“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: