The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-20

Bohemia's zone notable and perma-
rent contribution TO the progress
Of Western culture and religious
thought" Is what DR.. DAvIr s. ScHArr.
professor OF church history in the
Western Theological Seminary. calls
the Protestant hero Of a Catholic
country in John Huss. HIS Lite.
TEACHINGS and Death: After Five
Hundred Years oScribner's). Long
obscured by religious prejudice. the
memory Of Huss IL now honored by
Bohemia as that OF one Of her chief
patriots. July s of this year will
mark the completion Of half a millen-
mum since John Huss died at the
stake In Constance.
Huss lived In an era, marked on
approximately by the years 1900 and
1900. between the productive" part
OF the Middle Ages and the Reforma-
ton: an era In which a few bold
leaders Of thought were fighting their
way from ecclesiastic tyranny toward
the modern freedom. The assai.ants
Of papal absolutism included 'publi-
cists" like Dante. the German mystics
who opened the way for Luther, the
Italian journalists" the ecclesiastical
reformers In the Pisa. Constance and
Basel Councils and the pr~e-Reforma-
ton reformers. Wcylif In England and
Huss In Bohemia. with the more politl-
ca,ly tinged but related revolt OF
savonarola in Italy. wyclif and Huss
were the arch heretics.
Huss was born, probably about
1875. at Husinecx. a village in south
ern Bohemia. He signed his name
Hus IT Is the Czech word for goose"
and Huss was not too austere a per-
son to pun upon ~. but in Official
documents ne Is "Magister Johannes
Of Husinecz." He studied at Prague,
and was not brilliant in his arts,
philosophy and theology courses. He
was B. A. in 1898, B. d. in 1894 and
NJ. A. in 1896; the doctorate in divin-
ity was a dignity no never attained.
His character was 90 excellent that
even his bitterest enemies in religion
never assailed IL,
Ordained to the priesthood in 1901.
he began preaching in 1902 at the
Chapel of the Holy Innocents at
Bethlehem. In Prague. The chapel
became the chief centre OF religious
attraction" In the capital. Huss's
preaching had not the vividness OF
Luther's hut was clear and direct,
putting more stress on conduct than
on doctrine. Palacky. the Bohemian
historian, say that he made upon
his hearers not so stormy an impress
sion as his predecessors. but an i'm
preston far more permanent"
Huss's predecessors in Bohemia had
been attacked. but he was tho first to
pay the bitter penalty Of heresy. One
preacher had yielded to the pressure Of
authority, another had gone to Rome
to explain himself: but none Of them
had gone to the stake for the faith
that was In them. Why did Huss?
Because he was the embodiment and
supreme representative in Bohemia Of
| Wyclinsm. When In 14l2 some Of the
Prague clergy appealed to the Pope
against Huss. they called him "a Son
Of iniquity, a Wyclifst," and to them
the terms were synonymous. DR..
Schar says:
Wyclifs dennition Of the church as
the body OF the elect was opposed to the
current tenet that the church Is the cor
p~oration OF the bap,ized presided over by
the Pope and hierarchy. and the popular
idea that the church IL tho Pope and
Cardinals. Wyclif put pontins into hell
as freely as did Dante. He declared not
only THAT the Papacy IL not intall,ble but
likewise that II 10 not necessary to the
church, Obedience to II n always TO be
determined by the agreement OF the Papai
commands with the teachings of the
Scriptures.
Bohemia was more Lollard than