"For seven years I have felt a firm conviction that the great work, the special duty of our church, is to establish the College," said Dr. Conwell, in speaking of the matter to his congregation. "We are now face to face with it. How distinctly we have been led of God to this point! Never before in the history of this nation have a people had committed to them a movement more important for the welfare of mankind than that which is now committed to your trust in connection with the permanent establishment of The Temple College. We step now over the brink. Our feet are already in the water, and God says, 'Go on, it shall be dryshod for you yet'; and I say that the success of this institution means others like it in every town of five thousand inhabitants in the United States."
"One thing we have demonstrated—those who work for a living have time to study. Some splendid specimens of scholarship have been developed in our work. And there are others, splendid geniuses, yet undiscovered, but The Temple College will bring them to the light, and the world will be the richer for it. By the use of spare hours—hours usually running to waste—great things can be done. The commendation of these successful students will do more for the college than any number of rich friends can do. It will make friends; it will bring money; it will win honor; it will secure success."
An investment fund was created and once more the people made their offerings. The same self-sacrificing spirit was evident as in the building of the church. One boy brought to the pastor fifty cents, the first money he had ever earned; a woman sent to the treasury a gold ring, the only gift she could make, which bore interest in the suggestion that all who chose might offer similar gifts as did the women in the day of Moses. A business man hearing of this said, "If a day is appointed, I will on that day give to the College all the gold and silver that comes into my store for purchases." Every organization of Grace Church contributed time, work, money, and prayer to the building of the College. Small wonder then that obligations were met and payments made promptly.
One of the most successful methods by which money was raised for the College was the "Penny Talent" effort in 1893. Burdette, in his "Temple and Templars" has made a most painstaking record of the various ways in which the talent was used. He says:
"Each worker was given a penny, no more. Four thousand were given out at one service. One man put his penny in a neat box, took it to his office, and exhibited his 'talent' at a nickel a 'peep.' He gained $1.70 the first day of his 'show,' A woman bought a 'job lot' of molasses with her penny, made it into molasses candy, sold it in square inch cakes, after telling the customer her story; payments were generous and she netted $1.80. Then the man who sold her the molasses returned her penny. Another sister established a 'cooky' business, which grew rapidly. One boy kept his penny and went to work, earned 50 cents, the first money he ever earned in his life. It was a big penny, but he was bubbling over with enthusiasm and in it all went; he brought it straight to his pastor. One worker collected autographs and sold them. A boy sold toothpicks. One young man made silver buttonhooks and a young lady sold them. A woman traded her penny up to a dollar, made aprons from that time on until she earned $10. One class of seven girls in the Sunday-school united its capital and gave a supper at the Park and netted $50. The Young Men's Bible Class constructed a model of the College building, which they exhibited. The children gave a supper in the Lower Temple, which added $100 to the College fund. There came into the treasury $1.00 'saved on carfares'; 'whitewashing a cellar' brought $3. Thrice, somebody walked from Germantown to The Temple and back, saving 75 cents; a wife saved $20 from household allowances. A little girl of seven years went into a lively brokerage business with her penny, and took several 'flyers' that netted her handsome margins. Here is her report—
"'Sold the "talent penny" to Aunt Libby for seven cents; sold the seven cents to Mamma for 25 cents; sold the 25 cents to Papa for 50 cents. Aunt Caddie, 10 cents; Uncle Gilman, 5 cents; Cousin Walter, 4 cents; cash, 25 cents,—$1.04 and the penny talent returned.'
"'Pinching the market-basket' sent in $2.50; 'all the pennies and nickels received in four months, $12.70'; 'walking instead of riding, $6.50'; 'singing and making plaster plaques, $7.' A dentist bought of a fellow dentist one cent's worth of cement filling-material; this he used, giving his labor, and earned 50 cents; with this he bought 50 cents' worth of better filling, part of which he used, again giving his labor, and the College gained $3.00. A boy sold his penny to a physician for a dollar. The physician sold the 'talent penny' for 10 cents, which he exchanged at the Mint for bright new pennies. These he took to business friends and got a dollar apiece for them; added $5.00 of his own and turned in $15.00. Donations of one cent each were received through Mr. William P. Harding, from Governor Tillman of South Carolina, Governor McKinley of Ohio, Governor Russell of Massachusetts. From Governor Fuller of Vermont—a rare old copper cent, 1782, coined by Vermont before she was admitted to the Union; the governors' letters were sold to the highest bidders. Everybody who worked, everybody who traded with the penny, did something, and every penny was blessed, so lovingly and so zealously was the trading done. It was the Master's talent which they were working with. All the little things that went into the treasury; lead pencils, tacks, $3.00 in one case and $5.00 in another; 'beefs liver, $14.00'—think of that! How tired the boarders must have grown of liver away out on Broad Street—stick pins, hairpins, and the common kind that you bend and lose; candy, pretzels, and cookies; 'old tin cans,' wooden spoons, pies; one man sent $50.00 as a gift because he said 'his penny had brought him luck'; another found 16 pennies, which good fortune he ascribed to the penny in his pocket.
"So in October the workers who had received their pennies in April came together to show what they had done. Four thousand pennies had been given out; $6,000 came directly from the returns, and indirectly about $8,000 more.
"The 'Feast of Tithes,' held in December of the same year, was a great fair, extending through seven week days. The displays of goods and the refreshment booths were in the Lower Temple, while fine concerts and other entertainments were given in the auditorium. The Feast of Tithes netted $5,500 for the College fund."
Thus the work progressed. No one could give large amounts, but many gave a little, and stone by stone the building grew. In August, 1893, the corner stone of the College building was laid. Taking up the silver trowel which had been used in laying the corner stone of The Temple, in 1889, Dr. Conwell said: