A A C C R R E E S S O O F F D D I I A A M M O O N N D D S S B B Y Y R R U U S S S S E E L L L L H H . . C C O O N N W W E E L L L L F F O O U U N N D D E E R R O O F F T T E E M M P P L L E E U U N N I I V V E E R R S S I I T T Y Y , , P P H H I I L L A A D D E E L L P P H H I I A A S S U U C C C C E E S S S S M M A A N N U U A A L L S S T T R R A A T T E E G G I I S S T T E E D D I I T T I I O O N N 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 H H I I S S L L I I F F E E A A N N D D A A C C H H I I E E V V E E M M E E N N T T S S B B Y Y R R O O B B E E R R T T S S H H A A C C K K L L E E T T O O N N W W I I T T H H A A N N A A U U T T O O B B I I O O G G R R A A P P H H I I C C A A L L N N O O T T E E COMPILED AND EDITED BY RICHARD A. CATALINA, JR., ESQ. Copyright © 2010 The Princeton Licensing Group Published by Princeton Cambridge Publishing Group Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America All Rights Reserved United States of America PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP, PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY A CRES OF D IAMONDS R USSELL H. C ONWELL SUCCESS MANUAL STRATEGIST EDITION 2010 PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP © Copyright 2010 The Princeton Licensing Group www.successmanual.com Published by Princeton Cambridge Publishing Group www.prosperitybible.com Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America All Rights Reserved. 2 A A C C R R E E S S O O F F D D I I A A M M O O N N D D S S R R U U S S S S E E L L L L H H . . C C O O N N W W E E L L L L ( ( 1 1 9 9 1 1 5 5 ) ) First Printing, August 2010 Copyright © 2010 The Princeton Licensing Group Published by Princeton Cambridge Publishing Group Compiled and Edited by Richard A. Catalina, Jr., Esq. All rights reserved. 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In sum, you are responsible for your life and the actions you take or fail to take. Book and Cover design by Richard A. Catalina, Jr., Esq. Success Manual website address: www.successmanual.com Prosperity Bible website address: prosperitybible.com A A C C R R E E S S O O F F D D I I A A M M O O N N D D S S R R U U S S S S E E L L L L H H . . C C O O N N W W E E L L L L Library of Congress Control Number: I I S S B B N N - - 1 1 3 3 : : 9 9 7 7 8 8 - - 1 1 - - 9 9 3 3 5 5 8 8 9 9 9 9 - - 1 1 0 0 - - 5 5 Printed in the United States of America A CRES OF D IAMONDS R USSELL H. C ONWELL SUCCESS MANUAL STRATEGIST EDITION 2010 PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP © Copyright 2010 The Princeton Licensing Group www.successmanual.com Published by Princeton Cambridge Publishing Group www.prosperitybible.com Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America All Rights Reserved. 3 P P R R I I N N C C E E T T O O N N C C A A M M B B R R I I D D G G E E P P U U B B L L I I S S H H I I N N G G G G R R O O U U P P Publishers of Quality EBooks and Digital Content T T H H E E W W A A T T T T L L E E S S P P R R O O S S P P E E R R I I T T Y Y B B I I B B L L E E T T H H E E W W A A T T T T L L E E S S Q Q U U O O T T A A B B L L E E B B I I B B L L E E T T H H E E L L A A W W O O F F A A T T T T R R A A C C T T I I O O N N P P R R O O S S P P E E R R I I T T Y Y B B I I B B L L E E A CRES OF D IAMONDS R USSELL H. C ONWELL SUCCESS MANUAL STRATEGIST EDITION 2010 PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP © Copyright 2010 The Princeton Licensing Group www.successmanual.com Published by Princeton Cambridge Publishing Group www.prosperitybible.com Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America All Rights Reserved. 4 A CRES OF D IAMONDS R USSELL H. C ONWELL SUCCESS MANUAL STRATEGIST EDITION 2010 PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP © Copyright 2010 The Princeton Licensing Group www.successmanual.com Published by Princeton Cambridge Publishing Group www.prosperitybible.com Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America All Rights Reserved. 5 A A C C R R E E S S O O F F D D I I A A M M O O N N D D S S R R U U S S S S E E L L L L H H . . C C O O N N W W E E L L L L S S U U C C C C E E S S S S M M A A N N U U A A L L S S T T R R A A T T E E G G I I S S T T E E D D I I T T I I O O N N 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 T T A A B B L L E E O O F F C C O O N N T T E E N N T T S S A N A PPRECIATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 B IOGRAPHICAL N OTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 A CRES O F D IAMONDS – T HE L ECTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 S TORY O F T HE S WORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 T HE B EGINNING AT O LD L EXINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 T HE S TORY OF 57 C ENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 H IS P OWER AS O RATOR & P REACHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 