Title ideas (first impression) - do this LAST:

• Forward: Superstition vs. Impartial Observation
• Forward: Conwell's premise for Effective Prayer

Content ideas (opening - grab attention) - do this THIRD:

• This is a good place to discuss slavery and how it formed Conwell's views
• Also, a great place to lend perspective on slavery and how it's used today to shame America

Central Idea (theme) - decide this  (influence or instruct) FIRST:

• Determine whether I want to influence the reader to believe something, or instruct the reader to learn something (ask myself what I want the reader to believe or learn).
  • I definitely want to do both in this article - so it may be best to approach it from two angles and split it into two articles - one to instruct and one to influence.
• Think about what problem the reader is struggling with that this post can help with - sometimes humor or inspiration/motivation can be the central idea.

Useful Logic and Illustrations (meat) - do this SECOND:

• Bullet points and sub-points supporting the central idea
• Facts, stats, personal illustrations

Strong Conclusion - do this FOURTH:

• Wrap up my points/sub-points; reiterate my central idea
• Simple solution to influence or instruct (from Central Idea)

The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries brought forth a bright new era of success philosophy: Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, Wallace Wattles' The Science of Getting Rich, and the founding of Success Magazine by Orison Swett Marden, among others.

 

These authors and those who followed similar paths adorn many a success library bookshelf, and millions around the world credit their own success to those authors. Much has been written about them since.

Yet there is a name which is often left out of the list, though no less influential: Russell Conwell. His famous lecture, Acres of Diamonds, however, is just as well-known and respected as the works of Hill, Wattles, and Marden. From 1869 to 1924 - Conwell delivered the lecture in various forms as many as 250 times a year - a stunning 6,152 times around the world over 55 years.

It is estimated that 13 million people heard him during that time. The central message: that everyone has the opportunity to make more of themselves, with their own skill, with their own energy, and with their own friends.

Dr. Russell Herman Conwell (1843-1925), served as a captain in the Union Army, as a journalist, an orator, an attorney, a law tutor, and as a minister of the gospel during his lifetime. His success in each of these ventures uniquely qualified him as an influential leader and teacher. Conwell's contributions to the world extend well beyond one lecture and you'll learn all about him here.

I will endeavor here to introduce you to the life of Dr. Conwell through his books, his lectures, and his life experiences - a wealth of excellent counsel useful to us in the 21st century as much as in his era over 100 years ago.

As I continue to add content and new perspectives to the website, you'll have the opportunity to discover the lessons of an exceptional life which will be of special value to you in your personal and professional growth. Among the many things you'll find here:

• New, enhanced editions of Russell Conwell's books, as they become available.
• Study guides I'm writing which you can use for your small group, homeschooling, or personal study.
• Articles covering the wide variety of Dr. Conwell's life experiences - and how they apply to us today.
• ...and much, much more.

Be the first to know as we grow and add content to the site. Subscribe now to receive updates and notifications. We won't spam you with constant offers and upsells, and we'll never share your contact information.

So much of the wisdom of the world is lost to the passage of time.

Life-altering ideas, inventions, and the people behind them have been lost to the world forever.

Yet we now have the ability to collect all the knowledge of the world in a "cloud" accessible from any computer or smartphone.

This website purposes to introduce you to the works of Russell Conwell: Union soldier, journalist, attorney, lecturer, minister, and author.

Who is Russell Conwell and why should you care?

In the pages of this website, you'll find out - and it's very likely that you WILL care - because the work of Russell Conwell can change your life!

About Russell Conwell

Russell Conwell led an amazing life. Known as the penniless millionaire, he is said to have earned millions of dollars sharing his famous lecture over 6,000 times during his lifetime, giving every dollar away, less expenses, as quickly as he earned it - this is a kind of success we rarely read about and a kind of character we don't often see.

The wisdom he leaves us, not only in his most famous lecture but also in his books and sermons, are well worth the time you invest in getting to know this servant of God.

Below are a few significant events of Russell Conwell's life. Look for full stories in future posts.

The Union Army Soldier

Russell Conwell enlisted in the Union Army in 1862 with his brother, Charles. Two years later, he faced court-martial when, as a captain, he left his post to learn why his soldiers had not been paid or resupplied. Seven years later, his dismissal was removed and he was awarded the rank of colonel.

