St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-26
CYtRETTA NORA AVERY, THE
PtCNANINNY PREACHER, IN
NEW YORK.
REMARKABLE SPECTACLE.
TFH-NEAR-OLD GIRL WHO DE-
LIVERS SERMONS BEFORE
THOUSANDS.
PICKS HER TEXTS AT RANDOM.
Crowds of People Listen to Her
Uticrnnces in Speechless
AStOniShment.

For the first time in her ten years
of life Cleretta Nora Avery, the
pickaninny preacher, who has been
so famous as a revivalist in the Car
olinas for two years, faced North
ern audience a short time ago. Re-
ports of her powers had preceded her.
Not Il negro in New York but knew
that the famous child evangelist was
here. The result was that before she
began her sermon in the y. NJ. E.
Zion church at Bleecker and West
Tenth streets. every available spot
of standing and sitting room was
occupied. the choir loft, gallery, stairs
and vestibules were thronged, and
outside the church hundreds of col
ored people turned away disconso-
late in their disappointment or hung
about patiently waiting in the hope
OF seeing the wonderful girl as she
came out Most grown-up speakers
facing an audience entirely unknown
not only personally, but in character,
would have felt some nervousness.
Not So this child. She spoke as calm
" and easily as if she were in con-
versation with her intimate friends.
Before she began to speak, one Of the
ministers asked:
Won't you be frightened, facing
such an audience?"
What is there to be frightened
att" she asked in surprise. 81 go
TO preach the word that God has
called me to preach. How can be
afraid with his power behind me?"
1t was this fearlessness and ease that
cautured her audience, emotional in
tensity to which the negro race 20
tends and which its most passionate
outlet in the camp meetings and re-
vivals Though a revivalist herself,
Cieretta Avery does not practice this
sort of preaching. Nor was it the sense
of the sermon, for there was no re-
marlable strength of thought or eX-
preston in 1t: but the spectacle of this
girl who. at an age when her school
mates have hardly given over their
dolls. stood up before those thousands
and spoke to them with absolute con-
viction on the subject which Of all
subjects has the greatest influence
over them; that was what held those
people speechless and all but breath
less in absorbed attention, listening to
her words as to the expression of an
inspired prophecy.
She was accompanied to the church
by her mother and Rev. ]. L. Dart,
president of the Charleston industrial
school, to raise money for which she
has come North. On her arrival the
people already crowding the building
pushed forward to get a view of her
She was dressed in a black dress of a
length a little greater than accorded
with her years. and wore large black
hat. As she mounted the pulpit lit
tie buzz of excitement went through
the audience. A woman standing in
the aisle exclaimed:
They hadn't ought to let her preach;
she's too little
Hush up" came the reproving re-
sponse from a companion; shes got
the Word"
Then after prayer and a hymn the
child was introduced and began to
preach. Her voice, very full for so
young a girl, while not very strong,
was clear by virtue of a shrilness that
was not without a pleasing quality.
Her gestures were few and expressive,
and in the use of her voice, its inlec-
tions and emphasis, she showed plain
~ the training of her father, who was
a public lecturer before his death. In
substance, her sermon was of a kind
easily imag agined; eXhortaTions to piety,
warnings against sin, appeals to her
hearers to acknowledge Christ and be
saved. Throughout she spoke with the
,AIyJ -
of preaching a lofty cre, and not once
did she appeal to the hysterical spirit
which many revivalists strive to evoke.
Her sentences were cleverly afternated
so as to allow of no monotony; long
periods, interrupted by brief, telling
sentences and the rhetorical question,
We're frequently used. Her language
was sinaple and direct, without the
slightest attempt at ornamental verbi-
age. She spoke for about fifteen min
Utes.
Rev. Josiah Caldwell, pastor of the
church. introduced her, quoting. the
text: "a little child shall lead you, for
out of the mouths of babes and suck
Iiugs hast Thou perfected praise"
Thcu the girl llnelt and prayed in a
low voice. At the conclusion of her
prayer President Dart rose and said:
This child who will preach tonight
has a cold. being unaccustomed to this
climate, but she will do her best to
make herself heard. She is only a child
in her ways, but she speaks with soul
full inspiration"
The little evangelist then opened her
Bible apparently at random, and read
from II. Kings, fourth chapter, con-
corning the miracles of Elisha. She
expounded as she read. and concluded
with the mess Of poisoned pottage. Her
text, she announced, was: There Is
Death. in the Pot"
our heart is the pot" said she.
.'Sin is the death, and many of us
today have death in our hearts. There