrest for ,absence ,without ,leave4 ,order of ,court ,reversed by ,president4 ,certificate from ,state ,legislature of ,massachusetts for ,patriotic ,services4 ,appointed by ,president ,lincoln ,lieutenant-,colonel on ,general ,mc,pherson's ,staff4 ,wounded at ,kenesaw ,mountain4 ,conversion4 ,public ,profession of ,faith4 ,the tragic death of ,john ,ring was the final crushing news that came to ,captain ,conwell at ,newberne4 ,combined with the nervous strain he had been under in trying to get back to his men1 the condemnation from his superior officers for his absence1 it threw him into a brain fever4 ,long days and nights he rolled and tossed1 fighting over again the attack on the fort1 making heroic efforts to rescue ,john ,ring from his fiery death1 urging his horse through tangled forests and dark rivers that seemed never to have another shore4 ,for weeks the fever racked and wasted him1 and finally when feeble and weak1 he was once more able to walk1 he found himself under arrest for absence without leave during a time of danger4 ,it had been reported to ,general ,palmer that the defeat of the ,federal troops might have been avoided had the officers been on duty4 ,an investigation was ordered and ,captain ,conwell was asked for his permit to be absent4 ,he had simply his pass through the lines1 a vastly different thing he found from an authorized permit of absence4 ,the investigation dragged its slow course along1 as all such things1 encumbered by red tape1 do4 ,disgusted and humiliated by being kept a prisoner for months when the country needed every arm in its defense1 by having such a mountain made of the veriest molehill built of a kind act and boyish inexperience1 he refused to put in a defense at the investigation and let it go as it would4 ,setting the ,court of ,inquiry more against him1 a former ,commander1 ,general ,foster1 espoused his cause too hotly and wrote to ,general ,mc,pherson for an appointment for a boy who is as brave as an old man4 ,the ,court of ,inquiry1 made up of local officers1 most of them jealous of his popularity1 resented this outside interference and the verdict was against him4 ,but others higher in authority took up the matter and ,captain ,conwell was ordered to ,washington4 ,the ,president reversed the order of the ,court4 ,he was appointed ,lieutenant-,colonel1 detailed for service on ,general ,mc,pherson's staff and ordered ,west4 ,general ,butler1 under whose command ,captain ,conwell served1 afterward made a generous acknowledgment of the injustice of the findings and expressed in warm words his admiration of ,captain ,conwell1 and the ,state ,legislature of ,massachusetts gave him a certificate for faithful and patriotic services in that campaign4 ,nevertheless1 it was an experience that sorely embittered his soul4 ,intentionally he had done nothing wrong1 yet he had been humiliated and made to eat the bitter fruits of the envy and jealousy of others4 ,it saddened but did not defeat him4 ,his heart was too big1 his nature too generous4 ,he could forgive them freely1 could do them a kindness the very first opportunity1 but that did not take away the pain at his heart4 ,one may forgive a person who burns him1 even if intentionally1 but that does not stop the burn from smarting4 ,saddened1 and with the futility of ambition keenly brought home to him1 he joined ,general ,mc,pherson1 and in the battle of ,kenesaw ,mountain he received a serious wound4 ,he had stationed a lookout to watch the ,confederate fire while he directed the work of two batteries4 ,it was the duty of the lookout to keep ,colonel ,conwell and his gunners posted as to whether the enemy fired shot or shell1 easily to be told by watching the little trail of smoke that followed the discharge4 ,if a shot were sent1 they paid no attention to it for it did little damage1 but if it were a shell it was deemed necessary to seek protection4 ,colonel ,conwell was leaning on the wheel of one of the cannon when there was a discharge from the guns of the enemy4 ,the lookout yelled1 ,shot4 ,but it was a fatal shell that came careening and screaming toward them1 and before ,conwell or his men could leap into the bomb-proof embankment1 it struck the hub of the very wheel against which he leaned1 and burst4 ,when he came to himself1 the stars were shining1 the field was silent save for the feeble moans of the wounded1 the voices and footsteps of parties searching for the injured4 ,he was in a quivering agony of sharp1 burning pain1 but he could neither move nor speak4 ,at last1 he heard the searchers coming4 ,nearer1 nearer drew the voices1 then for a moment they paused at his side4 ,he heard a man with a lantern say1 ,poor fellow6 ,we can do nothing for him4 ,then they passed on1 leaving him for dead1 among the dead4 ,all that ,june night he lay there1 looking up at the stars that studded the infinity of space4 ,about him were dark1 silent forms1 rigid in the sleep of death4 ,those were solemn hours1 hours when he looked death in the face1 and then backward over the years he had lived4 ,useless years they seemed to him now1 years filled with petty ambitions that had to do solely with self4 ,all the spiritual ideals of life1 the things that give lasting joy and happiness because they are of the spirit and not of the flesh1 he had scoffingly cast aside and rejected4 ,he had narrowed life down to self and the things of the world4 ,he had no such faith as made his mother's hard-working life happy and serene because it transformed its sordid care into glorious service of her ,heavenly ,king4 ,he had no such faith as carried ,john ,ring triumphant and undismayed through the gates of fiery death in performance of a loving service4 ,suddenly a longing swept over him for this priceless faith1 for a personal1 sure belief in the love of a ,savior4 ,one by one the teachings of his mother came back to him1 those beautiful immortal truths she had read him from that ,book which is never too old to touch the hearts of men with healing4 ,looking up at the worlds swinging through space to unknown laws1 with the immensities of life1 death and infinity all about him1 his disbelief1 his atheism dropped away4 ,into his heart came the premonitions of the peace of ,god1 which passeth understanding4 ,life broadened1 it took on new meaning and duty1 for a life into which the spirit of ,god has come can never again narrow down to the boundaries of self4 ,he determined henceforth to live more for others1 less for himself2 to make the world better1 somebody happier whenever he could2 to make his life1 each day of it1 worthy of that great sacrifice of ,john ,ring4 ,he being an officer1 they came back for his body1 and found a living man instead of the dead4 ,he was taken to the field hospital4 ,one arm was broken in two places1 his shoulder badly shattered1 and because there was no hope of his living1 they did not at once amputate his arm1 which would have been done had he been less seriously injured4 ,long days he lay in the hospital with life going out all about him1 the moan of the suffering in his ears1 thinking1 thinking1 of the mystery of life and death1 as the shadows flitted and swayed through the dimly lighted wards at night1 the sunshine poured down during the day4 ,his love of humanity burned purer4 ,his desire to help it grew stronger4 ,long were the talks he had with the chaplain1 a ,baptist preacher1 and when he recovered and left the hospital1 his mind was fully made up4 ,like his father1 his actions never lagged behind his speech1 and he made at once an open profession of the faith on which he now leaned with such happy confidence4 ,the fearless1 unselfish love of humanity1 the desire to help the oppressed that burned in the bosom of ,john ,brown had sent the impetuous boy into the war4 ,the fearless1 unselfish act of ,john ,ring sent ,colonel ,conwell out of the war a ,god-fearing man1 determined to spend his life for the good of humanity4 ,providence uses strange instruments4 ,thousands in this country to-day have been inspired1 helped1 made different men and women through knowing ,russell ,conwell4 ,what may not some of them do to benefit their country and their generation6 ,yet back of him stand this old gray-haired man and a young1 fearless boy1 whose influence turned the current of his life to brighten and bless countless thousands4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,westward ,resignation from ,army4 ,admission to ,bar4 ,marriage4 ,removal to ,minnesota4 ,founding of ,minneapolis ,y4,m4,c4,a4 and of the ,present ,minneapolis ,tribune4 ,burning of ,home4 ,breaking ,out of ,wound4 ,appointed ,emigration ,agent to ,germany by ,governor of ,minnesota4 ,joins ,surveying ,party to ,palestine4 ,near to ,death in ,paris ,hospital4 ,journey to ,new ,york for ,operation in ,bellevue ,hospital4 ,return to ,boston4 ,when ,colonel ,conwell was able to leave the hospital1 he was still unable to assume active duty in the field1 and he was sent to ,nashville for further rest and treatment4 ,here he reported to ,general ,thomas and was instructed to proceed to ,washington with a despatch for ,general ,logan4 ,colonel ,conwell started1 but the rough traveling of those days opened his wounds afresh and he completely broke down at ,harper's ,ferry4 ,too weak longer to resist1 he yielded to the entreaties of his friends1 sent in his resignation and returned home for rest and nursing4 ,before he fully recovered1 peace was declared4 ,free to resume his studies1 he entered the law office of ,judge ,w4,s4 ,shurtleff1 of ,springfield1 ,massachusetts1 his former ,colonel1 read law there for a short time1 then entered the ,albany ,university1 where he graduated4 ,shortly after passing his examination at the bar and receiving his degree1 he was married at ,chicopee ,falls1 ,march #h1 #ahfe1 to ,miss ,jennie ,p4 ,hayden1 one of his pupils in the district school at ,west ,granville1 ,massachusetts1 and later one of his most proficient music scholars4 ,her brothers were in his company1 and when ,company ,f was in camp at ,springfield after the first enlistment1 she was studying at ,wilbraham and there often saw her soldier lover4 ,anxious days and years they were for her that followed1 as they were for every other woman with father1 husband1 brother or sweetheart in the terrible conflict that raged so long4 ,but she endured them with that silent bravery that is ever the woman's part1 that strong1 steady courage that can sit at home passive1 patient1 never knowing but that life-long sorrow and heartache are already at the threshold4 ,immediately after their marriage1 they went ,west and finally settled in ,minneapolis4 ,colonel ,conwell opened a law office1 and while waiting for clients acted as agent for a real estate firm in the sale of land warrants4 ,he also began to negotiate for the sale of town lots4 ,this not being enough for a man who utilized every minute1 he became local correspondent for the ,st4 ,paul ,press4 ,nor did he stop here1 though most men would have thought their hands by this time about full4 ,he took an active part in local politics and canvassed the settlement and towns for the ,republican and temperance tickets4 ,he also was actively interested in the schools1 and not only advocated public schools and plenty of them1 but was a frequent visitor to the city and district schools1 talking to the children in that interesting1 entertaining way that always clothes some helpful lesson in a form long to be remembered4 ,true to the faith he had found in the little ,southern hospital1 he joined the ,first ,baptist ,church of ,saint ,paul4 ,but mere joining was not sufficient4 ,he must work for the cause1 and he opened a business men's noon prayer-meeting in his law office at ,minneapolis1 rather a novel undertaking in those days and in the then far ,west4 ,for three months1 only three men attended4 ,but nothing daunted1 he persevered4 ,that trait in his character always shone out the more brightly1 the darker the outlook4 ,those three men were helped1 and that was sufficient reason that the prayer-meeting be continued4 ,eventually it prospered and resulted finally in a permanent organization from which grew the ,minneapolis ,y4,m4,c4,a4 ,poor though he was1 and he started in the ,west with nothing1 he made friends everywhere4 ,his speeches soon made him widely known4 ,his sincerity1 his unselfish desire to help others1 his earnestness to aid in all good works brought him1 as always1 a host of loyal1 devoted followers4 ,a skating club of some hundred members made him their ,president1 and his first law case in the ,west came to him through this position4 ,a skating carnival was to be given1 and the club had engaged an ,irishman to clear a certain part of the frozen ,mississippi of snow for the skating4 ,this he failed to do at the time specified and the club had it cleaned by some one else4 ,claiming that he would have done it1 had they waited1 the ,irishman sued the club4 ,colonel ,conwell1 of course1 appeared for the defense4 ,the whole hundred members marched to the court house1 the scene being town talk for some days4 ,needless to say he won his suit4 ,his love for newspaper work led him to start the ,minneapolis ,chronicle and the ,star of the ,north1 which were afterward merged into ,the ,minneapolis ,tribune1 for which his clever young wife conducted a woman's column1 in a decidedly brilliant1 original manner4 ,mrs4 ,conwell wrote from her heart as one woman to other women1 and her articles soon attracted notice and comment for their entertaining style and their inspiring1 helpful ideas4 ,at this time they were living in two rooms back of his office1 for they were making financial headway as yet but slowly4 ,but times brightened and ,colonel ,conwell was soon able to purchase a handsome home and furnish it comfortably1 taking particular pride in the gathering of a large law library4 ,it seemed now as if life were to move forward prosperously4 ,but greater work was needed from ,russell ,conwell than the comfortable practice of law4 ,one evening while the family were from home1 fire broke out and the house and all they owned was destroyed4 ,running to the fire from a ,g4,a4,r4 meeting1 a mile and a half away1 ,colonel ,conwell was attacked with a hemorrhage of the lungs4 ,it came from his old army wounds and the doctor ordered him immediately from that climate1 and told him he must take a complete rest4 ,here was disaster indeed4 ,every cent they had saved was gone4 ,and with it the strength to begin again the battle for a living4 ,it was a hard1 bitter blow for a young1 ambitious man1 right at the start of his career2 a stroke of fate to make any man bitter and cynical4 ,but his was not a nature to permit misfortune to narrow him or make him repine4 ,he rose above it4 ,it did not lesson his ambitions4 ,it broadened1 humanized them4 ,it made him enter with still truer sympathy into other people's misfortune4 ,and his trust in ,god was so strong1 his faith so unshaken1 he knew that in all these bitter experiences of life's school was a lesson4 ,he learned it and used it to get a broader outlook4 ,his friends rallied to his aid4 ,prominent as an editor1 lawyer1 leader of the ,y4,m4,c4,a41 it was not difficult to get him an appointment from the ,governor1 already a warm friend4 ,he secured the position of emigration agent to ,europe1 and he turned his face ,eastward4 ,mrs4 ,conwell was left in ,minneapolis1 and he sailed abroad in the hope that the sea trip and change of climate would heal the weakened tissue of his lung and fully restore him to health4 ,but it was a vain hope4 ,his strength would not permit him to fulfill the duty expected of him as emigration agent and he was compelled to resign4 ,for several months he wandered about ,europe trying one place1 then another in the vain search for health4 ,he joined a surveying party and went to ,palestine1 for even in those days that inner voice could not he altogether stilled that was calling him to follow in the footsteps of the ,savior and preach and teach and heal the sick4 ,the land where the ,savior ministered had a strong fascination for him1 and he gladly seized the opportunity to become a member of this surveying party and walk over the ground where the ,savior had gone up and down doing good4 ,but the trip was of no benefit to his health4 ,instead of gaining he failed4 ,he grew weaker and weaker4 ,the hemorrhages became more and more frequent4 ,finally he came to ,paris and lying1 a stranger and poor1 in ,necker ,hospital was told he could live but a few days4 ,face to face again with that grim1 bitter enemy of the battlefield1 what thoughts came crowding thick and fast--thoughts of his young wife in far-away ,america1 of father and mother1 memories of the beautiful woods1 the singing streams of the mountain home1 as the noise and clamor of ,paris streets drifted into the long hospital ward4 ,then came a famous ,berlin doctor to the dying ,american4 ,he studied the case attentively1 for it was strange enough to arouse and enlist all a doctor's keen scientific interest4 ,when analyzed1 copper had been found in the hemorrhage1 with no apparent reason for it1 and the ,paris doctors were puzzling over the cause4 ,were you in the war8 asked the great man4 ,were you shot8 ,yes4 ,shot in the shoulder8 ,then came back to ,colonel ,conwell1 the recollection of the duel with the ,confederate around a tree in the ,north ,carolina woods and the shot that had lodged in his shoulder near his neck and was never removed4 ,that is the trouble1 said the physician4 ,the bullet has worked down into the lung and only the most skillful operation can save you1 and only one man can do it--and that man was a surgeon in ,bellevue ,hospital1 ,new ,york4 ,carefully was the sinking man taken on board a steamer4 ,only the most rugged constitution could have stood that trip in the already weakened condition of his system4 ,but those early childhood days in the ,berkshire ,hills had put iron into his blood1 the tonic of sunshine and fresh air into his very bone and muscle4 ,safely he made the journey1 though no one knew all he suffered in those terrible days of weakness and pain on the lone1 friendless trip across the ,atlantic4 ,safely he went through the operation4 ,the bullet was removed1 and with health mending1 he made his way to ,boston where his loving young wife awaited him4 ,but out of these experiences1 suffering1 alone1 friendless1 poor1 in a strange city1 grew after all the ,samaritan ,hospital of ,philadelphia that opens wide its doors1 first and always1 to the suffering sick poor4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,writing ,,his ,,way ,,around ,,the ,,world ,days of ,poverty in ,boston4 ,sent to ,southern ,battlefields4 ,around the ,world for ,new ,york and ,boston ,papers4 ,in a ,gambling ,den ,in ,hong ,kong1 ,china4 ,cholera and ,shipwreck4 ,abject poverty awaited him on his return to ,boston4 ,the fire in ,st4 ,paul had left them but little property1 while their enforced hurried departure compelled that little to be sold at a loss4 ,this money was now entirely gone1 and once more he faced the world in absolute poverty4 ,he rented a single room in the ,east district of ,boston and furnished it with the barest necessities4 ,colonel ,conwell secured a position on ,the ,evening ,traveller at five dollars a week1 and ,mrs4 ,conwell cheerily took in sewing4 ,thus they made their first brave stand against the gaunt wolf at the door4 ,here their first child was born1 a daughter1 ,nima1 now ,mrs4 ,e4,g4 ,tuttle1 of ,philadelphia4 ,these were dark days for the little household4 ,night after night the father came home to see the one he loved best in all the world1 suffering for the barest necessities of life1 yet cheerful1 buoyant1 never complaining4 ,so sensitive to the sufferings of others that he must do all in his power to relieve even his comrades in the war when1 injured or ill1 what mental anguish must he have endured when his dearly loved wife was in want and he so powerless to relieve it4 ,she read his heart with the sure sympathy of love1 knew his bitter anguish of spirit1 and suffered the more because he suffered4 ,but bravely she cheered him1 encouraged him1 and spent all her own spare minutes doing what she could to add to the family income4 ,thus they pluckily-worked1 never repining nor complaining at fate1 though knowing in its bitterest sense what it is to be desperately poor1 to suffer for adequate food and clothing4 ,colonel ,conwell learned in that hard experience what it is to want for a crust of bread4 ,no man can come to ,dr4 ,conwell to this day with a tale of poverty1 suffering1 sickness1 but what the minister's eyes turn backward to that one little room with its pitiful makeshifts of furniture1 its brave1 pale wife1 the wee girl baby2 and his hand goes out to help with an earnest and heartfelt sympathy surprising to the recipient4 ,but the tide turned ere long4 ,colonel ,conwell's work on the paper soon began to tell4 ,his salary was raised and raised1 until comfort once more with smiling face took up her abode with them4 ,they moved into a pretty home in ,somerville4 ,colonel ,conwell resumed his law practice and began1 as in the ,west1 to deal in real estate4 ,he also continued his lecturing4 ,busy days these were1 but his life had already taught him much of the art of filling each minute to an exact nicety in order to get the most out of it4 ,his paper sent him as a special correspondent to write up the battlefields of the ,south1 and his letters were so graphic and entertaining as to become a widely known and much discussed feature of the paper4 ,soldiers everywhere read them with eager delight and through them revisited the scenes of the terrible conflict in which each had played some part4 ,while on this assignment1 he invaded a gambling den in ,new ,orleans1 and interfering to save a colored man from the drunken frenzy of a bully1 came near being killed himself4 ,coming to the aid of a porter on a ,mississippi steamboat1 he again narrowly escaped being shot1 striking a revolver from the hand of a ruffian just as his finger dropped on the trigger4 ,he mixed with all classes and conditions of men and saw life in its roughest1 most primal aspect ,but all these experiences helped him to that appreciation of human nature that has been of such1 value and help to him since4 ,these letters aroused such widespread and favorable comment that the ,new ,york ,tribune and ,boston ,traveller arranged to send him on a tour of the world4 ,when the offer came to him1 his mind leaped the years to that poorly furnished room in the little farmhouse1 where he had leaned on his mother's knee and listened with rapt attention while she read him the letters of foreign correspondents in that very ,new ,york ,tribune4 ,the letter he wrote his mother telling her of the appointment was full of loving gratitude for the careful way she had trained his tastes in those days when he was too young and inexperienced to choose for himself4 ,it was a wrench for the young wife to let him go so far away1 but she bravely1 cheerfully made the sacrifice4 ,she was proud of his work and his ability1 and she loved him too truly to stand in the way of his progress4 ,this journey took him to ,scotland1 ,england1 ,sweden1 ,denmark1 ,france1 ,italy1 ,germany1 ,russia1 ,palestine1 ,arabia1 ,egypt and ,northern ,africa4 ,he interviewed ,emperor ,william ,i1 ,bismarck1 ,victor ,emanuel1 the then ,prince of ,wales1 now ,edward ,,vii of ,england4 ,he frequently met ,henry ,m4 ,stanley1 then correspondent for the ,london papers1 who wrote from ,paris of ,colonel ,conwell1 ,send that double-sighted ,yankee and he will see at a glance all there is and all there ever was4 ,he also made the acquaintance of ,garibaldi1 whom he visited in his island home and with whom he kept up a correspondence after he returned4 ,garibaldi it was who called ,colonel ,conwell's attention to the heroic deeds of that admirer of ,america1 the great and patriotic ,venetian1 ,daniel ,manin4 ,in the busy years that followed on this trip ,colonel ,conwell spent a long time gathering materials for a biography of ,daniel ,manin1 and just before it was ready for the press the manuscript was destroyed by fire in the destruction of his home at ,newton ,centre1 ,massachusetts1 in #ahhj4 ,one of his most popular lectures1 ,the ,heroism of a ,private ,life1 took its inception from the life of this ,venetian statesman4 ,he also gave a series of lectures at ,cambridge1 ,england1 on ,italian history that attracted much favorable comment4 ,mr4 ,samuel ,t4 ,harris1 of ,new ,york1 correspondent of the ,new ,york ,times in #ahgj1 in a private letter1 says1 ,conwell is the funniest chap ,i ever fell in with4 ,he sees a thousand things ,i never thought of looking after4 ,when his letters come back in print ,i find lots in them that seems new to me1 although ,i saw it all at the time4 ,but you don't see the fun in his letters to the papers4 ,the way he adapts himself to all circumstances comes from long travel2 but it is droll4 ,he makes a salaam to the defunct kings1 a neat bow to the ,sudras1 and a friendly wink at the ,howadji1 in a way that puts him cheek-by-jowl with them in a jiffy4 ,he beats me all out in his positive sympathy with these miserable heathen4 ,he has read so much that he knows about everything4 ,the way the officials1 ,english1 too1 treat him would make you think he was the son of a lord4 ,he has a dignified condescension in his manner that ,i can't imitate4 ,part of the time ,bayard ,taylor was his traveling companion1 and there grew up between these two kindred spirits an intimate friendship that lasted until ,taylor's death4 ,all through the trip he carried books with him1 and every minute not occupied in gathering material for his letters was passed in reading the history of the scenes and the people he was among1 in mastering their language4 ,such close application added an interesting background of historical information to his letters1 a breadth and culture1 that made them decidedly more valuable and entertaining than if confined strictly to what he saw and heard4 ,it was on this journey that he heard the legend from which grew his famous lecture1 ,acres of ,diamonds1 which has been given already three thousand four hundred and twenty times4 ,it gave him an almost inexhaustible fund of material on which he has drawn for his lectures and books since4 ,during his absence his second child1 a son1 ,leon1 was born4 ,he returned home for the briefest time1 and then completed the tour by way of the ,west and the ,pacific4 ,he lectured through the ,western ,states and ,territories1 for already his fame as a lecturer was spreading4 ,he visited the ,sandwich ,islands1 ,japan1 ,china1 ,sumatra1 ,siam1 ,burmah1 the ,himalaya ,mountains1 ,india1 returning home by way of ,europe4 ,his ,hong ,kong letter to ,the ,tribune1 exposing the iniquities of the labor-contract system in ,chinese emigration1 created quite a stir in political and diplomatic circles4 ,it was while on this trip he gathered the material for his first book1 ,why and ,how the ,chinese ,emigrate4 ,it was reviewed as the best book in the market of its kind4 ,the ,new ,york ,herald in writing of it said3 ,there has been little given to the public which throws more timely and intelligent light upon the question of coolie emigration than the book written by ,col4 ,russell ,h4 ,conwell1 of ,boston4 ,these travels were replete with thrilling adventures and strange coincidents4 ,when he left ,somerville after his brief visit1 for his trip through the ,western ,states1 ,china and ,japan1 a broken-hearted mother in ,charlestown1 ,mass41 asked him to find her wandering boy1 whom she believed to be somewhere in ,china4 ,a big request1 but ,colonel ,conwell1 busy as he was1 did not forget it4 ,searching for him in such places as he believed the boy would most likely frequent1 ,colonel ,conwell accidentally entered1 one night in ,hong ,kong1 a den of gamblers4 ,writing of the event1 he says3 ,at one table sat an ,american1 about twenty-five years old1 playing with an old man4 ,they had been betting and drinking4 ,while the gray-haired man was shuffling the cards for a 'new deal' the young man1 in a swaggering1 careless way1 sang1 to a very pathetic tune1 a verse of ,phoebe ,carey's beautiful hymn1 ',one sweetly solemn thought ,comes to me o'er and o'er3 ,i'm nearer home to-day ,than e'er ,i've been before4' ,hearing the singing several gamblers looked up in surprise4 ,the old man who was dealing the cards grew melancholy1 stopped for a moment1 gazed steadfastly at his partner in the game1 and dashed the pack upon the floor under the table4 ,then said he1 ',where did you learn that tune8' ,the young man pretended that he did not know he had been singing4 ',well1 no matter1' said the old man1 ,i've played my last game1 and that's the end of it4 ,the cards may lie there till doomsday1 and ,i will never pick them up1' ,the old man having won money from the other--about one hundred dollars--took it out of his pocket1 and handing it to him said3 ',here1 ,harry1 is your money2 take it and do good with it2 ,i shall with mine4' ,as the traveler followed them downstairs1 he saw them conversing by the doorway1 and overheard enough to know that the older man was saying something about the song which the young man had sung4 ,it had1 perhaps1 been learned at a mother's knee1 or in a ,sunday-school1 and may have been 7indeed it was71 the means of saving these gamblers1 and of aiding others through their influence toward that nobler life which alone is worth the living4 ,the old man had come from ,westfield1 ,mass4 ,he died in #ahhh1 at ,salem1 ,oregon1 having spent the last seven years of his life as a ,christian ,missionary among the sailors of the ,pacific coast4 ,he passed away rejoicing in the faith that took him ,nearer the ,father's ,house1 ,where many mansions be1 ,nearer the great white throne1 ,nearer the jasper sea4 ,the boy1 ,harry1 utterly renounced gambling and kindred vices4 ,while coming from ,bombay to ,aden1 cholera broke out on the ship and it was strictly quarantined4 ,it was a ship of grief and terror4 ,passengers daily lost loved ones4 ,new victims were stricken every hour4 ,the slow days dragged away with death unceasingly busy among them4 ,burials were constant1 and no man knew who would be the next victim4 ,but ,colonel ,conwell escaped contagion4 ,on the trip home1 across the ,atlantic1 the steamer in a fearful gale was so dismantled as to be helpless4 ,the fires of the engine were out1 and the boat for twenty-six days drifted at the mercy of the waves4 ,no one1 not even the ,captain1 thought they could escape destruction4 ,water-logged and unmanageable1 during a second storm it was thought to be actually sinking4 ,the ,captain himself gave up hope1 the women grew hysterical4 ,but in the midst of it all1 ,colonel ,conwell walked the deck1 and to calm the passengers sang ,nearer my ,god to ,thee1 with such feeling1 such calm assurance in a higher power1 that the passengers and ,captain once again took courage4 ,but strangest of all1 on this voyage1 while sick1 he was cared for by the very colored porter whose life he had saved on the ,mississippi steamboat4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,busy ,,days ,,in ,,boston ,editor of ,boston ,traveller4 ,free ,legal ,advice for the ,poor4 ,temperance ,work4 ,campaign ,manager for ,general ,nathaniel ,p4 ,banks4 ,urged for ,consulship at ,naples4 ,his ,work for the ,widows and ,orphans of ,soldiers4 ,returning to ,somerville1 ,mass41 the long journey ended1 he found the editorial chair of the ,boston ,traveller awaiting him4 ,he plunged into work with his characteristic energy4 ,the law1 journalism1 writing1 lecturing1 all claimed his attention4 ,it is almost incredible how much he crowded into a day4 ,five o'clock in the morning found him at work1 and midnight struck before he laid aside pen or book4 ,yet with all this rush of business1 he did not forget those resolves he had made to lend a helping hand wherever he could to those needing it4 ,and his own bitter experiences in the hard school of poverty taught him how sorely at times help is needed4 ,he made his work for others as much a part of his daily life as his work for himself4 ,it was an integral part of it4 ,watching him work1 one could hardly have distinguished when he was occupied with his own affairs1 when with those of the poor4 ,he did not separate the two1 label one charity and attend to it in spare moments4 ,one was as important to him as the other4 ,he kept his law office open at night for those who could not come during the day and gave counsel and legal advice free to the poor4 ,often of an evening he had as many as a half hundred of these clients1 too poor to pay for legal aid1 yet sadly needing help to right their wrongs4 ,so desirous was he of reaching and assisting those suffering from injustice1 yet without money to pay for the help they needed1 that he inserted the following notice in the ,boston papers3 ,any deserving poor person wishing legal advice or assistance will be given the same free of charge any evening except ,sunday1 at ,no4 #aj ,rialto ,building1 ,devonshire ,street4 ,none of these cases will be taken into the courts for pay4 ,these cases he prepared as attentively and took into court with as eager determination to win1 as those for which he received large fees4 ,of course such a proceeding laid him open to much envious criticism4 ,lawyers who had no such humanitarian view of life1 no such earnest1 sincere desire to lighten the load of poverty resting so heavily on the shoulders of many1 said it was unprofessional1 sensational1 a bid for popularity4 ,those whom he helped knew these insinuations to be untrue4 ,his sympathy was too sincere1 the assistance too gladly given4 ,but misunderstood or not1 he persevered4 ,the wrongs of many an ignorant working man suffering through the greed of those over him1 were righted4 ,those who robbed the poor under various guises were made to feel the hand of the law4 ,and for none of these cases did he ever take a cent of pay4 ,another class of clients who brought him much work but no profit were the widows and orphans of soldiers seeking aid to get pensions4 ,to such he never turned a deaf ear1 no matter the multitude of duties that pressed4 ,he charged no fee1 even when to win the case1 he was compelled to go to ,washington4 ,nor would he give it up1 no matter what work it entailed until the final verdict was given4 ,his partners say he never lost a pension case1 nor ever made a cent by one4 ,an unwritten law in the office was that neither he nor his partners should ever accept a case if their client were in the wrong1 or guilty4 ,but this very fact made wrongdoers the more anxious to secure him1 knowing it would create the impression at once that they were innocent4 ,a story which went the rounds of legal circles in ,boston and finally was published in the ,boston ,sunday ,times1 shows how he was cleverly fooled by a pick-pocket ,the man charged with the crime came to ,colonel ,conwell to get him to take the case4 ,so well did he play the part of injured innocence that ,colonel ,conwell was completely deceived and threw himself heart and soul into the work of clearing him4 ,when the case came up for trial1 the lawyer and client sat near together in the court room1 and ,colonel ,conwell made such an earnest and forceful plea in behalf of the innocent young man and the harm already done him by having such a charge laid at his door that it was at once agreed the case should be dismissed1 by the ,district ,attorney's consent4 ,so lawyer and client walked out of court together1 happy and triumphant1 to ,colonel ,conwell's office1 where the pick-pocket paid ,colonel ,conwell his fee out of the lawyer's own pocketbook which he had deftly abstracted during the course of the trial4 ,the incident caused much amusement at the time1 and it was a long while before ,colonel ,conwell heard the last of it4 ,into work for temperance he went heart and soul1 not only in speech but in deed4 ,though he never drank intoxicating liquor himself1 he could never see a man under its baneful influence but that heart and hand went out to help him4 ,many a reeling drunkard he took to his ,somerville home1 nursed all night1 and in the morning endeavored with all his eloquence to awaken in him a desire to live a different life4 ,deserted wives and children of drunkards came to him for aid1 and many of the free law cases were for those wronged through the curse of drink4 ,friend always of the workingman1 he was persistently urged by their party to accept a nomination for ,congress4 ,but he as persistently refused4 ,but he worked hard in politics for others4 ,he managed one campaign in which ,general ,nathaniel ,p4 ,banks was running on an independent ticket1 and elected him by a large majority4 ,his name was urged by ,senators ,charles ,sumner and ,henry ,wilson for the ,united ,states ,consulship at ,naples1 the lectures he had given at ,cambridge1 ,england1 on ,italian history having attracted so much favorable comment by the deep research they showed1 and the keen appreciation of ,italian character4 ,he was considered an expert in contested election cases and he frequently appeared before the ,legislature on behalf of cities and towns on matters over which it had jurisdiction4 ,mr4 ,higgins1 who knew him personally1 writing of these busy days in ,scaling the ,eagle's ,nest1 says3 ,he prepared and presented many bills to ,congressional ,committees at ,washington1 and appeared as counsel in several ,louisiana and ,florida election eases4 ,his arguments before the ,supreme ,courts in several important patent cases were reported to the country by the ,associated ,press4 ,he had at one time considerable influence with the ,president and ,senators in political appointments1 and some of the best men still in government office in this ,state 7,massachusetts7 and in other ,new ,england ,states1 say they owe their appointment to his active friendship in visiting ,washington in their behalf4 ,but it does not appear that through all these years of work and political influence he ever asked for an appointment for himself4 ,catholics1 ,jews1 ,protestants and non-sectarian charities sought his aid in legal matters1 and so broad was his love for humanity that all found in him a ready helper4 ,at one time he was guardian of more than sixty orphan children1 three in particular who were very destitute1 were through his intercession with a relative1 left a fortune of #ej1jjj4 ,yet despite all these activities1 he found time to lecture1 to write boots1 to master five languages1 using his spare minutes on the train to and from his place of business for their study4 ,in #ahgb he made another trip abroad4 ,speaking of him at this time1 a writer in the ,london ,times says3 ,colonel ,conwell is one of the most noteworthy men of ,new ,england4 ,he has already been in all parts of the world4 ,he is a writer of singular brilliancy and power1 and as a popular lecturer his success has been astonishing4 ,he has made a place beside such orators as ,beecher1 ,phillips and ,chapin4 ,thus the busy years slipped by1 years that brought him close to the great throbbing heart of humanity1 the sorrows and sufferings of the poor1 the aspirations and ambitions of the rich1 years in which he looked with deep insight into human nature1 and1 illumined by his love for humanify1 saw that an abiding faith in ,god1 the joy of knowing ,christ's love was the balm needed to heal aching hearts1 drive evil out of men's lives1 wretchedness and misery from many a home4 ,more and more was he convinced that to make the world better1 humanity happier1 the regenerating1 uplifting power of the spirit of ,god ought to be brought into the daily lives of the people1 in simple sincerity1 without formalism1 yet as vital1 as cherished1 as freely recognized a part of their lives as the ties of family affection which bound them together4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,troubled ,,days ,death of ,wife4 ,loss of ,money4 ,preaching on ,wharves4 ,growth of ,sunday ,school ,class at ,tremont ,temple from ,four to ,six ,hundred ,members in a ,brief ,time4 ,second ,marriage4 ,death of ,father and ,mother4 ,preaching at ,lexington4 ,building ,lexington ,baptist ,church4 ,into this whirl of successful1 happy work1 the comforts and luxuries of prosperity1 came the grim hand of death4 ,his loving wife who had worked so cheerfully by his side1 who had braved disaster1 bitter poverty1 hardship1 with a smile1 died of heart trouble after a few days' illness1 ,january #aa1 #ahgb4 ,it was like a thunderbolt from a cloudless sky4 ,in the loneliness and despair that followed1 worldly ambitions turned to dust and ashes4 ,he could not lecture4 ,he could not speak4 ,the desolation at his heart was too great4 ,his only consolation was the faith that was in him1 a very present help1 as he found1 in time of trouble4 ,this bitter trial brought home to him all the more intensely the need of such comfort for those who were comfortless4 ,his heart went out in burning sympathy for those sitting in darkness like himself1 but who had no faith on which to lean1 nothing to bring healing and hope to a broken heart4 ,her death was a loss to the community as well as to her family4 ,her writings in the ,somerville ,journal had made a decided impression1 while her sweet womanly qualities had endeared her to a wide circle of friends4 ,noting her death1 a writer in one of the ,boston papers said3 ,mrs4 ,conwell was a true and loving wife and mother4 ,kind and sympathetic in her intercourse with all1 and possessed of those rare womanly graces and qualities which endeared her to those with whom she was acquainted4 ,her death leaves a void which cannot be filled even outside her own household4 ,her writings were those of a true woman1 always healthful in their tone1 strong and vigorous in ideas and concise in language4 ,other troubles came thick and fast4 ,he lost at one time fifty thousand dollars in the panic of '#gd1 and at another ten thousand dollars by endorsing for a friend4 ,his old acquaintance1 poverty1 again took up its abode with him4 ,in addition1 he was heavily in debt4 ,those were black days1 days that taught him how unstable were the things of this world--money1 position1 the ambitions that once had seemed so worthy4 ,the only thing that brought a sense of satisfaction1 of having done something worth while1 was the endeavor to make others happier1 to put joy into lives as desolate as his own4 ,such work brought peace4 ,to forget his own troubles in lightening those of others1 he went actively into religious work4 ,he took a class in the ,sunday ,school of ,tremont ,temple1 that very ,sunday ,school into which ,deacon ,chipman had taken him a runaway boy some twenty years before4 ,the class grew from four to six hundred in a few months4 ,he preached to sailors on the wharves1 to idlers on the streets1 in mission chapels at night4 ,the present ,west ,somerville1 ,massachusetts1 church grew from just such work4 ,he could not but see the fruits of his labors4 ,on all sides it grew to a quick harvest4 ,the thought that he was thus influencing others for good1 that he was leading men and women into paths of sure happiness brought him a spiritual calm and peace such as the gratification of worldly ambitions had never given him4 ,more and more he became convinced it was the only work worth doing4 ,the strong love for his fellowmen1 the desire to help those in need and to make them happier which had always been such a pronounced characteristic1 had set him more than once to thinking of the ministry as a life work4 ,indeed1 ever since that childish sermon1 with the big gray rock as a pulpit1 it had been in his mind1 sometimes dormant1 breaking out again into strong feeling when for a moment he stood on some hilltop of life and took in its fullest1 grandest meaning1 or in the dark valley of suffering and sorrow held close communion with ,god and saw the beauty of serving ,him by serving his fellowmen4 ,that the inclination was with him is shown by the fact that when he was admitted to the bar in ,albany in #ahfe1 he had a ,greek ,testament in his pocket4 ,as soon as his means permitted after the war1 he gathered a valuable theological library1 sending to ,germany for a number of the books4 ,in #ahge1 when he was admitted to practice in the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states1 he delivered an address that same evening in ,washington on the ,curriculum of the ,school of the ,prophets in ,ancient ,israel4 ,from all parts of the ,old ,world he gathered photographs of ancient manuscripts and sacred places1 and kept up a correspondence with many professors and explorers interested in these topics4 ,he lectured in schools and colleges on archaeological subjects1 with illustrations prepared by himself4 ,it is not to be wondered that with his keen mind and his gift of oratory the law tempted him at first to turn aside from the promptings of the inner spirit4 ,nor is it to be wondered that even when inclination led strongly he still hesitated4 ,it was no light thing for a man past thirty to throw aside a profession in which he had already made an enviable reputation and take up a new lifework4 ,with two small children depending upon him1 it was a question for still more serious study4 ,but gradually circumstances shaped his course4 ,in #ahgd1 he married ,miss ,sarah ,f4 ,sanborn whom he had met in his mission work4 ,she was of a wealthy family of ,newton ,centre1 the seat of the ,newton ,theological ,seminary4 ,one of the intimate friends of the family was the ,rev4 ,alvah ,hovey1 ,d4,d41 ,president of the ,seminary4 ,thus while inclination pulled one way and common sense pulled the other1 adding as a final argument that he had no opportunity to study for the ministry1 he was thrown among the very people who made it difficult not to study theology4 ,troubled in mind he sought ,dr4 ,hovey one day and asked how to decide if called to the ministry4 ,if people are called to hear you1 was the quick-witted1 practical reply of the good doctor4 ,but still he hesitated4 ,his law practice1 writing1 lecturing1 claimed part of him2 his ,sunday ,school work and lay preaching1 a second and evergrowing stronger part4 ,his law practice became more and more distasteful1 his service to the soul needs of others1 more and more satisfying4 ,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,,sarah ,f4 ,,conwell ,in #ahgd his father died1 and in #ahgg he lost his mother1 these sad bereavements still further inclining his heart to the work of the ministry4 ,they were buried at ,south ,worthington1 in a sunny hilltop cemetery1 open to the sky1 the voice of a little brook coming softly up from among the trees below4 ,this visit to his old home under such sad circumstances1 the memory of his father's and mother's prayers that the world might not be the worse1 but that it might be the better for his having lived in it1 deepened the growing conviction that he should give his life to the work of ,christ4 ,at last came the deciding event4 ,in #ahgi1 a young woman visited ,colonel ,conwell1 the lawyer1 and asked his advice respecting the disposition of a ,baptist ,meeting ,house in ,lexington4 ,he went to ,lexington and called a meeting of the members of the old church1 for the purpose of securing legal action on the part of that body preparatory to selling the property4 ,he got some three or four old ,baptists together and1 as they talked the business over1 they became reluctant to vote1 either to sell1 destroy1 keep1 or give away the old meeting-house1 says ,burdette1 in ,temple and ,templars4 ,while discussing the situation with these sorrowful old saints--and one good old deacon wept to think that ',zion had gone into captivity1'--the preacher came to the front and displaced the lawyer4 ,it was the crisis in his life2 the parting of the ways4 ,in a flash of light the decision was made4 ',it flashed upon me1 sitting there as a lawyer1 that there was a mission for me there1' ,dr4 ,conwell has often said1 in speaking of his decision to go into the ministry4 ,he advised promptly and strongly against selling the property4 ',keep it2 hold service in it2 repair the altar of the ,lord that is broken down2 go to work2 get ,god to work for you1 and work with ,him2 ',god will turn again your captivity1 your months shall be filled with laughter and your tongues with singing4 ,they listened to this enthusiastic lawyer whom they had retained as a legal adviser1 in dumb amazement ',is ,saul also among the prophets8' ,but having given his advice1 he was prompt to act upon it himself4 ',where will we get a preacher8' ',here is one who will serve you until you can get one whom you will like better1 and who can do you more good4 ,announce preaching in the old meeting house next ,sunday6' ,it was nothing new for ,colonel ,conwell to preach1 for he was engaged in mission work somewhere every ,sunday2 so when the day came1 he was there4 ,less than a score of hearers sat in the moldy old pews4 ,the windows were broken and but illy repaired by the curtaining cobwebs4 ,the hand of time and decay had torn off the ceiling plaster in irregular and angular patches4 ,the old stove had rusted out at the back1 and the crumbling stove-pipe was a menace to those who sat within range of its fall4 ,the pulpit was what ,mr4 ,conwell called a 'crow's perch1' and one can imagine the platform creaking under the military tread of the tall lawyer who stepped into its lofty height to preach4 ,but1 old though it was1 they say1 a cold1 gloomy1 damp1 dingy old box1 it was a meeting house and the ,colonel preached in it4 ,that a lawyer should practice1 was a commonplace1 everyday truth2 but that a lawyer should preach--that was indeed a novelty4 ,the congregation of sixteen or seventeen at the first service grew the following ,sabbath1 to forty worshippers4 ,another week1 and when the new preacher climbed into that high pulpit1 he looked down upon a crowded house2 the little old chapel was dangerously full4 ,indeed1 before the hour for service1 under the thronging feet of the gathering congregation1 one side of the front steps--astonished1 no doubt1 and overwhelmed by the unwonted demand upon its services--did fall down4 ,they were encouraged to build a fire in the ancient stove that morning1 but it was past regeneration2 it smoked so viciously that all the invalids who had come to the meeting were smoked out4 ,the old stove had lived its day and was needed no longer4 ,there was a fire burning in the old meeting-house that the hand of man had not lighted and could not kindle2 that all the storms of the winter could not quench4 ,the pulpit and the preacher had a misty look in the eyes of the old deacons at that service4 ,and the preacher8 ,he looked into the earnest faces before him1 into the tearful1 hopeful eyes1 and said in his own strong heart1 ',these people are hungry for the word of ,god1 for the teachings of ,christ4 ,they need a church here2 we will build a new one4' ,it was one thing to say it1 another to achieve it4 ,the church was poor4 ,not a dollar was in the treasury1 not a rich man in the membership1 the congregation1 what there was of it1 without influence in the community4 ,but lack of money never yet daunted ,dr4 ,conwell4 ,the situation had a familiar look to him4 ,he had succeeded many a time without money when money was the supreme need1 and he attacked this problem with the same grim perseverance that had carried him so successfully through many a similar ordeal4 ,after service he spoke about building a new church to two or three of the members4 ',a new church8' ,they couldn't raise enough money to put windows in the old one1 they told him4 ',we don't want new windows1 we want a new church1' was the reply4 ,they shook their heads and went home1 thinking what a pity it was that such an able lawyer should be so visionary in practical church affairs4 ,part of that night ,colonel ,conwell spent in prayer2 early next morning he appeared with a pick-axe and a woodman's axe and marched upon that devoted old meeting-house1 as he had marched against ,hood's intrenchments before ,atlanta4 ,strange1 unwonted sounds saluted the ears of the early risers and awakened the sluggards in ,lexington that ,monday morning4 ,bang1 ,bang1 ,bang6 ,crash--,bang6 ,travelers over the ,revolutionary battlefield at ,lexington listened and wondered4 ,by and by a man turned out of his way to ascertain the cause of the racket4 ,there was a black coat and vest hanging on the fence1 and a professional-looking man in his shirt sleeves was smashing the meeting-house4 ,the rickety old steps were gone by the time this man1 with open eyes and wide-open month1 came to stare in speechless amazement4 ,gideon couldn't have demolished 'the altar of ,baal and the grove that was by it' with more enthusiastic energy1 than did this preacher tumble into ruin his own meeting-house1 wherein he had preached not twelve hours before4 ,other men came1 looked1 laughed1 and passed by4 ,but the builder had no time to waste on idle gossips4 ,clouds of dust hovered about him1 planks1 boards1 and timbers came tumbling down in heaps of ruin4 ,presently there came along an eminently respectable citizen1 who seldom went to church4 ,he stared a moment1 and said1 ',what in the name of goodness are you doing here8' ',we are going to have a new meeting-house here1' was the reply1 as the pick-axe tore away the side of a window-frame for emphasis4 ,the neighbor laughed1 ',i guess you won't build it with that axe1' he said4 ',i confess ,i don't know just exactly how it is going to be done1' said the preacher1 as he hewed away at a piece of studding1 'but in some way it is going to be done4' ,the doubter burst into an explosion of derisive laughter and walked away4 ,a few paces1 and he came back2 walking up to ,colonel ,conwell he seized the axe and said1 ',see here1 ,preacher1 this is not the kind of work for a parson or a lawyer4 ,if you are determined to tear this old building down1 hire some one to do it4 ,it doesn't look right for you to be lifting and pulling here in this manner4' ',we have no money to hire any one1' was the reply1 'and the front of this structure must give way to-day1 if ,i have to tear it down all alone4' ',i'll tell you what ,i'll do1' persisted the wavering doubter2 'if you will let this alone1 ,i'll give you one hundred dollars to hire some one4' ,colonel ,conwell tranquilly poked the axe through4' the few remaining panes yet unbroken in the nearest window and replied1 ',we would like the money1 and ,i will take it to hire some one to help1 but ,i shall keep right on with the work myself4' ',all right1' said the doubter2 'go ahead1 if you have set your heart upon it4 ,you may come up to the house for the hundred dollars any time to-day4' ,and with many a backward look the generous doubter passed on1 half beginning to doubt his doubts4 ,evidently1 the ,baptists of ,lexington were beginning to do something4 ,it had been many a year since they had made such a noise as that in the village4 ,and it was a noise destined to be heard a long1 long way2 much farther than the doubter and a great many able scientists have supposed that sound would 'carry4' ,after the doubter came a good-natured man who disliked churches in general1 and therefore enjoyed the fun of seeing a preacher tug and puff in the heavy work of demolition1 for the many-tongued rumor by this time had noised it all around ,lexington that the new preacher was tearing down the ,baptist meeting-house4 ,he looked on until he could no longer keep his enjoyment to himself4 ',going to pull the whole thing down1 are you8' he asked4 ',yes1 sir1' replied the working preacher1 ripping off a strip of siding1 'and begin all new4' ',who is going to pay the bills8' he asked1 chuckling4 ,the preacher tucked up his sleeves and stepped back to get a good swing at an obstinate brace2 ',i don't know1' he