Among the many events in Conwell's military career was his visit to the White House to plead for the life of one of his soldiers: a 16-year-old boy who had been convicted of abandoning his post out of fear - a crime punishable by death. Lincoln assured Conwell that he would never sentence a man under the age of 18 to death.

The Lawyer

Conwell entered into his first law practice in 1865, conducting primarily real estate transactions.

He eventually was retained by Mary Baker-Eddy as counsel for nine years and served as her defense attorney in the Eddy-Arens conspiracy trial in Boston in 1878.

The Reporter and Journalist

Conwell served as editor-in-chief of the Minneapolis Chronicle beginning in 1867 and as a founding member of the Minnesota Editors and Publishers Association.

Conwell and his first wife, Jane, founded their own newspaper, Conwell's Star of the North, in 1868. Jane was "ladies editor." They later sold the paper.

In 1869, Conwell toured Revolutionary War and Civil War battlefields as a feature-writing correspondent for the Boston Daily Evening Traveller. A year later, Conwell went on a nine-month world tour for the Traveller.

The Orator

Conwell's first public lecture was "Lessons from History", an Army-recruiting speech he delivered in 1862 at Westfield, MA.

Conwell joined the Boston Lyceum Bureau in 1870 as a lecturer and speaker. In the same year, he lectured at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, UT.

In 1874, the Chautauqua Movement began - an adult teaching and lecturing group that taught in tent meetings across the country. Conwell was a featured speaker.

The Author

In addition to his many other writing achievements as a journalist, he wrote some 30 books during his lifetime.

The first two, "Why and How: Why the Chinese Emigrate and the Means They Adopt for the Purpose of Reaching America", and "Nature's Aristocracy" were published in 1871.

The Pastor

Conwell was baptized in 1865 at First Baptist Church in St. Paul, MN, where he became a member.

In 1881, Conwell was ordained as a clergyman at the First Baptist Church in Lexington, MA. He had been invited to the pastorate a year earlier by the church.

In 1882, Conwell was called to the Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia, where he would serve for 43 years.

About This Website

Why is it necessary to create a website dedicated to one man known for one lecture that was famous 100 years ago?

As you can see from the details above - Russell Conwell was much more than one lecturer - these are but excerpts, brief snapshots from an amazing life.

It is my goal to make this the home for everything about Russell Conwell - his writings, his sermons, and his many achievements - so that he and his work will not be lost to generations to come.

While I'm just getting started, I expect to write hundreds of accounts and stories about his life which will inspire and influence you to live your best life.

About Me

I first learned about Russell Conwell around the year 2000 while attending a business event in Southern California. The speaker was talking about Conwell’s Acres of Diamonds lecture. When I returned home and reviewed my notes, I looked up the lecture online and downloaded a free copy from one of the many sites where the lecture had been reproduced.

As I read through the lecture, I began to wonder who Russell Conwell was, if he had written anything else, and where I could read more about him. Unfortunately, there was very little online about him at the time. Over the next several years, I began to search for books written by Conwell, occasionally finding copies on eBay and on book collector websites.

His books revealed much more than what is found in the Acres of Diamonds lecture. I learned that he was a pastor, a Civil War officer, the founder of Temple University in Philadelphia, and much more. I also found some of his sermons and old church bulletins.

It was from these books, sermons, and other resources that I learned Russell Conwell was not just another motivational speaker from 100 years ago – Russell Conwell was a devoted Christian preacher who grew a small, struggling, church in Philadelphia to one of the first mega-churches in America. He preached at Grace Baptist Church for over forty years and wrote over thirty books in genres such as history, biography, and Christian living.

Some have called him "The Man Who Lived Two Lives" because he vowed to do both his own work and the work which would have been achieved by his lifelong friend John Ring, who died of injuries sustained in the Civil War.

Others have called him "The Penniless Millionaire" because for all his achievements, he kept very little for himself, giving the millions he likely earned to those with various needs, whether those he saw on the street, or poor students who he also tutored in law, or toward the building of the Baptist Temple, which is now the Temple University Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia.

Having read his books, several biographies, and conducted my own research, I've concluded that his life is one to be studied as a very different definition of success, made not from personal wealth or fame, but from character and achievement and selflessness.

Please join me in learning more about Russell Conwell and his remarkable life. Ernie Brogdon May, 2020