Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-09

In the United States Is not as large
as that OF Wesley, nor as strong as
the Baptist bodies, taking the whole
world no other Protestant body can
compare with the great army which
marches under the banner of Luther
anism. The Anglican church is sec
ond, with membership of over 20,-
600, 000
The Lutheran church In the United
States now has nearly two and quar-
ter million communicates. In the six
teen-year period of religious activity
recently reviewed by the census bu-
reau, beginning with 1890, it was found
that the Lutheran church was the only
one of the four leading Protestant bod
les which had a greater relative MEM
bership at the close of the period than
it had at the beginning. The Baptists,
the Methodists and the Presbyterians
had smaller percentage OF the total !.
church membership in the United
States in 1906 than they had in 1890.
Only the Lutherans were able to hold
their relative position among the big
four" Protestant bodies. They adj
vanced as much from their position
in 1890 as the Baptists and Presbyter-
ians went back. Scandinavian immi-
grafton was largely responsible for
this growth. as southern Europe i'm
migration Is responsible for Catholic
growth.
1t Is interesting to note that there
are only three important Protestant
denominations which held a larger ner-
centage of the total church member
ship of the United States In 1906 than
they held in 1890. These three are the
Disciples OF Christ. the Lutherans and
the Protestant Episcopal church. The
fight for primary in relative growth
has Been a close one between the Dis
ciples and the Lutherans. Gauged by
communicate membership the Disciples
stand a little ahead of the Lutherans.
In the sixteen-year period the Dis
oiples had a growth in membership
amounting to 1872 per cent. The in
crease enjoyed by the Lutherans
amounted to us per cent, while that
shown by the Protestant Episcopal
church was 6e.7 per cent. No other
principal Protestant church showed an
increase above 66.4 per cent.
The reason the Protestant churches
have found 1t so hard to hold their
relative position as compared with the
whole body of Christian people Is be-
cause of the phenomenal growth of
the Catholic church. During the six
teen years that organization made a
gain in membership amounting to more
than 90 per cent. Added to this is the
growth of Christian Science Spiritual
ism and other like sects, which recruit
their ranks from Protestant soil i'm far
greater proportion than from Catholic
sources. Only five Protestant bodies
have been able to show as great a rel
alive proportion of the total church
membership of the United States at
the close of the sixteen-year period as
they showed in $780, and of these only
the Disciples, the Lutherans and the
Episcopalians advanced. The others
merely held their own.
The Lutherans now constitute the
ranking protestant body in Wisconsin,
Minnesota, North Dakota and South
Dakota, and the second most numerous
Protestant denomination in Illinois.
Michigan, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Ne
braska. In each of these states the
Catholic church is stronger than any
Protestant church. Pennsylvania, Wis
consin, Minnesota and Illinois are the
leading strongholds of Lutheranism,
so far as communicate membership is
concerned, ranking in the order named.
When Martin Luther was a child
there was little to indicate the vast
history affecting consequences that
were destined to grow out of his life
upon the earth. His father was a poor
miner. He says in his autobigraph-
ical sketches that his father often
whipped him for "mere trifies" until
NAlO bAoOu NdAiib. n klilipS6 Vi MS td1-
ly school life is given by the registered
fact that he was whipped fifteen times
In single day by his teacher. When
he was eighteen Martin was sent to
the University of Erfurt to study law.
He took his A. NJ. degree at the age
of twenty-one, but he decided to aban-
don the legal profession. One day
while examining the Vulgate Bible in
the university library he discovered
Iaaf kaf. zf he x41I1
epistles were omitted from the lection
aries. This was the turning point in
his career. He shortly thereafter with
drew TO the Augustine convent at Err
furt. Four hundred years ago. in 1902
Luther received his degree of doctor
of theology, and in this year began
the series of lectures which ended with
the reformation accomplished. For
several years thereafter, however, he
had no thought of leaving the Catholic
church. OF which he was a duly or
dained priest. II was only after he con-
Guided that John Tetzel, a Dominican
friar, was corruptly selling indulgenees
that he was stirred to open rebellion
against the power of the pope. His
ninety-five theses against the sale of
indulgences, nailed on the gate of the
church at Wittenburg, was the begin
ming of his open fight on papal doc
trines. Then followed the demands of
the papal legate that he Iretract the
papal bull against him, it's burning be-
fore the assembled multitude, and
Luther became the hero of the hour in
Germany.
After this the Diet of Worms was
called by Charles v, and Luther made
his celebrated declaration, when
warned not to go to Worms, that he
would go if there were as many devils
to set ON him as there were tiles on
the housetops. On his return from
Worms he was kidnapped by his friends
and placed in the old castle of the
Wartburgs, where he stayed until dan
ger was past. He translated the Bible
into his native tongue, and by the time
he left the castle that had been his
refuge, his next duty became the
checking of the excuses of his follow
ers. Luther stayed at Coburg while the
famous diet sat at Ausburg, and SO
was not present when the world fam
Gus Ausburg confession, the creed of
the reformation, was adopted.
Few men have done so much to
change the course of human events
as Luther And no body of religion
lists has ever honored the memory OF
the founder of the organization more
than the Lutherans honor Luther.
wherever a Lutheran church lifts its
spire to heaven today the thoughts of
its worshipers will turn to the life of
the German miners son who stood be-
fore kings and emperors and trans