Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-03

skirts and high ruffs. The grass
grown square surrounded with
ancient looking houses had not
changed much, if any, since they
were placed there to watch over
it. Workmen were bringing coal
in cart and unloading it in bask-
cts, which looked as if they might
have been fashioned in days and
housemaids were sweeping with
Anticipated brooms. The houses
had an air of sombre stiffness
about them which seemed to
protest against the excitement of
modern times, as If they loved to
brood overIheir memories and ira
dition5 rather than wake up to
the extraordinary spectacles OF to-
day. | should not have been sur
prised 10 see some Of the inmates
come out Of the dwellings attired
in the same fashions. as their stone
ancestors, only Of more flexible
material. High up Oh one corner
of the outside of the church is
quaint piece of sculpture, repre-
senting a SOW sucking children.
A passer by benevolently tried to
tell us what it meant, but it was
all Dutch to Us. We learned af-
forwards that this cminently
courteous and Christian symbol
in stone was delicate alldsion to
the Jews. At last we gained en-
trance to the church, but were
disappointed, as one SO often is
to find that undermining and
Whitewash had made it common
place and ugly. The special OBJ
jects of interests were Luthers por-
trait, the pulpit in which he preach
ed, and some old pictures ofscenes
of the Reformation by Cranach,
the artist-reformer of those days.
Hawthorne has said that sin or
der to appreciate picture we
must look at it with an eye of faith
or its highest excellence ESCAPES
us" 1t is necessary to help out the
painters art with our own resour-
ces of sensibility and imagination.
This is especially true of those ve-
ry early masters who were so
trammeled with Journalism. That
there is real genius within the un-
graceful lines of Cranach is proved
by the honor paid to him in erect
ing the statue to his memory at
Nuremberg, which was unveiled
but a few weeks since with impo-
sing ceremonies. One picture of
his was particularly striking. A
group of monks are standing
around the grave of Luther, be-
seeching Charles V. to permit
them to disinter the oody, burn
it, and cast the ashes to the winds.
Their sinister, ugly faces seem to
foretell the deadly warfare their
church would henceforth wage up
on the reformed religion. Their
coarse, dark gowns and cowls, and
tonsured heads form vivid con-
trast with the rich dress of the
Emperor and fine expression
which his countenance at that mo-
ment wears as he refuses their re-
quest. The great monarch thus
showed that he could appreciate
the greatness ola man like Luth-
err.
The Schl0sskirche, in another
part of the city, is the chuach up
on the door of which the reformer
affixed his famous theses. The
old doors were destroyed by the
French, but were replaced in 1853
by new ones of bronze, on which
the original Latin text IF the thes-
es Inscribed. Luther and Me-
lancthon are buried in this church.
A simple bronze tablet in the floor
marks each grave, near which
hang their portraits. You are
shown an old psalm book and a
broken hour-glass that belonged
to Luther.
The most interesting associations,
however. cluster around the cell in
monastery where he WAS monk.
After the reformation this build
ing WAS uni'etl TO he University,
and Luther lived here with his
family His )Da is quite large.
and Iias iWo windows with very
small paner. The walls are wains-
coted with wood, and ornamented
with paintings which are now al
most oblteraied. The s.ove, which
was designed after Luther's own
conception, reaches nearly to the
ceiling, and is covered with gro.
tesqus figures in relief. An old
wooden table. nearly despoiled Of
the upper layer of Its top by enter
prising tourists; "a bench running
around the room, and high up. a
shelf, answering the purpose of
closet, together with double seat
in a window, constitute the entire
furniture. In this seat Luther and
his wife used to sit, ais q cis. If
this wasstheir recreation. the Out
look through the tiny thick pane