Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-09-01
MARTIN LurHBR's MARRIAGE.

In priesthood and monkery he had
ceased to believe. If the orders them
selves were unreal, the VOWS to respect the
rules of those orders might fairly be held
to be nugatory. Luther not only held that
the clergy, as a rule, might be married, but
he thought it far better that they should
be married, and the poor men.and women,
who were turned adrift on the breaking up
of the religious houses, he had freely ad-
vised to marry without fear or scruple.
But still around vow certain imagined
sanctity persisted in adhering, and when
he was recommended to set an example to
others who were hesitating, he considered,
and his friend, Melancthon, considered,
that, in his position, and with so many in
dignant eyes turned upon hun, he ought
not to give occasion to the enemy. Once,
indeed, impatiently, he said that marry he
would, to spite the devil. But he had
scarcely home to offer to any woman, and
no leisure and 30 certainty of companion
ship. He was for come years after the
Edict of Worms in constant ex-
pectation of being executed as
hereto. He still lived in the Au-
gustinian convent at Wittenberg; but the
monks had gone, and there were no reye-
nues. He had no income of his own one
suit of clothes served him for two years
the Elector at the end of them gave him a
piece of cloth for another. The publishers
made fortunes out of his writings, but he
never received form for them. So i'll.
attended he was that for whole year his
bed was never made, and was mildewed
with perspiratioa. 81 was tired out with
each DAYS work" he said, land lay down
and knew no more" But things were get
ting into order again in the Electorate.
The parishes were provided with pastors,
and the pastors with modest wages. Luther
was Professor at the University, and the
Eector allowed him salary of 200 gulden
year. Presents came from other quarters,
and he began to think that it was not we'll
for him to be alone. In Wittenberg there
was certain Catherine Won Bora, sixteen
years younger than he, who had been a
nun in distant convent. Her family were
noble, but poor they had provided for
ter when she was child OF nine at six
teen she had taken the vows but she
detested the life into which she had
been forced, ard when the movement
began she had applied to her friends to
take her ont OF IL. Inc IffenuS WOulu 90
nothing but in April, 1923, she and nine
others were released by the people. As
they were starving, Luther collected
money to provide for them, and Catherine
Won Bora, being then % years old, came to
Wittenberg to reside with the Burgomss-
ter, Philip Reichenbach. Luther did not
at first like her she was not beautiful, and
he thought she was proud of her birth and
blood but she was a simple, sensible,
shrewd, active woman she, in the sense in
which Luther was, might consider herself
dedicated to God. ana fit wife for re-
lieious reformer Luther's own father was
most anxious that he should marry, and in
short time they came to understand each
other. So on the 18Th of June, 1925, a
month after Munzsr mad been stamped ont
of Fraukenhausen, a little party was col
lected in the Wittenberg Cloister-Bugen-
hagen, the town pastor, Professor james,
Lucas Carnach 1.-THE painter), with his wife,
and Professor APPEL, Of Bamberg, who had
himself married nun and in this pres
ence Martin Luther and Catherine Won
Bora became man and wife. ~. A. Froude,
in the Contemporary Review.