The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-05
THE LUTHER FESTIVAL.
Elaborate Preparations Being Made
for the Proposed Celebration.
The Object of the French in China as Re-
lated by General-Moody and
Sankey's Success.
LUTHER'S MEMORIAL.


The Preparations for the Festival ON Sunday
of Next Week.
BERLIN, Nov 4.-The festival in celebration
of the fourth centenary of Luthers birth
takes place this day week at Eiselben. 1t
promises unusual splendor, the preparations
being made on an extensive scale. In the
market place. where the most important por-
ton of the ceremony will be performed, the
erection of tribunes for the accommodation
of the distinguished guests is rapidly ap-
preaching completion. Along the principal
streets through which the grand procession
will pass every house will be decorated with
flags, carpets, garlands and evergreens.
Throughout the route double lines of Vene-
tan masts are being put up while at the en-
trance to the market place and several i'm
portant points along the line of the procession
triumphal arches and profuse decorations are
erected,
The preparations for the historic process
sion, under the supervision of the historic
painter, w. Beckmann, of Dusseldorf, are
now complete The spectacle promises ex-
traordnary magnifcence. Eight hundred
persons will take part. Five hundred per-
sons will be in medieval costumes of historic
accuracy all more or less remarkable for
style or color. There will also be 100 horses
brilliantly caparisoned in the fashion of the
middle ages The Luther car, which belongs
to Count Won Mansfield, is marvellous speci-
men of the coach-builder's art and heraldic
decoration. The principal personages in the
procession will be represented by country
gentlemen belonging to the Eiselben dis
trict, who will appear in costumes of gor-
geous description. The line of procession
will be kept by members of seventy-two vet
eran societies, representing body of 1000
men, in their representative uniforms The
Crown Prince of Germany will arrive at Els
elben on the Sth, and will be welcomed on
the eve of the festival by 1000 miners, in
characteristic costumes, with a torchlight
procession.
Worms a town near the Rhine, where
Luther bore testimony against Rome before
the dignitaries of the empire and the church,
held its commemoration yesterday. The fes-
tival was preceded on the previous day by
the performance of a religious play, written
by the poet, Hans Herrig. 1t was given in
TriRity Church in the presence of the Grand
Duke of Hesse and family and numerous
audience The whole town was gaily deco
rated. German and Hessah flags foated
from the roofs and windows and masts
planted in the ground. The most richly dec
GRATED Of all was the Luther Square, on
which stands RietchePs monument to Lu-
ther. At 4 o'clock the large church was
filled Before the simply-draped altar below
the organ stage had been raised without dec
GRAFTON of any kind. The organs music pre-
ceded the drama.
After prelude, in which an alderman of
Worms who knows nothing of Luther hears
of his actions from a herald, a 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 l cry" In the second
scene, at Wittenberg, Luther opens the con-
hict by mailing his theses to the door of the
church Then follows the burning of the
Pope's bull. after which the organ plays a TIE
Deum. The Diet of Worms is next presented.
We see the Diet assembled, and the German
monk before the Emperor refusing to recant,
and eloquently defending his doctrines While
he speaks, and the Princes answer is heard
the hymn, Elm feste Berg ist unser Gott."
Moved by the mighty strain, the whole audi
ence rises to its feet and joins in the song.
The next scene shows Luther at the Wort
burg, translating the Bible into German, and
afterward a preacher, swaying the mob.
In the last scene the venerable reformer sits
in the bosom of his family, with his friends
around him.