acres of diamonds-第25部分

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the　faculty　of　control；　the　vital　quality　that　makes　the　orator。

The　same　people　will　go　to　hear　this　lecture　over　and　over；　and　that　is　the　kind　of　tribute　that　Conwell　likes。　　I　recently　heard　him　deliver　it　in　his　own　church；　where　it　would　naturally　be　thought　to　be　an　old　story；　and　where；　presumably；　only　a　few　of　the　faithful　would　go；　but　it　was　quite　clear　that　all　of　his　church　are　the　faithful；　for　it　was　a　large　audience　that　came　to　listen　to　him；　hardly　a　seat　in　the　great　auditorium　was　vacant。　　And　it　should　be　added　that；　although　it　was　in　his　own　church；　it　was　not　a　free　lecture；　where　a　throng　might　be　expected；　but　that　each　one　paid　a　liberal　sum　for　a　seatand　the　paying　of　admission　is　always　a　practical　test　of　the　sincerity　of　desire　to　hear。　　And　the　people　were　swept　along　by　the　current　as　if　lecturer　and　lecture　were　of　novel　interest。　　The　lecture　in　itself　is　good　to　read；　but　it　is　only　when　it　is　illumined　by　Conwell's　vivid　personality　that　one　understands　how　it　influences　in　the　actual　delivery。

On　that　particular　evening　he　had　decided　to　give　the　lecture　in　the　same　form　as　when　he　first　delivered　it　many　years　ago；　without　any　of　the　alterations　that　have　come　with　time　and　changing　localities；　and　as　he　went　on；　with　the　audience　rippling　and　bubbling　with　laughter　as　usual；　he　never　doubted　that　he　was　giving　it　as　he　had　given　it　years　before；　and　yetso　up…to…date　and　alive　must　he　necessarily　be；　in　spite　of　a　definitive　effort　to　set　himself　backevery　once　in　a　while　he　was　coming　out　with　illustrations　from　such　distinctly　recent　things　as　the　automobile！

The　last　time　I　heard　him　was　the　5；124th　time　for　the　lecture。　　Doesn't　it　seem　incredible！　　5；124　times'　I　noticed　that　he　was　to　deliver　it　at　a　little　out…of…the…way　place；　difficult　for　any　considerable　number　to　get　to；　and　I　wondered　just　how　much　of　an　audience　would　gather　and　how　they　would　be　impressed。　　So　I　went　over　from　there　I　was；　a　few　miles　away。　　The　road　was　dark　and　I　pictured　a　small　audience；　but　when　I　got　there　I　found　the　church　building　in　which　he　was　to　deliver　the　lecture　had　a　seating　capacity　of　830　and　that　precisely　830　people　were　already　seated　there　and　that　a　fringe　of　others　were　standing　behind。　　Many　had　come　from　miles　away。　　Yet　the　lecture　had　scarcely；　if　at　all；　been　advertised。　　But　people　had　said　to　one　another：　　‘‘Aren't　you　going　to　hear　Dr。　Conwell？''　　And　the　word　had　thus　been　passed　along。

I　remember　how　fascinating　it　was　to　watch　that　audience；　for　they　responded　so　keenly　and　with　such　heartfelt　pleasure　throughout　the　entire　lecture。　　And　not　only　were　they　immensely　pleased　and　amused　and　interestedand　to　achieve　that　at　a　crossroads　church　was　in　itself　a　triumph　to　be　proud　ofbut　I　knew　that　every　listener　was　given　an　impulse　toward　doing　something　for　himself　and　for　others；　and　that　with　at　least　some　of　them　the　impulse　would　materialize　in　acts。　　Over　and　over　one　realizes　what　a　power　such　a　man　wields。

And　what　an　unselfishness！　　For；　far　on　in　years　as　he　is；　and　suffering　pain；　he　does　not　chop　down　his　lecture　to　a　definite　length；　he　does　not　talk　for　just　an　hour　or　go　on　grudgingly　for　an　hour　and　a　half。　　He　sees　that　the　people　are　fascinated　and　inspired；　and　he　forgets　pain；　ignores　time；　forgets　that　the　night　is　late　and　that　he　has　a　long　journey　to　go　to　get　home；　and　keeps　on　generously　for　two　hours！　　And　every　one　wishes　it　were　four。

Always　he　talks　with　ease　and　sympathy。　　There　are　geniality；　composure；　humor；　simple　and　homely　jestsyet　never　does　the　audience　forget　that　he　is　every　moment　in　tremendous　earnest。　　They　bubble　with　responsive　laughter　or　are　silent　in　riveted　attention。　　A　stir　can　be　seen　to　sweep　over　an　audience；　of　earnestness　or　surprise　or　amusement　or　resolve。　　When　he　is　grave　and　sober　or　fervid　the　people　feel　that　he　is　himself　a　fervidly　earnest　man；　and　when　he　is　telling　something　humorous　there　is　on　his　part　almost　a　repressed　chuckle；　a　genial　appreciation　of　the　fun　of　it；　not　in　the　least　as　if　he　were　laughing　at　his　own　humor；　but　as　if　he　and　his　hearers　were　laughing　together　at　something　of　which　they　were　all　humorously　cognizant。

