The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-11
MARTIN LUTHER.

gether with numerous celebrations of notable
events in his life, it becomes a matter of in
terest to recall the life of the great religious
reformer whose influence in the Christian
church has been so marked. He was born
in the town of Eisleben, now a tow of Pras-
sian Saxony, on st. Martins eve, Nov. 10,
1888, and died in the same place on Feb. IS,
1916, at the age of sixty-two years. His par
ents at his birth were but humble peasants
and quite poor so far as this worlds goods
were concerned. They soon removed to
Mansfeldt. where their condition became
much bettered through industry and econo-
my. 1t appears that his father was an
austere man, and frequently administered
physical punishment on the lad, sometimes
whipping him, he says, for a mere triae till
the blood came" and he was subjected to
corporal punishment at school fifteen times
in one day. Much of this may be accounted
for by the u~nbending severity of discipline
exercised by the "old masters" Yet it may
partly be ascribed to Luther's aggressiveness
and self-assertion, as revealed in later years,
when he became convinced of what he re-
garded as the evils of Catholicism as prac-
ticed at that time. Luther's schooling was
completed at Magdeburg and Eisenaeh, and
at the latter place he attracted the attention
of a good lady of the name of Catta, who
provided him with e comforta-
BILE home during his stay there.
Another account says that she
was attracted to him by his singing, to
which he was compelled to resort in order
to obtain a livelihood. At the age of
eighteen he entered the University of Err
furt, with the idea of qualifying himself for
the legal profession, in accordance with his
fathers wishes. Here he was graduated in
1905, at the age of twenty-one, with the de-
gree of doctor of philosophy, or master of
arts. 1t is said that just before he quilted
the university here he one day CHANGED to
examine the Vulgate in the library, and
saw with establishment that there were more
gospels and epistles than in the dictionaries.
He was so deeply moved by what he there
AOdd VIA lie AOdI was IOQCIlcu, anu lit re-
solved to devote himself to a spiritual life.
He soon separated himself from his
friends and fellow-students, and withdrew
into the Augustine convent at Erfurt.
Another account says that the current of his
life was changed by two incidents occurring
at near intervals. The sudden death OF a
friend in a duel and his own narrow escape
from death, first by a severe illness and then
by lightning, which struck with terrible
force on the ground at his feet on the road
between Erfurtand Stakerheim, so strangely
excited his religious feelings and filled him
with such an overwhelming sense of the
vanity of the world that he resolved to be-
come a monk. His life in the monastery was
in strictest accord with all its rigid require
ments, he humbling what he deemed his
proud spirit by doing the mental work, such
as acting as sweeper, porter and beggar. Here
he remained three years, and laid the founda-
ton OF bis religious scholarship, devoting all
his spare time to the study of the Bible and
Of Augustine.
Having, meanwhile, aiken orders, he was
called to the professorship of scholastic
philosophy in the University of Wittenberg,
In 1912 he took the degree of doctor of divini-
ty. From ~lecturing on dialectics and physics
he naturally turned to the more ~congenial
work of teaching theology. His doctrines
soon attracted general attention, and the
originality of his views made a marked i'm
preston. "This monk" said the rector of
the university, "will puzzle our doctors, and
bring in a new doctrine" From lecturing
he got to preaching, and his influence became
still more poSerful. His expositions were
principally of the Psalms and the epistles of
Paul, his favorite apostle. But he had no
idea of being in conflict with the genuine
spirit of Catholicitv. 1t was not until the
Pope sanctioned the granting of indulgences
in order to secure funds necessary Tor the re-
building of ST. Peters, at Rome, that he took
ground against the church. Blu when he
did condemn the iniquity of this practice he
had no idea of retreating, and never for an
instant wavered in his purpose. The extent
to which the selling of indulgences was car
ried filled Luther with the determination to
expose its enormities and to overthrow it.
He. drew up ninety-fve theses condemning
it, which he nailed up on the
gate OF the church at Wittenberg, and
which he offered to maintain in
the university against all impugners. The
general purport of these theses was to deny
to the Pope all right to forgive sins. eff the