New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-12

THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF MARII,N -
LUTHER. BY Preserved smith, IL COZ
With illustrations. $40, up. XVI i'''
The Houghton MifIlin Company
The history of the Reformation has
been written innumerable times ana re-
written almost as often. THIS process
of revision. of changed viewpoints, is
likely. moreover. to continue, for the
score Of the material influences OF the
Reformation. of the social. political ana
economical changes il brought about IL
still widening before our eyes. lhdeeu'
# may well be that the defnitive his
torian of the modern era Will, when ne
makes his appearance attach far more
inheritance 10 the worldly phases of the
mighty movement than to the religious
che Still. a world wide religious re
vival is promised us with considerable
certainty. in which case the last view oil
the Reformation may well veer back
again TO that taken by its earlier his
torians.
Meanwhile. the study Of the character
and life of Luther has reached point
where it may be assumed that we are III
nossession of all the facts capable OF
throwing light upon the subject. the
last twenty years have yielded discover
los of great value and service in the task
Of Inning the man as he was and as
he lived. of drawing his character, or Ill
the modern phrase. interpreting ms psE-
Geological being This is, indeed, the
chief purpose of the two books here
under review. Both aim at the detached
impartiality of the modern scientific MIS-
torian ana biographer and neither hesl-
tates. to quote historic saying. to paint
Cromwell with his warts. Luther has
been painted all warts. and will continue
10 he the victim of this method of mis-
representation. He has. in defence, been
represented as plaster saint without
weaknesses or foibles. DIR. McGiffert
and DR.. Smith take middle ground. They
admit all the blemishes of character and
conduct Luther really had, blemishes that
were of his own day and of the lowly
class from which he sprang, but they
deny with spirit the slanderous disfig-
urements. giving chapter and verse.
DR.. McGiffert's biography Is sound
reliable work for general reading, i'm no
sense epoch making Gt evidently is not
intended as such), but piece OF careful
remarkable also for its fair
ness to the Catholic side in the mighty
conflict. In this admirable spirit he
takes up the defence of Tetzel. for in
stance. whom. on the evidence. he alb
solves from the charges of dishonesty
and immortality so freely brought against
him. Again, he modifies considerably a
picture dear to, the heart Of Protestant
ism, that of Luther, alone with his con-
science and his courage. facing the pow
ers that were at the Diet of Worms. He
writes:
We must not he misled by the dramatic
contrasts of the scene-a poor monk OF
peasant birth standing alon" against the
world II he had been standing alone the
Emperor ard Diet would never nave waste
their time with him. He was no mere IN
dividual or tria, for his life. but the cham
Mon of A great and growing parry of po-
iitical as we'll as social Importance. NOT
was he a supplemented, ineXperienc+H
monk. thrust suddenly INTO the limellght oil
publicity but a seasoned warrior lonP
aware of the national significance Of the
hattle Re was engaged in. At Worms ne
had host of influential supporters ana
was surrounded Icy sage councillors.
DR.. Smiths biography is amply docu-
mentod, and whenever possible tells It's
story. whether of Luther's life or of his
work. in his own words The plan fol-
lowed is that of a series Of short chrono-
logical chapters, summing up the
monk" the professor" private life
character and habits" the Luther
family" 1.-The indulgence controversy,
the Leipsc debate" German politics.
"the Bible" religion and culture" etc
Both writer's devote considerable atten-
ton t. that grave charge against the re-
former his approval of the bigamous
marriage of Philip of Hesse, and both
face frankly his intolerance, which SO
widened the breach between German and
Swiss professionalism. But. as DR.. Smith
points out, Luther could not have waged
successfully the great struggle upon
which he had entered without that very
quality. He, indeed. secs in his short
com!ngs but the exaggeration of his
virtues. They lost him the support of
Erasmus, who laid the egg that Luther
Matched, but. again, without them, the
egg would never have yelled the new
life that was the modern era. And
every great leader of new and strug-
Cling movement must feel that he who
is not with him is against him, and that
he who gathereth not scattereth.'
Luther as the founder of the German
language and of modern German litera-
ture-which owes next to nothing to the
Renaissance-ls not forgotten. In fact,
DR.. McGiffert unhesitatingly asserts that
the German Bible is Luther's greatest
monument. a statement that one feels
inclined TO doubt. His was not the first
version of the Book. as has been cur
rently held, but its superiority in scholar
ship and literary quality 10 its predeces-
sors was ,mmeasurable
The English Bible mas also become a elias
sic, but hardly attains the exalted post
ton Of the German I'm this respect. Luther =
influence, e1eTted chiefly through this work,
has been so enormous on the literature of
his people that IL Is sometimes said that he
created the modern written language.
No Englishing of LutherS German can
give any conception Of the peculiar flavor
of his version, which, to be appreciated,
must be read i'm the original. one or two
examples. however may serve TO point out
the extreme freedom OF the rendering.
Repent yc" is not tut Busse, as
I'm the older version. but dessert ,euch, !"
Improve yourselves" Luther's atti-
tude 10 the Bible contains one striking
contradiction. He insisted that II should
be taken as whole and literally az God =
inerrant word, and at the same time he
was himself the freest OF higher critics
one other character trait of the man
receives tribute from DR.. Smith, his high