A Sketch of Charles T. Walker, D.D., Pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church, Augusta, Ga.

PASTOR OF TABERNACLE BAPTIST CHURCH, AUGUSTA, GA.
BY Silas Xavier Floyd, A. B., EDITOR OF THE WEEKLY SENTINEL.
AUGUSTA, GA., Sentinel Publishing Co., 1892.

Charles Thomas Walker was born on the 11th day of January, 1858, at Hephzibah, Ga. Hephzibah is in Richmond county about 14 miles south-west of Augusta. He is the youngest of 11 children of whom 6 are dead and 5 are living. His father, Thomas Walker, was buried the day before he was born. His mother, Mrs. Hannah Walker, died in 1866, little Charley being, at the time, only 8 years old.
Thus, even before Charles was born, his mother was draped in the weeds of widowhood, and he first opened his eyes on the light of this world as a fatherless child. Thus, also, in early childhood, even before he had any realizing sense of his true condition, he was compelled by the stern, but beneficent discipline of an Alwise Providence to wail forth the cry of complete orphanage.
On Wednesday before the first Sunday in June, 1873, while young Walker was hoeing cotton, he decided to seek the Lord. He left the field that day and went into the woods, and remained in the woods from Wednesday afternoon without eating, drinking or seeing anyone, until the following Saturday afternoon when he was converted. He was baptised on the first Sunday in July by his uncle, the Rev. Nathan Walker, then pastor of the Franklin Covenant Church, a faithful servant of the Master, who still lives, shedding light and love among the people.
Young Walker immediately became an active and zealous Christian, and was impressed with the thought that he was called of God to preach the gospel. Accordingly in 1874, he entered the Augusta Institute, a theological school located at Augusta and presided over by the late Joseph T. Robert, D. D., L. L. D. This school has since been moved to Atlanta and is now the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. In school. Mr. Walker was soon celebrated for his great ability, for his thoroughness of scholarship, and for his exemplary deportment. He had only 6 dollars when he entered school. The first term he did his own cooking; he cooked only twice a week—on Wednesdays and Saturdays; so great was his desire for knowledge that he felt that he could not spare the time to cook every day. When he had spent his six dollars he picked up his little bundle and was on the eve of leaving school. Some of his student friends finding out the reasons of his proposed departure and realizing what a loss it would be to them and to the cause, remonstrated with him and urged him to be patient a day or so longer. One of his fellow students, the Rev. Dr. Love, of Savannah, Ga., went so far as to promise him that he would provide for him personally until arrangements could be made. Mr. Walker consented to remain; meanwhile Dr. Robert had been informed and he, in turn succeeded in interesting three gentlemen of Dayton Ohio, in young Walker and through the kindness of these gentlemen, the motherless and fatherless boy was enabled to prosecute his studies for 5 years at the Augusta Institute.