Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-24

Professionalism and safe refuge for per-
secuted Protestants of all nationalities; he
looked after the architecture and the pub
lie works of the city; he built markets and
warehouses and took hand in commerce.;
he wrote ninety-six books and innumerable
pamphlets; he preached every Sunday.
sometimes twice; he took part in every
great theological controversy OF his time
and carried on a voluminous correspond
ence with Protestant leaders everywhere,
Which Is tremendous record for twenty
eight years for a chronic invalid, often SO
feeble that he had to be carried about in
a chair.
Calvin's ia Their was notary and showed
some of the characteristics of his son. He
was communicated from the Catholic
church for refusing to show his private ac-
counts to the priests at Noyon. Calvin's
orother was also an apostate, refused the
sacrament on his death bed and was buried
In unconsecrated ground.
Calvin's Disciplinary Methods.
Calvin came to Geneva an unknown mex
perienced young man. twenty-seven years
old, but before he had been there five years
he had brought the people under what he
considered proper spiritual and moral dis
cipline. The powerful individuality, the in
flexible will which inhabited his frail body
dominated everything. He sent the richest
men In Geneva to prison for flirting with
their maidservants; he placed the gamblers
of the town In the pillory with packs of
cards hung around their necks; he punished
ha1rdressers for inducing their patrons to use
dye and for trying to improve their appear
ance by artificial means. He stopped the
tongues of local kickers and knockers"
by riding them around town on the backs
or donkeys carrying placards upon which
apologies to the public were inscribed A
man named Ameau, who. under the in
huence Of drink, accused Calvin of being a
despot, was paraded through the streets
In his shirt. with bare legs and bare feet, a
lighted torch in his hand. and was COM
PEELED to ask on Bonded knees the pardon of
COO, OF the city council and especially Of
Calvin; man named Gruet. who forgot
himself SO far as to compose scandalous
verses about Calvin, was punished by being
tortured every day for month and then
beheaded. And L told you yesterday how
he ordered Bonivard's wife to be sewed up
alive in sack and thrown into the river.
That sort Of discipline soon brought the
citizens to "a realizing sense of their sins"
and made them behave themselves. The
statutes Of Geneva prepared by Calvin in
154, and strictly enforced by him, con-
tanned some extraordinary provisions. The
penalty for profanity was kissing the
ground for the first offense; for the second
offense fine Of three shillings was added;
for the third offense fine Of three-score
shillings; for the fourth offense three days
Imprisonment on bread and water, while the
fifth offense was punished by Punishment
from Geneva for year and a day.
Everybody of whatever estate, quality
OF conoltlon was forbidden to wear orna-
ments of gold, silver precious stones, or
pay a penalty of three shillings for each Of
tense, and If the jewelry was imitation the
fine was doubled Women were forbidden
to wear verdingales. gold upon their
heads, Quoises of gold billiments, or such
like neither any manner of embroidery
upon their sleeves
mo person at dinner shall serve above
three courses, and to every course not more
than four dishes.
Vain. dishonest and ribald songs dane
ing and mummeries" (play acting) were
punished by three days Imprisonment.
Everybody must be at his home at 0
o'clock at night, upon the pain Of the indig-
nation of the Lord. Everybody was required
to say grace before and after meat or pay
a fine of four shillings for each offense.
Some Punishments Inflicted.
The minutes of the conslstory or city
council. of which Calvin was the presiding
officer. have been preserved, and may be
read at the public library, and they show
how strictly these and other ordinances
were enforced. A certain woman was pun
ished for vanity because she wore her hair
hanging loose over her shoulders. It was
long and beautiful and she wanted people
to see 1t; man was punished for offering
snuff box to a nelghbor in church during
one of Calvin's sermons :another was fined
for addressing a neghbor concerning a
matter of business in the vestibule of the
church; a third for calling his COW by the
scriptural name of Rebecca; another was
fined four shillings for comparing the read
ing Of the psalms by the clerk In Calyin's
church to the braying Of a donkey; several
citizens were sent to prison for neglecting
their aged parents. while Clement Marot
the leading merchant of the place. was sent
to prison for playing a game Of backgam-
mon on Sunday. Two lads, caught pitch
ing Quoits on Sunday, were handed over
$50 says the entry in the minutes Of the
consistorO TO M. de Bee in order that he
may cause them to be given such fustiga-
ton as will prevent them from doing it
again
To those who complained Calvin said:
go and build another city if you want to
be free to live In your sins. but long as
you live In Geneva it will be vain for you
to try and shake off the yoke Of the gos-
pei"
His war against heresy was equally Wig
orous. and those who differed from him in
opinion were treated in manner that |
would have been approved by the Spanish |
inquisition.
Calvin's Marriage.
Calvin never thought Of love; he never |
coveted the comforts Of a home or the hap |
piness Of family life, but he wanted an |
heir. He wanted a son to inherit his name |
and carry on his work, but until he was |
more than thirty years old he haG no time |
to think of getting married While he was |
in Strassburg in 154O engaged in violent /
theological controversy, he wrote a friend, |
saying:
''In the midst Of these excitements have |
found sufficient leisure to think about get
ting married. / was offered as a wife a |
young lady of noble family and better
means than mine. Two reasons have pre-
vented me from accepting her. She does not |
know my language, and l am afraid that !
she thinks too much of her birth and breed
ing. Her brother, a man of great piety and
actuated by no motive except affection for
both of us, pressed me to take her. So did
his wife And l should have had to give
way If the Lord had not come to my rescue
My answer was that would go no further
in the matter until the lady understood my
language She replied that she must have |
time to think 1t over. Thereupon / sent an
honest man of my acquaintance to look for /
another lady suitable to be my wife"
The envoy found the woman in the person |
Of Idelette de Bure; but 1t was all unwise |
selection. She understood Calvn's lam T
guage; she did not think too much of her I
birth and breeding; she was sincere, vir-
tuous, modest economical and Industrious
woman, but was infirm In body spirit and
estate. He testifies to her virtues in a most |
respectful manner in letters to his friends,
but he speaks of her as he might have
w,t~