11111111 ^ \ $ '■' liiillMs (Celebration Picture. See page 30) A BOOK OF SUGGESTIONS FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE FOUR HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY ®fjc Hutljeran bureau of ®fje iSational ILutljeran Council 437 Fifth Avenue, New York A Book of Suggestions for THE CELEBRATION OF THE FOUR HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY Luther at Worms 1521 — 1921 * THE LUTHERAN BUREAU OF THE NATIONAL LUTHERAN COUNCIL 437 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK FOREWORD In order to meet the request for suggestions in a general observance of the four hundredth anniversary of Luther’s historic stand before the Diet at Worms, April 18th, 1521, this little book of ideas and helps has been prepared. The celebra¬ tion naturally begins with Sunday, April 17th, the day when Luther was first summoned before the Diet, and continues through succeeding months. Out of door pageants have been planned for May and June. Cordial acknowledgment is here made for contributions. The “Celebration Keynote” was prepared by Dr. R. A. Wentz; “Luther at the Diet at Worms,” topic for young people’s societies, by Rev. C. P. Harry; “Suggestions for Sunday School Celebrations” and “The Greatest Moment in Modern History,” by Mrs. E. C. Cronk; “Ribliography,” by Dr. O. M. Norlie and Rev. G. L. Kieffer; “Luther at Worms,” a poem by Laura Scherer Copenhaver. A number of others added valuable suggestions. The entire Church life of America was stimulated by the Quadricentenary of the nailing up of the theses by Luther, celebrated in 1917. May we not hope that a real benefit will come from a fitting observance of the principles established at the Diet at Worms? HOWARD R. GOLD, Director of Celebration. 3 CELEBRATION MESSAGE Protestantism throughout the world will, this year, celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of the Diet at Worms at which the stand of Martin Luther upon the Scriptures as final authority in faith and conduct made possible religious and civil liberty for mankind. The occasion is fitting for review of the benefits secured to the world by Luther’s unshakable “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me,” and equally fitting for the reiteration of the faith of Protestantism in that Word as its immovable foundation. The National Lutheran Council makes the following suggestions for the celebration: 1. That on Sunday, April 17th, the regular congregational service be held in praise to God for Luther’s stand at Worms. 2. That persons unable to assemble with others for worship and thanks¬ giving engage in the reading of the Scriptures and in meditation at four o’clock on the afternoon of Sunday, April 17th, the hour when Luther was first sum¬ moned before the Diet. 3. That prayers include petitions for the purity and unity of the faith, success in all good works, the advancement of true, Christian liberty and universal good will. 4. That Sunday Schools commemorate the day by the introduction of the special program prepared for their use. 5. That young people’s societies make “Luther at the Diet at Worms” the theme for the meeting in April or in some other month during year 1921. 6. That the story “The Greatest Moment in Modern History” be told at the periods for week-day religious education conducted by the various churches. 7. That Brotherhoods, Women’s Missionary Societies, and other church organizations present the theme “The Meaning of Martin Lathers Stand at Worms in Modern Life and Modern Missions.” 8. That colleges include in their lecture courses for the spring of 1921 at least one lecture which will emphasize the meaning of the event we celebrate. 9 . That large circulation be given to those books which present clearly the story and the meaning of the Diet at Worms. Lauritz Larsen, President of National Lutheran Council. Howard R. Gold, Director of Celebration. CELEBRATION KEYNOTE On April eighteenth next it will be exactly four hundred years since the Middle Ages and the Modern World stood face to face before the Diet of Worms. Three and a half years had passed since Martin Luther had nailed up his ninety-five propositions calling into question some of the Church’s practices during the Middle Ages. All efforts to quiet the monk had only made him more determined in his position and more vigorous in his statements. That a man is saved alone by divine grace through faith in Christ and not by man-made ordinances and priestly ceremonies was a matter of profound experience with