The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-12
A LUTHER MESSAGE.

The Bishop of Rochester's Eloquent Contri-
button to the Literature of the Occasion.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov 1.-THE Lord Bishop
of Rochester contributes the following to
the Philadelphia Press as message from
Luther to America:
GA great mans memory rises like pillar
over the sea, flashing revolving light. The
light is ALWAYS there but not ALWAYS visible
on every side. So do the different nations
in turn and at intervels, when they are re-
ceptive of the lesson the dead heroes speak.
Men rule their fellows not only by the WV
ldness of their personality, but by its many
sldedness. st. Paul was many men in one.
So was Luther. In this they agree that
they were intensely human In Luthers
history there were several epochs familiar TO
every choolboy-milestones not only in his
personal development but in the progress
of the world. His conversion
into the vital and spiritual apprehension
of God; his public burning of the
papal bull; his mailing of the theses to the
church-door; his public trial at Worms; his
friendly Imprisonment in the Castle of Wart-
burg; his marriage; his domestic life-all
know these Who knows their signifinance?
To understand a man aud his life we must
take into account what Psychologists say are
the two main factors in conduct, heredty
and environment. Luthers parents were
plain people of the laboring class, but God
fearing and appreciative of education. All
round him was the Catholic Church, fast
sinking into an epicurean paganism, and
Germany in the grasp of Italy. The English
historian Froude who enthusiastically adj
mires Luther and ungrudgingly commends
him, does not hesitate to say that he
changed the face of Europe. What Eu-
rope to changel See what he possessed and
| also combined. Fearless and audacous to a
degree, ne had his awful moments of reac
| ton and dependency, which help US to come
nearer to him, and learn of him through that
nearness, Rugged and abrupt he was in
| fnitely tender and there was a well OF beall-
tiful love in his heart.
| twill always be matter of controversy
whether or not he helped the reformation
and materially augmented his personal in
| fluence by his marriage 1t is certain that
! he thereby vindicated the freedom of mar
riage of the clergy and bequeathed an excel
| lent ideal of cOnjugal and parental love. He
J almast reconstructed the German language
| by mis- greatest achievement-the translation
| of the Bible into his native tongue. A classi-
| cal scholar, he was a constant student of
Scripture, and all theologians may learn
! from him that the Bible is the true store
| house of Divinity. His hymns are the in
heritance of the church; his Table Talk is
| the heart affluence of dscursive talk, :"
which has a lesson of its own to a people
who are becoming almost proverbial
| for their taciturnity, and whom some
think too apt to hide from strangers,
eager to enjoy their humor and to borrow
from their experience the kindliness
that has too easily, perhaps sometimes in
self-respect, come to shroud itself under a
very Englshman's reserve. AS preacher
he did not aim at rhetorical or emotional
display. He had an eye to the multitude of
young people, children, servants all round
him. Less shrewd than Erasmus less gentle
than Melanchthon, perhaps less logical than
Calvin, certainly less divested of sacrament
tartan error-he towers above them all as
George Washington towers over the heroes
of the Revolution. To him, as has been
well said, Rome owes her resurrection-to
him, it may be said with equal truth, mill
ions of souls their salvation. England loves
his memory, for what has he not done for
her national and religious life? The free
millions OF the United States may we'll rise
up and do him honor by cherishing his ex-
example, pondering his history, and main
tainiDo his craad