Charles Clark (19 April 1838 – 29 March 1903) was a Baptist minister and lecturer. Clark was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and entered the Baptist College at

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

as a student for the ministry. After filling several charges in London and the provinces, he accepted the pastorate of the Baptist Church in Albert Park,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria (Australia) Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

where he arrived in April 1869. Having been very successful as an amateur lecturer on secular subjects, Clark resigned his pastoral charge in 1874, and lectured professionally throughout the Australian colonies with extraordinary success.

Mr. Clark was gifted with a wonderfully retentive memory, great dramatic force, a powerful and melodious voice, and, above all, a fine quality of delicate sympathy and largeheartedness which brought him into direct touch with the public, and instinctively prompted him to select for his themes subjects which appealed to the emotions and loftier sensibilities of all classes of the community. Acting on the maxim 'The highest study of mankind is man,' Mr. Clark committed to memory the choicest selections from the writings of Charles Dickens, and recited them with such remarkable displays of feeling as to move his hearers either to laughter or to tears; He was just the kind of man to enter into the spirit of Dickens's works, and to represent him fairly; for, like that immortal author, he had wide sympathies for all that is human, a keen eye for the grotesque, and a profound contempt for all hypocrisies, and make-believes. But his repertoire covered an extensive and interesting field, and his chief aim was to convey instruction on the history and poetry of the British nation. A lecture on 'Christmas in Old England' was repeated hundreds of times, and another on the 'Tower of London' was immensely .successful.

After a tour in America in 1876, where he attracted large audiences, he returned to Australia, but shortly afterwards left for England, where he remained till 1889, when he revisited Australia, and achieved a considerable measure of his former success. He again toured Australia in 1896, which was also a success. Clark died on 29 March 1903 in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Charles 1838 births 1903 deaths English emigrants to colonial Australia English Baptist ministers