New Orleans Republican., 1868-08-02
The Luther Monument at Worms.


pire, vindicated the gospel against
sacerdotal lencroachment three hundred
and fOrty-seven years ago has just
witnessed the Inauguration of mon
ument to his honor. From other stat
ues previously erected to him the new
one is distinguished in more than one
respect. 1t is tribute paid by all
Protestant Germany, subscriptions
having come in from every country
in which the reformed faith has gain
ed footing.
In size and rich variety of design
the monument has no equal. In this
respect it is an improvement even
upon Raucb's Frederick the Great,
with its hosts of generals ranged
round the base. It is not a statue,
but combination of eleven statues
grouped around and surmounted by
the gigantic likeness of the Thurin-
gian miners son. Ascending a few
steps you tread on a granite base
forty feet square, inclosed on the
three other sides by a battlemented
balustrade. In its centre Luther
stands pre-eminent. Seated on the
four pillars projecting from the cor
ners of Luther's pedestal you see
clustering about the master mind his
four precursors who attempted what
he accomplished.
To this noble array the English,
French, italian, and Slave nations
have each furnished member-John
Wickliffe, Petrus Waldus, Jeronimo
SaYonarela, and Jan Huss. Then turn
ing to the circumference, you notice
seven more statues distributed around.
Occupying the four corners of the
balustrade. and separated from the
centre group by the inner space, are
the venerable figures of two regal and
two clerical allies Of the reformatory
hero. Frederick the Wise, Elector of
SGxony, and Philip the Generous,
Landgrave of Hesse, impersonating
power and prudence, watch the front:
Philip Melanchthon and John Reuch-
lin, with their solid erudition, are at
their rear. ..
To these four, or, adding those in
the centre group, nine great men
images of real beings-are, with ques-
tionable taste, united the symbolical
statues of three cities, celebrated in
the history of time. Augsburg,
Madgeburg, and Spires, three majestic
women, take up the centre of each side
of the balustrade. Seated, and look
ing up to Luther, they pleasingly re-
lieve the four corner statues, which
are standing, and have their faces
turned in the same direction as the
central figure. To do justice to the
many places which have likewise de-
served well of the cause of religious
liberty, The battlements of the inclo-
sure are On the inner side decorated
with the escutcheons of twenty four
other German cities. These are
Brunswick, Bremen, Constance, Eisen-
ach, Eisleben, Emden, Erfurt, Frank
fort, Halle, Hamburg, Heilbronn, jena,
Konigsberg, Leipsic, Lindau, Lubbock,
Marburg, Memlingen, Nordlingen,
Riga Schmalkalden, Strasburg, Wit
tenberg, and Worms. Thus stands
the wonderful structure before US,
petrifed piece of history, silent, yet
eloquent to any one who knows what
has once agitated mankind, and has
presentment of what will agitate them
again.
On a syenite pedestal of subdued
color, surmounted with two bronze
squares, stands Luther. 1t is the
stout, sturdy shape familiar to every
eye. 1t is the dear old well-known
form, with its honest features and
calm,imperturbable eye, as painted by
Cranach. With face turned upward
he rests his clenched fist on the closed
Bible, as if uttering the famous verse
Of his beautiful chorale, g Das Wort
sic SolLen LaSsen stehn." From an ar
Listic point of view it might, perhaps
have been better to give his head
more inclined position. In statue Of
ten and half feet in height, on a
pedestal of sixteen feet, face lifted
up to heaven can not be well seen from
below. A better.yiew, however, is OBJ
tanned from the side than from the
front.
Grand as the total effect is, the
best critics agree in regretring that
the artist who devised the work did
not live to see it completed. Riets-
chel, who in 1856 was commissioned
10 make the model, died few years
ago, when the statues of Luther and
Wickliffe alone had been carried out.
The rest are modelled from his
sketches by Herren, Schilling, Dom
lorf, and Kietz, his three talented as
sistants. Their achievements are
worthy of the studio whence they pro-
coed; but, while acquitting them
selves of their task in excellent style,
each of the three sculptors seems to
have followed the particular bent of
MS genius rather than cooperate
With the others in the production of |
In artistic whole. Luther is ten and
! half feet high; the figures at his
eet, seven feet; the corner statues |
# the balustrade, eight and half |
eet; and those of the towns, six
eet.
The inauguration was graced by |
be presence of the King and the |
Crown Prince of Prussia, the King of
Yurtemberg, the Grand Dukes Of
Neimar and and Hesse, Prince VII
lam Of Baden, and other members of
he royal families OF Germany. The
ioncourse Of strangers was immense,
ome reports speaking of one hundred
thousand, and among them many
lergymen. -
lost Of Intoxicating LIQUORS.