Russell Herman Conwell (February 15, 1843 – December 6, 1925) was an American
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
minister, orator, philanthropist, author, lawyer, and writer. He is best remembered as the founder and first president of
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, as the Pastor of The Baptist Temple, and for his inspirational lecture, "Acres of Diamonds". He was born in
South Worthington,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
.
Biography
Early life
The son of Massachusetts farmers, Conwell left home to attend the
Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy was one of the oldest educational institutions of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was established by Methodist clergy of New England in 1818. Originally located in New Market, New Hampshire, before moving to Wilbraham, ...
and later
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
. In 1862, before graduating from Yale, he enlisted in the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
. Conwell desired to enlist in the war effort shortly after its outbreak in 1861, but could not initially gain the approval of his father, Martin Conwell. His abolitionist father ultimately changed his mind, allowing Conwell to enlist in Company "F" of the 27th Massachusetts Volunteers, better known as the "Mountain Boys".
Conwell and the Mountain Boys served in North Carolina and first engaged the opposition at
Kinston, North Carolina
Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 21,677 as of the 2010 census. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791. Kinston is located in the coastal plains region of ...
.
[ There Conwell gained a reputation for self-sacrifice.
During the "Gum Swamp" expedition, he returned to the battlefield to retrieve the bodies of two of his deceased soldiers, and later during the same campaign purposefully drew enemy fire upon his position – resulting in his being shot in the shoulder – in order to gain a tactical advantage on his Confederate adversaries.][ On September 25, 1862 he was commissioned as a captain (to rank from September 9, 1862) and placed in command of Company F of the 46th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. He was mustered out of service, along with his regiment, on July 29, 1863.
After his nine-month enlistment, Conwell returned home to Massachusetts to convalesce after contracting a dangerous fever that plagued him throughout the summer of 1863. Upon regaining health, he volunteered for a three-year enlistment in the Second Massachusetts Artillery and was commissioned as a captain in command of Company D on September 9, 1863. He then returned to North Carolina and was placed in command of a fort in Newport Barracks.][ After his soldiers there had not been paid for three months, Conwell requested and received permission to travel to Newberne to secure remuneration for his men. While he gained permission to cross enemy lines, he did not secure a permit to be absent from this post, nor did it appear that the 21-year-old Conwell understood the distinction.][ Twenty miles into his trip, Conwell learned that Confederate forces attacked and overran his company's position. When subsequently reported that the absence of Union officers contributed to the loss, Conwell was placed under arrest and detained in Newberne pending an investigation.][ It is for this incident Conwell has been accused of desertion by his detractors.][ Conwell was mustered out of the 2nd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery on May 20, 1864. While he claimed that he was later reinstated by General James B. McPherson, no military records confirm his statement.][John Wimmers, "Conwell, Russell Herman," American National Biography Online]
Two months into his detention, and prior to the completion of the investigation, Conwell was assigned to Nashville, Tennessee, in June 1864 to join General MacPherson's movement against Atlanta.[ During the battle of Kennesaw Mountain, now Lieutenant-Colonel Conwell's arm and shoulder were broken during battle from an exploding artillery shell. While recovering from this injury, the atheist Conwell converted to Christianity in large part due to the heroism exhibited by his loyal private assistant, John H. Ring.][
Upon recovering from this latest injury, Colonel Conwell was assigned to Washington with a dispatch to General Logan. But Conwell's health compelled him to resign and retire from service, whereupon he received an honorable discharge, as well as a certificate for faithful and patriotic service from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.][
After the Civil War, Conwell studied law at the ]Albany Law School
Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at Al ...
. Over the next several years, he worked as an attorney, journalist, and lecturer first in Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
, then in Boston. Additionally, during this period, he published about 10 books, including campaign biographies of Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
, Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governo ...
, and James A. Garfield
James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...
. In 1880, he was ordained as a Baptist minister and took over a congregation in Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...
.
Baptist minister
Alexander Reed, a leader of the Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia
Grace Baptist Church is the legal name of Grace Baptist Temple, an American Baptist congregation founded in North Philadelphia in 1872. It still is active in Blue Bell, PA as Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell, under the leadership of Russell H. Co ...
, heard Conwell preach when he visited him in Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...
, and recommended that Conwell become a pastor for his congregation. The official "call" was made on October 16, 1882. Conwell's first sermon at Grace Baptist was on November 30, 1882. At this time the church was located at Berks and Mervine. That building was demolished in 1969 to make way for Temple University's Gladfelter and Anderson Halls.
The December 4, 1882 issue of ''The Public Ledger
''The Public Ledger'' is one of the world's longest continuously running magazines. Today it provides agricultural commodity news, analyses and prices. When established in 1760, however, it not only contained prices of commodities in London, but ...
'' reported the following about the new minister and church:
Conwell ended evening services by holding an hour of prayer, leading song services, and giving commentary relevant to his sermon
A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. ...
s. The musical pastor often performed a solo piece during evening services.
Conwell's magnetic personality, high descriptive, practical, and engaging sermons soon drew crowds so large that the church outgrew its capacity to seat all that wanted to come.
Hattie May Wiatt
Reverend Conwell used the story of Hattie May Wiatt and her 57 cents to spur phenomenal fundraising to build a new church. Hattie May lived nearby, and she and other children were gathered outside when Conwell walked up one Sunday morning. Conwell carried Hattie May on his shoulders and sat her in a corner in the back. When he ran into her walking the streets one day, he told her not to worry that one day they'd build a new church so all the children could come in. Hattie May died at six years of age. When she died from diphtheria
Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...
, she had saved 57 cents to contribute to the cause. The girl's mother told Reverend Conwell that Hattie May had been saving money to help build a bigger church and gave him the coins. Reverend Conwell had the 57 cents turned into 57 pennies
A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...
, told the congregation the story of little Hattie May, and auctioned the pennies for a return of about $250. In addition, 54 of the 57 pennies were returned to Reverend Conwell, and he later put them up on display.
On June 28, 1886, a nearby house at the corner of Broad and Berks streets, referred to as The Temple because the property owner did not want the house to be called a church until the mortgage was fully paid, was investigated for purchase by the Wiatt Mite
Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear e ...
Society, which was organized for the purpose of taking the 57 cents and enlarging on them sufficiently to buy the property for the Primary Department of the Sunday school. A few days later, the congregation agreed to purchase the lot. The first payment for the lot was 57 cents. The property was conveyed to the church on January 31, 1887. In that same house, the first classes of Temple College, later Temple University, were held. The house was later sold to allow Temple College to move and the Baptist Temple (now the Temple Performing Arts Center) to grow, and still, more of that money went towards founding the Samaritan Hospital. This story so touched Conwell that he repeated it many times. Th
transcript
for the sermon where Conwell tells this story in full is available at Temple University Libraries.
In September 1887, at the Centennial Celebration of the United States Constitution, money received from the Wiatt Mite Society was given "for the success of the new Temple". This was the first time the name "Temple" was used in place of the church name.[Records of the Grace Baptist Church http://www.gracebaptistbluebell.org/]
In 1888, the youth group considered becoming a worldwide organization. The pastor was a speaker at a Christian Endeavor convention. Conwell was very impressed by the purpose and enthusiasm of the group. He later recommended the Christian Endeavor to the youth group of the church. On September 10, 1888, the Society of Christian Endeavor was finally organized. The Christian Endeavor youth groups continued to meet at the Church until the 1960s.
Charles M. Davis, a young deacon, approached the pastor with his desire to preach; however, Davis had little education and was without sufficient funds to continue his studies. Conwell agreed to tutor him. Over the next few days, seven prospective students met with Conwell, and Temple College was conceived. Ultimately, Conwell became Dr. Conwell, president of the college, now known as Temple University.
As the membership continued to grow to over one thousand and the Sunday School to even greater numbers, a larger facility was needed. Consequently, on March 29, 1889, a contract was negotiated to build the new church. The ground was broken for the new building on March 27, 1889, and the cornerstone was laid on July 13, 1889.
On February 15, 1891, Conwell preached his last sermon in the old church at Marvine and Berks Streets. He preached the first sermon at the new building on March 1. Sixty people were baptized in the afternoon, and several addresses were given. The Rev. L. B. Hartman, the first minister, was present. The celebration continued throughout the week, and the church was filled to capacity for all of its services. The new church later became known as The Baptist Temple.[
The congregation of the church continues today as the Grace Baptist Church.
