Marion D. Shutter
By Barbara Schock
The students at Lombard
College were expected to attend chapel several
times a week. Carl Sandburg recalled a number of
the sermons/lectures in his autobiography Ever the
Winds of Chance. He was particularly impressed by
Marion D. Shutter (1853-1939), who was pastor of
the First Universalist Church in Minneapolis. He
came to Galesburg for three years in succession to
speak at Lombard as a non-resident lecturer in
Biblical Literature.
Dr. Shutter was the son of
a Baptist clergyman and was born in Tuscarora
County, Ohio. Following graduation from the
University of Wooster in Ohio, Shutter preached in
rural communities of the state. He established two
flourishing churches and then enrolled in the
theological department of Oberlin College. He
continued to preach on Sundays as a means of
supporting himself. He completed his theological
studies at the Baptist Seminary in Morgan Park,
Chicago, in 1881. He was called to the Olivet
Baptist Church in Minneapolis. During his five
year pastorate a beautiful new church was erected
and completely paid for.
During this time Shutter’s
religious views began to change. He had studied at
Baptist and Congregational seminaries, but was
attracted to the Universalists. He accepted the
assistant pastor position at the First
Universalist Church in Minneapolis. In 1891,
Shutter became the chief pastor and served for
there for many years. The same year he received an
honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from St.
Lawrence University in New York.
Dr. Shutter was very active
in his community. The Minneapolis Kindergarten
Association was organized in his office and he
drafted its constitution. He also founded a
settlement house in 1897 in a tenement. By 1912 a
$75,000 building had been constructed in which its
activities continued. He served on a city-wide
committee to establish playgrounds for children.
Later, summer schools were conducted at the
playground sites. Several years later the Board of
Education took over the program.
After Shutter joined the
Universalist Church, he was elected to several
high positions within the denomination. More of
his sermons were published in church publications
than any other clergyman. He also served as a
trustee of Lombard College.
Dr. Shutter was married to
Mary E. Wilkinson on June 30, 1887, at Madison,
Wisconsin. They had one son who served with
distinction in World War I and became a captain of
field artillery in the regular army.
One of Dr. Shutter’s
lectures was entitled, “The Wit and Humor in the
Bible.” He quickly pointed out to his listeners
that the Bible was not a collection of jests. They
were used to reveal the character of certain
individuals; to show absurdities and to enhance
the power of the stories in the Bible. The lecture
was later expanded and published as a book which
may be viewed on the Internet at gutenburg.org.
In his memoir Sandburg
described Dr. Shutter: “He wore a dark sack coat,
standup collar with corners turned down and a
wide, striped bow tie. His eyes and mouth had
subtle and swift changes from utter solemnity to
droll and quiet merriment. He hit me deep and was
the first preacher to get me to saying to myself,
‘Could it be that my line of work in life ought to
be somewhat along his line?’ ”