Luther, and he could not be silenced by mere logic or by promises of bribes or threats of violence. The Pope threatened him with excommunication. Luther publicly burned the document of the threat that had called down on his head the “holy curse” of the Church- Then he was summoned before the national assembly of the Empire itself to answer for his utterances. The tribunal before which Luther appeared was the most imposing assemblage of Church and State potentates that could have been gathered anywhere in the world at that time. A century earlier John Huss appeared before such a body under very similar charges and was burned at the stake. Luther knew that, but fearlessly he went forward to the test. He knew that his writings simply gave expression to the deepest yearnings of multitudes of pious souls among his countrymen. The issue he left to his God. Summoned before the imperial court and called on before that glittering array of princes and ecclesiastics to recant what he had said and written, the dauntless monk denounced as tyranny the papal system that had enslaved the Christian conscience; and then in the spirit of a new age made that dramatic defence of his position, taking firm stand upon the sole authority of the Word of God and closing with the memorable utterance: “My conscience is bound to the Bible. Unless I am convinced by clear evidence of the Holy Scripture, I will not and cannot recant. God help me! Amen!” Luther had arrived at a new principle of religious authority. This is called the formal principle of the Reformation. The material prin¬ ciple, justification by faith alone, Luther had experienced in his soul years before and had expressed many times by tongue and pen. Now at Worms he is seen to have taken the next step. He definitely rejects all other authority in matters of religion than the Bible, the Word of God. And from that day to this, Protestants acknowledge the Word of God to be the only infallible rule of faith and practice- With the dramatic scene at Worms therefore Luther burns the bridges behind hinf. A Reformation from Rome is assured. The movement has reached the constructive stage. But the incident contributed another principle that is vital to the modern world: the principle of separate functions for Church and State-, 6 the only principle that guarantees freedom of conscience, the right of private judgment and religious toleration. By his bold stand at Worms Luther called down on his head the ban of the Empire. But for once the ban of the Empire and excommunication of the Pope went without effect. Luther had successfully shattered the unmodern idea that the secular power is the bailiff of the Church and that the government has the right to decide questions of belief. When he expressed the con¬ viction that thoughts are not dutiable, he took a long step forward in the direction of the modern view of State functions and the modern idea of religious freedom. It was an imposing assemblage which Luther addressed at Worms. Imagination readily appreciates, however, that in reality his appeal was addressed in the name of God to an audience of the ages to follow. Times not yet born were listening. The spirit of modern liberty was conceived in the first quarter of the sixteenth century in the rugged soul of a mediaeval monk in Europe. It was born in the last quarter of the eighteenth century on the Atlantic seaboard of the North American continent. And now in this first quarter of the twentieth century, by the grace of God, it is coming to full maturity all over the world. Our generation therefore should gratefully commemorate the contest between the two eras that was staged at Worms on April 18th, 1521. • SERMONS The congregational celebration should be chief in this observance; the sermon is central. APPROPRIATE TEXTS Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.—Gal. V-l. Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.—John VIII-32. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.—II Cor. III-17. Uphold me with Thy free spirit.—Psalm LI-12. We should serve in newness of spirit.—Romans VII-6. Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably.