Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-12
By. DIR. v. +, BARTHOLOMEW.
~ PresIdent Afgustana LoIIege

VICE + FES8dCffL AUG U3luifd 0tt2E6N@
On tie 31at Of October. 1917, Martin
Luther. an Augustinian monk, nailed
on the door Of the Castle church Of
the famous 95 theses
which were the Magma Charta Of
professionalism. This year OF grace,
1917, the protestant churches the
world over celebrate the tooth ami
yersary Of that great event which
marked the beginning OF the Reforma-
ton of the sixteenth century. Prior
to this tine for more than hundred
years there were heard in various
countries OF Europe premonitory rum
blings OF the coming revolution. In
i415 John Huss was burned at the
stake In Constance. and in the follow
ing year Jerome of Prague suffered
martyrdom in the same city because
Of the stand these men took against
prevailing abuses in the church. In
1895 Say0narola shared the same fate
in Florence on account Of his adyo-
cacy Of reformation principles. The
movement which was led by Luther,
Melanchthon and others in the early
part OF the sixteenth century was thus
only the breaking out Of an undercur-
rent that for many years had been
gathering strength. The time was ripe
and the Reformation came in the full
ness Of time. During the fifteenth
century economic social and religious
conditions developed that brought
about extreme poverty, unbearable
servitude Of body and mind, untold
miseries, fragrant wrongs in church
and state and in the daily life Of the
people, and made inevitable the revolt
which soon followed. The sentiment
was rapidly growing amnog the peo-
Die who suffered from these wrongs
and abuses Of authority 1t was felt
that the church instead Of being tbs
friend and helper of the poor had be-
come their oppressor. Some brave
spirits from time TO time came forth
who raised their voices against these
wrongs, but they were silenced by tht
strong arm of the church. At las
Martin Luther. with sublime courage
threw his powerful personality agains
the tide Of iniquity that was sweep
ing the church into ruin, He boldly
denounced priestly misrule and HER
archical tyranny His hammer
strokes in the act Of mailing the 81
theses on the church door resoundel
throughout the world and were TIN
signal for the inauguration of a new
reformation movement, whose infiu
ence has extended to every civilizet
land and has come down to our owl
day.
While all the world Is heir to tn
blessings OF the Reformation, it i
more especially our own country tina
enjoys heritage from that moyemen
which cannot be adequately expresset
in words. Luthers message wa
democratic and laid the foundation 0
modern democracy. Such a consum
nation Of democratic institutions a
We enjoy in this country was not pos
! sible without the Reformation. d.
Lindsay says, "Luther's message de
stroyed the aristocracy Of the saints
: it leveled the barriers between th
, laymau and the priest, it taught tn
! equality Of all men before God. an
the right Of every man OF faith t
stand in Gods presence, whatever b
his rank and condition OF life" TIL
4 is the principle on which our declare
= ton of independence rests. America
. debt to Luther and TO the Reformf
- ton is far greater than we realiz
9 The principles Of haman freedom fl
= which he and his co-workers so here