Martinsburg journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1920-1977, 1921-04-18

Ved sunday the debt Of graft
Ido they owe to Martin Luther for
t5elr cifil and religious liberty. -Four
hundred years ago, on April n,
1921, the fearless monk and re-
former was first hailed before the
German Diet at Worms and re-
quested TO rccant his assertions of
the right Of the individuals TO act
according to the dictates Of his
own conscience.
Millions OF Professionals celebrated
Sunday and Monday the an.
niversary of Luthcrs trial which
continued for two dsss. Thousands
OF speakers attested that Luther's
refusal to recant marked the be
ginning Of a mighty intellectual and
religious revolution.
Harding Pays Tribute
President Harding has added his
tribute 10 the memory Of tho great
reformer in a statement he has sent
to the Roy. Howard r. Gold. Of the
National Lutheran Council in which
ne wrote
con the occasion Of tho four hun
drcth celebration Of Luthers stand
before the Diet ot Worms think
thnre will be general agreement
fhat Luthor's firm advocacy of un.
fettered opinion deserves commem-
Grafton as one Of tho notable con
tributions toward mankind's intel.
iectual emancipation Its fitting eel,
ebratien will be testimony to the
fact that the world has, since his
time, travelled far on the way to rea.
iizing his ideal OF full individual
liberty"
The great significance Of Luther's
firm stand before his judges Is
brought out by Prof. J. II. c. Fritz,
dean OF Concordia Seminary. OF St
Louis, who says that but FOR Mar,
tin Luther and his unyielding con
victions OF liberty the ringing OF
the Liberty Bell at Philadelphia
would never have celebrated the
iSning of the Declaration of hide
p9ndence and the Constitution OF
The United states would never have
been written Dean Fritz writes:
"The eighteenth day of April. in
Tho year 1921, marks the end OF the
Middle Ages and the beginning of
the Modern Era in the history Of
the world On that day the enamel
patton Of man from a long period
Of spiritual, intellectual and polti-
al sorfdom took place, and there
vas given to the world that liberty
Of conscience. that freedom Of
tEought. and that modem ciyili7a.
ION which we now enjoy and which
.ance until the end Of DAYS.
Pat To Crucial Test
con TIE eighteenth day of April.
'-2l, Luther was on trial before the
ntct at Worms: the man and his
wort, we're mt to Crucial test Shall
the Bible be an ouen book for ali
or muct man submit to that author.
lily of thc church as II has been ey-
ercisoa by popes and councils: shall
Ire risht Of private Judgment be
granted or denied; shall the woke
laid uHan the intellect hv the medi-
acval system remain and become
moro Cumbersome. or shall the in
tcllact he freed and enter unon an
era Of INV dafc!opment; shall ma
lions ard peoples be tyrannized bvI
r ,gioas and ctyil rulers. Or shall
ne right Of civil and religious Hber
q be gantcd?
"Thcsn were the great issues
which Eathcr,s answer to the cues.
ion. whether or not he world re-
cant what he had snoken and writ.
ten, should decide
"All historians agree that I.uth-
er's finn stand at Worms in 1921
brought about mighty revolution
and a tremendous change in the his
tory OF the world.
In 1920. the year prior to the