—Heb. XII-28. SUGGESTED OUTLINE I. RELEASED FROM : (The Background) A. Church abuses: (1) Autocracy and legalism, (2) Other wordliness, (3) False spirituality. B. Social wrongs: (1) Mendicancy, (2) Misuse of Church funds, (3) Extortion* (4) Feudalism. C. Ignorance: (1) Of the Scriptures, (2) Of the physical world, (3) Of means of spreading knowledge. II. RELEASED BY GOD, THROUGH LUTHER, WHO PREACHED: (The Means) A. The freedom of the believer in Christ: (1) From sin, (2) From popes, councils and lords, (3) From empty, formal observances, (4) From superstition and credulity. B. The obligations of Christian freedom: (1) Love towards God and neighbor, (2) Stewardship of talents and means, (3) The holiness of service. III. RELEASED TO: (The End) A. Develop fully the individual life: (1) Through direct communion with God, (2) Through obedience of the Word and conscience, (3) Through personal service. 7 B. Rebuild the Church : (1) Through fidelity to the Word, (2) Through administration of the Sacraments, (3) Through extension of the Kingdom. C. Re-vitalize the community life: (1) Through personal rectitude in private and vocational life, ( 2 ) Through active Christian citizenship. The Summary: —Recapitulate briefly to show that the aim is: (1) The salvation of all men. (2) Christianization of all human relationships. ADDRESSES Suggested Topics for Societies and Group Meetings of Any Kind. 1 . The Historic background of the Diet at Worms. 2. The Religious Authority re-established at Worms. 3. The Influence of Luther’s work at Worms on civic life. 4. The Separate Functions for Church and State. 5. Luther on Christian Stewardship. 6 . Luther at Worms and World Lutheranism. 7. Luther at Worms and the World’s Future. STEREOPTICON LECTURES The publication houses, as a rule, have illustrated lectures on Reformation, which may be rented at a nominal sum. The Lutheran Bureau has one on “Christian Stewardship,” which includes several Luther slides. Other firms having Luther lectures are the George W. Bond Slide Co., 14 Washington St., Chicago, Illinois; Underwood and Underwood, Inc., 417 Fifth Ave., New York City; Besler Lantern Slide Co., 131 East 23 rd St., New York City. LITERATURE Literature on the Reformation, and even on the Diet at Worms as one event in the movement, is so extensive that it is impracticable to compile a list of references here. A practical bibliography was compiled in 1917 which is still available at the Bureau’s office; price 35 cents. The publication houses and the Lutheran Bureau are ready to give suggestions. Consult public and private libraries. See bibliography on page 22. CELEBRATION PICTURE The celebration picture produced especially for this observance is intended for unveiling and display in Sunday Schools and other departments of the Church, and may be framed as a permanent reminder of Luther at Worms. Available at the Bureau and the publication houses after March 25. DRAMATIC PRESENTATION There are several good pageant, play and dialogue texts which can be secured. Colleges and other institutions especially may be interested in this form of observance. Pageants may be given in the open, in the early Summer. SUNDAY SCHOOLS Without taking too much time in preparation, or in the program itself, Luther’s historic stand and the benefits derived should be impressed upon the members of the Sunday School. A suggested program is found in full on pages 14 to 22. YOUNG PEOPLE’S SOCIETIES A topic for presentation at a meeting in April is suggested on pages 11 to 13. Additional features may of course be adopted. See also pages 14 to 22, where “The Greatest Moment in Modern History” and poem “Luther at Worms” are found. WOMEN’S SOCIETIES The various organizations of women should add some celebration feature to their regular programs or arrange special celebration meetings. Inasmuch as many women’s missionary societies are studying the book “The Bible and 8 Missions” this year, a special paper or address on the theme “What Luther’s Stand at Worms Has Meant to Modern Missions” would be appropriate and illuminating. An excellent leaflet entitled “Martin Luther, the Honored Father of all the Modern Translators of the Bible,” containing excerpts from papers published in the Records of the American Bible Society, may be procured from Literature Headquarters, 844 Drexel Building, Philadelphia, Pa. The reading of “The Celebration Keynote” or “The Greatest Moment in Modern History” may be made a feature of April or May meetings. Lutheran Women’s Leagues or similar organizations may be able to arrange celebrations with suitable programs. In meetings of a social character a reception to the ministers’ wives of the community would present an opportunity for an interesting emphasis on “The Pastor’s Wife and the Parsonage—Two of the Gifts of the Diet at Worms.” Other themes for after-dinner speeches may be found in the