acres of diamonds-第12部分

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d　and　constantly；

‘‘It　was　through　John　Ring　and　his　giving　his　life　through　devotion　to　me　that　I　became　a　Christian；''　he　went　on。　　‘‘This　did　not　come　about　immediately；　but　it　came　before　the　war　was　over；　and　it　came　through　faithful　Johnnie　Ring。''

There　is　a　little　lonely　cemetery　in　the　Berkshires；　a　tiny　burying…ground　on　a　wind…swept　hill；　a　few　miles　from　Conwell's　old　home。　　In　this　isolated　burying…ground　bushes　and　vines　and　grass　grow　in　profusion；　and　a　few　trees　cast　a　gentle　shade；　and　tree…clad　hills　go　billowing　off　for　miles　and　miles　in　wild　and　lonely　beauty。　　And　in　that　lonely　little　graveyard　I　found　the　plain　stone　that　marks　the　resting…place　of　John　Ring。



II

THE　BEGINNING　AT　OLD　LEXINGTON

IT　is　not　because　he　is　a　minister　that　Russell　Conwell　is　such　a　force　in　the　world。　　He　went　into　the　ministry　because　he　was　sincerely　and　profoundly　a　Christian；　and　because　he　felt　that　as　a　minister　he　could　do　more　good　in　the　world　than　in　any　other　capacity。　　But　being　a　minister　is　but　an　incident；　so　to　speak。　　The　important　thing　is　not　that　he　is　a　minister；　but　that　he　is　himself！

Recently　I　heard　a　New…Yorker；　the　head　of　a　great　corporation；　say：　　‘‘I　believe　that　Russell　Conwell　is　doing　more　good　in　the　world　than　any　man　who　has　lived　since　Jesus　Christ。''　　And　he　said　this　in　serious　and　unexaggerated　earnest。

Yet　Conwell　did　not　get　readily　into　his　life…　work。　　He　might　have　seemed　almost　a　failure　until　he　was　well　on　toward　forty；　for　although　he　kept　making　successes　they　were　not　permanent　successes；　and　he　did　not　settle　himself　into　a　definite　line。　　He　restlessly　went　westward　to　make　his　home；　and　then　restlessly　returned　to　the　East。　　After　the　war　was　over　he　was　a　lawyer；　he　was　a　lecturer；　he　was　an　editor；　he　went　around　the　world　as　a　correspondent；　he　wrote　books。　　He　kept　making　money；　and　kept　losing　it；　he　lost　it　through　fire；　through　investments；　through　aiding　his　friends。　　It　is　probable　that　the　unsettledness　of　the　years　following　the　war　was　due　to　the　unsettling　effect　of　the　war　itself；　which　thus；　in　its　influence；　broke　into　his　mature　life　after　breaking　into　his　years　at　Yale。　　But　however　that　may　be；　those　seething；　changing；　stirring　years　were　years　of　vital　importance　to　him；　for　in　the　myriad　experiences　of　that　time　he　was　building　the　foundation　of　the　Conwell　that　was　to　come。　　Abroad　he　met　the　notables　of　the　earth。　　At　home　he　made　hosts　of　friends　and　loyal　admirers。

It　is　worth　while　noting　that　as　a　lawyer　he　would　never　take　a　case；　either　civil　or　criminal；　that　he　considered　wrong。　　It　was　basic　with　him　that　he　could　not　and　would　not　fight　on　what　he　thought　was　the　wrong　side。　　Only　when　his　client　was　right　would　he　go　ahead！

