| Show DR MARTIN LUTH LUTHER ER on oct in the year 1 51 i 7 martin startup lat luther b er nailed his theses to the 46 0 ori r the Schloss Kirche at wittenberg it w was the official declaration by luther of his A 8 I 1 rebellion against rome this is afe ahw J event that ro Germ germany ajay has been celebrating in the presence of kal ser wilhelm and an other dother sovereign princes of germany who with 4 official in L and ej e j dignitaries went in in pro 3 sion tp to the old church entering inq the V deiy door on which the reformer reform r nail nailed hia theses against the doctrine of I 1 indulged indulge i ces and his arraignment agai against st t abbis church T trumpeters Trum peters stationed oo on the tower ov nsf t the church pla played plaseda yedA as th the bocc 0 sa sion n crossed the histo historic ilc threshold etoir eisa feste burg luthers grand rand cho choy which was the battle song of the R reformation and the comfort of Protest protestantism through the decades after the services in the church the members of the imperial r i a toy royal a I 1 and princely families proceeded c e e d e d to t the he house in which luther iv lived ed w while hile a at t wittenberg and inscribed inscribe ed their names on the visitors album there THIC OLD CHURCH RESTORED the celebration says the N Y recorder marks the completion of the renovation of the old schloss church which has been restored at the cost of the emperor to its original form and fea features lures in th the e celebration the protestant churches of prussia and germany it t took ook part and memorial services IN were are preached from their thousands of pulpits england was represented by victoria in the person of the buke uke of york heir presumptive to the throne of great britain for both these countries england and germany as well VV ell as for america the anniversary is is of noteworthy historical interest it is well just after the splendid pageants that have been held in honor of chris copher columbus for discoverer discover discovering ir q a new world to call to remembrance the great at a deed of martin luther who though thong ah he e did not discover a new world upset the he old one for luthers reformation broke tle the power of an III all absorbing and tyrant yran 1 that everywhere ever everywhere where anicat chiare 14 supreme y had forgotten its splendid missi mission oil it re released leased the barriers that had Wied advanced thought and intelligence and paved the way to the achieve achievement in of 11 political Ji liberty in almost every country tt that it touched THE MARCH of THOUGHT the protestant empires of germany and england and the great republic 0 of f the west owe their rise to leadership in in the realms of literature scientific dis covery of human progress and thought and liberty to that event which germany and the protestant world has celebrated i at wittenberg without luthers great reat reform reformation had there up been no Lu luther theril says froude the english american and german beetles peoples would be tb thinking inking differently woul would be ac acting differently would be altogether itce on tvan rind and women from what they are itt at tin this moment once more a true sense ense of nature ad fad ex cargyle Car tyle for these centuries and many ahny iffat hat ate are to conie yet will be thankful to heair heaven erf 11 affe he created the german Germs tn language says heine heide he was not only the greatest but the he most german man of bur our history his image tays says krauth casts cast 4 itself upon the current of ages as the mountain mirrors itself in the river that winds dt at its foot ahe the mighty fixin fixing itself itsel immutably upon the unchanging unchong ng THE ANCIENT CHRONICLE those who bave nave read the charmingly interesting chronicles of the schoenberg cotta family will remember that passage in in the diary of the na narrator dated wittenberg nov i 1517 IS ia all saints day yesterday evening as I 1 sat at the window with gottfried in the late twilight hushing gretchen to sleep we e noticed dr luther walking rapidly along the street toward the castle church 1 his step was firm and quick and he seemed too full of tho thought ugilt to observe anything as he passed there was something unusual indis in his bearing which made my iny husband call my attention to him his head was erect and slightly thrown back as when he be preaches he had a large package of papers in his hands and although althou although gl he was evidently absorbed with some purpose he had more the airoff air of a general moving ta a battlefield than of a theologian buried in meditation this morning as we went to the early mass of the festival we saw a great crowd around the doors of the castle church not a mob however but an eager throng of well dressed meni men professors citizens and students those within the circle reading some writing which was posted buthe on the door whilst around the crowd was broken into little knots in baxer but not loud debate gottried asked what had happened it gottfied is only Y some sota eLatin latin theses against the indulgences badr by dr luther replied one of the students inviting a disputation ton ion the subject I 1 I 1 1 1 and on nov ao is the entry in the diary ac itis is the stir that hat these theses make ChYi christopher stopher cabi cannot bol t gel aneta printed faist el enough both th the latin and Gert presses are enga engaged ed for they have been translated an demands come for them from froin every otery rig tort W bT Germany pr jf Teti iel they slay say is curious and many of the prelates pr elates ire are uneasy as ts to the result rie sult the new bishop has dissuaded dr luther from bagh ing an explanation efthem of them rt it is re ported d that tha the elector frederick is not quite pleased f fearing earl i n V thee neet 0 the treav university still ift ita infancy students student however ho wiver are crowding to ta the town bina and codr to dr luthers leclef lectures lf more than ever he is the hero bero of the youth of germany again in february 1516 1519 the d diary a r y rv I 1 goes on christopher returned ye yesterday s t e y evening from the market place where the students have been burning getzels Tet theses which he wrote in answer to dr luther the students kindled this conflagration iff ht the place entirely on their own responsibility they are full of enthusiasm thusia sm forar for dr luther and of indignation against and the do dominicans ini cans 11 THE GREAT SCHISM this was the beginning of the struggle whid led to the ibe great division in the christian world it J was occasioned by tho the building of th that a t magni magnificent I 1 ficen fedi edifice fice of ecclesiastical splendor st peters church in rothe rome indulgences were to furnish the nece necessary siry means the sale of these had been in trusted for a great pt germany to albert alberi archbishop of Aa mayance yence and Mag magdeburg deburi and h he arpp cripple le I 1 for want of money none y seared seab re d a loan from the wealthy buggers of augsburg and gave as security part of the profits arising from the sale As julius koestlin Koestl ln says ays inthis m Ms life of luther behind the preacher of indulgences dul dulgen genes ces who announced gods arcy mercy tp to the paying believers stood the agents ot of that commercial house who collected their share for their principals getzels Tet advent however only marks the point where the revola kioh against rome the revolt against the abuses that had grownup within the church was pushed from the quiescent scent to the active stage As bishop hurst huist remarks in his short history of the reformation the sale of indulgences aroused luthers nature to a high pitch of excitement he was now ready for his mission he went over the whole case against rome ai as he saw baw it and arraigned thi the church in a bill of aarnes charges which he called his ninety five theses they were directed pally against the sale of indulgences but they included the whole burden 01 ol oi luthers soul he insisted that the church taught the truth but that there were excrescences which must be removed the life of luther takes us back more than years nine years before christopher columbus set sail from palos to discover a new ocean route to cathay martin luther was born at the little village of eisleben the son of a peasant who had been a slate cutter in mohra and then a miner in eisleben in 1498 he was sent to a school eschoel at eisenach just below the wartburg in 1501 he attended the university at erfurt in 1505 he entered the A augustinian u e s ti I 1 a n ic loister cloister at that place in 1506 fe he b became c a t r ie a monk in 1507 he was ordained a priest and in 1508 he was appointed professor of philosophy hy and latex later of theology at the university university of witten wittenberg ibe th then en a small town of only inhabitants a rai it a n t it was in wittenberg that luther did most of his greatest work and the little town is crowded with historic places connected with his life from wittenberg he made madd his first visit to rome froth from which he returned lull full of bitterness of spirit against the abuses in the church tw that reigned us checked it was there that he lectured and drew thousands of students from every avery part to germany to listen to him it was there that he published his thesis nailing them to the door of the schloss church it was there that during the next three years while engaged in disputes with cajetan and eck beckne he wrote and brought sout out several of his most important works among them his commentary on the galatians 11 his address to the christian nobles of germany anahis and his sermon on the liberty of a christian man it was there in 1520 came his open breach with the pope when he burned the papal bull of excommunication which pegan began arise 0 lord and judge thy causel cause remember the reproach which the foolish cast against thee all day long st peter st paul the congregation of saints and the whole church are called upon to arise the foxes faxes would lay waste the vineyard of the lord a wild boar has entered therein a savage beast would pasture there I 1 then luther was was condemned as a heretic his writings were era to ta be burnt and every one was commanded to seize martin luther and ana deliver belive r him to the pope fope at rame eck was sent to deli deliver er the bull but he was received with great at hostility in leipski he had to take refuge in st pauls church and the students sang satirical songs for Ms his benefit in erfurt the students attacked bim saim seized