Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1909-07-10
CALVIN Anniversary
City of Geneva, Where He Labored
and Died, Dedicated Monument
to His Memory.
(Herald Specially

(Herald Special-)
Geneva, July 10.-Four hundred
years ago today John Calvin, the
great protestant reformer, was born
in Noyon, France, and in all protest
ant countries the event is observed in
more or less elaborate manner. The
city of Geneva which, for many years,
was the scene of Calvin's reformatory
activity, and where he died in 1864,
made especial efforts to observe the
memorable anniversary by defeating
monument to the great reformer.
Calvinists and protestants in general
from all parts of Europe assembled in
this city to attend the dedication of
the monument and the incidental eX-
ercises and to do honor to the mem
DRY of the most militant evangelists
of the protestant faith.
Calvin was not the author of the
reformation; Luther is undoubtedly
entitled to that distinction. But Cal
vim, like his co-religionist Knox, was
more aggressive than Luther and, al
though his part as practical reform
er was acted upon very narrow
stage, his power as thinker and
writer, organizer and systematizer,
extended over the broad field of Eu-
rope He took up the scattered be-
liefs and thoughts of the new evan
gelical party, and in the loom of his
strange, logical and legal intellect
wove them into a new system. The
circumstances of Calvin's life were of
a kind to intensity his apostate zeal
and fanaticism.
Calvin was born at Noyon, July 10,
1909 His father was a notary and
the secretary of a bishop. Young Cal
vim was intended for the priesthood
and after he had studied in Paris he
was given a curacy. Five years later
his father had bitter quarrel with
the ecclesiastical authorities of his
home town and as result young Cal
vim gave up the priesthood and began
to study law. In the course of his
studies he came in contact with and
under the influence of Melchior VOL
mar, strong sympathizer with the
reformist movement.
Austere as Calvin was in his pri-
vate life, the profligacy of his time
would probably have made reform
ist of him in any event. But his
fathers quarrel with the ecclesiasti
cal authorities and the new surround
ings and associations during his legal
sttSdfies undoubtedly FASTENED the
turn. in his career He was rapidly
drawn into fellowship with the re-
formists, and soon after was COM
PEELED to flee from France, to escape
the persecution to which the reform
lists were then being subjected. That
his fear was not ill-founded was /
shown by his arrest when he ven
tured to return to France in 1884. He
was kept in prison several months,
and after his release made his way to
Geneva.
1t was in Geneva that he began to
impress his personality on his time.
At the age of twenty-six he wrote his
famous treatise, "Institutio Christi
amaze Religions" which was read ev-
erywhere in Europe and spread his
fame far beyond the boundaries of |
Switzerland. At that time Geneva
was a free city of Burgundy It was
governed by bishop of the establish
ed church. The city was in a state
of political and moral decay when Cal
vim reached it in 1885, Other French
reformists, who had been exiled, had |
preceded him, and they prevailed on
him to remain and help them in the /
work in which they were engaged.
Calvin founded school, and after
ward began preaching to small con-
gregations. Most of his followers,
however, were evidently much less
concerned with his religious teach |
ings than with the prospect of using
his influence to oppose the political |
power of the bishop When Calvin |
discovered this fact, all the scorn
which he ever felt for hypocrisy was
aroused in him. On Easter, 1888, he
denounced his flock in a scathing SER
mon and concluded by dismissing