New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-05
MARTIN LUTHER.
A PICTURESQUE BIOGRAPHY OF THE
REFORMER.

MARTIN LUTHER: BY Gustav Treytapg S Trans IT Iso
fshicseos. The Omen Court Publishing Company
This Is only a sketch, but vivid one. OF Luz
theirs life There is not much doctrinal explana-
.ion In a. II is the personality of the Reformer
and Of those who were closest to him that the
biographer seeks to portray. stubborn. STRICT
almost cruel. old Hans Luther the father' ho
friend Of monks even in days when the Reforma-
ton was unforeseen. lives again in these pages
in sharp contrast with the eloquent, arrogant
and unlucky Dominican Tetzel. Melanchthoh
dry. tmd thoughtful with his taste for as
trology and horoscopes, is made q foil for Luz
theirs Tuning about the approaching eho Oh 'he
world.
II fits into the course Of current events 10 re-
member that Luther considered the expulsion OF
the Turk from Europe the necessary presase
Of the end Of human affairs. He, in his turn
had no desire to postpone the final catasuop"e
by coddling the Turk Melanchthon ala NOT De
lleve in the early coming OF the Day or Juus-
men. or. at least he was not at all sure ABOUT
Il while he was quite sure that Luthers success
in life was due TO his being born under the sign
of the sun The vivid faith OF Luther, which
convinced him on one occasion, for example tha'
his PRAYERS saved Melanchthons life; his ire
ouent alterations with the devil, pfoiouhuA
real parsonage TO him; his defiance when threat
zro6 O.. az Worms-all such traits in Luther are
easarIv dwelt on in this brief biography. His
eloouence with tongue and pen. his mastery OF
expression. which made him the creator Of the
literary language Of Germany, the incrediDie
speed with which he achieved learning when We
had an object-for instance. the translation Oh
the Bible-to which learning was indispensaoie'
the violence Of his Nituperation when his pen
assailed an enemy the earnestness of his con-
nr{,Nt nA fh0
OCT delight he took in conflict and his equally
honest longing for peace, all belong 10 the pct
uresouo figure here portrayed Thinking only of
his zeal and his absorption in the struggle which
he had awakened. one can hardly conceive him
IN disguise Yet the era Of his concealment In
the wartburg was not marked solely by monKish
seslusion.
Like certain persons in Sacred Writ who tar
r,ed at Jericho till their boards were grown.
Luther. after overcoming his ton;ure and rails
ing hair enough on his face to warrant an as
eumed character. was not inclined to endure
seclusion. He wrote necessarily TO his frehds
at Wittenberg. stimulating their courage dl-
recting their policy, and above all endeaVorins
TO arrange matters that he should nov De
necessary to the university. but might II ne
ESCAPED the plots Of his enemies, go out into the
world for a larger work than he had hitherto
accomplished. Both friends and enemies all
over Germany soon heard rumors OF his hdins
place But the former talked only to each other
and the latter were dumfounded by the vastness
and rapidity Of the movement in when Lulher
was the centre. If they could have destroyed
him secretly they might have done 1t. But to
repeat the enormous scandal of Constance and
burn another Huss would simply have ruined
the Catholic Church. This very practical side
CHI NOT he when
picturesque features of the Wartburs period are
noted II was profound policy for Luther to
keen himself hidden as a matter of form, and
vet 10 give the world reason to infer where he
was 1t was not death that he needed to fear
but such a death by secret means as would be
useless TO the cause he served. The caution OF
his friends and his own stormy nature balanced
each other admirably in the whole episode
The narrative of a contemporary given in this
volume shows him one Of his journeys, bear
ing himself with just enough reticence to make
his identity questionable without forcing him
TO acknowledge or deny it. In that case he was
taken for Uirch Won Hutton. the Humanst, by
everybody Except an astute inn keeper. who had
MS own feasons for believing that his mysteri-
obs guest was the renowned Martinus. and no
oSer. Rven a new book of his own, which APP
parer+r[ he had not yet in print. did not
draw Luther out. though he laughed at being
taken for the nobleman Hutton you are not
he" said the landlord, you are Martinus
Luther" But he merely tested at this remark.
There was something OF Reineke Fuchs, as well
as OF KONG Live in Luther's composition Hard
" any other great figure in history mingled so
we'll as he intensity with humOr. and none fur
nishes a better theme for biography. Mr. Heine-
,oann's translation Of Freytag's little book is
ar,ivcned with numerous Illustrations.