Yet　he　laughs；　his　quiet；　infectious；　characteristic　laugh；　as　he　tells　of　how　once　he　was　deceived；　for　he　defended　a　man；　charged　with　stealing　a　watch；　who　was　so　obviously　innocent　that　he　took　the　case　in　a　blaze　of　indignation　and　had　the　young　fellow　proudly　exonerated。　　The　next　day　the　wrongly　accused　one　came　to　his　office　and　shamefacedly　took　out　the　watch　that　he　had　been　charged　with　stealing。　　‘‘I　want　you　to　send　it　to　the　man　I　took　it　from；''　he　said。　　And　he　told　with　a　sort　of　shamefaced　pride　of　how　he　had　got　a　good　old　deacon　to　give；　in　all　sincerity；　the　evidence　that　exculpated　him。　　‘‘And；　say；　Mr。　ConwellI　want　to　thank　you　for　getting　me　offand　I　hope　you'll　excuse　my　deceiving　youandI　won't　be　any　worse　for　not　going　to　jail。''　　And　Conwell　likes　to　remember　that　thereafter　the　young　man　lived　up　to　the　pride　of　exoneration；　and；　though　Conwell　does　not　say　it　or　think　it；　one　knows　that　it　was　the　Conwell　influence　that　inspired　to　honestyfor　always　he　is　an　inspirer。

Conwell　even　kept　certain　hours　for　consultation　with　those　too　poor　to　pay　any　fee；　and　at　one　time；　while　still　an　active　lawyer；　he　was　guardian　for　over　sixty　children！　　The　man　has　always　been　a　marvel；　and　always　one　is　coming　upon　such　romantic　facts　as　these。

That　is　a　curious　thing　about　himhow　much　there　is　of　romance　in　his　life！　　Worshiped　to　the　end　by　John　Ring；　left　for　dead　all　night　at　Kenesaw　Mountain；　calmly　singing　‘‘Nearer；　my　God；　to　Thee；''　to　quiet　the　passengers　on　a　supposedly　sinking　ship；　saving　lives　even　when　a　boy；　never　disappointing　a　single　audience　of　the　thousands　of　audiences　he　has　arranged　to　address　during　all　his　years　of　lecturing！　　He　himself　takes　a　little　pride　in　this　last　point；　and　it　is　characteristic　of　him　that　he　has　actually　forgotten　that　just　once　he　did　fail　to　appear：　he　has　quite　forgotten　that　one　evening；　on　his　way　to　a　lecture；　he　stopped　a　runaway　horse　to　save　two　women's　lives；　and　went　in　consequence　to　a　hospital　instead　of　to　the　platform！　　And　it　is　typical　of　him　to　forget　that　sort　of　thing。

The　emotional　temperament　of　Conwell　has　always　made　him　responsive　to　the　great；　the　striking；　the　patriotic。　　He　was　deeply　influenced　by　knowing　John　Brown；　and　his　brief　memories　of　Lincoln　are　intense；　though　he　saw　him　but　three　times　in　all。

The　first　time　he　saw　Lincoln　was　on　the　night　when　the　future　President　delivered　the　address；　which　afterward　became　so　famous；　in　Cooper　Union；　New　York。　　The　name　of　Lincoln　was　then　scarcely　known；　and　it　was　by　mere　chance　that　young　Conwell　happened　to　be　in　New　York　on　that　day。　　But　being　there；　and　learning　that　Abraham　Lincoln　from　the　West　was　going　to　make　an　address；　he　went　to　hear　him。

He　tells　how　uncouthly　Lincoln　was　dressed；　even　with　one　trousers…leg　higher　than　the　other；　and　of　how　awkward　he　was；　and　of　how　poorly；　at　first；　he　spoke　and　with　what　apparent　embarrassment。　　The　chairman　of　the　meeting　got　Lincoln　a　glass　of　water；　and　Conwell　thought　that　it　was　from　a　personal　desire　to　help　him　and　keep　him　from　breaking　down。　　But　he　loves　to　tell　how　Lincoln　became　a　changed　man　as　he　spoke；　how　he　seemed　to　feel　ashamed　of　his　brief　embarrassment　and；　pulling　himself　together　and　putting　aside　the　written　speech　which　he　had　prepared；　spoke　freely　and　powerfully；　with　splendid　conviction；　as　only　a　born　orator　speaks。　　To　Conwell　it　was　a　tremendous　experience。