G IFT FOR I NSPIRING O THERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 M ILLIONS OF H EARERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 H OW A U NIVERSITY W AS F OUNDED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 H IS S PLENDID E FFICIENCY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 T HE S TORY OF “A CRES O F D IAMONDS ” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 50 Y EARS ON THE L ECTURE P LATFORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 A CRES OF D IAMONDS R USSELL H. C ONWELL SUCCESS MANUAL STRATEGIST EDITION 2010 PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP © Copyright 2010 The Princeton Licensing Group www.successmanual.com Published by Princeton Cambridge Publishing Group www.prosperitybible.com Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America All Rights Reserved. 6 A CRES OF D IAMONDS R USSELL H. C ONWELL SUCCESS MANUAL STRATEGIST EDITION 2010 PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP © Copyright 2010 The Princeton Licensing Group www.successmanual.com Published by Princeton Cambridge Publishing Group www.prosperitybible.com Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America All Rights Reserved. 7 A A N N A A P P P P R R E E C C I I A A T T I I O O N N T T H H O O U U G G H H R R U U S S S S E E L L L L H. Conwell’s Acres of Diamonds have been spread all over the United States, time and care have made them more valuable, and now that they have been reset in black and white by their discoverer, they are to be laid in the hands of a multitude for their enrichment. In the same case with these gems there is a fascinating story of the Master Jeweler’s life-work which splendidly illustrates the ultimate unit of power by showing what one man can do in one day and what one life is worth to the world. As his neighbor and intimate friend in Philadelphia for thirty years, I am free to say that Russell H. Conwell’s tall, manly figure stands out in A CRES OF D IAMONDS R USSELL H. C ONWELL SUCCESS MANUAL STRATEGIST EDITION 2010 PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP © Copyright 2010 The Princeton Licensing Group www.successmanual.com Published by Princeton Cambridge Publishing Group www.prosperitybible.com Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America All Rights Reserved. 8 the state of Pennsylvania as its first citizen and “The Big Brother” of its seven millions of people. From the beginning of his career he has been a credible witness in the Court of Public Works to the truth of the strong language of the New Testament Parable where it says, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard- seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, ‘Remove hence to yonder place,’ AND IT SHALL REMOVE AND NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE UNTO YOU.” As a student, schoolmaster, lawyer, preacher, organizer, thinker and writer, lecturer, educator, diplomat, and leader of men, he has made his mark on his city and state and the times in which he has lived. A man dies, but his good work lives. His ideas, ideals, and enthusiasms have inspired tens of thousands of lives. A book full of the energetics of a master workman is just what every young man cares for. 1915 A CRES OF D IAMONDS R USSELL H. C ONWELL SUCCESS MANUAL STRATEGIST EDITION 2010 PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP © Copyright 2010 The Princeton Licensing Group www.successmanual.com Published by Princeton Cambridge Publishing Group www.prosperitybible.com Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America All Rights Reserved. 9 B B I I O O G G R R A A P P H H I I C C A A L L N N O O T T E E Friends, This lecture has been delivered under these circumstances: I visit a town or city, and try to arrive there early enough to see the postmaster, the barber, the keeper of the hotel, the principal of the schools, and the ministers of some of the churches, and then go into some of the factories and stores, and talk with the people, and get into sympathy with the local conditions of that town or city and see what has been their history, what opportunities they had, and what they had failed to do – and every town fails to do something – and then go to the lecture and talk to those people about the subjects which applied to their locality. A CRES OF D IAMONDS R USSELL H. C ONWELL SUCCESS MANUAL STRATEGIST EDITION 2010 PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP © Copyright 2010 The Princeton Licensing Group www.successmanual.com Published by Princeton Cambridge Publishing Group www.prosperitybible.com Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America All Rights Reserved. 