“The subject used by Rev. Walker was ‘The Negro for the Twentieth Century.’” He took as a special theme the necessity of the Negro race patronizing their own enterprises and learning to have confidence in themselves that the white race has in itself. He bore heavily upon the importance to his race of an industrial education.
“He said that the Negro must put aside the ante-bellum belief of their absolute dependence upon the whites and stand solely upon their own efforts. He said that prejudice was very general against the colored man and it rested entirely with him whether in the days to come the race will attain that place which it should attain. He especially advised his hearers to spread the necessity of character-building among their people that this end might be reached. They should all think more of upholding themselves individually and collectively; they must all have more respect for their women, since in them, to a great degree, lives what the leaders of the race are working for. The parents should be especially particular to see that their boys and girls were educated in the trades, that they may be taught the hurtfulness of idleness and the profit of being always employed at something which would be beneficial.
“At the conclusion of his address, to make this point more forceful, he asked all of the professional and business men present to stand up. A large number responded, and he pointed them out as an example for the idle to follow.”
From the Fall River, Mass., Evening News:
“The people who turned out to hear Rev. C. T. Walker, D. D., speak at the Royal Arcanum Hall, on Bank Street, on Thursday night, were abundantly rewarded for ignoring the rain. Dr. Walker is one of the best known colored men in this country. He ranks with Booker T. Washington in prominence, and has won this prominence through intelligence and ability. He is now Pastor of Mount Olivet Baptist Church in New York City, one of the largest and strongest churches among the colored people of the North. His reputation as a more than local man of note was won while he was pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church of Augusta, Ga. He secured the funds to erect the building, and made the church one of the biggest among his people in the South.
“Dr. Walker is a remarkable man, one whom it would repay anybody to meet. He was born a slave in 1858. Left an orphan when only eight years of age, he worked as a field hand until he was fifteen years old, when he began to study for the ministry. Largely through his own efforts he has become a man of notably large and broad education. He has traveled extensively, and has a great fund of material for use both in the pulpit and in talks and lectures. When one has heard him talk the main element of his notable success in life becomes apparent. He is a born orator. His gift has been cultivated to fine advantage. He has that quality of voice which makes speaking to large assemblies of people no difficult task. There is no suggestion of the shouting preacher in his method, but his voice carries naturally and easily. It was apparent that he was accustomed to speaking in much larger halls than the one in which he was heard last night. His voice was rather crowded there when he was specially earnest. He is very eloquent and may well be called ‘The Black Spurgeon of America.’ His fund of humor is inexhaustible. This humor took well with his audience. Many of those present were old acquaintances.”
From the Georgia Baptist (Augusta, Ga.), July 20, 1899:
“It has been known for some weeks that the Mount Olivet Baptist Church, of New York City, with fifteen hundred present, had extended a unanimous call to Dr. C. T. Walker, of our city, to accept its pastorate.
“The universal hope of our community has been that Dr. Walker would decline this call as flattering as it is and remain in Augusta. No man in Augusta has a deeper hold upon the whole community than Dr. Walker. His success as a pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in this city for the past fourteen years has been phenomenal and humanly speaking it does not appear that a man can be found to take his place at this church. Aside from Tabernacle Church, all the people of Augusta, white and colored, are anxious that Dr. Walker remain in Augusta. Should he decide to accept the call to New York, Dr. Walker will leave behind him thousands of loving hearts whose prayers will follow him wherever his lot may be cast.”
From the Augusta (Ga.), Chronicle, March 27, 1901: