National Republican., 1883-11-12
ST. pAuL,s CuuRcu.

s1oNER EATON, SIMON WOLF, AND OTHERS.
Looking down from the choir gallery at
st. PauPs Lutheran church upon the vast au-
dicnco below one was impressed with tho
beauty and the solemnity Of the OCCASION
The building was filled to its utmost capacity
and then against its people closed doors
surged the waves of dense crowd
lager to get within. Tho main aisles
in evergreen, typical Of the influence of the
great reformer. The space around the pulpit
was built up in u platform, every available
foot of which was occupied by distinguished
individuals. In the conter was deeply
banked mass of flowers filing the air with
heavy fragrance and throwing back the
light of tho gas jets in many
aud orange flag of the German empire,
side by side with the stars and stripes, COW
cred the wall back of the flowers, showing
off the legends of Wittenberg Wartburg,
Worms" aud " "Eisenach, Eislebcn, and Err
furt those monuments in the life of Luther
that stand out prominently against the back
ground of the agos. The church wore tri-
umphal look, and in the center of the banks
of flowers the portrait of Luther looked out
upon the scene, revealing the source of its in
spiration, the fountain head Of its trimuphal
air.
1t was indeed triumphal scene which tho
peasant monk had wrung from postority to
grace the glory of his name and fame. Tho
fourth centennial anniversary of tho man
who was born in the wilds of German SaNony,
in the Toutonic marshes, on the borders of
the hostile and foreign Slavs, had brought to-
gether this vast assemblage to do him honor
in country then unknown to civilized man,
All grades Of society and almost all races
of men were represented in that audience.
Largely Teutonic, there were present Irish
mon, SCotchmen, Italians, Engishinen and
Scandinavians. High officers of tho govern
ment, distinguished clergymen, famous
scholars, artists mechanics, patricians and
proletarians, men of blood-kindred to the
great reformer, and mon of an alien race,
with beautiful women of many nations-all
united in % homage of song, of oratory, and Of
praise to the champion of free thought.
The situation was intensely dramatic. Tho
president of tho meeting was discordant
of the Puritans, who had overtoppled throne
and beheaded king and abandoned civiliza-
tion for the bowling wilderness to carry out
the great principles successfully championed
by the Saxon monk. A Gallic priest, carry
ing on to- day in tho greatest of the ,papal
capitals the same conflict of reform
within the church first started by Luther,
had crossed tho seas and in u strange
language, with passionate eloqucnce, bore tes-
timony to the brilliant genius of the German
reformer. And to crown all, a Jew was there
in Chriatian church, type of the prosecuted
race, foremost among the fhillistines in lay
ing, Hebrew lily With the Gentilo roses
Him NhoS lad made such q spectacle
possible by breaking the chains that
held human thought in bondage. In all
the impassoned oriental dreams of his race
no wilder flight of fancy had been reached
than this, that Saxon peasant should
create language, u literature, and
religion, and raise up the despised,
sovereign princes Of the holy Roman empire.
After u hymn by the choir aud prayer by
Rev. DR.. Wills. chaplain, U. S. A., and
tho president of the meeting Gen. Eaton
delivered an eloquent address. He reviewed
the early life of Luther, briefly but pictorially
sltetched the incidents that led to tho
memorable conflict with Rome, analysed
political character Of the times, and closed
o glowing tribute to the genius and charac-
ter of his subject. To him the true Christian
church, tho state, tho family, and popular
education were more indebted than to any
other man. "a cornet solo followed. Gen.
Eaton created u little breeze of excitement
by gracefully alluding TO the struggle now
carried on inside the Roman Catholic church,
and introducing to the audience Pere lIya-
cinthC.
The famous French reformer took the au-
| dience with him Mt his first movement With
| q graceful gesture, u melodious voice, and u
rapid play of expression upon his face, he
Ropt his hearers perfectly silont for perhaps
| twenty minutes of impassioned eloquenCe.
Tho famous Pero is o pictorial and dramatic
speaker, with clear, distinct enunciatiOn
by which overy word he speaks is heard.
He has a rich, ready voice, very pleas
ant to hear, whose smoothness never
degenerates into harshness or breaks into
shrillness. His voice, like his face, admits of
Il great variety of expression, which he skill
fully and pleasantly exercised. Ho has the
raro faculty of identifying himself with the
emotion of tho moment, and hence adds the
charm of graceful novelty to everything he
says. He began by saying, ut has been a
habit ofmy Ultramontane antagonists to call
mo by the opprobrious epithet given to
Martin Luther-that of 'Apostate Monk
should like to be his disciple-not in all OF
his opinions but 80 far as these opinions are
great aud immortal in the work OF, reforma-
ton. l salute in him tho first old Catholic
He wanted to reform according to his ideas
inside and not outside. lie wanted, in fact
no division; no schism. / should like to &C.
complish what Luther began-a thorough re.
| form in the Latin church. For Luther would
have kept within the church lines in u regu'
larly constituted episcopatc, if he could have
done So"
Continuing tho Pere said, in substance
that Luther was animated by these prinGi
pies First he was to break off connection
with Rome, with its errors and its abuses
secondly, ut tho same time he was to remain
loyal to tho faith as taught in the
Bible, and faithful to Christ as the
Very Son of God. In following these two
principles he traced two lines of demarka
tiOn, one Of timo and one Of space. THAI
of time was n new era in the church and in
| society. The renaissance was only a prepar
alton for this reformation as of the rcnais
sanco tho French revolution was only con
sequence. Neither created u distinct era
That was done by the reformation inaugu
rated by Luther.
Tho reformation drew a line of demarcatioI
both in America and in Europe between the
people who were emancipated by Luther ant
those still holding allegiance to Rome. Al
regards these 1t was not question of race
bat of % religious system. For example, tn,
Irish Kolts, the Slavic Poles, the Austrian
Germans, all Of whom aro Romausts
are as surely in u state of decadenc
as the Latin nations. Thirdly, to practic
what no preached was Luthers aim. Ii
was courageous enough to do this, in privat
AZ well as in public and ecclesiastical life.
The Pere closed by hoping that in 1888 the
whole world would be neither Protestant MOI
Romauist, but that humanity would b,
united in one great Christian church.
Mr. Simon Wolf followed in burst {
forvid eloquonce, wherein no paid II CLOWN
tribute to the genius and character of tn
great German who had emancipated huma
thought. lIe looked upon Luther us tn
| greatest man horn To humanity since tim