The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-08-07
a RELIGIOUS PRODIGY.
4 Ncgr" Girl Nire Years Old breaches the
Gospel

Gospel.
COLUMBIA, S. c.. July 29.-The
most wonderful religious prodigy to
be found in South Carolina is now TO
besfound in Cheraw. Her name is
CIaretta Norah Avery, and she will
be ten years old on September 18th,
but for something less than three
wears she has been doing what she
calls working for God amongst the
members of her own, the negro, race.
During the past few weeks she has
developed into a wonderful preacher,
and all who come within the sound Of
her voice are amazed a. her utter
anceS
In the very conservative section in
which she has been working for the
past two weeks there was much oppo
sltion to her at first, because children
were supposed to have place" and
especially girl children to be seen
and not heard" And there existed
decided conviction that women
should not spekak out in meeting.
But before she had ended her first ser
mon. in the words of one Of her audi
tors. the whole congregation had come
to the conclusion ito let Gods busi-
ness be as He would have it.
Claretta Avery has been preaching
in Marlboro county for two weeks, and
she now numbers her converts among
both the white people and the negroes
by the score. At first she preached
only to negroes, but, after few
nights, her audiences were composed
of both races, and her simple, straight
forward. practical sermons appealed
squally to theologiaH and layman.
She was born in Washington, D.
c., 1S:h September, 1885. Her father
was a ministerin that city, but he died
soon after her birth. and she was taken
to North Carolina, where her mother
had relatives. When eighteen months
old she claims to have been converted
to the Christian religion and since
that time she has felt that she was
commissioned to preach the Word of
God to her people Her mother had
a struggle to make living for herself
and her children and, up to this time,
Claretta has been ablte to 60 to school
very little. She barely can write but
she seems to have committed the whole
of the New Testament to heart. This
she has succeeded in doing by most
continually poring over it.
Since she was three years of age she
has never let Sunday pass without
attending church, going two and three
times day whenever she could. She
seemed to prefer listening to the min
isters of the white people, and many
a time she has been found in the gal
leries of the white churches alone and
listening intentlv to what was said by
the preacher. Her memory was Won
deful and she is now able to repeat
sermon. word for word, after hearing
it preached once.
Many believe that her sermons are
entirely upon the facility
with which she remembers the produc-
tons of others, and that she merely re-
produces them. If this be true, no
one vet has ever heard or read the
OF the sermons she breaches.
Rev. \. J. Streator, of Society Hill,
is authority for the following:
She preached her first sermon at
Releigh, n. G.. Then she weut to Ok
ford. y. c.. where she began a series
Of meetings in a private house, but
the attendance soon became so great
that the largest church in the town
had to be engaged. Here $50 persons
professed religion as the result OF her
Sandford, n. c., was her
next point and here she made thirty
four converts. Then to Nass, for one
day, with ten converts as the result.
Then to Wadesboro and fifty converts,
and from there to Monroe, and there
were thirty-nine converts. From there
to Society Hill, where she made
converts. She IS now at
work at Cheraw, S. G.
The Rev. Streator says: She lays
hold of her text with a Herculean
grasp, and sways her audience with
gift peculiarly divine. All who hear
ner are lOFCeU W USI4eHC lllat 1oo Ae-'
called her 10 preach the gospel. was
opposed to women preaching until l
heard this child, then decided to let
Gods business as he would have 1t.
She dresses modestly and neatly and
shows decided distaste for all tinery
and Jewels of all descriptions.
The negroes throughout the whole
section in which she has been regarded
her with great awe, and are lavish IN
their gifts to her. When she believes
the donor unable to make the sacrifice
she refuses to accept the protfered gift:
The superstitiouS attribute wonderful
healing power to her and remarkable
stories aretold of cures effected merely
by her presence. These stories, how
ever, lack confirmation and are be
lieved only by the most credulous:
She claims to have no unnatural
power. but merely to be working for
God" as she is directed, The most re-
markable thing about her are her eyes,
which are very brilliant, and have a
peculiar cast; otherwise her features
are normal, and she would pass for
a girl of ten years of age.
An Old Mans Folly.