MEMORIAL TRIBUTE
TO

Martha Louisa Thornton
Wilder

PREPARED BY HER HUSBAND

CHARLES N. WILDER

P R I N T E D FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION
MCMIV

Wfyt ILafusftit press
DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY
CHICAGO

B

TO MY THREE SURVIVING CHILDREN
HENRY W H I T E W I L D E R
CHARLES THORNTON W I L D E R
E L I Z A B E T H C U T L E R HALL
THIS MEMORIAL OF THEIR MOTHER, MARTHA LOUISA WILDER
IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED

MEMORIAL TRIBUTE
THE LIFE

Martha Louisa Thornton was born in Sydney,
Australia, on the 21st of May, in the year 1845.
Her parents, James Thornton and Sarah Fenton\
were of Scotch-Irish blood, and had, but a short
time before the birth of their daughter Martha,
emigrated from Baltinglass, County Wicklow, Ireland, to Australia. In the year 1849, when the
child Martha was in her fifth year, the family
removed to California, attracted thither by the
excitement incident upon the discovery of gold in
that territory. Mrs. Wilder retained a very distinct
recollection of the Australian life and of the ocean
voyage to California. The voyage was made in a
sailing-vessel, and occupied three months. She also
remembered distinctly her childhood days in California. They were days of toil and privation.
Her mother was a woman of great strength of character and of high and varied accomplishments.
She possessed great executive ability, which was
called into active exercise during the pioneer life,
both in Australia and California. She had fine literary tastes. She was an earnest Christian, a

member, during the later years of her life, of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.
The daughter inherited many of her mother's
strong mental and religious traits. There was a
very close and confidential relation between mother
and daughter, the mother ever ready to make sacrifices for her only daughter, and the daughter returning a great wealth of love to the mother.
T h e mother married a second time. Her second
husband, Mr. George H . Peck, was a native of
Vermont. When Martha was about thirteen years
old she and her half-brother John were sent to Vermont and placed in school there, under the oversight of relatives of Mr. Peck. For some time the
two children were at school in Shelburn, Vermont,
and afterwards Martha was a pupil in the young
ladies* schools in Burlington, Vermont, conducted
by the Rev. John Converse and the Rev. Dr. John
H . and Mrs. Worcester, and subsequently she
attended a French school for young ladies in
Brooklyn, New York. Her home during the years
in Burlington and Brooklyn was in the family
of her step-uncle, William W . Peck, Esq. Her
mother provided liberally for all her expenses during her school-days. She was an apt scholar, and
acquired a thorough and liberal education. Her
school-days were to her happy days. She was fond
of society, and had a host of warmly attached
friends, and she was easily a leader among them all.
In the spring of 1863 she became acquainted
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with Charles N . Wilder, of Worcester, Massachusetts, her future husband. Mr. Wilder was then a
member of the senior class in the University of
Vermont, Burlington, having the Christian ministry in view. T h e engagement to marry occurred
in the month of July, 1863. The years intervening between the engagement and the marriage were
spent in Brooklyn, New York, and in Winchendon,
Massachusetts, the last-named place being the home
of Mr. Wilder's parents. T h e marriage occurred
August 3 1 , 1865, in the North Congregational
Church, Winchendon. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Abijah P. Marvin, pastor.
Her husband having accepted a call to become
pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Essex, New
York, she went there to live in the month of January, 1866. In the beautiful village of Essex, on
the shore of Lake Champlain, between the Green
Mountains of Vermont and the Adirondack Mountains of New York, fourteen miles from Burlington,
her school-girl home, surrounded by an increasing
number of warmly attached friends, loving and
loved, she lived during more than fifteen years.
Here her four children, two boys and two girls,
were born. Here, Mabel Winnette, her oldest
daughter, a beautiful girl of eight years and seven
months, died, after a brief illness of diphtheria. t
This, her first great sorrow, was borne with a
Christian spirit. She allowed it to perfect her
character and to prepare her to bear the burdens of
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others, which she ever afterwards recognized as no
small part of the duties of the true Christian woman.
The effect of this sorrow appeared through all her
subsequent life, in what she said and did, and in
what she wrote.
During the residence in Essex Mrs. Wilder
became thoroughly accomplished in the performance of the duties, often delicate and always exacting, of a pastor's wife. She was born to lead, and
the church in Essex will long remember how efficiently she held her place at her husband's right
hand during fifteen and a half years of arduous toil.
In the summer of 1881 the call came to the
pastorate of the church in Champaign, Illinois, and
her life there began in the month of October of that
year. Going to the larger community and the
larger church, her first thought was that she would
not be needed in the work of the church and the
life of the community as in the community and the
church which she had reluctantly left. Her ambition had always been to render a needed service, to
supply a real want. But it was not long before her
work in Champaign was clearly indicated to her.
The life of twenty years in Champaign was a life
of ceaseless activity, and of great accomplishments.
Here she saw her sons grow to manhood, and having graduated from the University of Illinois,
become established in business. She saw her
daughter married and established in her own home.
Here, amid a widely different people, and within an
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environment quite unlike that in Essex, she demonstrated her fitness for enlarged responsibilities.
Here, as wife, mother, "mistress of the m a n s e / '
leader in the various forms of church work carried
on by the women of the church, filling gracefully
and efficiently her place in society, she filled out
the years allotted to her upon earth. She appeared
to be in the midst of her greatest usefulness when
called away from earth.
THE WORK
That part of Mrs. Wilder's work which occupied the greater part of her time, her thoughts, her
energies, has already been indicated as the story of
the life has been briefly told. She was a tireless
worker. Her health was uniformly good, and she
undertook with pleasure a great variety of work.
Her household duties—duties owed to her family—
were always faithfully attended to. Holding her
life in tender remembrance,
" Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praiseth her."

