The midland journal., 1917-11-16
REFORMATION AND CAUSES
LEADING TO IN.
CAUSES
Lecture BY Rev. A. L. Peterson OF
Rowlandville M. P.
Church.

niversary of the reformation. Never
in those 400 years that have gone
into history has there been time
that comes nearer to our own times.
The time of reformation was period
of transition, of unrest, of general
dissatisfaction among the people.
We are today in a period of tran
sition. Things have happened SO
quickly that we have not been able
to keep up with the times, electricity,
steam inventions of all sorts, feelings
between the wealthy and poorer
classes, have all entered in to make
our day one of unrest.
The revival of learning, which was
the going into the past ana renewing
of interest in literature, art and re-
ligion. The invention of printing
and paper and others, the discovery
of America, the dissatisfaction of the
poor people with the fuedal system,
which had kept them suppressed and
in religion the exhausting of the peo-
pies patience by the Pope all made
the 18th century one of unrest and
dissatisfaction.
To understand any time we must
first of all understand the people who
lived in that time and their social
condition. The feudal system was in
vogue, separating the people into two
classes, the mobiles and peasants. The
mobiles, or overlords as the rich are
called, were not content at being rich
but they continually exacted and rob-
bed the poor man of his cows, swine,
even going so far as maltreating
his womenkind and firing his house.
This treatment and suppression
caused them to chaff under their
hard lot and fired them with deter
mination to cast off this yoke of
bondage at the first cnance.
The morals of the time we're of the
lowest order. "The towns were bad
ly drained, if drained at all, the
streets were seldom paved and mud
and filth accumulated in almost in
describable ways; the garbage was
thrown out of the windows; and
troops of swine were the ordinary
collectors. The increase of wealth
showed itself chiefly in all kinds of
sensual living"
It was the business of the rich or
retainers to keep their men in SUBJ
lection, and prided themselves on
having men who could drink all
rivals beneath the table. The earn
ivals of both the Mobiles and Peas
ants, the public baths and other So
cial conditions were most disgrace
full, judged by our day and time.
The Catholic writer's dwell on Luth-
ers "courseness'' but viewed with
their own priesthood and social con-
dition of his day Luther stands out
as pure as the air.
The revival of learning which had
started in Italy, rapidly spread to
England, France and Germany. With
this came the desire for better things
and a better way of living and more
freedom. Consequently, uprising
after uprising caused some of the
broadminded Mobiles to give way
somewhat and where they did not
it resulted in war and much con-
fusion.
This was the soil in which Luther
sowed his seed Of defiance to the
authority of the Pope to forgive any,
thing other than that which was i'm
posed by the church itself. 1t can
readily be seen, these people who had
chaffed under the unjust authority
of Mobiles, who were the instruments
of the church, were ready for any
thing that would relieve their condi-
tion. Into this mass of seething dis
content fell the spark of religious
protest-the one thing needed to fire
the train and kindle the social con-
fiagration.
In the political world there are
many causes which perplex one try
ing to get at the bottom. Germany
was not a united country as it is now,
it was not till 1870 that the con-
federacy was formed but the sepa-
rate states were governed. by the
Empeor of the Holy Roman Empire,
who also controlled France, Italy and
Spain and the Low countries. Maxi
milan who was the Emperor when
Luther first started his WORK, was OLD
and very weak, and run largely by
others, which not only caused much
trouble in his own court but also
brought greater trouble from the
outside. On the death of Macmillan
his grandson Charles v of Spain, was
elected as Emperor of the Holy
Roman Empire. Frances OF France,
who was also an aspirant to the
throne, would not acknowledge
Charles claim as Emperor. Between
Charles. Spanish Inquisition, Fran
ces l and the Turks knocking at the
very door of the kingdom, then con-