William Norman Guthrie papers, 1860-1967

William Norman Guthrie, 1868-1944, an Episcopalian clergyman, was born in Dundee, Scotland, on March 4, 1868. He was the son of William Eugene Guthrie and Frances Sylva d'Arusmont. His maternal grandmother was Frances (Fanny) Wright, an ardent abolitionist and feminist. Guthrie received a Bachelor of Literature degree in 1889 and a Master of Arts degree in 1891, both from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. He also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of the South in 1915. He founded and became president of the Sewanee Browning Society, and in 1915 he married Anna Norton Stuart, who was one of the society's first members. Guthrie was an assistant professor of modern languages at the University of the South, 1889-1890, a professor of modern languages at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, 1892-1893, and was ordained to the Episcopalian priesthood in 1893. He was stationed at Christ Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1893-1894, and was an assistant at the Church of the Advent in Cincinnati, 1894-1896. He was a lecturer in comparative literature at the University of Cincinnati, 1898-1900, and rector of the Church of the Resurrection in Fern Bank, Ohio, 1899-1903. He was rector at Christ Church in Alameda, California, 1903-1908, professor of general literature and director of the University Extension Department at the University of the South, 1908-1911, and rector of St. Mark's Church in the Bouwerie, New York, 1911-1937. When Guthrie became rector of St. Mark's, he strove to attract people to the church by creating many unusual services and liturgies that incorporated the arts, literature, and various religious traditions. A Devotion for Buddha's Birthday, Order of Devotional Service for American Indian Day, Dante's Birthday, and the Ritual Dance of the Della Robbia Annunciation are just some of the services he created. A prolific writer, Guthrie's publications include The Leaves of the Greater Bible, Modern Poet Prophets, Orpheus Today, and The Religion of Old Glory.