said1 'but the ,lord has money somewhere to buy and pay for all we need4' ,the man laughed1 in intense enjoyment of the absurdity of the whole crazy business4 ',i'll bet five dollars to one1' he said1 with easy confidence of a man who knows his bet will not be taken up1 'that you won't get the money in this town4' ,mr4 ,conwell brought the axe down with a crashing sweep1 and the splinters flew out into the air like a cloud of witnesses to the efficacy of the blow4 ',you would lose your money1 then1' quietly said the preacher1 'for ,mr4---- just now came along and has given me a hundred dollars without solicitation4' ,the man's eyes opened a trifle wider1 and his next remark faded into a long-drawn whistle of astonishment4 ,presently--',did you get the cash8' he asked feebly4 ',no1 but he told me to call for it to-day4' ,the man considered4 ,he wasn't enjoying the situation with quite so much humor as he had been1 but he was growing more interested4 ',well6 ,is that so6 ,i don't believe he meant it1' he added hopefully4 ,then1 a man after all not disposed to go back on his own assertion1 he said1 ',now ,i'll tell you what ,i'll do4 ,if you really get that hundred dollars out of that man1 ,i'll give you another hundred and pay it to-night1' ,and he was as good as his word4 ,all that day the preacher worked alone4 ,now came in the training of those early days on the farm1 when he learned to swing an axe2 when he builded up rugged strength in a stalwart frame1 when his muscles were hardened and knotted with toil4 ',passers-by called one after another1 to ask what was going on4 ,to each one ,colonel ,conwell mentioned his hope and mentioned his gifts4 ,nearly every one had added something without being asked1 and at six o'clock1 when ,colonel ,conwell laid down the pick and axe at the end of his day's work1 he was promised more than half the money necessary to tear down the old meeting-house and build a new one4 ,but ,colonel ,conwell did not leave the work4 ,with shovel1 or hammer1 or saw1 or paint-brush1 he worked day by day all that summer alongside the workmen4 ,he was architect1 mason1 carpenter1 painter1 and upholsterer1 and he directed every detail1 from the cellar to the gilded vane1 and worked early and late4 ,the money came without asking as fast as needed4 ,the young people who began to flock about the faith-worker undertook to purchase a large bell1 and quietly had ,colonel ,conwell's name cast on the exterior1 but when it came to the difficult task of hanging it in the tower1 they were obliged to call ,colonel ,conwell to come and superintend the management of ropes and pulleys4 ,then the deep1 rich tones of the bell rang out over the surprised old town the triumph of faith4' ,an unordained preacher1 he had entered upon his first pastorate1 and signalized his entrance upon his ministry by building a new meeting-house1 awakening a sleeping church1 inspiring his congregation with his own enthusiasm and zeal4 ,at last he had found his work4 ,with peace and deep abiding joy he entered it4 ,doubts no longer troubled him4 ,his heart was at rest4 ,blessed is he who has found his work1 writes ,carlyle2 let him ask no other blessedness4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,his ,,entry ,,into ,,the ,,ministry ,ordination4 ,first ,charge at ,lexington4 ,call to ,grace ,baptist ,church1 ,philadelphia4 ,for this work he had been trained in the world's bitter school of experience4 ,he had learned lessons there of infinitely more value in helping humanity than any the theological seminary could teach him4 ,he knew what it was to be poor1 to be utterly cast down and discouraged1 to be sick and suffering1 to sit in the blackness of despair for the loss of loved ones4 ,from almost every human experience he could reach the hand of sympathy and say1 ,i know4 ,i have suffered4 ,such help touches the heart of humanity as none other can4 ,and when at the same time1 it points the way to the ,great ,comforter and says again1 ,i know1 ,i found peace1 it is more powerful than the most eloquent sermon4 ,nothing goes so convincingly to a man's heart as loving1 sympathetic guidance from one who has been through the same bitter trial4 ,he was ordained in the year #ahgi1 the council of churches1 called for his ordination1 met in ,lexington1 ,president ,alvah ,hovey of ,newton ,seminary presiding4 ,among the members of the council was his life-long friend1 ,george ,w4 ,chipman1 of ,boston1 the same good deacon who had taken him a runaway boy into the ,sunday ,school of ,tremont ,temple4 ,the only objection to the ordination was made by one of the pastors present1 who said1 ,good lawyers are too scarce to be spoiled by making ministers of them4 ,the ordination over1 the large law offices in ,boston were closed4 ,he gave his undivided time and attention to his work in ,lexington4 ,the lawyer1 speaker and writer ceased to exist1 but the pastor was found wherever the poor needed help1 the sick and suffering needed cheer1 the mourning needed comfort1 wherever he could by word or act preach the gospel of the ,christ he served4 ,his whole thought was concentrated in the purpose to do good4 ,no one who knew him intimately could doubt his entire renunciation of worldly ambitions1 the sacrifice was so great1 yet so unhesitatingly made4 ,buried from the world in one way1 he yet lived in it in a better way4 ,large numbers of his former legal1 political and social associates called his action fanaticism4 ,wendell ,phillips1 meeting ,colonel ,conwell and several friends on the way to church1 one ,sunday morning1 remarked that ,olympus has gone to ,delphi1 and ,jove has descended to be an interpreter of oracles4 ,his salary at the start was six hundred dollars a year1 little more than ten dollars a week4 ,but it was enough to live on in a little ,new ,england village and what more did he need8 ,the contrast between it and the ten thousand dollars a year he had made from his law practice alone1 never troubled him4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,baptist ,,temple ,the church was crowded from the first and the membership grew rapidly4 ,his influence quickly spread to other than church circles4 ,the town itself soon felt the effect of his progressive1 energetic spirit4 ,it awoke to new life4 ,other suburban villages were striding forward into cities and leaving this old ,battlefield of the ,revolution sleeping under its majestic elms4 ,mr4 ,conwell sounded the trumpet4 ,progress1 enterprise1 life followed his eloquent encouragement4 ,strangers were welcomed to the town4 ,its unusual beauty became a topic of conversation4 ,the railroad managers heard of its attractiveness and opened its gates with better accommodations for travelers4 ,the governor of the state 7,hon4 ,john ,d4 ,long7 visited the place on ,mr4 ,conwell's invitation1 and large business enterprises were started and strongly supported by the townspeople4 ,from the date of ,mr4 ,conwell's settlement as pastor1 the town took on a new lease of life4 ,he showed them what could be done and encouraged them to do it4 ,one of the town officers writing of that time1 says3 ,lexington can never forget the benefit ,mr4 ,conwell conferred during his stay in the community4 ,then all unknown to ,mr4 ,conwell1 a man came up to ,lexington one ,sunday in #ahhb1 from ,philadelphia1 and heard him preach in the little stone church under the stately ,new ,england elms4 ,it was ,deacon ,alexander ,reed of the ,grace ,baptist ,church of ,philadelphia1 and as a result of his visit1 ,mr4 ,conwell received a call from this church to be its pastor4 ,it was like the call from ,macedonia to come over and help us4 ,for the church was heavily in debt1 and one of the arguments ,deacon ,reed used in urging ,mr4 ,conwell to accept was that he could save the church4 ,he could have used no better argument4 ,it was the call to touch ,mr4 ,conwell's heart4 ,a small church1 and struggling against poverty2 a people eager to work1 but needing a leader4 ,no message could have more surely touched that heart eager to help others1 to bring brightness1 joy and higher aspirations into troubled lives4 ,it was a wrench to leave ,lexington1 the church and the people who had grown so dear to him4 ,but the harvest called4 ,there was need of reapers and he must go4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,going ,,to ,,philadelphia ,the ,early ,history of ,grace ,baptist ,church4 ,the ,beginning of the ,sunday ,breakfast ,association4 ,impressions of a ,sunday ,service4 ,the church to which ,mr4 ,conwell came and from which has grown the largest ,baptist church in the country1 and which was the first institutional church in ,america1 had its beginning in a tent4 ,in #ahgj a little mission was started in a hall at ,twelfth and ,montgomery ,avenue by members of the ,young ,men's ,association of the ,tenth ,baptist ,church4 ,the committee in charge was ,alexander ,reed1 ,henry ,c4 ,singley1 ,fred ,b4 ,gruel and ,john ,stoddart4 ,a ,sunday ,school was started and religious services held ,thursday evenings and ,sunday afternoons4 ,the little mission flourished1 and within a year it was deemed advisable to put some one in charge who could give it his full time4 ,the ,rev4 ,l4,b4 ,hartman was called and the work went forward with increasing prosperity4 ,he visited the families in the neighborhood1 interested the children in the ,sunday ,school1 held two preaching services every ,sunday and usually two prayer meetings during the week4 ,in #ahgb1 evangelistic services were held which resulted in a number of conversions4 ,the need now became so imperative for a recognized church1 that on ,feb4 #ab1 #ahgb1 one was formally organized with forty-seven members1 ,l4,b4 ,hartman pastor1 and ,john ,a4 ,stoddart1 ,henry ,o4 ,singley and ,g4,g4 ,mayhew1 deacons4 ,the membership still increased rapidly1 the little hall was crowded to discomfort1 and it was decided to take a definite step toward securing a church building of their own4 ,a lot was purchased at ,berks and ,mervine for #g1ejj1 a tent with a seating capacity of #ejj erected1 and ,grace ,baptist ,church had its first home4 ,the opening services of the tent were memorable for many things4 ,after addresses had been made by ,drs4 ,malcolm1 ,peddie1 ,rowland and ,wayland1 an effort was made to raise the twelve hundred dollars due on the tent4 ,a wealthy layman1 ,mr4 ,william ,bucknell1 offered to pay the twelve hundred dollars provided the members of ,grace ,baptist ,church should henceforth abstain from the use of tobacco4 ,the alert chairman said1 ,all who are in sympathy with ,brother ,bucknell's proposition1 please rise4 ,the entire audience arose4 ,mr4 ,bucknell made out his check next morning for twelve hundred dollars4 ,in #ahgd1 the tent was moved to a neighboring lot1 where it was used as a mission4 ,homeless wanderers were taken in1 fed and pointed the way to a different and better life4 ,from this work grew the ,sunday ,breakfast ,association of ,philadelphia4 ,a contract was made for a new church building1 and in #ahge ,grace ,church moved into the basement of the new building at ,berks and ,mervine ,streets4 ,but dark days came4 ,the financial burden became excessive4 ,judgment bonds were entered against the building1 the sheriff was compelled to perform his unpleasant duty1 and the property was advertised for sale4 ,a council of ,baptist churches was called to determine what should be done4 ,the sheriff was persuaded to wait4 ,the members renewed their exertions and once more the church got on its financial feet sufficiently to meet current financial expenses4 ,the plucky fight knit them together in strong bonds of good fellowship4 ,it strengthened their faith1 gave them courage to go forward1 and taught them the joy of working in such a cause4 ,and while they were struggling with poverty and looking disaster often in the face1 up in ,massachusetts1 the man who was to lead this chosen people into a new land of usefulness1 was himself fighting that battle as to whether he should hearken to the voice of the ,spirit that was calling him to a new work4 ,but finally he left all to follow ,him1 and when this church1 going down under its flood of debt1 sent out a cry for help1 he heard it and came4 ,to his friends in ,massachusetts it seemed as if he were again throwing himself away4 ,to leave his church in ,lexington on the threshold of prosperity1 for a charge little more than a mission1 with only twenty-seven present to vote on calling him1 seemed the height of folly4 ,but he considered none of these things4 ,he thought only of their need4 ,on ,thanksgiving ,day1 #ahhb1 he came4 ,the outer walls of the small church were up1 the roof on1 but the upper part was unfinished1 the worshippers meeting in the basement ,and over it hung a debt of #ae1jjj4 ,but the plucky band of workers1 full of the spirit that makes all things possible1 had found a leader4 ,both had fought bitter fights1 had endured hardships and privations1 had often nothing but faith to lean on1 and pastor and people went forward to the great work awaiting them4 ,out of his love of ,god1 his great love of humanity1 his desire to uplift1 to make men better and happier1 out from his own varied experiences that had touched the deeps of sorrow and seen life over all the globe1 came words that gripped men's hearts1 came sermons that packed the church to the doors4 ,it was not many months before his preaching began to bear fruits4 ,not only was the neighborhood stirred1 but people from all parts of the city thronged to hear him4 ,in less than a year1 though the seating capacity of the church was increased to twelve hundred1 crowds stood all through the service4 ,it became necessary to admit the members by tickets at the rear1 it being almost impossible for them to get through the throngs of strangers at the front4 ,upon request1 these cards of admission were sent to those wishing them1 a proceeding that led to much misunderstanding among those who did not know their purpose nor the reason for their use4 ,but it was the only way that strangers in the city or those wishing to attend a special service could be sure of ever getting into the church4 ,a ,methodist minister of ,albany gives a description in ,scaling the ,eagle's ,nest1 of his attendance at a service that pictures most graphically the situation3 ,i arrived at the church a full hour before the evening service4 ,there was a big crowd at the front door4 ,there was another crowd at the side entrance4 ,i did not know how to get a ticket1 for ,i did not know1 till ,i heard it in the jam1 that ,i must have one4 ,two young people1 who like many got tired of waiting1 gave me their tickets1 and ,i pushed ahead4 ,i was determined to see how the thing was done4 ,i was dreadfully squeezed1 but ,i got in at the back entrance and stood in the rear of the pretty church4 ,all the camp chairs were already taken4 ,also all extra seats4 ,the church was rather fancifully frescoed4 ,but it is an architectural gem4 ,it is half amphitheatrical in style4 ,it is longer than it is wide1 and the choir gallery and organ are over the preacher's head4 ,it looks underneath like an old-fashioned sounding board4 ,but it is neat and pretty4 ,the carpet and cushions are bright red4 ,the windows are full of mottoes and designs4 ,but in the evening under the brilliant lights the figures could not be made out4 ,there was an unusual spirit of homeness about the place1 such as ,i never felt in a church before4 ,i was not alone in feeling it4 ,the moment ,i stood in the audience room1 an agreeable sense of rest and pleasure came over me4 ,everyone else appeared to feel the same4 ,there was none of the stiff restraint most churches have4 ,all moved about and greeted each other with an ease that was pleasant indeed4 ,i saw some people abusing the liberty of the place by whispering1 even during the sermon4 ,they may have been strangers4 ,they evidently belonged to the lower classes4 ,but it was a curiosity to notice the liberty every one took at pauses in the service1 and the close attention there was when the reading or speaking began4 ,all the people sang4 ,i think the great preacher has a strong liking for the old hymns4 ,of course ,i noticed his selection of ,wesley's favorite4 ,a little boy in front of me stood upon the pew when the congregation rose4 ,he piped out in song with all his power4 ,it was like a spring canary4 ,it was difficult to tell whether the strong voice of the preacher1 or the chorus choir1 led most in the singing4 ,a well-dressed lady near me said ',good evening1' most cheerfully1 as a polite usher showed me into the pew4 ,they say that all the members do that4 ,it made me feel welcome4 ,she also gave me a hymn-book4 ,i saw others being greeted the same4 ,how it did help me praise the ,lord6 ,at home with the people of ,god6 ,that is just how ,i felt4 ,i was greatly disappointed in the preacher4 ,agreeably so1 after all4 ,i expected to see an old man4 ,he did not look over thirty-five4 ,he was awkwardly tall4 ,i had expected some eccentric and sensational affair4 ,i do not know just what1 but ,i had been told of many strange things4 ,i think now it was envious misrepresentation4 ,the whole service was as simple as simple can be4 ,and it was surely as sincere as it was simple4 ,the reading of the hymns was so natural and distinct that they had a now meaning to me4 ,the prayer was very short1 and offered in homely language4 ,in it he paused a moment for silent prayer1 and every one seemed to hold his breath in the deepest1 real reverence4 ,it was so different from my expectations4 ,then the collection4 ,it was not an asking for money at all4 ,the preacher put his notice of it the other way about ,he said1 ',the people who wish to worship ,god by giving their offering into the trust of the church could place it in the baskets which would be passed to any who wanted to give4' ,the basket that went down to the altar by me was full of money and envelopes4 ,yet no one was asked to give anything4 ,it was all voluntary1 and really an offering to the ,lord4 ,i had never seen such a way of doing things in church collections4 ,i do not know as the minister or church require it so4 ,the church1 was packed in every corner1 and people stood in the aisles4 ,the pulpit platform was crowded so that the preacher had nothing more than standing room4 ,some people sat on the floor1 and a crowd of interested boys leaned against the pulpit platform4 ,when the preacher arose to speak1 ,i expected something strange4 ,it did not seem possible that such a crowd could gather year after year to listen to mere plain preaching4 ,for these are degenerate days4 ,the minister began so familiarly and easily in introducing his text that he was half through his sermon before ,i began to realize that he was actually in his sermon4 ,it was the plainest thing possible4 ,i had often heard of his eloquence and poetic imagination4 ,but there was little of either1 if we think of the old ideas4 ,there was close continuous attention4 ,he was surely in earnest1 but not a sign of oratorical display4 ,there were exciting gestures at times1 and lofty periods4 ,but it was all so natural4 ,at one point the whole audience burst into laughter at a comic turn in an illustration1 but the preacher went on unconscious of it4 ,it detracted nothing from the solemn theme4 ,it was what the ',chautauqua ,herald' last year called a ',conwellian evening4' ,it was unlike anything ,i ever saw or heard4 ,yet it was good to be there4 ,the sermon was crowded with illustrations1 and was evidently unstudied4 ,they say he never takes time from his many cares to write a sermon4 ,that one was surely spontaneous4 ,but it inspired the audience to better lives and a higher faith4 ,when he suddenly stopped and quickly seized a hymn-book1 the audience drew a long sigh4 ,at once people moved about again and looked at each other and smiled4 ,the whole congregation were at one with the preacher4 ,there was a low hum of whispering voices4 ,but all was attention again when the hymn was read4 ,then the glorious song4 ,one of the finest organists in the country1 a blind gentleman by the name of ,wood1 was the power behind the throne4 ,the organ did praise ,god4 ,every one was carried on in a flood of praise4 ,it was rich4 ,the benediction was a continuation of the sermon and a closing prayer1 all in a single sentence4 ,i have never heard one so unique4 ,it fastened the evening's lesson4 ,it was not formal4 ,the benediction was a blessing indeed4 ,it broke every rule of church form4 ,it was a charming close1 however4 ,no one else but ,conwell could do it4 ,probably no one will try4 ,instantly at the close of the service1 all the people turned to each other and shook hands4 ,they entered into familiar conversation4 ,many spoke to me and invited me to come again4 ,there was no restraint4 ,all was homelike and happy4 ,it was blessed to be there4 ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,first ,,days ,,at ,,grace ,,baptist ,,church ,early plans for ,church ,efficiency4 ,practical ,methods for ,church ,work4 ,the ,growing ,membership4 ,need of a ,new ,building4 ,the preaching filled the church4 ,men and women felt that to miss a sermon was to miss inspiration and strength for the coming week's work1 a broader outlook on life1 a deeper hold on spiritual truths4 ,but it was more than the sermons that carried the church work forward by leaps and bounds1 added hundreds to its membership1 made it a power for good in the neighborhood that gradually began to be felt all over the city4 ,the spirit of the sermons took practical form4 ,mr4 ,conwell followed no traditions or conventions in his church work4 ,he studied the needs of the neighborhood and the hour4 ,then he went to work with practical1 common sense to meet them4 ,first he determined the church should be a home1 a church home1 but nevertheless a home in its true sense1 overflowing with love1 with kindness1 with hospitality for the stranger within its gates4 ,committees were formed to make strangers welcome1 to greet them cordially1 find them a seat if possible1 see that they had hymn books1 and invite them heartily to come again4 ,and every member felt he belonged to this committee even if not actually appointed on it1 and made the stranger who might sit near him feel that he was a welcome guest4 ,when the church became more crowded1 members gave up their seats to strangers and sat on the pulpit1 and it was no unusual sight in the church at ,berks and ,mervine streets to see the pulpit1 as well as every other inch of space in the auditorium1 crowded4 ,finally1 when even this did not give room enough to accommodate all who thronged its doors1 members took turns in staying away from certain services4 ,no one who has not enjoyed the spiritual uplift1 the good fellowship of a ,grace ,church service can appreciate what a genuine personal sacrifice that was4 ,after the service1 ,mr4 ,conwell stationed himself at the door and shook hands with all as they left1 adding some little remark to show his personal interest in their welfare if they were members1 or a cordial invitation to come again1 if a stranger4 ,the remembrance of that hearty handclasp1 that frank1 friendly interest1 lingered and stamped with a personal flavor upon the hearer's heart1 the truths of ,christianity that had been preached in such simple1 clear1 yet forcible fashion from the pulpit4 ,another of ,mr4 ,conwell's methods for carrying out practical ,christianity was to set every body at work4 ,every single member of the church was given something to do4 ,as soon as a person was received into the membership1 he was invited to join some one or other of the church organizations4 ,he was placed on some committee4 ,in such an atmosphere of activity there was no one who did not catch the enthusiasm and feel that being a ,christian meant much more than attending church on ,sundays1 putting contributions in the box1 and listening to the minister preach4 ,it was a veritable hive of applied ,christianity1 and many a man who hitherto thought he had done his full duty by attending church regularly and contributing to its support had these ideas1 so comfortable and self-satisfied1 completely shattered4 ,the membership was composed almost entirely of working people1 men and women who toiled hard for their daily bread4 ,there were no wealthy people to help the work by contributions of thousands of dollars4 ,the beginnings of all the undertakings were small and unpretentious4 ,but nothing was undertaken until the need of it was felt2 then the people as a whole put their shoulders to the wheel and it went with a will4 ,and because it practically filled a need1 it was a success4 ,the pastor was the most untiring worker of all4 ,with ceaseless energy and unfailing tact1 he was the head and heart of every undertaking4 ,day and night he ministered to the needs of his membership and the community4 ,to the bedside of the sick he carried cheer that was better than medicine4 ,in the homes where death had entered1 he brought the comfort of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,where disgrace had fallen like a pall1 he went with words of hope and practical advice4 ,parents sought him to help lead erring children back from a life of wretchedness and evil4 ,wherever sorrow and trouble was in the heart or home he went1 his heart full of sympathy1 his hands eager to help4 ,much of his time1 too1 in those early days of his ministry was devoted to pastoral calls1 not the formal ministerial call where the children tiptoe in1 awed and silent1 because the minister is there4 ,children hailed his coming with delight1 the family greeted him as an old1 old friend before whom all ceremony and convention were swept away4 ,he was genuinely interested in their family affairs4 ,he entered into their plans and ambitions1 and he never forgot any of their personal history they might tell him1 so that each felt1 and truly1 that in his pastor he had a warm and interested friend4 ,his own simple1 informal manner made every one feel instantly at home with him4 ,he soon became a familiar figure upon the streets in the neighborhood of his church1 for morning1 noon and night he was about his work1 cherry1 earnest1 always the light of his high calling shining from his face4 ,the people for squares about knew that here was a man1 skilled and practical in the affairs of the world1 to whom they could go for advice1 for help1 for consolation1 sure that they would have his ready sympathy and the best his big heart and generous hands could give4 ,such faithful work of the pastor1 such earnest1 active work of the people could not but tell4 ,the family feeling which is the ideal of church fellowship was so strong and warm that it attracted and drew people as with magnetic power4 ,the church became more and more crowded4 ,in less than a year it was impossible to seat those who thronged to the ,sunday services1 though the auditorium then had a seating capacity of twelve hundred4 ,i am glad1 the pastor once remarked to a friend1 when ,i get up ,sunday morning and can look out of the window and see it snowing1 sleeting1 and raining1 and hear the wind shriek and howl4 ',there1' ,i say1 ',i won't have to preach this morning1 looking all the while at people patiently standing through the service1 wherever there is a foot of standing room4' ,illustration3 ,,the ,,samaritan ,,hospital ,,of ,,the ,,future ,the membership rose from two hundred to more than five hundred within two years4 ,a question began to shape itself in the minds of pastor and people4 ,what shall we do8 ,as a partial solution of it1 the proposition was made to divide into three churches4 ,but1 as in the old days of enlistment when two companies clamored for him for captain1 all three sections wanted him as pastor1 and so the idea was abandoned4 ,still the membership grew1 and the need for larger quarters faced them imperatively and not to be evaded4 ,the house next door was purchased which gave increased space for the work of the ,sunday ,school and the various associations4 ,but it was a mere drop in the bucket4 ,every room in it was filled to overflowing with eager workers before the ink was fairly dry on the deed of transfer4 ,then into this busy crowd wondering what should be done came a little child1 and with one simple act cleared the mist from their eyes and pointed the way for them to go4 ,,chapter ,,xix ,,hattie ,,wiatt',s ,,legacy ,how a ,little ,child ,started the ,building ,fund for the ,great ,baptist ,temple4 ,one ,sunday afternoon a little child1 ,hattie ,wiatt1 six years old1 came to the church building at ,berks and ,mervine to attend the ,sunday ,school4 ,she was a very little girl and it was a very large ,sunday ,school1 but big as it was there was not room to squeeze her in4 ,other little girls had been turned away that day1 and still others1 ,sundays before4 ,but it was a bitter disappointment to this small child2 the little lips trembled1 the big tears rolled down her cheeks and the sobs that came were from the heart4 ,the pastor himself told the little one why she could not come in and tried to comfort her4 ,his heart was big enough for her and her trouble if the church was not4 ,he watched the childish figure going so sadly up the street with a heart that was heavy that he must turn away a little child from the house of ,god1 from the house raised in the name of ,one who said1 ,suffer little children to come unto me4 ,she did not forget her disappointment as many a child would4 ,it had been too grievous4 ,it hurt too deeply to think that she could not go to that ,sunday ,school1 and that other little girls who wanted to go must stay away4 ,with quivering lip she told her mother there wasn't room for her4 ,with a sad little heart she spent the afternoon thinking about it1 and when bedtime came and she said her prayers1 she prayed with a child's beautiful faith that they would find room for her so that she might go and learn more about ,jesus4 ,perhaps she had heard some word dropped about faith and works4 ,perhaps the childish mind thought it out for herself4 ,but she arose the next morning with a strong purpose in her childish soul1 a purpose so big in faith1 so firm in determination1 it could put many a strong man's efforts to the blush4 ,i will save my money1 she said to herself1 and build a bigger ,sunday ,school4 ,then we can all go4 ,from her childish treasures she hunted out a little red pocketbook and in this she put her pennies1 one at a time4 ,what temptations that childish soul struggled with no one may know6 ,how she shut her eyes and steeled her heart to playthings her friends bought1 to the allurements of the candy shop window6 ,but nothing turned her from her purpose4 ,penny by penny the little hoard grew4 ,day after day the dimpled fingers counted it and the bright eyes grew brighter as the sum mounted4 ,that mite cast in by the widow was no purer1 greater offering than these pennies so lovingly and heroically saved by this little child4 ,but there were only a few weeks of this planning1 hoping1 saving4 ,the little ,temple builder fell ill4 ,it was a brief illness and then the grim ,reaper knocked at the door of the ,wiatt home and the loving1 self-sacrificing spirit was born to the ,father's ,house where there are many mansions1 where there was no lack of room1 for the little heart so eager to learn more of ,jesus4 ,with her dying breath she told her mother of her treasure1 told her it was for ,grace ,baptist ,church to build4 ,in the little red pocketbook was just fifty-seven cents4 ,that was her legacy4 ,with swelling heart1 the pastor reverently took it2 with misty eyes and broken voice he told his people of the little one's gift4 ,and when they heard how ,god had blessed them with so great an inheritance1 there was silence in the room2 the silence of tears and earnest consecration4 ,the corner stone of the ,temple was laid4 ,,chapter ,,xx ,,building ,,the ,,temple ,how the ,money was ,raised4 ,walking ,clubs4 ,jug ,breaking4 ,the ,purchase of the ,lot4 ,laying the ,corner ,stone4 ,thus was their path pointed out to them and they walked steadily forward in it from that day4 ,plans were made for raising money4 ,the work went forward with a vim1 for ever before each worker was the thought of that tiny girl1 the precious pennies saved one by one by childish self-denial4 ,the child's faith was equaled by theirs4 ,it was a case of ,come unto me on the water4 ,they were poor4 ,nobody could give much4 ,but nobody hesitated4 ,it was not only a question of giving1 even small sums4 ,what was given must be saved in some way4 ,few could give outright and not feel it4 ,incomes for the most part just covered living expenses1 and expenses must be cut down1 if incomes were to be stretched to build a church4 ,so these practical people put their wits to work to see how money could be saved4 ,walking clubs were organized1 not for vigorous cross country tramps in a search for pleasure and health1 but with an earnest determination to save carfare for the building fund4 ,tired men with muscles aching from a hard day's work1 women weary with a long day behind the counter or typewriter1 cheerfully trudged home and saved the nickels4 ,women economized in dress1 men who smoked gave it up4 ,vacations in the summer were dropped4 ,even the boys and girls saved their pennies as little ,hattie ,wiatt had done1 and the money poured into the treasury in astonishing amounts1 considering how small was each individual gift4 ,all these sacrifices helped to endear the place to those who wove their hopes and prayers about it4 ,a fair was given in a large hall in the centre of the city which brought to the notice of many strangers the vigorous work the church was doing and netted nearly five thousand dollars toward the building fund4 ,it was a fair that went with a vim1 planned on business lines1 conducted in a practical1 sensible fashion4 ,another effort that brought splendid results was the giving out of little earthen jugs in the early summer to be brought to the harvest home in ,september with their garnerings4 ,it was a joyous evening when the jugs were brought in4 ,a supper was given1 and while the church members enjoyed themselves at the tables1 the committee sat on the platform1 broke the jugs1 counted the money and announced the amount4 ,the sum total brought joyous smiles to the treasurer's face4 ,innumerable entertainments were held in the church and at homes of the church members4 ,suppers were given in ,fairmount ,park during the summer4 ,every worthy plan for raising money that clever brains could devise and willing hands accomplish was used to swell the building fund4 ,thus the work went ahead1 and in ,september1 #ahhf1 the lot on which ,the ,temple now stands at ,broad and ,berks was purchased at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars4 ,thus encouraged with tangible results1 the work for the building fund was pushed1 if possible1 with even greater vigor4 ,ground was broken for ,the ,temple ,march #bg1 #ahhi4 ,the corner stone was laid ,july #ac1 #ahij1 and on the first of ,march1 #ahia1 the house was occupied for worship4 ,the only large amount received toward the building fund was a gift of ten thousand dollars on condition that the church be not dedicated until it was free of debt4 ,in a legal sense1 calling a building by the name of the congregation worshipping in it is a dedication1 and so the building1 instead of being called ,the ,grace ,baptist ,church1 was called the ,baptist ,temple1 a name which will probably cling to it while one stone stands upon another4 ,raising money and erecting a building did not stop the spiritual work of the church4 ,rather it increased it4 ,people heard of the church through the fairs and various other efforts to raise money1 came to the service1 perhaps out of curiosity at first1 became interested1 their hearts were touched and they joined4 ,never did its spiritual light burn more brightly than in these days of hard work and self-denial4 ,the membership steadily rose1 and when ,grace ,church moved into its new temple of worship1 more than twelve hundred members answered the muster roll4 ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,occupying ,,the ,,temple ,the ,first ,sunday4 ,the ,building ,itself--,its ,seating ,capacity1 ,furnishing and ,lighting4 ,the ,lower ,temple and its ,various ,rooms and ,halls4 ,services ,heard by ,telephone at the ,samaritan ,hospital4 ,that was a great day--the first ,sunday in the new ,temple4 ,six years of labor and love had gone to its building and now they possessed the land4 ,during the opening exercises over nine thousand people were present at each service1 said the ,philadelphia ,press writing of the event4 ,the throng overflowed into the ,lower ,temple2 into the old church building4 ,the whole neighborhood was full of the joyful members of ,grace ,baptist ,church4 ,the very air seemed to thrill with the spirit of thanksgiving abroad that day4 ,all that ,sabbath from sunrise until close to midnight members thronged the building with prayers of thankfulness and praise welling up from glad hearts4 ,writing from ,london several years later1 ,mr4 ,conwell voiced in words what had been in his mind when the church was planned3 ,i heard a sermon which helped me greatly4 ,it was delivered by an old preacher1 and the subject was1 ',this ,god is our ,god1' ,he described the attributes of ,god in glory1 knowledge1 wisdom and love1 and compared ,him to the gods the heathen do worship4 ,he then pressed upon us the message that this glorious ,god is the ,christian's ,god1 and with ,him we cannot want4 ,it did me so much good1 and made me long so much for more of ,god in all my feelings1 actions1 and influence4 ,the seats were hard1 and the tack of the pew hard and high1 the church dusty and neglected2 yet1 in spite of all the discomforts1 ,i was blessed4 ,i was sorry for the preacher who had to preach against all those discomforts1 and did not wonder at the thin congregation4 ,oh6 it is all wrong to make it so unnecessarily hard to listen to the gospel4 ,they ought for ,jesus' sake tear out the old benches and put in comfortable chairs4 ,there was an air about the service of perfunctoriness and lack of object1 which made the service indefinite and aimless4 ,this is a common fault4 ,we lack an object and do not aim at anything special in our services4 ,that1 too1 is all wrong4 ,each hymn1 each chapter read1 each anthem1 each prayer1 and each sermon should have a special and appropriate purpose4 ,may the ,lord help me1 after my return1 to profit by this day's lesson4 ,no hard benches1 no air of cold dreariness marks ,the ,temple4 ,the exterior is beautiful and graceful in design1 the interior cheery and homelike in furnishing4 ,the building is of hewn stone1 with a frontage on ,broad ,street of one hundred and seven feet1 a depth on ,berks ,street of one hundred and fifty feet1 a height of ninety feet4 ,on the front is a beautiful half rose window of rich stained glass1 and on the ,berks ,street side a number of smaller memorial windows1 each depicting some beautiful ,biblical scene or thought4 ,above the rose window on the front is a small iron balcony on which on special occasions1 and at midnight on ,christmas1 ,new ,year's ,eve and ,easter1 the church orchestra and choir play sacred melodies and sing hymns1 filling the midnight hour with melody and delighting thousands who gather to hear it4 ,the auditorium of ,the ,temple has the largest seating capacity among ,protestant church edifices in the ,united ,states4 ,its original seating capacity according to the architect's plans1 was forty-two hundred opera chairs4 ,but to secure greater comfort and safety only thirty-one hundred and thirty-five chairs were used4 ,under the auditorium and below the level of the street is the part of the building called the ,lower ,temple4 ,here are ,sunday ,school rooms1 with a seating capacity of two thousand4 ,the ,sunday ,school room and lecture room of the ,lower ,temple is forty-eight by one hundred and six feet in dimensions4 ,it also has many beautiful stained-glass windows4 ,on the platform is a cabinet organ and a grand piano4 ,in the rear of the lecture room is a dining-room1 forty-five by forty-six feet1 with a capacity for seating five hundred people4 ,folding tables and hundreds of chairs are stowed away in the store rooms when not in use in the great dining-room4 ,opening out of this room are the rooms of the ,board of ,trustees1 the parlors and reading-rooms of the ,young ,men's ,association and the ,young ,women's ,association1 and the kitchen1 carving-room and cloak-room4 ,through the kitchen is a passageway to the engine and boiler rooms4 ,in pantries and cupboards is an outfit of china and table cutlery sufficient to set a table for five hundred persons4 ,the kitchen is fully equipped1 with two large ranges1 hot-water cylinders1 sinks and drainage tanks4 ,in the annex beyond the kitchen1 a separate building contains the boilers and engine room and the electric-light plants4 ,the steam-heating of the building is supplied by four one hundred horse-power boilers4 ,in the engine room are two one hundred and thirty-five horse-power engines1 directly connected with dynamos having a capacity of twenty-five hundred lights1 which are controlled by a switchboard in this room4 ,the electrician is on duty every day1 giving his entire time to the management of this plant4 ,the building is also supplied with gas4 ,directly behind the pulpit is a small closet containing a friction wheel1 by means of which1 should the electric light fail for any reason1 every gas jet in ,the ,temple can be lighted from dome to basement4 ,for cleaning the church1 a vacuum plant has been installed1 which sucks out every particle of dust and dirt4 ,it does the work quickly and thoroughly1 in fact1 so thoroughly it is impossible even with the hardest beating to raise any dust on the covered chairs after they have been cleaned by this process4 ,such crowds throng ,the ,temple that some quick1 thorough method of cleaning it became imperative4 ,back of the auditorium on the street floor are the business offices of the church1 ,mr4 ,conwell's study1 the office of his secretary and of the associate pastor4 ,all are practically and cheerfully furnished1 fitted with desks1 filing cabinets1 telephones1 speaking tubes1 everything to carry forward the business of the church in a time-saving1 businesslike way4 ,the acoustics of the great auditorium are perfect4 ,there is no building on this continent with an equal capacity which enables the preacher to speak and the hearers to listen with such perfect comfort4 ,the weakest voice is carried to the farthest auditor4 ,lecturers who have tested the acoustic properties of halls in every state in the ,union speak with praise and pleasure of ,the ,temple1 which makes the delivery of an oration to three thousand people as easy1 so far as vocal effort is concerned1 as a parlor conversation4 ,telephonic communication has recently been installed between the auditorium and the ,samaritan ,hospital4 ,patients in their beds can hear the sermons preached from ,the ,temple pulpit and the music of the ,sunday services4 ,compared with other assembly rooms in this country1 the auditorium of ,the ,temple is a model4 ,it seats thirty-one hundred and thirty-five persons4 ,the ,american ,academy of ,music1 ,philadelphia1 seats twenty-nine hundred2 the ,academy of ,music1 ,brooklyn1 twenty-four hundred and thirty-three2 ,academy in ,new ,york1 twenty-four hundred and thirty-three2 the ,grand ,opera ,house1 ,cincinnati1 twenty-two hundred and fifty2 and the ,music ,hall1 ,boston1 twenty-five hundred and eighty-five4 ,but greater than the building is the spirit that pervades it4 ,the moment one enters the vast auditorium with its crimson chairs1 its cheery carpet1 its softly tinted walls1 one feels at home4 ,light filters in through rich windows1 in memory of some member gone before1 some class or organization4 ,back of the pulpit stands the organ1 its rich pipes rising almost to the roof4 ,everywhere is rich1 subdued coloring1 not ostentatious1 but cheery1 homelike4 ,large as is the seating capacity of ,the ,temple1 when it was opened it could not accommodate the crowds that thronged to it4 ,almost from the first1 overflow meetings were held in the ,lower ,temple1 that none need be turned away from the ,house of ,god4 ,from five hundred to two thousand people crowded these ,sunday evenings in addition to the large audience in the main auditorium above4 ,the ,temple workers had come to busy days and large opportunities4 ,but they took them humbly with a full sense of their responsibility1 with prayer in their hearts that they might meet them worthily4 ,their leader knew the perils of success and with wise counsel guided them against its insidious dangers4 ,ah1 that is a dangerous hour in the history of men and institutions1 he said1 in a sermon on the ,danger of ,success1 when they become too popular2 when a good cause becomes too much admired or adored1 so that the man1 or the institution1 or the building1 or the organization1 receives an idolatrous worship from the community4 ,that is always a dangerous time4 ,small men always go down1 wrecked by such dizzy elevation4 ,whenever a small man is praised1 he immediately loses his balance of mind and ascribes to himself the things which others foolishly express in flattery4 ,he esteems himself more than he is2 thinking himself to be something1 he is consequently nothing4 ,how dangerous is that point when a man1 or a woman1 or an enterprise has become accepted and popular6 ,then1 of all times1 should the man or the society be humble4 ,then1 of all times1 should they beware4 ,then1 of all times1 the hosts of ,satan are marshaled that by every possible insidious wile and open warfare they may overcome4 ,the weakest hour in the history of great enterprises is apt to be when they seem to be1 and their projectors think they are1 strongest4 ,take heed lest ye fall in the hour of your strength4 ,the most powerful mill stream drives the wheel most vigorously at the moment before the flood sweeps the mill to wildest destruction4 ,just as plainly and unequivocally did he hold up before them the purpose of their high calling3 ,the mission of the church is to save the souls of men4 ,that is its true mission4 ,it is the only mission of the church4 ,that should be its only thought4 ,the moment any church admits a singer that does not sing to save souls2 the moment a church calls a pastor who does not preach to save souls2 the moment a church elects a deacon who does not work to save souls2 the moment a church gives a supper or an entertainment of any kind not for the purpose of saving souls--it ceases in so much to be a church and to fulfil the magnificent mission ,god gave it4 ,every concert1 every choir service1 every preaching service1 every ,lord's supper1 every agency that is used in the church must have the great mission plainly before its eye4 ,we are here to save the souls of dying sinners2 we are here for no other purpose2 and the mission of the church being so clear1 that is the only test of a real church4 ,the thousands of men and women ,grace ,church has saved and placed in paths of righteousness and happiness1 show that it has nobly stood the test1 that it has proved itself a church in the true sense of the word4 ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,how ,,the ,,church ,,works ,the ,ladies' ,aid ,society4 ,the ,young ,women's ,association4 ,the ,young ,men's ,association4 ,the ,ushers' ,association4 ,the ,christian ,endeavor ,societies4 ,the ,many ,other ,organizations4 ,what ,they ,do1 and ,how ,they ,do ,it4 ,now that the church was built1 now that such power was in its hands1 how should it work8 ,the church of ,christ should be so conducted always as to save the largest number of souls1 and in the saving of souls the ,institutional church may be of great assistance1 said ,russell ,conwell in an address on ,the ,institutional ,church4 ,it is of little matter what your theories are or what mine are2 ,god1 in ,his providence1 is moving ,his church onward and moving it upward at the same time1 adjusting it to new situations1 fitting it to new conditions and to advancing civilization1 requiring us to use the new instrumentalities he has placed in our hands for the purpose of saving the greatest number of human souls4 ,the conditions confronting him1 the leader of this church studied4 ,he turned his eyes backward over the years4 ,he thought of his own boyhood when church was so distasteful4 ,he thought of those ten busy years in ,boston when he had worked among all classes of humanity1 with churches on all sides1 yet few reaching down into the lives of the people in any vital way4 ,he knew of the silent1 agonizing cry for help1 for comfort1 for light1 that went up without ceasing day and night from humanity in sorrow1 in suffering1 in affliction1 went up as it were to skies of brass1 yet he knew a loving ,savior stood ready to pour forth his healing love1 a ,divine ,spirit waited only the means1 to lay a healing touch on sore hearts4 ,what was needed was a simple1 practical1 real way to make it understandable to men1 to bring them into the right environment1 to make their hearts and minds receptive1 to point the way to peace1 joy and eternal life4 ,he brought to bear on this problem all the practical1 trained skill of the lawyer1 the keen insight and common sense1 the knowledge of the world1 of the traveler and writer4 ,every experience of his own life he probed for help and light on this great work ,nothing was done haphazard4 ,he studied the wants of men4 ,he clearly saw the need4 ,he calmly surveyed the field1 then he went to work with practical common sense to fill it1 filling his people with the enthusiasm and the faith that led him1 doing with a will all there was to do1 and then leaving the rest with ,god4 ,never did he think of himself1 of how he might lighten his tasks1 give himself a little more leisure or rest4 ,the work needing to be done and how to do it was his study day and night4 ,illustration3 ,this ,picture ,shows the ,four ,speaking ,tubes ,which ,connect by ,telephone with the ,samaritan ,hospital ,a reporter of the ,philadelphia ,press once asked ,dr4 ,george ,a4 ,peltz1 the associate pastor of ,grace ,church1 if you were called upon to express in three words the secret of the mysterious power that has raised ,grace ,church from almost nothing to a membership of more than three thousand1 that has built this ,temple1 founded a college1 opened a hospital1 and set every man1 woman and child in the congregation to working1 what would be your answer8 ,sanctified common sense1 was the ,doctor's unhesitating reply4 ,rev4 ,f4,b4 ,meyer1 in speaking on ,twentieth ,century ,evangelism1 at ,bradford1 ,england1 in #aijb1 made a plea for the institutional church1 the wide outlook1 more elastic methods1 greater eagerness to reach and win outsiders1 more varied service on the part of ,christian people1 that the minister of any place of worship should become the recognized friend of the entire district in which his chapel is placed4 ,the elastic method is characteristic of the work of ,the ,temple4 ,when ,dr4 ,conwell first came to ,grace ,church1 he organized four societies--the ,ladies' ,aid ,society1 the ,business ,men's ,union1 the ,young ,women's ,association1 the ,young ,men's ,association4 ,into one or another of these1 every member of the church fitted1 and as the new members came into the fellowship1 they found work for their hands in one or the other4 ,the ,ladies' ,aid ,society is the pastor's right hand4 ,it stands ready to undertake any project1 social1 religious1 financial1 to give receptions in honor of noted visitors1 to hold a series of special meetings1 to plan suppers1 festivals1 and other affairs--whenever it is necessary to raise money4 ,its creed1 if one might so call it1 is3 ,use every opportunity to bring in new members4 ,remember the name of every new church member4 ,visit useless members and encourage them for their own sake to become useful4 ,visit persons when desired by the ,pastors4 ,speak cheerfully to each person present on every opportunity4 ,regard every patron of your suppers or entertainments1 and every visitor to your religious meetings1 as a guest calling on you in your own house4 ,accept contributions and subscriptions for the various ,christian enterprises4 ,bring in every suggestion you hear which is valuable1 new or effective in ,christian work elsewhere4 ,never allow a meeting to pass without your doing some one practical thing for the advancement of ,christ's kingdom4 ,make yourself and the ,society of some certain use to some person1 or some cause1 each week4 ,the ,society helps in the church prayer meetings1 in refurnishing and improving the church property1 in celebrating anniversaries1 in missionary enterprises1 securing the insertion of tablets in the ,temple walls1 in clothing the poor1 in supporting the local missions connected with the church1 in calling socially on church members or members of the congregation1 in evangelistic meetings1 in household prayer meetings1 in supporting reading rooms1 in comforting those in special affliction1 in visiting the sick1 in aiding the needy1 in paying the church debt1 in maintaining ,mother's meetings1 in looking after the domestic wants of the ,temple1 in sewing for the ,hospitals1 the ,missions1 the ,baptist ,home1 the ,orphanage1 church fairs1 ,missionary workers1 the poor1 in managing church suppers and receptions connected with ,ordinations1 ,conventions1 and other religious gatherings4 ,it is one of the most important organizations of the church and has its own rooms handsomely furnished and well supplied with reading matter4 ,the ,business ,men's ,union drew into a close band the business men of the church and used their knowledge of business affairs to plan and carry out various projects for raising money for the building fund4 ,they also took a deep personal interest in each other's welfare as is shown by the following incident1 taken from the ,philadelphia ,press3 ,at one time a member became involved in financial difficulties in a very peculiar way4 ,previous to connecting himself with the church1 he had been engaged in a business which he felt he could not conscientiously continue after his conversion4 ,he sold his interest and entered upon mercantile pursuits with which he was unfamiliar4 ,as a result1 he became involved and his establishment was in danger of falling into the sheriff's hands4 ,his situation became known to some members of the ,business ,men's ,union1 and a committee was appointed to look into his affairs4 ,his books were found to be straight and his stock valuable4 ,the members immediately subscribed the thousands of dollars necessary to relieve him of all embarrassment1 and the man was saved4 ,after the building was completed and the imperative need for such an organization was past1 the members joined other organizations needing their help1 and it disbanded4 ,it is typical of the elastic methods of ,grace ,church that no society outlives its usefulness4 ,when the need is past for it as a body1 the members look elsewhere for work1 and wherever each is needed1 there he goes heart and soul to further some other endeavor4 ,the ,young ,women's ,association is composed of young women of the church4 ,it bubbles over with youthful enthusiasm and energy and is one of the strongest agencies for carrying forward the church work4 ,its creed is3 ,secure new members4 ,attend the meetings1 propose new work1 urge on neglected duties4 ,help the prayer meetings4 ,volunteer for social meetings4 ,aid in the entertainments4 ,originate plans for ,christian benevolent work4 ,welcome young women to the ,church4 ,visit the sick members of the ,church4 ,seek after and encourage inquirers4 ,hold household devotional meetings4 ,sustain missionary work for young women4 ,make the ,church home cheerful and happy4 ,arrange social home gatherings for various church or charitable enterprises4 ,solicit books or periodicals for the reading room or circulating library4 ,secure employment for the needy4 ,treat all visitors to the rooms as special personal guests in your home4 ,undertake large things for the ,church and ,christ in many ways1 as may be suggested by any new conditions and deeds4 ,instruct in domestic arts1 dressmaking1 millinery1 cooking1 decoration1 and1 through the ,samaritan ,hospital1 in the art of nursing4 ,furnish statedly instructive entertainments for the young4 ,develop the various singing services4 ,specially care for and assist young sisters4 ,coperate in sewing enterprises of all sorts4 ,aid the ,pastors by systematic visitation4 ,push many branches of ,city ,missions1 especially with reference to developing young women as workers4 ,maintain suitable young women as missionaries at home or in foreign fields4 ,carry sunshine to darkened hearts and homes4 ,be noble1 influential ,christian women4 ,it has a room of its own in the ,lower ,temple1 with circulating library1 piano and all the cheerful furnishings of a parlor in the home4 ,to this bright room comes many a girl from her dreary boarding house to spend the evening in reading and social chat4 ,it has been the cheery starting point in many a girl's life to a career of happy usefulness4 ,the ,young ,men's ,association follows similar lines and is an equally important factor in the church work4 ,it plans to3 ,help increase the membership and efficiency of the ,young ,men's ,bible ,class and other similar organizations4 ,persistently follow the meetings of these associations and keep them in the hands of able1 consecrated managers and officers1 who will lead in the best enterprises of the church4 ,make the reading-room attractive and helpful4 ,help sustain the great ,sunday morning prayer meeting4 ,invite passers-by to enter the church1 and welcome strangers who do enter4 ,advise seekers after ,god4 ,bring back the wandering4 ,organize relief committees to save the lost young men of the city4 ,look after traveling business men at hotels1 and bring them to ,the ,temple4 ,promote temperance1 purity1 fraternity and spiritual life4 ,initiate the most important undertakings of the church4 ,surround themselves with strong young men1 and inaugurate vigorous1 fresh plans and methods for bringing the gospel to the young men of to-day in store1 shop1 office1 school1 college1 on the streets1 and elsewhere4 ,visit sick members1 help into lucrative employment1 organize religious meetings1 make the church life of the young bright1 inspiring and noble1 plan for sociables1 entertainments for closer acquaintance and for raising money for ,christian work and to use their pens for ,christ among young men whom they know1 and also with strangers4 ,it has a delightful room in the ,lower ,temple1 carpeted1 supplied with books1 good light1 a piano1 comfortable chairs4 ,it is a real home for young men alone in the city or without family or home ties4 ,during the building of ,the ,temple many associations were formed which1 when the need was over1 merged into others4 ,as ,burdette says3 ,often a working guild of some sort is brought into existence for a specific but transient purpose2 the object accomplished1 the work completed1 the society disbands1 or merges into some other organization1 or reorganizes under a new name for some new work4 ,the work of ,grace ,church is like the operations of a great army2 recruits are coming to the front constantly2 regiments being assigned to this corps1 and suddenly withdrawn to reinforce that one2 two or three commands consolidated for a sudden emergency2 one regiment deployed along a great line of small posts2 infantry detailed into the batteries1 cavalry dismounted for light infantry service1 yet all the time in all this apparent confusion and restless change which bewilders the civilian1 everything is clear and plain and perfectly regular and methodical to the commanding general and his subordinates4 ,another association of this kind was the ,committee of ,one ,hundred1 organized in #ahia4 ,the suggestion for its organization came from the ,young ,women's ,association4 ,a number of them went to the ,trustees and proposed that the ,board should appoint a committee of fifty from among the congregation to devise ways and means to raise money for paying off the floating indebtedness of the church4 ,the suggestion was adopted4 ,the ,committee of ,fifty was appointed1 each organization of the church being represented in it by one or more members4 ,it met for organization in #ahib4 ,the ,young ,women's ,association1 pledged itself to raise #a1jjj during the year4 ,other societies pledged certain sums4 ,individuals went to work to swell the amount1 and in one year1 the ,committee reported that the floating debt of the church1 which at the time of the ,committee's organization was #be1jjj1 was paid4 ,encouraged by this success the ,committee enlarged itself to one hundred and vigorously attacked the work of paying off the mortgage of #ae1bjj on the ground on which the college was to be built4 ,among the minor associations of the church that promoted good fellowship and did a definite good work in their time were the ,tourists' ,club1 a social development of the ,young ,women's ,association4 ,the members took an ideal ,european trip while sitting in the pleasant reading room in the ,lower ,temple4 ,a route of travel was laid out a month in advance4 ,each member present took some part2 to one was assigned the principal buildings2 to another1 some famous painting2 to others1 parks1 hotels1 places of amusement1 ruins1 etc41 until at the close of the evening they almost could hear the tongue of the strange land through which in fancy they had journeyed4 ,maps and pictures helped to materialize the journey4 ,the ,girls ,auxiliary was formed to meet the needs of the younger members of the church4 ,any girl under sixteen could become a member by the payment of monthly dues of five cents4 ,there were classes in embroidery1 elocution1 sewing1 etc4 ,the ,youth's ,culture ,league was organized for the work among youth of the slums2 an effort to supplement public school education1 making it a stepping-stone to higher culture and better living4 ,sports of various kinds of course received attention4 ,the ,temple ,guard1 the ,temple ,cyclers1 the ,baseball ,league gave opportunity for all to enjoy some form of healthy outdoor sport4 ,but since the college and its gymnasium have become so prominent1 those who now join such organizations usually do it through college instead of church doors4 ,the following incident from the ,philadelphia ,evening ,bulletin is typical of the help these organizations often gave the church in its religious work3 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,observatory ,built on the ,site of the ,old ,hemlock ,tree ,illustration3 ,,the ,,present ,,conwell ,,homestead ,,in ,,massachusetts ,eight and a half years ago the ,rev4 ,russell ,h4 ,conwell surprised a great many people by organizing a military company among his little boys4 ,the old wiseacres shook their heads1 and the elders of the old school wondered at this new departure in church work4 ,then again he fairly shocked them by making the organization non-sectarian1 and securing one of the best tacticians in the city to instruct the boys in military science4444 ,from the first the company has clearly demonstrated that it is the best-drilled military organization in the city1 and the number of prizes fairly won demonstrates this4 ,however1 the company does not wish to be understood as being merely in existence for prize honors1 although it cannot be overlooked that twenty victories over as many companies afford them the best record in ,pennsylvania4 ,in #ahif1 the ,samaritan ,rescue ,mission was established by the ,grace ,baptist ,church1 and proving a great financial burden1 ,dr4 ,conwell offered to give a lecture on ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,the ,guard took the matter up1 brought ,mrs4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 despite her threescore years and ten1 to ,philadelphia for the first time in her life1 and so great was the desire of the church-loving public of this city to attend that the mission did not perish4 ,when the stress of building and paying the church debt was passed1 many of these societies went heart and soul into the ,christian ,endeavor work4 ,indeed1 for awhile it seemed as if the ,christian ,endeavor would absorb all the church associations4 ,there are at present fifteen ,christian ,endeavor ,societies in the church4 ,in addition to the ,christian ,endeavor pledge1 the following special ways in which they can forward the church work is ever held before each member3 ,for the sake of your character and future success1 as well as for the supreme cause1 keep your pledge unflinchingly4 ,endeavor persistently1 but courteously1 to seek after those who ask for our prayers and advice at any meeting4 ,never discontinue your endeavors to get new members for the societies4 ,follow it continually in the name of the ,lord4 ,endeavor each day to think1 speak1 act and pray like the ,savior4 ,endeavor and present plans for effective work4 ,build up a standard of noble living in the ,church4 ,send comforting messages to members of the ,church in sorrow1 send flowers to the sick1 or for the funeral1 look after the orphans1 visit the widows and the fatherless1 write letters of advice1 invitation1 condolence1 establish missions for new churches in growing parts of the city1 and hold by kindness at least one thousand personal friends at ,the ,baptist ,temple4 ,select one leading duty1 and follow it without waiting to be asked4 ,make yourself a master of some special line of ,christian effort4 ,save some one6 ,five of these societies some years ago started a mission at ,logan1 a suburb of ,philadelphia1 and so successful was their work that the mission soon grew into a flourishing church4 ,the ,ushers' ,association is one of the strongest and most helpful organizations in furthering the church work4 ,the ushers number twenty-four1 and are banded together in a businesslike association for mutual pleasure and good fellowship1 and also to better conduct their work and the church interests they have in hand4 ,they are under the leadership of a chief usher who is president of the ,association4 ,the spirit of hospitality that pervades ,the ,temple finds its happiest expression in the courteous welcome and ready attention accorded visitors by the ushers4 ,all members of the church who are willing to give up their seats to strangers on special occasions send their names to the chief usher4 ,and it is no unusual thing to see a member cheerfully relinquish his seat after a whispered consultation with an usher in favor of some stranger who is standing4 ,in addition to their work in seating the crowd that throng to ,the ,temple either for ,sunday services or the many entertainments that fill the church during the week1 the ,ushers' ,association itself during the winter gives a series of fine entertainments4 ,its object is to offer amusement of the very highest class1 so that people will come to the church rather than go elsewhere in their leisure hours and thus be surrounded by influences of the best character and by an atmosphere that is elevating and refining4 ,they have also undertaken to pay off the balance of the church debt4 ,missionary interests at ,grace ,church are well looked after4 ,the church has educated and supported a number of missionaries in home and foreign fields1 as well as contributed money and clothing to the cause4 ,the ,missionary ,circle combines in one organization all those interested in missionary work4 ,one afternoon a month the members meet in the ,lower ,temple to sew1 have supper together1 and afterward hold religious services4 ,the members are advised in the church hand-book to-- ,suggest plans for raising money2 arrange for a series of addresses2 organize children's societies2 distribute missionary literature2 maintain a circulating library of missionary books2 correspond with missionaries2 solicit and work for the 'missionary barrels'2 send out 'comfort bags'2 advocate missions in the prayer meetings and socials2 encourage those members who are preparing for or are going into foreign fields1 and maintain special missionary prayer meetings4 ,members of the church have started several missions1 some of which have already grown into flourishing churches4 ,the ,logan ,baptist ,church and the ,tioga ,baptist ,church1 are both daughters of ,the ,temple4 ,the ,samaritan ,aid ,society sews and secures contributions of clothing and such supplies for the ,samaritan ,hospital4 ,other charities1 however1 needing such help1 find it ever willing to lend its aid4 ,it is ready for any emergency that may arise4 ,a hurry call was sent once for sheets1 pillow cases and garments for the sick at ,samaritan ,hospital4 ,the ,president of the ,society quickly summoned the members4 ,merchants were visited and contributions of muslin and thread secured4 ,sewing machines were sent to the ,lower ,temple4 ,an all-day sewing bee was held1 those who could1 came all day1 others dropped in as time permitted1 and by sunset more than three hundred pieces of work were finished4 ,two other organizations very helpful to the members of the church are the ,men's ,beneficial ,association and the ,women's ,beneficial ,association4 ,they are purely for the benefit of church members during sickness or bereavement1 and are managed as all such associations are1 paying #e4jj a week during sickness and #ajj at death4 ,the books are closed at the end of each year and the fund started afresh4 ,the ,temple ,building and ,loan ,association was organized by the membership of the ,business ,men's ,association1 and is officered by prominent members of the church4 ,but it is not in any way a church organization and is not under the management of the church4 ,it is very successful and its stockholders are composed largely of church members4 ,to keep members and friends in touch with the many lines of activity in which the church works1 a magazine1 ,the ,temple ,review1 is published4 ,it is a private business enterprise1 but it chronicles church work and publishes each week ,dr4 ,conwell's sermons4 ,many living at a distance who cannot come often to ,the ,temple find it most enjoyable and helpful to thus obtain their pastor's sermons1 and to look through the printed page into the busy life of the church itself4 ,it helps members in some one branch of the church work to keep in touch with what others are doing4 ,the work of the college and hospital from week to week is also chronicled1 so that it is a very good mirror of the many activities of the ,grace ,church membership4 ,thus in good fellowship the church works unitedly to further ,christ's kingdom4 ,new organizations are formed as some enthusiastic member discerns a new need or a new field4 ,it is a veritable hive of industry whose doors are never closed day or night4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,,fairs ,,and ,,entertainments ,the ,temple ,fairs4 ,how ,they are ,planned4 ,their ,religious ,aim4 ,appointment of ,committees4 ,how the ,committees ,work4 ,the ,church ,entertainments4 ,their ,character4 ,not only does the church work in a hundred ways through its regular organizations to advance the spiritual life of its members and the community1 but once every year1 organization fences are taken down and as a whole and united body1 it marches forward to a great fair4 ,the ,temple fairs are famous4 ,they form an important feature of church life1 and an important date in the church calendar4 ,the true object of a church fair should be to strengthen the church1 to propagate the ,gospel1 and to bring the world nearer to its ,god4 ,that is ,dr4 ,conwell's idea of the purpose of a church fair and the basic principle on which ,the ,temple fairs are built4 ,they always open on ,thanksgiving ,day1 the anniversary of ,dr4 ,conwell's coming to the church and continue for ten days or two weeks thereafter4 ,these fairs are most carefully planned4 ,the membership1 of course1 know that a fair is to be held2 but before any definite information of the special fair coming1 is given them1 a strong foundation of systematic1 careful preparation is laid4 ,in the early summer1 before ,dr4 ,conwell leaves for his two months' rest at his old home in the ,berkshires1 he and the deaconess of the church go over the ground1 decide on the executive committee and call it together4 ,officers are elected1 ,dr4 ,conwell always being appointed president and the deaconess1 as a rule1 secretary4 ,the whole church membership is then carefully studied1 and every member put at work upon some committee1 a chairman for the committee being appointed at the same time4 ,a notice of their appointment1 the list of their fellow workers1 and a letter from the pastor relative to the fair are then sent to each4 ,usually these lists are prepared and forwarded from ,dr4 ,conwell's summer home4 ,the chief purpose of the fair1 that of saving souls1 is ever kept in view4 ,the pastor in his letter to each member always lays special stress on it4 ,quoting from one such letter1 he says3 ,the religious purpose is to consolidate our church by a more extensive and intimate acquaintance with each other1 and to enlarge the circle of social influence over those who have not accepted ,christ4 ,this enterprise being undertaken for the service of ,christ1 each church member is urged to enter it with earnest prayer1 and to use every opportunity to direct the attention of workers and visitors to spiritual things4 ,each committee should have its prayer circle or a special season set apart for devotional services4 ,this carnival being undertaken for the spiritual good of the church1 intimate friends and those who have hitherto worked together are especially requested to separate on this occasion and work with new members1 forming a new circle of acquaintances4 ,do not seek for a different place unless it is clear that you can do much more in another position1 for they honor ,god most who take up ,his work right where they are and do faithfully the duty nearest to them4 ,your pastor prays earnestly that this season of work1 offering1 and pleasure may be used by the ,lord to help humanity and add to the glory of ,his ,kingdom on earth4 ,this is the tenor of the letters sent each year4 ,this is the purpose held ever before the workers4 ,each committee is urged to meet as soon as possible1 and1 as a rule1 the chairman calls a meeting within a week after the receipt of the list4 ,each committee upon meeting elects a president1 vice-president1 secretary and treasurer1 which1 together with the original executive committee1 form the executive committee of the fair4 ,during the summer and fall1 until the opening of the fair1 these various committees work to secure contributions or whatever may be needed for the special work they have been appointed to do4 ,if they need costumes1 or expensive decorations for the booths1 they give entertainments to raise the money4 ,all this depends upon the character of the fair in general4 ,sometimes it is a fair in the accepted sense of the word1 devoted to the selling of such goods as interested friends and well-wishers have contributed4 ,at other times it takes on special significance4 ,at one fair each committee represented a country1 the members dressed in the costume of its people1 the booth so far as possible was typical of a home1 or some special building4 ,such products of the country as could be obtained were among the articles sold or exhibited4 ,every committee meeting is opened with prayer1 and each night during the fair a prayer meeting is held4 ,in addition1 a committee is appointed to look after the throng of strangers visiting the fair1 and whenever possible1 to get them to register in a book kept especially for that purpose at the entrance4 ,to all those who sign the register1 a ,new ,year's greeting is sent as a little token of recognition and appreciation of their help4 ,much of the great tide of membership that flows into the church comes through the doors of these church fairs4 ,the fairs are really revival seasons4 ,they are practical illustrations of how a working church prays1 and a praying church works4 ,christianity has on its working clothes4 ,but it is ,christianity none the less1 outspoken in its faith1 fearless in its testimony1 full of the love that desires to help every man and woman to a higher1 happier life4 ,the church entertainments form another important feature of church life4 ,indeed1 from the first of ,september until summer is well started1 few weekday nights pass but that some religious service or some entertainment is taking place in ,the ,temple4 ,in the height of the season1 it is no uncommon thing for two or three to be given in various halls of ,the ,temple on one evening4 ,an out-of-town man attending a lecture at the ,lower ,temple1 and seeing the throngs of people pouring in at various entrances1 asked the custodian of the door if there were a rear entrance to the auditorium4 ,here's where you go in for the lecture1 was the reply4 ,there are two other entertainments on hand this evening in the halls of the ,lower ,temple4 ,that's where those people are going4 ,in regard to church fairs and entertainments1 ,dr4 ,conwell said in a sermon in #ahic3 ,the ,lord pity any church that has not enough of the spirit of ,christ in it to stand a church fair1 wherein devout offerings are brought to the tithing-house in the spirit of true devotion2 the ,lord pity any church that has not enough of the spirit of ,jesus in it to endure or enjoy a pure entertainment4 ,indeed1 they are subjects for prayer if they cannot1 without quarrels1 without fightings1 without defeat to the cause of ,christ1 engage in the pure and innocent things ,god offers to ,his children4 ,and in an address on ,the ,institutional ,church1 he says3 ,the ,institutional church of the future will have the best regular lecture courses of the highest order4 ,there will be about them sufficient entertainment to hold the audience1 while at the same time they give positive instruction and spiritual elevation4 ,every church of ,christ is so sacred that it ought to have within its walls anything that helps to save souls4 ,if an entertainment is put into a church for any secular purpose--simply to make money--that church will be divided2 it will be meshed in quarrels1 and souls will not be saved there4 ,there must be a higher end2 as between the church and the world we must use everything that will save and reject everything that will injure4 ,this requires careful and close attention4 ,you must keep in mind the question1 ',will ,jesus come here and save souls8' ,carefully eliminate all that will show irreverence for holy things or disrespect for the church4 ,carefully introduce wherever you can the direct teachings of the ,gospel1 and then your entertainments will be the power of ,god unto salvation4 ,the entertainments of the church need to be carefully guarded1 and1 if they are1 then will the church of the future control the entertainments of the world4 ,the theatre that has its displays of low and vulgar amusement will not pay1 because the churches will hold the best classes1 and for a divine and humane purpose will conduct the best entertainments4 ,there will be a double inducement that will draw all classes4 ,the ,institutional church of the future will be free to use any reasonable means to influence men for good4 ,the ,temple1 as can be seen1 believes in good1 pure1 elevating amusements4 ,but every entertainment to be given is carefully considered4 ,in such a vast body of workers1 many of them young and inexperienced1 this is necessary4 ,by a vote of the church1 every programme to be used in any entertainment in ,the ,temple must first be submitted to the ,board of ,deacons4 ,what they disapprove cannot be presented to the congregation of ,grace ,church under any circumstance4 ,the concerts and oratorios of the chorus are of the very highest order and attract music lovers from all parts of the city and nearby towns4 ,the other entertainments in the course of a year cover such a variety of subjects that every one is sure to find something to his liking4 ,among the lectures given in one year were3 ,changes and ,chances1 by ,dr4 ,george ,c4 ,lorimer4 ,the ,greek ,church1 by ,charles ,emory ,smith4 ,ancient ,greece1 by ,professor ,leotsakos1 of the ,university of ,athens4 ,an illustrated lecture on the ,yellowstone ,park1 by ,professor ,george ,l4 ,maris4 ,work or ,how to ,get a ,living1 by ,hon4 ,roswell ,g4 ,horr4 ,dr4 ,jekyll and ,mr4 ,hyde1 by ,rev4 ,robert ,nourse1 ,d4,d4 ,backbone1 by ,rev4 ,thomas ,dixon4 ,the other entertainments that season included selections from ,david ,copperfield1 by ,leland ,t4 ,powers2 readings by ,fred ,emerson ,brooks1 concerts by the ,germania ,orchestra1 the ,mendelssohn ,quintette ,club of ,boston and the ,ringgold ,band of ,reading1 ,pennsylvania2 a ,greek ,festival1 tableaux1 by students of ,temple ,college2 ,tableaux of ,east ,indian ,life1 conducted by a returned missionary1 ,mrs4 ,david ,downie2 ,art ,entertainment1 by the ,young ,women's ,association2 concert by the ,new ,york ,philharmonic ,club2 and many entertainments by societies of the younger people1 music1 recitations1 readings1 debates1 suppers1 excursions1 public debates1 class socials4 ,the year seems to have been full of entertainments1 teas1 anniversaries1 athletic meetings1 cycle runs1 gymnasium exhibitions1 welcomes1 farewells1 jubilees1 feasts4 ,but every year is the same4 ,a single society of the church gave during one winter a series of entertainments which included four lectures by men prominent in special fields of work1 four concerts by companies of national reputation1 and an intensely interesting evening with moving pictures4 ,we are often criticised as a church1 said ,mr4 ,conwell1 in an address1 by persons who do not understand the purposes or spirit of our work4 ,they say1 ',you have a great many entertainments and socials1 and the church is in danger of going over to the world4' ,ah1 yes2 the old hermits went away and hid themselves in the rocks and caves and lived on the scantiest food1 and 'kept away from the world1' ,they were separate from the world4 ,they were in no danger of 'going over to the world4' ,they had hidden themselves far away from man4 ,and so it is in some churches where in coldness and forgetfulness of ,christ's purpose1 of ,christ's sacrifice1 and the purpose for which the church was instituted1 they withdraw themselves so far from the world that they cannot save a drowning man when he is in sight--they cannot reach down to him1 the distance is too great--the life line is too short4 ,where are the unchurched masses of ,philadelphia to-day8 ,why are they not in the churches at this hour8 ,because the church is so far away4 ,the difference that is found between the church which saves and that which does not is found in the fact that the latter holds to the ,pharisaical profession that the church must keep itself aloof from the people--yes1 from the drowning thousands who are going down to everlasting ruin--to be forever lost4 ,the danger is not now so much in going over to the world as in going away from it--away from the world which ,jesus died to save--the world which the church should lead to ,him4 ,in all these entertainments1 the true mission of the church is never forgotten--that mission which its pastor so earnestly and often says is not to entertain people4 ,the church's only thought should be to turn the hearts of men to ,god4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,the ,,business ,,side ,how the ,finances are ,managed4 ,the ,work of the ,deacons4 ,the ,duties of the ,trustees4 ,the plain facts of life must be recognized1 says ,dr4 ,conwell4 ,the business affairs of ,grace ,baptist ,church are plain facts and big ones4 ,there is no evading them4 ,the membership is more than three thousand4 ,a constant stream of money from the rental of seats1 from voluntary offerings1 from entertainments1 is pouring in1 and as quickly going out for expenses and charitable purposes4 ,it must all be looked after4 ,a record of the membership must be kept1 changes of address made--and this is no light matter--the members themselves kept in touch with4 ,it all means work of a practical business nature and to get the best results at least expenditure of time and money1 it must all be done in skilled1 experienced fashion4 ,dr4 ,conwell1 in speaking of the careful way in which the business affairs of the church are conducted1 says3 ,what has contributed most as the means used of ,god to bring ,grace ,church up to its efficiency8 ,i answer it was the inspired1 sanctified1 common sense of enterprising1 careful business men4 ,the disciplined judgment1 the knowledge of men1 the forethought and skill of these workers who were educated at the school of practical business life1 helped most4 ,the ,trustees and working committees in all our undertakings1 whether for ,church1 ,hospital1 ,college1 or ,missions1 have been1 providentially1 men of thorough business training1 who used their experience and skill for the church with even greater care and perseverance than they would have done in their own affairs4 ,when they wanted lumber1 they knew where to purchase it1 and how to obtain discounts4 ,when they needed money1 they knew where the money was1 and what securities were good in the market4 ,they saved by discounting their own bills1 and kindly insisted that contractors and laborers should earn fairly the money they received4 ,they foresaw the financial needs and always insisted on securing the money in full time to meet demands4 ,some men make religion so dreamy1 so unreal1 so unnatural1 that the more they believe in it the less practical they become4 ,they expect ravens to feed them1 the cruse of oil to be inexhaustible1 and the fish to come to the right side of the ship at breakfast time4 ,they trust in ,god and loaf about4 ,they would conduct mundane affairs as though men were angels and church business a series of miracles4 ,but the successful church worker is one who recognizes the plain facts of life1 and their relation to heavenly things2 who is neither profane nor crazy1 who feels that his experience and judgment are gifts of ,god to be used1 but who also fully realizes that1 after all1 unless ,god lives in the house1 they labor in vain who build it4 ,none of our successful managers have been flowery orators1 nor have they been in the habit of wearying man and the ,lord with long prayers4 ,if they speak1 they are earnest and conservative4 ,they are men whom the banks would trust1 whose recommendations are valuable1 who know a counterfeit dollar or a worthless endorsement ,they read men at a glance1 being trained in actual experience with all classes4 ,they have been the pillars of the church4 ,while some have been praying with religious phraseology that the stray calf might be sent home1 these men have gone after him and brought him back4 ,they have faithfully done their part1 and ,god has answered their earnest prayers for the rest4 ,dr4 ,peltz1 for many years associate pastor of ,the ,temple1 in speaking of the business management of the affairs of the church1 says3 ,many persons imagine that the financial organization of ,grace ,baptist ,church must be something out of the usual way1 because the results have been so unusual4 ,there is nothing peculiar in the general plan of financial procedure1 but great pains are taken to work the plan for all it is worth4 ,special pains have been taken to secure consecrated and competent men for the ,board of ,trustees4 ,and the ,trustees do this one thing1 a rule of the church permitting a man to hold but one elective office4 ,competent financiers1 consecrated to this work1 and doing it as carefully as they would do their own business1 is the statement that tells the whole story4 ,all these business matters are in the hands of the deacons and ,trustees1 the deacons1 if any distinction in the work can be made1 looking after the membership1 the ,board of ,trustees attending to the financial matters4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,gutehunst ,,professor ,,david ,d ,,wood ,after a person has signified his intention to join the church1 he meets the deacons1 who explain to him the system by which members contribute to the support of the church4 ,if he desires to contribute by taking a sitting1 he is assigned a seat according to the amount he wishes to pay1 or he can pay the regular church dues1 #a4bj a year for those under eighteen years of age1 #c4jj for those over that age4 ,those who take sittings find in their seats1 on the first of every month1 a small envelope made out in bill form on the face1 stating the month and the amount due4 ,into this they can place their money1 seal it1 and put it into the basket when the offering is taken4 ,the following ,sunday a receipt is placed in their seat1 a duplicate being kept in the office4 ,envelopes are sent those who do not have sittings1 and in these they can send in their dues any time within the year4 ,in addition to the little envelope for the seat rent1 every ,sunday envelopes are placed in each seat for the regular ,sunday offering4 ,these envelopes read3 ,,special ,,offering ,,the ,,baptist ,,temple ,amount 444444444444444444 ,name 444444444444444444444444 ,address 4444444444444444444444 ,this offering is made in thankful recognition of the ,mercy and ,goodness of ,god during the past week1 and with the hope that my gift and my prayer may he acceptable to ,god4 ,in addition to the amount raised from sittings and dues1 it is necessary for the payment of the debt on the ,temple to have givers for #e years as follows3 #ajj persons who will contribute #ej cents per week4 #cjj persons #be cents per week4 #ajjj persons #aj cents per week4 #acjj persons #e cents per week4 ,,visitors ,,and ,,members ,can enclose special ,messages for the ,pastor with their offerings4 ,this ,gift will be ,recorded on the books of the ,church4 ,all this money pours into the business office of the church1 where it is taken in charge by the ,finance ,committee of the ,board of ,trustees and duly recorded by the ,financial ,secretary4 ,the business office is a very businesslike place1 with files1 typewriter1 letter-copying press1 big ledgers and all the modern appliances of an up-to-date business office4 ,the card system is used for keeping the record of member's contribution1 being printed in a form that will last for eight years4 ,all payments are entered on these1 and at any time at a moment's notice1 a member can tell just what he has paid or what he owes on the year's account4 ,but in addition1 the ,sunday offerings of all those who place their contributions in envelopes at the morning and evening service and sign their names1 are entered on cards1 and when it is remembered that the basket collections alone for the year #aijd amounted to #f1iie4jj1 it can be seen that this is no light task4 ,but ,the ,temple appreciates what is given it1 and likes to keep a record4 ,any person giving to ,the ,temple and signing his name to his gift1 can find at any time how much he has contributed during the year4 ,all this income is deposited to the order of the church treasurer1 who is then at liberty to draw against it as directed by the ,board of ,trustees and properly certified by their chairman and secretary4 ,the business office is kept open during the entire week with the exception of two afternoons1 and two evenings4 ,the pew committee1 which is composed of three members of the ,board of ,trustees1 attends to the rental of the many sittings in ,the ,temple4 ,a large number of the regular attendants at the services of ,the ,temple are not members of the church4 ,they enjoy the services and so rent sittings that they may he sure of a seat4 ,the third committee drawn from the ,board of ,trustees is the ,house ,committee1 composed of three members4 ,it has charge of ,the ,temple building2 sees to its being kept in order2 arranges for all regular and special meetings2 sees that the building is properly heated and lighted2 decides on all questions as to the use of the house for any purpose1 for the use of a part of it for special purposes2 manages the great crowds that so often throng the building2 has charge of the doors when entertainments are going on2 in short1 makes the most and the best of the great building under its care4 ,six persons are constantly employed in taking care of ,the ,temple1 and often there is necessity for securing extra help for the caretakers of this church whose doors are never shut4 ,the ,deacons1 as always1 look after the welfare of the membership4 ,on ,communion ,sundays1 cards are passed the members that they may sign their names4 ,these cards the ,deacons take charge of and record the members present and those absent ,if a member is away three successive communion ,sundays the ,deacons call on him1 if he lives in the city1 to find the cause of his absence4 ,if he resides in some neighboring town1 they send a kindly letter to know if it is not possible for him to attend some of the ,communion services4 ,in person or by letter1 they keep a loving watch over the vast membership1 so that every member feels that even though he may not attend often1 he is not forgotten4 ,thus the business of ,grace ,baptist ,church is managed prayerfully but practically4 ,if some part of the machinery seems cumbersome1 shrewd and experienced minds take the matter in hand and see whereby it can be improved4 ,what may seem a good method to-day1 a year from now may be deemed a waste of time and energy and cast aside for the new and improved system that has taken its place in the world of every-day work4 ,in its business methods the church keeps up to the times1 as well as in its spiritual work4 ,it knows it cannot grow if it is not alive4 ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,the ,,chorus ,,of ,,the ,,temple ,its ,leader1 ,professor ,david ,wood4 ,how he ,came to the ,church4 ,a sketch of ,his life4 ,the ,business ,management of the ,chorus4 ,the ,fine ,system4 ,the ,sheet ,music and ,its ,care4 ,oratorios and ,concerts4 ,finances of the ,chorus4 ,contributions it has ,made to ,church ,work4 ,with a pastor who had loved music from childhood1 who taught it in his early manhood1 who was himself proficient on several instruments1 music naturally assumed an important place in ,temple life and work4 ,from the moment of his entering upon the pastorate of ,grace ,baptist ,church1 ,mr4 ,conwell made the music an enjoyable feature of the services4 ,in this early work of organizing and developing a church choir1 he found an able and loyal leader in ,professor ,david ,d4 ,wood1 who threw himself heart and soul into helping the church to grow musically4 ,he has been to the musical life of the church what ,mr4 ,conwell has been to its spiritual growth1 and next to their pastor himself1 it is doubtful if any man is so endeared to the ,grace ,church membership as is ,professor ,wood1 their blind organist4 ,he came to them in ,may1 #ahhe1 the regular organist being sick4 ,his connection with the church came about in the most simple manner and yet it has been invaluable to the work of ,the ,temple4 ,his son was an attendant at the church1 and when the regular organist fell ill1 asked his father if he would not take his place4 ,ever ready to do a kindness4 ,professor ,wood consented4 ,the organist never sufficiently recovered to come back to his post1 being compelled to go ,west finally for his health4 ,mr4 ,conwell asked ,professor ,wood to take the position1 and from that day to the present he has filled it to the satisfaction and gratification of the ,grace ,church4 ,he was born in ,pittsburgh1 ,march #b1 #ahch4 ,his parents were poor1 his father being a carpenter and he himself built the little log cabin in which the family lived4 ,when ,david was a baby only a few months old1 he lost the sight of one eye by inflammation resulting from a severe cold4 ,when about three years old1 he noiselessly followed his sister into the cellar one day1 intending in a spirit of mischief to blow out the candle she was carrying4 ,just as he leaned over to do it1 she1 unconscious that he was there1 raised up1 thrusting the candle in her hand right into his eye4 ,the little boy's cry of pain was the first warning of his presence4 ,the eye was injured1 but probably he would not entirely have lost its sight had he not been attacked shortly after this with scarlet fever4 ,when he recovered from this illness he was entirely blind4 ,but the affliction did not change his sweet1 loving disposition4 ,he entered as best he could into the games and sports of childhood and grew rugged and strong4 ,one day1 while playing in the road1 he was nearly run over by a carriage driven by a lady4 ,learning the little fellow was blind1 she became interested in him and told his father of the school for the blind in ,philadelphia4 ,his parents decided to send him to it1 and at five years of age he was sent over the mountains1 making the journey in five days by canal4 ,he was a bright1 diligent pupil and a great reader1 showing even at an early age his passion for music4 ,when eight years old1 he learned the flute4 ,soon he could play the violin and piano1 and in his twelfth year he began playing the organ4 ,all these instruments he took up and mastered himself without special instruction4 ,in mathematics1 ,james ,g4 ,blaine was his instructor for two years4 ,after leaving school his struggles to succeed as an organist were hard and hitter4 ,despite his unusual ability1 it was difficult to secure a position4 ,he met with far more refusals than encouragement4 ,but he was persistent and cheerful4 ,finally success came4 ,two days before ,easter the organist of an ,episcopal church was suddenly incapacitated and no one could be found to play the music4 ,professor ,wood offered himself4 ,the rector's wife read the music to him4 ,he learned it in an hour1 and rehearsal and the services passed off without a break4 ,he was immediately engaged1 his salary being one hundred dollars a year1 his next position paid him fifty dollars a year4 ,in #ahfd1 he went to ,st4 ,stephen's ,episcopal ,church1 ,philadelphia1 as choirmaster and organist1 which position he still holds1 playing at ,the ,temple in the evenings only4 ,he is to-day one of the most widely known organists of the country1 being acknowledged everywhere a master of the instrument4 ,he is a member of the faculty of the ,philadelphia ,musical ,academy1 principal of the music department in the ,pennsylvania ,school for the ,blind4 ,it is said he has trained more good organists than any other teacher in ,philadelphia4 ,his cheery1 kindly personality wins loyalty and devotion at once4 ,his ,christianity is the simple1 loving1 practical kind that fairly shines from his presence and attracts people to him immediately4 ,the members of the ,chorus of ,the ,temple are devoted to him4 ,no rules are required to keep them in order2 no other inspiration to do their best is needed than his simple wish4 ,in the old church at ,mervine and ,berks streets he had a volunteer choir of about twenty1 all that the little organ loft would accommodate4 ,they could sing as the birds sing1 because they had voices and loved it1 but of musical training or education they had little4 ,they were drawn from the membership of the church1 composed of poor working people4 ,from this nucleus grew the chorus of ,the ,temple1 which was organized in #ahia1 six weeks before the membership took possession of its new building4 ,with the organization of this large chorus1 ,professor ,wood faced a new and difficult problem4 ,how was he to hold from one hundred to one hundred and fifty people together1 who were not paid for their services1 who were not people of leisure to whom rehearsals are no tax on time or strength8 ,these were nearly all working people who came to rehearsal after a day's tiring employment4 ,that he has succeeded so splendidly in these fourteen years proves his fine leadership4 ,he had a body of workers devoted to the church1 people before whom was ever held up the fact that they could serve the ,master they all loved by singing1 if they could in no other way2 that they could give their voices1 if they could give nothing else4 ,he had a body of workers devoted also to himself1 who would have followed him unhesitatingly no matter what commands he lay upon them4 ,but he felt they should have some other encouragement1 some other interest to hold them together1 so almost immediately upon their organization he took up the study of ,haydn's ,creation4 ,it seemed a stupendous undertaking for a young and inexperienced chorus1 one with no trained voices1 few of whom could even read music at sight4 ,but they plunged into the study with spirit4 ,no incentive was needed to come to rehearsals1 no one thought of dropping out4 ,indeed1 the opportunity to study such music under such a master brought many new members4 ,and in the fall of that year the oratorio was given with splendid success4 ,this method has been followed ever since4 ,every year some special work is taken up for study and given in the fall4 ,it is an event that is now a recognized feature of the city's musical life1 eagerly awaited by music lovers not only of ,philadelphia but of nearby towns4 ,in addition to ,haydn's ,creation1 which has been sung four times1 the chorus has given ,handel's ,messiah three times1 ,mendelssohn's ,elijah twice1 ,beethoven's ,mount of ,olives1 ,mendelssohn's ,hymn of ,praise1 ,miriam's ,song of ,triumph4 ,it has also given a number of secular concerts4 ,for all this extra work neither ,professor ,wood nor any member of the chorus has ever received one cent of pay4 ,it is all cheerfully contributed4 ,the oratorios are given with a full orchestra and eminent soloists4 ,in the secular concerts the music is always of the highest order4 ,guilmant1 the celebrated ,french organist1 gave a recital at ,the ,temple while in this country4 ,the chorus believes in the best1 both in the class of music it gives and the talent it secures1 and has long been looked on by those interested in the city's musical welfare as a society that encourages and supports all that is high and fine in music4 ,among the selections given at the ,sunday services are ,gounod's ,sanctus1 the magnificent ,pilgrim's ,chorus1 the ,gloria1 from ,mozart's ,twelfth ,mass1 ,handel's beautiful ,largo1 the ,st4 ,cecilia ,mass1 and others of the same character4 ,the plan of fining members for absence from rehearsal1 which was adopted at the time the chorus was organized1 has also had much to do with its success1 though it is rather unusual for a choir4 ,instead of being paid to sing1 they pay if they do not sing4 ,the fine at first was twenty-five cents for each failure to attend rehearsal or ,sunday service4 ,many shook their heads and said it was a bad idea1 that the members wouldn't come and couldn't pay the fine1 and that the chorus would go to pieces4 ,but the members did come1 and when for any reason they were compelled to stay away they cheerfully paid the fine and the chorus flourished4 ,these fines helped to pay the current expenses of the chorus4 ,in the last three years the amount has been reduced to ten cents1 but it still nets a sum in the course of the year that the treasurer welcomes most gladly4 ,a collection is also taken at each service among the members1 which likewise helps to swell the chorus treasury4 ,speaking of the organization and work of such a chorus1 ,professor ,wood says3 ,in organizing a church chorus one must not be too particular about the previous musical education of applicants4 ,it is not necessary that they be musicians1 or even that they read music readily4 ,all that ,i insist upon is a fairly good voice and a correct ear4 ,i assume1 of course1 that all comers desire to learn to sing4 ,rehearsals must be scrupulously maintained1 beginning promptly1 continuing with spirit1 and not interrupted with disorder of any kind4 ,a rehearsal should never exceed two hours1 and a half hour less is plenty long enough1 if there is no waste of time4 ,in learning new music1 voices should be rehearsed separately2 that is1 all sopranos1 tenors1 basses1 and altos by themselves first1 then combine the voices4 ,you should place before a choir a variety of music sufficient to arouse the interest of all concerned4 ,this will include much beyond the direct demand for church work4 ,the chorus of ,the ,temple has learned and sung on appropriate occasions war songs1 college songs1 patriotic songs1 and other grades of popular music4 ,no one man's taste should rule in regard to these questions as to variety1 although the proprieties of every occasion should be carefully preserved4 ,due regard must be paid to the taste of members of the chorus4 ,if any of them express a wish for a particular piece1 ,i let them have it4 ,when it comes my time to select1 they are with me4 ,keep some high attainment before the singers all the time4 ,when the easier tasks are mastered1 attempt something more difficult4 ,it maintains enthusiasm to be ever after something better1 and enthusiasm is a power everywhere4 ,in music1 this is 'the spirit which quickeneth4' ,in the preparation of chorus work do not insist on perfection4 ,when ,i get them to sing fairly well1 ,i am satisfied4 ,to insist on extreme accuracy will discourage singers4 ,do not1 therefore1 overtrain them4 ,an incredible amount may be done even by a crude company of singers4 ,when the preparation began for the opening of ,the ,temple1 there was but a handful of volunteers and time for but five rehearsals4 ,but enthusiasm rose1 reinforcements came1 and six anthems1 including the ',hallelujah ,chorus1' were prepared and sung in a praiseworthy manner4 ,do not fear to attempt great things4 ,timidity ruins many a chorus4 ,do not be afraid to praise your singers4 ,give praise1 and plenty of it1 whenever and wherever it is due4 ,a domineering spirit will prove disastrous4 ,severity or ridicule will kill them4 ,correct faults faithfully and promptly1 but kindly4 ,in the matter of discipline ,i am a strong advocate of the 'fine system4' ,it is the only way to keep a chorus together4 ,the fines should he regulated according to the financial ability of the chorus4 ,our fine at ,the ,temple was at first twenty-five cents for every rehearsal and every service missed4 ,it has since been dropped to ten cents4 ,this is quite moderate4 ,in some musical societies the fine is one dollar for every absence4 ,this system is far better than monthly dues4 ,the advantages to members of a chorus are many and of great value4 ,concerted work has advantages which can be secured in no other way4 ,a good chorus is an unequaled drill in musical time4 ,the singer cannot humor himself as the soloist can1 but must go right on with the grand advance of the company4 ,he gets constant help also1 in the accurate reading of music4 ,then1 too1 there is an indescribable1 uplifting1 enkindling power in the presence and coperation of others4 ,the volume of song lifts one1 as when a great congregation sings4 ,it is the esprit du corps of the army2 that magnetic power which comes from the touch of elbows1 and the consecration to a common cause4 ,no soloist gets this4 ,some would-be soloists make a great mistake right here4 ,they think that chorus work spoils them as soloists4 ,not at all1 if they have proper views of individual work in a chorus4 ,if they propose to sing out so they shall sound forth above all others1 then they may damage their voices for solo work4 ,but that is a needless and highly improper use of the voice4 ,sing along with the others in a natural tone4 ,they will be helped and the soloist will not be harmed4 ,the best conservatories of music in the world require of their students a large amount of practice in concerted performance and will not grant diplomas without it4 ,all the great soloists have served their time as chorus singers4 ,parepa-,rosa1 when singing in the solo parts in oratorio1 would habitually sing in the chorus parts also1 singing from beginning to end with the others4 ,many persons have expressed their astonishment at the absence of the baton both from the rehearsals and public performances of the chorus of ,the ,temple4 ,experience has proven to me1 beyond a doubt1 that a chorus can be better drilled without a baton than with it1 though it costs more labor and patience to obtain the result4 ,to sing by common inspiration is far better than to have the music 'pumped out1' as is too often the case1 by the uncertain movements of the leader's baton4 ,with a membership that has ranged from one hundred to two hundred and fifty1 skilled business management is needed to keep everything running smoothly4 ,the record of attendance is regulated by the use of checks4 ,each member of the chorus is assigned a number4 ,as they come to rehearsal1 service1 or concert1 the singer removes the check on which is his number from the board upon which it hangs and gives it to the person appointed to receive it as he passes up the stairway to his seat in the choir4 ,when the numbers are checked up at the close of the evening1 the checks which have not been removed from the board are marked absent4 ,the bill for sheet music for one year is something between #djj and #ejj4 ,to care for so much music would be no light task if it were not reduced to a science4 ,the music is in charge of the chorus librarian1 who gives to each member an envelope stamped with his number and containing all the sheet music used by the chorus4 ,each member is responsible for his music1 so that the system resolves itself into simplicity itself4 ,in the ,lower ,temple enclosed closets are built in the wall1 divided into sections1 in which the envelopes are kept by their numbers1 so that it is but the work of a moment to find the music for any singer4 ,an insurance of #a1bjj is carried on the music4 ,typical of the spirit of self-sacrifice that animates the chorus is the fact that for nearly ten years after the choir was organized1 one of the members1 in order to reduce the expense for sheet music1 copied on a mimeograph all the music used by the members4 ,it was a gigantic task1 but he never faltered while the need was felt4 ,in order to avoid confusion both in rehearsals and at each service1 every singer has an appointed seat4 ,there is also a system of signals employed by the organist1 clearly understood and promptly responded to by the chorus1 for rising1 resuming their seats1 and for any other duty4 ,this regularity of movement1 the precision with which the great choir leads the attitudes and voices of the congregation in all the musical services1 the entire absence of confusion1 impresses the thoroughness of the chorus drill upon every one1 and adds greatly to the effectiveness and decorum of the service4 ,most remarkable of all the work of the chorus1 perhaps1 is the fact that it has not only paid its way1 but it has in addition contributed financially to the help of the church4 ,most choral societies have to be supported by guarantors1 or friends or members must reach down in their pockets and make up the deficits that occur with unpleasant regularity4 ,but the chorus of ,the ,temple has borne its own expenses and at various times contributed to the church work4 ,at the annual banquet in #aije1 the following statement was made of the financial history of the chorus since #ahib3 ,amount ,received-- ,collections from members #b1efd4fj ,fines paid by members #ige4fj ,gross receipts from concerts #aa1bii4dj --------- #ad1hci4fj ,amount ,disbursed-- ,for music #b1afg4hj ,for sundry expenses for socials1 flowers for sick1 contributions for benevolent purposes1 etc4 #a1jce4ha ,expenses of concerts #h1ejf4cd ,contributions to church1 college1 hospital1 ,sunday ,school1 repairs to organ1 etc4 #c1jej4ea -------- #ad1gfj4df ,the