10 “Acres of Diamonds” – the idea – has continuously been precisely the same. The idea is that in this country of ours every man has the opportunity to make more of himself than he does in his own environment, with his own skill, with his own energy, and with his own friends. R R U U S S S S E E L L L L H H . . C C O O N N W W E E L L L L [...].. .ACRES OF DIAMONDS RUSSELL H CONWELL SUCCESS MANUAL STRATEGIST EDITION 2010 PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP ACRES OF DIAMONDS – THE LECTURE THIS IS the most recent and complete form of the lecture It happened to be delivered in Philadelphia, Dr Conwell’s home city When he says “right here in Philadelphia,” he means the home city, town, or village of every reader of this book, just... United States of America All Rights Reserved www.successmanual.com www.prosperitybible.com ACRES OF DIAMONDS RUSSELL H CONWELL SUCCESS MANUAL STRATEGIST EDITION 2010 PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP underneath his own wheat-fields, or in his own garden, instead of wretchedness, starvation, and death by suicide in a strange land, he would have had acres of diamonds. ’ For every acre of that old farm,... material I have I say to you that you have acres of diamonds in Philadelphia right where you now live “Oh,” but you will say, “you cannot know much about your city if you think there are any acres of diamonds here.” I was greatly interested in that account in the newspaper of the young man who found that diamond in North Carolina It was one of the purest diamonds that has ever been discovered, and... farmer one of these ancient Buddhist priests, one of the wise men of the East He sat down by the fire and told the old farmer how this world of ours was made He said that this world was once a mere bank of fog, and that the Almighty thrust His finger into this bank of fog, and began slowly to move His finger around, increasing the speed until at last He whirled this bank of fog into a solid ball of fire... commendable zeal (characteristic of the students of Temple University) he set himself at the study of the whole subject He began away back at the second day of God’s creation when this world was covered thick and deep with that rich vegetation which since has turned to the primitive beds of coal He studied the subject until he found that the draining of those rich beds of coal furnished the coal-oil... away off – well, I don’t know where, and he did not, but somewhere else, and he was a professor of mineralogy My friends, that mistake is very universally made, and why should we 24 © Copyright 2010 The Princeton Licensing Group Published by Princeton Cambridge Publishing Group Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America All Rights Reserved www.successmanual.com www.prosperitybible.com ACRES OF DIAMONDS. .. historically true, “was discovered the diamond-mine of Golconda, the most magnificent diamond-mine in all the history of mankind, excelling the Kimberly itself The Kohinoor, and the Orloff of the crown jewels of England and Russia, the largest on earth, came from that mine.” When that old Arab guide told me the second chapter of his story, he then took off his Turkish cap and swung it around in the air... truth, and if the years of life have been of any value to me in the attainment of common sense, I know I am right; that the men and women sitting here, who found it difficult perhaps to buy a ticket to this lecture or gathering tonight, have within their reach acres of diamonds, ” opportunities to get largely wealthy There never was a place on earth more adapted than the city of Philadelphia today,... feared he was poor He said, “I want a mine of diamonds, ” and he lay awake all night Early in the morning he sought out the priest I know by experience that a priest is very cross when awakened early in the morning, and when he shook that old priest out of his dreams, Ali Hafed said to him: “Will you tell me where I can find diamonds? ” Diamonds! What do you want with diamonds? ” “Why, I wish to be immensely... Publishing Group Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America All Rights Reserved www.successmanual.com www.prosperitybible.com ACRES OF DIAMONDS RUSSELL H CONWELL SUCCESS MANUAL STRATEGIST EDITION 2010 PRINCETON CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHING GROUP farm, and as the old farmer was bringing in a basket of potatoes it hugged very tight between the ends of the stone fence You know in Massachusetts our farms . strange land, he would have had acres of diamonds. ’ For every acre of that old farm, yes, every shovelful, afterward revealed gems which since have decorated the crowns of monarchs.” When. the first one I ever read, in which the hero was killed in the first chapter. I had but one chapter of that story, and the hero was dead. When the guide came back and took up the halter of. delivered under these circumstances: I visit a town or city, and try to arrive there early enough to see the postmaster, the barber, the keeper of the hotel, the principal of the schools, and the