The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-24
The Luther Celebrations Furnish Opportu-
nifty for AssaiIinS and Defending the
Memory of the Reformer.
Queen Victoria Uneasy Because Of
the Activity of the Socialists.
Immunity of the Prince of Wales from At
tacks by Assassins-Other Royal Sci
Ons Who Are Not So Fortunate.
Correspondence Of the Indianapolis Journal

LONDON NOV. 1O.-Last Monday brought to
Americans here an unusual sense of home-sick-
ness. 1t was the English 4th of July. Bonfres,
illuminations and pyrotechnc displays were
universal; but one thing missing. There
was no danger to life and limbs from the ran
dom use of the pistol. This lack was keenly felt
by many of us, as also was the absence from
the columns Of the next days paper of the
familiar list of fatalities. Another proof, we
said TO ourselves, how very far be-
hind the times are thes Britishers.
Actually, the firing of gun or
revolver on or near the public thoronghfares is
misdemeanor IN this country, and people are
SO old-fashioned as to respect this law. ASIDE
from the absurdity of such an arrangements
look at the injustice il works to doctors and uu-
dertakers! After all, America is the only really
free country, and the tameness and harmless
ness OF Mondays celebration furnishes us with
another reason for wanting to get back there as
speedily as possible
What makes the 18th of November a day when
the noise of the festive fre-cracker is annually
heard in this land, any schoolboy will
tell you. The rumpus has reference to
the diabOlical plot to blow up King James and
his Parliament Thirty barrels of gunpowder
had been secreted for this purpose, and Guy
Fawkes was Just ready to light the fuse. But
he didn't. The instigators of this plot were the
Catholics, who had been driven from pOwer bV
the Reformation, and who were specially bitter
toward James, because, though Stuart and the
son of Mary, Queen OF Scots, be maintained
with increased rigor the Protestant forms graft
ed upon the nation by the TudOrs. A special
feature Of this celebration is the burning in
effigy of the tool of these conspirators. Every
village has its Guy Fawkes, and in every
case, after being carried through the streets to
the music of tin-pans, the odious figure is,
amidst patriotic yells and groans, duly reduced
10 ashes. This year the populace seemed to
enter into this performance with unusual
zest Tor the memory of recent dynamite ex-
posions was still fresh upon them, and, doubt
less, to many, the incarceration of FaNkes re-
presented the doom they would be glad TO zee
visited upon the enemies of their country at the
I,nnrnn+ dav For many generations after thA
discovery of the famous gunpowder plot
the feeling Of the English people toward the
Church of Rome was extremely hostile, but
latterly it has relaxed. The government
is on the best OF terms with the Pope, and
the cause is rapidly gaining converts. Accord
ing to the Roman Catholic directory for 1888
the total clergy of that persuasion in England
and Wales amounts to 2,l12 priests and IL
bishops, who serve 1,1S8 churches, chapels and
missionary stations. In Scotland there are six
distributed over 295 chapels. For England and
Wales there is one archbishop, with fourteen
sutfragans and two auxiliary bishops; for Scot:
land, two archSishops and four suffragans.
SHOWING THEIR CoLoRs
These figures do not, of course include those
of Catholic prOclivities among the clergy of the
Established Church. But many snch there are,
unquestlonably, and the celebration, this week,
of the four hundredth anniversary of the birth
of Luther gives them an opportunity to show
their co!Ors. Leading men of this class not only
hold aloof from all o0sevances that are intended
to do honor to the great Reformer, hut they
Join with the Catholics in prOnOuncing him "a
false prophet, schismatic and heretic." From
these we hear the familiar story of Luther's
peccadilloes-how that he great
swier of beer and had a gross nature;
that his language was vulgar; that he set
his hand to a document permitting a
certain German prince to have two wives
at the same time, and so on. As showing
how what is looked upon as a great Protestant
household can be divided against itself on these
fundamental matters, are being treated Just
now to a controversy between the Dean ana the
Archbishop of York The former prOnOunces
the reformation stupendous blnnder, and ap-
plies to the principal agent in bringing iG about
such epithes as many downright Romauists
would hesitate TO use. Inc ArcnolShop uetehds
Luther, and cites the strongest proofs to show
that the Reformation Is the cornerstone OF the
English Church. Meanwhile, English Protest.
ants generally, il is pleasant TO note, are hold
ing appropriate festivities. A great meet
ing takes place to-day, in Exeter Hall, pre-
sided over by Earl SALISBURY, and special
sermons are announced for tomorrow. The pa
| ners too are laundering out the praises of "the
| solitary monk" From the charges OF coarse
| ness and vulgarity, the Telegraph defends
| Luther IN a mastery manner. "Ihese things"
! it says ''are but spots upon the sun OF bril-
| liant individuality while, indeed, It would ba
hard to conceive OF man doing Luther's work
without having in his nature a tendency to
Luther's faillngs. Great and sturdy trees are
| not hewn down ny Toledo blades, but by much
| coarser, and therefore more fitting, weapons.
Similarly, for the task OF oyerturring an ancient
| and tremendous tyranny, rooted for centuries in
| superstition and fear. strong rather than
! refined man was needed, Could Luther's friend,
| the learned and gentle Melanehthon, have
| wrought the reformation? He served il as Milton
served the militant pIritanism OF the Common
| wealth, in the study and the council chamber,
| but the forefront OF the battle demanded man
| fun of physical and intellectual vitality, with
| ready and plain-speaking tongue, a strong right
arm and bulldog tenacity OF purpose. SUCH
| was Martin Luther, and he was the man for the
| time and work In that task, 1t seems to us, no
other of different constitution could have sue
ceeded. The age was ripe for
squeamish reformer, since discomfort
| ward into social strata which had no apprecia-
tiOn of scholastic arguments and the conyen-
| tionalltes of theological warfare, but only asked
| to be delivered in the most direct way, II was
the confused almost inartieulate cry OF the peo-
| pie tnat Lutuef hedIu ana lulerptelCu,
THE QUEEN ALARMED.
From Luther, who dehed royalty and Guy
Fawkes. whose ambition it was to put an end to
the troubles of King james by blowing him up,
| let us turn for a moment to inquire into the
safety of the present royal family. Whether with
good reason not the Queen is evidently
alarmed, and to this fact, as mucn rs TO
either personal Illness or grief for the