five points given on pages 8 and 9 . BROTHERHOODS Luther was a man’s man. Princes, peasants, bankers, lawyers, farmers, preachers, popes, emperors,—all had respect for him. Brotherhoods within their local chapters or the brotherhoods of a community might well discuss Luther as a force in public life,—that is, his influence on the social and economic problems of his day. The background of the Reformation is interesting. COLLEGE AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS These will have no difficulty in adapting a suitable celebration program. Lectures, musicales, pageants, readings, mass meetings suggest themselves. COMMUNITY MEETINGS As the Diet at Worms ushered in the new state and made possible modern civil liberty and the modern free institutions, the event may well be observed by means of large community gatherings. PUBLICITY In order that the community in general, particularly those who do not join in the celebration meetings, may get the essentials of the celebration, considerable attention should be given to adequate publicity. Speak early to the local papers about your plans and arrange with them both for advance news and for the reports at the time of meetings, etc. For the sake of general publicity and for record, send copies of programs and newspaper reports to the Lutheran Bureau; especially send the Bureau your plans well in advance. VOCAL MUSIC CANTATAS BERGQUIST Reformation Cantata, for Chorus, Soprano, Tenor, Bass,-and Orchestra. Words by E. W. Olson. Music by J. V. Bergquist. Augustana Book Concern. Price $1.00. Time of rendition about an hour. Written for the 1917 Quadri- centenary. CHRISTIANSEN Reformation Cantata, for Baritone, Tenor, Soprano, Chorus, and Or¬ chestra. Text by W. Pettersen. Music by F. Melius Christiansen. Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, Minn. Price 35 cents with discount in quantities. Time of rendition about 35 minutes. Written for the 1917 Quadricentenary. GILCHRIST God Is Our Refuge and Strength (46th Psalm). G. Schirmer, 3 E. 43rd St., New York. Price $1.00, less 10 per cent. 9 MATTHEWS The City of God: Festival Cantata. Text arranged from Holy Scripture by Luther D. Reed, D.D. Music composed by H. Alexander Matthews. G. Schirmer, 3 E. 43rd St., New York. 80 pp. Price, single copy, 75 cents, with discounts. Written for the 1917 Quadricentenary. ANTHEMS CHRISTIANSEN St. Olaf Choir Series. A new collection of anthems for mixed choirs, compiled and edited by F. Melius Christiansen. Each vol. contains 25 numbers. Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis. Price $1.00 per vol. DICKENSON Jesus Source of Purest Pleasure (mixed Chorus; traditional melody). FOOTE God Is Our Refuge and Strength. H. W. Gray Co., 2 W. 45th St., New Yoik. GARRETT Jubilate Deo (From Service in F, No. 3). H. W. Gray Co., 2 W. 45th St., New York. HOPKINS Thy Mercy, O Lord. H. W. Gray Co., 2 W. 45th St., New York. LEWARS Blessing, Glory, Wisdom and Thanks (without Solos). Theo. Presser, 1712 Chestnut St., Philadelphia. Price 12 cents, less 20% for 5 or more. Prize anthem for the 1917 Quadricentenary. MENDELSSOHN Sleepers Wake; Choral from “St; Paul.” O Come, Let Us Worship. Oliver Ditson Co., Boston. OHL I Will Extol Thee (for large Chorus, with the exception of a short duet for Soprano and Alto). Theo. Presser, 1712 Chestnut St., Philadelphia. Price 12 cents, less 20% for 5 or more. Prize anthem fon the 1917 Quadricentenary. PALMER Trust Ye in the Mighty God. Emanuel Schmauk, 275 E. 15th St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Price 8 cents. RILE I Will Extol Thee, My God, O King (for Baritone Solo, Quartet, and chorus; good for smaller choirs). Theo. Presser, 1712 Chestnut St., Phila¬ delphia. 12 cents, less 20% for 5 or more. Prize anthem for the 1917 Quadricentenary. SOMMER-SCHMAUK God Is Our Refuge and Strength. Emanuel Schmauk, 275 E. 15th St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Price 15 cents. STAINER Jubilate Deo, in E b. G. Schirmer, 3 E. 43rd St., New York. Price 12 cents, less 10 %. STANFORD Jubilate Deo, in B b. Oliver Ditson Co., Boston. SULLIVAN I Will Mention Thy Loving Kindness. H. W. Gray Co., 2 W. 45th St., New York. TOURS Blessing, Glory, Wisdom. H. W. Gray Co., 2 W. 45th St., New York. ORGAN MUSIC BACH The Choral Preludes. Volume of “The Organ Work of J. S. Bach.” Edited bv Ivor Atkins. The following Preludes in this collection were written to Chorals by Luther or by his contemporaries, for the Reformation. Some of these are Luther’s adaptations of older words and music. They contain 10 among them the following: Nun Komm Heiden Heiland, Vater Unser, Gottes Sohn ist Kommen, Da Jesus an dem Kreuze, etc. FISCHER Prelude and Fugue on “Ein Feste Burg.” Opus 1. REGER Fantasias on Two Old Chorals. Opus 40. Fantasias on Three Old Chorals. Opus 52. SCHELLENBERG Fantasie (Ein Feste Burg) fiir die Orgel. Opus 3. STRAUBE Choral Preludes (Choral Vorspiele Alter Meister). Edited by Karl Straube. The following Choral Preludes in this collection were written to Luther Chorals or Chorals composed by his contemporaries, for the Reformation movement: “Der Herr zu Jordan Kam,” “Ein Feste Burg,” “Christ Lag in Todes Banden,” “Aus Tiefer Noth,” “Warum Betriibst du dich, mein Herz,” etc. WALTHER Choral Preludes: Choral Vorspiele (Denkmaler deutscher Tonkunst: erste Folge). Vols. 26 and 27. FOR ORCHESTRA AND BAND HANDEL Hallelujah Chorus (from “The Messiah”). Orchestra No. T 260, Band No. U 281. LUTHER Choral: A Mighty Fortress. Band No. Q 403. This number can be played as Quartet for the following combinations: 1st and 2nd Cornets and 1st and 2nd Trombones; or four Saxophones; or E b Cornet, 1st and 2nd Altos and Baritone. MENDELSSOHN Choral: “To God on High” (from “St. Paul”): Orchestra No. T 299, Band No, U 291. NICOLAI Festival Overture on “A Mighty Fortress.” Orchestra No. T 550, Band No. W 471. WEBER Jubel Overture (concluding with “America”). Band No. J 78. These compositions can be obtained from Carl Fischer, 48 Cooper Square, New York. The numbers indicate the order number. FOR YOUNG PEOPLE’S SOCIETIES LUTHER AT THE DIET AT WORMS WHAT PRECEDED.—In 1517 Luther nailed the Ninety-five Theses to the door of the Church at Wittenberg, challenging to a debate on the question of Indulgences. This is the beginning of his open break with the authorities of the Church of Rome and it is also the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. In 1519, Luther debated the question of the authority of the Pope with Eck at Leipsic. The debate began on July 4th—a day on which we celebrate both the American Declaration of Independence and its great precursor, Luther’s Stand at Leipsic. In that debate he took the position that there can be no authority binding on a man’s con¬ science except the Word of God. In 1520 the Pope issued a Bull or proclamation calling on Luther to recant within sixty days on pain of excommunication. Instead Luther burned the proclamation publicly on a bonfire just outside the walls of Wittenberg. The Pope’s excommunication followed in 1521. 11 This forbade the faithful giving shelter to Luther, and called upon the civil authorities to execute him. Luther appealed to the Emperor for an impartial commission to investigate his claims. For political reasons, the Emperor delayed execution of the Pope’s Excommunica¬ tion on Luther, and finally summoned him to appear before the Diet being held at Worms. THE EVENT.—The Diet or Congress of the Empire had assembled in Worms, early in 1521. Luther was summoned to appear, after it had been sitting for some time. The summons reached him during Holy Week. He set out for Worms, on Tuesday after Easter, safeguarded by the Imperial herald. When he reached Worms the whole city turned out to see him pass through the street. It was a genuine ovation. Many had attempted to dissuade him from going, fearing foul play such as had overtaken Huss a hundred years before. But having been summoned to make a public declaration and stand a public trial, nothing could deter him. The day after his arrival, April 17th, he was directed to appear before the Diet at four o’clock in the afternoon. The streets were so crowded with people eager to see him, that he had to be conducted through alleys and gardens to the Bishop’s Palace where the Diet was sitting. It was six o’clock when he finally stood before the Diet. His books lay upon a table in front of the *Emperor. One of the most dramatic and decisive moments of history had arrived. Facing the young Emperor surrounded by the princes of the realm and the representatives of the Free Cities of Germany, stood the young monk, until but a short time before obscure and unknown. He faced the most august body in Christendom, professing to represent officially its mature decision. “To challenge an infamous death was the least part of his courage; to set up his own individual belief and conscience against the deliberate, ancient and almost universal opinion of men required an audacity no less than sublime.” Luther was asked if the books on the table