The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-11-04

Tor WOOL. The old Market C0urCh standing on
the public square in Halle religiously preserves
the memory OF the great Relormer in a colored
medallion OF immense siZe,s set high up In the
walls OF the interior, with the inscription, ''The
holy Doctor Luther, the Prophet of Germany.n
The church itself is his best monument Ii has
two lofty towers, connected far above tue roof
by covered bridge. The keeper lives in lodge
on the top OF the lett tower aud he lets down a
key over the battlement 10 any one who rinos a
bell below and wishes to come up. The space
between the buttresses outside all round the
chufch, Is bullt into rude little shops, in which
women sell trinkets old iron, wooden ware and
pottery,
Entering Wittenburg, as Luther did for
the first time, at the western gate, we
pass between high embankments of eartb
heavy walls Of stone, and armed soldiers
consl lantly on guard. We seem to have en-.
teled fortress rather than town, aud we find
That for every family Of five persons there are
Two soldiers to keep the peace. At the right, as
we pass the gate, Is the castle or palace Quilt by
the Elector Frederick, Lulhers great friend.
ADJOINING the castle is the church, called the
ScDlosskirche, on the door of which Luther
Tosted his theses, in the pulpit of which he
often preached, and beneath the stone floor of
which he now lies buried. Directly before us
Is the main street of the town, the whole length
OF which Luther walked many thousand times
in the thirty years of his residence at Wit
tenbeIg. Around 1t, in courts ranged in oval
form, Is the whole population amounting to but
ten thousand, counting soldiers and citizens.
The street Is not wide, nor straight, nor well
paved; and although it extends all the way TO
the opposite gate, its whole length is less than
halt the distance that many come to attend this
church every sabbath
Every thing in the town has an old look. The
space within the walls was all built up long ago.
and the houses appear rs II they had been stand
ing ever since Luthers time. And In fact nearly
all upon the main street must have met his eve
when he passed through its whole length, from
the eastern to the western gate, to post his
theses upon the door OF the Castle Church, on
the memorable 3lst of October, l5l7. Before
that day, 5000 masses were said, 35,50O pounds
OF wax were burned GOO sacred relics were eX-
hiblted in that church every year.
| spent two nights and Sunday in the city.
My room at the hotel was on the opposite side
OF the street, and in full view of the church
door where the blows of Luther's hammer
reused the world from the slumber of a thou.
sand years. The church is high, heavy and
plain without steeple or to Wer. Green grass
ano climbing vines were growing out of chinks
in the buttresses and walls. The worI Ire
noWned entrance is on the middle of the north
side directly beneath one of the five lofty win
dOWs, The actual door on which Luther posted
theses was burnt by the French, while they
held possession of the city, in NapOeOn's time
Tne KING OF Prussia has replaced it with door
of bronze, on the panels OF which the whole of
the ninety five Latin theses are inscribed in
raised letters as permanent as the bronze itself
The church inside IS bare and cold, with a
! lofty ceiling a stone floor, and movable uu-
cushioned benches, for the accommodation. or
rather the discomfort, of the woUshippers, At
The eastern end, occupying the place of the Old
Romi:h altar, Is very. high pulpit. At the
opposite extremity is singers gallery thirty
five feet from The floor. The Sunday was there
about seyenty-hVe persons occupied the seats
A youDg and pleasantlookmg preacher was in
the pulpit. Before beginning the service he
turned to crUcthX aud crossed himself and
the congregation did the same. Thirty bows
dressed in white surplices, sent down their
shIlll music from rhe lofty gallery. Their
piping voices and high position reminded me
OF tie larks that ] had heard singing IN the
clouds the day before, over The plains Of Leipsic
n w nt to aIN
LOtes of birds, tOr it was Lutber's faVOre Old
Hundred, and the Psalm was rugged, and
strong with such words as Luther loved. Two
bronze tablets, fastened i'm tue stone floor Of the
church in 'front.' OF the pulpit, mark the spot
where the ashes of the great Reformer and of
his beloved Melancthon rest, waiting the resur.
rect on.
Midway between the eastern and western
gates, ami alongside of the main street, is the
market place, containing Luther5 monument,
and by its side stands the parish church, in
winch Luther most frequently preached. Like
that at Halle, it has two towers connected by Il
covered gallery high above the roof of the
church. Everything about it looks odd and
old enough to have come down from Luther's
day. At the eastern end OF the main street. lust
outside the walls, IS green and flouIishing oak,
protected by slight palng. 1t was reared
from the acorn and ii occupies the ground of
an older tree under which Luther burned the
Bull and Decretals of the Pope. Inside the
walls, and close by the Elster or eastern gate, is
LutheI's house, the old Augustine Convent, in
which he lived, and from which he sent forth
words that shook the world.
passed through the low stonetramed door
way, walked slowly up the worn stairs, entered,
with uncovered head, a large dismal chamber,
with two windows on the second hoOr 1
walked silently around a great square table,
| large enough TO hold half library. 1 stared
WondeIingly at q great brick and tile oven or
| stove six stories high. read a line or two in
much worn, black letter Latin prayer book. /
turned an hour-glass and set the sand running.
| lifted a silver drinking cup reVerently to my
| lips / sat in a rude chair, made of unpainted
uncushioned boards with TWO seats facing each
other gazed dreamily at laster cast Uf great
rugged face with shaggy brows and deep melan.
ChOly eyes-and it was all Luther to me- The
door, the stairs, The room; the stove the table,
the seat; the hour-glass, the cup, the book were
| for thirty-elght years, instruments and elements
of that Tremendous life which sent out its
mighty pulsauons 10 the ends of the earth.
| Here the great champion of truth girt on his
| armor, and prepared himself for life-lOlg battle
| with the pvincipalities and powers of darkness.
! Here he bowed himself in prayer, and poured
| out his soul with strong crying and many tears
| Here he sweat aud grOaned in the agonizing
| struggle to ind out the meaning Of Gods word.
Here he fought in desperate conflict with the
/ black demons of temptation, Here, after long
I and terrib e wrestling, he shook himself free
| from the letters OF superstition which his mo-
/ n8sUC education had fastened upon him. On
/ this very table, sitting in this hard and heavy
] chair, timing his WORK by this same hour-glass
/ he wrote letters, sermons, aud addresses which
/ fell upon the European world Ike rapid peGls OF
| tbUnGer in a stormy night. For thirty years.
/ solitary man sent forth lrOm this chCcrless and
| untUnlsbCQ chamber words that made enpe-
| IOrs, king, and cabinet ministers trsmble in
! their palaces. The eyes OF nations were upon
/ HIM when he went forth from this humble apart
mi. .raf tn Ngn kfVsts,v