chorus has furnished a private room in the ,samaritan ,hospital at a cost of #bej1 pays half the cost of the telephone service to a shut-in member1 so that while lying on his bed of sickness he can still hear the preaching and singing of his beloved church1 and has contributed to members in need2 in fact1 whatever help was required1 it has come forward and shouldered its share of the financial burdens of the church4 ,it is a chorus that helps by its singing in more ways than singing1 though that were enough4 ,out of the chorus has grown many smaller organizations which not only assist from time to time in the church and prayer meeting services1 but are in frequent demand by ,lyceums and other churches4 ,all the money they earn is devoted to some part of ,the ,temple work4 ,the organ which rears its forest of beautiful pipes in the rear of the church is one of the finest in the country4 ,it was built under the direct supervision of ,professor ,wood at a cost of #aj1jjj4 ,the case is of oak in the natural finish1 #ce feet wide1 #ce feet high1 #af feet deep4 ,it has #da stops1 #b1acc pipes1 four sets of manuals1 each manual with a compass of #fa notes2 there are #cj pedal notes1 #i double-acting combination pedals2 all the metal pipes are #ge per cent pure tin4 ,in loving ,christian fellowship the chorus abides4 ,no difficulty that could not be settled among themselves has ever rent it2 no jealousies mar its peaceful course4 ,professor ,wood is a wise leader4 ,he leaves no loophole for the green-eyed monster to creep in4 ,he selects no one voice to take solo parts4 ,if a solo occurs1 he gives it to the whole of that voice in the chorus or to a professional4 ,dr4 ,conwell reads the hymns with so much expression and feeling that new meaning is put into them4 ,the stranger is quietly handed a hymn book by some watchful member4 ,the organ swings into the melody of the hymn1 the chorus1 as one1 rises1 and a flood of song sweeps over the vast auditorium that carries every one as in a mighty tide almost up to the gates of heaven itself4 ,and as it ebbs and sinks into silence1 faith has been refreshed and strengthened1 hardened hearts softened1 the love of ,christ left as a precious legacy with many a man and woman there4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi ,,services ,,at ,,the ,,temple ,a ,typical ,sunday4 ,the ,young ,people's ,church4 ,sunday ,school4 ,the ,baptismal ,service4 ,dedication of ,infants4 ,the ,pastor's ,thanksgiving ,reception to ,children4 ,sunrise ,services4 ,watch ,meeting4 ,sunday is a joyous day at ,the ,temple1 and a busy one4 ,it is crowded with work and it is good to be there4 ,services begin at half after nine with prayer meetings in the ,lower ,temple by the ,young ,men's ,association and the ,young ,women's ,association4 ,the men's is held in the regular prayer meeting room2 the women's in the room of their association4 ,each is led by some member of the association who is assigned a subject for the morning's study4 ,these subjects1 together with the leaders' names1 are prepared in advance and printed on a little schedule which is distributed among the church members1 so that they may know who has charge of the prayer meeting and the topic for thought4 ,dr4 ,conwell has for twenty-two years presided at the organ in the men's meeting1 and usually before the services are over takes a peep into the women's gathering1 leaving a prayer or a brief word of cheer and inspiration4 ,the meetings are not long1 but they are full of spiritual strength4 ,men and women1 tired with the business life of the week1 find them places of soul refreshment where they can step aside from the rush and press of worldly cares and commune with the higher1 better things of life4 ,by the time the prayer meetings are over1 the members of the chorus are thronging the ,lower ,temple1 receiving their music and attendance checks1 waiting for the signal to march to their seats in the church above4 ,the morning services begin at half after ten1 with the singing of the ,doxology1 the chanting of the ,lord's ,prayer by the choir and congregation1 followed by the sermon4 ,at the close of the service1 ,dr4 ,conwell steps from the pulpit and meets all strangers or friends with a hearty handclasp and a cordial word of greeting4 ,while morning service is being conducted in ,the ,temple1 a ,young ,people's ,church is held in the ,lower ,temple4 ,dr4 ,conwell has not forgotten those wearisome ,sundays of his boyhood when1 too young to appreciate the church service1 he fidgeted1 strove to keep awake1 whittled1 and ended it all by thoroughly disliking church4 ,he wants no such unhappy youngsters to sit through his preaching4 ,he wants no such dislike of the church imbedded in childish hearts and minds4 ,so he planned the ,young ,people's ,church4 ,boys and girls between three and fourteen attend it1 and ,sunday morning the streets in the neighborhood of ,the ,temple are thronged with happy-faced children on the way to their own church1 the youngest in the care of parents1 who are able later to enjoy more fully ,the ,temple services1 since they are not compelled to keep a watchful eye on a restless child4 ,before the services begin1 the children are very much at home4 ,no stiff1 silent formalism chills youthful spirits4 ,they are as joyous and happy as they would be in their own homes4 ,as the moment approaches for the services to begin1 they take their seats and at a given signal rise and recite1 ,the ,lord is in ,his holy ,temple4 ,let all the earth keep silence before ,him4 ,a hush falls and then the sweet1 childish voices begin that beautiful psalm1 ,the ,lord is my shepherd1 ,i shall not want1 and without break or faltering1 recite it to the end4 ,songs follow1 bright1 cheerful songs full of life1 which they sing with a will4 ,then responsive readings and the ,lord's ,prayer and always plenty of singing4 ,a short talk is given by the leader1 often some one especially secured for the occasion1 a talk not over their heads1 but into their hearts1 a talk whose meaning they can grasp and which sets young minds to thinking of the finer1 nobler things of life and inspires them to so live as to be good and useful4 ,sometimes lantern exhibits to illustrate special topics are given4 ,the mere sight of their bright1 happy faces in contrast to the dull1 bored expression of the usual child in church proves the wisdom of the work4 ,the children1 as far as possible1 perform all the duties of the services4 ,a small boy plays the music for their songs1 two small girls keep a record of the attendance1 children take up the offering4 ,but it is a church in more than mere services4 ,committees from among the children are appointed for visiting1 for calling on the sick1 to plan for entertainments1 provide the games for the socials1 and to look after all details of this character4 ,there are also two officers1 a secretary and treasurer4 ,an advisory committee of ladies1 members of ,the ,temple1 keep an oversight and guiding hand on the work of the children4 ,the instruction is all in the hands of trained teachers1 mostly from the college1 including as ,director the lady ,dean of the ,college1 ,dr4 ,laura ,h4 ,carnell4 ,in the afternoon the ,sunday ,schools meet4 ,the youngest children are enrolled in the primary or kindergarten department4 ,this has a bright1 cheery room of its own in the ,lower ,temple1 with a leader and a number of young women scattered here and there among the children to look after their needs and keep them orderly4 ,hats are taken off and hung on pegs on the wall and the youngsters are made to feel very much at home4 ,one of the prettiest features of the service in this department is the offering of the birthday pennies4 ,all the members who have had a birthday during the week come forward to put a penny for each year into the basket4 ,then the class stands up and recites a verse and sings a song on birthdays4 ,very pretty and inspiring both verse and song are1 and then the honored ones return to their seats1 wishing1 no doubt1 they had a birthday every week4 ,the taking of the offering is also a pretty ceremony4 ,verses on giving are recited by the children1 then one small child takes his stand in the doorway1 holding the basket1 and the children all march by and drop in their pennies4 ,the intermediate department claims the next oldest children4 ,it is led by an orchestra composed of members of the ,sunday ,school1 and the singing is joyous and spirited4 ,the superintendent walks around among the scholars during the opening exercises1 smiling1 encouraging1 giving a word of praise1 urging them to do better4 ,the fresh1 clear voices rise clear and strong4 ,outside1 on ,broad ,street1 people stop to listen4 ,men lean up against the windows and drink in the melody4 ,no one knows what messages of peace and salvation those songs carry out to the throng on the city street4 ,the classes of the senior department meet in the various rooms of the college1 and the adult class in the auditorium of ,the ,temple4 ,this ,dr4 ,conwell conducted himself for a number of years1 until pressure of work compelled him to use these hours for rest4 ,a popular feature of his service was the question box1 in which he answered any question sent to him on any subject connected with religious life or experience or ,christian ethics in everyday life4 ,the questions could be sent by mail or handed to him on the platform by the ushers4 ,they were most interesting1 and the service attracted men and women from all parts of the city4 ,the following was one of the questions1 during the year of building the college3 ,five thousand dollars are due next week1 and #ae1jjj next month4 ,will you set on foot means to raise this amount or trust wholly to ,god's direction8 ,and the pastor answered from the platform3 ,i would trust wholly in ,god's direction4 ,this is a sort of test of faith1 and ,i would make it more so in the building of the ,college4 ,i do not know for certain now where the money is to come from next ,wednesday2 ,i have an idea4 ,but a few days ago ,i did not know at all4 ,i do not see where the #ae1jjj is to come from in ,december unless it be that the ,feast of ,tithes will bring in #aj1jjj towards it2 that would be a marvelous sum for the people to give1 but if it is necessary they will give it4 ,we are workers together with ,god4 ,i have partly given up my lecture work this month1 as the church thought it was best1 but suppose there should come to me from ,boston1 ,chicago1 ,st4 ,louis1 or some other place a call to go and lecture on the #ajth or #abth of ,december1 and they should offer me #ejj or more--,i would say immediately1 ',yes1 ,i will go'2 that is ,god's call to help the ,college2 that would be the direction of ,god4 ,such opportunities will come to those who should give this #ae1jjj4 ,if ,god intends the amount due on the ,college to be paid 7and ,i believe he does71 he will cause the hearts of those who desire to help to give money toward this cause4 ,we trust entirely to ,god4 ,i don't believe if ,i were to lie down1 and the church should stop1 that it would be paid4 ,but ,i am sure that if we work together with ,god1 ,he will never fail to do as ,he promises1 and ,he won't ask us to do the impossible4 ,i tell you1 friends1 ,i feel sure that the #e1jjj will be paid next ,wednesday1 and ,i feel sure the #ae1jjj will be paid when it is due4 ,it may be interesting to know that the #e1jjj was paid2 and when the #ae1jjj was due in ,december1 the money was in the treasury all ready for it4 ,from half after six on1 there are the meetings of the various ,christian ,endeavor ,societies in the ,lower ,temple4 ,at half after seven the evening services begin and an overflow meeting is held at the same time in the ,lower ,temple for those who find it impossible to gain admittance to the main auditorium4 ,the preaching service is followed by a half-hour prayer meeting in the ,lower ,temple in which both congregations join1 taxing its capacity to the utmost4 ,it is a half hour that flies1 a half hour full of inspiration and soul communion with the ,spirit that moved on the waters1 a fitting crown to a day devoted to ,his service4 ,after the solemn benediction is pronounced1 a half hour more of good fellowship follows4 ,the pastor meets strangers1 shakes hands with members1 makes a special effort to hold a few words of personal conversation with those who have risen for prayer4 ,friends and acquaintances greet each other1 and the home life of the church comes to the surface4 ,the hand of the clock creeps to eleven1 sometimes past1 before the last member reluctantly leaves4 ,baptism is a very frequent part of the ,sunday services at ,the ,temple1 usually taking place in the morning4 ,it is a beautiful1 solemn ordinance4 ,the baptistry is a long1 narrow pool1 arranged to resemble a running stream4 ,years ago1 when ,dr4 ,conwell was in ,palestine1 he was much impressed with the beauty of the river ,jordan at the place where ,jesus was baptized4 ,always a lover of the beautiful in nature1 the picture long remained in his memory1 especially the leaves and blossoms that drifted on the stream4 ,when ,the ,temple was planned he thought of it and determined to give the baptismal pool as much of the beauty of nature as possible4 ,it is fifteen feet wide1 sixty feet long1 and during the hour of the solemn ordinance1 the brook is running constantly4 ,the sides of the pool1 the pulpit and platform1 summer or winter1 are banked with flowers1 palms1 moss and vines4 ,on the surface of the water float blossoms1 while at the back1 banked with mosses and flowers1 splashes and sparkles a little waterfall4 ,over all falls the soft radiance of an illuminated cross4 ,it is a beautiful scene1 one that never fades from the memory of the man or woman who is buried with ,christ by baptism into death1 to be raised again in the likeness of ,his resurrection4 ,the candidates enter at the right and pass out at the left1 the pastor pressing into the hands of each1 some of the beautiful blossoms that float on the water4 ,during the whole service the organ plays softly1 the choir occasionally singing some favorite hymn4 ,when the number of candidates is large1 being on occasion as high as one hundred and seventy-seven adults1 the associate pastor assists4 ,it is no unusual thing to see members of a family coming together to make this public profession of their faith4 ,husband and wife1 in many cases2 husband1 wife and children in many others2 a grandmother and two grandchildren on one occasion1 and on yet another1 a venerable gray-haired nurse came with four of the family in which she had served for many years1 and the five entered the baptistry together4 ,among the converts1 says one who witnessed a baptismal service1 there were aged persons with their silvered hair4 ,there were stalwart men1 fitted to bear burdens in the church for many years to come4 ,there were young men and maidens to grow into strong men and women of the future church4 ,there were little children sweet in their simplicity and pure love of the ,savior1 little children who were carried in the arms of those who assisted1 and whom ,dr4 ,conwell tenderly held in his arms as he buried them with ,christ4 ,another solemn service of the church is the dedication of infants4 ,any parents who wish1 may bring their child and reverently dedicate it to ,god1 solemnly promising to do all within their power to train it and teach it to lead a ,christian life and to make a public profession of faith when it has arrived at the years of discretion4 ,the service reads3 ,,question4--,do you now come to the ,lord's house to present your child 7children7 to the ,lord8 ,,answer4--,we do4 ,,ques4--,will you promise before the ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that you will1 so far as in you lieth1 teach this child the ,holy ,scriptures1 and bring him 7her7 up in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord8 ,will you train his 7her7 mind to respect the services of the ,lord's ,house1 and to live in compliance with the teachings and example of our ,lord8 ,when he reaches the years of understanding1 will you show him the necessity of repentance1 explain to him the way of salvation1 and urge upon him the necessity of conversion1 ,baptism1 and union with the visible ,church of ,christ8 ,,ans4--,we will4 ,,ques4--,by what name do you purpose to register him 7her or them7 at this time8 ,,ans4-- 99 99 99 99 99 ,beloved3 ,these parents have come to the house of ,god at this time to present this child 7these children7 before the ,lord in imitation of the presentation of the infant ,jesus in the ,temple as recorded by the ,evangelist ,luke1 saying1 ,when the days of her ,mary's purification according to the law of ,moses were accomplished1 they brought him to ,jerusalem to present him to the ,lord and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the ,lord1 a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons4 ,these parents have learned from the ,lord ,jesus himself that he desires that all the children should come unto him1 and that he was pleased when the little children were brought unto him that he might put his hands on them and pray4 ,therefore1 in obedience to the scriptures1 these parents are here to present this child unto the ,lord ,jesus in spirit1 that he may take him up in his arms1 place his spiritual hands on him and bless him4 ,we will turn1 therefore1 to the ,holy ,scriptures for direction1 as they are our only rule of faith and practice1 and ascertain the wishes and commandments of the ,lord in this matter4 ,i ,sam4 ,i1 #bf1 #bg1 #bh3 ,and ,hannah said1 ,o my ,lord1 as thy soul liveth1 my ,lord1 ,i am the woman that stood by thee here1 praying unto the ,lord4 ,for this child ,i prayed2 and the ,lord hath given me my petition which ,i asked of him2 ,therefore also ,i have lent him to the ,lord2 as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the ,lord4 ,and he worshipped the ,lord there4 99 99 99 99 99 ,mark ,x1 #ac1 #ad1 #ae3 ,and they brought young children to him1 that he should touch them2 and his disciples rebuked those that brought them4 ,but when ,jesus saw it1 he was much displeased1 and said unto them1 ,suffer the little children to come unto me1 and forbid them not2 for of such is the kingdom of ,god4 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of ,god as a little child1 he shall not enter therein4 ,and he took them up in his arms1 put his hands upon them1 and blessed them4 99 99 99 99 99 ,luke ,,xviii1 #ae1 #af1 #ag3 ,and they brought young children to him1 that he should touch them2 but when his disciples saw it1 they rebuked them4 ,but ,jesus called them unto him1 and said1 ,suffer little children to come unto me1 and forbid them not2 for of such is the kingdom of ,god4 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of ,god as a little child shall in no wise enter therein4 99 99 99 99 99 ,matt4 ,,xviii1 #b-f1 #ad3 ,and ,jesus called a little child unto him1 and set him in the midst of them4 ,and said1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,except ye be converted1 and become as little children1 ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven4 ,whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child1 the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven4 ,and whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me4 ,but whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me1 it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck1 and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea4 ,even so it is not the will of your father which is in heaven1 that one of these little ones should perish4 ,therefore1 believing it is wise and that it is a sacred duty to dedicate our precious little ones to ,god in this solemn manner2 believing that all the dear children are especially loved by ,christ2 and that when taken from this world before active1 intentional participation in sin1 they are saved by ,his merciful grace2 and believing that ,christ by ,his example1 and the apostles by their direct teaching1 reserve the sacred ordinance of baptism for repentant believers1 we will now unitedly ask the ,lord to accept the consecration of this child 7children71 and to take him in ,his spiritual arms and bless him4 ,,prayer4 ,,hymn4 ,,benediction4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the pastor's reception to the children ,thanksgiving afternoon is a service the youngsters await from one year to another4 ,each child is supposed to bring some article to be given to ,samaritan ,hospital4 ,one year each child brought a potato1 which in the aggregate amounted to several barrels4 ,a writer in the ,temple ,magazine1 describing one of these services1 says3 ,the children came from all directions1 of all sizes and in all conditions4 ,one lad marched up the aisle to a front seat1 and his garments fluttered1 flag-like1 at many points as he went2 others were evidently rich men's darlings1 but all were happy1 and their bright eyes were fixed on the curtained platform1 rather than on each other4 ,they came until four or five thousand of them had arrived1 filling every nook and corner of the ,upper ,temple4 ,then ,dr4 ,conwell came in1 made them all feel at home--they already were happy--and music1 songs and entertainment followed for an hour or more4 ,at the close he shook hands with every happy youngster who sought him--and few failed to do it--gave each a cheery word and hearty handclasp1 and then the little ones scattered1 swarming along the wide pavements of ,broad ,street till the ,thanksgiving promenaders wondered what had broken loose and whence the swarms of merry children came4 ,sunrise services are held ,easter and ,christmas mornings at seven o'clock4 ,these beautiful days are ushered in by a solemn prayer meeting1 spiritual1 uplifting1 which seems to attune the day to the music of heavenly things1 and to send an inspiration into it which glorifies every moment4 ,another service very dear to the members of ,grace ,baptist ,church is watch meeting4 ,the services begin at eight o'clock ,new ,year's ,eve with a prayer meeting which continues until about half after nine4 ,an intermission follows and usually a committee of young people serve light refreshments for those who want them4 ,at eleven o'clock the watch meeting begins4 ,it is a deeply spiritual meeting1 opened by the pastor with an earnest prayer for guidance in the year to come1 for renewed consecration to the ,master's service1 for a better and higher ,christian life both as individuals and a church4 ,hymns follow and a brief1 fervid talk on the year coming and its opportunities1 of the record each will write on the clean white page in the book of life to be turned so soon4 ,as midnight approaches1 every church member is asked to signify his re-dedication to ,god and ,his service by standing4 ,then the solemn question is put to others present if they do not want to give themselves to ,god1 not only for the coming year1 but for all years4 ,as twelve o'clock strikes1 all bow in silent prayer while the organ1 under the pastor's touch1 softly breathes a sacred melody4 ,a few minutes later the meeting adjourns1 ,happy ,new ,years are exchanged1 and the church orchestra on the iron balcony over the great half rose window on ,broad ,street breaks into music4 ,sometimes an audience of a thousand people gather on the street to listen to this musical sermon1 preached at the parting of the ways1 a eulogy and a prophecy4 ,a writer in the ,philadelphia ,press relates the following incident in connection with a watch meeting service3 ,for the last half hour of the old and the first half hour of the new year the band played sacred melodies to the delight of not less than a thousand people assembled on the street4 ,diagonally across ,broad ,street and a short distance below the church is the residence of the late ,james ,e4 ,cooper1 ,p4,t4 ,barnum's former partner1 the millionaire circus proprietor4 ,he had been ailing for months and on this night he lay dying4 ,although not a member he had always taken a personal interest in ,grace ,church1 and one of his last acts was the gift of #a1jjj to the building fund4 ,on this night1 the first on which ,the ,temple balcony had been used for its specially designed purpose1 among the last of earthly sounds that were borne to the ears of the dying man was the music of ',coronation' and ',old ,hundred1'--hymns that he had learned in childhood4 ,the watch meeting closed and from a scene of thanksgiving and congratulation ,rev4 ,mr4 ,conwell hurried to the house of mourning1 where he remained at the bedside of the stricken husband and father until the morning light of earth came to the living and the morning of eternity to the dying4 ,sacred music on the balcony at midnight also ushers in ,christmas and ,easter4 ,on the street1 long before the hour1 the crowds gather waiting in reverent silence for the opening of the service1 writes ,burdette1 in ,temple and ,templars4 ,the inspiring strains of 'the ,english ,te ,deum1' ',coronation1' rise on the starlit night1 thrilling every soul and suggesting in its triumphant measures1 the lines of ,perronet's immortal hymn made sacred by a thousand associations--',all hail the power of ,jesus' ,name4' ,this greeting of the ,resurrection1 as it floats out over ,monument ,cemetery just opposite1 where sleep so many thousands1 does seem like an assurance sent anew from above1 cheering those who sleep in ,jesus1 telling them that as their ,lord and ,king had risen1 and now lives again1 so shall they live also4 ,men looked at the graves of them that slept1 listened to the song of triumph that was making the midnight glorious1 remembered the risen ,christ who was the theme of the song1 thought of that other midnight1 the riven tomb1 the broken power of ,death a conquered conqueror1 and seemed to hear the ,victor's proclamation as the apostle of the ,apocalypse heard it1 pealing like a trumpet voice over all the earth1 ',i am the first and the last3 ,i am ,he that liveth and was dead2 and behold1 ,i am alive forevermore2 ,amen2 and have the keys of hell and death6' ,the music continues1 the band playing ',the ,gloria1' ',the ,heavens are ,telling1' ',the ,palms'2 now and then the listeners join in singing as the airs are more familiar1 and ',what a ,friend we ,have ,in ,jesus1' ',whiter than ,snow1' ',just as ,i ,am1' and other hymns unite many of the audience on the crowded streets about ,the ,temple in a volunteer choir1 and when the doxology1 ',praise ,god from whom all blessings flow1' closes the service1 hundreds of voices swell the volume of melody that greets the ,easter morning4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii ,a ,,typical ,,prayer ,,meeting4 ,the ,prayer ,meeting ,hall4 ,how the ,meeting is ,conducted4 ,the ,giving of ,favorite ,bible ,verses4 ,requests for ,prayer4 ,the ,lookout ,committee4 ,the prayer meetings of ,grace ,baptist ,church are characterized by a cheery1 homelike atmosphere that appeals forcibly and at once to any one who may chance to enter1 inclining him to stay and enjoy the service1 be he the utmost stranger4 ,but underneath this and soon felt1 is the deep spiritual significance of the meeting1 which lays hold on men's hearts1 inspiring1 uplifting1 sending them home with a sense of having walked with ,god for a little while4 ,the large prayer meeting hall is usually crowded1 the attendance including not only members of the church but hundreds who are not members of any church4 ,it is no unusual sight to see all the various rooms of the ,lower ,temple thrown into one by the raising of the sashes1 and this vast floor packed as densely as possible1 while a fringe of standers lines the edges4 ,people will come to these prayer meetings though they cannot see the platform1 though they must lose much of what is said4 ,but the spirit of the meeting flows into their hearts and minds1 sending them home happier1 and with a strengthened determination to live a more righteous life4 ,frequently ,dr4 ,conwell arrives ten or fifteen minutes before the time for the service to begin4 ,as he walks to the platform1 he stops and chats with this one1 shakes hands with another1 nods to many in the audience4 ,at once all stiffness and formalism vanish4 ,it is a home1 a gathering of brothers and sisters4 ,it is the meeting together of two or three in ,his name1 as in the old apostolic days1 though these two or three are now counted by the hundreds4 ,when ,dr4 ,conwell thus arrives early1 the time is passed in singing4 ,often he utilizes these few minutes to learn new hymns4 ,so that when the real prayer meeting is in progress1 there will be no blundering through new tunes or weak-kneed renditions of them4 ,the singing1 ,dr4 ,conwell wants done with the spirit4 ,he will not sing a verse if the heart and mind cannot endorse it4 ,after singing several hymns in this earnest1 prayerful fashion1 every one present is fully in tune for the services to follow4 ,prayer meeting opens with a short1 earnest prayer4 ,then a hymn4 ,it is ,dr4 ,conwell's practice to have any one call out the number of a hymn he would like sung4 ,and it is no unusual thing to hear a perfect chorus of numbers after ,dr4 ,conwell's ,what shall we sing8 ,a chapter from the ,bible is read and a short talk on it given4 ,then ,dr4 ,conwell says1 ,the meeting now is in your hands1 and sits down as if he had nothing more to do with it4 ,but that subtle leadership which leads without seeming to do so1 is there ready to guide and direct4 ,he never allows the meeting to grow dull--though it seldom exhibits a tendency to do so4 ,if no one is inclined to speak1 hymns are sung4 ,an interesting feature1 and one that is tremendously helpful in leading church members to take part in the prayer meeting1 is the giving of ,bible verses4 ,it is a frequent feature of ,grace ,church prayer meetings4 ,let us have verses of ,scripture1 or ,each one give his favorite text1 ,dr4 ,conwell announces4 ,immediately from all parts of the large room come responses4 ,some rise to give them1 others recite them sitting4 ,hundreds are given some evenings in a short space of time1 sometimes the speakers giving a bit of personal experience connected with the verse4 ,the prayer meetings are always full of singing1 often of silent prayer2 and never does one end without a solemn invitation to those seeking ,god and wishing the prayers of the church1 to signify it by rising4 ,while the request is made1 the audience is asked to bow in silent prayer that strength may be given those who want ,god's help to make it known4 ,in the solemn hush1 one after another rises to his feet1 often as many as fifty making this silent appeal for strength to lead a better life4 ,immediately ,dr4 ,conwell leads into an eloquent1 heartfelt prayer that those seeking the way may find it1 that the peace that passeth understanding may come into their hearts and lives4 ,but ,dr4 ,conwell doesn't let the matter rest here4 ,a committee of church members already appointed for just such work1 is posted like sentinels about the prayer meeting room1 ready to extend practical help to those who have asked for the prayers of the church4 ,after the services are over1 each one who has risen is sought out1 by some member of this committee1 talked with in a friendly1 sympathetic way1 and his name and address taken4 ,these are given to ,dr4 ,conwell ,if time permits1 he writes to many of them4 ,all of them he makes the subject of personal prayer4 ,frequently1 before asking those to rise who wish the prayers of the church1 ,dr4 ,conwell asks if any one wishes to request prayers for others4 ,the response to this is always large4 ,a member of the staff of ,the ,temple ,magazine made a note at one prayer meeting of these requests and published it in the magazine4 ,three requests were made for husbands1 eight for sons1 one for a daughter1 three for children1 ten for brothers1 two for sisters1 two for fathers1 one for a cousin1 one for a brother-in-law1 four for friends1 eleven for ,sunday ,school scholars1 one for a ,sunday ,school class1 four for sick persons1 two for scoffers1 twenty-one for sinners1 four for wanderers1 five for persons addicted to drink1 three for mission schools1 five for churches--one that was divided1 another deeply in debt1 another for a sick pastor and the other two seeking a higher development in godliness4 ,as many of these requests come from church members1 both pastor and people pay especial attention to them and practically1 as well as prayerfully1 try to reach those for whom prayers are asked4 ,in many cases distinct answers to these prayers are secured1 so evident that none could mistake them4 ,at an after-service on ,sunday evening a mother asked prayers for a wayward son in ,chicago4 ,dr4 ,conwell and some of the deacons led the church in prayer for the boy1 very definitely and in faith4 ,at that same hour1 as the young man afterward related1 he was passing a church in ,chicago1 and felt strangely impressed to enter and give his heart to ,christ4 ,it was something he had no intention of doing when he left his hotel a few minutes before4 ,but he went in1 joined in the meeting1 asked for forgiveness of his sins and the prayers of the church to help him lead a better life1 and accepted ,christ as his personal ,savior4 ,in the joy of his new experience1 he wrote his mother immediately4 ,at another prayer meeting1 ,dr4 ,conwell read a letter from a gentleman requesting the prayers of the church for his little boy whom the doctors had given up to die4 ,he stated in the letter that if ,god would spare his child in answer to prayer1 he would go anywhere and do anything the ,lord might direct4 ,after reading the letter1 ,dr4 ,conwell led earnestly in prayer1 beseeching that the child's life might be saved since it meant much for the cause of ,christ on earth4 ,several members of the church made fervent prayers for the child1 and at the close of the meeting1 many expressed themselves as being confident that their prayers would be answered4 ,at that same hour1 the disease turned4 ,the child has grown to be a young man1 and with his father is a member of ,grace ,church4 ,such direct1 unmistakable answers to prayer strengthen faith1 give confidence to ask for prayers for loved ones1 and make it a very earnest1 solemn part of the prayer meeting service4 ,thus working and praying1 praying and working1 the church marches forward4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii ,,the ,,temple ,,college ,the ,night ,temple ,college ,was ,born4 ,its ,simple ,beginning and ,rapid ,growth4 ,building the ,college4 ,how the ,money was ,raised4 ,the ,branches it ,teaches4 ,instances of ,its ,helpfulness4 ,planning for greater ,things4 ,in a letter written to a member of his family1 from which we quote the following1 ,dr4 ,conwell tells how the idea of ,temple ,college was born in his mind one wintry night4 ,a woman1 ragged1 with an old shawl over her head1 met me in an alley in ,philadelphia late one night4 ,she saw the basket on my arm1 and looked in my face wistfully1 as a dog looks up beside the dinner table4 ,she was hungry1 and was coming in empty4 ,i shook my head1 and with a peculiarly sad glance she turned down the dark passage4 ,i had found several families hungry1 and yet ,i felt like a hypocrite1 standing there with an empty basket1 and a woman1 perhaps a mother1 so pale for lack of decent food4 ,on the corner was a church1 stately and architecturally beautiful by day1 but after midnight it looked like a glowering ogre1 and looked so like ,newgate ,prison1 in ,london1 that ,i felt its chilly shadow4 ,half a million cost the cemented pile1 and under its side arch lay two newsboys or boot-blacks asleep on the step4 ,what is the use8 ,we cannot feed these people4 ,give all you have1 and an army of the poor will still have nothing2 and those to whom you do give bread and clothes to-day will be starving and naked to-morrow4 ,if you care for the few1 the many will curse you for your partiality4 ,while ,i stood meditating1 the police patrol drove along the street1 and ,i could see by the corner street lamp that there were two women1 one little girl and a drunken old man in the conveyance1 going to jail6 ,i could do nothing for them4 ,at my door ,i found a man dressed in costly fashion1 who had waited for me outside1 as he had been told that ,i would come soon1 and the family had retired4 ,he said his dying father had sent for me4 ,so ,i left the basket in a side yard and went with the messenger4 ,the house was a mansion on ,spring ,garden ,street4 ,the house was inelegantly overloaded with luxurious furniture1 money wasted by some inartistic purchasers4 ,the paintings were rare and rich4 ,the owners were shoddy4 ,the family of seven or eight gathered by the bedside when ,i prayed for the dying old man4 ,they were grief-stricken and begged me to stay until his soul departed4 ,it was daylight before ,i left the bedside1 and as the dying still showed that the soul was delaying his journey1 ,i went into the spacious1 handsome library4 ,seeing a rare book in costly binding among the volumes on a lower shelf1 ,i opened the door and took it out ,my hands were black with dust4 ,i glanced then along the rows and rows of valuable books1 and noticed the dust of months or years4 ,the family were not students or readers4 ,one son was in the ,albany ,penitentiary2 another a fugitive in ,canada4 ,at the funeral1 afterwards1 the wife and daughter from ,newport were present1 and their tears made furrows through the paint4 ,those rich people were strangely poor1 and a book on a side table on the ',abolition of ,poverty' seemed to be in the right place4 ,that night was conceived the ,temple ,college idea4 ,it was no new truth1 no original invention1 but merely a simpler combination of old ideas4 ,there was but one general remedy for all these ills of poor and rich1 and that could only be found in a more useful education4 ,poverty seemed to me to be wholly that of the mind4 ,want of food1 or clothing1 or home1 or friends1 or morals1 or religion1 seemed to be the lack of the right instruction and proper discipline4 ,the truly wise man need not lack the necessities of life1 the wisely educated man or woman will get out of the dirty alley and will not get drunk or go to jail4 ,it seemed to me then that the only great charity was in giving instruction4 ,the first class to be considered was the destitute poor4 ,not one in a thousand of those living in rags on crusts would remain in poverty if he had education enough of the right kind to earn a better living by making himself more useful4 ,he is poor because he does not know any better4 ,knowledge is both wealth and power4 ,the next class who stand in need of the assistance love wishes to give is the great mass of industrious people of all grades1 who are earning something1 who are not cold or hungry1 but who should earn more in order to secure the greater necessities of life in order to be happy4 ,they could be so much more useful if they knew how4 ,to learn how to do more work in the same time1 or how to do much better work1 is the only true road to riches which the owner can enjoy4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,samaritan ,,hospital ,showing the houses in which it was originally located1 and part of the new building ,to help a man to help himself is the wisest effort of human love4 ,to have wealth and to have honestly earned it all1 by labor1 skill or wisdom1 is an object of ambition worthy of the highest and best4 ,hence1 to do the most good to the great classes1 rich or poor1 we must labor industriously4 ,the lover of his kind must furnish them with the means of gaining knowledge while they work4 ,then there was a third class of mankind1 starving1 with their tables breaking with luscious foods1 cold in warehouses of ready-made clothing of the most costly fabrics2 seeing not in the moon-light1 and restless to distraction on beds of eiderdown4 ,they do not know the use or value of things4 ,they are harassed with plenty they cannot appropriate4 ,they are doubly poor4 ,they need education4 ,the library is a care1 an expense and a disgrace to the owner who cannot read4 ,to give education to those in the possession of property which they might use for the help of humanity and which they might enjoy1 is as clear a duty and charity as it is to help the beggar4 ,and1 indeed1 indirectly the education of the unwise wealthy to become useful may be the most practical way of raising the poor4 ,there is a need for every dollar of the nation's property1 and it should be invested by men whose minds and hearts have been trained to see the human need and to love to satisfy it4 ,the thought that in education of the best quality was to be found the remedy for hunger1 loneliness1 crime and weakness was most clearly emphasized to my mind by the coming of two young men who had felt the need from the under side4 ,they had received but little instruction2 they were over twenty years of age1 and they wished to enter the ministry4 ,was there any way open for a poor1 industrious laborer to get the highest education while he supported his mother1 sister and himself8 ,i urged them to try it for the good of many who would follow them if they made it a clear success4 ,i was elated almost to uncontrollable enthusiasm the night they came to my study to begin their course4 ,they brought five with them1 and all proved themselves noble men4 ,one is not1 for ,god took him4 ,but the others are moulding and inspiring their world4 ,thus was conceived the idea of the institution that is now educating annually three thousand men and women4 ,the need for it has been plainly proven4 ,rev4 ,forest ,dager1 at one time ,dean of ,temple ,college1 said in regard to the people who in later life crave opportunities for study3 ,that the ,temple ,college idea of educating working men and working women1 at an expense just sufficient to give them an appreciation of the work of the ,institution1 covers a wide and long-neglected field of educational effort1 is at once apparent to a thoughtful mind4 ,remembering that out of a total enrollment in the schools of our land of all grades1 public and private1 of #ad1eab1ggh pupils1 #if-a_/b per cent are reported as receiving elementary instruction only2 that not more than #ce in #a1jjj attend school after they are fourteen years of age2 that #be of these drop out during the next four years of their life2 that less than #aj in #a1jjj pass on to enjoy the superior instruction of a college or some equivalent grade of work1 we begin to see the unlimited field before an ,institution like this4 ,thousands upon thousands of those who have left school quite early in life1 either because they did not appreciate the advantages of a liberal education1 or because the stress of circumstances compelled them to assist in the maintenance of home1 awake a few years later to the realization that a good education is more than one-half the struggle for existence and position4 ,their time through the day is fully occupied2 their evenings are free4 ,at once they turn to the evening college1 and grasping the opportunities for instruction1 convert those hours which to many are the pathway to vice and ruin1 into stepping stones to a higher and more useful career 444 ,an illustration of the wide-reaching influence of the ,college work is the significant fact that during one year there were personally known to the president1 no less than ninety-three persons pursuing their studies in various universities of our country1 who received their first impulses toward a higher education and a wider usefulness in ,temple ,college4 ,in #ahic1 in an address on the ,institutional church1 delivered before the ,baptist ,ministers' ,conference in ,philadelphia1 ,dr4 ,conwell said3 ,at the present time there are in this city hundreds of thousands--to speak conservatively1 7,i should say at least five hundred thousand people7 who have not the education they certainly wish they had obtained before leaving school4 ,there are at least one hundred thousand people in this city willing to sacrifice their evenings and some of their sleep to get an education1 if they can get it without the humiliation of being put into classes with boys and girls six years old4 ,they are in every city4 ,there is a large class of young people who have reached that age where they find they have made a mistake in not getting a better education4 ,if they could obtain one now1 in a proper way1 they would4 ,the university does not furnish such an opportunity4 ,the public school does not4 ,the churches must institute schools for those whom the public does not educate1 and must educate them along the lines they cannot reach in the public schools4 ,we are not to withdraw our support from1 nor to antagonize1 the public schools2 they are the foundations of liberty in the nation4 ,but the public schools do not teach many things which young men and young women need4 ,i believe every church should institute classes for the education of such people1 and ,i believe the ,institutional church will require it4 ,i believe every evening in the week should be given to some particular kind of intellectual training along some educational line2 that this training should begin with the more evident needs of the young people in each congregation1 and then be adjusted as the matter grows1 to the wants of each4 ,so1 because one poor boy struggled so bitterly for an education1 because a man1 keen-eyed1 saw others' needs1 reading the signs by the light of his own bitter experience1 a great ,college for busy men and women has grown1 to give them freely the education which is very bread and meat to their minds4 ,most people use for their own benefit the lessons they have learned in the hard school of experience4 ,they have paid for them dearly4 ,they endeavor to get out of them what profit they can4 ,not so ,dr4 ,conwell4 ,he uses his dearly bought experiences for the good of others1 turning the bitterness which he endured1 into sweetness for their refreshment4 ,the ,temple ,college was founded1 as was stated in its first catalogue1 for the purpose of opening to the burdened and circumscribed manual laborer1 the doors through which he may1 if he will1 reach the fields of profitable and influential professional life4 ,of enabling the working man1 whose labor has been largely with his muscles1 to double his skill through the helpful suggestions of a cultivated mind4 ,of providing such instruction as shall be best adapted to the higher education of those who are compelled to labor at their trades while engaged in study1 or who desire while studying to remain under the influence of their home or church4 ,of awakening in the character of young laboring men and women a strong and determined ambition to be useful to their fellowmen4 ,of cultivating such a taste for the higher and most useful branches of learning as shall compel the students1 after they have left the college1 to continue to pursue the best and most practical branches of learning to the very highest walks of mental and scientific achievement4 ,a broad1 humanitarian purpose it is1 one that grew out of the heart of a man who loved humanity1 who believed in the practical application of the teachings of ,christ1 who knew a cause would succeed if it filled a need4 ,dr4 ,conwell's own experience1 his observations of life had told him that this great need existed1 but it was brought home to him practically in #ahhd1 when these two young men of whom he speaks in the letter quoted came to him and said they wanted to study for the ministry but had no money4 ,his mind leaped the years to those boyhood days when he longed for an education but had no money4 ,he fixed an evening and told them he would teach them himself4 ,when the night came1 the two had become seven4 ,the third evening1 the seven had grown to forty4 ,it was in the days when pastor and people were working hard for their new church and his hands were full4 ,but he did not shirk this new task that came to him4 ,forty people eager to study1 anxious to broaden their mental vision1 to make their lives more useful1 could not be disappointed1 most assuredly not by a man who had known this hunger of the mind4 ,teachers were secured who gave their services free1 the lower parts of the church where they were then worshipping at ,berks and ,mervine streets were used as class rooms and the work went forward with vigor4 ,the first catalogue was issued in #ahhg1 and the institution chartered in #ahhh1 at which time there were five hundred and ninety students4 ,the ,college overflowed the basement of the church into two adjoining houses4 ,when ,the ,temple was completed the ,college occupied the whole building4 ,when that was filled it moved into two large houses on ,park ,avenue4 ,still growing1 it rented two large halls4 ,the news that ,the ,temple ,college had enlarged quarters in these halls brought such a flood of students that almost from the start applicants were turned away4 ,nothing was to be done but to build4 ,it was a serious problem4 ,the church itself had but just been completed and a heavy debt of #bej1jjj hung over it4 ,to add the cost of a college to this burden of debt required faith of the highest order1 work of the hardest4 ,but ,god had shown them their work and they could not shirk it4 ,for seven years ,i have felt a firm conviction that the great work1 the special duty of our church1 is to establish the ,college1 said ,dr4 ,conwell1 in speaking of the matter to his congregation4 ,we are now face to face with it4 ,how distinctly we have been led of ,god to this point6 ,never before in the history of this nation have a people had committed to them a movement more important for the welfare of mankind than that which is now committed to your trust in connection with the permanent establishment of ,the ,temple ,college4 ,we step now over the brink4 ,our feet are already in the water1 and ,god says1 ',go on1 it shall be dryshod for you yet'2 and ,i say that the success of this institution means others like it in every town of five thousand inhabitants in the ,united ,states4 ,one thing we have demonstrated--those who work for a living have time to study4 ,some splendid specimens of scholarship have been developed in our work4 ,and there are others1 splendid geniuses1 yet undiscovered1 but ,the ,temple ,college will bring them to the light1 and the world will be the richer for it4 ,by the use of spare hours--hours usually running to waste--great things can be done4 ,the commendation of these successful students will do more for the college than any number of rich friends can do4 ,it will make friends2 it will bring money2 it will win honor2 it will secure success4 ,an investment fund was created and once more the people made their offerings4 ,the same self-sacrificing spirit was evident as in the building of the church4 ,one boy brought to the pastor fifty cents1 the first money he had ever earned2 a woman sent to the treasury a gold ring1 the only gift she could make1 which bore interest in the suggestion that all who chose might offer similar gifts as did the women in the day of ,moses4 ,a business man hearing of this said1 ,if a day is appointed1 ,i will on that day give to the ,college all the gold and silver that comes into my store for purchases4 ,every organization of ,grace ,church contributed time1 work1 money1 and prayer to the building of the ,college4 ,small wonder then that obligations were met and payments made promptly4 ,one of the most successful methods by which money was raised for the ,college was the ,penny ,talent effort in #ahic4 ,burdette1 in his ,temple and ,templars has made a most painstaking record of the various ways in which the talent was used4 ,he says3 ,each worker was given a penny1 no more4 ,four thousand were given out at one service4 ,one man put his penny in a neat box1 took it to his office1 and exhibited his 'talent' at a nickel a 'peep4' ,he gained #a4gj the first day of his 'show1' ,a woman bought a 'job lot' of molasses with her penny1 made it into molasses candy1 sold it in square inch cakes1 after telling the customer her story2 payments were generous and she netted #a4hj4 ,then the man who sold her the molasses returned her penny4 ,another sister established a 'cooky' business1 which grew rapidly4 ,one boy kept his penny and went to work1 earned #ej cents1 the first money he ever earned in his life4 ,it was a big penny1 but he was bubbling over with enthusiasm and in it all went2 he brought it straight to his pastor4 ,one worker collected autographs and sold them4 ,a boy sold toothpicks4 ,one young man made silver buttonhooks and a young lady sold them4 ,a woman traded her penny up to a dollar1 made aprons from that time on until she earned #aj4 ,one class of seven girls in the ,sunday-school united its capital and gave a supper at the ,park and netted #ej4 ,the ,young ,men's ,bible ,class constructed a model of the ,college building1 which they exhibited4 ,the children gave a supper in the ,lower ,temple1 which added #ajj to the ,college fund4 ,there came into the treasury #a4jj 'saved on carfares'2 'whitewashing a cellar' brought #c4 ,thrice1 somebody walked from ,germantown to ,the ,temple and back1 saving #ge cents2 a wife saved #bj from household allowances4 ,a little girl of seven years went into a lively brokerage business with her penny1 and took several 'flyers' that netted her handsome margins4 ,here is her report-- ',sold the talent penny to ,aunt ,libby for seven cents2 sold the seven cents to ,mamma for #be cents2 sold the #be cents to ,papa for #ej cents4 ,aunt ,caddie1 #aj cents2 ,uncle ,gilman1 #e cents2 ,cousin ,walter1 #d cents2 cash1 #be cents1--#a4jd and the penny talent returned4' ',pinching the market-basket' sent in #b4ej2 'all the pennies and nickels received in four months1 #ab4gj'2 'walking instead of riding1 #f4ej'2 'singing and making plaster plaques1 #g4' ,a dentist bought of a fellow dentist one cent's worth of cement filling-material2 this he used1 giving his labor1 and earned #ej cents2 with this he bought #ej cents' worth of better filling1 part of which he used1 again giving his labor1 and the ,college gained #c4jj4 ,a boy sold his penny to a physician for a dollar4 ,the physician sold the 'talent penny' for #aj cents1 which he exchanged at the ,mint for bright new pennies4 ,these he took to business friends and got a dollar apiece for them2 added #e4jj of his own and turned in #ae4jj4 ,donations of one cent each were received through ,mr4 ,william ,p4 ,harding1 from ,governor ,tillman of ,south ,carolina1 ,governor ,mc,kinley of ,ohio1 ,governor ,russell of ,massachusetts4 ,from ,governor ,fuller of ,vermont--a rare old copper cent1 #aghb1 coined by ,vermont before she was admitted to the ,union2 the governors' letters were sold to the highest bidders4 ,everybody who worked1 everybody who traded with the penny1 did something1 and every penny was blessed1 so lovingly and so zealously was the trading done4 ,it was the ,master's talent which they were working with4 ,all the little things that went into the treasury2 lead pencils1 tacks1 #c4jj in one case and #e4jj in another2 'beefs liver1 #ad4jj'--think of that6 ,how tired the boarders must have grown of liver away out on ,broad ,street--stick pins1 hairpins1 and the common kind that you bend and lose2 candy1 pretzels1 and cookies2 'old tin cans1' wooden spoons1 pies2 one man sent #ej4jj as a gift because he said 'his penny had brought him luck'2 another found #af pennies1 which good fortune he ascribed to the penny in his pocket4 ,so in ,october the workers who had received their pennies in ,april came together to show what they had done4 ,four thousand pennies had been given out2 #f1jjj came directly from the returns1 and indirectly about #h1jjj more4 ,the ',feast of ,tithes1' held in ,december of the same year1 was a great fair1 extending through seven week days4 ,the displays of goods and the refreshment booths were in the ,lower ,temple1 while fine concerts and other