the printed of the bull ind and threw them themi into tito the river asera i a in watten bieg berg luther himself took the bull by the horns and on xiv io 10 1525 he publicity pub ridly announced that the auh buh of excommunication and the papal books of canda canonical ical law would A be burned on the following morning at 9 at the appointed time students masters and doctors were assembled at the designated place at the lister gate near the augustinian monastery au an advanced student prepared the place piled on the faggots maggots and applied the tire fire then luther cast the roman together with the papal bull into the flames exclaiming because thou hast offended the holy one of the lord be thou consumed with everlasting fire then luther returned with his friends to the city while several hundred students remained at the fire feeding the flames with papal writings and others paraded the streets deriding eck and the papal bull thus by his bold actions did luther let loose a storm which raged over all germany a storm which could not be quieted till the judgment day HIS HOME IN wittenberg it would take too long to follow luthers life in detail in 1521 he appeared before the diet of f worms then came his concealment in the wartburg where he began his translation of the bible the first part of which the new testament was published in 1522 he returned to wittenberg in in 1522 in in 1525 he married catharine dpn bora lived at wittenberg until the year 1546 when he died while on a urney journey at eisleben at the a age e 1 of 63 the phe house in which luther fi dived ved with his wife and family still exists in wittenberg it was formerly a portion of the old augustinian convent in accordance with the order of the elector luther remained in the monastery building and which had been vacated by all the monks here katie established her household today to day we are quoting from dr rein this stately dwelling still stands close to the gate and to the city walls altered within but firm and towering without a genuine german home from which have issued streams of blessing for the whole world A TIME OP OF pestilence luther released himself from his vows and entered the marriage state on june 1 13 39 1525 at the age of 41 catharine von bora was ot of an old and noble family and bad been a nun in the cloister of near Ge sinia in in saxony though luthers enemies enemies i derisively reminded him of the old legend that from the union of an expelled monk and a runaway nun antichrist anti christ would be begotten his married life was a happy one two children were born to him a son hans and a daughter elizabeth in 1527 the plague droke broke out in wittenberg and luthers infant son was stricken but recovered luther wrote concerning these days thug thu there are conflicts without and fears within one comfort nevertheless we have over against the of satan and that is the word of god by which we may save the souls of le the faithful even if satan should destroy their bodies pray for us that we valiantly endure the visitation of god and overcome the devils might arid and craft be it for life or death amen EIN BIN FESTE BURO BURG it was during these troublous times perhaps that ver very y year that luther wrote the grand old choral the battle hymn of the reformation ein feste burg gott which wits was played played by trumpeters trum peters from the tower 0 01 the schloss kirche of wittenberg when kaiser wilhelm and the protestant princes enter the doors of the church on which luther nailed his ninety five theses A stronghold sure our god is he A truty trusty shield and weapon our help hell be and set us free whatever ill may happen toe ile old malicious roe joe intends us deadly woe armed with the strength of hell and deepest craft as well on earth is not his fellow much has been written about this grand old chord and the probable date of its composition that it belongs to luthers wittenberg days however is is sure though the mighty stronghold is probably the remembrance of the castle of wartburg in which he was concealed under the name and guise of yunker georg for several months in the year 1522 some authorities believe that luther wrote the choral while on hi his is way to the diet of worms in in 1521 whither he had been summoned bli by the german empress and others in high gh authority to sa say whether he would recant or not his is friends used every endeavor to dissuade him from going reminding him that john huss was burned to death under similar circumstances to one of these friends luther wrote were there as many devils in worms as there are tiles on the roofs I 1 would go and not be afraid if huss was burned to ashes the truth was not burned with him and so he went fortifying himself durine the journey by the composition of that noble hymn by which alone his name would have been preserved to prosperity so says one authority some think however that it was composed at the close of ahe the second diet of worms that of 1529 which revoked the religious liberty granted in the previous one of 1526 against which five sovereign princes and fifteen free cities protested ro tested and so earned the name OF of protestants but we do not incline to either of these opinions for the reason that luther went to work with systematic earnestness and did not trust to |