Myriad　successes　in　life　have　come　through　the　direct　inspiration　of　this　single　lecture。　　One　hears　of　so　many　that　there　must　be　vastly　more　that　are　never　told。　　A　few　of　the　most　recent　were　told　me　by　Dr。　Conwell　himself；　one　being　of　a　farmer　boy　who　walked　a　long　distance　to　hear　him。　　On　his　way　home；　so　the　boy；　now　a　man；　has　written　him；　he　thought　over　and　over　of　what　he　could　do　to　advance　himself；　and　before　he　reached　home　he　learned　that　a　teacher　was　wanted　at　a　certain　country　school。　　He　knew　he　did　not　know　enough　to　teach；　but　was　sure　he　could　learn；　so　he　bravely　asked　for　the　place。　　And　something　in　his　earnestness　made　him　win　a　temporary　appointment。　　Thereupon　he　worked　and　studied　so　hard　and　so　devotedly；　while　he　daily　taught；　that　within　a　few　months　he　was　regularly　employed　there。　　‘‘And　now；''　says　Conwell；　abruptly；　with　his　characteristic　skim…　ming　over　of　the　intermediate　details　between　the　important　beginning　of　a　thing　and　the　satisfactory　end；　‘‘and　now　that　young　man　is　one　of　our　college　presidents。''

And　very　recently　a　lady　came　to　Dr。　Conwell；　the　wife　of　an　exceptionally　prominent　man　who　was　earning　a　large　salary；　and　she　told　him　that　her　husband　was　so　unselfishly　generous　with　money　that　often　they　were　almost　in　straits。　　And　she　said　they　had　bought　a　little　farm　as　a　country　place；　paying　only　a　few　hundred　dollars　for　it；　and　that　she　had　said　to　herself；　laughingly；　after　hearing　the　lecture；　‘‘There　are　no　acres　of　diamonds　on　this　place！''　　But　she　also　went　on　to　tell　that　she　had　found　a　spring　of　exceptionally　fine　water　there；　although　in　buying　they　had　scarcely　known　of　the　spring　at　all；　and　she　had　been　so　inspired　by　Conwell　that　she　had　had　the　water　analyzed　and；　finding　that　it　was　remarkably　pure；　had　begun　to　have　it　bottled　and　sold　under　a　trade　name　as　special　spring　water。　　And　she　is　making　money。　　And　she　also　sells　pure　ice　from　the　pool；　cut　in　winter…time　and　all　because　of　‘‘Acres　of　Diamonds''！

Several　millions　of　dollars；　in　all；　have　been　received　by　Russell　Conwell　as　the　proceeds　from　this　single　lecture。　　Such　a　fact　is　almost　staggering　and　it　is　more　staggering　to　realize　what　good　is　done　in　the　world　by　this　man；　who　does　not　earn　for　himself；　but　uses　his　money　in　immediate　helpfulness。　　And　one　can　neither　think　nor　write　with　moderation　when　it　is　further　realized　that　far　more　good　than　can　be　done　directly　with　money　he　does　by　uplifting　and　inspiring　with　this　lecture。　　Always　his　heart　is　with　the　weary　and　the　heavy…laden。　　Always　he　stands　for　self…betterment。

Last　year；　1914；　he　and　his　work　were　given　unique　recognition。　　For　it　was　known　by　his　friends　that　this　particular　lecture　was　approaching　its　five…thousandth　delivery；　and　they　planned　a　celebration　of　such　an　event　in　the　history　of　the　most　popular　lecture　in　the　world。　　Dr。　Conwell　agreed　to　deliver　it　in　the　Academy　of　Music；　in　Philadelphia；　and　the　building　was　packed　and　the　streets　outside　were　thronged。　　The　proceeds　from　all　sources　for　that　five…thousandth　lecture　were　over　nine　thousand　dollars。

The　hold　which　Russell　Conwell　has　gained　on　the　affections　and　respect　of　his　home　city　was　seen　not　only　in　the　thousands　who　strove　to　hear　him；　but　in　the　prominent　men　who　served　on　the　local　committee　in　charge　of　the　celebration。　　There　was　a　national　committee；　too；　and　the　nation…wide　love　that　he　has　won；　the　nation…　wide　appreciation　of　what　he　has　done　and　is　still　doing；　was　shown　by　the　fact　that　among　the　names　of　the　notables　on　this　committee　were　those　of　nine　governors　of　states。　　The　Governor　of　Pennsylvania　was　himself　present　to　do　Russell　Conwell　honor；　and　he　gave　to　him　a　key　emblematic　of　the　Freedom　of　the　State。

The　‘‘Freedom　of　the　State''yes；　this　man；　well　over　seventy；　has　won　it。　　The　Freedom　of　the　State；　the　Freedom　of　the　Nationfor　this　man　of　helpfulness；　this　marvelous　exponent　of　the　gospel　of　success；　has　worked　marvelously　for　the　freedom；　the　betterment；　the　liberation；　the　advancement；　of　the　individual。




FIFTY　YEARS　ON　THE　LECTURE　PLATFORM

BY　RUSSELL　H。　CONWELL

AN　Autobiography！　　What　an　absurd　request！　　If　all　the　conditions　were　favorable；　the　story　of　my　public　Life　could　not　be　made　interesting。　　It　does　not　seem　possible　that　any　will　care　to　read　so　plain　and　uneventful　a　tale。　　I　see　nothing　in　it　for　boasting；　nor　much　that　could　be　helpful。　　Then　I　never　saved　a　scrap　of　paper　intentionally　concerning　my　work　to　which　I　could　refer；　not　a　book；　not　a　sermon；　not　a　lecture；　not　a　newspaper　notice　or　account；　not　a　magazine　article；　not　one　of　the　kind　biographies　written　from　time　to　time　by　noble　friends　have　I　ever　kept　even　as　a　souvenir；　although　some　of　them　may　be　in　my　library。　　I　have　ever　felt　that　the　writers　concerning　my　life　were　too　generous　and　that　my　own　work　was　too　hastily　done。　　Hence　I　have　nothing　upon　which　to　base　an　autobiographical　account；　except　the　recollections　which　come　to　an　overburdened　m