She was an efficient Sunday school teacher,
having a clear mental and spiritual grasp of Bible
truth and a rare faculty for imparting instruction.
She was an active helper in the young people's
work of the church. During more than fifteen
years she was secretary and treasurer of the Society
of Christian Endeavor of the church. For ten years,
the last years of the earthly life, she was superin7

Memorial Tribute
tendent of the Junior Endeavor Society. In this
work she found her greatest delight. Here she was
peculiarly successful. The children who from time
to time offered themselves for membership in the
church from the Junior Endeavor Society showed
the high quality of the work she had done with
them. Mrs. Wilder was always a missionary
worker. She gave one-tenth of her income to missions. In the local church she was a recognized
leader. She read the literature of missions. She
knew the current history of home and foreign missions, of the work being done. She wielded a
graceful and vigorous pen. She wrote many missionary papers and stories. T h e papers were read
before the missionary societies of her own church
and of other churches in the presbytery and synod.
Her stories were read to the children and youth in
their stated meetings. Many of her stories were
published in the periodicals of the church. She
also prepared many tracts, which the W o m a n ' s
Board of Home Missions published. Some of these
were very widely circulated. T h e tract *' Her S o n , ' '
passed through several editions. Mrs. Wilder was
the author of three books, bearing the following
titles: " O u r Girls at Castlewood," " M r . Johns and
his Boys, , , and " L o n e l y Hill and its Possibilit i e s / ' T h e first two volumes were published by
the Presbyterian Board of Publication, Philadelphia,
and the last one by the Congregational Sunday
School and Publishing Society, Boston.
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Almost immediately upon the organization of
the W o m a n ' s Home Missionary Board Mrs. Wilder
was chosen secretary and treasurer of the Presbyterial Society in the Presbytery of Bloomington.
This double office she held until she was chosen
president of the society, about the year 1891. She
held this office until the day of her death. Her
work in these connections afforded her great delight,
and it was most efficiently done. She gave a great
deal of time and thought to it. The missionary
work of the church was very near her heart.
Mrs. Wilder was for many years a member of
the W o m a n ' s Art Club of Champaign and Urbana,
and at the time of her death she was president-elect
of the club. Her literary tastes and accomplishments fitted her for the work of the club, and she
was held in high esteem by her fellow-members.
Thus employed the years of the earthly life hastened to their conclusion.
THE END OF THE EARTHLY LIFE
A new parsonage was to be built during the
summer of 1901, and Mrs. Wilder improved the
opportunity afforded by the removal of the old
parsonage and the building of the new one, the
home being broken up meantime, to make a muchdesired visit with her children in Chicago and in
Hawarden, Iowa. Four months and a half were
most delightfully spent in this way. Her correspondence during this period shows her deep inter9

ffiemorfal %ti\mtt
est in the work which filled her heart, her mind,
and her hands. She wrote many letters to her
husband, and to the friends in Champaign, all of
them expressing her earnest desire to be again at
her work.
She returned home on Saturday,
November 2d. T h e four following weeks were
spent getting her various lines of work in hand,
and in getting ready to occupy the new parsonage.
These were very busy weeks. She appeared perfectly well. On Sunday, November 24th, she
attended five services of the church. She taught
her class in the Sunday school, she was with the
Junior Endeavorers in their meeting at three o'clock
in the afternoon, and according to her universal
practice, she attended the meeting of the Christian
Endeavor Society, one hour before evening worship. I t was a day of peculiar enjoyment to her.
I t being the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day, the
subject before the Junior Endeavor Society was,
' * Occasions for Thanksgiving.'' Among the things
which she named for which she was especially
thankful was her life of large opportunities for service for Christ. As the meeting of the Christian
Endeavor Society was about to close she asked that
the hymn " Saved to Serve'' be sung. She remarked in making the request that it was one of
her favorite hymns. The following stanzas of the
hymn were sung:

