Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-12-20
WHOLE NUMBER 1875.
PICANINNY PREACHER
A TEN-YEAR-OLD COLORED GIRL
PRODIGY.
The Lord ssCaIled', Her-She Has
Converted Hundreds, Both White
ana Black, TO Christianity.

Converted Hundreds, Both White
and Black, 10 Christianity.
Wonderful stories have come from
the south about the power OF little
colored girl, who has been converting
hundreds of persons, both white and
colored, from the error of their ways.
1t is in the Carolinas that most OF her
work has been done, and the people
there call her the picanninny preacher
Her name is Cleretta Nora Avery,
and she is 10 years old.
The girl is now in New York, and a
New York Sun reporter called on her
few days ago. He saw an average
sized child for the age. One OF the
noticeable things about her is that her
head is very large, like the head OF an
adult person in fact, with plenty Of
brain room above the forehead. In
the face there is not an African char
acteristic except the color, which is
that of the African negro. All the
features are finely cut. The eyes are
large and rather widely set under
broad and high forehead. The nose is
rather small, with nostrils by no means
thick, and the mouth is sensitive and
delicate. There is none of that broad
ness or tlatness OF feature so generally
seen in the negro face. On the other
hand, there is nothing distinctive to
show the interringling of Caucasion
blood and, as far as the girl knows, she
is pure negro. But hers is a refine
ment OF the type. 1t is no exaggera-
ton to say that she is very pretty
child.
my home is really in Washington,
d. c., but l haven't been there since l
was baby. My mother has had to
travel about for her health, and she
and papa and went about in North
Carolina giving Bible picture exhibi-
ton with a magic lantern until be-
gan preaching. Papa died last sum-
mer. He was preacher and lee.
turer, and he taught me to lecture"
"Did he teach you to preach, too?"
asked the reporter.
"No one taught me to PREACH" said
the child, gravely. The Lord told
me to preach, and took heed to do
as He bid"
"How long had you been lecturing
before you began to preach"
WELL" said she, refectively, "I
really can't tell you exactly. 1 was
such child when began and have
so many other things to think of that
l don't remember all those matters.
But papa used to lecture while the
pictures were being shown and my
mother wonld sing. My part came
before the pictures began. 1 would
lecture for half an hour on different
subjects, Our Young People, Noah,'
Work and Play and other subjects.
Papa would help me on the subjects
and would study them"
"And from that you went to preach
ing"
Well, not just in that way. 1t
wasn't like stepping from one thing TO
another. 1t was more sudden. One
day the Lord called me to preach.
Go preach my gospel, saith the Lord,
and call sinners to repentance. NV
first sermon was on August II, 1898,
in church at Raleigh. 1 was to lee.
ture, as usual, and there was a very
big audience. My mother said to me
" Daughter, you must speak up loud
and clear tonight, so that all can hear
you
"Mother,' said to her, I've been
chosen to preach. The Lord has
called me and / must preach
THAT night l preached from the
third chapter of st. John, beginning
at the first verse. l have been preach.
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