Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-09-04
MARTIN LUTHER.
A Visit of Four Hundred Years
Ago Celebrated.
REPRODUCING A HISTORIC SCENE.
The Grand Pageant al erfurt in Commemor-
alton of the Rebeilious Monks Visit
Vast Crowds VINO Witnessed
the DispIaV-Etc.. ETC.,

LoNDcY, September 3.-The Times cor.
respondent at Erfurt, Germany, under
date Of the sth ult., writes: Ever since the
ideas of their common past and of their
present unity took such q hold OF the ma.
ton, the Germans have shown great
fondness for playing at historical process
sions. Certainly they had ample opportu-
nifty to indulge their taste in this respect
in the pantomimic commemoration here
to day of the 400th anniversary Of the visit
OF Martin Luther To the. postsrity OF q
hundred zyears hence Martin Luiher sand2
Prince Bismarck will undoubtedly be re
garded as
The Castor and PolIux
OF modern German history, and it is re.
markabe coincidence that each OF these
greatest heroes of the German nation
made his debut so TO speak, as an Euro
pean actor on the very same obscure pro-
vincial stsge. 1t was in the university
library of EIfurt that Martin Luther first
discovered the Bible, it was in the church
of the Augustine that he was cCnsecrated
and read his first mass, and it was in this
Herr Won Bismarck, as member OF the
futile Union parliament Of 1850, first gave
indication to his Countrymen Of how only
national unity could ne attained. Anticl-
pating the veneration Of poSterity, the
town authorities have already put mp an
incriptiOn on the very modest little house
whore the political unitier OF the father
land lodged when atjenIi' : The Erturt
parliament; and as that lutte house was
To- day passed by the multitudes OF stu
dents who had assembled to do honor TO
The religious liberatCr Of Germany, they
raised such
A CIamor Of Enihusissm
as left no doubt about the heartiness Of
their hero worship.
Mulltudes OF students is the correct eX
preston. This formidable fortress town OF
Erfurt seemed 10 have been captured 10y an
irresistible army of academic youth, com.
posed of formidable contingents from al
most every university in the faith rlaud.
They came lroOping in brave array from
materialistic Berlin and Catholic Breslau,
and neighboring Jena, sacred b the me N.
ory OF Goethe and Schiller and other lights
of modern German literature; from Halle,
on the winding Saale, and from Gottingen,
which still remembers its founder English
George, and the dueling days OF Bismarck;
from Munich on the lsar, close to the camp
oil the UllTdUOUldutst Ipbuu Oii 'uc
Rhine, where EDglshmen by numbers
and therefore vainly, 90 to learn German;
from TurbiDgen, in the simple Swabian re-
gicn, whittier
YOung and Orthodox Aspirants
to the Kirk OF Scotland repair TO taste the
waters of German theology and ascertain
whether or not they are bitter, from roman.
tic Heide berg, on the wooded edge OF the
fertile Baden valleys; from Grieiswards,
near to Northern Stalsund, which WalIen.
stein fiercely swore he would take, even if
ii were chained TO Heaven; from RostDck,
famous in the time of Rittmeister Duga'd
Dalgetty for its beer; from FreburC, over.
shadowed by the vines Of the Black Forest;
from Baltic Kiel, at once pestiferOus nest
of social Democrats and safe and stately
haven for the imperial navy; from Stras'
burg with its stork.fr5quentei minister
and its memories, its ever slowly.fiding
memories for French dominion; and from
Ieipsic, which has well been callei the
"ChimborazO OF suicide and the BrminS-
ham OF the book trade. From all these re.
moved seats Of learning came enthusiastic
troops of those 10 whom the intellectual
future Of the fatherland belongs, To honor
the memory of the man who may well be
called the fountain Of its intellectual life
A few words will suffice TO give the idea
Of to.day's
Historical Professions
which in some respects, ii is true, differed
from the incident 1t was meant TO repre-
sent, lust as one OF Shakspearc's plays, pre-.
sented at the Lyceum, differs from the mise
en- scene Of the same play as Put upon the
boards at the Globe theatre. The year is
1921. Luther, who was then 80 years old,
stood under the ban Of Pope Leo y. for
having stubbornly refused to rrcAnt his
famous ninety:five theses against indui-
gencies and other vile ROmish abuses and
he was on his way to answer for himself be-
and all the assembled tempor-
al and spiritual majesty OF Eu-
rope, to answer for himself aud to utter
- memorial words: Here | stand; ]
c., .. r'herwise. God help me.
-. ., ~ Luther's way from Witten.
Worms lay through Erfurt, where
l., III fOrmly studied and taught, the
members OF the university and the towns;
people. bearing Of his approach, turned
out to welcome and wish godspeed 10 the
sudacious monk. with the fame OF whose
acts and words all Germany, from Memel
10 the Mosele end from the Baltic to the
BLACK forest, was beginning to ring as with
the sound OF the trumpet OF Papaldoon,
And how Erfurt received the great reform
er We saw to dsy in
A Picturesque Hept OdnctiOn
OF the scene.
Preceded by Kasper Sturm, the gorgeous.
" emblszOned trumpet-bearing imperial
herald, who had ridden all the way from
Wittenberg to summon the defiant hermit
from his cell, we saw the Augustine monk
and his priesty CONSIDERS and companions
arrive at the Schmidt SraiIerthOr, which is
now, by q curious coincidence, guarded by
the frowning Sweden Bas'ion' OF the
fortress-a compliment perhaps, to the
great Gustavns Adolphus, that other re.
doubtabIe Champion d the fIossstane 1 ei.sne
think If be had 10 drive from
his palace to his cathedrA in
vehicle such as conveyed one
Dr. Martin Luther, translator OF the Bible
into his native German. and transformer
of the general face OF things from his cell
in Witten berg 10 the presence OF Imperial
Majesty at Worms? A roughly hung
country vain wentby, wi, an awning like
| a gipsy tent few bags OF oats 10 feed the
horses by the way forming a seat for the
driver The doctor himself, in his gray
frieze gaoerdine and cowl, was well, nay
startlinRly, person sted by an actor from
| the Weiniar Theatre, though as far as facial
| expression is concerned ii Is doubtful
whether so hopeful and courageous man
as the great reformer, even 10 his direst
predicament, ever looked as IL he were
passing 10 lut RhllOWS III eue AauB BHah
| cart.
Through the Streets.
Having received into its midst the hon.
ored wsyfarer from Wittenburg away
moved The long procession through the
winding and densely crowded streets stall
wart motley clad landsknechts, 70 the
sound Of fife and drum, University stu
| dents with banners and sceptres, gay
squads Of irou ubadours, ricaly costumed sf.
ter the fashion Of Justice Shallow and
Master Slender, grave professors in their
| robes OF office, mounted citizens OF SNUG.
| complscent mien, heavy black -armor ed
| Knights from Torgua, with morions and
steel caps, medieval guilds, and artisans
carrying the badges Of their respective
crsfts-the gardeners, in particular. escort
| ing the Goddess Flora in Q magnifcenuy.
decked csr-wspdering scholars and min
strels, pert apprentices, aud batch OF de-
| mure burgher maidens. each looking for
all the world the living image Of 3oeEhss
Marguerite.