The　second　time　he　saw　Lincoln　was　when　he　went　to　Washington　to　plead　for　the　life　of　one　of　his　men　who　had　been　condemned　to　death　for　sleeping　on　post。　　He　was　still　but　a　captain　（his　promotion　to　a　colonelcy　was　still　to　come）；　a　youth；　and　was　awed　by　going　into　the　presence　of　the　man　he　worshiped。　　And　his　voice　trembles　a　little；　even　now；　as　he　tells　of　how　pleasantly　Lincoln　looked　up　from　his　desk；　and　how　cheerfully　he　asked　his　business　with　him；　and　of　how　absorbedly　Lincoln　then　listened　to　his　tale；　although；　so　it　appeared；　he　already　knew　of　the　main　outline。

‘‘It　will　be　all　right；''　said　Lincoln；　when　Conwell　finished。　　But　Conwell　was　still　frightened。　　He　feared　that　in　the　multiplicity　of　public　matters　this　mere　matter　of　the　life　of　a　mountain　boy；　a　private　soldier；　might　be　forgotten　till　too　late。　　‘‘It　is　almost　the　time　set''　he　faltered。　　And　Conwell's　voice　almost　breaks；　man　of　emotion　that　he　is；　as　he　tells　of　how　Lincoln　said；　with　stern　gravity：　　‘‘Go　and　telegraph　that　soldier's　mother　that　Abraham　Lincoln　never　signed　a　warrant　to　shoot　a　boy　under　twenty；　and　never　will。''　　That　was　the　one　and　only　time　that　he　spoke　with　Lincoln；　and　it　remains　an　indelible　impression。

The　third　time　he　saw　Lincoln　was　when；　as　officer　of　the　day；　he　stood　for　hours　beside　the　dead　body　of　the　President　as　it　lay　in　state　in　Washington。　　In　those　hours；　as　he　stood　rigidly　as　the　throng　went　shuffling　sorrowfully　through；　an　immense　impression　came　to　Colonel　Conwell　of　the　work　and　worth　of　the　man　who　there　lay　dead；　and　that　impression　has　never　departed。

John　Brown；　Abraham　Lincoln；　old　Revolutionary　Lexingtonhow　Conwell's　life　is　associated　with　famous　men　and　places！and　it　was　actually　at　Lexington　that　he　made　the　crucial　decision　as　to　the　course　of　his　life！　　And　it　seems　to　me　that　it　was；　although　quite　unconsciously；　because　of　the　very　fact　that　it　was　Lexington　that　Conwell　was　influenced　to　decide　and　to　act　as　he　did。　　Had　it　been　in　some　other　kind　of　place；　some　merely　ordinary　place；　some　quite　usual　place；　he　might　not　have　taken　the　important　step。　　But　it　was　Lexington；　it　was　brave　old　Lexington；　inspiring　Lexington；　and　he　was　inspired　by　it；　for　the　man　who　himself　inspires　nobly　is　always　the　one　who　is　himself　open　to　noble　inspiration。　　Lexington　inspired　him。

‘‘When　I　was　a　lawyer　in　Boston　and　almost　thirty…seven　years　old；''　he　told　me；　thinking　slowly　back　into　the　years；　‘‘I　was　consulted　by　a　woman　who　asked　my　advice　in　regard　to　disposing　of　a　little　church　in　Lexington　whose　congregation　had　become　unable　to　support　it。　　I　went　out　and　looked　at　the　place；　and　I　told　her　how　the　property　could　be　sold。　　But　it　seemed　a　pity　to　me　that　the　little　church　should　be　given　up。　　However；　I　advised　a　meeting　of　the　church　members；　and　I　attended　the　meeting。　　I　put　the　case　to　themit　was　only　a　handful　of　men　and　womenand　there　was　silence　for　a　little。　　Then　an　old　man　rose　and；　in　a　quavering　voice；　said　the　matter　was　quite　clear；　th