Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-09-18
From TIE 81. LOUis Dem0cTdt.
NJ artfn Luther.

! this city | passed the most prominent places
! connected with the history of the great re
| former Marburg. in Hesse. contains the ole
castle where he held his famous controversy
with Zwingle, IF Switzerland, concerning
| the Eucharist. The towers and buttresses o
| the castle rise high above The town, upon ar
| adjacent eminence, and unlike so many such
| structures of feudal times, it is devoted to &
| useful purpose. In the selfsame old hall
| where Numbered the voice of Luther in
| fierce controversy. and where he struck his
! clenched fist so violently upon the table, or
which he had written with chalk. This is my
body" the State prisoners of Hesse are
busily at work weaving coarse cloth. In al
| this region are memorials of Luther. In
several places are pointed out houses
where he staid upon his jonrneying. Above
| Eisenach. and nearly mile distant, rises the
| old Castle of Wartburg where he was hidden
| nearly a wear from his enemies during the
most precious days of the Reformation.
! found the castle in very good state of pre-
servatiOn, containing in some parts of it a
large collection of antique armor and pain
| tings of no very great interest. The room
where the Reformer was imprisoned. or
rather concealed. is in the northeast corner
| overlooking the deep valley, some eight hun
dred feet below and is about sixteen feet
| square II has but n single window, the
prospect from which is very beautiful. 1t con-
| tains the table at which he sat. his bureau
stove, &c. His old pine table had been
rather roughly dealt with by the jack-knives
of various rclic-huntcrs. for it is gOuged and
Clipped on all sides. 1t is. however, now
protected Ivy a ring of iron around its edge
from further dcpredations Here is also a
musty old Hebrew Bible. said to have been
used by him in his great work of translating
the sacred volume.
Everybody has heard of his celebrated per-
Torrance of throwing his inkstand at the
| devils head. Whether this story is fact or
| fable. | will not undertake to decide. But
| there, sure enough, is hole in the old plns-
| tering and no mistake, and this hole Is poin-
ted ont as the spot where the inkstand struck
| the wall | am quite of the opinion that if
| the inkstand had hit the head of the parsonage
aimed at with as much force as, Judging from
the hole. it hit the wall, he would have given
| the ref rmer no more trouble.
At Erfurth also. some thirty miles east OF
| Eisenach. are shown numerous memorials OF
| Luther. Here is the old cell where he slept
when a monk. and here is his Latin Bible,
with chain attached to it, said to be the first
| Bible he ever saw or read.
But have been more interested in my visit
| to Wittcmberg, an old town of seven or eight
| thousand inhabitants but strongly fortified
| by the Prussian government. 1t it not more
| than ffty-ive miles southeast from Berlin,
| and contains more memorials of Luther than
| any other place. Here was in fact his resi-
dence. here he spent most of his life, and
here in the old castle church in a vault.
| marked in the floor by a brass plate. lie his
| remains 1t was in this church that he
! preached and on the door of which. at the
| beginning of the Reformation, he nailed his
celebrated ninety-ive propositions. This
church stands directly against the city walls
on the west side, the round cylindrical tower
of which is pierced with portfolios and com
prises a part Of the Notifications. The pull
pit in which he preached has been taken
away but the place where il stood against
the wall is plainly seen. On opposite side of
the interior hang full length portraits OF
Luther and MelancthOn, while in another part
is a monument to the ElectOr Frederick.
Luthes's early friend and protector The old
church has nothing speciallygrand or imposing
about il and yet | never stood beneath the
vaulted arches of minister or cathedral with
such a feeling of awe as here. The thought
that through these old aisles once echoed the
thunder of that voice, whose reverberations
reached to every part of Germany and OF
Europe-that here was proclaimed boldly the
first successful insurrection against spiritual
despotsm and that from this spot flashed
forth light that has ever since been blazing
with increasing brightness, was quite over
whelming.
As was musing upon the scene, and con-
sidering what consequences had flowed from
the bold words that had once reverberated
through these old arches. the attendant
brought me a curious hour-glass set in a
frame which was now somewhat broken, but
the glass was still perfect and the sand was
still running. This was Luther's hour-giass,
which he was accustomed 10 place on the pull
pit beside him while preaching, to mark the
& Wop1arftt indeed that StIph
a frail implement should have survived the
shocks of three hundred and thirty years.
Thus also will endure. though seemingly frail
and feeble, the everlasting truth of God s
word. Even when its friends and defenders
are no more, it will live and flourish.
From the old church | walked directly
across to the east end Of the town. nearly
half a mile, and there standing almost against
the city wall, were the buildings which form
erly composed the University. in which Luther
lectured to his students. The buildings are
now devoted to other uses. but just in the
rear is n curious cid structure, once a monas-
terry. where Luther lived. On either side of
the lofty stone doorway of the house was a
stone seat, curiously carved, and here in the
summer evening Luther was accustomed to
sit with his wife and enjoy the garden before
them. The garden is still kept up. and an
ivy was pointed out which was said to have
been planted by his own hands. The room
where he studied, and also where he slept. is
full of curious memorials, exhibiting the vari-
Gus characteristics of the man. His stove.
his table, his chair, his singing book and his
beer mug. In n glass case near by, are pre-
served several curious articles, embracing his
own autographs, specimens of needle-work
wrought by his wife. and several trinkets
which belonged TO him. Every accessible
part of the old walls are covered with names
Of pilgrims To the veperated spot. and among
them is the name of Peter the Great, made in
chalk Ivy his own hand. This is preserved by
n covering Of glass.
Five minutes walk from Luther's house
and the old University buildings out through
the southeast gate of the city, brought us to
the tree under which, in the presence of the
students and citizens of Wittemberg this
accommodation. \ neat fence is built
around the spot, and the space enclosed is
carefully cultivated with flowers.
The above are but few ) lcctions from the
multitude OF memorials which | saw Of this
great man. whose genius and influence has
doubtless made n deeper impression upon the
mind of Europe, than that Of any other man.
His memory is everywhere cherished in those
parts of Germany. where his teachings are
received and the people to this day, point
with pride and satisfaction TO the house where
be slept. or TO the old church where he preach
ed, when he visited their village. His writ
ings are still law To his followers, and h.s
manuscripts and autographs are preserved in
museums and libraries. among the most val
liable memorials Of German history.