AS A NATIONAL FIGURE.
The first National Baptist Convention of Negro Baptists ever held in
the United States convened at the Second Baptist Church, St. Louis,
Mo., August 25, 1886, at 10 a. m. It was called to order by the late
lamented Rev. William J. Simmons, D. D., President of the State
University of Kentucky, who had been chiefly instrumental in having the
Convention called. There were large delegations present from nearly
all of the Southern States and a few from the East and West. Georgia
sent only three delegates to this first meeting, while now she sends
annually about one hundred. The three delegates from Georgia who
attended the St. Louis meeting were the late Rev. E. K. Love, D. D.,
of Savannah, and the Revs. G. H. Dwelle and C. T. Walker, of Augusta.
The Rev. Mr. Walker took a prominent part in the deliberations of the
Convention, and served on the Committee on Permanent Organization. It
was because of a wise, conservative and, considering the make-up of the
Convention, bold stand that he took at this meeting, that he leaped,
so to say, at one bound into national prominence as a fearless leader.
It happened this way. On the second day of the meeting, one Rev. H.
C. Bailey, of Florida, spoke on “Southern Ostracism.” After abusing
Southern white people for their treatment of the colored people, the
Rev. Mr. Bailey said, among other things, that the Southern white
Baptists were figureheads. Biding his time, the next day the Rev.
Mr. Walker arose and addressing the chairman, said that he thought
the statement made by the Rev. Mr. Bailey concerning the Southern
white Baptists did them great injustice and ought not to be allowed
to go unchallenged. Immediately every eye was turned toward the young
champion from Georgia and there followed from him the most impassioned
address of the entire meeting. He concluded by offering the following
resolution, which, though vigorously opposed by many members of the
Convention, was adopted by a good majority:
“Whereas, In the speech of H. C. Bailey, of Florida, yesterday, before
this body, the statement was made that, as a whole, the Southern white
Baptists were figureheads who do not follow Baptist teachings and who
believe that there are separate heavens for white and colored people;
and
“Whereas, Such an assertion does great injustice to the white Baptists
of the South from the fact that they have many colored missionaries in
the South paid by them to labor among our people; and
“Whereas, The Southern Baptist Convention at its meeting in January,
1886, in the city of Montgomery, Ala., passed a resolution to raise
$10,000 to expend in mission work among the colored Baptists of the
South; and
“Whereas, Such a statement as that referred to is likely to prove
detrimental to the 800,000 colored Baptists of the South; therefore,
be it
“_Resolved_, _First_, That this Convention does not endorse the
statement of the brother referred to.
“_Resolved_, _Second_, That this Convention hears with the greatest
gratification of the efforts now being made by the Southern Baptist
Convention to expend $10,000 for missionary work among the colored
people.”
This resolution was published in many of the Southern newspapers and in
all denominational organs; there was nothing but praise for the author.
The Rev. Mr. Walker left home practically unknown outside of his own
State; he returned one of the acknowledged leaders of the Baptist
brotherhood of the country. The advertising he received from this
incident doubtless in no small measure paved the way for his success in
the East, whither he went a month later to solicit funds to assist him
in his church work at Augusta.
Again, in 1889, at Indianapolis, while attending the National Baptist
Convention, he added to his already growing reputation. Then, as in
1886, the Southern question was up for discussion. Many speakers
indulged in wholesale abuse of the South: the white people of the South
were pictured as heathen; they were vilified and maligned; race feeling
ran high; there was great excitement. The Rev. Mr. Walker gained the
floor and made an able speech counselling wisdom and moderation, and
stating that he believed that the best element of white people in
the South was trying to create such a public sentiment as would make
lynching impossible. At any rate, he stated that the best thing for
the colored people to do was to make the friendship of and seek the
protection of the people among whom they lived. His speech acted like
magic. Oil was poured on the troubled waters. Reason returned, and the
resolutions under consideration were defeated. Again his name got into
the newspapers; his speech was published North and South; his name was
on every tongue; some of the papers referred to him as “a strong man in
a crisis.”
It was at this meeting that he preached the Conventional sermon. It
aroused and stirred all who heard it. At its conclusion, the late
Rev. Dr. Simmons, the President of the Convention, walked over to the
preacher, shook his hand, and said: “You have won your ‘D. D.,’ and
I’ll see that you get it.” The following summer, true to his word, he
had the trustees of the State University of Kentucky, of which he was
President, to confer upon the Rev. Mr. Walker the honorary degree of
“Doctor of Divinity,” which he has worthily worn ever since.
From the beginning, Dr. Walker was one of the leading figures of the
National Baptist Convention, and he is such to-day. For three years
he was its Treasurer, and for many years was Vice President for
Georgia. He is now Vice President for New York. He has attended every
annual meeting since the beginning, without missing a single one. Not
a partisan, not a factionist, not a stirrer up of strife among the
brethren, not a division-maker, a man of peace, probably no man has a
larger and more loyal following among the Negro Baptists of America
than he has.
In June, 1898, he was appointed a Chaplain with the rank of Captain
in the U. S. V., and assigned to duty with the Ninth Immunes. The
appointment was made by the late President McKinley out of a list
of more than 500 applicants. He secured a leave of absence from his
Augusta church, and joined his regiment at San Luis, Cuba, about
thirty miles inland from Santiago, in November, 1898. The regiment
was only doing garrison duty at the time, the leading events in the
Spanish-American War having already been long since concluded. During
his absence, his church at Augusta was supplied by the Rev. Silas X.
Floyd, at that time one of the Field Workers of the International
Sunday School Convention.
The International Sunday School Convention is the largest and most
important Sunday School organization in the world. It embraces in its
membership the United States, the Dominion of Canada and South America,
with corresponding representatives from Europe. It has a constituency
of more than 23,000,000. It is sponsor for the International Lesson
Series, which was inaugurated in 1872 by Mr. B. F. Jacobs, of Chicago,
for many years past the able and honorable and venerable Chairman of
the Executive Committee of the International Sunday School Convention.
Closely associated with Mr. Jacobs in this great work have been, for
many years, Dr. Geo. W. Bailey, of Philadelphia, the Treasurer and
Chairman of the Finance Committee; Mr. John R. Pepper, of Memphis,
Chairman of the Committee on Work Among the Colored People; Mr. John
Wanamaker, of Philadelphia, and Mr. W. K. Crosby, of Wilmington, Del.
The International Convention meets once every three years. At its last
meeting, in 1899, in Atlanta, Ga., the Hon. Hoke Smith, Secretary of
the Interior under Cleveland’s second administration, was elected
President, and Dr. Walker was elected one of the five Vice Presidents.
He was unanimously presented for this place by the colored delegates
present at the meeting, and these delegates represented many different
denominations. It is an honor not lightly to be esteemed for a Negro to
hold an office in such an important religious body.
During the past fifteen years, Dr. Walker has received calls from the
following churches: First Baptist Church, Nashville, Tenn.; the First
Baptist Church, St. Louis; and the Second Baptist Church, Indianapolis.
No one of these calls was accepted by the distinguished pastor. He
preferred to remain with the people of Augusta.