Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1841-05-14
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crers OF the style Of Carlyle are if not equally nu
merous, perhaps equally jealous, and possibly boil
IN degree intolerant Certain It is, that the pic
lures or rather sketches by the pen Of this write
of compound words and Germanized phrases, ant
strange and vivid imagination, dwell upon Oh,
memory, aud FIX themselves permanently before I'll,
minds eye. As historian, there is in his style {
want OF continuous, sober inquiry and reasoning
Events and characters are dashed of ut n stroke
broad often brilliant, often exaggerated but rarel,
feeble.
Asa lecturer, according to the volume before us
he is startling full Of thought, Astounding IN unex
pected turns There are here Six Lectures on the
Hero as Divinity, Prophet, Poet, Priest, u,
Man Of Letters, rs King.
We select extracts from two OF these Lectures, or
the Hero-P Priest, who is Luther, and the Hero Mar
Of Letters, who is Johnson.
Luther is thus introduced at the Diet Of Worms
The Diet of Worms, Luther's appearance Their,
on the l7th OF April, 1921, may be considered nj
the greatest scene in Modern European History
the point indeed from which the whole subseq ne n
history Of civilization takes its rise. After multi
piled negotiations, dsputations It had come TO this
The Young Emperor, Charles Fifth, with all the
Princes Of Germany, Papal nuncios, dignitares
spiritual and temporal, are assembled there Luther
rs to appear and answer for himself, whether he will
recant or not. The worlds pomp and power sits
there on his hand: on that, stands up for Gods
truth. one man, Hans Luther, the poor miners son.
Friends had reminded him oil HuSs advised him not
TO go; he would not be advised. A large company
oftriends rode out to meet him, with still more ear
nest warnings; he answered: "Were there as many
Devils in Worms there are roof-ti would on
The people, on the morrow, as he went TO the Hall
o.; the Diet, crowded the windows and houselops
some OF them calling out TO him in solemn words
not TO rocant: "whosoever denieth me before menr
us in kind OF solemn petition and adiuration
Was II not in reality petition too the petition Of
the whole world, lying in dark bondage Of SOUL pa
ralyzed under black spectral Nightmare and triple
hated Chimera calling itself Father in God, and
NI..HfR ..,sk H.
not.' Luther did not Desert us. His speech, of
Two hours distinguished itself by its respectful wise
and honest tone; submissive TO whatsoever could
lawfully claim submission, nor submissive to any
more than that His writings, he said, were partly
his own, partly derived from the word Of God. As
10 what was his own, human infrmity entered into
1t; unguarded anger, blindness, many things doubt
less, which it were blessing for him could he a.
boish altogether. But as TO what stood on sound
truth and the word Of God, he could not recant IL
How could he? "Confute me-" he concluded, "by
proofs OF scripture, else by plain Just arguments
] cannot r6cint Otherwise For il is neither safe
MOI prudent TO do ausht against conscience. Here
stand ]; can do no other: God assist :" Ii is
ms we say, the greatest moment in the Modern His
tory Of men. English Puritanism, England and its
Parliaments, Americas, and vast work these two
centuries; French Revolution, Europe and its work
every where at present. the germ OF il all lay there:
had Luther IN that moment done other, it had all
been otherwise! The European world was ASKING
him: Am to sink ever lower into falsehood, stag.
nant putrescence, loathsome accused death; or,
with whatever paroxysm, TO cast the alsehoods out
OF me, and be cured and liver
Great wars, contentious, and disunion followed
out OF this Reformation which last down to our day.
and are yet far from ended. Great talk and crimi.
nation has been made about these. They are la
mentabe, undeniabe; but after all, what has Luther
or his cause 10 do with theml 1t strange rea.
sonng to charge the Reformation with all this
When Hercules turned the purifying river into King
Augeas's stables, have doubt the confusion that
resulted was considerable all around: but think il
was not Bercules's blame; The Reformation might
bring what results II liked when ii came, but the Re-
formation simply could not help coming. To all
ropes and Popes' advocates, crpostuating, lament
ing and accusing, the answer CT the world is: Once
Tor all, your Popehood has become untrue. No mat
ter how good was, how good you say is we can
not believe IT; the light Of our whole mind given us
20 walk by from Heaven above, finds il henceforth
n thing unbelievable.
