,a ,,sketch ,,of ,charles ,t4 ,walker1 ,d4 ,d4 ,,pastor ,,of ,,tabernacle ,,baptist ,,church1 ,,augusta1 ,,ga4 ,,by ,silas ,xavier ,floyd1 ,a4 ,b41 ,,editor ,,of ,,the ,,weekly ,,sentinel4 ,illustration ,,augusta1 ,,ga41 ,sentinel ,publishing ,co41 #ahib4 ,charles ,thomas ,walker was born on the #aath day of ,january1 #aheh1 at ,hephzibah1 ,ga4 ,hephzibah is in ,richmond county about #ad miles south-west of ,augusta4 ,he is the youngest of #aa children of whom #f are dead and #e are living4 ,his father1 ,thomas ,walker1 was buried the day before he was born4 ,his mother1 ,mrs4 ,hannah ,walker1 died in #ahff1 little ,charley being1 at the time1 only #h years old4 ,thus1 even before ,charles was born1 his mother was draped in the weeds of widowhood1 and he first opened his eyes on the light of this world as a fatherless child4 ,thus1 also1 in early childhood1 even before he had any realizing sense of his true condition1 he was compelled by the stern1 but beneficent discipline of an ,alwise ,providence to wail forth the cry of complete orphanage4 ,on ,wednesday before the first ,sunday in ,june1 #ahgc1 while young ,walker was hoeing cotton1 he decided to seek the ,lord4 ,he left the field that day and went into the woods1 and remained in the woods from ,wednesday afternoon without eating1 drinking or seeing anyone1 until the following ,saturday afternoon when he was converted4 ,he was baptised on the first ,sunday in ,july by his uncle1 the ,rev4 ,nathan ,walker1 then pastor of the ,franklin ,covenant ,church1 a faithful servant of the ,master1 who still lives1 shedding light and love among the people4 ,young ,walker immediately became an active and zealous ,christian1 and was impressed with the thought that he was called of ,god to preach the gospel4 ,accordingly in #ahgd1 he entered the ,augusta ,institute1 a theological school located at ,augusta and presided over by the late ,joseph ,t4 ,robert1 ,d4 ,d41 ,l4 ,l4 ,d4 ,this school has since been moved to ,atlanta and is now the ,atlanta ,baptist ,seminary4 ,in school4 ,mr4 ,walker was soon celebrated for his great ability1 for his thoroughness of scholarship1 and for his exemplary deportment4 ,he had only #f dollars when he entered school4 ,the first term he did his own cooking2 he cooked only twice a week--on ,wednesdays and ,saturdays2 so great was his desire for knowledge that he felt that he could not spare the time to cook every day4 ,when he had spent his six dollars he picked up his little bundle and was on the eve of leaving school4 ,some of his student friends finding out the reasons of his proposed departure and realizing what a loss it would be to them and to the cause1 remonstrated with him and urged him to be patient a day or so longer4 ,one of his fellow students1 the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,love1 of ,savannah1 ,ga41 went so far as to promise him that he would provide for him personally until arrangements could be made4 ,mr4 ,walker consented to remain2 meanwhile ,dr4 ,robert had been informed and he1 in turn succeeded in interesting three gentlemen of ,dayton ,ohio1 in young ,walker and through the kindness of these gentlemen1 the motherless and fatherless boy was enabled to prosecute his studies for #e years at the ,augusta ,institute4 ,in #ahgf1 in the #ahth year of his age1 ,mr4 ,walker was licensed to preach1 and on the first ,sunday in ,may1 #ahgg1 he was ordained to the sacred office of the gospel ministry4 ,he soon became noted as a preacher1 possessing1 as he did supreme eloquence and a fair knowledge of the scriptures4 ,in #ahgh he was elected pastor of the ,franklin ,covenant ,baptist church1 of which he was a member and by the time he was #ba years old he was pastor of four country churches and one city church2 viz3 ,franklin ,covenant ,baptist church1 ,hephzibah1 ,thankful ,baptist ,church1 ,waynesboro1 ,mc,kinnie's ,branch ,baptist ,church1 ,burke county1 ,ebenezer ,baptist church1 ,richmond county1 and ,mount ,olive ,baptist church1 ,augusta1 ,ga4 ,in #ahhj1 he pastored the ,first ,baptist church in ,la,grange4 ,in #ahhb1 he was called to the pastorate of ,central ,baptist church1 ,augusta1 ,ga41 and the following year resigned and organized the ,tabernacle ,baptist church1 of which he is still the honored and distinguished pastor4 ,rev4 ,walker built the ,tabernacle church in #ahhe at a cost of #ac1ejj4 ,it is a handsome brick structure1 and was dedicated in three months from the day it was commenced4 ,in the beginning its membership was #bjj4 ,at present the membership is #ijj1 and ,rev4 ,walker knows them every one by name4 ,recently a new pipe organ has been put in the edifice at a cost of #a1ejj4 ,the building has already proved too small to accommodate the great crowd that go to hear this great man preacher1 and efforts are being made to remodel the house of worship and make it much larger4 ,illustration3 ,rev4 ,c4 ,t4 ,walker1 ,d4 ,d4 ,pastor of ,tabernacle ,baptist ,church1 ,augusta1 ,ga41 and ,treasurer of the ,national ,baptist ,convention of the ,united ,states ,among the office of trust and responsibility which ,rev4 ,mr4 ,walker has held are the following3 ,moderator of the ,western ,union ,baptist ,association1 ,president of the ,executive ,board of the missionary ,baptist ,convention of ,georgia1 ,secretary of the ,state ,baptist ,sunday ,school convention for #h years4 ,members of the ,board of trustees of the ,walker ,baptist ,college and treasurer of the ,american ,national ,baptist ,convention1 and ,business ,manager of ,,the ,,weekly ,,sentinel4 ,the honorary degree of 8,doctor of ,divinity0 was conferred upon him in #ahij by the ,state ,university of ,kentucky4 ,during the summer of #ahia1 ,dr4 ,walker in company with the ,rev4 ,e4 ,r4 ,carter of ,atlanta1 ,ga4 took an extensive trip through ,europe and the ,holy land and besides staying for awhile in ,england and on the ,continent and in ,asia1 he took a peep over in to ,africa4 ,on his return he lectured throughout the ,south and in ,boston and ,new ,york and every where with profit and success4 ,many of the leading newspapers throughout country spoke in terms of praise and admiration of the wonderful preacher and lecturer4 ,the ,rev ,dr4 ,walker is only #cd years old--quite young indeed to have accomplished so much for the advancement of ,christ's ,kingdom4 ,when ,rev4 ,mr4 ,walker was leaving ,hephzibah1 in #ahhj1 for ,la,grange1 one of his white friends1 ,col4 ,a4 ,c4 ,walker1 gave him a letter of recommendation which speaks for itself4 ,here is what the letter said3 8,the bearer1 ,rev4 ,c4 ,t4 ,walker1 is the fourth in descent from a family of ,negroes brought from ,virginia to ,burke county by my grand father in #aggc4 ,as slaves they were noted for their admirable qualities and as freemen have sustained their reputation4 ,charles1 by his energy1 has obtained an excellent education and for two years has been licensed teacher of one our public schools4 ,his character is irreproachable in all respects and by none is he esteemed more than by the more intelligent white citizens among whom he lives4 ,it gives me great pleasure to testify to his worth and ,i most respectfully ask for him the generous consideration of the new people1 with whom he is about to cast his lot4 ,we sincerely regret his departure from among us1 as he was exercising a most happy influence with his own race here40 ,rev4 ,walker came to ,augusta in #ahhc4 ,in #ahhe1 upon the completion of ,tabernacle church1 and on the day of its dedication all the papers of ,augusta spoke in highest praise of the work accomplished and invariably referred to the edifice as an everlasting monument to the perseverance and energy of the pastor1 ,rev4 ,c4 ,t4 ,walker4 ,rev4 ,walker spent the fall of #ahhf in the ,north1 soliciting funds to complete the payment of his church property4 ,his church had by their own efforts paid #aj1jjj of the #ab1jjj1 which the lot and edifice cost4 ,he carried many letters of recommendation from leading men of the ,south4 ,dr4 ,love1 of ,savannah1 pastor of the largest ,baptist church in the world1 wrote3 8,rev4 ,charles ,t4 ,walker is one of the leading men of ,georgia and is alright40 ,prof ,wm4 ,e4 ,holmes of the ,atlanta ,baptist ,seminary1 wrote3 8,i cheerfully recommend ,rev4 ,mr4 ,walker and his cause to the public and bespeak for him the success which he richly deserves40 ,hon4 ,patrick ,walsh1 editor of the ,augusta ,chronicle wrote3 8,rev4 ,walker is doing a great good among his people4 ,his church is a great credit and both he and his people are worthy of substantial aid40 ,hon4 ,r4 ,h4 ,may1 then ,mayor of the city of ,augusta1 wrote3 8,he is a perfect gentleman1 devout christian and deserving of all confidence40 ,the testimonials ,rev4 ,walker carried with him on this trip might be multiplied ad infinitum4 ,in ,new ,york ,rev4 ,justin ,dewey ,fulton wrote3 8,my people who heard him pronounce him a preacher of more than ordinary ability4 ,his voice is good1 his learning modest and impressive1 his language excellent1 and the aim of his preaching is to glorify ,christ40 ,in ,boston1 ,rev4 ,j4 ,horatio ,carter1 ,d4 ,d41 wrote3 8,brother ,walker is an able1 earnest1 logical and eloquent preacher1 and worthy of support40 ,rev4 ,walker was present at the organization of the ,american ,national ,baptist ,convention in #ahhf at ,st4 ,louis1 ,mo41 and served on the committee of constitution1 and otherwise played a most prominent part in its organization4 ,he has attended every session every year since1 and is one of the most prominent members at its annual sessions4 ,in #ahhi1 at ,indianapolis1 ,ind41 before this body1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,walker preached the ,national sermon and that with telling effect4 ,at its conclusion1 the ,rev4 ,william ,j4 ,simmons1 ,d4 ,d41 ,l4 ,l4 ,d41 ,pres4 of the ,state ,university of ,ky41 walked up to the minister1 shook his hand and said1 8,you have won your ,d4 ,d41 and ,i'll see that you get it40 ,the following summer1 at the close of the school year #hi-ij1 ,dr4 ,simmons1 true to his words had the trustees of the ,state ,university of ,kentucky to confer upon ,rev4 ,c4 ,t4 ,walker1 the honorary degree of ,doctor of ,divinity which he has worthily borne ever since4 ,writing up this session of ,national ,baptists the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,daniel ,a4 ,gaddie1 took occasion to say the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,walker was 8a young man full of life and piety1 beautiful and attractive in delivery4 ,he is an electrifying orator and waxes warm in the end4 ,he is a great revivalist1 a finished and pointed workman40 ,in this same convention ,rev4 ,walker won for himself a national reputation for his wise and conservative stand when the body had under consideration the outlawry1 lynch law and other outrages of the ,south4 ,he was referred to1 by the leading newspapers of the country1 as a strong man in a crisis4 ,the other members of the body1 almost to a man1 indulged in wholesale abuse of the ,south2 maligned its name1 hit the white people of the ,south some death dealing blows2 excitement ran high1 ,rev4 ,walker gained the floor and made an able speech counseling wisdom and moderation and stating that he believed that the best element of the white people in the ,north were trying1 to create a public sentiment so powerful against these outrages that they will become impossible4 ,on #bast1 of ,may1 #ahhb1 ,rev4 ,walker delivered the annual address before the ,atlanta ,baptist and ,spelman ,seminary on the ,needs and ,responsibilities of the ,colored ,race4 ,it was a masterly effort4 ,in opening the speaker said3 8,when our mind like the swiftly passing scene of a panorama take a retrospective view of the past history of our race1 and when we remember that for over two centuries1 ignorance1 the mother of bigotry and superstition1 the bane of society1 the prolific mother of weakness1 held our people with its slavish chains1 we must admit that many of our people have made commendable progress1 and that the influence of religion1 morality and intelligence is increasingly felt40 ,the speaker dwelt at length upon the ,needs1 