The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-29

IN 1877 John Wyclif, priest and
l. teacher in Oxford, called the
Pope Antichrist, demanded that the
church be shorn of all temporal
power, and translated the Bible into
English that his people might judge
how Christian the Catholic church
had become.
John of Lancaster protected him
from martyrdom; but some of his
followers (the "LollardS'D paid at
the stake for the error of taking
Christianity seriously.
In 1411, John Huss, rector of the
University Of Prague, questioned the
power of the Pope to grant indul-
genceS; he was summoned to appear
before the Council of Constance,
and went thither under a safe-con-
duct from the Eemperor
The Council burned him alive in
the public square, and then passed
a resolution that a safe-conduct to a
hereto, or any pledge prejudiced to
the Catholic faith, could not be con-
sidered binding.
1t was into this atmosphere OF cor
ruption, treachery and rebellion that
Erasmus came with his Voltairean
pen, and fired the first great shot of
the Religious revolution. He came
from Rotterdam, one of those ports
which we're making Holland second
only to Italy (and later second to
none) in commerce, learning and
art. His real name was Gierard
ii. e. desirous,) as if to forecast his
limitlesS ambition; when ne be-
came the greatest scholar of his age
his name was changed to Latin
form - Desiderius, as Swartzerde
made himself Melanchthon.
II
WHEN he was a boy the father
w died; and the executor, to
cover his embezzlement of the be-
quest, sent the two sons off to be-
come monks. Peter yielded and be-
came a roue; young Erasmus, frail
and fiery, resisted, even though
watched and starved like a besieged
city"
The executor persuaded him to
enter monastery as an experiment,
and induced the monks TO make life
sweet for him there till he had taken
the VOWS. The VOWS once taken, he
was permitted to see the monastic
life as it was. He described it gently:
A monk may be drunk every
day He may go with loose women
secretly and openly. He may
waste the church's money on vic
ious pleasures. He may be a quack
or charlatan, and all the while
be an excellent friar and fit to be
made an abbot There
are brothels soberer and chaster
than some monaSterieS The
great proportion of priests fall into
lust and incest, and open pro-
f1igacy. 1t would surely be better
if those who cannot contain them
selves should be allowed lawful
wives.
And to give point to his charge of
the monkiSh prediction for liquor
he tells of a father confessor who
fell asleep in the middle of a pen
tents tale of theft; the penitent
went, and another came, to recite
other sims; Eyes, yes" said the
priest, waking from his torpor; you
had broken open your neighbours
desk; very good proceed" whereupon
the second penitent protested he
had done no such thing, and went
off in a rage.
The Bishop of Cambria, admiring
the youthful learning and industry
of Erasmus, rescued him from the
monastery, and paid his expenses
while he studied in Paris. At first
he read theology: Il am buried so
deeply in Scotus that Stentor could
not awake me-" he writes.
Then he came upon the Greek
texts that Italian scholars had
recently discovered; he went wild
with enthusiasm over them, and said
he would pawn his coat rather than
go without the latest Greek manu-
script. And Of course he began to
write.
He succeeded because he failed so
many times. After writing any
number Of things that found none
but friends to praise them. he pro-
duced, at the age of thirty -one, a
volume of classical proverbs
"Adagia (which became the Bart
let's Quotations" of the day.