Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-11-09
THE LUTHER festival.
Great Preparations for the Celebration
In Germany This Week.

.hs'H wv
The festival in celebration of the fourth
centenary Of Luther's birth takes place on
Saturday at Eisleben, Germany. 1t prom
ises unusual splvndor, the preparations being
made on an extensive sale. Along the prin-
cipal streets through which the grand pro-
cesslon will pass every house will be
decorated with flags, carpets, garlands and
evergreens. Throughout the route double
lines of Venetian masts are being put up,
while at the entrance to the market place and
several important points along the line Of the
procession triumphal arches and profuse
decorations are erected. The preparations
Tor the historic procession under the super
vision OF the historic painter w. Beckmanp,
OF Dusseldorf, are now complete. The spec
tacle promises extraordinary magnincence.
Eight hundred persons will take part, Five
hundred persons will be in medieval cos
tunes OF historic accuracy ali more or less
remarkable for style and color. There will
also be one hundred and twenty horses bril-
liantly crarsoucd in the fashion Of the
Middle Ages
The Luther car, which belongs 10 Count
Won Mansfield, marvellous specimen of the
coach builders art aud hcraldc decoration
The principal pcrsonagcs in the procession
VIII be presented by country gentlemen be-
longing to the Eisleben district, who will
| appear in costumes Of gorgeous description.
The line OF procession will be kept by the
members of scventy-two veterans societies,
representing body of two thousand men, in
their respective uniforms. The Crown
I'rince OF Germany will arrive at Eisleben on
The SIE and will be welcomed on the eve OF
the festival by two thousand miners, in char
ac'eiisuc costumes, with torchlight process
sion.
Worms, town near the Rhine, where
Lutner bore testimony against Rome before
the dignitaries of the Empire and the Church,
held its commemoration last week. The
festival was preceded on the previous day
by the performance of a religious play,
written By the poet Hans Hcrrg. 1t was
given inTrinity church, in the presence of the
Grand Duke OF Hessc and family and nu-
merous audience. The whole town was Cayly
decorated. German and Hessian flags iloated
from the roofs and windows aud masts
planted in the ground Most richly decorated
OF all was the Luther square, on which
stands kietschePs monument to Luther AT
Tour o'clock the large church was filled.
Before the simply dropped altar below the
organ a stage had been raised without decor
| - "uJ hihu' lHC organ pre-
coded the drama. After prelude, in which
an alderman OF Worms who knows nothing
OF Luther hears Of his actions from a herald,
curtain is drawn aside and Luther is seen
in his cell struggling with doubts. This
scene closes with the psalm, accompanied by
the organ
"out OF the depths cry"
In the second scene at Wi,tcnberg Luther
opens the conflict by mailing his theses to the
door of the church. Then follows the burn.
ing OF the Pope's bull, after which the organ
plays TeDium. The Diet of Worms is next
presented. We sec the Diet assembled aud
the German monk before the Emperor re-
iusing to recant and eloquently defending
his doctrines. While he speaks and the
princes answer is heard the
"Eine feste Burg list unscr Gott"
Moved by the mighty strains, the whole
audience rises 10 its feet and joins in the
song. The next scene shows Luther at the
Wartburg, translating the Bible into German,
and aflerward as a preacher, swaying the
mob. In the last scene the venerable Re-
former sits 10 the bosom of his family, with
bis friends around him.