Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-08-16
RELIGIOUS PRODIGY.
NlNE-YEAR-OLD NEGRO GIRL PREACH
ES THE GOSPEL.

She Was Porn In Washington-Has Preach
ed For Three Years-Can Barely Write,
but Reads the Bible IncessantIy-A Cler-
Eyman's Account of Her.
"Thc most wonderful religious prodigy
to be found in South Carolina is now to
be found in Chcraw. Her name is Claretta
Norah Avery, and she will be 10 years old
on Sept. Is, but for something less than
three years she has been doing what she
calls working for God among the mem
bers of her own, the negro, race.
"She was born in Washington Sept IS,
1885. Her father was a minister in that
city, but he died soon after her birth, and
she was taken to North Carolina, where
her mother had relatives. When 1Smonths
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 u living for
herself and her children, and up to this
time Clarcttn has been able to go to school
very little She barely can write, but she
seems to have committed tho whole of the
New Testament to heart This she has
succeeded in doing by continually porting
over it.
"Since she was 3 years Of ago she has
never let a Sunday pass without attend
ing church, going two and three times
day whenever she could. She seemed to
prefer listening to the ministers of the
white people, and many II time she has
been found in the galleries of the white
churches alone and listening intcntly to
what was said by the preacher Her MON.
DRY was wonderful, and she is now able to
repeat sermon, word for word after
hearing it preached once
"Many believe that her sermons are de-
pendent entirely upon the facility with
which she rcmombors the productions Of
others, and that she merely rcproduces
them. If this be true, no one yet has ever
heard or read the originals Of the sermons
she breaches.
"Rcv. A. ]. Streator of Society Hill is
authority for tho following;
"Sho preached her first sermon ut RG-
leigh, n. c. Then she went to Oxford
n. c., where she began "a series Of meet
ings in u private house, but the attend
anCc soon became so great that the largest
church in the town had to be engaged.
Here / 80 persons profGssCd religion as the
result of her preaching. SANFORD, n. c.,
was her next point, and here sho mado 81
converts. Then to Nass for one day, with
10 converts as the result. Then to WadcS-
boro, and 80 converts, and from there to
Monroe, and there were 80 converts.
From there to Society Hill, where she
made 90 converts.
"Shc lays hold of her text with a her
culcan grasp, and sways her audience with
a gift peculiarly divine. All who hear
her are forced to believe that God has
called her to preach the gospel. l was
opposed to women preaching until heard
this child, then decided to let Gods bust.
ness rs He would have it..
"Shc dresses modcstly and neatly, and
shows decided diStasto for all flnery and
jewels of all descriptions.
"The negroes throughout the whole sec
ton in which she has been regard 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 proffercd gift. The supcrstitious
attribute wonderful healing power to her
and remarkable stories are told of cures
affected merely by her presence. These
stories, however lack confirmation and are
believed only by the most crcdulous. She
claims to have no unnatural power, but
merely to he working for God, as she is
directed. Tho most remarkable thing
about her are her eyes, which are very
brilliant, and have peculiar cast; other
wise her features are normal and she
would pass for an ordinary negro Of 10
years of age. "-Columbia Is g. State.