]
"Acres of Diamonds"
The original inspiration for "Acres of Diamonds", his most famous essay, occurred in 1869 when Conwell was traveling in the Middle East. The work began as a speech, "at first given," wrote Conwell in 1913, "before a reunion of my old comrades of the Forty-sixth Massachusetts Regiment, which served in the Civil War and in which I was captain." It was delivered as a lecture on the Chautauqua
Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua br ...
circuit prior to his becoming pastor of the Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia in 1882 and was first published in book form in 1890 by the John Y. Huber Company of Philadelphia. Before his death in 1925, Conwell would deliver it over 6,152 times around the world.
The central idea of the work is that one need not look elsewhere for opportunity, achievement, or fortune; the resources to achieve all good things are present in one's own community. This theme is developed by an introductory anecdote, credited by Conwell to an Arab guide, about a man who wanted to find diamonds so badly that he sold his property and went off in futile search for them. The new owner of his home discovered that a rich diamond mine was located right there on the property. Conwell elaborates on the theme through examples of success, genius, service, or other virtues involving ordinary Americans contemporary to his audience: "dig in your own backyard!"
In '' A People's History of the United States'', historian Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922January 27, 2010) was an American historian, playwright, philosopher, socialist thinker and World War II veteran. He was chair of the history and social sciences department at Spelman College, and a politica ...
comments that the message was that anyone could get rich if he tried hard enough, while implying that Conwell held elitist attitudes by quoting the following from his speech:
Conwell's capacity to establish Temple University and his other civic projects largely derived from the income that he earned from this speech. The book has been regarded as a classic of New Thought literature since the 1870s. After Conwell's death, proceeds from this speech were dedicated to the Sunday Breakfast Association, a homeless shelter in Philadelphia.[
]
Legacy
Conwell's name lives on in the present-day Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, an interdenominational evangelical theological seminary formed in 1969 by the merging of two former divinity schools, Conwell School of Theology of Temple University in Philadelphia and Gordon Divinity School in Wenham, Massachusetts
Wenham () is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts. The population was 4,979 at the time of the 2020 census.
The town of Wenham, originally settled in 1635 and incorporated in 1643, has retained much of its historic character and rural scenery ...
.
Russell Conwell Middle Magnet School
In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...
in Philadelphia bears his name as well. The school yearbook is entitled ''Acres of Diamonds''. Temple University's football team wear diamond decals on their helmets and diamond trim on their collars to reference Conwell's "Acre of Diamonds" speech.
The film ''Johnny Ring and the Captain's Sword'' (1921) is based upon Conwell's writings regarding his experiences in the Civil War.
The elementary school in Worthington, Massachusetts
Worthington is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,193 at the 2020 census, up from 1,156 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Worthington is dis ...
, his home town, bears his name.
Selected works
*''Acres of Diamonds''
*''Life of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the World's Greatest Preacher'', 1892
*''Every Man His Own University'', 1917
*''Increasing Personal Efficiency'', 1917
*''The Key to Success'', 1917
*''Health Healing and Faith'', 1921
*''Praying for Money'', 1921
*''Subconscious Religion'', 1921
*''Why Lincoln Laughed'', 1922
*''The Romantic Rise of a Great American'' (biography of John Wanamaker), 1924
References
External links
*
*
*
"Temple's founder" article at Temple University
Complete text in paginated format
Read "Acres of Diamonds"
a
Project Gutenberg
Read "Acres of Diamonds" at Temple University website
Russell Conwell
history page at Grace Baptist Church of Bluebell
*Russell Conwell "The History of Fifty-Seven Cents
original sermon
December 1, 1912
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conwell, Russell Herman
1843 births
1925 deaths
Burials at Monument Cemetery
People from Worthington, Massachusetts
Baptist ministers from the United States
New Thought writers
Yale University alumni
Albany Law School alumni
Presidents of Temple University
University and college founders
Lawyers from Philadelphia
Clergy from Philadelphia
Union Army officers