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" Going forth at Christ's command,
Going forth to every land;
Full salvation making known,
Thro' the blood of God's dear Son.
" Serving God through all our days,
Toiling not for purse or praise,
But to magnify His name,
While the gospel we proclaim.
'• Seeking only souls to win,
From the deadly power of sin;
We would guide their steps aright,
Out of darkness into light.
CHORUS

" ' Saved to serve! * the watch-word ring,
Saved to serve our glorious King;
Tell the story o'er and o'er,
Saved to serve forevermore."

After the evening service, Mrs. Wilder walked
to her home in company with her husband. On
the way she said she was very weary, and she spoke
of a pain in her left hip.
On Monday afternoon she met with a committee of ladies, members of the Art Club, to complete
the programme of work for the coming year. Monday evening was spent with her husband and two
friends in the study at the church. She returned
to her room about nine o'clock that evening never
to leave it again in life. On Tuesday a physician
was called, but he failed to discover any symptoms that were alarming, and told her that a few
days of rest would accomplish a cure. She suffered
much on Tuesday and Wednesday, but there was
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no thought of the nearness of death. On Thursday morning she consented to have a nurse engaged.
During the fore part of this day she appeared better, and while reclining on her bed, directed the
potting of some calla lily bulbs which had just been
sent to her from the cemetery in San Francisco,
where her mother's grave is. Towards noon she
was attacked with severe pain in her left side, which
seemed to be approaching her heart. The physician was called, and after a very thorough examination, he left medicine which seemed to afford
relief. A t two o'clock in the afternoon she said to
her husband and son Charles that she was free from
pain and very comfortable. But within a half-hour
the pain about the heart returned with great severity, and symptoms of angina pectoris appeared.
T h e physician was again hastily summoned, but
before he reached her bedside the end of the earthly
life had been reached. She died at half-past three
o'clock, Thursday afternoon, Thanksgiving Day,
November 28, 1901.
Death came so suddenly and so unexpectedly
that no farewell words were spoken. " I n some
fairer clime we shall bid each other good morning.''
T h e funeral occurred on Sabbath afternoon,
December 1st. A t one o'clock the body was taken
to the lecture-room of the church, where it remained
for an hour, that all who wished to do so might
have the opportunity to look again upon the face
of their friend. At two o'clock the body was
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removed to the auditorium of the church and
placed in front of the pulpit. The floral offerings
were abundant and very beautiful. They came
from the various societies of the church, from the
Art Club, the Woman's Christian Temperance
Union, from many missionary societies connected
with the churches of the Presbytery of Bloomington, and from individual friends. The company
gathered for the service was large, entirely filling
the church. The service was directed by Rev.
George E. Hunt, pastor of the Presbyterian Church
of Urbana. Rev. Willis E. Parsons, D . D . , of
Danville, and Rev. Franklin L. Graff, pastor of the
Congregational Church of Champaign, delivered
addresses. Other pastors of the Champaign
churches assisted in the services. T h e music was
under the direction of Mr. John Hancock McClellan, leader of the choir. T h e hymns sung were:
"I heard the voice of Jesus s a y / ' " G o d is wisdom, God is love." T h e service in all its parts
was appropriate and impressive.
Rev. Dr. Parsons spoke in part as follows:
" T h i s is a memorable occasion. T h e hour is eloquent.
This hushed assemblage of sorrowing
hearts, the solemn event which calls us together,
the silent form of our friend, each is a voice of
precious import. Let us listen to these voices as
they bring us messages of comfort, hope, and
peace.
' ' Death emphasizes life. The hitherto concealed
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is revealed then. Whatever has been hidden or
imperfectly apprehended during our pilgrimage is
disclosed at the end. How true this is of Mrs.
Wilder. W h a t she was or did passes before us
now in review. A strong character, marked individuality, ability of high order, a facile pen ever
used for noble ends, energy that never flagged, and
as a crown to all, a purpose directing all to a Divine
end. Such was Mrs. Wilder as she is remembered
by all who knew her. One of the choice spirits of
earth. Such a woman could not be confined within
the limits of one parish, for her gifts made her useful to those outside. Thus new duties were given
her and new lines of work planned for her. T o
say that she met these responsibilities well and performed her duties to the satisfaction of all would be
a commonplace. All had confidence in her and
trusted her. Her leadership was gladly acknowledged.
" B u t the sweetest and most attractive side of
Mrs. Wilder's life appears when we study her as
the iMistress of the Manse.' That is a unique and
beautiful position which the wife of a minister of
the gospel occupies. She is the first lady in the
world of the parish where she moves. She is consulted and copied. The people hold her in admiration for her many discovered excellences. She
is revered for her piety, loved for her sympathy,
and followed as she follows Christ. She is the confidential adviser of her husband, the inspiration of
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jttemorial Crtbute
his best work. She enters with a beautiful abandon
into all that will advance the Kingdom of Christ on
earth. She loses sight of self in her eagerness to
help others. With her it is, Christ first, Christ
last, Christ all the time. T h e dynamics of such a
life in church and community cannot be computed;
indeed, it is seldom appreciated at its real value by
the people of the parish. It is so natural and unobtrusive, so free from bluster or parade, that its influence is unnoticed. But let this beneficent life cease,
let this kindly ministry be arrested, and there is an
awakening to a consciousness of its value and power.
" Twenty years ago last autumn our friend came
to this church. With the warm enthusiasm of
early womanhood and an ardent desire to glorify
her Master, she gave herself to the work. The
prospect of doing good, of helping struggling souls,
was like tonic to her. Imagination added stimulus
to ambition, and she beheld great things accomplished in this community. She threw herself without regard of personal consequences into the varied
activities of the church. T h e Sabbath school felt
her influence; her strong personality was felt in the
missionary societies; every service of the church
thrilled with new life at her advent. Did the
advancing years witness a seeming decrease of
enthusiasm ? I t was merely in appearance. There
was no diminution of interest. Experience brought
her powers under more perfect control. There was
less demonstration, but more applied energy. This
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ffiemotfal Crilmte
concentrated service of maturity is as beautiful and
more useful than the diffuse efforts of earlier years.
" T h u s this life has been a constant benediction,
as unconsciously bestowed and enjoyed as the sunlight. And now, in the Providence of God, its
earthly course is finished. A fragrant memory
remains. W e are all stronger, wiser, better, because
Mrs. Wilder was strong, wise, good. Her character touched many characters, and always for righteousness. She loved her Lord supremely, and made
everything pay tribute to Him. W e are richer and
poorer to-day—richer because of the legacy of her
deeds and worth; poorer because of the loss of her
personality. But to us at this time the words of
the poet come, singing their sweet message:
" 'Twill not be long; time hastens by
Until the morning;
This life's a span, its course soon run,
Its work will all be quickly done;
E'en now we hear the signal gun,
And night gone by, I'll upward fly,
In God's glad morning."

