Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-01-30
WHAT LUTHER DID SAY.


As win be remembered, President
Herzer, o. the Lutheran Concordla coli
leee. a few days ago denied in print that
Luther had In any way sanctioned
plural marriage, and his denial was
promptly autographed throughout the
country. As matter Of history, 1t de-
serves notice, that President Herzer Is
wrong. Now a writer In The Catholic
Mirror. quoted In the Literary Digest
comes out with pretty full account Of
the incident alluded to in the News
Of the 26th Of this month, In which the
Landgrave Of Hesse was interested. The
writer in the Mirror tells the well known
story. Philip, he says, appealed TO
Luther, Melanthon, and other apostles
Of the Reformation for a permission 10
have a second wife. The grounds he
gave were that he had never loved his
wife; that he had not been faithful TO
her and that he could not abandon the
life he was leading. To this appeal the
Reformers replied thus:
but II your highness be fully re-.
solved TO take another wife, We Judge
that 1t ought to be done secretly; that
ls that none but the lady herself and a
few trusty persons obliged TO secrecy
under the seal of confession, know any,
thing OF the matter. Hence II viii not
be attended with any important contra
dlction or scandal. For II 10 not un,
usual for princes to keep mistresses
and although the vulgar should be scan.
dallzed. the more prudent would under
stand this moderate method OF life and
prefer II to adultery or other brutal and
foul actions. There Is no need Of being
much concerned for what men will say,
provided all go right with conscience.
Your highness hath. therefore, not only
the appreciation Of us oil, In a case OF
necessity, but also the consideration We
have made hereupon. We are most
ready 10 serve your highness Dated at
Wittemberg, the Wednesday after the
feast OF 81. Nicholas, 1893.
MARTIN LUTHER,
PHILIP MELANCTHON,
MARTIN BUCER,
ANTHONY C0RVIN.
ADAM,
JOHN LENINGUE.
JUSTICE WINFORTE.
DIONYSIUS MELENTHER."
The quotation Is from the Wurtem-
berg Latin edition Of Luther's collected
works, pp. 1ie, 1873 DR.. Herzer may
examine the matter for his own salts
faction.
On one point the writer In the Mirror
should be corrected. He says Luther
is the originator of "MormonIsm, leav-
ing the reader to infer that the licenti-
business Of Philip OF Hesse is Mormon
ISM" Il is not. II proposition such as
that referred to had been submitted 10
the Prophet Joseph, or any OF his sue
cessors, or to any Mormon Elder In
good standing. the reply would have been
different from that to which Luther's
name Is appended. 'Mormonism'
stands for the sacredness Of the mar
rage covenant. "Mormonism" amidst
an adulterous generation has boldly set
the seal OF Sin uDOn any act In vio-
lation Of that covenant. It has preached
purity. even from the prison cells, as
did John the Baptist until his head fell
under the royal displeasure. The
utmost boundaries OF east and west are
not farther apart than is "Mormonism
from the practices OF the famous Land
grave Catholics ought TO be slow In
Judging this unpopular system. They
themselves have not always had an
unprejudiced hearing for their peculiar
institutions.