entertainments were given in the auditorium4 ,the ,feast of ,tithes netted #e1ejj for the ,college fund4 ,thus the work progressed4 ,no one could give large amounts1 but many gave a little1 and stone by stone the building grew4 ,in ,august1 #ahic1 the corner stone of the ,college building was laid4 ,taking up the silver trowel which had been used in laying the corner stone of ,the ,temple1 in #ahhi1 ,dr4 ,conwell said3 ,friends1 to-day we do something more than simply lay the corner stone of a college building4 ,we do an act here very simply that shows to the world1 and will go on testifying after we have gone to our long rest1 that the church of ,jesus ,christ is not only an institution of theory1 but an institution of practice4 ,it will stand here upon this great and broad street and say through the coming years to all passersby1 ',christianity means something for the good of humanity2 ,christianity means not only a belief in things that are good and pure and righteous1 but it also means an activity that shall bless those who need the assistance of others4' ,it shall say to the rich man1 ',give thou of thy surplus to those who have not4' ,it shall say to the poor man1 ',make thou the most of thy opportunities and thou shalt be the equal of the rich4' ,now1 in the name of the people who have given for this enterprise1 in the name of the many ,christians who have prayed1 and who are now sending up their prayers to heaven1 ,i lay this corner stone4 ,the work went on4 ,in ,may1 #ahid1 a great congregation thronged ,the ,temple to attend the dedication services of ,temple ,college1 for it was in its new home2 a handsome building1 presenting with ,the ,temple a beautiful stone front of two hundred feet on the broad avenue which it faces4 ,robert ,e4 ,pattison1 governor of ,pennsylvania1 presided1 saying1 in his introductory remarks1 ,around this noble city many institutions have arisen in the cause of education1 but ,i doubt whether any of them will possess a greater influence for good than ,temple ,college4 ,bishop ,foss1 of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 offered prayer4 ,the orator was ,honorable ,charles ,emory ,smith1 of ,philadelphia1 ex-minister to ,russia4 ,mr4 ,james ,johnson1 the builder1 gave the keys to the architect1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,p4 ,lonsdale1 who delivered them to the pastor of ,grace ,church and president of ,temple ,college1 remarking that it was well these keys should be in the hands of those who already held the keys to the inner temple of knowledge4 ,president ,conwell1 receiving the keys1 said that1 by united effort1 penny by penny1 and dollar by dollar1 every note had been paid1 every financial obligation promptly met4 ,it is a demonstration of what people can do when thoroughly in earnest in a great enterprise4 ,academies were also started in distant parts of the city for the benefit of those who could not reach the college in time for classes4 ,unfortunately these academies were compelled to close on account of lack of funds4 ,many pitiful letters were received at the college from those who were thus shut out of educational advantages4 ,one in particular1 poorly spelled but breathing its bitter disappointment1 said that the writer 7a woman7 was just beginning to hope she would get her head above water some day4 ,but that now she must sink again4 ,a little light had begun to glimmer for her through the blackness1 but that light had been taken away4 ,she was going down again into the depth of hopeless ignorance with no one to lend a helping hand--the tragedy of which ,carlyle wrote when he penned ,that there should be one man die ignorant who is capable of knowledge1 this ,i call a tragedy4 ,the ,college at first was entirely free1 but as the attendance increased1 it was found necessary to charge a nominal tuition fee in order to keep out those who had no serious desire to study1 but came irregularly just for the fun of the thing4 ,when it was decided to charge five dollars a year for the privilege of attending the evening classes1 the announcement was received with the unanimous approbation of the students who honestly wished to study1 and who more than any others were hindered by the aimless element4 ,not only did the poor and those who were employed during the day come1 but before long the sons and daughters of the well-to-do were knocking at the doors1 not for admission to the evening classes but for day study4 ,so the day department was opened4 ,not only has it proved most successful in its work1 but it has helped the ,college to meet expenses4 ,the curriculum of the ,college is broad4 ,a child just able to walk can enter the kindergarten class in the day department and receive his entire schooling under the one roof1 graduating with a college degree1 taking a special university course1 or fitting himself for business4 ,four university courses are given--theology1 law1 medicine1 pharmacy4 ,the ,medical and ,theological ,departments take students to their graduation and upon presentation of their diploma before the ,state ,board they are admitted to the ,state ,examination4 ,the ,theological ,course1 of course1 graduates a man the same as any other theological seminary4 ,post-graduate courses are also given4 ,the college courses include--arts1 science1 elocution and oratory1 business1 music1 civil engineering1 physical education4 ,the graduates of the college course are admitted to the post-graduate courses of ,pennsylvania1 ,yale1 ,princeton and ,harvard on their diplomas4 ,students pass from any year's work of the college course to the corresponding course of other ,institutions4 ,the preparatory courses are college preparatory1 medical preparatory1 scientific preparatory1 law preparatory1 an ,english course and a business preparatory course4 ,thus1 if one is not ready to enter one of the higher courses1 he can prepare here by night study for them4 ,the ,business ,course includes a commercial course1 shorthand course1 secretarial course1 conveyancing course1 telegraphy course1 advertisement writing and proofreading4 ,there are normal courses for kindergarteners and elementary teachers1 and in household science1 physical training1 music1 millinery1 dressmaking1 elocution and oratory4 ,special courses are given in civil engineering1 chemistry1 elocution and oratory1 painting and drawing1 sign writing1 mechanical and architectural drawing1 music1 physical training1 dressmaking1 millinery1 cooking1 embroidery1 and nursing1 the last being given at the ,samaritan ,hospital4 ,all of these courses1 excepting the ,normal ,kindergarten1 can be studied day or evening1 as best suits the student4 ,the kindergarten and model schools cover the work of the public schools from the kindergarten to the highest grammar grades1 fitting the student to enter the first year of the preparatory department4 ,these classes are held in the daytime only4 ,the power to confer degrees was granted in #ahia4 ,the teaching force has been greatly enlarged until at present there are one hundred and thirty-five teachers and an average of more than three thousand regular students yearly4 ,the number of students instructed at ,temple ,college in proportion to money expended and buildings used is altogether out of proportion to any other college in ,america4 ,some idea of the breadth of study presented at ,temple ,college may be had from a comparison with ,harvard4 ,harvard has more than five thousand students1 four hundred instructors1 and presents five hundred courses of study4 ,its growth since #ahfj has been wonderful4 ,in #ahfj1 while one man might not have been able in four years to master all the subjects offered1 he could have done so in six4 ,it was estimated in #ahii that the courses of study offered were so varied that sixty years would have been required4 ,it would take one student ninety-six years to take all the courses presented by the ,temple ,college4 ,from the time of the opening of ,temple ,college up to the closing exercises of #aije1 its students have numbered #ee1fef4 ,if an answer is desired to the question1 ,is such an institution needed1 that number answers is most emphatically4 ,that more than fifty thousand people1 the majority of them wording men and women1 will give their nights after a day of toil1 to study1 proves that the institution that gives them the opportunity to study is sorely needed4 ,the life story of men and women who have studied here and gone on to lives of usefulness would make interesting reading4 ,one young girl who lived in the mill district of ,kensington was earning #b4ej a week1 folding circulars1 addressing envelopes and doing such work4 ,her parents were poor4 ,she had the most meagre education1 and the outlook for her to earn more was dark4 ,some one advised her to go to ,temple ,college at night and study bookkeeping4 ,a few years after1 her well-wisher saw her one evening at the college1 bright1 happy1 a different girl in both dress and deportment ,she had a position as bookkeeper at #aj a week and was going on now and taking other courses4 ,that is the ordinary story of the work ,temple ,college does1 multiplied in thousands of lives4 ,others are not so ordinary4 ,one of the early students was a poor man earning #f4jj a week4 ,to-day he is earning #f1jjj a year in a government position at ,washington1 his rise in life due entirely to the opportunities of study offered him at ,temple ,college4 ,a lady who had been brought up in refined and cultured society was compelled to support herself1 her husband and child through his complete physical breakdown4 ,she took the normal course in dressmaking and millinery1 and has this year been appointed the ,director of the ,domestic ,science work in a large institution at a very good salary1 being able to keep herself and family in comfort4 ,one of the present college students was a weaver without any education at all1 getting not only his elementary education and his preparatory education here1 but will next year graduate from the college department4 ,he has been entirely self-supporting in the meantime1 and will make a fine teacher of mathematics4 ,he has been teaching extra classes in the evening department of the ,college for several years4 ,one of the students who entered the classes in #ahhf was a poor boy of thirteen4 ,for nineteen long years he has studied persistently at night1 passing from one grade to another until this summer 7#aije7 his long schooling was crowned with success and he was admitted to the bar4 ,all these weary years he has worked hard during the day1 for there were others depending upon him1 and at night despite his physical weariness1 has faithfully pursued his studies4 ,he deserves his success and the greater success that will come to him1 for such a man in those long years has stored away experiences that will make him a power4 ,another student in the early days of the college was a poor boy who had no education whatever1 having been compelled to help earn the family living as soon as he was able1 his father being a drunkard4 ,for fifteen years he studied1 passing from one grade to another until in #ahii1 he had the great joy of being ordained to the ministry1 six of his ministerial brethren gathering around him in the great ,temple and laying on his head the hands of ordination1 feeling they were setting apart to the struggles and hardships of the ,gospel ministry one who had shown himself worthy of his exalted calling4 ,one of the official stenographers connected with the ,panama ,canal ,commission was a breaker boy who came to ,philadelphia from the mining district poor and ignorant1 and studied in ,temple ,college at night1 working during the day to earn his living4 ,such records would fill a book4 ,they prove better even than numbers the worth of such an institution4 ,if only one such man or woman is lifted to a happier1 more useful life1 the work is worth while4 ,such an institution can do much for the purification of politics4 ,before the students are ever held high ideals of right living1 of honesty1 of purity4 ,all the associations of the ,college are conducive to clean character and high ideals4 ,as the largest number of the students are men and women from active business life1 they are keenly alive to the questions of the day4 ,they know the responsibility for honest government rests with each voter1 that to have clean politics every man and woman must individually do his share to uphold high standards in political and social life1 that only men whose characters are above reproach should be elected to office4 ,that the ,president of their college shares these views and knows also what a power lies in their hands1 is shown by the following letter3 ,fraternal ,greetings3 ,the near approach of an important election leads me to suggest to you the following3 ,first4 ,there being now in this city over seven thousand voters who have been students in the ,temple ,college1 you have by your votes and your influence1 either by combination or as individuals1 a considerable political power4 ,you should use it for the good of your city1 state1 and nation4 ,second4 ,in city affairs ,i urge you to think first of the poor4 ,the rich do not need your care4 ,vote only for such city candidates as will most speedily secure for the more needy classes pure water1 clean streets1 cheaper homes1 cheaper and more useful education1 healthier environment1 cheap and quick transportation1 the development of the labor-giving improvements1 and the increase of sea-going and inland commerce4 ,select large-hearted1 cool-headed men for city officers1 regardless of national parties4 ,third4 ,let no man or party purchase your patriotic birthright for a fifty-cent tax bill or any other sum4 ,fourth4 ,in selecting your candidates for state offices remember the needs of the people4 ,favor the granting to the submerged poor a more favorable opportunity to help themselves4 ,move in the most reasonable and direct way toward the ultimate abolition of the sale of intoxicating liquors as a beverage1 and for the increase of hospital and college privileges for the afflicted and the ignorant4 ,fifth4 ,in national politics1 remember that both parties have a measure of truth in their principles1 and the need of the time is noble1 conscientious lovers of humanity1 who will not be led by party enthusiasm into any wild schemes in either direction which would result in the destruction of business and the degradation of national honor4 ,think independently1 vote considerately1 stand unflinchingly against any measure that is wrong1 and vigorously in favor of every movement that is right4 ,this is an opportunity to do a great1 good deed4 ,quit you like men4 ,with endearing affection1 ,,russell ,h4 ,,conwell4 ,even now the press of students is so great the trustees are planning larger things4 ,the ,philadelphia ,press1' speaking of the new work to be undertaken1 said3 ,a city university1 with a capacity of seven thousand students1 more than are attending any other one seat of learning in the ,united ,states1 is to be built in ,philadelphia4 ,it will be the university of the ,temple ,college and will stand on the site of the old ,broad ,street ,baptist ,church at the southeast corner of ,broad and ,brown ,streets1 and the lot adjoining the church property on the south side on ,broad ,street4 ,the new structure will cost #bbe1jjj1 while the ground on which it will be built is worth #afe1jjj1 making the total value of the new institution #cij1jjj4 ,rev4 ,russell ,h4 ,conwell1 ,d4,d41 pastor of the ,grace ,baptist ,church1 at ,broad and ,berks ,streets1 and ,president of ,temple ,college1 said yesterday that the new university will be completed and ready for occupancy by ,september1 #aijf4 ,in the twenty years of its existence ,temple ,college has grown as have few educational institutions in ,america1 until now it has more than three thousand students enrolled yearly4 ,with the erection of the university building the institution will have facilities for educating four thousand more students1 or a total of seven thousand4 ,some idea of how the other great universities of the country compare with regard to the number of students attending them with this new university of ,philadelphia is shown by the following table3 ,name4 ,number of ,students1 ,temple ,university #g1jjj ,harvard #e1cic ,yale #b1iie ,pennsylvania #b1fib ,princeton #a1cgc ,the ,temple ,university building will be eight stories high1 at least that is the plan the trustees have in mind at present1 but the structure will be so built that a height of two stories may be added at any time4 ,it will have a frontage of #abi feet on ,broad ,street and #adj feet on ,brown ,street4 ,the corner property was deeded as a gift to ,temple ,college by the ,broad and ,brown ,streets ,church and the ,college then purchased the adjoining property on ,broad ,street4 ,in appreciation of the gift the ,college has offered the use of the university chapel1 which will be built in the building1 to the ,broad and ,brown ,streets ,church congregation for a place of worship4 ,the university will be built of stone1 and while not an elaborate structure1 it will be substantial and suitable in every respect and imposing in its very simplicity4 ,in addition to the university offices there will be a large gymnasium1 a free dispensary1 departments of medicine1 theology1 law1 engineering1 sciences1 and1 in fact1 all the branches of learning that are taught in any of the great universities4 ,there will be a library and lecture room for every department1 pathological and chemical laboratories and a sufficient number of classrooms to preclude crowding of students for the next ten or fifteen years4 ,there are now one hundred and thirty-five instructors in ,temple ,college1 but when the university is opened this number will be increased to three hundred4 ,the present college building1 which adjoins the ,baptist ,temple1 will continue to be used1 but only for the normal classes and lower grade of work4 ,the building will be remodeled4 ,the dwelling adjoining the college which has been occupied as the theological department will be vacated when the university is completed4 ,dr4 ,conwell1 the father of ,temple ,college and who in years to come will be spoken of as the father of ,temple ,university1 said yesterday3 ',it will be a university for busy people1 the same as the college has been a college for busy people4 ,our institution reaches and benefits a class--in some respects the greatest class--of persons who want to study and enlarge their education1 but cannot attend the other universities and colleges for financial reasons and because of their business4 ',there's many a man and woman1 young and middle-aged1 who is not satisfied with himself--he wants to go on farther1 he wants to learn more4 ,but his daily work won't allow him to complete his education because of the inconvenient hours of the classes and lectures in other colleges4 ,and he comes to ,temple1 as there classes are held practically all day and for several hours at night4 ,the terms of the course at ,temple ,college are reasonable1 and thus many young men or women may prepare themselves for higher and more remunerative work1 whereas they would not feel that they could afford to pay the tuition fee at some other institution4 ,the ,temple ,university will be similar to the ,london ,university1 a city university for busy persons4' ,thus ,temple ,college grows because it is needed4 ,and such an institution is needed in other cities as well as in ,philadelphia4 ,this is but the pioneer4 ,it can have sister institutions wherever people want to study and ,christian hearts want to help4 ,it grows also because in the heart of one man1 its founder1 is the bitter knowledge of how sorely such an institution is needed by those who want to study1 and who himself works hand1 heart and soul so that it shall never fail those who need it4 ,says ,james ,m4 ,beck1 the noted lawyer3 ,there have been very wealthy men who1 out of the abundance of their resources1 have founded colleges1 but ,i can hardly recall a case where a man1 without abundant means1 by mere force of character and intellectual energy1 has both created and maintained an institution of this size and character1' ,far back in the dim light of the centuries1 ,confucius wrote1 ,give instruction unto those who cannot obtain it for themselves4 ,this is the great and useful work the ,temple ,college is doing and doing it nobly1 a work that will count for untold good on future generations4 ,,chapter ,,xxix ,,the ,,samaritan ,,hospital ,beginning in ,two ,rooms4 ,growth4 ,number of ,beds4 ,management4 ,temple ,services ,heard by ,telephone4 ,faith and ,nationality of ,those ,cared ,for4 ,his pastoral work among his church members and others of the neighborhood brought to ,dr4 ,conwell's mind constantly the needs of the sick poor4 ,scarcely a week passed that some one did not come to him for help for a loved one suffering from disease1 but without means to secure proper medical aid4 ,sick and poor--that is a condition which sums up the height of human physical suffering--the body racked with pain1 burning with fever1 yet day and night battling on in misery1 without medical aid1 without nursing1 without any of the comforts that relieve pain4 ,nor is the sick one the only sufferer4 ,those who love him endure the keenest mental anguish as they stand by helpless1 unable to raise a finger for his relief because they are poor4 ,through the deep waters of both these experiences ,dr4 ,conwell had himself passed4 ,he knew the anguish of heart of seeing loved ones suffer1 of being unable to secure for them the nourishing food1 the care needed to make them well4 ,he knew the wretchedness of being sick and poor and of not knowing which way to turn for help1 while quivering flesh and nerves called in torture for relief4 ,his heart went out in burning sympathy to all such cases that came to his knowledge1 and generously he helped4 ,but they were far too many for one man1 big-hearted and open-handed as he might be4 ,more and more the need of a hospital in that part of the city was impressed upon him4 ,accidents among his membership were numerous1 yet the nearest hospital was blocks and blocks away1 a distance which meant precious minutes when with every moment life was ebbing4 ,he laid the matter before his church people4 ,down through the centuries came ringing in their ears that command1 ,heal the sick4 ,they knew it was ,christ's work--,unto ,him were brought all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and he healed them4 ,so they decided to rent two rooms where the sick could be cared for1 and later built a hospital for the poor1 where without money and without price1 the best medical aid1 the tenderest nursing were at the command of those in need4 ,the ,hospital was founded1 says ,dr4 ,conwell1 and this property purchased in the hope that it would do ,christ's work4 ,not simply to heal for the sake of professional experience1 not simply to cure disease and repair broken bones1 but to so do those charitable acts as to enforce the truth ,jesus taught1 that ,god 'would not that any should perish1 but that all should come unto ,him and live4' ,soul and body1 both need the healing balm of ,christianity4 ,the ,hospital modestly and touchingly furnishes it to all classes1 creeds1 and ages whose sufferings cause them to cry out1 ',have mercy on me6' ,so far as buildings were concerned1 it began in a small way1 though its spirit of kindness and ,christian charity was large4 ,after one year in rented rooms1 a house was purchased on ,north ,broad ,street1 near ,ontario ,street1 and fitted up as a hospital with wards1 operating room and dispensary4 ,it was situated just where a network of railroads focuses and near a number of large factories and machine shops1 where accidents were occurring constantly4 ,almost immediately its wards were filled4 ,the name ,samaritan ,hospital was given as typical of its work and spirit1 its projectors and supporters laying down their money and agreeing to pay whatever might be needed1 as well as giving of their personal care and attention to the sufferer4 ,but though ,dr4 ,conwell's heart is big1 his head is practical4 ,he does not believe in indiscriminate charity4 ,charity is composed of sympathy and self-sacrifice4 ,there is no charity without a union of these two1 he said1 in an address years ago at ,music ,hall1 ,boston4 ,to make a gift become a charity the recipient must feel that it is given out of sympathy2 that the donor has made a sacrifice to give it2 that it is intended only as assistance and not as a permanent support1 unless the needy one he helpless2 and that it is not given as his right4 ,to accomplish this end desired by charitable hearts demands an acquaintance with the persons to be assisted or a study of them1 and a great degree of caution and patience4 ,it is not only unnecessary1 but a positive wrong to give to itinerant beggars4 ,there is no such thing as charity about a so-called state charity4 ,it is statesmanship to rid the community of nuisances1 to feed the poor and prevent stealing and robbery1 but it should not be called 'a charity4' ,the paupers take their provision as their right1 feel no gratitude1 acquire no ambition1 no industry1 no culture4 ,the state almshouse educates the brain and chills the heart4 ,it fastens a stigma on the child to hinder and curse it for life4 ,any institution supported otherwise than by voluntary contribution1 or in the hands of paid public officials1 can never have the spirit of charity nor be correctly called a charity4 ,boston's public charitable institutions1 so called1 are not charities at all2 the motive is not sympathy1 but necessity4 ,the money for the support of paupers is not paid with benevolent intentions by the tax-payers1 nor do the inmates of almshouses so receive it4 ,i have been engaged in gathering statistics1 and have found sixty-three per cent of all persons who applied for assistance at the various institutions were impostors1 while many were swindlers and professional burglars4 ,the sick poor are never turned away from ,samaritan ,hospital1 but those who are able to pay are requested to do so4 ,dr4 ,conwell believes it would be a wrong to treat such people free1 an injustice to physicians1 as well as an encouragement of a wrong spirit in themselves4 ,the hospital has a number of private rooms in which patients are received for pay4 ,many have been furnished by members of ,grace ,baptist ,church in memory of some loved one gone before1 or by ,sunday ,school classes or church organizations4 ,it may have been the fact that it started in an ordinary house that gave the ,hospital its cheery1 homelike atmosphere4 ,it may have been the spirit of the workers4 ,but its homelike air is noticeable4 ,while rules are strictly enforced1 as they must be1 there is a feeling of personal interest in each patient that makes the sick feel that she is something more than a case or a number4 ,the lovely ,christ spirit1 says ,dr4 ,conwell1 which inclines men and women to care for their unfortunate fellowmen1 is especially beautiful when in addition to the healing of wounds and disease1 the afflicted sufferers are welcomed to such a home as the ,samaritan ,hospital has become4 ,all such kind deeds become doubly sweet when done in the name of ,christ1 because they carry with them sympathy for those in pain1 love for the loveless1 a home for the homeless1 friendship for the friendless1 and a divine solace1 which are often more than surgical skill or medical science4 ,such an institution the ,samaritan ,hospital is ever to be4 ,it began in weakness and inexperience1 but with ,christian devotion and affection1 its founders and supporters have conquered innumerable difficulties1 and can now say unreservedly that they have a hospital with all the conveniences and all the influences of a ,christian home4 ,the hospital was opened ,february #a1 #ahib4 ,it did not take long to prove the need of the work4 ,before the year was out it was so crowded that an addition had to be built1 and now magnificent buildings stand adjoining the original house as a monument to the untiring work and zeal of ,grace ,church members and their friends4 ,it is now an independent corporation4 ,the hospital is fitted with all modern appliances for caring for the sick4 ,it has a hundred and seventy beds1 and a large and competent staff of physicians numbering many of the best in the city4 ,there is also a training school for nurses1 the original hospital building being now fitted up and furnished as a nurses' home4 ,more than five thousand different cases are ministered to during the year in the beds and dispensary4 ,the annual expense of running the hospital is more than forty thousand dollars1 the value of the property more than three hundred thousand dollars4 ,in addition to the customary weekly visiting days1 visitors are allowed on one evening during the week and on ,sunday afternoons4 ,these rather unusual visiting hours are an innovation of ,dr4 ,conwell's for the benefit of busy workers who cannot visit their sick friends or relatives on week days4 ,a novel feature of the hospital and one which brings great pleasure to the patients1 is the telephone service connecting it with ,the ,temple1 whereby those who are able1 can hear the preaching of the pastor ,sunday morning and evening at the big church farther down ,broad ,street4 ,one of the most efficient aids in the hospital's growth has been the ,board of ,lady ,managers4 ,when the hospital was opened in #ahib1 a committee of six ladies was appointed by ,mr4 ,conwell to take charge of the housekeeping affairs1 and from this committee has grown this ,board which has done so much to aid the hospital1 both by raising money and looking after its household affairs4 ,this committee had entire charge of the house department1 visiting it weekly1 inspecting the house1 and making suggestions to the trustees for improving the work in that department4 ,the ,board is divided into ,finance1 ,visiting1 ,flower1 ,linen1 ,ward ,supplies1 ,house ,supplies and ,sewing ,committee4 ,the chairman of these committees1 together with the five officers1 constitute the ,executive ,committee1 and meet with the trustees at their regular monthly meetings4 ,in addition to paying the housekeeping bills1 the board has come many times to the assistance of the trustees1 and by giving entertainments1 holding sales1 teas1 receptions1 has raised large sums of money for special purposes4 ,in connection with this ,board is the ,samaritan ,aid ,society which annually contributes about three hundred new articles of clothing and bedding4 ,the ,board of ,trustees is composed of able1 experienced business men who apply their knowledge of business affairs to the conduct of the hospital4 ,it means a sacrifice of much time on their part1 but it is cheerfully given4 ,the hospital is non-sectarian4 ,suffering and need are the only requisites for admission4 ,during the past year among those who were cared for were3 ,catholic #bhd ,baptist #acd ,methodist #ada ,episcopalian #aab ,lutheran #ig ,presbyterian #if ,hebrew #hi ,protestant #ed ,reformed #be ,friends #ab ,confucianism #e ,congregational #d ,united ,brethren #c ,evangelist #c ,christian #b ,not recorded #fj ---- #aada ,illustration3 ,,attending ,,service ,,in ,,bed ,the nativity of the patients showed that nearly all countries were represented--,russia1 ,poland1 ,italy1 ,canada1 ,sweden1 ,norway1 ,scotland1 ,england1 ,germany1 ,ireland1 ,china1 ,hungary1 ,australia1 ,switzerland1 ,jerusalem1 ,roumania and ,armenia4 ,never was the worth of its work better shown than in the terrible ,ball ,park accident1 which happened in ,philadelphia in #aijd1 when by the collapsing of the grandstand hundreds were killed and injured4 ,without a moment's notice1 more than a hundred patients were rushed to the hospital and cared for4 ,when the wards were filled1 cots were placed in the halls1 in the offices1 wherever there was room1 and the injured tenderly treated4 ,thus from small beginnings and a great need it has steadily grown1 supported by contributions and upheld by the faithful work of those who labor for the love of the ,master4 ,sacrifices of time and money have been freely made for it1 for the people who have worked to support it are few of them rich4 ,it still needs help1 for the poor ye have always with you4 ,and while there are poor people and sick people1 ,samaritan ,hospital will always need the help of the more fortunate to aid it in its great work of relieving pain4 ,,chapter ,,xxx ,,the ,,manner ,,of ,,the ,,man ,boundless ,love for ,men4 ,utter ,humility4 ,his ,simplicity and ,informality4 ,keen ,sense of ,humor4 ,his ,unconventional ,methods of ,work4 ,power as a ,leader4 ,his ,tremendous ,faith4 ,what of the personality of the man back of all this ceaseless work1 these stupendous undertakings8 ,much of it can be read in the work itself4 ,but not all4 ,one must know ,dr4 ,conwell personally to realize that deep1 abiding love of humanity which is the wellspring of his life and which shows itself in constant and innumerable acts of thoughtfulness and kindness for the happiness of others4 ,he cannot see a drunkard on the street without his heart going out in a desire to help him to a better life4 ,he cannot see a child in tears1 but that he must know the trouble and mend it4 ,from boyhood1 it was one of the strongest traits of his character1 and when it clasped hands with a man's love of ,christ1 it became the ruling passion of his life4 ,the woes of humanity touch him deeply4 ,he freely gives himself1 his time1 his money to lighten them4 ,but he knows that to do his best1 is but comparatively little4 ,to him it is a pitiful thing that so much of the world's1 misery cannot be relieved because of the lack of money2 that people must starve1 must suffer pain and disease1 must go without the education that makes life brighter and happier1 simply for the want of this one thing of so little worth compared with the great things of life it has the power to withhold or grant4 ,one must also be intimately associated with ,dr4 ,conwell to realize the deep humility that rules his heart1 that makes him firmly believe any man who will trust in ,god and go ahead in faith can accomplish all that he himself has done1 and more4 ,you do not know what a struggle my life is1 he said once to a friend4 ,only ,god and my own heart know how far short ,i come of what ,i ought to be1 and how often ,i mar the use ,he would make of me even when ,i would serve ,him4 ,and again1 at the ,golden ,jubilee services1 in honor of his fiftieth birthday1 he said publicly what he many times says in private3 ,i look back on the errors of by-gone years2 my blunders2 my pride2 my self-sufficiency2 my willfulness--if ,god would take me up in my unworthiness and imperfection and lift me to such a place of happiness and love as this--,i say1 ,he can do it for any man4 ,when ,i see the blunders ,i unintentionally make in history1 in mathematics1 in names1 in rhetoric1 in exegesis1 and yet see that ,god uses even blunders to save men--,i sink back into the humblest place before ,him and say1 ',if ,god can use such preaching as that1 blunders and mistakes like these2 if ,he can take them and use them for ,his glory1 ,he can use anybody and anything4' ,i let out the secret of my life when ,i tell you this3 ,if ,i have succeeded at all1 it has been with the conscious sense that as ,god has used even me1 so can ,he use others4 ,god saved me and ,he can save them4 ,my very faults show me1 they teach me1 that any person can be helped and saved4 ,speaking of his sermons1 which are taken down by a stenographer and typewritten for publication in the ,temple ,review1 he said1 with the utmost dejection1 ,positively they make me sick4 ,to think that ,i should stand up and undertake to preach when ,i can do no better than that ,he has ever that sense of defeat from which all great minds suffer whose high ideals ever elude them4 ,in manner and speech1 he is simple and unaffected1 and approachable at all times4 ,when not away from the city lecturing1 he spends a certain part of the day in his study at the church1 where any one can see him on any matter which he may wish to bring to his attention4 ,the ante-room is thronged at the hour when it is known that he will be there4 ,people waylay him in the church corridors1 and on the streets1 so well known is his kindly heart1 his attentive ear1 his generous hand4 ,not only do these visitors invade the church1 but they come to his home4 ,early in the morning they are there4 ,they await him when he returns late at night4 ,as an instance of their number1 one ,saturday afternoon late in ,june he had one hour free which he hoped to take for rest and the preparation of the next morning's sermon4 ,during that one hour he had six callers1 each staying until the next arrived4 ,one of these was a young man whom ,dr4 ,conwell had never seen1 a boy no more than seventeen or eighteen4 ,he had a few weeks before made a runaway marriage with a girl still younger than himself4 ,her parents had indignantly taken the bride home1 and the young husband came to ,dr4 ,conwell to ask him to seek out these parents and persuade them to let the child wife return to her husband4 ,he has a knack of putting everybody at ease in his presence1 which perhaps accounts for the freedom with which people1 even utter strangers1 come to him and pour into his ear their life secrets4 ,this earnest desire to help people1 to make them happier and better1 shines from his life with such force that one feels it immediately on entering his presence and opens one's heart to him4 ,he helps1 advises1 and1 because he is so preeminently a man of faith and believes so firmly that all he has done has been accomplished by faith and perseverance1 he inspires others with like confidence in themselves4 ,they go away encouraged1 hopeful1 strengthened for the work that lies ahead of them1 or for the trouble they must surmount ,it is little wonder the people throng to him for help4 ,his simple1 informal view of life is shown in other things4 ,during a summer vacation in the ,berkshires he was scheduled to lecture in one of the home towns4 ,his old friends and neighbors dearly love to hear him1 and nearly always secure a lecture from him while he is supposed to be resting4 ,entirely forgetting the lecture1 he planned a fishing trip that day4 ,just as the fishing party was ready to start1 some one remembered the lecture4 ,there would not be time to go fishing1 return1 dress and go to the lecture town4 ,but ,dr4 ,conwell is a great fisherman1 and he disliked most thoroughly to give up that fishing trip4 ,he thought about it a few minutes1 and then in his informal1 unconventional fashion1 decided he would both fish and lecture4 ,he packed his lecturing apparel in a suit case1 tied a tub for the accommodation of the fish on the back of the wagon and started4 ,all day he fished1 happy and contented4 ,when lecturing time drew near1 rattling and splashing1 with a tubful of fish1 round-eyed and astonished at the violent upheavals of their usual calm abiding place1 he drove up to the lecture hall1 changed his clothes1 and at the appointed time appeared on the platform and delivered one of the best lectures that section ever heard4 ,some people call his methods sensational4 ,they are not sensational in the sense of merely making a noise for the purpose of attracting attention4 ,they are unconventional4 ,dr4 ,conwell pays no attention to forms if the life has gone out of them1 to traditions1 if their spirit is dead1 their days of usefulness past4 ,he lives in the present ,he sees present needs and adopts methods to fit them4 ,no doubt1 many said it was sensational to tear down that old church at ,lexington himself4 ,but there was no money and the church must come down4 ,the only way to get it down and a new one built1 was to go to work4 ,and he went to work in straightforward1 practical fashion4 ,it takes courage and strength of mind thus to tear down conventions and forms4 ,but he does not hesitate if he sees they are blocking the road of progress4 ,this disregard of customs1 this practical common-sense way of attacking evil or supplying needs is seen in all his church work4 ,and because it is original and unusual1 it brings upon him often1 a storm of adverse criticism4 ,but he never halts for that4 ,he is willing to suffer misrepresentation1 even calumny1 if the cause for which he is working1 progresses4 ,he cares nothing for himself4 ,he thinks only of the ,master and the work ,he has committed to his hands4 ,though the great masses in their ignorance and poverty appeal to him powerfully and incite him to tremendous undertakings for their relief1 he does not1 because his hands are so full of great things1 turn aside from opportunities to help the individual4 ,indeed1 it is this readiness to answer a personal call for help that has endeared him so to thousands and thousands4 ,no matter what may he the labor or inconvenience to himself1 he responds instantly when the appeal comes4 ,two men1 now members of the church1 often tell the incident that led to their conversion4 ,one evening they fell to discussing ,dr4 ,conwell with some young friends who were members of the church4 ,the young men stoutly maintained that ,conwell was like all the rest--in it for the almighty dollar4 ,the church members as stoutly asserted that he was actuated by motives far above such sordid consideration4 ,but the men would not yield their point and the subject was dropped4 ,a few evenings later1 coming out of a saloon at midnight into a blinding snowstorm1 they heard a man say1 ,my dear child1 why did you not tell me before that you were in need4 ,you know ,i would not let you suffer4 ,that's ,conwell1 said one of the young fellows4 ,nothing of the kind1 replied the other4 ,what's the matter with you8 ,catch him out a night like this4 ,but ,i tell you that was ,conwell's voice1 said the first man4 ,i know it4 ,let's follow him and see what he's doing4 ,through the thickly falling snow1 they could see the tall figure of ,dr4 ,conwell with a large basket on one arm and leading a little child by the hand4 ,keeping a sufficient distance behind1 they followed him to a poor home in a little street1 saw him enter1 saw the light flash up and knew that he was living out in deed the doctrine he preached4 ,silent1 they turned away4 ,what his spoken word in ,the ,temple could not do his ministry at midnight had accomplished1 and they became loyal and devoted members of the church4 ,in conversation with a street car conductor at one time1 he found the man eager to hear of ,christ and ,his love1 but unable to give heed on the car because he might be reported for inattention to his duties and lose his place4 ,dr4 ,conwell asked him where he took dinner1 and at the noon hour was there and1 plainly and simply1 as the man ate his lunch1 told what ,christ's love in his heart and life would mean4 ,such stories could be multiplied many times of this personal ministry that seeks day and night1 in season and out1 to make mankind better1 to lift it up where it may grasp eternal truth4 ,francis ,willard says3 ,to move among the people on the common street2 to meet them in the market-place on equal terms2 to live among them not as saint or monk1 but as a brother man with brother men2 to serve ,god not with form or ritual1 but in the free impulse of the soul2 to bear the burden of society and relieve its needs2 to carry on its multitudinous activities in the city1 social1 commercial1 political1 and philanthropic--this is the religion of the ,son of man4 ,this is the religion of ,dr4 ,conwell4 ,as a leader and organizer he is almost without an equal in church work4 ,he sees a need4 ,his practical mind goes to work to plan ways to meet it4 ,he organizes the work thoroughly and carefully2 he rallies his workers about him and then leads them dauntlessly forward to success4 ,he has weathered many a fierce gale of opposition1 won out in many a furious storm of criticism4 ,the greater the obstacles1 the more brightly does his ability as a leader shine4 ,he seems to call up from some secret storehouse reserves of enthusiasm4 ,he gets everybody energetically and cheerfully at work1 and the obstacles that seemed insurmountable suddenly melt away4 ,as some one has said1 ,he attempts the impossible1 yet finds practical ways to accomplish it ,the way he met an unexpected demand for money during the building of the church illustrates this3 ,the trustees had1 as they thought1 made provision for the renewal of a note of #b1jjj1 due ,dec4 #bgth4 ,late ,friday1 ,dec4 #bdth1 the news came that the note could not be renewed1 that it must be paid ,monday4 ,they had no money1 nothing could be done but appeal to the people on ,sunday4 ,but it was not a usual ,sunday4 ,the ,church1 just the night before1 had closed a big fair for the ,college4 ,many had served at the fair tables almost until the ,sabbath morning was ushered in4 ,they were tired4 ,all had given money1 many even beyond what they could afford4 ,it was1 besides1 the day after ,christmas1 and if ever a man's pocketbook is empty1 it is then4 ,to make the outlook still drearier1 the day opened with a snowstorm that threatened at church time to turn into a drizzling rain4 ,here was truly the impossible1 for none of the people at any time could give a large sum4 ,yet he faced the situation dauntlessly1 aroused his people1 and by evening #b1bjj had been pledged for immediate payment1 and of that #a1cjj was received in cash that ,sunday4 ,in a sermon once he said3 ,last summer ,i rode by a locality where there had been a mill1 now partially destroyed by a cyclone4 ,i looked at the great engine lying upon its side4 ,i looked at the wheels1 at the boilers so out of place1 thrown carelessly together4 ,i saw pieces of iron the uses of which ,i did not understand4 ,i saw iron bands1 bearings1 braces1 and shafting scattered about1 and ,i found the great circular saw rusting1 flat in the grass4 ,i went on my way wondering why any person should abandon so many pieces of such excellent machinery1 leaving good property to go to waste4 ,but again1 not many weeks ago1 ,i went by that same place and saw a building there1 temporary in its nature1 but with smoke pouring out of the stack and steam hissing and puffing from the exhaust pipe4 ,i heard the sound of the great saw singing its song of industry2 ,i saw the teamsters hauling away great loads of lumber4 ,the only difference between the apparently useless old lumber and scrap iron1 piled together in promiscuous confusion1 machinery thrown into a heap without the arrangement1 and the new building with its powerful engine working smoothly and swiftly for the comfort and wealth of men1 was that before the rebuilding1 the wheels1 the saw1 the shafting1 boilers1 piston-rod1 and fly wheel had no definite relation to each other4 ,but some man picked out all these features of a complete mill and put them into proper relation2 he adjusted shaft1 boiler1 and cogwheel1 put water in the boiler and fire under it1 let steam into the cylinders1 and moved piston-rod1 wheels1 and saw4 ,there were no new cogs1 wheels1 boilers1 or saws2 no new piece of machinery2 there has only been an intelligent spirit found to set them in their proper places and relationship4 ,one great difficulty with this world1 whether of the entire globe or the individual church1 is that it is made up of all sorts of machinery which is not adjusted2 which is out of place2 no fire under the boiler2 no steam to move the machinery4 ,there is none of the necessary relationship--there can he no affinity between cold and steam1 between power wasted and utility2 and to overcome this difficulty is one of the great problems of the earth to-day4 ,the churches are very much in this condition4 ,there are cogwheels1 pulleys1 belting1 and engines in the church1 but out of all useful relationship4 ,there are sincere1 earnest ,christians1 men and women1 but they are adjusted to no power and no purpose2 they have no definite relationship to utility4 ,they go or come1 or lie still and rust1 and a vast power for good is unapplied4 ,the text says ,we are ambassadors for ,christ2 that means1 in the clearest terms1 the greatest object of the ,christian teacher and worker should be the bringing into right relations all the forces of men1 and gearing them to the power of ,christ ,he undoubtedly understands bringing men together1 and getting them at work to secure almost marvelous results4 ,a friend speaking of his ability once said3 ,i admire ,mr4 ,conwell for the power of which he is possessed of reaching out and getting hold of men and grappling them to himself with hooks of steel4 ,i admire him not only for the power he has of binding men not only to himself1 but of binding men to ,christ1 and of binding them to one another2 for the power he has of generating enthusiasm4 ,his people are bound not only to the church1 to the pastor1 to ,god1 but to one another4 ,he never fails to appreciate the spirit with which a church member works1 even if results are not always as anticipated1 or even if the project itself is not always practical4 ,he will cheerfully put his hand down into his pocket and pay the bill for some impractical scheme1 rather than dampen the ardor of an enthusiastic worker4 ,he knows that experience will come with practice1 but that a willing1 zealous worker is above price4 ,those who know him most intimately find in him1 despite his strong1 practical common sense1 despite his years of hard work in the world1 despite the many times he has been deceived and imposed upon1 a certain boyish simplicity and guilelessness of heart1 a touch of the poetic1 idealistic temperament that sees gold where there is only brass2 that hopes and believes1 where reason for hope and belief there is none4 ,it is a winning trait that endears friends to him most closely1 that makes them cheerfully overlook such imprudent benefactions as may result from it1 though he himself holds it with a strong rein1 and only reveals that side of his nature to those who know him best4 ,he studies constantly how he may help others1 never how he may rest himself4 ,at his old home at ,south ,worthington1 ,mass41 he has built and equipped an academy for the education of the boys and girls of the neighborhood4 ,he wants no boy or girl of his home locality to have the bitter fight for an education that he was forced to experience4 ,it is a commodious building with class-rooms and a large public hall which is used for entertainments1 for prayer meetings1 harvest homes and all the gatherings of the nearby farming community4 ,many other enterprises besides those directly connected with the church grow out of ,dr4 ,conwell's desire to be of service to mankind4 ,but like the organizations of the church1 the need for them was strongly felt before they took form4 ,while officiating at the funeral of a fireman who had lost his life by the falling walls of a burning building and who had left three small children uncared for1 ,dr4 ,conwell was impressed with the need of a home for the orphans of men who risked their lives for the city's good4 ,pondering the subject1 he was called that same day to the bedside of a shut-in1 who1 while he was there1 asked him if there was any way by which she could be of service to helpless children left without paternal care or support4 ,she said the subject had been on her mind and such a work was dear to her heart4 ,she was a gifted writer and wielded considerable influence and could1 by her pen1 do much good for such a work1 not only by her writings but by personal letters asking for contributions to establish and support an orphanage4 ,the coincidence impressed the matter still more strongly on ,dr4 ,conwell's mind4 ,but that was not the end of it4 ,still that same day1 a lady came to him and asked his assistance in securing for her a position as matron of an orphanage2 and a woman physician came to his study and offered her services free1 to care for orphan children in an institution for them4 ,such direct leading was not to be withstood4 ,dr4 ,conwell called on a former chief of police and asked his opinion as to an orphanage for the children of fireman and policeman4 ,the policeman welcomed the project heartily1 said he had long been thinking of that very problem1 and that if it were started by a responsible person1 several thousand dollars would be given by the policeman for its support4 ,still wondering if he should take such leadings as indications of a definite need1 ,dr4 ,conwell went to his study1 called in some of his church advisers and talked the matter over4 ,nothing at that meeting was definitely settled1 because some work interrupted it and those present dispersed for other duties4 ,but as they disbanded and ,dr4 ,conwell opened his mail1 a check fell out for #ge from ,rev4 ,chas4 ,m4 ,sheldon1 which he said in the letter accompanying it1 he desired to give toward a movement for helping needy children4 ,dr4 ,conwell no longer hesitated1 and the ,philadelphia ,orphans' ,home ,society1 of which he is president1 was organized1 and has done a good work in caring for helpless little ones1 giving its whole effort to securing permanent homes for the children and their adoption into lonely families4 ,although most of the money from his lectures goes to ,temple ,college1 he uses a portion of it to support poor students elsewhere4 ,he has paid for the education of #a1eej college students besides contributing partly to the education of hundreds of others4 ,in fact1 all the money he makes1 outside of what is required for immediate needs of his family1 is given away4 ,he cares so little for money for himself1 his wants are so few and simple1 that he seldom pays any attention as to whether he has enough with him for personal use4 ,he found once when starting to lecture in ,new ,jersey that after he had bought his ticket he hadn't a cent left4 ,thinking1 however1 he would be paid when the lecture was over1 he went on4 ,but the lecture committee told him they would send a check4 ,having no money to pay a hotel bill1 he took the train back4 ,reaching ,philadelphia after midnight he boarded a trolley and told the conductor who he was and his predicament1 offering to send the man the money for his fare next day4 ,but the conductor was not to be fooled1 said he didn't know ,dr4 ,conwell from ,adam1 and put him off4 ,and ,dr4 ,conwell walked twenty long blocks to his home1 chuckling all the way at the humor of the situation4 ,he has a keen sense of humor1 as his audiences know4 ,though the spiritual side of his nature is so intense1 his love of fun and appreciation of the humorous relieves him from being solemn or sanctimonious4 ,he is sunny1 cheerful1 ever ready at a chance meeting with a smile or a joke4 ,children1 who as a rule look upon a minister as a man enshrouded in solemn dignity1 are delightfully surprised to find in him a jolly1 fun-loving comrade1 a fact which has much to do with the number of young people who throng ,grace church and enter its membership4 ,the closeness of his walk with ,god is shown in his unbounded faith1 in the implicit reliance he has in the power of prayer4 ,though to the world he attacks the problems confronting him with shrewd1 practical business sense1 behind and underneath this1 and greater than it all1 is the earnestness with which he first seeks to know the will of ,god and the sincerity with which he consecrates himself to the work4 ,christ is to him a very near personal friend1 in very truth an ,elder ,brother to whom he constantly goes for guidance and help1 ,whose will he wants to do solely1 in the current of ,whose purpose he wants to move4 ,men who intend to serve the ,lord should consecrate themselves in heart-searching and prayer1 he has said many and many a time4 ,and of prayer itself he says3 ,there is planted in every human heart this knowledge1 namely1 that there is a power beyond our reach1 a mysterious potency shaping the forces