" T o thee, O Master, whom our sister served,
we offer thanks for the heritage of her life and the
uplift of her example. Thou wast her inspiration
and joy. Help us to follow Thee as she followed;
to consecrate our lives to noble and self-sacrificing
service; to become so lost in Thee that we may
find our true happiness in Thee a l o n e . "
T h e Rev. Mr. Graff spoke in part as follows:
" M y function is to utter, from the viewpoint of
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a pastor, some simple tribute of esteem for Mrs.
Wilder, of friendship, quickened by long acquaintance, for him upon whom the chief weight of this
loss must fall. I say the chief weight, because no
one else among you can have an equal sense of
loneliness and grief.
"My first intimation of the illness of Mrs. Wilder
was at the service on Thanksgiving Day. Together
with the news there came to me this sudden and
startling question, ' I s it possible that the new
home, towards which she had so long looked with
kindling hopes, will never receive her as its inmate?'
N o t many hours afterwards an affirmative answer
came. T h e parsonage was destined never to become
her home, and though she was as yet unconscious
of the fact, another and more beautiful home, 'not
made with h a n d s / and 'eternal in the heavens' was
furnished and ready for her to occupy.
To few women, comparatively, is it given so
thoroughly to merge their talents and interests into
the life work of another, and at the same time to
retain their individuality and independence. H e r
husband's work and burdens became peculiarly her
own, while in special lines of activity she achieved
notable and personal success. During the period
of her residence in this community, in which time
this church has been the center of high ideals and
spiritual aims, she has been tireless and loyal, generous in her gifts to its work. I do not lessen the
well-deserved merit of its pastor for the conspicu17

