The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-07-12

FIT SPECIFIC Co., ATLANTA, GA.
ed from five in the morning until far
into the night, with little or no period
OF rest. He preached 2S6 sermons a
year and lcctured to a large number of
students four times a week. He pub
lished an average of three books a
year some of them quite expensive.
He carried on an extended correspond
ence with the leaders of the rcforma-
ton In almost every land More than
Tour thousand OF his letters are in eN-
istencc today and some Of them are
very long. Doubtless We have only 4
part Of them Now, remember that
all that he did he did we'll Re was
one who usually had an audience of
more than $500 TO preach to, among
them being many Leading thinkers of
the day, who came from other lands
TO hear him. His books have stood the
test OF four centuries. and many of
them, notably his commentaries, are
unsurpassed today. Pick up any late
scholarly commentary and YOU VIII
find Calvin quoted again and again.
Moreover he had a large parish 10
minister to. and he was faithful in his
duties TO IT Besides these. ne attend
ed two public councils and one re-
ligiouS council each week and was
awake TO all that came before tlem.
He planned for and personally super
yised the first great industries Of GS-
neya In order that the religious Tefu-
gees might have work When YOU sec
4 Geneva watch, think of this busy
man wlo was So interested In Indus
trial problems Of his day He organ
lied the first comprehensive free
school system II consisted of COM
mon schools for common branches.
Above this were graduate courses lead
ing up 10 and including professional
courses. Some of the buildings which
he superintcuded In erection have
been used from then C56O) until now
for school purposes, and the University
of Geneva yesterday celebrated his
anniversary as their own, Here was
one preacher who worked
We have today three direct benefits
from his life First. our political free
dom is In large measure due to his
teaching and followers. He taught
clearly that all were equal and that
the divine right of kings was false
He separated the church from The
state completely, and when men
learned TO govern themselves in church
they soon wanted 10 in state In this
he was far in advance Of Luther Ban
croft. in MS United States history,
says He who Will not honor tho
memory and respect the influence of
John Calvin knows but little of the
origin Of American liberty" Crom-
well, Knox and William OF Orange did
In other lands much TO show the same
trend OF tnclr teachers truth.
Again. our school system owes much
TO him. Bancroft, himself not a Cal
Whist but a Unitarian, says: I'VE
boast of our common schools. Calvin
was the father Of popular education.
the inventor of the system of free
schools" In this country, for the first
two hundred years of its history. al
most every college and seminary OF
learning and almost every academy and
common school even was built up and
sustained by Calvinlsts. II you doubt
this. look 1t up in your histories,
The list OF churches and creeds
which are Calyinistic Is an imposing
one. They include the Reformed
churches Of Switzerland, Poland. Hun
gary, German and Holland, the thirty
nine articles Of the church Of England
and The Westminster Standards. the
Waldensean churches OF Italy. 10 say
nothing OF the following of the Con-
gregational, Dutch Reformed. Baptist
and Presby teTian churches in Amer
ica, together with those Of the Church
of England who hold TO the thiTty-nine
articles Of the faith.
Much has been said concerning the
death of SeCyetuS and it Is not our
intention 10 apologize for Calvin's part
In it In this act We can but condemn
him. as we do Washington for keeping
slaves They were in these respects
the children of their age But this
much can De said on behalf of Calvin:
Servetus was sentenced, not by Calvin
nor o. the council of Geneva. but by
the united councils Of Switzerland. for
In this case Geneva refused 10 act
alone Nor was Seryetus a Unitarian
Their own historians viii not claim
him Nor was he sentenced (as the
old Geneva records snow because OF
religious reasons. He was sentenced
as a rebel who had attempted TO sub
vert the constitution of Geneva If YOU
doubt these facts. read the volume by
Rev. A. Rellhet, a Unitarian clergy
man. who spent some time In eXamin-
inc the old records OF the council
John Calvin pleaded with the council
TO execute Seryetus,if he must be cX.
ecuted. In a way devoid of torture, but
they would not heed him. Calyin's re-
sponsibllity In the matter lay in this.
he recognized Servetus In his church
as he was preaching and at the close
OF the service showed him to the Of
Gcer- Later he strongly urged that he
should be adequately punished. 1t was
a day when many we're being burned
and tortured for their religious belief
The king OF France had Just sentenced
Seryetus to death by slow fire, but
he. escaping, Ged TO Geneva.
Calyn's entire life was spent in al
most poverty. oft-tines having barely
enough to meet the modest demands Of