St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-12-14
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. A
Wonderful Doings Of q Little
Negro Girl Evangelist

Negro Girl Evangelist
a South Caroline sauire's Story Of the
Child Who L. Preaching tho Gospel
with Such Power to Black
aud White
About q dozen prominent membera
Of the southern colony in New Yorl,
met In the lobby Of a downtown hotel
the other evening to talk over old
times with a genuine old South Caro-
lima squire" who Is spending few
days in the city, says the New York
Sun. This gentleman Of the old school
acquired the title of squire In the old
days, when 1t was little above that
Of Judge" and far above that OF
colonel" as a mark of popularity and
dignity, and he wears It gracefully
still.
Squire, suppose we all take some
thing" suggested the big colonel from
kentucky.
II can't do it, boys" responded the
squire, and far-away look came into
his kindly eyes. "You see. I've stopped. /"
"Wh-e-w," whistled the colonel, with
. long-drawn-out sound like . fall
wind. Il can hardly believe you-s And
every man in the party lookA - Il he
was thinking the same thlng. bat none
made any comment
''How did such . mfsfortun6 como
upon your" finally ventnrsd Virgin
Ian, after the first CREST woyO Of eus.
prise had subsidized, for they sll knew
that for nearly forty years the squire
had taken his toddy three times daily
after meals to aid his digestion.
"Well, boys, 1t was this way" he
said. ''The little nigger girl preacher
converted me. and I've dropped . good
many of my old ways, such g euanln'.
swearin', and drinkin'. Z reenSa you
maybe all read that u1loo editorial
about her in the Sunday San saxgest-
ing that she should CO. 10 Nsw York
and preach in Madisdl1 esre 9as9sue
Well. all I've got to sa6 az she ooaQS
you must all 60 to hes IAna IS h1k
sermon don't touch yE &aftAa1o9p
than all the Parkhurse11 6ewbo md
Talmagic Roman candlsSeN Youfv0
listened to since you moved ~ a1a H.
trict, then I'll 60 back to my Ws6kod
ways"
who'd ever have thought that what
. burned little pickaninnv had to say
would influence man OF your COM
mon sense, squire?' spoke up the old
est man in the crowd. testify. II
wouldn't have believed it Of you. What
manner. Of child Is she, anyway. and
where did she come from?'
81 don't know great deal about her
past history, which is q very short one.
Us she is only nine years old" com
menced the squire. as he took long
draw at a corn-cob pipe, "but she was
horn near Washington, somewhere In
Virginia, I think. in the fall Of IS. Her
daddy was q preacher. and died three
or four years ago. This child, whose
full name is Claretta Nora Avery, has
always eagerly attended religious ssrv-
COS aud taken a great interest in the
spiritual welfare Of her people. She
SAYS that the lore of God entered her
heart when she was year and = half
old, and has never left 1t, but OF course
you all won't believe that, for no
genuine darky has any idea Of time.
I'd been hearing and reading . good
deal about her. and not believing much,
and when business carried me to
small town in the lower part OF the
state, where she was holding . meet
Ing. I decided to 60 around to the
church to hear her. It was quite late.
aud got there just in time to catch
the last sentence Of her sermon.
sI'm going to stay in the field here
until / die, and when death comes,
some time. way over yonder, where
my Jesus is, I'll live there too, singing
always that new song with Him IN
glory
s.Hcr voice had mournful ring in il,
and the little creature made q most
pathetic picture as her head bobbed up
from behind the pulpit and her great
eyes roved over the congregation in an
appealing way. She looked about her
wearily and sadly for = moment, but
soon radiant light fell upon her face.
Tor her sermon had struck home, and
she knew it; the entire congregation
began to sing, and the queer part OF IL
al was. they began to sing the same
thing. Soon some began to chant,
while others cried aloud. moaning and
bewailing their sins You talk about
your paid choirs. There isn't enough
money in New York to buy such
music as I heard that night The
voices were rich and full and sweet,
end . minor chord that touched ones
very soul was the predominating
sound.
s.Sermons and music have . most
electrifying effect upon = colored con-
gregation. and this one was soon
wrought up to the highest pitch of
religious excitement. Some Of the
mo'ners prostrated themselves on their
faces, beating the bare floor with their
hands until they were worn out, when
they would lie in what is termed .
trance. Others crawled on their knees
@ the pulpit Many of them sat In the
midst Of this uproar and appeared
neither to see nor hear. % intent were
they In working out their own saliva
Non. In the meantime the old sisters.
Who were sure of Heaven, kept ON
singing TO keep things going The
header that night was > regular old
fime. befo' '-the-war NANNY, and guod-
nees fairly beamed from her counte-
aance
~ bin liar 20 loag. - long
So long % icngs
r. . ii-ar 3oS
ehe .shanted in . wytrdx xpethetis voice,
-. --. = 49, - .-ea~.