of life1 which if we would win we must have in our favor4 ,there come to us all1 events over which we have no control by physical or mental power4 ,is there any hope of guiding those mysterious forces8 ,yes1 friends1 there is a way of securing them in our favor or preventing them from going against us4 ,how8 ,it is by prayer4 ,when a man has done all he can do1 still there is a mighty1 mysterious agency over which he needs influence to secure success4 ,the only way he can reach that is by prayer4 ,he has good reason to believe in the power of prayer1 for the answers he has received in some cases have seemed almost miraculous4 ,when ,the ,temple was being built1 ,dr4 ,conwell proposed that the new pipe organ be put in to be ready for the opening service4 ,but the church felt it would be unwise to assume such an extra burden of debt and voted against it4 ,dr4 ,conwell felt persuaded that the organ ought to go in1 and spent one whole night in ,the ,temple in prayer for guidance4 ,as the result1 he decided that the organ should be built4 ,the contract was given1 the first payment made1 but when in a few months a note of #a1ejj came due1 there was not a cent in the treasury to meet it4 ,he knew it would be a most disastrous blow to the church interests1 with such a vast building project started1 to have that note go to protest4 ,yet he couldn't ask the membership to raise the money since it had voted against building the organ at that time4 ,disheartened1 full of gloomy foreboding1 he came ,sunday morning to the church to preach4 ,the money must be ready next morning1 yet he knew not which way to turn4 ,he felt he had been acting in accordance with ,god's will1 for the decision had been made after a night of earnest prayer4 ,yet here stood a wall of ,jericho before him and no divine direction came as to how to make it fall4 ,as he entered his study1 his private secretary handed him a letter4 ,he opened it1 and out fell a check for #a1ejj from an unknown man in ,massillon1 ,ohio1 who had once heard ,dr4 ,conwell lecture and felt strangely impelled to send him #a1ejj to use in ,the ,temple work4 ,dr4 ,conwell prayed and rejoiced in an ecstasy of gratitude4 ,three times he broke down during the sermon4 ,his people wondered what was the matter1 but said he had never preached more powerfully4 ,he is a man of prayer and a man of work4 ,loving1 great-hearted1 unselfish1 cheery1 practical1 hard-working1 he yet draws his greatest inspiration from that silent inner communion with the ,master he serves with such single-hearted1 unfaltering devotion4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi ,,the ,,manner ,,of ,,the ,,message ,the ,style of the ,sermons4 ,their ,subject ,matter4 ,preaching to ,help ,some ,individual ,church ,member4 ,in the pulpit1 ,dr4 ,conwell is as simple and natural as he is in his study or in the home4 ,every part of the service is rendered with the heart1 as well as the understanding4 ,his reading of a chapter from the ,bible is a sermon in itself4 ,the vast congregation follow it with as close attention as they do the sermon4 ,he seems to make every verse alive1 to send it with new meaning into each heart4 ,the people in it are real people1 who have lived and suffered1 who had all the hopes and fears of men and women of to-day4 ,often little explanations are dropped or timely1 practical applications1 and when it is over1 if that were all of the service one would be repaid for attending4 ,the hymns1 too1 are read with feeling and life4 ,if a verse expresses a sentiment contrary to the church feeling1 it is not sung4 ,he will not have sung what is not worthy of belief4 ,the sermons are full of homely1 practical illustrations1 drawn from the experiences of everyday life4 ,dr4 ,conwell announces his text and begins quite simply1 sometimes with a little story to illustrate his thought4 ,if ,bible characters take any part in it1 he makes them real men and women4 ,he pictures them so graphically1 the audience sees them1 hears them talk1 knows what they thought1 how they lived4 ,in a word1 each hearer feels as if he had met them personally4 ,never again are they mere names4 ,they are living1 breathing men and women4 ,dr4 ,conwell makes his sermons human because he touches life1 the life of the past1 the life of the present1 the lives of those in his audience4 ,he makes them interesting by his word pictures4 ,he holds attention by the dramatic interest he infuses into the theme4 ,he has been called the ,story-telling ,preacher because his sermons are so full of anecdote and illustrations4 ,but every story not only points a moral1 but is full of the interest that fastens it on the hearer's mind4 ,children in their teens enjoy his sermons1 so vivid are they1 so full of human1 every day interest4 ,yet all this is but the framework on which is reared some helpful1 inspiring ,biblical truth which is the crown1 the climax1 and which because of its careful upbuilding by story and homely illustration is fixed on the hearer's mind and heart in a way never to be forgotten4 ,it is held there by the simple things of life he sees about him every day1 and which1 every time he sees them1 recall the truth he has heard preached4 ,dr4 ,thomas ,may ,pierce1 speaking of ,dr4 ,conwell's method of preaching1 says3 ,spurgeon sought the masses and found them by preaching the gospel with homely illustrations2 ,russell ,h4 ,conwell comes to ,philadelphia1 he seeks out the masses1 he finds them with his plain presentation of the old1 old story4 ,occasionally he paints word pictures that hold the audience enthralled1 or when some great wrong stirs him1 rises to heights of impassioned oratory that bring his audience to tears4 ,he never writes out his sermons4 ,indeed1 often he has no time to give them any preparation whatever4 ,sometimes he does not choose his text until he comes on the platform4 ,nobody regrets more than ,dr4 ,conwell this lack of preparation1 but so many duties press1 every minute has so many burdens of work1 that it is impossible at times to crowd in a thought for the sermon4 ,it is left for the inspiration of the moment4 ,i preach poor sermons that other men may preach good ones1 he remarked once1 meaning that so much of his time was taken up with church work and lecturing that he has little to give his sermons1 and almost all of the fees from his lectures are devoted to the education of men for the ministry4 ,his one purpose in his sermons is to bring ,christ into the lives of his people1 to bring them some message from the word of ,god that will do them good1 make them better1 lift them up spiritually to a higher plane4 ,his people know he comes to them with this strong desire in his heart and they attend the services feeling confident that even though he is poorly prepared1 they will nevertheless get practical and spiritual help for the week4 ,when he knows that some one member is struggling with a special problem either in business1 in the home circle1 in his spiritual life1 he endeavors to weave into his sermon something that will help him1 knowing that no heart is alone in its sorrow1 that the burden one bears1 others carry1 and what will reach one will carry a message or cheer to many4 ,during the building of ,the ,temple1 says ,smith in his interesting life of ,dr4 ,conwell1 a devoted member1 who was in the bookbinding business1 walked to his office every morning and put his car-fare into the building fund4 ,dr4 ,conwell made note of the sacrifice1 and asked himself the question1 ',how can ,i help that man to be more prosperous8' ,he kept him in mind1 and while on a lecturing trip he visited a town where improved machines for bookbinding were employed4 ,he called at the establishment and found out all he could about the new machines4 ,the next ,sunday morning1 he used the new bookbinder as an illustration of some ,scriptural truth4 ,the result was1 the church member secured the machines of which his pastor had spoken1 and increased his income many-fold4 ,the largest sum of money given to the building of the new ,temple was given by that same bookbinder4 ,a certain lady made soap for a fair held in the ,lower ,temple4 ,dr4 ,conwell advised her to go into the soap-making business4 ,she hesitated to take his advice4 ,he visited a well known soap factory1 and in one of his sermons described the most improved methods of soap-making as an illustration of some improved method of ,christian work4 ,hearing the illustration used from the pulpit1 the lady in question acted on the pastor's previous advice1 and started her nephew in the soap business1 in which he has prospered4 ,a certain blacksmith in ,philadelphia who was a member of ,grace ,church1 but who lived in another part of the city1 was advised by ,dr4 ,conwell to start a mission in his neighborhood4 ,the mechanic pleaded ignorance and his inability to acquire sufficient education to enable him to do any kind of ,christian work4 ,on ,sunday morning ,dr4 ,conwell wove into his sermon an historical sketch of ,elihu ,burritt1 that poor boy with meagre school advantages1 who bound out to a blacksmith1 at the age of sixteen1 and compelled to associate with the ignorant1 yet learned thirty-three languages1 became a scholar and an orator of fame4 ,the hesitating blacksmith1 encouraged by the example of ,elihu ,burritt1 took courage and went to work4 ,he founded the mission which soon grew into the ,tioga ,baptist ,church4 ,in addition to helping his own church members1 this method of preaching had other results4 ,smith gives the following instance3 ,a few years ago the pastor of a small country church in ,massachusetts resolved to try ,dr4 ,conwell's method of imparting useful information through his illustrations1 and teaching the people what they needed to know4 ,acting on ,dr4 ,conwell's advice1 he studied agricultural chemistry1 dairy farming1 and household economy4 ,he did not become a sensationalist and advertise to preach on these subjects1 but he brought in many helpful illustrations which the people recognized as valuable1 and soon the meeting-house was filled with eager listeners4 ,after careful study the minister became convinced that the farmers on those old worn-out farms in ,western ,massachusetts should go into the dairy business1 and feed their cows on ensilage through the long ,new ,england winter4 ,one bright morning he preached a sermon on ',leaven1' and incidentally used a silo as an illustration4 ,the preacher did not sacrifice his sermon to his illustration1 but taught a great truth and set the farmers to thinking along a new line4 ,as a result of that sermon one poor farmer built a silo and filled it with green corn in the autumn2 his cows relished the new food and repaid him splendidly with milk4 ,that farmer ,is the richest man ,in the country to-day4 ,this is only one of a great many ways in which that practical preacher helped his poor1 struggling parishioners by using the ,conwell method4 ,what was the spiritual result of such preaching among the country people8 ,he had a great1 wide1 and deep revival of religion1 the first the church had enjoyed for twenty-five years4 ,thus ,dr4 ,conwell weaves practical sense and spiritual truths together in a way that helps people for the span of life they live in this world1 for the eternal life beyond4 ,he never forgets the soul and its needs4 ,that is his foremost thought4 ,but he recognizes also that there is a body and that it lives in a practical world4 ,and whenever and wherever he can help practically1 as well as spiritually1 he does it1 realizing that the world needs ,christians who have the means as well as the spirit to carry forward ,christ's work4 ,speaking of his methods of preaching1 ,rev4 ,albert ,g4 ,lawson1 ,d4,d41 says3 ,he has been blessed in his ministry because of three things3 ,he has a democratic1 philosophic1 philanthropic bee in his bonnet1 a big one1 too1 and he has attempted to bring us to see that churches mean something beside fine houses and good music4 ,there must be a recognition of the fact that when a man is lost1 he is lost in body as well as in soul ,one needs1 therefore1 as our ,lord would1 to begin at the foundations1 the building anew of the mind with the body2 and ,i bless ,god for the democratic1 and the philosophic1 and the philanthropic idea which is manifest in this strong church4 ,i hope there will be enough power in it to make every ,baptist minister sick until he tries to occupy the same field that ,jesus ,christ did in his life and ministry2 until every one of the churches shall recognize the privilege of having ,jesus ,christ reshaped in the men and women near them4 ,,chapter ,,xxxii ,,these ,,busy ,,later ,,days ,a ,typical ,week ,day4 ,a ,typical ,sunday4 ,mrs4 ,conwell4 ,back to the ,berkshires in ,summer for ,rest4 ,by the record of what ,dr4 ,conwell has accomplished may be judged how busy are his days4 ,in early youth he learned to use his time to the best advantage4 ,studying and working on the farm1 working and studying at ,wilbraham and ,yale1 told him how precious is each minute4 ,work he must when he wanted to study4 ,study he must when he needed to work4 ,every minute became as carefully treasured as though it were a miser's gold4 ,but it was excellent training for the busy later days when work would press from all sides until it was distraction to know what to do first4 ,do the next thing1 is the advice he gives his college students4 ,it is undoubtedly a saving of time to take the work that lies immediately at hand and despatch it4 ,but when the hand is surrounded by work in a score of important forms1 all clamoring for recognition1 what is the next thing becomes a question difficult to decide4 ,then it is that one must plan as carefully to use one's minutes as he does to expend one's income when expenses outrun it4 ,his private secretary gave the following account1 in the ,temple ,magazine1 of a week day and a ,sunday in ,dr4 ,conwell's life3 ,no two days are alike in his work1 and he has no specified hour for definite classes of calls or kinds of work4 ,after breakfast he goes to his office in ,the ,temple4 ,here visitors from half a dozen to twenty await him1 representing a great variety of needs or business4 ,visitors wait their turn in the ante-room of his study and are received by him in the order of their arrival4 ,the importance of business1 rank or social position of the caller does not interfere with this order4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,chorus ,,of ,,the ,,baptist ,,temple ,throughout the whole day in the street1 at the church1 at the ,college1 wherever he goes1 he is beset by persons urging him for money1 free lectures1 to write introductions to all sorts of books1 for sermons1 or to take up collections for indigent individuals or churches4 ,letters reach him even from ,canada1 asking him to take care of some aunt1 uncle1 runaway son1 or needy family1 in ,philadelphia4 ,sometimes for days together he does not secure five minutes to attend to his correspondence4 ,personal letters which he must answer himself often wait for weeks before he can attend to them1 although he endeavors1 as a rule1 to answer important letters on the day they are received4 ,people call to request him to deliver addresses at the dedication of churches1 schoolhouses1 colleges1 flag-raisings1 commencements1 and anniversaries1 re-unions1 political meetings1 and all manner of reform movements4 ,authors urge him to read their work in manuscript2 orators without orations write to him and come to him for address or sermon2 applications flow in for letters of introduction highly recommending entire strangers for anything they want4 ,agents for books come to him for endorsements1 with religious newspapers for subscriptions and articles1 and with patent medicines urging him to be 'cured with one bottle4' ,it is well known that he was a lawyer before entering the ministry1 and orphans1 guardians1 widows1 and young men entering business come to him asking him to make wills1 contracts1 etc41 and to give them points of law concerning their undertakings4 ,weddings and funerals claim his attention4 ,urgent messages to visit the sick and the dying and the unfortunate come to him1 and these appeals are answered first either by himself or the associate pastor2 the cries of the suffering making the most eloquent of all appeals to these two busy men4 ,frequently he comes to the church again in the afternoon to meet some one by appointment4 ,both afternoon and evening are crowded with engagements to see people1 to make addresses1 to attend special meetings of various kinds1 with ,college and ,hospital duties4 ,i am expected to preside at six different meetings to-night1 he said smilingly to a friend at ,the ,temple one evening as the membership began to stream in to look after its different lines of work4 ,much1 of the time during the winter he is away lecturing1 but he keeps in constant communication with ,the ,temple and its work4 ,by letter1 wire or telephone he is ready to respond to any emergency requiring his advice or suggestion4 ,these lecture trips carry him all over the country1 but they are so carefully planned that with rare exceptions he is in the pulpit ,sunday morning4 ,frequently1 when returning1 he wires for his secretary to meet him part way1 if from the ,west1 at ,harrisburg or ,altoona2 if from the ,south1 at ,washington or beyond4 ,the secretary brings the mail and the remaining hours of the journey are filled with work1 dictating letters1 articles for magazines or press1 possibly material for a book1 whatever work most presses4 ,pastoral calls in the usual sense of the term cannot be made in a membership of more than three thousand4 ,but visits to the sick1 to the poor1 to the dying1 are paid whenever the call comes4 ,to help and console the afflicted1 to point the way to ,christ1 is the work nearest and dearest to ,dr4 ,conwell's heart and always comes first4 ,funerals1 too1 claim a large part of the pastor's time1 seven in one day among the ,grace ,church membership calling for the services of both ,dr4 ,conwell and his associate4 ,weddings are not an unimportant feature1 six having been one day's record at ,the ,temple4 ,of his ,sundays1 his secretary says3 ,from the time of rising until half-past eight1 he gives special attention to the subject of the morning sermon1 and usually selects his text and general line of thought before sitting down to breakfast4 ,after family prayers1 he spends half an hour in his study1 at home1 examining books and authorities in the completion of his sermon4 ,sometimes he is unable to select a text until reaching ,the ,temple4 ,he has1 though rarely1 made his selection after taking his place at the pulpit4 ,at nine-thirty1 he is always promptly in his place at the opening of the ,young ,men's prayer-meeting or at the ,women's prayer-meeting in the ,lower ,temple4 ,at the ,young ,men's meeting he plays the organ and leads the singing4 ,if he takes any other part in the meeting he is very brief1 in talk or prayer4 ,at half-past ten he goes directly to the ,upper ,temple1 where as a rule he conducts all the exercises with the exception of the 'notices' and a prayer offered by the associate pastor1 or in his absence at an overflow service in the ,lower ,temple1 by the dean of the ,college or chaplain of the ,hospital4 ,the pastor meets the candidates for baptism in his study before service1 for conference and prayer4 ,in administering the ordinance1 he is assisted by the associate pastor1 who leads the candidates into the baptistry4 ,the pastor reads the hymns4 ,it is his custom to preach without any notes whatever2 rarely1 a scrap of paper may lie on the desk containing memoranda or suggestions of leading thoughts1 but frequently even when this is the case the notes are ignored4 ,a prominent--possibly the prevailing--idea in the preparation of his sermons is the need of individuals in his congregation4 ,he aims to say those things which will be the most helpful and inspiring to the unconverted seeking ,christ1 or to the ,christian desiring to lead a nobler spiritual life4 ,it may be said of nearly all his illustrations that they present such a variety of spiritual teaching that different persons will catch from them different suggestions adapted to needs of each4 ,the morning service closes promptly at twelve o'clock2 then follows an informal reception for thirty minutes or it may be an hour1 for hundreds1 sometimes a thousand and more1 many of them visitors from other cities and states1 press forward to shake hands with him4 ,this1 ,dr4 ,conwell considers an important part of his church work1 giving him an opportunity to meet many of the church members and extend personal greetings to those whom he would have no possible opportunity to visit in their homes4 ,he dines at one o'clock4 ,at two1 he is in ,the ,temple2 again he receives more callers1 and if possible makes some preparation for services of the afternoon1 in connection with the ,sunday-school work4 ,at two-thirty1 he is present at the opening of the ,junior department of the ,sunday-school in the ,lower ,temple1 where he takes great interest in the singing1 which is a special feature of that department4 ,at three o'clock1 he appears promptly on the platform in the auditorium where the ,adult department of the ,sunday-school meets1 gives a short exposition of the lesson for the day1 and answers from the ,question ,box4 ,these cover a great variety of subjects1 from the absurdity of some crack-brained crank to the pathetic appeal of some needy soul4 ,some of these questions may be sent in by mail during the week1 but the greater part of them are handed to the pastor by the ushers4 ,to secure an answer the question must be upon some subject connected with religious life or experience1 some theme of ,christian ethics in everyday life4 ,when the questions are answered1 the pastor returns to the ,lower ,temple1 going to the ,junior1 ,intermediate1 or ,kindergarten department to assist in the closing exercises4 ,at the close of the ,sunday-school session1 teachers and scholars surround him1 seeking information or advice concerning the school work1 their ,christian experience or perhaps to tell him their desire to unite with the church4,a ,footnote ,a3 ,lately 7#aije71 however1 he has had to give up much of this ,sunday-school work on account of the need of rest4 ,as a rule1 he leaves ,the ,temple at five o'clock ,if he finds no visitors with appeals for counsel or assistance waiting for him at his home1 he lies down for half an hour4 ,usually the visitors are there1 and his half-hour rest is postponed until after the evening service4 ,supper at five-thirty1 after which he goes to his study to prepare for the evening service1 selecting his subject and looking up such references as he thinks may be useful4 ,at seven-fifteen1 he is in ,the ,temple again1 often visiting for a few moments one of the ,christian ,endeavor societies1 several of which are at that time in session in the ,lower ,temple4 ,at half-past seven the general service is held in the auditorium4 ,the evening sermon is published weekly in the ,temple ,review4 ,he gives all portions of this service full attention4 ,at nine o'clock this service closes1 and the pastor goes once more to the ,lower ,temple1 where both congregations1 the 'main' and the 'overflow' unite1 so far as is possible1 in a union prayer service4 ,the hall of the ,lower ,temple and the rooms connected with it are always overcrowded at this service meeting1 and many are unable to get within hearing of the speakers on the platform4 ,here ,dr4 ,conwell presides at the organ and has general direction of the evangelistic services1 assisted by the associate pastor4 ,as enquirers rise for prayers1--the prayers of ,god's people1--,dr4 ,conwell makes note of each one1 and to their great surprise recognizes them when he meets them on the street or at another service1 long afterward4 ,this union meeting is followed by another general reception especially intended for a few words of personal conversation with those who have risen for prayer and with strangers who are brought forward and introduced by members of the church4 ,this is the most fatiguing part of the day's work and occupies from one hour to an hour and a half4 ,he reaches home about eleven o'clock and before retiring makes a careful memoranda of such people as have requested him to pray for them1 and such other matters as may require his attention during the week4 ,he seldom gets to bed much before midnight4 ,in all the crowd and pressure of work1 he is ably assisted by ,mrs4 ,conwell4 ,in the early days of his ministry at ,grace ,church she was his private secretary1 but as the work grew for both of them1 she was compelled to give this up4 ,she enters into all her husband's work and plans with cheery1 helpful enthusiasm4 ,yet her hands are full of her own special church work1 for she is a most important member of the various working associations of the church1 college and hospital4 ,for many years she was treasurer of the large annual fairs of ,the ,temple1 as well as being at the head of a number of large teas and fairs held for the benefit of ,samaritan ,hospital4 ,in addition to all this church and charitable work1 she makes the home a happy centre of the brightest social life and a quiet1 well-ordered retreat for the tired preacher and lecturer when he needs rest4 ,a writer in ,the ,ladies' ,home ,journal1 in a series of articles on ,wives of ,famous ,pastors1 says of ,mrs4 ,conwell3 ,mrs4 ,conwell finds her greatest happiness in her husband's work1 and gives him always her sympathy and devotion4 ,she passes many hours at work by his side when he is unable to notice her by word or look2 she knows he delights ,in her presence1 for he often says when writing1 ',i can do better if you remain4' ,her whole life is wrapped up in the work of ,the ,temple1 and all those multitudinous enterprises connected with that most successful of churches4 ,she makes an ideal wife for a pastor whose work is varied and whose time is as interrupted as are ,mr4 ,conwell's work and time4 ,on her husband's lecture tours she looks well after his comfort1 seeing to those things which a busy and earnest man is almost sure to overlook and neglect4 ,in all things he finds her his helpmeet and caretaker4 ,from this busy life the family escape in summer to ,dr4 ,conwell's boyhood home in the ,berkshires4 ,here amid the hills he loves1 with the brook of his boyhood days again singing him to sleep1 he rests and recuperates for the coming winter's campaign4 ,the little farmhouse is vastly changed since those early days4 ,many additions have been made1 modern improvements added1 spacious porches surround it on all sides1 and a green1 velvety lawn dotted with shrubbery and flowers has replaced the rocks and stones1 the sparse grass of fifty years ago4 ,if ,martin and ,miranda ,conwell could return and see the little house now with its artistic furnishings1 its walls hung with pictures from those very lands the mother read her boy about1 they would think miracles had indeed come to pass4 ,in front of the house where once flashed a little brook that set the silences to rhyme is now a silvery lake framed in rich green foliage4 ,up in the hill where swayed the old hemlock with the eagle's nest for a crown rises an observatory4 ,from the top one gazes in summer into a billowy sea of green in which the spire of the ,methodist church rises like a far distant white sail4 ,it is a happy family that gathers in the old homestead during the summer days4 ,his daughter1 now ,mrs4 ,tuttle1 comes with her children1 ,mr4 ,turtle1 who is a civil engineer1 joining them when his work permits4 ,dr4 ,conwell's son ,leon1 proprietor and editor of the ,somerville 7,mass47 ,journal1 with his wife and child1 always spend as much of the summer there as possible4 ,one vacant chair there is in the happy family circle4 ,agnes1 the only child of ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,conwell1 died in #aija1 in her twenty-sixth year4 ,she was the wife of ,alfred ,barker4 ,a remarkably bright and gifted girl1 clever with her pen1 charming in her personality1 an enthusiastic and successful worker in the many interests of church1 college and hospital1 her death was a sad loss to her family and friends4 ,not only the beauty of the place but the associations bring rest and peace to the tired spirit of the busy preacher and lecturer1 and he returns to his work refreshed1 ready to take up with rekindled energy and enthusiasm the tasks awaiting him4 ,thus his busy life goes on1 full of unceasing work for the good of others4 ,over his bed hangs a gold sheathed sword which to him is a daily inspiration to do some deed worthy of the sacrifice which it typifies4 ,i look at it each morning1 said ,dr4 ,conwell to a friend1 and pray for help to do something that day to make my life worthy of such a sacrifice4 ,and each1 day he prays the prayer his father prayed for him in boyhood days1 ,may no person be the worse because ,i have lived this day1 but may some one be the better4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii ,,as ,a ,,lecturer ,his ,wide ,fame as a ,lecturer4 ,date of ,entrance on ,lecture ,platform4 ,number of ,lectures ,given4 ,the ,press on ,his ,lectures4 ,some ,instances of ,how ,his ,lectures ,have ,helped ,people4 ,address at ,banquet to ,president ,mc,kinley4 ,in the maze of this church1 college and hospital work1 ,dr4 ,conwell finds time to lecture from one hundred to two hundred and twenty-five times in a year4 ,indeed1 he frequently leaves ,philadelphia at midnight after a ,sunday of hard work1 travels and lectures as far as ,kansas and is back again for ,friday evening prayer meeting and for his duties the following ,sunday4 ,as a lecturer1 he is probably known to a greater number of people than he is as a preacher1 for his lecturing trips take him from the ,atlantic to the ,pacific4 ,since he began1 he has delivered more than six thousand lectures4 ,he has been on the lecture platform since the year #ahfb1 giving on an average of two hundred lectures in a year4 ,in addition1 he has addressed many of the largest conventions in ,america and preaches weekly to an audience of more than three thousand4 ,so that he has undoubtedly addressed more people in ,america than any man living4 ,he is to-day one of the most eminent and most popular figures on the lecture platform of this country1 the last of the galaxy of such men as ,gough1 ,beecher1 ,chapin4 ,there are but ten real ,american lecturers on the ,american platform to-day1 says ,leslie's ,weekly4 ,russell ,conwell is one of the ten and probably the most eminent4 ,his lectures1 like his sermons1 are full of practical help and good sense4 ,they are profusely illustrated with anecdote and story that fasten the thought of his subject4 ,he uses no notes1 and gives his lecture little thought during the day4 ,indeed1 he often does not know the subject until he hears the chairman announce it4 ,if the lecture is new or one that he has not given for many years1 he occasionally has a few notes or a brief outline before him4 ,but usually he is so full of the subject1 ideas and illustrations so crowd his mind that he is troubled with the wealth1 rather than the dearth1 of material4 ,he rarely gives a lecture twice alike4 ,the main thought1 of course1 is the same4 ,but new experiences suggest new illustrations1 and so1 no matter how many times one hears it1 he always hears something new4 ,that's the third time ,i've heard ,acres of ,diamonds1 said one delighted auditor1 and every time it grows better4 ,perhaps the best idea of his lectures can be gleaned from the press notices that have appeared1 though he never keeps a press notice himself1 nor pays any attention to the compliments that may have been paid him4 ,these that have been collected at random by friends by no means cover the field of what has been said or written about him4 ,speaking of a lecture in #ahgj1 when he toured ,england1 the ,london ,telegraph says3 ,the man is weirdly like his native hills4 ,you can hear the cascades and the trickling streams in his tone of voice4 ,he has a strange and unconscious power of so modulating his voice as to suggest the roar of the tempest in rocky declivities1 or the soft echo of music in distant valleys4 ,the breezy freshness and natural suggestiveness of varied nature in its wild state was completely fascinating4 ,he excelled in description1 and the auditor could almost hear the ,niagara roll as he described it1 and listened to catch the sound of sighing pines in his voice as he told of the ,carolinas4 ,the lecture was wonderful in clearness1 powerful1 and eloquent in delivery1 says the ,london ,news4 ,the speaker made the past a living present1 and led the audience1 unconscious of time1 with him in his walks and talks with famous men4 ,when engrossed in his lecture his facial expression is a study4 ,his countenance conveys more quickly than his words the thought which he is elucidating1 and when he refers to his ,maker1 his face takes on an expression indescribable for its purity4 ,he seems to hold the people as children stare at brilliant and startling pictures4 ,it is of no use to try to report ,conwell's lectures1 is the verdict of the ,springfield ,union4 ,they are unique4 ,unlike anything or any one else4 ,filled with good sense1 brilliant with new suggestions1 and inspiring always to noble life and deeds1 they always please with their wit4 ,the reader of his addresses does not know the full power of the man4 ,his stories are always singularly adapted to the lecturer's purpose4 ,each story is mirth-provoking4 ,the audience chuckled1 shook1 swayed1 and roared with convulsions of laughter1 says the ,london ,times4 ,he has been in the lecture field but a few years1 yet he has already made a place beside such men as ,phillips1 ,beecher1 and ,chapin4 ,the only lecturer in ,america1 concludes the ,philadelphia ,times1 who can fill a hall in this city with three thousand people at a dollar a ticket4 ,the most popular of all his lectures is ,acres of ,diamonds1 which he has given #c1dbj times1 which is printed1 in part1 at the end of the book4 ,but his list of lectures is a long one1 including3 ,the ,philosophy of ,history4 ,men of the ,mountains4 ,the ,old and the ,new ,new ,england4 ,my ,fallen ,comrades4 ,the ,dust of ,our ,battlefields4 ,was it a ,ghost ,story8 ,the ,unfortunate ,chinese4 ,three ,scenes in ,babylon4 ,three ,scenes from the ,mount of ,olives4 ,americans in ,europe4 ,general ,grant's ,empire4 ,princess ,elizabeth4 ,guides4 ,success in ,life4 ,the ,undiscovered4 ,the ,silver ,crown1 or ,born a ,king4 ,heroism of a ,private ,life4 ,the ,jolly ,earthquake4 ,heroes and ,heroines4 ,garibaldi1 or the ,power of ,blind ,faith4 ,the ,angel's ,lily4 ,the ,life of ,columbus4 ,five ,million ,dollars for the ,face of the ,moon4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,that ,horrid ,turk4 ,cuba's ,appeal to the ,united ,states4 ,anita1 the ,feminine ,torch4 ,personal ,glimpses of ,celebrated ,men and ,women4 ,his lecturing tours now are confined to the ,united ,states1 as his church duties will not permit him to go farther afield1 but so wide is his fame that a few years ago he declined an offer of #ci1jjj for a six months' engagement ,in ,australia4 ,this year 7#aije7 he received an offer of #ej1jjj for two hundred lectures in ,australia and ,england4 ,he lectures1 as he preaches1 with the earnest desire ever uppermost to help some one4 ,he never goes to a lecture engagement without a definite prayer to ,god that his words may be so directed as to do some good to the community or to some individual4 ,when he has delivered ,acres of ,diamonds1 he frequently leaves a sum of money with the editor of the leading paper in the town to be given as a prize for any one who advances the most practical idea for using waste forces in the neighborhood4 ,in one ,vermont town where he had lectured1 the money was won by a young man who after a careful study of the products of the neighborhood1 said he believed the lumber of that section was especially adapted to the making of coffins4 ,a sum of #b1jjj was raised1 the water power harnessed and a factory started4 ,a man in ,michigan who was on the verge of bankruptcy1 having lost heavily in real estate speculation1 heard ,acres of ,diamonds1 and started in1 as the lecture advises1 right at home to rebuild his fortunes4 ,instead of giving up1 he began the same business again1 fought a plucky fight and is now president of the bank and a leading financier of the town4 ,a poor farmer of ,western ,massachusetts1 finding it impossible to make a living on his stony place1 had made up his mind to move and advertised his farm for sale4 ,he heard ,acres of ,diamonds1 took to heart its lessons4 ,raise what the people about you need1 it said to him4 ,he went into the small fruit business and is now a rich man4 ,the man who invented the turnout and switch system for electric cars received his suggestion from ,acres of ,diamonds4 ,a baker heard ,acres of ,diamonds1 got an idea for an improved oven and made thousands of dollars from it4 ,a teacher in ,montrose1 ,pennsylvania1 was so impressed with the practical ideas in the now famous lecture that he determined to teach what his pupils most needed to know4 ,being in a farming district1 he added agricultural chemistry to their studies with such success that the next year he was elected principal of one of the ,montrose schools and shortly afterward was appointed ,superintendent of ,education and ,president of the ,state ,university of ,ohio4 ,but incidents by the hundreds could be related or practical1 helpful results that flow from ,dr4 ,conwell's lectures4 ,there is yet another side of their helpfulness that the world knows little about4 ,in his early lecturing days1 he resolved to give his lecture fees to the education of poor boys and faithfully through all these years has that resolve been kept ,the ,redpath ,lyceum ,bureau has paid him nearly #cjj1jjj1 and more than #bjj1jjj of this has gone directly to help those poor in purse who hunger after knowledge1 as he himself did in those days at ,wilbraham when help would have been so welcome4 ,the balance has been given to ,temple ,college1 which in itself is the strongest and most helpful hand ever stretched out to those struggling for an education4 ,in addition to his lectures1 he is called upon to make innumerable addresses at various meetings1 public gatherings and conventions4 ,those who have never heard him speak may gather some idea of the impression he makes by the following letter written by a gentleman who attended the banquet given to ,president ,mc,kinley at the ,g4,a4,r4 encampment in ,philadelphia in #ahii3 ,at the table with the ,president was ,russell ,h4 ,conwell1 and no one near me could tell me who he was4 ,we mistook him for the new ,secretary of ,war1 until ,secretary ,root made his speech4 ,there was a highly intelligent and remarkably representative audience of the nation at a magnificent banquet in the hall decorated regardless of cost4 ,the addresses were all specially good and made by men specially before the nation4 ,yet all the evening till after midnight there were continuous interruptions and much noise of voices1 dishes1 and waiters4 ,men at distant tables laughed out often4 ,it was difficult to hear at best1 the acoustics were so bad4 ,the speakers took it as a matter of course at such a 'continuous performance4' ,some of the ,representatives must have thought they were at home in the ,house at ,washington4 ,they listened or not1 as they chose4 ,the great hall was quiet only when the ,president gave his address1 except when the enclosed remarks were made long after midnight1 when all were worn out with speeches4 ,when1 about the last thing1 ,conwell was introduced by the chairman1 no one heard his name because of the noise at the tables4 ,two men asked me who he was4 ,but not two minutes after he began1 the place was still and men craned their necks to catch his words4 ,i never saw anything so magical4 ,i know how you would have enjoyed it4 ,its effect was a hot surprise4 ,the revelers all worn2 the people ready to go home2 the waiters impatient2 the speech wholly extemporaneous4 ,it was a triumph that did honor to ,american oratory at its best4 ,the applause was decisive and deafening4 ,i never heard of anything better done under such circumstances4 ,none of the morning papers we could get on the train mentioned either ,conwell or his great speech4 ,perhaps ,conwell asked the reporters to suppress it4 ,i don't know as to that4 ,but it was the first thing we looked for4 ,not a word4 ,there is no clue to account for that4 ,yet that is the peculiarity of this singular life3 one of the most public1 one of the most successful men1 but yet one of the least discussed or written about4 ,he was to us as visitors the great feature of that banquet as a speaker1 and yet wholly ignored by the press of his own city4 ,the ,united ,states ,senator ,penrose seemed only to know in a general way that ,conwell was a great benefactor and a powerful citizen and preacher4 ,conwell is a study4 ,i cogitated on him all day4 ,i was told that he marched throughout the great parade in the rear rank of his ,g4,a4,r4 post4 ,it is the strangest case of a private life ,i have ever heard mentioned4 ,the ,quakers will wake up resurrection day and find out ,conwell lived in ,philadelphia4 ,it is startling to think how measureless the influence of such a man is in its effect on the world4 ,through forty years educating men1 healing the sick1 caring for children1 then preaching to a great church1 then lecturing in the great cities nearly every night1 then writing biographies2 and also an accessible counselor to such masses of young people6 ,the address referred to in the foregoing letter was taken down in shorthand1 and was substantially as follows3 ,comrades3 ,i feel at this moment as ,alexander ,stephens said he felt at the close of the war of #ahfe1 and it can well be illustrated by the boasting athlete who declared he could throw out twenty men from a neighboring saloon in five minutes4 ,he requested his friend to stand outside and count as he went in and threw them out4 ,soon a battered man was thrown out the door far into the street4 ,the friend began his count and shouted1 ',one6' ,but the man in the street staggered to his feet and angrily screamed1 ',stop counting6 ,it's me6' ,when this feast opened ,i was proudly expecting to make a speech1 but the great men who have preceded me have done all and more than ,i intended to do4 ,the hour is spent--they are sounding 'taps' at the door4 ,i could not hope to hold your attention4 ,it only remains for me to do my duty in behalf of ,meade ,post1 and do it in the briefest possible space4 ,comrades of ,boston and ,new ,york1 you have heard the greetings when you entered the city--you have seen the gorgeous and artistic decorations on halls and dwellings--you have heard the shouts of the million and more who pressed into the streets1 waved handkerchiefs from the stands1 and looked over each other's heads from all the windows and roofs throughout that weary march4 ,here you see the lovely decorations1 the most costly feast1 and listen to the heart-thrilling1 soul-subduing orchestra4 ,all of these have already spoken to you an unmistakable message of welcome4 ,knowing this city as ,i do1 ,i can say to you that not one cornet or viol1 not one hymn or shout1 not one wave in all the clouds which fair hands rolled up1 not one gun of all that shook the city1 not one flush of red on a dear face of beauty1 not one blessing from the aged on his cane1 not one tear on the eyelids which glowed again as your march brought back the gleam of a morning long since dead1 not one clasp of the hand1 not one ',god bless you6' from saint or priest in all this fair city1 but ,i believe has been deeply1 earnestly1 sincere4 ,this repast is not the result of pride--is not arranged for gluttony or fashion4 ,no political scheme inspired its proposal1 and no ulterior motive moved these companions to take your arm4 ,the joy that seems to beam in the comrade's eye and unconsciously express itself in word and gesture1 is real4 ,it is the hearty love of a comrade who showed his love for his country by battle in #ahfb1 and who only finds new ways in time of peace for expressing the same character now4 ,the eloquence of this night has been unusually1 earnestly1 practically patriotic and fraternal4 ,it has been the utterance of hearts beating full and strong for humanity4 ,loyalty1 fraternity1 and charity are here in fact4 ,it is true1 honest1 heart4 ,such fraternal greetings may be as important for liberty and justice as the winning of a ,gettysburg4 ,for the mighty influence of the ,grand ,army of the ,republic is even more potent now than it was on that bloody day4 ,peace has come and the brave men of the ,north recognize and respect the motives and bravery of that ,confederate army which dealt them such fearful blows believing they were in the right4 ,but the glorious peace we enjoy and the greatness of our nation's name and power are due as much to the living ,grand ,army as to the dead4 ,i am getting weary of being counted 'old1' but ,i am more tired of hearing the soldier overpraised for what he did in #ahfa4 ,you have more influence now than then1 and are better men in every sense4 ,at ,springfield1 ,illinois1 they illustrated the growth of the city by telling me that in #ahef a lunatic preacher applied to ,mr4 ,lincoln for his aid to open the legislative chamber for a series of meetings to announce that the ,lord was coming at once4 ,mr4 ,lincoln refused1 saying1 ',if the ,lord knew ,springfield as well as ,i do1 he wouldn't come within a thousand miles of it4' ,but now the legislative halls are open1 and every good finds welcome in that city4 ,the world grows better--cities are not worse4 ,the nation has not gone backward1 and all the good deeds did not cease in #ahfe4 ,the ,grand ,army of the ,republic1 speaking plainly but with no sense of egotism1 has been praised too much for the war and too little for its heroism and power in peace4 ,does it make a man an angel to eat hardtack8 ,or does it educate in inductive philosophy to chase a pig through a ,virginia fence8 ,peace has its victories no less renowned than war4 ,the ,grand ,army is not growing old4 ,you all feel younger at this moment than you did at the close of the day's march4 ,your work is not finished4 ,you were not fossilized in #ahfe4 ,the war was not a nurse1 nor was it a very thorough schoolmaster4 ,it did serve1 however1 to show to friends and country what kind of men ,america contained4 ,not ,i nor you perhaps can take this pleasing interpretation to ourselves1 but looking at the five hundred thousand men who outlived the war1 we see that they were the same men before the war and have remained the same since the war4 ,their ability1 friendship1 patriotism1 and religion were better known after they had shown their faith by deeds1 but their identity and character were in great measure the same4 ,many of our ,presidents have been taken from the ranks of the army4 ,but it would be a mockery of political wisdom to declare that a free1 intelligent people elect a chief executive simply to reward him for having been in the war of #ahfa4 ,captain ,garfield1 ,lieutenant ,hayes1 ,major ,mc,kinley1 and ,general ,grant were not put at the head of the nation as one would vote a pension4 ,they were elected because the people believed them to be the very best statesmen they could select for the office4 ,for a time every foreign consul except four was a soldier4 ,two-thirds of ,congress had been in the army4 ,twenty-nine governors in the same year had been in military service4 ,nine presidents of universities had been volunteers in #ahfc4 ,three thousand postmasters appointed in one year were from the army4 ,cabinet officers1 custom-house officers1 judges1 district attorneys1 and clerks in public offices were almost exclusively selected from army men4 ,could you look in the face of the nations and declare that with all our enterprise1 learning1 progress1 and common sense1 we had such an inadequate idea of the responsibilities of government that we elected men to office who were incapable1 simply because they had carried a gun or tripped over a sword6 ,no1 no4 ,the shrewd ,yankee and the calculating ,hoosier are not caught with such chaff4 ,they selected these officers as servants of the nation because the war had served to show what sort of men they were4 ,in short1 they appointed them to high positions because they were true men4 ,they are just as true men now4 ,they are as patriotic1 as industrious1 as unselfish1 as brave to-day as they were in the dark days of the rebellion4 ,their efforts are as honest now as they were then1 to perpetuate free institutions and maintain the honor of the flag4 ,they have endowed colleges1 built cathedrals1 opened the wilderness to railroads1 filled the ,american desert with roses1 constructed telephone1 telegraph1 and steamship lines4 ,they have stood in classroom and in the pulpit by the thousand2 they have honored our courts with their legal acumen2 they have covered the plains with cities1 and compelled the homage of ,europe to secure our scholars1 our wheat and our iron4 ,the soldier has controlled the finances of banking systems and revolutionized labor1 society1 and arts with his inventions4 ,they saw poor ,cuba1 beautiful as her surf and femininely sweet as her luscious fruits1 tortured in chains4 ,they saw her lovely form through the blood that covered her1 and ,dewey1 ,sampson1 ,schley1 ,miles1 ,merritt1 ,sigsbee1 ,evans1 ,philip1 ,alger1 and ,mc,kinley of the ,grand ,army led the forces to her rescue4 ,the ,philippines in the darkness of half-savage life were brought unexpectedly under our colors because ,dewey and his commanders were in #ahih just the same heroes they were in #ahfd4 ,at the bidding of ,meade ,post1 then1 ,i welcome you and bid you farewell4 ,this gathering was in the line of duty4 ,its spectacle has impressed the young1 inspired the strong man1 and comforted the aged4 ,the fraternity here so sincerely expressed to-night will encourage us all to enfold the old flag more tenderly1 to love our country more deeply1 and to go on in every path of duty1 showing still the spirit of '#fa wherever good calls for sacrifice or truth for a defender4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiv ,,as ,a ,,writer ,his ,rapid ,method of ,working4 ,a ,popular ,biographical ,writer4 ,the ,books ,he ,has ,written4 ,still the minutes are not full4 ,the man who learned five languages while going to and from his business on the street cars of ,boston finds time always to crowd in one thing more4 ,despite his multitude of other cares1 ,dr4 ,conwell's pen is not idle4 ,it started to write in his boyhood days and it has been writing ever since4 ,his best known works are his biographies4 ,charles ,a4 ,dana1 the famous editor and publisher of the ,new ,york ,sun1 just before his death1 wrote to ,harper ,brothers recommending that ,mr4 ,conwell be secured to write a series of books for an ,american ,biographical ,library1 and in his letter said3 ,i write the above of my own notion1 as ,i have seldom met ,mr4 ,conwell2 but as a writer of biographies he has no superior4 ,indeed1 ,i can say considerately1 that he is one of ,america's greatest men4 ,he never advertises himself1 never saves a newspaper clipping concerning himself1 never keeps a sermon of his own1 and will not seek applause4 ,you must go after him if you want him4 ,he will not apply to you4 ,his personal history is as fascinating as it is exceptional4 ,he took himself as a poor back country lad1 created out of the crude material the orator which often combines a ,webster with ,gough1 and made himself a scholar of the first rank4 ,he created from nothing a powerful university of high rank in ,philadelphia1 especially for the common people4 ,he created a great and influential church out of a small unknown parish4 ,he has assisted more men in securing an education than any other ,american4 ,he has created a hospital of the first order and extent4 ,he has fed the poor and housed large numbers of orphans4 ,he has written many books and has addressed more people than any other living man4 ,to do this without writing or dictating a line to advertise himself is nothing else than the victory of a great genius4 ,he is a gem worth your seeking1 valuable anywhere4 ,i say again that ,i regard ,russell ,h4 ,conwell1 of ,philadelphia1 as ,america's greatest man in the best form4 ,i cannot do your work2 he can4 ,his most successful biography1 his ,life of ,charles ,h4 ,spurgeon1 was written in a little more than two weeks4 ,in fact1 it was not written at all1 it was dictated while on a lecturing trip4 ,when ,spurgeon died1 a publisher telegraphed ,dr4 ,conwell if he would write a biography of the great ,london preacher4 ,dr4 ,conwell was traveling at the time in the ,west1 lecturing4 ,he wired an affirmative1 and sent for his private secretary4 ,it was during the building of the ,college when great financial responsibilities were resting on him1 and he was lecturing every night to raise money for the college building fund4 ,his secretary accompanied him on the lecture trip4 ,dr4 ,conwell dictated the book on the train during the day1 the secretary copied it from his notes at night while ,dr4 ,conwell lectured4 ,at the end of two weeks the book of six hundred pages was nearly completed4 ,it had a sale of #abe1jjj copies in four months4 ,and all the royalties were given to a struggling mission of ,grace ,baptist ,church4 ,illustration3 ,,temple ,,college ,his biography of ,elaine was written almost as rapidly4 ,in a few hours after ,blaine was nominated as candidate of the ,republican party for the presidency4 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,conwell boarded a train and started for ,augusta1 ,maine4 ,in three weeks the book was completed4 ,he has worked at times from four o'clock in the morning until twelve at night when work pressed and time was short4 ,his life of ,bayard ,taylor was also written quickly4 ,he had traveled with ,taylor through ,europe and long been an intimate friend1 so that he was particularly well fitted for the work4 ,the book was begun after ,taylor's death1 ,december #ai1 #ahgh1 in ,germany1 and completed before the body arrived in ,america4 ,five thousand copies were sold before the funeral4 ,dr4 ,conwell presided at the memorial service held in ,tremont ,temple1 ,boston4 ,many years after1 in a sermon preached at ,the ,temple1 he thus described the occasion3 ,when ,bayard ,taylor1 the traveler and poet1 died1 great sorrow was felt and exhibited by the people of this nation4 ,i remember well the sadness which was noticed in the city of ,boston4 ,the spontaneous desire to give some expression to the respect in which ,hr4 ,taylor's name was held1 pressed the literary people of ,boston1 both writers and readers1 forward to a public memorial in the great hall of ,tremont ,temple4 ,as a friend of ,mr4 ,taylor's ,i was called upon to preside at that memorial gathering4 ,that audience of the scholarly classes was a wonderful tribute to a remarkable man1 and one for which4 ,i feel still a keen sense of gratitude4 ,i remember asking ,mr4 ,longfellow to write a poem1 and to read it1 and standing on the broad step at his front door1 in ,cambridge1 he replied to my suggestion with the sweet expression3 ',the universal sorrow is almost too sacred to touch with a pen4' ,but when the evening came1 although ,professor ,longfellow was too ill to be present1 his poem was there4 ,the great hall was crowded with the most cultivated people of ,boston4 ,on the platform sat many of the poets1 orators and philosophers1 who have since passed into the ,beyond4 ,when1 after several speeches had been made1 ,i arose to introduce ,dr4 ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes1 the pressure of the crowd was