The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-09-08
HERO AND MARTYR.
OBSERVING THE oUADRIGENTEN-
NAL OF SAvONAROLA.

Who Died for freedoms Cause. He
Was Not Afraid to Stand Up Alone
Against Vice and Corruption.
It is now four hundred years since
mankind saw the example Of great
churchman standing up unaided and
alone to voice the will Of his masters
and to rebuke as he did, vice and sell
fishness and lust of power. That
man was Savonarola. Savonarola
was not canonlzed. His name does
not grace the calendar of the saints,
hut he was the nearest churchman to
the type of Christ that appeared since
the Crucifxion. and immeasurably the
greatest since his own day.
Sayonarola lived in Florence when
Florence was the first city Of
the world and when 1t was
ruled by man to whom time
serving writer's have given the name
of Lorenzo the Magnificent, but whose
proper designation ought to have been
the corrupt Podesta Of the Italian Rem
naissance.
The Medici were extensive mer-
chants in Florence and held power by
packing the primaries. They held
Florence in their grasp by first select
ing its rulers inside the walls Of the
palace and then ccndescending to call
the people together to announce the
names of those upon whom the choice
had fallen. The last lusty praetor of
this line. but one, was this Lorenzo
and he had exhausted the spice Of life
at the age OF "A years. His motto
was to encourage Cheerful SINS" Po-
litically ne also was SO corrupt as to
call for the censuro of Savonarola; but
he was the Papal treasurer as well as
dictator of the Republic. He had
sufficient pull" to remove the monk to
a parish on the top OF neighboring
mountain where Sayonarola could ap-
preciate the plight Of Tantalus by
looking down upon the Florentine city
while too far away to make his voice
heard at the lecherous court in the
streets.
There were no extras" or telegraphs
In those days and Punishment from
the great city was equivalent to COM
plete isolation. However, from his
isolation Savonarola preached alter
nately against both Church and State,
or to be more accurate. against the
rival despots who then represented
both institutions !n Italy. A time
came when Lorenzo fell out with the
Vatican. Lorenzo who felt tired of
ruling Republic whose people gave
him so much his way, resolved upon
forming a dynasty by grasping the
neighboring states Of Naples and Mil
an. He and his family had robbed
the Florentines but the Medici had
compounded for other crimes by rich
ly endowed libraries and had freely
given of money thus wrung from want
for the erection OF churches.
In carrying out his dynastlc schemes
it struck Lorenzo the Magnificent that
it would give him more prestige If he
now recalled Savouaroia from his Sc
clusion in the Mountains, particularly
as the bent of Sayonarola's preaching
had been minatory OF the Vatican
which was secretly Gesirous OF baking
Lorenzo's plan of unifying Florence.
Naples and Milan in one dynasty as 1t
was later that of Garribaldi and OF
Victor Emmanuel.
Savonarola was now accordingly
brought back to Florence and installed
in the Church of St. Mark. He again
of the joint despots of Italy with re-
newed zeal and was promptly sum-
moned to Rome. He refused to
go. lSatuharola was summoned
again and asNin declined. AS
Lorenzo had ridny endowed this
Church OF s.. Mar he ordered the sue
eessive pastors call at the palace
TO pay their respects on every anniver-
sary of his birth. Savonarola posi-
lively declined to recognize any such
arrangement. He refused to pay any
heed whatever to the summons of Lor-
EMO. He was an Independent man
who meant to keep his life ard sacred
character in strong contrast to the
sluggish and salacious tendencies of his
times. This example will illustrate
the mans character. One day the
Princess of burgher family, and
whose husband vas the lord of Bolog-
ma made pompous and noisy en-
trance into Savonarola's church while
he was officiating. The commotlon Of
the admiring Florentines was redolent
of the servitude of the period. Though
the family OF the Lord of Bologna was
so influential that 1t was said God
Almighty would hesitate to damn one
of them" Savolarola stopped for
moment in his sermon saying here
comes an evil spirit to disturb this
word of Cod" The naughty lady en-
tered church with less of retinue
and with decidedly less aplomb the
succeeding Sabbath and the Christening
though rude and pointed speech did
her a wcrld of gocd.
Such was the man whom Lorenzo
tha MAGNIFICENT now nolIod -