Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-10-26
LUTHEIi'S TABLE.TALK.
German and Italian TaiIors-An Argu.
mont AgnImsl CellbacY.

German and Italian Tailors-An Argu
mcnt Against CcIibscy
Anybody who means to take his holiday
in Germany this year, and who wishes t.
, refresh his memory on the subject of Lu
ther, cannot do better than dip into til,
'Tischreden,' or table-talk, of the grca
reformer Those who are ignorant o
German will find translation in the Bohr
series. 1t is serious talk for tho mos
part, but not the less interesting on tina
account Some of it, again, is of th,
homeliest sort and that is perhaps tn,
most interesting of all. For example, 90
have got some cloth for breeches; but
have not as yet determined upon giving i
out to be made up. These ] have hat
mended four times, and shall have mend
ed once more. The tailors here in Sax
ony are very bad and very dear Thingi
in this respect are much better in Italy
There one particular class of tailors makes
nothing but brecches.' Italy was to the
simple Germans of the sixteenth century
what Egypt was to the Greeks of the agt
of Herodotus-the Wonderland. Luther
had no love for the Italians, but at times
he displays an awe of them, as of profes
sors of the black art. "They only requir,
you," he says, "to look in mirror TO be
able to kill you. They can deprive you
of all your senses by secret poisons." Ht
declares, however, that he would not have
missed his journey to Rome for 100000
tlorins. Had he not been there, he might
have thought himself guilty of injustice
to the Pope. Stories concerning the bat
tie of his life are numerous. The follow.
ing is neat: "Whcn undertook to write
against the gross error of indulgences,
DIR. Staupitz said, What! would you
write against the Pope? They will never
allow You to do that But suppose,
replied, they have to allow it 2" One is
reminded of the man who was committed
for contempt of court, and whom his
friends endeavored to comfort, saying
They cant keep You in prison." "But
they arc keeping me in prison." he OBJ.
jected.
If We are sometimes disgusted by Lu.
Tiers violnece in controversy, it must not
be forgotten against what kind of errors
he lifted up his voice. The austere re-
ligion of devout Catholic of to-day his
little IN common with the superstition OF
which one catches glimpse in such an
anecdote is this "a woman at Venice
had killed and thrown into the water a
young fellow who was her lover. A monk
gave her absolution and then denounced
her. The woman, by way of defence,
showed the monks absolution. The
Senate thereupon ordered the monk to be
burned alive and thewoman to be banished
from the city. 1t was wise decision.
:" That was Luthcr's opinion.
One gladly turns from such scenes to the
quiet personage at Wittenberg. In his
love of nature the Apostle of the Reforma-
ton was quite n modern. 81 who am
aged, and have gained my title of Emcri-
tbs, should prefer now to enjoy the pleas
ures of an old man in the garden, contem-
ptlaing the wonders of Gods creation in
the trees, the flowers, the grass, the birds.
E" One feels sure he would eag-
erly have joined any society for the pre-
vention of cruelty to animals that had
been started III his day. One evening two
birds were busy building their nests in
the Doctors garden, and often scared
while committing their petty thefts by the
passers to and fro. "Ah, poor little
birds, he exclaimed, "hy not away
wish you well with all my heart, if you
would only believe me- And he added a
pretty little moral, the purport Of which
may be guessed.
81 think, Lamb" asked Colcridge OF
his friend" that you have heard me
preach p 'I-I n-never heard'you dido
anything else,"' was the answer In n
good sence this was true of Luther. His
conversation nearly always tends to editi-
cation. But for set sermons he diLsnot SO
much care ; and he protests against the
idea that it is necessary to have three on a
Sunday: two he thought quite enough.
As TO the matter of dlscourses from the
pulpit, he lays down the rule that "thero
is nothing more agreeable and and more
useful to the common class of auditors
than to preach to them the law and plain
examples. Disquistions upon grace and
upon the articles Of justification, however
good in themselves, sound cold and unin-
teresting in such ears" Heliked preach
ers to be handsome, $50 as TO please the
eyes of women" Toward the sex his tone
is always that of kindness, tlnged occa-
sionally with the good-humorcd contempt
of superior for an inferior being. Even
in regard to his Catherine he declares that
he had married her out of compassion.
He thought her 81 pretty that he vowed
he would send her portrait to II council OF
Catholic divines then sitting, us an argli-
ment againt celibacy. The portrait in
question. by Lucas Cranacl, scarcely
bears out the eulogium. The lady's face
is large and bony, with round unmeaning
eyes, and wide open nostrils. But she
was pre-emincntly n good women and
one remark Of hers, made i'll the family
circle, well bears repetition. "What
must have been the feelings of Abraham, -
exclaimed Luther, "whon he consented
to sacrifice his only son and to slay him :
lie would never have spoken of it to
Sarah. 1t would have cost him too dear.
Truly, had God imposed such command
upon me, | should have contested the
point with Him. Here Catherine inter.
posed, saying, 81 cannot believe that God
would require any one to kill his child,
DOminus Kethd-"My Lord Kitty
appears to have will of her own. ''If
We're to marry again" remarks her hus
band. 81 would carve an obedient wife
for myself out of block of marble for,
unless did SO, / should despair of finding
one" Luther would scarcely have ap
proved of female suffrage; but he was
probably ahead of most Of his contempor
aries i'll his ideas of the rights of women
Thus the Saxon law, which assigned n,
the widows portion n chair and distatf'
he condemns MS "too severe" And ht
would have it interpreted largely" as inn
plying by the first gift the widows righ
of remaining in the dwelling of her hus-
band; and by the second her subsistence
her maintenance. A man pays his servan
more literally nay, he gives more thar
this to beggar.' Being asked to advise
on matrimonial cause, he refraincd from
giving more than general opinion as tC
the method to be followed in such cases
"These things" he concluded, "conceri
the civil authority ; for marriage is tenn
poral matter, which interests the Churcl
in no way except as to the conscience.
NJ. Naquet could hardly use Language
more anti-clerical.