The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-12-12
The Boyhood Of Martin Luther.
Harper S Young Poop e.l

Martin Luther is one of the few great men
of the world with whose boyhood we really
feel familiar. Our acquaintance with him.
indeed. goes back to his babyhood, when he
was christened in St. Peters Church, Elsie
ben, and received the name of Martin, be-
cause he was born on the day sacred to that
saint.
All his ancestors were good but poor and
uneducated people. He was the son of a
peasant, he tells u.s. the grandson OF a peas
ant and the great grandson of a peasant
HIS father, who had been a wood cutter, and
atterward became miner, though untaught
himself, had great idea OF education, and
resolved that at least one of his children
should be scholar. Accordingly, when the
boy was only five years old, the father took
him one day to Master Nicolas Emilius's
school at Mansfield where they were then
living.
Master Emilius had reputation for being
strict and severe, and Mrs. Luther Martins
mother, dreaded the idea of putting her lit
tie boy in his care. They say that Nicolas
Emilius is so harsh, she ventured to remark
to her husband when he suggested the plan.
Now Mr.. Luther, though good father, was
by no means an indulgent one. He often
whipped the little Martin himself, and for
fear of him we read that the child would
hide away in the great chimney of the cot.
tage; so we are not surprised when we learn
that he answered his wife, ''Ihe only way to
bring. up children properly is by fear and
chastisement"
With the father and the school teacher
both holding this opinion, it might be ex-
pected that the little boy would have pretty
hard time, especially as he proved to be
rather a dull scholar. His Latin grammar
gave him great deal of trouble, and when
he could not get the cases and lenses into his
head, Master Emilius would giye him Sc
we're logging. One morning he was whipped
as often as fifteen times.
Even religion was made stern and forbid
ding. The master never spoke of the Lord
but as an angry Judge, and when the boy
heard the name of Jesus Christ he grew pale
with dread. 1t was not strange that by-and-
by be grew to hate his school, 1.-The master
is tyrant, he would declare to his mother
with passionate tears in his eyes Neverthe-
less, he staid there nine years, and I.have no
doubt that 1T was the severe training of Mas
ter Emilius, who later on became his brother
in-law, that disciplined his character for the
work he was afterward to do
When Luther vas fourteen years old his
father sent him to school at Madgeburg, and
here, since he was very poor, he had to get
his bread and butter by Staging with the
other school boys in the streets. This was
common custom in Germany, and there was
no disgrace in it, but it exposed the young
{ niger to Ill treatment, which hurt his sensi-
tive spirit. Once he was singing before a
house, when the owner himself who was
rleh, came running out, crying loudly,
where are you, you knaves?"
we all took to our heels" said Martin,
aftefWard telling the story 'for we thought
that we had angered him by our importantly.
and he was going to beat us; but he called
us back. and gave us two loaves"
In his prosperous old age Luther did not
forget that be had sung in the streets for
food. ''Never despise the poor boys, " lie
urged others. ''who sing at the house doors
and ask bread for the love of God. How often
have been one of such group"
Luther, indeed. had occasion to remember
his experience as a singer, since it was in
this way that he met his first good fortune.
He had gone from Madgeburg to Eisenachl
and was singing there one day before GER
tain house, when the people called
him a beggar and a vagabond, and
drove him from the door. "What?" he ex.
claimed. "are we to be despised because we
sing for bread? Have not many great doctors
and gentlemen begun like us? Must give
UP my studies, return to my fathers, and
work in the mines at Mansfeld?-
At this crisis Mistress Ursula Gotta, good
woman a burgomaster's daughter, who had
heard the boys singing, and remarked the
abuse which he had received called him to
her door. Here she gave him bread. and,
what was better still, motherly sympathy
More than that, she invited him to make her
house his home. From that time Martin
felt new ambition. =.
He bad been treated with kindness almost
for the first time in bis life His school be-
came interesting 10 him. his studies were no
longer drudgery aud toll; aud he worked