and then took up the ,responsibilities4 ,said he3 8,we are responsible for our souls4 ,the soul is immortal1 and cannot like the body1 undergo decomposition4 ,it will live forever4 ,when the mountains are melted in the general conflagration1 when the pyramids of ,egypt are levelled to the ground1 when the refulgent stars1 the silent messengers1 shall cease to dance in their golden sockets2 when the moon1 the queen of night1 refuses to give her silvery brightness2 when the sun1 the king of day1 the centre of the solar system1 shall be blown out2 when earth is shrouded in her regalia of mourning1 and when ocean shall gather all her waters together to chant her funeral songs1 the soul will be living somewhere in ,god's distant universe40 ,in #ahhd1 ,rev4 ,walker delivered the annual address on the first day of ,january in ,augusta4 ,his subject was 8,a ,,review ,,of ,,the ,,past04 ,it was a wonderful exposition of the progress of the ,negro in ,america4 ,in the course of his remarks1 he paid the following tribute to ,abraham ,lincoln2 8,probably no man since the days of ,washington was ever so deeply and firmly imbedded and enshrined in the hearts of the people as ,abraham ,lincoln4 ,he won for himself a place in the hearts of our people that time can never efface4 ,by his noble deeds1 emanated from his kind heart1 he wrote his name on the pages of future time as legible as the stars on the brow of evening40 ,in his address at the laying of the corner stone of the new building of the ,atlanta ,baptist ,seminary1 in #ahhi1 ,rev4 ,walker said among other things3 8,if all men would recognize the fatherhood of ,god1 the brotherhood of man1 pledge implicit obedience to the divine law and practice the scriptural code of ethics1 there would be no race problem4 ,the race problem is born of wickedness1 inflamed by modern fanatics1 stimulated and encouraged by speculative1 unworthy politicians4 ,the ,negro is a loyal1 peaceable1 law-abiding citizen2 among them you will find no anarchist1 nihilist1 liberalist1 communionist or strikers2 the ,negro has always been found on the side of the constitution of his ,state and the ,union2 he isn't asking for supremacy or social equality2 he only desires an equal advantage in the race of life2 he asks that you do not throw impediments in his way2 don't close the gates of prosperity against him because of his color2 don't hate him because he was a slave1 he was not so by choice2 don't despise him because of his ignorance1 it is not his fault2 don't ignore him on account of his poverty1 he has had no rich ancestors to bequeath him landed estates4 ,he is unfortunate1 pity him2 he is struggling1 help him4 ,a bright day is dawning4 ,citizens of every rank and section of this country are uniting hand in hand to advocate such legislation as will remove illiteracy4 ,the last legislature of ,georgia deserve honorable mention for making appropriation for public education4 ,our distinguished ,state ,school ,commissioner1 ,judge ,james ,s4 ,hook1 is trying to put ,georgia in line with other states intellectually and he is succeeding admirably4 ,since ,god has raised up so many friends for us1 both at home and abroad1 let us cultivate a friendly relation with those among whom we live4 ,let us have a hand in solving our problem1 shaping our destiny and making for ourselves a creditable history40 ,in the foregoing1 we have attempted to give a short sketch of the career of ,dr4 ,walker1 together with a few testimonials from his friends and some extracts from his addresses4 ,the half has not been told4 ,the full history of his life would make a large volume4 ,it ought to be written1 and will be some time4 ,suffice it to say that1 as a man1 ,dr4 ,walker is modest to a fault1 generous in the extreme1 patient1 forbearing and unselfish2 as a minister1 he possesses great fervor and eloquence1 and as a pulpit orator probably he is excelled by no man in this country4 ,the common people hear him gladly4 ,his highest aim is to be an humble servant of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4