South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-10-02
GIVES STORY Of
GREAT REFORMER
Dr.. William Crawford Delivers
Address on "SavonaroIa" at
First M. E. Church.

DR.. William II. Crawford's address
on "Savonarola" at the First Meth
odist church Friday night, was one
Of the most powerful talks given since
the Northwest Indiana conference has
been in session. DR.. Crawford has
made a complete study Of SavCnarola's
life and has visited the places in
which the reformer preached IL the
fifteenth century.
The talk was not a sermon, it being
simply a study of the life of Giralamo
Savonarola, the Italian refOrmer. The
auditorium was filled to its capacity
to hear DR.. Crawford, who is presi-
dent of Allegheny college. He said in
part:
Il come here tonight to study with
you the life of Savonarola, one Of the
greatest men of the middle ages. We
of today are turning back to the great
men of the middle ages and especial
~ those of the fifteenth century.
Florence is the scene of some OF
the greatest work Of this refOrmer.
There we find the old monastery in
which ne lived It was built by a
wealthy banker and in it is one Of
the first public libraries in the world.
The chapter house there is the one
made famous by George Elliott. Gira-
lamo SavonarOla's cell in the monaS-
terry is the most famous and conspicu-
Gus of any of the parts of the build
ms Parts of his robe and garments
are still hanging in the cell. On the
wall hangs his crucifiX, recalling the
days when the great city was under
the influence of its great preacher.
Most Famous of All.
"Of al, the famous men of Florence
fG
onarOla. In his doctrine he was a
Catholic; in his warfare for reform
he was a Protestant; in his treatment
of the poor he was a democrat; hut
none Of these can claim him for its
own.
IF we would see the real Savon-
arola tonight we must turn back the
pages of history 400 years. The TWEEN
tieth century Florence is too modern.
They now have bicycles and automo-
biles and they also had hobble skirts
when they were in style. Great things
We're happening in those days. Co
lumbus discovered America and many
other things of equal Importance were
written in the pages of history. While
these y .ngs were being accomplished
Savonarola was hanging % theses on
the door of his cell.
do you know that the Catholic
church makes the marriage ties more
sacred than we do; that they pay
more attention to the religious edu-
cation Of children than we do; that
they have more self-sacrificing mis-
sionaries than we?
Started i'm BOrgian.
Italy was in the BOrgian era when
Savonarola started his work The
family had come from the north. The
father was little more than a court
hanger-On. but the mother was
good. strong-minded woman. The
youthful SavOnarola was thoughtful
and did not care for the castle rev
elry.
Savonarola, disappointed in love
and won by monks sermon, ran
away from home and entered a mon
astery. His superior wisdom was soon
noticed and he was made an instruc-
tor. He soon discovered that the rev
elry that was blighting the world was
also touching the church and the
monks During a war he was driven
from the monastery and sent to Flor
ence.
Lorenzo, the Magnificent, was the
most illustrious man in Florence. Lor-
EMO was surrounded by all OF the
learned men OF the day. The monks
were corrupt, but their outward ap-
pearance was good. But SavonarOla
saw under the surface. At his first
sermon the church was crowded when
he started. but when he had finished