too great for me to reach my chair again1 and ,i took for a time the seat which ,dr4 ,holmes had just left1 and next to ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson4 ,never were words of poet listened to with a silence more respectfully profound than were the words of ,professor ,longfellow's poem as they were so touchingly and beautifully read by ,dr4 ,holmes3 ',dead he lay among his books1 ,the peace of ,god was in his looks6 99 99 99 99 99 ,let the lifeless body rest1 ,he is gone who was its guest4-- ,gone as travelers haste to leave ,an inn1 nor tarry until eve6 ,traveler1 in what realms afar1 ,in what planet1 in what star1 ,in what vast1 aerial space1 ,shines the light upon thy face8 ,in what gardens of delight ,rest thy weary feet to-night--' 99 99 99 99 99 ,before ,dr4 ,holmes resumed his seat1 ,mr4 ,emerson whispered in my ear1 in his epigrammatic style1 ',this is holy ,sabbath time4' ,among the books which ,dr4 ,conwell has written are3 ,lessons of ,travel4 ,why and ,how ,chinese ,emigrate4 ,nature's ,aristocracy4 ,history of the ,great ,fire in ,boston4 ,the ,life of ,gen4 ,u4,s4 ,grant4 ,woman and the ,law4 ,the life of ,rutherford ,b4 ,hayes4 ,history of the ,great ,fire in ,st4 ,johns4 ,the ,life of ,bayard ,taylor4 ,the ,life1 ,speeches1 and ,public ,service of ,james ,a4 ,garfield4 ,little ,bo4 ,joshua ,gianavello4 ,the ,life of ,james ,g4 ,blaine4 ,acres of ,diamonds4 ,gleams of ,grace4 ,the ,life of ,charles ,h4 ,spurgeon4 ,the ,new ,day4 ,the manuscript which he prepared most carefully was the ,life of ,daniel ,manin1 which was destroyed by fire when his home at ,newton ,centre was burned4 ,he had spent much time and labor collecting data on ,italian history for it1 and the loss was irreparable4 ,joshua ,gianavello is a biographical story of the great ,waldensian chieftain who loved religions liberty and feared neither inquisition nor death4 ,it is dedicated to the many believers in the divine principle that every person should have the right to worship ,god according to the dictates of his own conscience2 and to the heroic warriors who are still contending for religious freedom in the yet unfinished battle4 ,the same powerful imagination that pictures so realistically to his lecture and church audiences the scenes and people he is describing1 makes them live in his books4 ,his style holds the reader by its vividness of description1 its powerful delineation of character and emotion4 ,his latest book1 ,the ,new ,day1 is an amplification of his great lecture1 ,acres of ,diamonds4 ,it is not only delightful reading but it is full of practical help for the affairs of everyday life4 ,for no matter in what field ,dr4 ,conwell works1 this great desire of his life--to help his brother man--shines out4 ,,chapter ,,xxxv ,a ,,home ,,coming ,reception ,tendered by ,citizens of ,philadelphia in ,acknowledgment of ,work as ,public ,benefactor4 ,one more scene in the life of this man who1 from a barefoot country boy with no advantages1 has become one of the most widely known of the preachers1 lecturers and writers of the day1 as well as the founder of a college and hospital holding an honored position among the institutions of the country4 ,in #ahid1 acting upon the advice of his physician1 ,dr4 ,conwell went abroad4 ,it is no unusual thing for pastors to go abroad1 nor for members of their church and friends to see them off4 ,but for ,grace ,baptist ,church personally to wish its pastor ,bon voyage is something of an undertaking4 ,a special train was chartered to take the members to ,new ,york4 ,here a steamer engaged for the purpose awaited them1 and twelve hundred strong1 they steamed down the harbor alongside the ,new ,york that ,dr4 ,conwell's last glimpse of ,america might be of the faces of his own church family4 ,on his return six hundred church members met him and gave him a royal welcome1 and a large reception was held in ,the ,temple to show how glad were the hearts of his people that he was restored to them in health4 ,but it was not enough4 ,the people of ,philadelphia said1 ,this man belongs to us4 ,in all parts of the city1 in all walks of life1 were men and women who had studied at ,temple ,college1 whose lives were happier1 more useful because of the knowledge they had gained there1 for whom he had opened these college doors4 ,the ,samaritan ,hospital had sent forth people by the hundreds whose bodies had been healed and their spirits quickened because his kindly heart had foreseen their need and his generous hands labored to help it4 ,everywhere throughout the whole city was felt the leaven of his work1 and the people as a body said1 ,we will show our appreciation of the work he has done for ,philadelphia1 we will show that we recognize him as one of the city's greatest benefactors and philanthropists4 ,a committee of twenty-one citizens was formed1 of which the ,mayor1 ,edwin ,s4 ,stuart1 was chairman1 and a reception was tendered ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,conwell and the others of his party in the name of the citizens of ,philadelphia4 ,it was given at the ,academy of ,fine ,arts4 ,with its paintings and statuary1 its broad sweeping staircases1 it made a magnificent setting for the throngs of men and women who crowded to pay their respects to this man who had lived among them1 doing good4 ,the line of waiting guests reached for two blocks and more and for hours moved in steady procession before the receiving party4 ,at last the final farewell was said and on toward midnight ,dr4 ,conwell stepped into the carriage waiting to take him home4 ,but the affair was not over4 ,the college boys felt that shaking hands in formal fashion did not express sufficiently their loyalty and devotion1 their joy in the return of their beloved ,prex4 ,they unharnessed the horses1 and with college cheers and yells triumphantly drew their president all the way from the ,academy of ,fine ,arts to his home1 a distance of two miles4 ,as they passed ,temple ,college1 their enthusiasm broke all bounds and they drew up the carriage at the ,doctor's residence1 two blocks beyond the ,college1 with a yell and a flourish that fairly lifted the neighbors from their beds4 ,it was in every way a homecoming and a welcome that proved how wide-reaching has been the work ,dr4 ,conwell has done1 how deeply it has touched the lives of thousands of people in ,philadelphia4 ,this spontaneous act of appreciation was but the tribute paid by grateful hearts4 ,,chapter ,,xxxvi ,,the ,,path ,,that ,,has ,,been ,,blazed ,problems that ,need ,solving4 ,the ,need of ,men ,able to ,solve ,them4 ,o do not pray for easy lives ,pray to be stronger men4 ,do not pray for ,tasks equal to your powers4 ,pray ,for powers equal to your tasks4 ,then the doing of your work shall be ,no miracle4 ,but you shall be a miracle1 ,every day you shall wonder at yourself1 ,at the richness of life that has come to you ,by the ,grace of ,god4 wrote that great preacher1 ,phillips ,brooks4 ,the world does not want easy lives but strong men4 ,every age has its problems4 ,every age needs men with clear moral vision1 strong hands1 humane hearts to solve these problems4 ,character1 not the fortune of birth1 qualifies for leadership in such a work4 ,and such work ever waits1 the world over1 to be done4 ,in every large city of the country are thousands crying for better education1 the suffering poor are holding up weak hands for help1 men and women morally blind1 are asking for light to find ,christ--the ,christ of the ,bible1 not the ,christ of dogma and creed1 religion pure and undefiled1 the church in the simplicity of the days of the apostles1 the church that reaches out a helping hand to all the needs of humanity4 ,institutional churches are needed1 not one1 but many of them1 in the cities1 churches that help men to grapple with the stern actualities of everyday life1 churches that preach by works as well as by word1 churches in which the man in fustian is as welcome as the one in broadcloth1 churches whose influence reaches into the highways and byways and compels people to come in by the very cordiality and kindness of the invitation1 churches that help people to live better and more happily in this world1 while at the same time preparing them for the world to come4 ,in no other city in the country is there such an example of the quickening force of a united and working church organization as is given by the ,north ,broad ,street ,temple1 ,philadelphia1 says an editorial writer in the ,philadelphia ,press4 ,twenty such churches in this city of #a1bej1jjj people would do more to evangelize it and re-awaken an interest in the vital truths of ,christianity than the hundreds of church organizations it now has4 ,the world is demanding more and better returns from the church for the time and money given it4 ,real1 practical ,christian work is what is asked of the church4 ,the sooner it conforms to this demand1 the more quickly it will regain its old influence and be prepared to make effective its fight against evil4 ,hospitals are needed that heal in the name of ,christ1 that heal ills of the body and at the same time by the spirit of love that permeates1 by the ,christian spirit that animates all connected with them1 cure the ills of the soul and send the sufferers away rejoicing in spirit as well as in body1 with a brighter outlook on the world and increased faith in humankind4 ,colleges are needed the length and breadth of this land1 wherever the poor and ignorant sit in darkness4 ,in every town of five thousand or more1 a college for working people on the lines of the ,temple ,college would be thronged with eager1 rejoicing students4 ,and the world is the better for every man and woman raised to a higher plane of living4 ,any life1 no matter how sordid and narrow1 how steeped in ignorance1 if swept sweet and clean by ,god's love1 if awakened by ambition and then given the opportunity to grow1 can be changed into beauty1 sweetness and usefulness4 ,and such work is worth while4 ,the way has been blazed1 the path has been pointed out1 it only remains for those who follow after to walk therein4 ,and if they walk therein1 they will gain that true greatness and deep happiness which ,phillips ,brooks says comes ever to the man who has given his life to his race1 who feels that what ,god gives him1 ,he gives him for mankind4 ,,acres ,,of ,,diamonds ,dr4 ,conwell's most famous lecture and one of his earliest has been given at this writing 7,october1 #aije7 #cdbj times4 ,the income from it if invested at regular rates of interest would have amounted very nearly to one million dollars4 ,,personal ,,glimpses ,,of ,,celebrated ,,men ,,and ,,women ,is ,dr4 ,conwell's latest lecture4 ,it is a backward glance over his own life in which he tells in his inimitable fashion many of its most interesting scenes and incidents4 ,it is here published for the first time4 ,,acres ,,of ,,diamonds4,a ,footnote ,a3 ,reported by ,a4 ,russell ,smith and ,harry ,e4 ,greager4 ,mr4 ,conwell's lectures are all delivered extemporaneously and differ greatly from night to night4--,ed4 ,i am astonished that so many people should care to hear this story over again4 ,indeed1 this lecture has become a study in psychology2 it often breaks all rules of oratory1 departs from the precepts of rhetoric1 and yet remains the most popular of any lecture ,i have delivered in the forty-four years of my public life4 ,i have sometimes studied for a year upon a lecture and made careful research1 and then presented the lecture just once--never delivered it again4 ,i put too much work on it4 ,but this had no work on it--thrown together perfectly at random1 spoken offhand without any special preparation1 and it succeeds when the thing we study1 work over1 adjust to a plan is an entire failure4 ,the ,acres of ,diamonds which ,i have mentioned through so many years are to be found in ,philadelphia1 and you are to find them4 ,many have found them4 ,and what man has done1 man can do4 ,i could not find anything better to illustrate my thought than a story ,i have told over and over again1 and which is now found in books in nearly every library4 ,in #ahgj we went down the ,tigris ,river4 ,we hired a guide at ,bagdad to show us ,persepolis1 ,nineveh and ,babylon1 and the ancient countries of ,assyria as far as the ,arabian ,gulf4 ,he was well acquainted with the land1 but he was one of those guides who love to entertain their patrons2 he was like a barber that tells you many stories in order to keep your mind off the scratching and the scraping4 ,he told me so many stories that ,i grew tired of his telling them and ,i refused to listen--looked away whenever he commenced2 that made the guide quite angry1 ,i remember that toward evening he took his ,turkish cap off his head and swung it around in the air4 ,the gesture ,i did not understand and ,i did not dare look at him for fear ,i should become the victim of another story4 ,but1 although ,i am not a woman1 ,i did look1 and the instant ,i turned my eyes upon that worthy guide he was off again4 ,said he1 ,i will tell you a story now which ,i reserve for my particular friends6 ,so then1 counting myself a particular friend1 ,i listened1 and ,i have always been glad ,i did4 ,he said there once lived not far from the ,river ,indus an ancient ,persian by the name of ,al ,hafed4 ,he said that ,al ,hafed owned a very large farm with orchards1 grain fields and gardens4 ,he was a contented and wealthy man--contented because he was wealthy1 and wealthy because he was contented4 ,one day there visited this old farmer one of those ancient ,buddhist priests1 and he sat down by ,al ,hafed's fire and told that old farmer how this world of ours was made4 ,he said that this world was once a mere bank of fog1 which is scientifically true1 and he said that the ,almighty thrust his finger into the bank of fog and then began slowly to move his finger around and gradually to increase the speed of his finger until at last he whirled that bank of fog into a solid ball of fire1 and it went rolling through the universe1 burning its way through other cosmic banks of fog1 until it condensed the moisture without1 and fell in floods of rain upon the heated surface and cooled the outward crust4 ,then the internal flames burst through the cooling crust and threw up the mountains and made the hills of the valley of this wonderful world of ours4 ,if this internal melted mass burst out and cooled very quickly it became granite2 that which cooled less quickly became silver2 and less quickly1 gold2 and after gold diamonds were made4 ,said the old priest1 ,a diamond is a congealed drop of sunlight4 ,this is a scientific truth also4 ,you all know that a diamond is pure carbon1 actually deposited sunlight--and he said another thing ,i would not forget3 he declared that a diamond is the last and highest of ,god's mineral creations1 as a woman is the last and highest of ,god's animal creations4 ,i suppose that is the reason why the two have such a liking for each other4 ,and the old priest told ,al ,hafed that if he had a handful of diamonds he could purchase a whole county1 and with a mine of diamonds he could place his children upon thrones through the influence of their great wealth4 ,al ,hafed heard all about diamonds and how much they were worth1 and went to his bed that night a poor man--not that he had lost anything1 but poor because he was discontented and discontented because he thought he was poor4 ,he said3 ,i want a mine of diamonds6 ,so he lay awake all night1 and early in the morning sought out the priest4 ,now ,i know from experience that a priest when awakened early in the morning is cross4 ,he awoke that priest out of his dreams and said to him1 ,will you tell me where ,i can find diamonds8 ,the priest said1 ,diamonds8 ,what do you want with diamonds8 ,i want to be immensely rich1 said ,al ,hafed1 but ,i don't know where to go4 ,well1 said the priest1 if you will find a river that runs over white sand between high mountains1 in those sands you will always see diamonds4 ,do you really believe that there is such a river8 ,plenty of them1 plenty of them2 all you have to do is just go and find them1 then you have them4 ,al ,hafed said1 ,i will go4 ,so he sold his farm1 collected his money at interest1 left his family in charge of a neighbor1 and away he went in search of diamonds4 ,he began very properly1 to my mind1 at the ,mountains of the ,moon4 ,afterwards he went around into ,palestine1 then wandered on into ,europe1 and at last when his money was all spent1 and he was in rags1 wretchedness and poverty1 he stood on the shore of that bay in ,barcelona1 ,spain1 when a tidal wave came rolling in through the ,pillars of ,hercules and the poor afflicted1 suffering man could not resist the awful temptation to cast himself into that incoming tide1 and he sank beneath its foaming crest1 never to rise in this life again4 ,when that old guide had told me that very sad story1 he stopped the camel ,i was riding and went back to fix the baggage on one of the other camels1 and ,i remember thinking to myself1 ,why did he reserve that for his particular friends8 ,there seemed to be no beginning1 middle or end--nothing to it4 ,that was the first story ,i ever heard told or read in which the hero was killed in the first chapter4 ,i had but one chapter of that story and the hero was dead4 ,when the guide came back and took up the halter of my camel again1 he went right on with the same story4 ,he said that ,al ,hafed's successor led his camel out into the garden to drink1 and as that camel put its nose down into the clear water of the garden brook ,al ,hafed's successor noticed a curious flash of light from the sands of the shallow stream1 and reaching in he pulled out a black stone having an eye of light that reflected all the colors of the rainbow1 and he took that curious pebble into the house and left it on the mantel1 then went on his way and forgot all about it4 ,a few days after that1 this same old priest who told ,al ,hafed how diamonds were made1 came in to visit his successor1 when he saw that flash of light from the mantel4 ,he rushed up and said1 ,here is a diamond--here is a diamond6 ,has ,al ,hafed returned8 ,no1 no2 ,al ,hafed has not returned and that is not a diamond2 that is nothing but a stone2 we found it right out here in our garden4 ,but ,i know a diamond when ,i see it1 said he2 that is a diamond6 ,then together they rushed to the garden and stirred up the white sands with their fingers and found others more beautiful1 more valuable diamonds than the first1 and thus1 said the guide to me1 were discovered the diamond mines of ,golconda1 the most magnificent diamond mines in all the history of mankind1 exceeding the ,kimberley in its value4 ,the great ,kohinoor diamond in ,england's crown jewels and the largest crown diamond on earth in ,russia's crown jewels1 which ,i had often hoped she would have to sell before they had peace with ,japan1 came from that mine1 and when the old guide had called my attention to that wonderful discovery he took his ,turkish cap off his head again and swung it around in the air to call my attention to the moral4 ,those ,arab guides have a moral to each story1 though the stories are not always moral4 ,he said had ,al ,hafed remained at home and dug in his own cellar or in his own garden1 instead of wretchedness1 starvation1 poverty and death in a strange land1 he would have had acres of diamonds--for every acre1 yes1 every shovelful of that old farm afterwards revealed the gems which since have decorated the crowns of monarchs4 ,when he had given the moral to his story1 ,i saw why he had reserved this story for his particular friends4 ,i didn't tell him ,i could see it2 ,i was not going to tell that old ,arab that ,i could see it4 ,for it was that mean old ,arab's way of going around a thing1 like a lawyer1 and saying indirectly what he did not dare say directly1 that there was a certain young man that day traveling down the ,tigris ,river that might better be at home in ,america4 ,i didn't tell him ,i could see it4 ,i told him his story reminded me of one1 and ,i told it to him quick4 ,i told him about that man out in ,california1 who1 in #ahdg1 owned a ranch out there4 ,he read that gold had been discovered in ,southern ,california1 and he sold his ranch to ,colonel ,sutter and started off to hunt for gold4 ,colonel ,sutter put a mill on the little stream in that farm and one day his little girl brought some wet sand from the raceway of the mill into the house and placed it before the fire to dry1 and as that sand was falling through the little girl's fingers a visitor saw the first shining scales of real gold that were ever discovered in ,california2 and the man who wanted the gold had sold this ranch and gone away1 never to return4 ,i delivered this lecture two years ago in ,california1 in the city that stands near that farm1 and they told me that the mine is not exhausted yet1 and that a one-third owner of that farm has been getting during these recent years twenty dollars of gold every fifteen minutes of his life1 sleeping or waking4 ,why1 you and ,i would enjoy an income like that6 ,but the best illustration that ,i have now of this thought was found here in ,pennsylvania4 ,there was a man living in ,pennsylvania who owned a farm here and he did what ,i should do if ,i had a farm in ,pennsylvania--he sold it4 ,but before he sold it he concluded to secure employment collecting coal oil for his cousin in ,canada4 ,they first discovered coal oil there4 ,so this farmer in ,pennsylvania decided that he would apply for a position with his cousin in ,canada4 ,now1 you see1 this farmer was not altogether a foolish man4 ,he did net leave his farm until he had something else to do4 ,of all the simpletons the stars shine on there is none more foolish than a man who leaves one job before he has obtained another4 ,and that has especial reference to gentlemen of my profession1 and has no reference to a man seeking a divorce4 ,so ,i say this old farmer did not leave one job until he had obtained another4 ,he wrote to ,canada1 but his cousin replied that he could not engage him because he did not know anything about the oil business4 ,well1 then1 said he1 ,i will understand it4 ,so he set himself at the study of the whole subject4 ,he began at the second day of the creation1 he studied the subject from the primitive vegetation to the coal oil stage1 until he knew all about it4 ,then he wrote to his cousin and said1 ,now ,i understand the oil business4 ,and his cousin replied to him1 ,all right1 then1 come on4 ,that man1 by the record of the county1 sold his farm for eight hundred and thirty-three dollars--even money1 no cents4 ,he had scarcely gone from that farm before the man who purchased it went out to arrange for the watering the cattle and he found that the previous owner had arranged the matter very nicely4 ,there is a stream running down the hillside there1 and the previous owner had gone out and put a plank across that stream at an angle1 extending across the brook and down edgewise a few inches under the surface of the water4 ,the purpose of the plank across that brook was to throw over to the other bank a dreadful-looking scum through which the cattle would not put their noses to drink above the plank1 although they would drink the water on one side below it4 ,thus that man who had gone to ,canada had been himself damming back for twenty-three years a flow of coal oil which the ,state ,geologist of ,pennsylvania declared officially1 as early as #ahgj1 was then worth to our ,state a hundred millions of dollars4 ,the city of ,titusville now stands on that farm and those ,pleasantville wells flow on1 and that farmer who had studied all about the formation of oil since the second day of ,god's creation clear down to the present time1 sold that farm for #hcc1 no cents--again ,i say no sense4 ,but ,i need another illustration1 and ,i found that in ,massachusetts1 and ,i am sorry ,i did1 because that is my old ,state4 ,this young man ,i mention went out of the ,state to study--went down to ,yale ,college and studied ,mines and ,mining4 ,they paid him fifteen dollars a week during his last year for training students who were behind their classes in mineralogy1 out of hours1 of course1 while pursuing his own studies4 ,but when he graduated they raised his pay from fifteen dollars to forty-five dollars and offered him a professorship4 ,then he went straight home to his mother and said1 ,mother1 ,i won't work for forty-five dollars a week4 ,what is forty-five dollars a week for a man with a brain like mine6 ,mother1 lets go out to ,california and stake out gold claims and be immensely rich4 ,now said his mother1 it is just as well to be happy as it is to be rich4 ,but as he was the only son he had his way--they always do2 and they sold out in ,massachusetts and went to ,wisconsin1 where he went into the employ of the ,superior ,copper ,mining ,company1 and he was lost from sight in the employ of that company at fifteen dollars a week again4 ,he was also to have an interest in any mines that he should discover for that company4 ,but ,i do not believe that he has ever discovered a mine--,i do not know anything about it1 but ,i do not believe he has4 ,i know he had scarcely gone from the old homestead before the farmer who had bought the homestead went out to dig potatoes1 and as he was bringing them in in a large basket through the front gateway1 the ends of the stone wall came so near together at the gate that the basket hugged very tight4 ,so he set the basket on the ground and pulled1 first on one side and then on the other side4 ,our farms in ,massachusetts are mostly stone walls1 and the farmers have to be economical with their gateways in order to have some place to put the stones4 ,that basket hugged so tight there that as he was hauling it through he noticed in the upper stone next the gate a block of native silver1 eight inches square2 and this professor of mines and mining and mineralogy1 who would not work for forty-five dollars a week1 when he sold that homestead in ,massachusetts1 sat right on that stone to make the bargain4 ,he was brought up there2 he had gone back and forth by that piece of silver1 rubbed it with his sleeve1 and it seemed to say1 ,come now1 now1 now1 here is a hundred thousand dollars4 ,why not take me8 ,but he would not take it4 ,there was no silver in ,newburyport2 it was all away off--well1 ,i don't know where2 he didn't1 but somewhere else--and he was a professor of mineralogy4 ,i do not know of anything ,i would enjoy better than to take the whole time to-night telling of blunders like that ,i have heard professors make4 ,yet ,i wish ,i knew what that man is doing out there in ,wisconsin4 ,i can imagine him out there1 as he sits by his fireside1 and he is saying to his friends1 ,do you know that man ,conwell that lives in ,philadelphia8 ,oh1 yes1 ,i have heard of him4 ,and do you know that man4 ,jones that lives in that city8 ,yes1 ,i have heard of him4 ,and then he begins to laugh and laugh and says to his friends1 ,they have done the same thing ,i did1 precisely4 ,and that spoils the whole joke1 because you and ,i have done it4 ,ninety out of every hundred people here have made that mistake this very day4 ,i say you ought to be rich2 you have no right to be poor4 ,to live in ,philadelphia and not be rich is a misfortune1 and it is doubly a misfortune1 because you could have been rich just as well as be poor4 ,philadelphia furnishes so many opportunities4 ,you ought to be rich4 ,but persons with certain religious prejudice will ask1 ,how can you spend your time advising the rising generation to give their time to getting money--dollars and cents--the commercial spirit8 ,yet ,i must say that you ought to spend time getting rich4 ,you and ,i know there are some things more valuable than money2 of course1 we do4 ,ah1 yes6 ,by a heart made unspeakably sad by a grave on which the autumn leaves now fall1 ,i know there are some things higher and grander and sublimer than money4 ,well does the man know1 who has suffered1 that there are some things sweeter and holier and more sacred than gold4 ,nevertheless1 the man of common sense also knows that there is not any one of those things that is not greatly enhanced by the use of money4 ,money is power4 ,love is the grandest thing on ,god's earth1 but fortunate the lover who has plenty of money4 ,money is power2 money has powers2 and for a man to say1 ,i do not want money1 is to say1 ,i do not wish to do any good to my fellowmen4 ,it is absurd thus to talk4 ,it is absurd to disconnect them4 ,this is a wonderfully great life1 and you ought to spend your time getting money1 because of the power there is in money4 ,and yet this religious prejudice is so great that some people think it is a great honor to be one of ,god's poor4 ,i am looking in the faces of people who think just that way4 ,i heard a man once say in a prayer meeting that he was thankful that he was one of ,god's poor1 and then ,i silently wondered what his wife would say to that speech1 as she took in washing to support the man while he sat and smoked on the veranda4 ,i don't want to see any more of that kind of ,god's poor4 ,now1 when a man could have been rich just as well1 and he is now weak because he is poor1 he has done some great wrong2 he has been untruthful to himself2 he has been unkind to his fellowmen4 ,we ought to get rich if we can by honorable and ,christian methods1 and these are the only methods that sweep us quickly toward the goal of riches4 ,i remember1 not many years ago a young theological student who came into my office and said to me that he thought it was his duty to come in and labor with me4 ,i asked him what had happened1 and he said3 ,i feel it is my duty to come in and speak to you1 sir1 and say that the ,holy ,scriptures declare that money is the root of all evil4 ,i asked him where he found that saying1 and he said he found it in the ,bible4 ,i asked him whether he had made a new ,bible1 and he said1 no1 he had not gotten a new ,bible1 that it was in the old ,bible4 ,well1 ,i said1 if it is in my ,bible1 ,i never saw it4 ,will you please get the text-book and let me see it8 ,he left the room and soon came stalking in with his ,bible open1 with all the bigoted pride of the narrow sectarian1 who founds his creed on some misinterpretation of ,scripture1 and he puts the ,bible down on the table before me and fairly squealed into my ear1 ,there it is4 ,you can read it for yourself4 ,i said to him1 ,young man1 you will learn1 when you get a little older1 that you cannot trust another denomination to read the ,bible for you4 ,i said1 ,now1 you belong to another denomination4 ,please read it to me1 and remember that you are taught in a school where emphasis is exegesis4 ,so he took the ,bible and read it3 ,the love of money is the root of all evil4 ,then he had it right4 ,the ,great ,book has come back into the esteem and love of the people1 and into the respect of the greatest minds of earth1 and now you can quote it and rest your life and your death on it without more fear4 ,so1 when he quoted right from the ,scriptures he quoted the truth4 ,the love of money is the root of all evil4 ,oh1 that is it4 ,it is the worship of the means instead of the end1 though you cannot reach the end without the means4 ,when a man makes an idol of the money instead of the purposes for which it may be used1 when he squeezes the dollar until the eagle squeals1 then it is made the root of all evil4 ,think1 if you only had the money1 what you could do for your wife1 your child1 and for your home and your city4 ,think how soon you could endow the ,temple ,college yonder if you only had the money and the disposition to give it2 and yet1 my friend1 people say you and ,i should not spend the time getting rich4 ,how inconsistent the whole thing is4 ,we ought to be rich1 because money has power4 ,i think the best thing for me to do is to illustrate this1 for if ,i say you ought to get rich1 ,i ought1 at least1 to suggest how it is done4 ,we get a prejudice against rich men because of the lies that are told about them4 ,the lies that are told about ,mr4 ,rockefeller because he has two hundred million dollars--so many believe them2 yet how false is the representation of that man to the world4 ,how little we can tell what is true nowadays when newspapers try to sell their papers entirely on some sensation6 ,the way they lie about the rich men is something terrible1 and ,i do not know that there is anything to illustrate this better than what the newspapers now say about the city of ,philadelphia4 ,a young man came to me the other day and said1 ,if ,mr4 ,rockefeller1 as you think1 is a good man1 why is it that everybody says so much against him8 ,it is because he has gotten ahead of us2 that is the whole of it--just gotten ahead of us4 ,why is it ,mr4 ,carnegie is criticised so sharply by an envious world8 ,because he has gotten more than we have4 ,if a man knows more than ,i know1 don't ,i incline to criticise somewhat his learning8 ,let a man1 stand in a pulpit and preach to thousands1 and if ,i have fifteen people in my church1 and they're all asleep1 don't ,i criticise him8 ,we always do that to the man who gets ahead of us4 ,why1 the man you are criticising has one hundred millions1 and you have fifty cents1 and both of you have just what you are worth4 ,one of the richest men in this country came into my home and sat down in my parlor and said3 ,did you see all those lies about my family in the paper8 ,certainly ,i did2 ,i knew they were lies when ,i saw them4 ,why do they lie about me the way they do8 ,well1 ,i said to him1 if you will give me your check for one hundred millions1 ,i will take all the lies along with it ,well1 said he1 ,i don't see any sense in their thus talking about my family and myself4 ,conwell1 tell me frankly1 what do you think the ,american people think of me8 ,well1 said ,i1 they think you are the blackest-hearted villain that ever trod the soil6 ,but what can ,i do about it8 ,there is nothing he can do about it1 and yet he is one of the sweetest ,christian men ,i ever knew4 ,if you get a hundred millions you will have the lies2 you will be lied about1 and you can judge your success in any line by the lies that are told about you4 ,i say that you ought to be rich4 ,but there are ever coming to me young men who say1 ,i would like to go into business1 but ,i cannot4 ,why not8 ,because ,i have no capital to begin on4 ,capital1 capital to begin on6 ,what6 young man6 ,living in ,philadelphia and looking at this wealthy generation1 all of whom began as poor boys1 and you want capital to begin on8 ,it is fortunate for you that you have no capital4 ,i am glad you have no money4 ,i pity a rich man's son4 ,a rich man's son in these days of ours occupies a very difficult position4 ,they are to be pitied4 ,a rich man's son cannot know the very best things in human life4 ,he cannot4 ,the statistics of ,massachusetts show us that not one out of seventeen rich men's sons ever die rich4 ,they are raised in luxury1 they die in poverty4 ,even if a rich man's son retains his father's money even then he cannot know the best things of life4 ,a young man in our college yonder asked me to formulate for him what ,i thought was the happiest hour in a man's history1 and ,i studied it long and came back convinced that the happiest hour that any man ever sees in any earthly matter is when a young man takes his bride over the threshold of the door1 for the first time1 of the house he himself has earned and built1 when he turns to his bride and with an eloquence greater than any language of mine1 he sayeth to his wife1 ,my loved one1 ,i earned this home myself2 ,i earned it all4 ,it is all mine1 and ,i divide it with thee4 ,that is the grandest moment a human heart may ever see4 ,but a rich man's son cannot know that4 ,he goes into a finer mansion1 it may be1 but he is obliged to go through the house and say1 ,mother gave me this1 mother gave me that1 my mother gave me that1 my mother gave me that1 until his wife wishes she had married his mother4 ,oh1 ,i pity a rich man's son4 ,i do4 ,until he gets so far along in his dudeism that he gets his arms up like that and can't get them down4 ,didn't you ever see any of them astray at ,atlantic ,city8 ,i saw one of these scarecrows once and ,i never tire thinking about it4 ,i was at ,niagara ,falls lecturing1 and after the lecture ,i went to the hotel1 and when ,i went up to the desk there stood there a millionaire's son from ,new ,york4 ,he was an indescribable specimen of anthropologic potency4 ,he carried a gold-headed cane under his arm--more in its head than he had in his4 ,i do not believe ,i could describe the young man if ,i should try4 ,but still ,i must say that he wore an eye-glass he could not see through2 patent leather shoes he could not walk in1 and pants he could not sit down in--dressed like a grasshopper6 ,well1 this human cricket came up to the clerk's desk just as ,i came in4 ,he adjusted his unseeing eye-glass in this wise and lisped to the clerk1 because it's ,hinglish1 you know1 to lisp3 ,thir1 thir1 will you have the kindness to fuhnish me with thome papah and thome envelopehs6 ,the clerk measured that man quick1 and he pulled out a drawer and took some envelopes and paper and cast them across the counter and turned away to his books4 ,you should have seen that specimen of humanity when the paper and envelopes came across the counter--he whose wants had always been anticipated by servants4 ,he adjusted his unseeing eye-glass and he yelled after that clerk3 ,come back here thir1 come right back here4 ,now1 thir1 will you order a thervant to take that papah and thothe envelopes and carry them to yondah dethk4 ,oh1 the poor miserable1 contemptible ,american monkey6 ,he couldn't carry paper and envelopes twenty feet4 ,i suppose he could not get his arms down4 ,i have no pity for such travesties of human nature4 ,if you have no capital1 ,i am glad of it ,you don't need capital2 you need common sense1 not copper cents4 ,a4,t4 ,stewart1 the great princely merchant of ,new ,york1 the richest man in ,america in his time1 was a poor boy2 he had a dollar and a half and went into the mercantile business4 ,but he lost eighty-seven and a half cents of his first dollar and a half because he bought some needles and thread and buttons to sell1 which people didn't want4 ,are you poor8 ,it is because you are not wanted and are left on your own hands4 ,there was the great lesson4 ,apply it whichever way you will it comes to every single person's life1 young or old4 ,he did not know what people needed1 and consequently bought something they didn't want1 and had the goods left on his hands a dead loss4 ,a4,t4 ,stewart earned there the great lesson of his mercantile life and said1 ,i will never buy anything more until ,i first learn what the people want2 then ,i'll make the purchase4 ,he went around to the doors and asked them what they did want1 and when he found out what they wanted1 he invested his sixty-two and a hall cents and began to supply a known demand4 ,i care not what your profession or occupation in life may be2 ,i care not whether you are a lawyer1 a doctor1 a housekeeper1 teacher or whatever else1 the principle is precisely the same4 ,we must know what the world needs first and then invest ourselves to supply that need1 and success is almost certain4 ,a4,t4 ,stewart went on until he was worth forty millions4 ,well1 you will say1 a man can do that in ,new ,york1 but cannot do it here in ,philadelphia4 ,the statistics very carefully gathered in ,new ,york in #ahhi showed one hundred and seven millionaires in the city worth over ten millions apiece4 ,it was remarkable and people think they must go there to get rich4 ,out of that one hundred and seven millionaires only seven of them made their money in ,new ,york1 and the others moved to ,new ,york after their fortunes were made1 and sixty-seven out of the remaining hundred made their fortunes in towns of less than six thousand people1 and the richest man in the country at that time lived in a town of thirty-five hundred inhabitants1 and always lived there and never moved away4 ,it is not so much where you are as what you are4 ,but at the same time if the largeness of the city comes into the problem1 then remember it is the smaller city that furnishes the great opportunity to make the millions of money4 ,the best illustration that ,i can give is in reference to ,john ,jacob ,astor1 who was a poor boy and who made all the money of the ,astor family4 ,he made more than his successors have ever earned1 and yet he once held a mortgage on a millinery store in ,new ,york1 and because the people could not make enough money to pay the interest and the rent1 he foreclosed the mortgage and took possession of the store and went into partnership with the man who had failed4 ,he kept the same stock did not give them a dollar of capital1 and he left them alone and went out and sat down upon a bench in the park4 ,out there on that bench in the park he had the most important1 and to my mind1 the pleasantest part of that partnership business4 ,he was watching the ladies as they went by2 and where is the man that wouldn't get rich at that business8 ,but when ,john ,jacob ,astor saw a lady pass1 with her shoulders back and her head up1 as if she did not care if the whole world looked on her1 he studied her bonnet2 and before that bonnet was out of sight he knew the shape of the frame and the color of the trimmings1 the curl of the--something on a bonnet ,sometimes ,i try to describe a woman's bonnet1 but it is of little use1 for it would be out of style to-morrow night4 ,so ,john ,jacob ,astor went to the store and said3 ,now1 put in the show window just such a bonnet as ,i describe to you because1 said he1 ,i have just seen a lady who likes just such a bonnet4 ,do not make up any more till ,i come back4 ,and he went out again and sat on that bench in the park1 and another lady of a different form and complexion passed him with a bonnet of different shape and color1 of course4 ,now1 said he1 put such a bonnet as that in the show window4 ,he didn't fill his show window with hats and bonnets which drive people away and then sit in the back of the store and bawl because the people go somewhere else to trade4 ,he didn't put a hat or bonnet in that show window the like of which he had not seen before it was made up4 ,in our city especially there are great opportunities for manufacturing1 and the time has come when the line is drawn very sharply between the stockholders of the factory and their employs4 ,now1 friends1 there has also come a discouraging gloom upon this country and the laboring men are beginning to feel that they are being held down by a crust over their heads through which they find it impossible to break1 and the aristocratic money-owner himself is so far above that he will never descend to their assistance4 ,that is the thought that is in the minds of our people4 ,but1 friends1 never in the history of our country was there an opportunity so great for the poor man to get rich as there is now and in the city of ,philadelphia4 ,the very fact that they get discouraged is what prevents them from getting rich4 ,that is all there is to it4 ,the road is open1 and let us keep it open between the poor and the rich4 ,i know that the labor unions have two great problems to contend with1 and there is only one way to solve them4 ,the labor unions are doing as much to prevent its solving as are the capitalists to-day1 and there are positively two sides to it4 ,the labor union has two difficulties2 the first one is that it began to make a labor scale for all classes on a par1 and they scale down a man that can earn five dollars a day to two and a half a day1 in order to level up to him an imbecile that cannot earn fifty cents a day4 ,that is one of the most dangerous and discouraging things for the working man4 ,he cannot get the results of his work if he do better work or higher work or work longer2 that is a dangerous thing1 and in order to get every laboring man free and every ,american equal to every other ,american1 let the laboring man ask what he is worth and get it--not let any capitalist say to him3 ,you shall work for me for half of what you are worth2 nor let any labor organization say3 ,you shall work for the capitalist for half your worth4 ,be a man1 be independent1 and then shall the laboring man find the road ever open from poverty to wealth4 ,the other difficulty that the labor union has to consider1 and this problem they have to solve themselves1 is the kind of orators who come and talk to them about the oppressive rich4 ,i can in my dreams recite the oration ,i have heard again and again under such circumstances4 ,my life has been with the laboring man4 ,i am a laboring man myself4 ,i have often1 in their assemblies1 heard the speech of the man who has been invited to address the labor union4 ,the man gets up before the assembled company of honest laboring men and he begins by saying3 ,oh1 ye honest1 industrious laboring men1 who have furnished all the capital of the world1 who have built all the palaces and constructed all the railroads and covered the ocean with her steamships4 ,oh1 you laboring men6 ,you are nothing but slaves2 you are ground down in the dust by the capitalist who is gloating over you as he enjoys his beautiful estates and as he has his banks filled with gold1 and every dollar he owns is coined out of the hearts' blood of the honest laboring man4 ,now1 that is a lie1 and you know it is a lie2 and yet that is the kind of speech that they are all the time hearing1 representing the capitalists as wicked and the laboring men so enslaved4 ,why1 how wrong it is6 ,let the man who loves his flag and believes in ,american principles endeavor with all his soul to bring the capitalist and the laboring man together until they stand side by side1 and arm in arm1 and work for the common good of humanity4 ,he is an enemy to his country who sets capital against labor or labor against capital4 ,suppose ,i were to go down through this audience and ask you to introduce me to the great inventors who live here in ,philadelphia4 ,the inventors of ,philadelphia1 you would say ,why we don't have any in ,philadelphia4 ,it is too slow to invent anything4 ,but you do have just as great inventors1 and they are here in this audience1 as ever invented a machine4 ,but the probability is that the greatest inventor to benefit the world with his discovery is some person1 perhaps some lady1 who thinks she could not invent anything4 ,did you ever study the history of invention and see how strange it was that the man who made the greatest discovery did it without any previous idea that he was an inventor8 ,who are the great inventors8 ,they are persons with plain1 straightforward common sense1 who saw a need in the world and immediately applied themselves to supply that need4 ,if you want to invent anything1 don't try to find it in the wheels in your head nor the wheels in your machine1 but first find out what the people need1 and then apply yourself to that need1 and this leads to invention on the part of people you would not dream of before4 ,the great inventors are simply great men2 the greater the man the more simple the man2 and the more simple a machine1 the more valuable it is4 ,did you ever know a really great man8 ,his ways are so simple1 so common1 so plain1 that you think any one could do what he is doing4 ,so it is with the great men the world over4 ,if you know a really great man1 a neighbor of yours1 you can go right up to him and say1 ,how are you1 ,jim1 good morning1 ,sam4 ,of course you can1 for they are always so simple4 ,when ,i wrote the life of ,general ,garfield1 one of his neighbors took me to his back door1 and shouted1 ,jim1 ,jim1 ,jim6 and very soon ,jim came to the door and ,general ,garfield let me in--one of the grandest men of our century4 ,the great men of the world are ever so4 ,i was down in ,virginia and went up to an educational institution and was directed to a man who was setting out a tree4 ,i approached him and said1 ,do you think it would be possible for me to see ,general ,robert ,b4 ,lee1 the ,president of the ,university8 ,he said1 ,sir1 ,i am ,general ,lee4 ,of course1 when you meet such a man1 so noble a man as that1 you will find him a simple1 plain man4 ,greatness is always just so modest and great inventions are simple4 ,i asked a class in school once who were the great inventors1 and a little girl popped up and said1 ,columbus4 ,well1 now1 she was not so far wrong4 ,columbus bought a farm and he carried on that farm just as ,i carried on my father's farm4 ,he took a hoe and went out and sat down on a rock4 ,but ,columbus1 as he sat upon that shore and looked out upon the ocean1 noticed that the ships1 as they sailed away1 sank deeper into the sea the farther they went4 ,and since that time some other ,spanish ships have sunk into the sea4 ,but as ,columbus noticed that the tops of the masts dropped down out of sight1 he said3 ,that is the way it is with this hoe handle2 if you go around this hoe handle1 the farther off you go the farther down you go4 ,i can sail around to the ,east ,indies4 ,how plain it all was4 ,how simple the mind--majestic like the simplicity of a mountain in its greatness4 ,who are the great inventors8 ,they are ever the simple1 plain1 everyday people who see the need and set about to supply it4 ,i was once lecturing in ,north ,carolina1 and the cashier of the bank sat directly behind a lady who wore a very large hat4 ,i said to that audience1 ,your wealth is too near to you2 you are looking right over it4 ,he whispered to his friend1 ,well1 then1 my wealth is in that hat4 ,a little later1 as he wrote me1 ,i said1 ,wherever there is a human need there is a greater fortune than a mine can furnish4 ,he caught my thought1 and he drew up his plan for a better hat pin than was in the hat before him1 and the pin is now being manufactured4 ,he was offered fifty-five thousand dollars for his patent4 ,that man made his fortune before he got out of that hall4 ,this is the whole question3 ,do you see a need8 ,i remember well a man up in my native hills1 a poor man1 who for twenty years was helped by the town in his poverty1 who owned a wide-spreading maple tree that covered the poor man's cottage like a benediction from on high4 ,i remember that tree1 for in the spring--there were some roguish boys around that neighborhood when ,i was young--in the spring of the year the man would put a bucket there and the spouts to catch the maple sap1 and ,i remember where that bucket was2 and when ,i was young the boys were1 oh1 so mean1 that they went to that tree before than man had gotten out of bed in the morning1 and after he had gone to bed at night1 and drank up that sweet sap4 ,i could swear they did it4 ,he didn't make a great deal of maple sugar from that tree4 ,but one day he made the sugar so white and crystaline that the visitor did not believe it was maple sugar2 thought maple sugar must be red or black4 ,he said to the old man3 ,why don't you make it that way and sell it for confectionary8 ,the old man caught his thought and invented the rock maple crystal1 and before that patent expired he had ninety thousand dollars and had built a beautiful palace on the site of that tree4 ,after forty years owning that tree he awoke to find it had fortunes of money indeed in it4 ,and many of us are right by the tree that has a fortune for us1 and we own it1 possess it1 do what we will with it1 but we do not learn its value because we do not see the human need1 and in these discoveries1 and inventions this is one of the most romantic things of life4 ,i have received letters from all over the country and from ,england1 where ,i have lectured1 saying that they have discovered this and that1 and one man out in ,ohio took me through his great factories last spring1 and said that they cost him #fhj1jjj1 and said he1 ,i was not worth a cent in the world when ,i heard your lecture ,acres of ,diamonds2 but ,i made up my mind to stop right here and make my fortune here1 and here it is4 ,he showed me through his unmortgaged possessions4 ,and this is a continual experience now as ,i travel through the country1 after these many years4 ,i mention this incident1 not to boast1 but to show you that you can do the same if you will4 ,who are the great inventors8 ,i remember a good illustration in a man who used to live in ,east ,brookfield1 ,mass4 ,he was a shoemaker1 and he was out of work1 and he sat around the house until his wife told him to go out doors4 ,and he did what every husband is compelled by law to do--he obeyed his wife4 ,and he went out and sat down on an ash barrel in his back yard4 ,think of it6 ,stranded on an ash barrel and the enemy in possession of the house6 ,as he sat on that ash barrel1 he looked down into that little brook which ran through that back yard into the meadows1 and he saw a little trout go flashing up the stream and hiding under the bank4 ,i do not suppose he thought of ,tennyson's beautiful poem3 ,chatter1 chatter1 as ,i flow1 ,to join the brimming river1 ,men may come1 and men may go1 ,but ,i go on forever4 ,but as this man looked into the brook1 he leaped off that ash barrel and managed to catch the trout with his fingers1 and sent it to ,worcester4 ,they wrote back that they would give him a five dollar bill for another such trout as that1 not that it was worth that much1 but he wished to help the poor man4 ,so this shoemaker and his wife1 now perfectly united1 that five dollar bill in prospect went out to get another trout ,they went up the stream to its source and down to the brimming river1 but not another trout could they find in the whole stream2 and so they came home disconsolate and went to the minister4 ,the minister didn't know how trout grew1 but he pointed the way4 ,said he1 ,get ,seth ,green's book1 and that will give you the information you want4 ,they did so1 and found all about the culture of trout4 ,they found that a trout lays thirty-six hundred eggs every year and every trout gains a quarter of a pound every year1 so that in four years a little trout will furnish four tons per annum to sell to the market at fifty cents a pound4 ,when they found that1 they said they didn't believe any such story as that1 but if they could get five dollars a piece they could make something4 ,and right in that same back yard with the coal sifter up stream and window screen down the stream1 they began the culture of trout4 ,they afterwards moved to the ,hudson1 and since then he has become the authority in the ,united ,states upon the raising of fish1 and he has been next to the highest on the ,united ,states ,fish ,commission in ,washington4 ,my lesson is that man's wealth was out there in his back yard for twenty years1 but he didn't see it until his wife drove him out with a mop stick4 ,i remember meeting personally a poor carpenter of ,hingham1 ,massachusetts1 who was out of work and in poverty4 ,his wife also drove him out of doors4 ,he sat down on the shore and whittled a soaked shingle into a wooden chain4 ,his children quarreled over it in the evening1 and while he was whittling a second one1 a neighbor came along and said1 ,why don't you whittle toys if you can carve like that8 ,he said1 ,i don't know what to make6 ,there is the whole thing4 ,his neighbor said to him3 ,why don't you ask your own children8 ,said he1 ,what is the use of doing that8 ,my children are different from other people's children4 ,i used to see people like that when ,i taught school4 ,the next morning when his boy came down the stairway1 he said1 ,sam1 what do you want for a toy8 ,i want a wheel-barrow4 ,when his little girl came down he asked her what she wanted1 and she said1 ,i want a little doll's washstand1 a little doll's carriage1 a little doll's umbrella1 and went on with a whole lot of things that would have taken his lifetime to supply4 ,he