Morning journal and courier., 1883-08-23

DugaId DaIgetty for it's beer from Freiburg, by the vines of the Black Forest from Baltic Kiel, at onee 8 pestife- rous nest of social democrats and 8 safe and stately haven for the imperial navy from Strasbure. the stork- -frequented Minister and it's memories, it's ever slowly fading memo ries for French dominion and from Leip- sic, which has well been called the .sChimbo- razo of suicide and the Birmingham of the book trade" From all these renowned seats of learning came enthusiastic troops of those to whom the intellectual future of the FatherIand belongs to honor the memory of the man who may well be called the fountain of it's intellectual life.
 It was wretchedIy wet and foul weather yesterday; but despite the malice of some Catholics, who form about third of the population of the place, and who, I am posi- lively informed, prayed that it might rain old knives and pikeheads to-day, this moEn- ing brought as lovely summer weather as the heart of man could desire. And what scene the sun shone on-this quaint old Hanse city, with its patrician burgers, it's memories of Luther and Bismarck, and Ma poleon, with his boasked parterre des Rois, it's red-tiled roofs and it's crooked streets, it's projecting gables, it's winding canals and Gothic bridge, it's historic churches and cloisters, it's holiday attire of flags and gar lands, flowers and eVergreens, it's multitudes of visitors from every province of Germa- ny, from all parts of the world-England, Scotland, Greece, Canada, America and New Zealand Mecca never attracted more devo- ted or more remotely dwelling pilgrims than did Erfurt to-day, to worship at the shrine of the great prophet of Professionalism,
 A few words will suffice to give the idea of to-day's historical procession, which in some respects, it is true. differed from the incident tt was meant to represent, just as one of Shakespeare's plays presented at the Lyceum differs from the mise en scene of the same play as put upon the boards ct the Globe theater. The year is 1521. Luther, who was then thirty-eight years old. stood under the ban of Pope Leo X for having stubborn ly refused to recant his famous ninetY-five theses against indulgences and other vile Romish abuses; and he was on his way to answer for himself before the new Emperor; Charles w., and all the assembled temporal and spiritual majesty of Europe, to answer for himself, and to utter the immortal words, t'Here stand cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen" As Luther's way from Wittenberg to Worms lay through Erfurt, where he had formerly studied and taught, the members of the university and the townspeople, hearing of his approach, turned out to welcome and wish God speed to the audacious monk, with the fame Of whose acts and words all Germany, from Memel to the Moselle, and from the Baltic to the Black Forest, was beginning to ring as
 
 doom. And how Erfurt received the great reformer we saw to-day in 8 picturesque re- production of the scene.
 Preceded by Kaspar Sturm, the gorgeous ly emblazoned, trumpet bearing, imperial herald, who had ridden all the way to Wit tenberg to summon the defiant hermit from his cell, we saw the Augustine monk and his priestly consolers and companions ar- rive at the Schmidt Stedterthor, which is now, by 8 curious coincidence, guarded by the frowning Sweden Bastion" of the fort ress-a compliment, perhaps, to the great Gustavus Apelphus, that other redoubtable champion of the Protestant faith. And what would my lord bishop think if he had to drive from his palace to his cathedral in 8 vehicle such as conveyed one Dr. Martin Luther, translator of the Bible into his na- tive German, and transformer of the general face of things, from his cell in Wittenberg to the presence of imperial majesty at Worms ? roughly hung country vain went by, with an awning like gipsy tent, a few bags of oats to feed the horses by the way forming a seat for the driveF. The doctor himself, in his gray frieze gaberdine and cowl, was well nay, startlingl by an actor from the Weimar theater, though, as far as facial expression is concerned, it is doubtful whether so hopeful and courageous man as the great reformer, even in his direst predic- ament, ever looked as if he were passing to the gallows in the hangman's cart.
 Having received into it's midst the honored wayfarer from Wittenberg, away moved the long procession through the winding and densely crowded streets-stalwart and mot ley-clad Landsknechts, to the sound of fife and drum. University students with ban ners and scepters, gay squads of troubadours, richly costumed altar the fashion of Justice Shallow and Master Slender; grave profes sors in their robes of office, mounted citi. zens, of snug, complacent mien; heavy black armored knights from Torgau, with morions and steel caps medieval guilds and artisans carrying the badges of their respec tive crafts-the gardeners in particular es 1 corting the goddess Flora in a magnifcently l decked car-wandering scholars and min strels, pert apprentices, and batch of de l mure burgher maidens each looking for al 1 the world the living image of Goethe's Mar guerite.
 At the prominent points in the line ot | route the reformer was greeted with the sol emn choral strains of his own immorta hymn, s.Eine feste Burg ist unser Gott ; and verify it was an affecting thing to heal these pious and deep-throated Germans chanting this sublime psalm, which, with all their growing dislike of church-going, they have, as frequently as the Ironsides of Oi- yer, sung on the eve of battle
 The pageant was closed by the procession coiling itself round colossal bust of Luther within the shadow of the Catholic cathedral, to listen to commemorative address from the court and garrison preacher at Potsdam, who wound up, amid great enthusiasm, by asking for three cheers for the German En- peror. To-day's pageantry was strictly of a popular character. No persons in authority, not even of the ruling princes and magnates of the neighborhood, came to witness it, but, in remaining away, it is well known that their only motive was a desire not to accen- tuate the feelings which have been created by the Culturkampf. To days procession, of course, was not without the stagey features which must characterize all such displays, but still there was en unmistakable serious ness about i5, and it was at any rate worthy prelude to the less ostentatious, but more in- tellectual celebration of Luther's four hun dredth birthday, which will be generally held throughout Protestant Germany ou the tenth of November next.