ous prosperity of this church when I say that this
enlargement, in good degree, is due to her unceasing energy and devotion. For certain branches of
the church were so ably served by her executive
skill as to relieve his mind of much of their special
strain. A pastor's wife, moreover, has no light
task to harmonize herself, without undue appearance of authority, with the various leaders, social
and spiritual, in the modern church. It is a difficult and delicate position to fill. To this exacting
duty Mrs. Wilder brought a singular strength, and
a high degree of ability and dignity. I have fancied
some of her pleasant anticipations regarding the
service that the new home was to render the church
and the Kingdom. W h o shall say that the labor
that she loved, and to which she gave her full
measure of endowment, will be discontinued in
that home eternal. In her position as pastor's wife
numerous opportunities were also given her for
tender and sympathetic ministrations to the sick
and to the poor. This service was gladly and freely
offered. None but the Master knows the many
instances in which this labor of love was accorded
without publicity and in the spirit of Christ.
" O f the inner side of her character I cannot
speak as I could wish from intimate acquaintance.
I t was not my privilege to be invited behind a
slight reserve, which, in my association with Mrs.
Wilder, was always present. This reticence may
have resulted from the difference in our ages, or it
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may have been because the occasion had never
risen between us to reveal her heart. Nevertheless, to me she was kindly, dignified, courteous,
and gracious ever. Indicating by act and bearing
that she was well qualified to fill the high position
in life to which God had called her. The various
duties of neighbor, friend, wife, and mother were
met by her with characteristic energy, entire devotion, and self-sacrificing love. When the weight of
parish cares rested with unusual stress upon the
heart of her husband, it was ever her sweet sympathy and womanly tenderness that won him back
to cheerfulness and peace. Thus by her gracious
personality, through the medium of the home, the
church, and her pen, she, whom you have yielded
up to God, had already accomplished a wide and
varied service for the Kingdom of Christ. And
now this noble woman, filled with loyalty to the
cause of our Master and Lord, has been thus suddenly called from our midst. Upon her past as
well as upon her present life rests his richest benediction. She has wrought a good work, for it give
thanks.
4
'James said, ' F o r what is your life? It is even
a vapor.' Yes, but though a vapor it may become
a fog that occasions disaster upon the high seas.
Or, it may be but the veil of mist hanging in the
western heavens, which translates into exquisite
colors the glory of the setting sun. To-day we
rejoice that though the life of this woman appeared
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but for a little time on earth, for so must all present existence ultimately seem, it has nevertheless
reflected upon many precious human souls some of
the beauty and glory of Jesus C h r i s t / '
The body remained in the church until Monday
afternoon, when the burial in Mt. Hope Cemetery
took place. The elders and deacons of the church,
fourteen in number, acted as pall-bearers.
" She is not dead, but sleepeth."
TESTIMONIALS

The first fifteen years of Mrs. Wilder's married
life were spent in Essex, New York. The friendships of those years were very close. Mrs. Wilder
was remembered after the passing of twenty years,
both as a friend and as an accomplished Christian
woman. A few of the many expressions of this
fact are here given.
" M r s . Wilder was my Sunday school teacher
when I was but a child. As I grew older I was
with her in the church choir, in church sociables
and fairs. In all these connections she was always
a willing and cheerful worker. I remember many
of her kind and loving acts during these pleasant
years. Surely no pastor's wife was ever more
beloved in the church than was Mrs. Wilder."
" M r s . Wilder was a gifted woman, unusually
so; and she has left an influence that will long be
felt for good in the churches which have enjoyed
her ministrations/ *
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" T h e years that have separated us have been
many, but her image is quite present with me. I
know her competency for the things she undertook,
and her faithfulness and success. Her removal is
not only a bereavement of your hearts and home,
but is likewise a loss to the whole church. But
she is shining among the stars."
In the Champaign home Mrs. Wilder had around
her many warmly attached friends. One of these
friends writes: " M r s . Wilder was a noble Christian
woman, and I always considered her a model pastor's helpmate. I loved her as an own sister in all
the years of my intercourse with her. She will be
sadly missed, not only by her own family, and by
her many personal friends, but by the church in
which she took delight, and by the community in
which she lived.''
" I remember her as a true friend and lovely
Christian woman. She was a great help to me in
Christian work in Champaign.''
" M r s . Wilder was such a dear, good friend of
mine that it touches me to the heart that I shall
never see her again, or clasp her hand as of old.
As a neighbor and friend she was very dear to all
of our family."
" D e a r Mrs. Wilder! I cannot think of my life
in Champaign without remembering her sweet
ministrations as a neighbor and a true friend.
Hers was a beautiful life, beautiful in every way,
in Christian experience and practical application, a
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sweet, conscientious, and ennobling life, a life that
has meant much to me. Not only in the home,
but in the church, every department of which was
so dear to her, and in the social and literary life of
Champaign, will her loss be keenly felt."
Mrs. Wilder possessed and exercised the gift of
welcoming strangers to the community and the
church. One who had been the recipient of her
ministry in this direction writes as follows: " While
my acquaintance with Mrs. Wilder was short, I feel
a sense of personal loss which is rather unusual in
its nature. I came to Champaign an entire stranger, and Mrs. Wilder* s very kindly interest in me,
and her efforts to make me acquainted with the
people, took away, in a great measure, the sense of
utter loneliness I had felt before knowing her. I
now regret that I had not told her of the happiness
which her kindness had given m e . "
A memorial service was held in the Champaign
church a few weeks after Mrs. Wilder's death, when
the several societies of the church in which she had
labored expressed their love for her, and their
appreciation of the services she had rendered along
the years. A member of the Junior Endeavor
Society read a paper in this service. One who had
known Mrs. Wilder intimately during all the twenty
years of her Champaign life, speaking of this
memorial service, said, " T h i s paper, coming
straight from the hearts of those young Endeavorers, whom Mrs. Wilder used to call, ' m y J u n i o r s /
22