consulted his own children right there in his own house and began to whittle out toys to please them4 ,he began with his jack-knife1 and made those unpainted ,hingham toys4 ,he is the richest man in the entire ,new ,england ,states1 if ,mr4 ,lawson is to be trusted in his statement concerning such things1 and yet that man's fortune was made by consulting his own children in his own house4 ,you don't need to go out of your own house to find out what to invent or what to make4 ,i always talk too long on this subject4 ,i would like to meet the great men who are here to-night4 ,the great men6 ,we don't have any great men in ,philadelphia4 ,great men6 ,you say that they all come from ,london1 or ,san ,francisco1 or ,rome1 or ,manayunk1 or anywhere else but here--anywhere else but ,philadelphia--and yet1 in fact1 there are just as great men in ,philadelphia as in any city of its size4 ,there are great men and women in this audience4 ,great men1 ,i have said1 are very simple men4 ,just as many great men here as are to be found anywhere4 ,the greatest error in judging great men is that we think that they always hold an office4 ,the world knows nothing of its greatest men4 ,who are the great men of the world8 ,the young man and young woman may well ask the question4 ,it is not necessary that they should hold an office1 and yet that is the popular idea4 ,that is the idea we teach now in our high schools and common schools1 that the great men of the world are those who hold some high office1 and unless we change that very soon and do away with that prejudice1 we are going to change to an empire4 ,there is no question about it4 ,we must teach that men are great only on their intrinsic value1 and not on the position that they may incidentally happen to occupy4 ,and yet1 don't blame the young men saying that they are going to be great when they get into some official position4 ,i ask this audience again who of you are going to be great8 ,says a young man3 ,i am going to be great ,when are you going to be great8 ,when ,i am elected to some political office1 ,won't you learn the lesson1 young man2 that it is prima facie evidence of littleness to hold public office under our form of government8 ,think of it4 ,this is a government of the people1 and by the people1 and for the people1 and not for the office-holder1 and if the people in this country rule as they always should rule1 an officeholder is only the servant of the people1 and the ,bible says that the servant cannot be greater than his master1 ,the ,bible says that he that is sent cannot be greater than him who sent him4 ,in this country the people are the masters1 and the office-holders can never be greater than the people2 they should be honest servants of the people1 but they are not our greatest men4 ,young man1 remember that you never heard of a great man holding any political office in this country unless he took that office at an expense to himself4 ,it is a loss to every great man to take a public office in our country4 ,bear this in mind1 young man1 that you cannot be made great by a political election4 ,another young man says1 ,i am going to be a great man in ,philadelphia some time4 ,is that so8 ,when are you going to be great8 ,when there comes another war6 ,when we get into difficulty with ,mexico1 or ,england1 or ,russia1 or ,japan1 or with ,spain again over ,cuba1 or with ,new ,jersey1 ,i will march up to the cannon's mouth1 and amid the glistening bayonets ,i will tear down their flag from its staff1 and ,i will come home with stars on my shoulders1 and hold every office in the gift of the government1 and ,i will be great4 ,no1 you won't6 ,no1 you won't2 that is no evidence of true greatness1 young man4 ,but don't blame that young man for thinking that way2 that is the way he is taught in the high school4 ,that is the way history is taught in college4 ,he is taught that the men who held the office did all the fighting4 ,i remember we had a ,peace ,jubilee here in ,philadelphia soon after the ,spanish war4 ,perhaps some of those visitors think we should not have had it until now in ,philadelphia1 and as the great procession was going up ,broad street ,i was told that the tally-ho coach stopped right in front of my house1 and on the coach was ,hobson1 and all the people threw up their hats and swung their handkerchiefs1 and shouted ,hurrah for ,hobson6 ,i would have yelled too1 because he deserves much more of his country than he has ever received4 ,but suppose ,i go into the ,high ,school to-morrow and ask1 ,boys1 who sunk the ,merrimac8 ,if they answer me ,hobson1 they tell me seven-eighths of a lie--seven-eighths of a lie1 because there were eight men who sunk the ,merrimac4 ,the other seven men1 by virtue of their position1 were continually exposed to the ,spanish fire1 while ,hobson1 as an officer1 might reasonably be behind the smoke-stack4 ,why1 my friends1 in this intelligent audience gathered here to-night ,i do not believe ,i could find a single person that can name the other seven men who were with ,hobson4 ,why do we teach history in that way8 ,we ought to teach that however humble the station a man may occupy1 if he does his full duty in his place1 he is just as much entitled to the ,american peopled honor as is a king upon a throne4 ,we do teach it as a mother did her little boy in ,now ,york when he said1 ,mamma1 what great building is that8 ,that is ,general ,grant's tomb4 ,who was ,general ,grant8 ,he was the man who put down the rebellion4 ,is that the way to teach history8 ,do you think we would have gained a victory if it had depended on ,general ,grant alone8 ,oh1 no4 ,then why is there a tomb on the ,hudson at all8 ,why1 not simply because ,general ,grant was personally a great man himself1 but that tomb is there because he was a representative man and represented two hundred thousand men who went down to death for their nation and many of them as great as ,general ,grant4 ,that is why that beautiful tomb stands on the heights over the ,hudson4 ,i remember an incident that will illustrate this1 the only one that ,i can give to-night4 ,i am ashamed of it1 but ,i don't dare leave it out4 ,i close my eyes now2 ,i look back through the years to #ahfc2 ,i can see my native town in the ,berkshire ,hills1 ,i can see that cattle-show ground filled with people2 ,i can see the church there and the town hall crowded1 and hear bands playing1 and see flags flying and handkerchiefs steaming--well do ,i recall at this moment that day4 ,the people had turned out to receive a company of soldiers1 and that company came marching up on the ,common4 ,they had served out one term in the ,civil ,war and had re-enlisted1 and they were being received by their native townsmen4 ,i was but a boy1 but ,i was captain of that company1 puffed out with pride on that day--why1 a cambric needle would have burst me all to pieces4 ,as ,i marched on the ,common at the head of my company1 there was not a man more proud than ,i4 ,we marched into the town hall and then they seated my soldiers down in the center of the house and ,i took my place down on the front seat1 and then the town officers filed through the great throng of people1 who stood close and packed in that little hall4 ,they came up on the platform1 formed a half circle around it1 and the mayor of the town1 the chairman of the ,select men in ,kew ,england1 took his seat in the middle of that half circle1 ,he was an old man1 his hair was gray2 he never held an office before in his life4 ,he thought that an office was all he needed to be a truly great man1 and when he came up he adjusted his powerful spectacles and glanced calmly around the audience with amazing dignity4 ,suddenly his eyes fell upon me1 and then the good old man came right forward and invited me to come up on the stand with the town officers4 ,invited me up on the stand6 ,no town officer ever took notice of me before ,i went to war4 ,now1 ,i should not say that4 ,one town officer was there who advised the teacher to whale me1 but ,i mean no honorable mention4 ,so ,i was invited up on the stand with the town officers4 ,i took my seat and let my sword fall on the floor1 and folded my arms across my breast and waited to be received4 ,napoleon the ,fifth6 ,pride goeth before destruction and a fall4 ,when ,i had gotten my seat and all became silent through the hall1 the chairman of the ,select men arose and came forward with great dignity to the table1 and we all supposed he would introduce the ,congregational minister1 who was the only orator in the town1 and who would give the oration to the returning soldiers4 ,but1 friends1 you should have seen the surprise that ran over that audience when they discovered that this old farmer was going to deliver that oration himself4 ,he had never made a speech in his life before1 but he fell into the same error that others have fallen into1 he seemed to think that the office would make him an orator4 ,so he had written out a speech and walked up and down the pasture until he had learned it by heart and frightened the cattle1 and he brought that manuscript with him1 and taking it from his pocket1 he spread it carefully upon the table4 ,then he adjusted his spectacles to be sure that he might see it1 and walked far back on the platform and then stepped forward like this4 ,he must have studied the subject much1 for he assumed an elocutionary attitude2 he rested heavily upon his left heel1 slightly advanced the right foot1 threw back his shoulders1 opened the organs of speech1 and advanced his right hand at an angle of forty-five4 ,as he stood in that elocutionary attitude this is just the way that speech went1 this is it precisely4 ,some of my friends have asked me if ,i do not exaggerate it1 but ,i could not exaggerate it4 ,impossible6 ,this is the way it went2 although ,i am not here for the story but the lesson that is back of it3 ,fellow citizens4 ,as soon as he heard his voice1 his hand began to shake like that1 his knees began to tremble1 and then he shook all over4 ,he coughed and choked and finally came around to look at his manuscript4 ,then he began again3 ,fellow citizens3 ,we--are--we are--we are--we are--,we are very happy--we are very happy--we are very happy--to welcome back to their native town these soldiers who have fought and bled--and come back again to their native town4 ,we are especially--we are especially--we are especially--we are especially pleased to see with us to-day this young hero 7that meant me7--this young hero who in imagination 7friends1 remember1 he said imagination1 for if he had not said that1 ,i would not be egotistical enough to refer to it7--this young hero who1 in imagination1 we have seen leading his troops--leading--we have seen leading--we have seen leading his troops on to the deadly breach4 ,we have seen his shining--his shining--we have seen his shining--we have seen his shining--his shining sword--flashing in the sunlight as he shouted to his troops1 ',come on6' ,oh1 dear1 dear1 dear1 dear6 ,how little that good1 old man knew about war4 ,if he had known anything about war1 he ought to have known what any soldier in this audience knows is true1 that it is next to a crime for an officer of infantry ever in time of danger to go ahead of his men4 ,i1 with my shining sword flashing in the sunlight1 shouting to my troops3 ,come on4 ,i never did it4 ,do you suppose ,i would go ahead of my men to be shot in the front by the enemy and in the back by my own men8 ,that is no place for an officer4 ,the place for the officer is behind the private soldier in actual fighting4 ,how often1 as a staff officer1 ,i rode down the line when the ,rebel cry and yell was coming out of the woods1 sweeping along over the fields1 and shouted1 ,officers to the rear6 ,officers to the rear6 and then every officer goes behind the line of battle1 and the higher the officer's rank1 the farther behind he goes4 ,not because he is any the less brave1 but because the laws of war require that to be done4 ,if the general came up on the front line and were killed you would lose your battle anyhow1 because he has the plan of the battle in his brain1 and must be kept in comparative safety4 ,i1 with my shining sword flashing in the sunlight4 ,ah6 ,there sat in the hall that day men who had given that boy their last hardtack1 who had carried him on their backs through deep rivers4 ,but some were not there2 they had gone down to death for their country4 ,the speaker mentioned them1 but they were but little noticed1 and yet they had gone down to death for their country1 gone down for a cause they believed was right and still believe was right1 though ,i grant to the other side the same that ,i ask for myself4 ,yet these men who had actually died for their country were little noticed1 and the hero of the hour was this boy4 ,why was he the hero8 ,simply because that man fell into that same foolishness4 ,this boy was an officer1 and those were only private soldiers4 ,i learned a lesson that ,i will never forget4 ,greatness consists not in holding some office2 greatness really consists in doing some great deed with little means1 in the accomplishment of vast purposes from the private ranks of life2 that is true greatness4 ,he who can give to this people better streets1 better homes1 better schools1 better churches1 more religion1 more of happiness1 more of ,god1 he that can be a blessing to the community in which he lives to-night will be great anywhere1 but he who cannot be a blessing where he now lives will never be great anywhere on the face of ,god's earth4 ,we live in deeds1 not years1 in feeling1 not in figures on a dial2 in thoughts1 not breaths2 we should count time by heart throbs1 in the cause of right4 ,bailey says3 ,he most lives who thinks most4 ,if you forget everything ,i have said to you1 do not forget this1 because it contains more in two lines than all ,i have said4 ,bailey says3 ,he most lives who thinks most1 who feels the noblest1 and who acts the best4 ,,personal ,,glimpses ,,of ,,celebrated ,,men ,,and ,,women4,a ,footnote ,a3 ,stenographic report by ,a4 ,russell ,smith1 ,sec'y4 ,when ,i had been lecturing forty years1 which is now four years ago1 the ,lecture ,bureau suggested that before ,i retire from the public platform1 that ,i should prepare one subject and deliver it through the country4 ,for ,i had told the ,bureau thirty years ago that when ,i had lectured forty years1 ,i would retire4 ,they therefore suggested a talk on this topic1 ,personal ,glimpses of ,celebrated ,men and ,women4 ,but a death in our family which destroyed the homeness of our house produced such an effect upon us that after the forty years came we found that we would rather wander than stay at home1 and consequently we are traveling still1 and will do so until the end4 ,this explanation will show why many of these things are said4 ,for ,i must necessarily bring myself often into this topic1 sometimes unpleasantly to myself4 ,mark ,twain says1 that the trouble with an old man is that he remembers so many things that ain't so1 and with ,mark ,twain's caution in my ears1 ,i will try to give you these ,personal ,glimpses of ,celebrated ,men and ,women4 ,i do not claim to be a very intimate friend of great men4 ,but a fly may look at an elephant1 and for this reason we may glance at the great men and women whom ,i have seen through the many years of public life4 ,sometimes those glimpses give us a better idea of the real man or woman than an entire biography written while he was living would do2 and to-night as a grandfather would bring his grandchildren to his knee and tell them of his little experiences1 so let me tell to you these incidents in a life now so largely lived out4 ,as ,i glance back to the ,hampshire ,highlands of the dear old ,berkshire ,hills in ,massachusetts1 where my father worked as a farmer among the rooks for twenty years to pay off a mortgage of twelve hundred dollars upon his little farm1 my elder brother and myself slept in the attic which had one window in the gable end1 composed of four lights and those very small4 ,i remember that attic so distinctly now1 with the ears of corn hung by the husks on the bare rafters1 the rats running over the floor and sometimes over the faces of the boys2 the patter of the rain upon the roof1 and the whistle of the wind around that gable end1 the sifting of the snows through the hole in the window over the pillow on our bed4 ,while these things may appear very simple and homely before this great audience1 yet ,i mention them because in this house ,i had a glimpse of the first great man ,i ever saw4 ,it was far in the country1 far from the railroad1 far from the city1 yet into that region there came occasionally a man or woman whose name is a household word in the world4 ,in those mountains of my boyhood there was then an underground railroad running from ,virginia to ,canada4 ,it was called an underground railroad1 although it was a system by which the escaped slaves from ,virginia came into ,delaware1 from ,delaware into ,philadelphia1 then to ,new ,york1 then to ,springfield1 and from ,springfield my father took the slaves by night to ,worthington1 ,mass41 and they were sent on by ,st4 ,albans1 over the ,canada line into liberty4 ,this underground railroad system was composed of a chain of men of whom my father was one link4 ,one night my father drove up in the dark1 and my elder brother and ,i looked out to see who it was he had6 brought home with him4 ,we supposed he had brought a slave whom he was helping to escape4 ,oh1 those dreary1 dark days1 when we were in continual dread lest the ,united ,states ,marshal should arrest my father1 throw him into prison for thus assisting these fugitive slaves4 ,the gloomy memory of those early years chills me now4 ,but as we gazed out that dark night1 we saw that it was a white man with father and who helped unhitch the horses and put them in the barn4 ,in the morning this white man sat at the breakfast table and my father introduced him to us1 saying3 ,boys1 this is ,frederick ,douglass1 the great colored orator1 ,while ,i looked at him1 giggling as boys will do1 ,mr4 ,douglass turned to us and said1 ,yes1 boys1 ,i am a colored man2 my mother was a colored woman and my father a white man1 and said he1 ,i have never seen my father1 and ,i do not know much about my mother4 ,i remember her once when she interfered between me and the overseer1 who was whipping me1 and she received the lash upon her cheek and shoulder1 and her blood ran across my face4 ,i remember washing her blood from my face and clothes4 ,that story made a deep impression on us boys1 stamped indelibly on our memories4 ,frederick ,douglass is thus mentioned to illustrate the subject that ,i have come to teach to-night4 ,he frequently came to our house after that and my mother often said to him1 ,mr4 ,douglass1 you will work yourself to death1 but he replied that until the slaves were free1 and that would be very soon1 he must devote his life to them4 ,but after that1 said he1 ,i will retire to ,rochester1 ,new ,york1 where ,i have some land and will build a house4 ,he told us how many rooms it would have1 what decorations would be there1 but when the war had been over several years1 he came to the house again and my father asked him about the house in ,rochester4 ,well1 he said1 ,i have not built that one yet1 but ,i have my plans for it4 ,i have some work yet to do2 ,i must take care of the freedmen in the ,south1 and look after their financial prosperity1 then ,i will build my cottage4 ,you all remember that he never built his house1 but suddenly went on into the unknown of the greatest work of his life4 ,i remember that in #aheb1 my father came with another man who was put for the night into the northwest bedroom--this is the room where those ,new ,englanders always put their friends1 because1 perhaps1 pneumonia comes there first--that awful1 cold1 dismal1 northwest bedroom4 ,thinking a favorite uncle had come1 ,i went to the door early in the morning4 ,the door was shut--one of those doors which1 if you lift the latch1 the door immediately swings open4 ,i lifted the latch and prepared to leap in to awaken my uncle and astonish him by my early morning greeting4 ,but when the door swung back1 ,i glanced toward the bed4 ,the astonishment chills me at this moment1 for in that bed was not my uncle2 but a giant1 whose toes stood up at the foot-board1 and whose long hair was spread out over the pillow and his long gray whiskers lay on the bed clothes1 and oh1 that snore--it sounded like some steam horn4 ,that giant figure frightened me and ,i rushed out into the kitchen and said1 ,mother1 who is that strange man in the northwest bed room8 and she said1 ,why1 that is ,john ,brown4 ,i had never seen ,john ,brown before1 although my father had been with him in the wool business in ,springfield4 ,i had heard some strange things about ,john ,brown1 and the figure of the man made them seem doubly terrible4 ,i hid beside my mother1 where ,i said ,i would stay until the man was through his breakfast1 but father came out and demanded that the boys should come in1 and he set me right under the wing of that awful giant4 ,but when ,john ,brown saw us coming in so timidly1 he turned to us with a smile so benign and beautiful and so greatly in contrast to what we had pictured him1 that it was a transition4 ,he became to us boys one of the loveliest men we ever knew4 ,he would go to the barn with us and milk the cows1 pitch the hay from the hay-mow2 he drove the cattle to water for us1 and told us many a story1 until the dear1 good old man became one of the treasurers of our life4 ,it is true that my mother thought he was half crazy1 and consequently she and father did not always agree about him1 and did not discuss him before the children4 ,but nevertheless1 be he a crank1 or a fanatic1 or what he may1 one thing is sure1 the richest milk of human kindness flowed from that heart and devoted itself sincerely to the uplift of humanity4 ,i remember him with love1 love deep and sacred1 up to this present time4 ,however great an extremist ,john ,brown was1 there were many of them in ,new ,england4 ,wendell ,phillips1 ,william ,lloyd ,garrison and ,john ,brown never could agree4 ,john ,brown used to criticise ,wendell ,phillips severely4 ,he said that ,wendell ,phillips could not see to read the clearest signs of revolution1 and he was reminded by the husband who bought a grave-stone that had been carved for another woman1 but the stone-cutter said ,that has the name of another person4 ,oh1 said the widower1 that makes no difference2 my wife couldn't read4 ,john ,brown once said of ,wm4 ,lloyd ,garrison that he couldn't see the point and was like the woman who never could see a joke4 ,one morning1 seated at the breakfast table1 her husband cracked a joke1 but she did not smile1 when he said1 ,mary1 you could not see a joke if it were fired at you from a ,dalgreen gun1 whereupon she remarked3 ,now ,john1 you know they do not fire jokes out of a gun4 ,well do ,i recall that ,december #b;d of #ahei4 ,only a few weeks before ,john ,brown came to our house and my father subscribed to the purchase of rifles to aid in the attempt to raise the insurrection among the slaves4 ,the last time ,i saw ,john ,brown he was in the wagon with my father4 ,father gave him the reins and came back as though he had forgotten something4 ,john ,brown said1 ,boys1 stay at home2 stay at home6 ,now1 remember1 you may never see me again1 and then in a lower voice1 ,and ,i do not think you ever will see me again1 but ,remember the advice of your ,uncle ,brown 7as we called him71 and stay at home with the old folks1 and remember that you will be more blessed here than anywhere else on earth4 ,the happiest place on earth for me is still at my old home in ,litchfield1 ,connecticut4 ,i did not understand him then1 but on ,december #b;d at eleven o'clock my father called us all into the house and all that hour from eleven to twelve o'clock we sat there in perfect silence4 ,as the old clock in that kitchen struck eleven1 ,i heard the bell1 ring from the ,methodist ,church1 its peal coming up the valley1 from hill to hill1 and echoing its sad tone as the hour wore on4 ,the peal of that bell remains with me now2 it has ever been a source of inspiration to me4 ,sixty times struck that old bell4 ,once a minute1 and when the long sad hour was over1 father put his ,bible upon the mantel and went slowly out1 and we all solemnly followed1 going to our various duties4 ,that solemn hour had a voice in the coming great ,civil ,war of #ahfa-fe4 ,at that hour ,john ,brown was hanged in ,virginia4 ,all through ,new ,england1 they kept that hour with the same solemn services which characterized my father's family4 ,when the call came for volunteers the young men of ,new ,england enlisted in the army1 and sang again and again1 that old song1 ,john ,brown's body lies mouldering in the grave1 but his soul goes marching on4 ,his soul is still marching on4 ,and while ,i am one of those who would be the first to resist any attempt to mar the sweet fraternity that now characterises the feeling between the ,north and ,south1 as ,i believe that the ,southern soldier fought for what he believed to be right1 and consequently is entitled to our fraternal respect1 and while ,i believe that ,john ,brown was sometimes a fanatic1 yet this illustration teaches us this great lesson and that ,john ,brown's advice was true4 ,his happiest days were passed far back in the quiet of his old home4 ,near to our home1 in the town of ,cummington1 lived ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 one of the great poets of ,new ,england4 ,he came back there to spend his summers among the mountains he so clearly loved4 ,he promised the people of ,cummington that he would again make his permanent home there4 ,i remember asking him if he would come clown to the stream where he wrote ,thanatopsis and recite it for us4 ,the good1 old neighbor1 white haired and trembling1 came down to the banks of that little stream and stood in the shade of the same old maple where he had written that beautiful poem1 and read from the wonderful creation that made his name famous4 ,so live that when thy summons comes1 to join ,the innumerable caravan which moves ,to that mysterious realm where each must take ,his chamber in the silent halls of death1 ,thou go not1 like the quarry slave at night1 ,scourged to his dungeon2 but1 sustained and soothed ,by an unfaltering trust1 approach thy grave ,like one who wraps the drapery of his couch ,about him1 and lies down to pleasant dreams4 ,yes1 he said1 ,i will come back to ,cummington4 ,so he went to ,europe but came not back to occupy that home4 ,he loved the old home4 ,we were driving by his place one day when we saw him planting apple trees in ,july4 ,we all know that apple trees won't grow when planted in ,july1 so my father1 knowing him well1 called to him and said1 ,mr4 ,bryant1 what are you doing there8 ,they won't grow4 ,mr4 ,bryant paused a moment and looked at us1 and then said half playfully3 ,conwell1 drive on1 you have no part nor lot in this matter4 ,i do not expect these trees to grow2 ,i am setting them out because ,i want to live over again the days when my father used to set trees when they would grow4 ,i want to renew that memory4 ,he was wise1 for in his work on ,the ,transmigration of ,races he used that experience wonderfully4 ,in #ahfj1 when we were teaching school1 my elder brother and myself1 in ,blanchford1 ,massachusetts1 were asked to go to ,brooklyn with the body of a lady who died near our schools4 ,we went to ,brooklyn on ,saturday and after the funeral1 our friends asked us to stay over ,sunday1 saying that they would take us to hear ,henry ,ward ,beecher6 ,that was a great inducement1 because my father read the ,tribune every ,sunday morning after his ,bible 7and sometimes before it7 and what ,henry ,ward ,beecher said1 my father thought1 was law and ,gospel4 ,sunday night1 we went to ,plymouth ,church1 and there was a crowd an hour before the service1 and when the doors were opened we were crowded up the stairs4 ,we boys were thrust back into a dirty corner where we could not see4 ,oh1 yes1 that is the way they treat the boys1 put them any place--they're only boys6 ,i remember the disappointment of that night1 when we went there more to see than hear4 ,but finally ,mr4 ,beecher came out and gave out his text4 ,i remember that ,i did not pay very much attention to it4 ,in the middle of the sermon ,mr4 ,beecher began in the strangest way to auction off a woman3 ,how much am ,i offered for the woman8 he yelled1 and while in his biographies1 they have said that this woman was sold in the ,broadway ,tabernacle1 but ,i afterwards asked ,mrs4 ,beecher and she said that ,mr4 ,beecher had not sold this woman twice1 so far as she knew1 but that she recalled distinctly the sale in the ,plymouth ,church4 ,i remember standing up on tip-toes to look for that woman that was being sold4 ,after he had finished1 after the singing of the hymn1 he said ,brethren1 be seated1 and then said1 ,sam1 come here4 ,a colored boy came up tremblingly and stood beside him4 ,this boy is offered for #ggj4jj2 he is owned in ,south ,carolina and has run away4 ,his master offers him to me for #ggj4jj1 and now if the officers of the church will pass the plates the boy shall be set free1 and when the plates were returned over #agjj4jj came in4 ,as we went our way home ,i said to my elder brother3 ,oh1 what a grand thing it must be to preach to a congregation of fifteen hundred people4 ,but my elder brother very wisely said3 ,you don't know anything about it2 you do not know whether he is happy or not4 ,well1 ,i suggested1 wasn't it a strange thing to introduce a public auction in the middle of a sermon1 and my elder brother again said that if they did more of that in a country church they would have a larger congregation4 ,afterwards ,i was quite fortunate to know ,mr4 ,beecher and frequently reported his sermons4 ,i often heard him say that the happiest years he ever knew were back in ,lawrenceville1 ,ohio1 in that little church where there were no lamps and he had to borrow them himself1 light them himself1 and prepare the church for the first service4 ,he told how he swept the church1 lighted the fire in the stove1 and how it smoked2 then how he sawed the wood to heat the church1 and how he went into carpenter work to earn money to pay his own salary1 yet he said that was the happiest time of his life4 ,mrs4 ,beecher told me afterwards that ,mr4 ,beecher often talked about those days and said that bye and bye he would retire and they would again go back to the simple life they had enjoyed so much4 ,when he had built his new home near the ,hudson1 ,robert ,collier and ,i visited him4 ,we found in the rear of an addition that clap-boards had been put up in all sorts of adjustment4 ,mr4 ,collier asked him3 ,where did you find a carpenter to do such poor work as that8 and ,mr4 ,beecher said humorously3 ,you could not hire that carpenter on your house4 ,then he said3 ,mr4 ,collier1 ,i put those boards on that house myself4 ,i insisted that they leave that work for me to do4 ,i have been happy putting on these boards and driving these nails4 ,they took me back to the old days at ,lawrenceville1 where we lived over a store and our pantry was a dry goods box4 ,but there we were so happy4 ,i am hoping sometime to be as happy again1 but it is not possible to do it while ,i am in the service of the public4 ,he had promised himself and his wife some day to go back to that simple life4 ,but his sudden death taught the same great lesson with all the examples ,i give of great men and women4 ,rev4 ,robt4 ,collier always enjoyed the circus--the circus was the great place of enjoyment outside1 perhaps1 of his pulpit work4 ,it was ,robert ,collier who used to tell the story of the boy whose aunt always made him go to church1 but after going to a circus he wrote to his aunt3 ,auntie1 if you had ever been to a circus1 you wouldn't go to another prayer-meeting as long as you live4 ,the love of ,collier for the circus only shows the simplicity of the great man's mind4 ,mr4 ,collier is said to have paid a dollar for a fifty cent ticket to the circus1 only making it conditional that he was to have the privilege of going 'round to the rear and crawling under the tent1 showing what he must have done when a boy4 ,the fact of ,mr4 ,collier's love for the circus was one of the strange things in the eccentricities of a great man's life4 ,once ,mr4 ,barnum came into ,mr4 ,collier's church and ,mr4 ,collier said to the usher3 ,please show ,mr4 ,barnum to a front seat for he always gives me one in his circus4 ,these simplicities often show that somewhere back in each man's life there is a point where happiness and love are one1 and when1 that point is passed1 we go on longing to the return4 ,the night after he went to hear ,henry ,ward ,beecher's great sermon they persuaded us to stay until the following ,monday night1 because there was to be a lecture at the ,cooper ,institute and there was to be a parade of political clubs1 and fire works1 so as country boys1 easily influenced1 we decided that the school could wait for another day1 and staid for the procession4 ,we went to ,cooper's ,institute and there was a crowd as there was at ,beecher's church4 ,we finally got on the stairway and far in the rear of the great crowd1 but my brother stood on the floor1 and ,i sat on the ledge of the window sill1 with my feet on his shoulders1 so he held me while ,i told him down there what was going on over yonder4 ,the first man that came on the platform1 and presided at that meeting1 was ,william ,cullent ,bryant1 our dear old neighbor4 ,when we boys in a strange city saw that familiar face1 oh1 the emotions that arose in our hearts6 ,how proud we were at that hour1 that he1 our neighbor1 was presiding on that occasion4 ,he took his seat on the stage1 the right of which was left vacant for some one yet to come4 ,next came a very heavy man1 but immediately following him a tall1 lean man4 ,mr4 ,bryant arose and went toward him1 bowing and smiling4 ,he was an awkward specimen of a man and all about me people were asking ,who is that8 but no man seemed to know4 ,i asked a gentleman who that man was1 but he said he didn't know4 ,he was an awkward specimen indeed2 one of the legs of his trousers was up about two inches above his shoe2 his hair was dishevelled and stuck out like rooster's feathers2 his coat was altogether too large for him in the back1 his arms much longer than the sleeves1 and with his legs twisted around the rungs of the chair1 was the picture of embarrassment4 ,when ,mr4 ,bryant arose to introduce the speaker of that evening1 he was known seemingly to few in that great hall4 ,mr4 ,bryant said3 ,gentlemen of ,new ,york1 you have your favorite son in ,mr4 ,seward and if he were to be ,president of the ,united ,states1 every one of us would be proud of him4 ,then came great applause4 ,ohio has her favorite son in ,judge ,wade2 and the nation would prosper under his administration1 but ,gentlemen of ,new ,york1 it is a great honor that is conferred upon me to-night1 for ,i can introduce to you the next ,president of the ,united ,states1 ,abraham ,lincoln4 ,then through that audience flew the query as to whom ,abraham ,lincoln was4 ,there was but weak applause4 ,mr4 ,lincoln had in his hand a manuscript4 ,he had written it with great care and exactness and the speech which you read in his biography is the one that he wrote1 not the one that he delivered as ,i recall it1 and it is fortunate for the country that they did print the one that he wrote4 ,i think the one he wrote had already been set up in type that afternoon from his manuscript1 and consequently they did not go over it to see whether it had been changed or not4 ,he had read three pages and had gone on to the fourth when he lost his place and then he began to tremble and stammer4 ,he then turned it over two or three times1 threw the manuscript upon the table1 and1 as they say in the west1 let himself go4 ,now the stammering man who had created only silent derision up to that point1 suddenly flashed out into an angel of oratory and the awkward arms and dishevelled hair were lost sight of entirely in the wonderful beauty and lofty inspiration of that magnificent address4 ,the great audience immediately began to follow his thought1 and when he uttered that quotation from ,douglass1 ,it is written on the sky of ,america that the slaves shall some day be free1 he had settled the question that he was to be the next ,president of the ,united ,states4 ,the applause was so-great that the building trembled and ,i felt the windows shake behind me4 ,afterward1 as we walked home1 ,i said to my elder brother again1 ,wasn't it a great thing to be introduced to all those people as the next ,president of the ,united ,states8 and my elder brother very wisely said3 ,you do not know whether he was really happy or not4 ,afterwards1 in #ahfd1 when one of my soldiers was unjustly sentenced and his gray-haired mother plead with me to use what influence ,i would have with the ,president1 ,i went to ,washington and told the story to the ,president4 ,he said he had heard something about it from ,mr4 ,stanton1 and he said he would investigate the matter1 and he did afterward decide that the man should not be put to death4 ,at the close of that interview ,i said to the ,president3 ,i beg your pardon1 ,mr4 ,lincoln1 but is it not a most exhausting thing to sit here hearing all these appeals and have all of this business on your hands8 ,he laid his head on his hand1 and in a somewhat wearied manner1 said1 with a deep sigh3 ,yes1 yes2 no man ought to be ambitious to be ,president of the ,united ,states1 and said he1 ,when this war is over1 and that won't be very long1 ,i tell my ,tad that we will go back to the farm where ,i was happier as a boy when ,i dug potatoes at twenty-five cents a day than ,i am now2 ,i tell him ,i will buy him a mule and a pony and he shall have a little cart and he shall make a little garden in a field all his own1 and the ,president's face beamed as he arose from his chair in the delight of excitement as he said3 ,yes1 ,i will be far happier than ,i have ever been here4 ,the next time ,i looked in the face of ,abraham ,lincoln was in the east room of the ,white ,house at ,washington as he lay in his coffin4 ,not long ago at a ,chautauqua lecture ,i was on the very farm which he bought at ,salem1 ,illinois1 and looked around the place where he had resolved to build a mansion1 but which was never constructed4 ,near my home in the ,berkshires1 ,charles ,dudley ,warner was born4 ,when he had accomplished great things in literature and had written ,my ,summer in a ,garden1 that popular work which attracted the attention of his newspaper friends1 he went to ,hartford1 where the latter gave him a banquet4 ,i was invited to attend and report it for the public press4 ,they lauded him and said how beautiful it was to be so elevated above his fellow men1 and how great he was in the estimation of the world ,but he in his answer to the toast said1 ,gentlemen1 ,i wish for no fame1 ,i desire no glory and you have made a mistake if you think ,i enjoy any such notoriety4 ,i envy the ,hartford teacher whose smile threw sunshine along her pathway4 ,then he told us the story of a poor little boy1 cold and barefooted1 standing on the street on a terribly cold day4 ,a lady came along1 and looking kindly at him1 said1 ,little boy1 are you cold8 ,the little fellow1 looking up into her face1 said1 ,yes ,ma'am1 ,i was cold till you smiled4 ,he would rather have a smile like that and the simple love of his fellow men than to have all the fame of the earth4 ,he was honored in all parts of the world by the greatest of the great1 yet he was a sad man when he wrote ,my ,summer in a ,garden1 and it all seems a mystery how he could in such grief have written that remarkable little tale4 ,this sadness is often associated with humorists4 ,mr4 ,shaw was one of the saddest men ,i ever met4 ,why1 he cried on the slightest occasion4 ,i went one day to interview him in ,boston1 and ,mr4 ,shepard1 his publisher1 said ,please don't trouble ,josh ,billings now4 ,what is the matter8 ,oh1 he is crying again1 said ,mr4 ,shepard4 ,i asked him how ,mr4 ,shaw could write such funny things as he did4 ,he then showed me the manuscript 7which ,mr4 ,shaw had just placed on his desk and which he had just written71 in which he says1 ,i do not know any cure for laziness1 but ,i have known a second wife to hurry it up some4 ,artemus ,ward wrote the most laughable things while his heart was in the deepest wretchedness4 ,often these glimpses of the funny men whose profession would seem to show them to be the happiest of earth's people1 prove that they are sometimes the most gloomy and miserable4 ,john ,b4 ,gough1 the great temperance orator1 the greatest the world has ever seen1 said to me one evening at his home that he would lecture for forty years1 and then would stop4 ,but his wife said1 ,now1 ,john1 you know you won't give it up4 ,he assented1 ,yes1 ,i will4 ,but his wife said1 ,no you won't4 ,you men when you drink of public life find it like a drink of whiskey1 and you are just like the rest of the men4 ,no1 said he4 ,then ,mr4 ,gough told again his familiar story of the minister who was preaching in his pulpit in ,boston when he saw the ,governor of the ,state coming up the aisle4 ,immediately he began to stammer1 and finally said3 ,i see the ,governor coming in1 and as ,i know you will want to hear an exhortation from him1 ,i think that ,i had better stop4 ,then one of the old officials leaped up from one of the front seats and said1 ,i insist upon your going on with your sermon1 sir2 you ought not be embarrassed by the ,governor's coming in4 ,we are all worms6 ,all worms6 nothing but worms6 ,then the minister was angry and shouted3 ,sir1 ,i would have you understand that there is a difference in worms4 ,mr4 ,gough said he was different from other people yet the years came and went1 and he stayed on the public platform4 ,one night a committee from ,frankford1 ,philadelphia1 asked me to write him and ask him to lecture for them4 ,i wrote and whether my influence had anything to do with it or not1 ,i do not know1 but he came from ,new ,york and when he was in about the middle of his lecture1 he came to that sentence1 ,young man1 keep your record clear1 for a single glass of intoxicating liquor may somewhere1 in after years1 change into a horrid monster that shall carry you down to woe4 ,and when he had uttered that wonderful sentence of advice1 he slopped to get breath1 reached for a drink of water1 swung forward and fell over4 ,the doctor said he was too late for any earthly aid1 and ,john ,b4 ,gough1 with his armor on1 went on into ,glory4 ,he never found that earthly rest he had promised himself4 ,his garden never showed its flowers1 and his fields were never strewn with grain4 ,when our regiment was encamped in ,faneuil ,hall at ,boston before embarking for the war in #ahfc1 ,mr4 ,wendell ,phillips sent an invitation to the officers of the regiment to visit his home4 ,but when we reached his house we found that he had been called to ,worcester suddenly to make a speech4 ,but we found his wife there in her rolling chair1 for she was a permanent invalid4 ,our evening was spent very pleasantly1 but ,i said to her3 ,are you not very lonesome when ,mr4 ,phillips is away so much8 ,yes1 she said1 ,i am very lonesome2 he is father1 mother1 brother1 sister1 husband and child to me1 and said she1 he cares for me with the tenderness of a mother2 he waits upon me1 he takes me out1 and brings me in2 he dresses me1 and it now seems so strange that he is not by my side4 ,if it were not for him1 ,i should die1 but he says that as soon as the slaves are free that he will come back and be the same husband he was before4 ,the officers standing around me smiled as they heard of his promise to retire1 but said she1 ,oh1 yes1 he will do as he promised4 ,when the war was over and the slaves were free1 and he had scolded ,general ,grant all he wished1 he did do as he promised1 and did retire4 ,he sold his house in the city and bought one in ,waverly1 ,massachusetts4 ,he did prove the exception and went back to the private life that he had promised himself and his wife4 ,every ,sunday morning as ,i drove by his home ,i could see him swinging on his gate4 ,it was a double gate over the driveway1 and he would pull that gate far in1 get on it and then swing way out over the side-walk and then in again4 ,well1 he used to swing on that gate every ,sunday morning1 and my family wondered why it was that he always did it on that particular morning4 ,one ,sunday morning when ,i drove by1 ,i found ,mr4 ,phillips swinging on his gate over the side-walk1 and ,i said1 ,mr4 ,phillips1 my family wish me to ask you why you swing on this gate every ,sunday morning4 ,mr4 ,phillips1 who had a very deep sense of humour1 stepped off the gate1 stood back1 and assuming a dignified1 ministerial air1 ,i am requested to discourse to-day upon the text ',why ,i swing upon this gate on ,sunday morning1' and ,i will1 therefore1 divide my text into two heads4 ,i quickly told him that ,i must get to church some time that day4 ,then1 said he1 with a smile1 just one word more3 ,why do ,i swing on a gate8 ,because the first time ,i saw my wife she was swinging on the gate1 and the second time ,i saw her1 we kissed each other over the top of the gate1 and when ,i swing it reminds me of other happy days long gone by4 ,that1 sir1 is the reason ,i swing upon this gate4 ,then his humor all disappeared and he said3 ,i really swing upon this gate on ,sunday morning because ,i think the next thing to the love of ,god is love of man for a true woman--as you cannot say you love ,god and hate your brother1 neither can you say you love ,god unless you have first loved a human being1 and ,i swing on this gate on ,sunday morning because to me it is next to life's highest worship4 ,and then1 in a majestic manner1 he said1 ,conwell1 all within this gate is ,,paradise and all without it ,,martyrdom4 ,in that wonderful sentence1 which ,i feel sure ,i recall accurately1 he uttered the most glorious expression that could ever come from uninspired lips4 ,i had a glimpse of ,james ,g4 ,elaine when ,i went to his home in ,augusta1 ,maine1 to write his biography for the committee4 ,a day or two after it was finished a distinguished ,senator from ,washington came to see me in ,philadelphia and asked if ,mr4 ,blaine had seen the book1 and ,i told him that he certainly had4 ,did he see that second chapter8 ,of course he did1 said ,i2 he corrected it4 ,then he wanted to know how much money it would take to get the book out of circulation4 ,why1 what is the matter with the book1 said ,i1 but he would not tell me1 and said that he would pay me well if ,i would only keep the book from circulation4 ,he did not tell me what was the matter4 ,i told him that the publishers owned the copyright1 having bought it from me4 ,he said1 ,is it not possible for you to take a trip to ,europe to-morrow morning8 ,but why take a trip to ,europe8 ,the committee will pay all of your expenses1 all your family's expenses1 and of any servants you wish lo take with you--only get out of the country4 ,well1 ,i said1 ,i am not going to leave the country for my country's good1 unless ,i know what ,i am going for4 ,i never could find out what the trouble with that second chapter was1 and ,i afterwards asked ,mrs4 ,blaine if she knew what was the matter4 ,she then broke out in a paroxysm of grief and said that if he had stayed in ,washington1 ,pennsylvania1 where he was a teacher1 he would be living yet4 ,she said he had given thirty years of his life to the public service1 and now they have so ungratefully disgraced his name1 sent him to an early grave1 and all in consequence of what he has done for the public4 ,he is a stranger to his country--a stranger to his friends1 and then she said1 ,o would to ,god he had stayed in ,pennsylvania6 ,i left her then1 but ,i have never known what was in that second chapter that caused the disturbance4 ,but ,i do know the second chapter was concerning their early and happy life in ,washington1 ,pennsylvania1 where he taught in the college4 ,near our home in ,newton1 ,massachusetts1 was that of ,f4,f4 ,smith1 who wrote ,america4 ,it was of him that ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes said that ,nature tried to hide him by naming him ,smith4 ,smith lived that quiet and restful life that reminds one of ,tennyson's ,brook when thinking of him4 ,he knew the glory of modest living4 ,the last time ,i saw the sweet ,quaker poet1 ,john ,greenleaf ,whittier1 was in ,amesbury1 before he died4 ,he sent a note to the lecture hall asking me to come to come to him4 ,i asked him what was his favorite poem of his own writing4 ,he said he had not thought very much about it1 but said that there was one that he especially remembered3 ,i know not where ,his islands lift ,their fronded palms in air1 ,i only know ,i cannot drift ,beyond ,his love and care4 ,i then asked him1 ,mr4 ,whittier1 how could you write all those war songs which sent us young men to war1 and you a peaceful ,quaker8 ,i cannot understand it4 ,he smiled and said that his great-grandfather had been on a ship that was attacked by pirates1 and as one of the pirates was climbing up the rope into their ship1 his great-grandfather grasped a knife and cut the rope1 saying3 ,if thee wants the rope1 thee can have it4 ,he said that he had inherited something of the same spirit4 ,at ,kennett ,square1 ,pennsylvania1 ,bayard ,taylor took me to the grave of his wife1 and said ,here is the spot where ,i determined to live anew4 ,from this grave the real experiences of my life began4 ,there he was completing his home called ,cedar ,croft4 ,but he died while ,u4,s4 ,minister to ,germany4 ,the ,young ,men's ,congress of ,boston1 when arranging for a great memorial service in ,tremont ,temple1 asked me to call on ,dr4 ,oliver ,wendel ,holmes to ask him to write a poem on ,bayard ,taylor's death4 ,when ,i asked ,mr4 ,holmes to write this poem1 to be read in the ,tremont ,temple1 he was sitting on the rocking chair4 ,he rocked back and kicked up his feet1 and began to laugh4 ,i write a poem on ,bayard ,taylor--ah1 no--but ,i tell you1 if you will get ,mr4 ,longfellow to write a poem on ,bayard ,taylor's death1 ,i will read it4 ,these things only show the eccentricities of ,mr4 ,holmes4 ,so ,i went to ,mr4 ,longfellow and told him what ,dr4 ,holmes had said1 and here is the poem he wrote3 ,dead he lay among his books6 ,the peace of ,god was in his looks4 ,as the statues in the gloom ,watch o'er ,maximilian's tomb1 ,so those volumes from their shelve4 ,watched him1 silent as themselves4 ,ah1 his hand will never more ,turn their storied pages o'er4 ,never more his lips repeat ,songs of theirs1 however sweet4 ,let the lifeless body rest6 ,he is gone who was its guest4 ,gone as travellers haste to leave ,an inn1 nor tarry until eve4 ,traveller6 in what realms afar1 ,in what planet1 in what star1 ,in what gardens of delight ,rest thy weary feet to-night8 ,poet1 thou whose latest verse ,was a garland on thy hearse1 ,thou hast sung with organ tone ,in ,deukalion's life thine own4 ,on the ruins of the ,past ,blooms the perfect flower1 at last ,friend1 but yesterday the bells ,rang for thee their loud farewells2 ,and to-day they toll for thee1 ,lying dead beyond the sea2 ,lying dead among thy books2 ,the peace of ,god in all thy looks4 ,that great traveller1 like ,mr4 ,longfellow1 used to tell me of his first wife4 ,he always said that her sweet spirit occupied that room and stood by him4 ,i often told him that he was wrong and argued with him1 but he said1 ,i know she is here4 ,i often thought of the great inspiration she had been to him in his marvelous poems and books4 ,poor ,bayard ,taylor1 ,in what gardens of delight1 rest thy weary feet to-night8 ,mr4 ,longfellow once said that ,mary stood between him and his manuscript1 and he could not get away from the impression that she was with him all the time4 ,how sad was her early death and how he suffered the martyrdom of the faithful6 ,longfellow's home life was always beautiful ,but his later years were disturbed greatly by souvenir and curiosity seekers4 ,horace ,greeley died of a broken heart because he was not elected ,president of the ,united ,states1 and never was happy in the last years of his life4 ,his idea of true happiness was to go to some quiet retreat and publish some little paper4 ,he once declared at a dinner in ,brooklyn that he envied the owner of a weekly paper in ,indiana whose paper was so weakly that the subscribers did not miss it if it failed to appear4 ,mr4 ,tennyson told me that he would not exchange his home1 walled in as it was like a fortress for ,windsor ,castle or the throne of the ,queen4 ,mr4 ,carnegie said to me only a few months ago that if a man owned his home and had his health he had all the money that man needed to be as happy as any person can be4 ,mr4 ,carnegie was right about that4 ,empress ,eugenie1 in #ahgj1 was said to be the happiest woman in ,france4 ,i saw her in the ,tuilleres at a gorgeous banquet and a few years after1 when her husband had been captured1 her son killed and she was a widow1 at the ,chislehurst ,cottage1 ,i said to her1 ,the last time ,i saw you in that beautiful palace you were said to be the happiest woman in the world4 ,sir1 she said1 ,i am far happier now than ,i was then4 ,it was a statement that for a long time ,i could not understand4 ,i caught a glimpse of ,garibaldi weeping because he did not go back with his wife1 ,anita1 to ,south ,america4 ,i visited ,charles ,dickens at his home and asked him to come to ,america again and read from his books1 but ,mr4 ,dickens said ,no1 ,i will never cross the ocean2 ,i will not go even to ,london4 ,when ,i die1 ,i am to be buried out there on the lawn1 and he pointed out the place to me4 ,a few weeks later ,i hired a custodian to let me in early at the rear gate of ,westminster ,abbey1 for ,parliament had changed ,mr4 ,dickens's will in one respect1 and provided that he should not be buried on the lawn of his cottage1 but instead in ,westminster ,abbey1 but they made no other change in his will4 ,there ,i looked on the fifteen men1 all whom the will allowed to be present at his funeral1 who were bearing all that was mortal of ,charles ,dickens to his rest1 and ,i heard ,dean ,stanley say ,while ,mr4 ,dickens lived1 his loss was our gain2 but now his gain is our loss4 ,when he uttered that great truth1 very condensed1 in that beautiful language1 he showed that human life in the public service of one's fellow men may be nothing more or less than continual sacrifice4 ,my friends1 if you are called to public service2 if you have influence that you can use for the public good1 do not hesitate to go if you are ,,sure that ,,duty calls you4 ,but if1 instead1 no voice of ,god1 no call of mankind1 doth require that you go out and give up the best of life for your fellows1 remember how fortunate you are4 ,if you can go to your home at evening and read your paper in peace1 and rest undisturbed1 do so1 and remember that you have reached the very height of personal happiness4 ,then seek no farther1 count thyself happy and go no farther than ,god shall call you4 ,for the happiest man is not famous1 nor rich1 but he who hath his loved ones in an undisturbed peace around4 ,remember what ,wendell ,phillips said1 ,all within this gate is ,paradise2 all without it is ,,martydrom4 ,i had a glimpse of ,generals ,grant and ,sheridan wrestling like boys1 over a box of cigars sent into ,general ,grant's tent4 ,they were boys again4 ,i had a glimpse of ,li-,hung ,chang at ,nanking1 ,china1 at an execution by beheading1 and a glimpse of him an hour later playing leap frog with his grandchildren4 ,childhood was a joy1 manhood a tragedy4