Temple University - Templar Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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15 College Hall—the first University Building smoke. The Confederates poured lead after the fleeing hoy. Flames singed his hair, blistered his face, burned his clothes. To plunge through tin roaring blaze meant almost certain death. To surrender meant loss of the sword. He charged onto the blazing bridge. Firing on both sides stopped as they waited, friend and foe alike, hoping the boy would come through. And lie did. Clothing aflame, the breath of lift-all but gone from him. Johnny King collapsed in his comrades’ outstretched arms the sword held tightly in his seorced, clenched hands. Two days later he died. Russell Con well standing by his cot—standing there with a new fighting faith, a faith that saw the subsequent founding and building of a great Temple University. As Captain (’onwell looked down on the face of Johnny Ring, he vowed that, until his death, he would work sixteen hours every day—eight hours for himself and eight hours for .Johnny King, who had died for him. For 60 years, until he passed away in 1925 at the age of 83. he kept that vow. Before the war ended Conwcll was advanced to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by President Lincoln, who |x rsonally admired the young soldier. Conwcll saw action in the Battle of Kenesaw Mountain where he was seriously wounded when bursting shell fragments riddled his body while he led a charge against the enemy. Given up as dead bv his comrades, he lay bleeding all night on the cold, wind-lashed mountain side until rescued the following morning, more dead than alive. But the spirit and hope in his heart kept him alive. Conwcll loved freedom—freedom of speech and of religion, freedom from fear and from want. “Freedom is every mail's heritage, every man’s birthright.” And he practiced what he preached. After the war Conwcll. at 23, finished liis law studies and took the next train west to Minneapolis where he set up a flourishing practice. There faith and a fighting spirit went with him. And there he was baptized. But Dr. ConwelFs war injuries remained with him. His strength began to fail. Conwcll seemed to In- dving when a surgeon located the trouble and removed a bullet lodged in his lungs. 16 Conwcll’s son, sword, and favorite chair

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“Firs! a soldier, then a newspajicr man, an emigration officer, a lawyer, an organizer, a leader of young men, a minister, an educator ' said Laura H. Carnell of Russell Herman Con-well Lorn in Massachusetts on February l.», 184, $, and educated at Wilbraham Academy, Vale I niversitv. and the Albany Law School. At the age of 11) Conwell responded to a call issued by 1 resident Abraham Lincoln and enlisted with the “Mountain Boys from the Berk-shires. a group of whom he captained in the war between the States. On numerous occasions lie risked his life as he fought side by side with his men. Perhaps the best-known story concerning him is the tale of Johnny Ring, who gave up his life to prevent Captain Con well’s sword from falling into the hands of the enemy. Johnny Ring inspired Russell Con well’s faith in life. man. and religion. In the black days of the C ivil War when brother fought brother. Con-well thought he was an atheist and pretended not to believe in the Bible. Johnny Ring just l(i and small in stature—wanted to fight for the I nion. He became Russell Conwell ’s servant, but Indore he crossed the Mason and Dixon line to go into the fight, he promised his dying mother he would read his Bible every day. Johnny never broke his pledge. Though Captain Conwell laughed at him and ordered him to put the book away, he kept his faith and prayed in secret—for himself and for Conwell. for young Johnny loved his captain. Soldier friends had presented Captain Conwell with a costly gold sword, too beautiful to see service in battle. It was one of Johnny’s chores to keep the sword shining, and he guarded that symbol of his leader’s greatness as a mother guards her new-born bain . Russell Conwell often told of the change which Johnny’s undying faith in him and in his “gold sword” made in his life and his character. Conwell was away from camp one afternoon getting his soldiers' pay when a band of Confederates swarmed down from the surrounding hills in a sudden, surprise attack forcing his company to l eat a hasty retreat across a long railroad bridge which spanned the nearby river. When the I'nion troops, already battered by the pursuing enemy, crossed the bridge safely, they fired it to prevent pursuit. As the flames bit into the wooden structure, Johnny Ring rememl ered his captain’s sword, left behind in the excitement of the skirmish. Without asking leave, the boy rushed back across the flaming bridge, passed through the Confederate lines, reached the tent on whose center-pole the sword glistened in the sun, and, after clasping it tightly to his chest, darted breathlessly back in the direction of his comrades. By now the bridge was a mass of flames and THE DEDICATION OF CONWELL HALL

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Active as ever Indore. lie returned to Boston where he Itecautc a newspaper man. But in 1871-religious endeavor l eekoned him and lie mitered the ministry accepting a pulpit in Lexington. Seven years later, at the age of 88, he assumed pastorate of the Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Here he remained for 1-5 years, ... ' 1 ' . Here he wrote “Acres of Diamonds. a lecture lie delivered more than 0,000 times. Here he founded Temple I nivcrsity. And here he continued to practice what he preached. (’onwell is immortal to Temple. He Imilt, in 1888, the Baptist Temple to house the largest Protestant congregation in America. It still stands today silently, strongly, spiritually, at Temple's side, waving high the (’onwell haulier: “In your own backyard, find you your success, not over the wide. Iiewildering expanse of world.” Yes, I)r. ('onwell practiced what he preached. He started Temple with seven students. Today there are more than 11,000 receiving instruction—and in the very shadow of the first classroom. Here are some of the milestones in that transformation : Carnell and Conwell at University Services Laura H. Carnell 1801—the College of Liberal Arts established a day department with full authority, granted by the Pennsylvania Legislature, to award degrees. 1808 the School of Theology came into living. 180.7 saw creation of the School of Law. 1001 brought a Medical School, and a registered School of Pharmacy two months later. 1007—a School of Dentistry liecame Temple's. Growth. Fighting to the tune and the dreams of ('onwell. Fighting. Building. Growing. College Hall was dedicated in 1805. Temple’s first building of her own still standing, still serving the University. Solid, sturdy granite. Solid as (’onwell. Sturdy as his spirit and his ambitions and his aims. College Hall. It looks across the row-house classroom buildings up at the tall, stately (’onwell and Carnell Halls. Memorials to the Founder. Sy minds of his 1 reams. Signs that Temple can grow, has grown, and will continue to grow. And Temple's growth has continued through war and peace, prosperity and depression. Yes, through war. Following the declaration of war by Congress in April, 1917, Dr. Conwell set machinery in mo- 17 09392676