appealed to me, I think, more than anything else
that I heard that day, though there were many
beautiful words s p o k e n / ' The tribute from the
Junior Christian Endeavorers is given entire, as
follows:
4
' About seven years ago our dear teacher, Mrs.
Wilder, started the Junior Endeavor Society. T o
keep us interested at first, she had us come to the
church every two weeks and sew. The society was
small then, there being only about a dozen members, but now the membership has increased to
about thirty-five, of which there are about twentyfive active members.
" A s we grew older, we had sociables to which
we brought our mite boxes, and for these Mrs.
Wilder made us a salad or something she knew we
would especially like. She was always very kind at
these little gatherings in thinking up new games and
in helping us to play them, washing the dishes and
clearing up after us. W e also had several fairs, at
which she worked very hard in managing the entire
affair. She wrote two books for us, and had a
chapter or two read for us each Sunday. These
books were never published, but we thought them
more interesting than those that were published.
It certainly must have taken a great amount of
time to do these and other things for us. W e did
not appreciate her work then as we do now, since
we have tried a meeting ourselves, and which we
are going to try and keep up if we are capable of it,
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ffitemortal Crflmte
just as we think Mrs. Wilder would like to have us
doit."
The Senior Christian Endeavor Society adopted
the following resolution:
" O n behalf of the Young People's Society of
Christian Endeavor we express the great sorrow
felt by the members of the society over the loss
that the society has sustained through the death of
Mrs. Wilder. She had long been a faithful, efficient, and beloved member of the organization, and
her presence and services are greatly m i s s e d / '
Many letters were received from members of the
W o m a n ' s Home Missionary Societies in the Presbytery of Bloomington, expressing regard for Mrs.
Wilder, appreciation of the services she had rendered the cause of home missions, and sorrow over
her death. The following sentences are taken from
these letters:
" I t is hard for us to understand why such an
eminent Christian should be called out of life on
earth when she was doing so much good h e r e / '
" W e all knew and loved her so well. Her life
and constant work has been an inspiration to every
one who knew her. W e shall always love and hold
her in tenderest m e m o r y / '
" I cannot forbear adding a word of personal sorrow for one whose gracious presence will be so
missed by us all, and whose wise counsels have
been so long relied o n . "
" I t is about ten years since I first knew Mrs.
24

ffitemorfal tribute
Wilder. I greatly admired her unusual ability
from the beginning of our acquaintance, and I
thought that I loved her for her intrinsic worth and
fidelity in all circumstances, but in later years the
love has been mingled with reverence/'
" W e had corresponded more or less on business
matters for ten years, and like every other home
missionary worker in the Presbytery of Bloomington, I feel that I have lost a personal friend, and
that the work has lost a leader whom we cannot
replace. I shall never forget the beautiful expression upon her face as she presided over our meeting
at Paxton last April. I thought continually of the
description of Stephen's countenance, Acts vi. 15,
I beheld her face 'as it had been the face of an
angel.' Many times, too, the feeling came to me
—alas! too prophetic—that she was very near the
other world. I cannot feel that she has gone from
us. Her works follow her. Her gentle, sympathetic spirit is with us still.
A t the annual meeting of the Woman's Home
Missionary Society of the Presbytery of Bloomington, following the death of Mrs. Wilder, a memorial
service was held. A t that time a paper was read
embodying tributes from the several societies of the
Presbytery. A few extracts are here given from
the paper.
" ' M y father, my father, the chariot of Israel
and the horseman thereof.' The cry of Elisha as
the chariot of flame carried Elijah into the heavens
25

PLtmovtal Kvibutt
has been the cry of the heart bereft of its leader,
from that time to the present. Such it was that
came from the members of the Home Missionary
Societies of the Presbytery of Bloomington as the
tidings of the ' H o m e going* of our beloved president reached our ears. The leader taken and the
cry of those left to carry on the conflict, that
thought is the keynote of the messages that come
to us to-day. All that can be said will only more
forcibly bring to our minds the thought that Mrs.
Wilder was a leader in the truest sense of the word,
and as a leader we depended en her. W e knew
her knowledge was broad, that her judgment was
to be depended on, that her executive ability was
such that plans which she made were sure to be
accomplished, and we who have known her best,
and labored with her in these last years felt sure
that she was 'obedient to the heavenly vision,' and
so could be followed with perfect safety."
EXTRACTS FROM T H E MESSAGES

" W e come in sorrow to our Annual Presbyterial
Meeting at this time. W e miss the presence of one
who presided over the home missionary work with
much grace, precision, and tact for so many years.
In all the preparations for this meeting the absence
of her keen mind to plan and execute have been
sensibly felt. W e take up the work she laid down,
with saddened hearts and tear-dimmed eyes, praying the Master may give us the same zeal, love,
26

jHemorfal etflwte
and faithfulness she possessed, so that his work
may not be delayed or marred by her sudden departure. W e may not all possess her ability, but may
we not all have a 'double portion* of her missionary spirit if we ask boldly and open our hearts to
receive it, so that the work she loved so well may
receive a fresh impetus and attain the grand proportions she would rejoice to s e e . "
" I n the year 1895 one of the first meetings with
Mrs. Wilder as president was held, and a finer,
nobler, more dignified, and withal more judicial
presiding officer has seldom been seen in any chair.
Mrs. Wilder impressed acquaintance and stranger
alike by her strong intellectual and spiritual power.
Her keen insight and quick perception made her
entirely unique among women, while her beautiful
and commanding presence filled all hearts with
admiration and love. She was taken from us in
the zenith of her power and influence.
" M r s . Wilder was a woman of many accomplishments. She was ever loyal to the highest Christian ideals. U p to the very day of her death friends
had supposed that there were years of eminent usefulness before her, in the home, in the church, and
in the community. She had large plans for work
yet to be done, and she and a multitude besides
who knew her fitness to accomplish it would have
chosen for her many added y e a r s . "
" W e express our profound sense of the nobility
of her Christian character, the value of her personal
27

jflemortal Ctibtite
influence, and the importance of her service to the
cause of Christ. The voice is hushed, the inspiring
presence is gone, but we pray that the influence of
this noble life may move us and women everywhere
to a higher purpose and to more faithfulness in the
work of helping to make the world better. T h e
promise is, ' A n d their works do follow t h e m / "
" O u r society always highly prized her letters, so
full of cheer and encouragement. A former secretary testifies to her thoughtful kindness and ready
sympathy by calling to mind a personal letter
which she found time to write amid her many cares
and duties and extended correspondence. She had
heard through others of the death from diphtheria
of the little daughter of the secretary, and she
wrote expressing loving sympathy, as she was able
to do, having herself passed through a like experience, thus she knew 'how deep the waters were.' "
In the Arabian desert, on a caravan road, was a
spot where travelers found, protected from the sun,
water-bottles of water and bunches of fruits, and
on a roll were the words, 'While God gives me life,
each day shall a man be as springs of water in a
desert place.' Such was this rare woman to those
who knew her.
" Dead! No. They are not dead
Whose lofty mind
Lifts ours on high;
To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die."
28

jftemorial Cribute
" H o w earnestly she told us last spring, ' I t seems
to me as though I had never known what love meant
until this winter; I am so filled, so blessed in it.*
To her great gifts of leadership and her clear insight
of character had come this fulness of his spirit."
T h e press of Champaign said this of Mrs. Wilder:
" I f the death of Mrs. Wilder, wife of Dr. Charles
N . Wilder, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church
of Champaign, had been preceded by a period of
alarming sickness, it would still have been a painful
shock to this community; coming without hint or
warning, it was startling in an unusual degree. It
subtracts from the living forces of the city the talents and abilities of one of its most gifted and
excellent women. Mrs. Wilder had abilities much
above the average, as those who knew her were
well aware. She had indulged her liking for literary work to some extent, and the result of her
labors in this direction has appeared in book form,
to the gratification of her friends and the edification
of all who have read after her. Her devotion to
her domestic duties and to the necessities of the
calling which engrosses the life of her husband, so
occupied her attention that she could not follow
her literary inclination at will, and hence it is truth
to say that she has left in the world only a tithe of
what she was capable in a literary way. With
abundant leisure, she would have made an eminent
name for herself as a writer. Her style was easy,
lucid, and graceful, her sympathies were large, her
29

^tentorial Cribntc
views of life were clear, and her beliefs and convictions unusually well founded. During the last
summer she had mapped out a plan for a new book
which she hoped to write during the coming winter
months. In this she desired to embody the results
of the most mature reflections of her life, and it is
greatly to be regretted that her ambition in this
direction has not been gratified. Of her religious
life, her charitable and benevolent disposition, all
her friends have full knowledge. Her sudden
departure from the world, while it involves a severe
shock to her family and friends, was by no means
an undesirable way of going. It is to be assumed
that her work here was finished, and that in great
mercy she was taken without experiencing a long
siege of suffering and pain."—The Gazette.
THE COMMUNITY GREATLY BEREAVED
It is doubtful if a death in Champaign has ever
caused more general and sincere regret than that
of Mrs. Wilder. The whole city was given over to
the festivities of the Thanksgiving season, and when
the news was spread there was a hush as if each
home had been robbed of a dear member. A large
number of friends who could not believe that Mrs.
Wilder had been so suddenly taken away called at
the residence only to learn the truth of the news
that had been sent over the city.
Those who had an intimate acquaintance with
this noble woman were most sadly affected. They
30

jHemotfal Crtftute
who knew her best knew her as a sincere friend, a
lovely wife, and a devoted mother. Throughout
her married life she had been the ideal wife of a
minister. Where Dr. Wilder was called to go she
followed with a heart of love and grace that not
only lighted her home, but shone with beautiful
radiance in the parish. T h e work of the helpmeet
was not enough for her. She entered with Christian spirit into the work of the church, and she was
happiest when laboring in the holy vineyard. Her
work extended to every branch of the church.
The mother organization and every auxiliary society knew her helpfulness, and in that large body of
worshipers there are none who will not miss her
gracious ministrations.— The News.
T h e Interior (Chicago) published December 19,
1901, contained the following obituary:
" * Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.' Martha Louisa
Thornton, wife of Rev. Charles N . Wilder, of
Champaign, Illinois, died at three o'clock and
thirty minutes Thursday afternoon, November 28.
The cause of death was angina pectoris. She was
ill about four days, but not thought to be dangerously ill until a half-hour before her death occurred.
T h e end came so suddenly that there was no
opportunity for farewell words. Mrs. Wilder was
born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, May
21, 1845, of Scotch-Irish parentage. Her parents
were among the earliest settlers in San Francisco,
31

California. For several years she was a pupil in
the widely known school of Rev. Dr. John H . and
Mrs. Worcester, Burlington, Vermont. For thirtysix years she was the devoted wife of Rev. Charles
N . Wilder. The first sixteen years of her married
life were lived in Essex, New York. There her
four children, two sons and two daughters, were
born. The oldest daughter, Mabel, died in Essex
in her ninth year. The other children, with the
husband, survive her. Since the year 1881 the
home has been in Champaign, Illinois. Mrs.
Wilder was a woman of many accomplishments.
She was ever loyal to the highest Christian ideals.
She was first a faithful wife and mother. She was
a most efficient helper in all the work of the church,
never sparing herself when there was an opportunity
to advance its interests. She was deeply interested
in the missionary work of the church. For many
years she had been president of the W o m a n ' s
Home Missionary Society of the Presbytery of
Bloomington. She was a gifted writer, and the
literature of home missions has been enriched by
many articles and tracts from her pen. She was
the author of three books, two of which, ' O u r
Girls at Castlewood* and 'Mr. Johns and his
Boys,' were published by the Presbyterian Board
of Publication, and the other, 'Lonely Hill and its
Possibilities,' was published by the Congregational
Sunday School and Publishing Society. Mrs.
Wilder was also deeply interested in general litera32

gtpemorfal Crfbute
ture, and at the time of her death she was president
of the Woman's Art Club of Champaign, one of the
leading literary organizations of the city. U p to
the very day of her death we had supposed there
were years of eminent usefulness before her in the
home, in the church, and in the community. She
had large plans for work yet to be done, and she
and a multitude besides, who knew her fitness to
accomplish it, would have chosen for her many
added years. The funeral service was held in the
Presbyterian Church, Champaign, on Sunday afternoon, December I, the service being directed by
Rev. George E. H u n t , of Urbana, and the discourse
being delivered by Rev. Willis E. Parsons, D . D . ,
of Danville. The burial was at Mt. Hope Cemetery, near Champaign. i Blessed are they that do
his commandments, that they may have right to
the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates
into the city.' "
"When the day of toil is done,
When the race of life is run,
Father, grant thy wearied one
Rest forevermore!
" When the heart by sorrow tried
Feels at length its throbs subside,
Bring us where all tears are dried,
Joy forevermore!"

The prayer,
answered.

in

her

33

experience,

has

been