Mexico weekly ledger., 1918-01-17
Mrs. ]. A. Guthrie
MulloN.
An A~rrRECiArIoN

a~naNhiafcN OF " HtaAFHAAt fNf
or. rather, may no. Many perhaps
most human lives 90 II the he does
not IL is because il wills otherwise
Mrs Guthrie w4ned her HE otherwise
Mrs Guthrie wss born Al CAsnaon.
Ohio December g 1855 HSr mother
was Rosamond nesse Forriss her
father william O. Fosrisl The fam
ay moved to MoVieN Missouri, in 1902
Her father. Iaare VIM o Forrisi, was
a prominent lawyer in Mexico for
many years, he died March IL, 1890.
Mrs. Rcsamoud Pease Forrist died
March 10, 1917,
In this brief sketch il is not intended
70 give a catalogue Of activities after
the manner Of the dull monotony Of
links in a chain. Mrs. Guthrie's life
is worthy Of an Interpretation. The
writer wishes he were capable Of
writing such.
She was wife and mother, devoted
to all Of the complex duties embraced
in these sacred terms. She was also
daughter at the same time. Her aged
mother was with her almost to the end
of her own life. No aged mother ever
had more devoted care than Mrs.
Guthrie gave her mother.
Mrs. Guthrie united with the Mex
leo Baptist Church at sixteen years of
age. She was educated in Riverside
Private School, near Chicago, in the
Seminary, Mexico, Missouri, and in
4 Hardin College, Mexico, graduating in
1876, a member of the first class.
She taught school for a while near
Benton City, Missouri, and then in the
Mexico Public Schools until she was
married, September 10, 1882. to John
A. Guthrie. Her children are John A.,
now living in Cheyenne, Wyoming,
and serving the State as Bank Exam
iner; Rosamond, married to Xenophon
P. Whitley, lawyer, St. Louis, Missouri;
Forrist, died July II, 1901; Frances,
married to Jean Pierre Cauhape, Of
Roswell, New Mexico; Charles Hardin,
now serving his country on the U. s.
S. Missouri.
All of the children were at Mrs.
Guthrie's bedside at her death except
Charles, whose furlough was ended the
day before her death.
Besides bringing up her own chill
dren, she proved to be a worthy moth
err to her husbands son, Butler, from
the age of twelve years, and also to
her husbands niece, Edmonia Foster,
from the age Of twelve years, until she
married DR.. J. J. Brown, of Fulton,
Missouri.
The writer was a frequent visitor in
the home of Judge and Mrs. John A.
Guthrie for more than twenty years.
He recalls no visit when he was not
impressed by the air and attitude Of
the efficient executive in the home.
In this home the most substantial cit
liens Of the community were constant
visitors. The hospitality Of this home
was a habit. II seemed that there was
no conscious effort on the part Of Mrs.
Guthrie and her husband to make peo-
pie feel comfortable. There was no
need of any effort. 1t was simply
the nature Of the household to be hos
pitable. As is always the case with
such competent women, modesty and
sincerity of the purest type we're I'M
conscious concomitants with other
sterling qualities.
In Mrs. Guthrie's life, as in the lives
of all women of broad mental grasp
and large vision, the fact is observed
that marriage and home are simply
Incidents, although all important and
all embracing in their proper relation
and perspective. The positions occu-
pied by her children today demonstrate
that they had at the right time and in
the right degree a mothers love, de-
votion and discipline. Such primal du-
ties as motherhood and devotion to
husband and children, accepted as a
matter of course by all true women,
as natural and necessary to the mar
riage contract and relation, were with
Mrs. Guthrie of prime Importance, in
deed.
AS time went IN and as the children
arrived at the full estate of manhood
and womanhood, Mrs Guthrie heard
the call Of the community for a wider
service. She responded, but not at
the expense Of a well supervised and
hospitable fireside of her own.
Mrs. Guthrie was devoted in an un-
usual degree to her church work. No
task was too Small and none too great
for her attention. If it was the cues
ton of securing a pipe organ, she was
ready, with many others, in an ef-
ficjent Aid Society. If it was n~eces-
sary to secure some minor repairs, she
gave the same earnest attention to the
problem.
If an extra effort had to be made in
the matter Of missions, Mrs. Guthrie
was ready. She was not only willing ,
to work, but she had a vast fund Of
missionary information. Her influ-
ence, therefore, in missionary work :
was felt for many years, not only in
her church, but in the churches of The
country. She conducted MANY miss
lonary conferences. Such efficiency
was bound to be felt in wider circles. ,
For years she had taken a state-widk