We will not believe il, will not try to believe
i've dare not The thing is untrue; we were
traitors against the Gver Of all Truth if we burst
pretend to think il true. Away with il; lie; what
sOever likes in the place OF it, with il we can
have no farther trade!-Luther and his Protes-
tantism is not responsible for wars the false Smu
iacra that forced him TO protest, they responsible
Luther did what every man that God has made has
not only the right, but lies under the sacred duty
20 do: answered iasehood when il questioned him,
Dost thou believe me ?-Noi-At what cost soey-
er, without counting Of COSTS this thing Eehoyed 10
be done. Union, organization spiritual and mate
Stal, a lar nobleI than any Popedom or Feudalism
81 their truest days. never doubt is coming for the
world; sure 10 TO come. But on Fact alone mot ON
SemblaDce and Smulacrum, will 1t he able either 10
como, or TO stand when come. With union ground
ed on falsehoOd, and ordering to speak and act
lies. we will not have any thing To do. Peace A
brutal lethargy is peaceabie, the nolsOme grave is
peaceab!e. We hope for living peace, not a dead
one
And yet, in przing justly the indispensable bles-
sing Of the New, let not lie unjust 10 the Old.
The Old ioas true, # it no longer IS. In Dante's
days II needed no sophistry, sel-blinjng or other
dishonesty, to get itself reckoned true IL was good
then; nay, there is in the soul Of deathless good
The cry OF No Popery' is foolish enough in these
days The speculation that Popery is on the in
crease, building new chapels, aud so forth, may
pass for one Of the dlest ever started. Very cur
GUS to count up few Popish chapels listen to a
lew Protestant loglc-choppings,-to much dull
dronlng drowsy inanity that still calls itself Prote,.
tant, and say: See, Professionalism is DEAD; Popism
Is more alive than II, will he alive after il l-Drow.
sy Innnltes, not few, that call themselves Protes-
tant are dead; but PrOieStaHhSm hns Tot died yet,
that hear Of Professionalism, IL we will look has
IN these days produced its Goethe, It's Nnpoieon.
German Literature and the French Revolution. ratb
er considerable signs Of life Nay at bottom what
else IS alive Dat Pro,estantism7 The life of mos,
else that one meets is a galvanc one nereIv.-pot
a pleasant, not lasting sort of life
POpery can build new chapels; welcome IN do
so, TO all lengths. Popery cannot come back nny
more than Paganism can,-wLich aso still lingers
IN some countries. But, indeed, il is with these
things, as with the ebbing of the sea Won look At
the waves osciIlaung higher, thther on the beach
ior minutes you cannot tell how il is going: look IN
hal an hour where II Is,-lCok H. half a century
where your PopehoOd isl Alas, would there were
no greater danger IL our Europe than the moor old
ropes revival! Thor may as soon try to revive
And withal this oscillation has a meaning. Tbc
poor old Popehood will not de away entireIv. as
Thor has done, Tor some time vet nor Ougbt n
We may say, the Old never dies t this happen Til
all the soul OF II that IN II have cot itself trans
fused into he practical New. While a good work
remains capable Of being done by the Romisb form.
ar, what is inclusive ofall, while pi0psH remains
capable Of being led by it, ust long, II We con.
sider, will this the other human soul adopt H. 90
about living witness Of il. So long il will Of.
trudo itself on the eye Of US who reject IT, I'LL vein
our practice TOO have Appropriated whatsoever Of
truth IN it, Then, bat $50 not tl then, il will
have no charm more for any man. II lasts here for
purpose, Lett last as long as il can.
W Luther, will add now, w reference TO all these
WMs and bloodshed, the noticeable fact that none
" them began 90 long as he continued living. The
controversy dld-not ge, TO fighting so long ms he
was mere TO me tits proof Of his greatness in
nv senses, this fact. How seldom do We find a
man That has stirred up some vast commotjon. who
Hoes not himself perish, swept away in IL. Such Is
VIZ usual course OF reyoluuonists. Luther eontin.
ned, good degree, sovereign Of This pre,test TO-
solution all Pfotestarts, Of What r,nk y, C,ne,o,
soeyer' looking much TO him for guidance. and he
held " pcaoeable continued firm NJ the centre n i,
man TO 90 this, must have a knely laeuitv. he
Rust nave the gt 10 discern at all turns vb.,e 49,
true heart OF the matter lies and TO ni,o, L;,,s"Ir
eouf'geousy on mat as strong true man, that 9TH