The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-07-13


cast glance at the pedestal ITSELF In suggestive
detail 1t Is In keeping with the general design,
square OF cast bronze placed on the stone Pillar
supports similar slab OF less dimensions decorated
with inscriptions and reefs. On its 'front.' lifting
motto OF the monument appear the closing words OF
Luther's celebrated speech in TIE worms Diet:o
Here stand. i cannot speak nor act otherwise
So help me Cod. Arnen.n Under the legend are the
medailions Of John the Constant and his son J9nh
Frederick of Saxony who steadfastly stood Dy LII
Their IN his troubles. On the opposite SIDE Is en-
graved passage from another speech OF lne Hety
Gospel whfn a sw ae 0f With it He
strikes the world as with thunderDoG uhuer,
meath the portraits OF ulrch voh nutteh anu
Franz Won Sickngen the two noble Knights Wno
brought the chivaOus spirit OF their class TO the de-
fence OF Truth and its less warlike champions. 10
from his correspondence: is life in God but
it is only through the spirit OF CHRIST mat we can
hope to understand Holy writ" foraralts OF 'on a
Justus Jonas, the intimate friend Of Luther
into whose ear, moment before his death,
he poured the confession OF his mistaken
faith are inserted on the same side. Finally
on the left reai-"Those that rightly understand
They are free, not in the fesh but in the spiritn
John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingi the founders Of the
Reformed church IN Switzerland, are aptly placed
under this motto, their dcviations from Luther pro-
ceeding from their Partially to the spirit rather than
to the letter Of the Bible.
The, lower slab contains scenes from -Luthers life
in alto riteUo. Here have him making his speech
in the Worms Parliament, mailing his themes to the
door Of Wittenberg Cathedral, marrying his Catha.
castle Of Wartburg For character and finish these
smaller castings al greatly praised.
the four figures sitting At the rect OF their more
successful brother In arms next claim our attention.
Petrus Waldus, of whom no portrait has been pre-
served, Is represented as poor wanderer with torn
cloak and sa and preaching, with the Bible before
him, as his guileless heart dictates. Wicklifle,
whose features are likewise unknown to posterity,
is arrayed In DOCTORS garb--a venerable sage,
gently stroking his beard as man wrapped in con-
temptation Huss Is the martyr preparing for death.
Weighed down with bodily weakness and prolonged
irnr ioou hp a m
by an inspired look directed towards the crnclnx
displayed In the person Of savonaroa. He lifts his
right hand to heaven and beats his heart with his
e Sn e e fo n
lily Of Luther these sorrow-laden harbingers Of a
betterday form contrast alike beautiful from an
artistic as it is satisfactory from an intellectual point
Of view.
or those on the balustrade, Frederick the Wise
FIRST meets onr eye. wearing the esmine robe OF ms
feet. He looks neitheI to the right to the left
but as was his wont0n life, straight forward. His
Of him who would rather remain ruler Of Saxony
than sway the empire with It's opposing factions and
this great and good man that GERMANY is Indebted
for the triumph Of religious liberty. 1t was he who
protected Luther from the sword and ponard OF his
enemies gave him livelihood and afforded him
leisure for his spiritual work. 1t was he who con-
ceaed him at Wartburg, made him professor in
the Theological Faculty wittenberg and furnished
the wherewithal 10 maintain that delightful home
presided over by Kate. An Englishman is naturally
gratihed to reflect that. as he was the most cele-
brated ancestor OF the Prince COnsOrt he stands in
the same relation to the future kings OF his country
Unfortunately the principal branch of his issue have
reapsed into Catholicism. In the course Of the last
century the Dresden dynasty, to be able to ascend
the Polish throne changed their religion They have
long lost the acquisition for which they sacrificed so
much and, residing again on the Elbe, are now the
only t 20 tSs 5nsy fu eao Of esse
who very nearly forfeited his patrimony by taking
up the cause is OF the best statues. Letning on
his huge sword he gazes up to heaven as though
awaiting the dawn. John Reuchlin, in the cloak OF
doctor of divinity, is a prototype OF the German
professor of the day. You almost believe you hear
him lecturng, so grave and scholastic is his mlen.
What he achieved for the Hebrew grammar, Me-.
anChthon, who stands opposite, did for the Greek.
Without the aid OF these two l.uther's translation
OF the Bible would have been impossible The mid
expression OF countenance and temperate dignity
of demeanor which distinguished Meianchthon are
wellrendered in the statue.
The three symbolic figures representing Magde
burg, Spres,and Augsburg are not all equally per-
feet. Magdeburg is praised as most exquisite per-
Torrance, Spires censured as sculptural mistake.
The former, the victim OF Tiy's hordes, sits before
u.s. discounted, dishevelled, her hanging down,
her eyes fixed in despair. Happily, Magdeburg has
long recovered from her fall and again become one
the richest and most industrious cities in Germany
while her Spanish, Croatian and Hungarian devasta-
tors remain much in the same condition they were
in when they burned her. Spires is Intended to be
uttering protest against the reactionary edict OF
Charles ", but the effect Isl rather marred by The
consideration that woman raising her hands IN 80
violent a manner, with crossed legs, would be IN
peril OF falling forward. AuySDfR indicative Oh TIE
peace concluded within its precincts is stately
parsonage with palm branch IN her hand
refrain nom supplying further details, TIE pen in
this pictorial age having no chance to vie with pho
tograph and stereoscope in objects OF graphic
natures but few words ON the impression produced
by the whole willnot be out of place Grand as the
total effect is, the best critics agree In regrettng
that the artist who devised the work did not live to
see 1t completed. Retschel Who, in 1853, was COM
missoned to make the model, died a few years ago,
when the statues Of Luther and Wickliie alone had
been carried out. The rest were modelled nom his
sketches by Herren Schilling, Dondorf and Kietz.
phis three talented assistants. Their achievements
are worthy OF the studio whence they proceed; but
while acqutting themselves OF their task in excel
lent style, each OF the three sculptors seems
to have followed the particular bent OF his genius
rather than cooperate with the others In the pro-
duction OF artistic whole. The five statues in the
CENTRE indeed, are generally thought to constitute
splendid ensemble; but the seven others, placed
much beneath Luther, and divided from him by
nearly thirty feet are described as having the ap-
pearance Of separate monuments. To connect them
with the centre and each other it Is necessary to
bind them with the strong thread OF history archi.
tecturally they are centrifugal rather than centrpe
tai. The circumstance also that the twelve statues
are OF four different sizes scarcely contributest i'm
part to the monument that air OF composed symiAe-
try indispensable In every composite work OF art.
Luther is ten and half feet high the figures at his
feet feet the statues Of the balustade
eight and half feet and those OF the towns six feet
The Inauguration was graced by the presence OF
the King and the Grown Prince OF Prussia the King
Hesse. Prince William OF Baden and other members
OF the royal families Of Germany. OF ladies see
Louis, mentioned In the reporD The programme
Included many sermons and the prox verbosity OF
the reverend gentlemen not mending the matter, the
ceremony does not in every particular seem TO have
produced the solemn effect expected, Times have
changed since Luthei's days. IL Is the man, not
his creed, that Is now w0rshpped by the majority.
The concourse OF strangers was immense, some
reports speaking OF one hundred thousand, and
among them many clergymen.
Testimony from Queen. Victoria.
Queen Victoria sent the following telegram dated
June "a 10 the King of Prussia, at Worms:-Pray
LIZ. ..fA