were his and if he wished to recant in whole or in part what they contained. After the titles had been read, Luther said that the books were his, but that he would like to have twenty-four hours for consideration before answer¬ ing the question of recantation. This was granted him. The next day, April 18th, he was asked the same question and replied that as the books were not all of one kind, he could not make a sweeping answer, but many things in them he could not recant. Then the examiner demanded a simple answer to the question, “Will you recant or not?” Luther replied, “My conscience is bound to the Bible. Unless I am convinced by the clear evidence of the Holy Scripture, I will not and cannot recant. God help me. Amen.” The Emperor was amazed. The people were delighted. Popular sentiment ran high in Luther’s favor. He remained in Worms a few days, and then started out to return to Wittenberg. WHAT IT SIGNIFIES.—First of all personal liberty. Con¬ science had been bound for centuries by the official Church organiza¬ tion and its representatives. Through Luther’s bold stand, men took courage everywhere to speak and live as God gave them to see His 12 will. Liberty of conscience is almost an axiom of modern life. It is hard to imagine what it must have been like with conscience bound by priests and popes. The liberty we enjoy in personal life would never have been known to us but for the stand Luther took at Worms. Second: scientific research. With conscience bound by the Church and every thought governed by the priests, it was impossible to conduct real scientific research without incurring great personal danger, and without the risk of having one’s labors cast to the fire because of the reactionary opposition of ecclesiastical authority. Third: modern education, with its free schools and learning for all. The ancient line between the clerics or clerks, who could read and write, and laymen, who could do neither, no longer exists. All read and write, and the blessings of knowledge are not confined to the few who hold ecclesiastical power in their hands. Fourth: democracy. Democracy would never have appeared in Europe or America without Luther’s stand at Worms. The religious liberty to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience, guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States, rises directly out of Luther’s position at Worms. It is the national fruit of a personal stand. This required the separation of the Church and the State. The German princes sheltered Luther and his followers until the move¬ ment had grown so strong that no power in Europe could put it down. Then it was recognized by the State, and the right to exist and function as a Church was given to the Lutherans in the Empire, protected equally with the Church of Rome. That is, separation of Church and State and the guarantee of religious liberty. Fifth: the place of the Bible. Luther was not a free thinker. He stands on the Bible. His conscience is bound to the Bible, captive to the’ Word of God. He stands not so much for personal liberty, as for God’s liberty to speak to a man and work through him by His Word. Luther would make as short shift of the men who boldly proclaim their own wisdom against the Word of God, as h$ did of the priestcraft of his day which opposed that same Word. Practically, as well as historically, this means that the Bible is the foundation of liberty and democracy. The most serious blow we can give democracy is to remove the Bible from Education, to neglect it in our homes, to question it in our pulpits. It is well to be reminded of these facts in these days of uncertainty, when men seek liberty in unbridled self-seeking. We rightly prize our democracy. We must extend it over the face of the whole earth. We can do so only as we keep fhe Bible where it ought to be—at the base of it all. The world will be safe for democracy only when the Bible is honored and obeyed in every land and in all groups in society. We need fear no pacifism or militarism, no capitalism or communism, if we make the Bible our only rule of faith and practice. When our conscience is captive to the Word of God we have true liberty and live in real democracy. Reading References:—“The History of the Reformation” (2 Vols.) T. M. Lindsay. “The Life and Letters of Martin Luther” Pre¬ served Smith. “The Theology of Martin Luther” (2 Vols.) Koestlin. 13 SUGGESTIONS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS 1. Every Sunday School should use this occasion to impress the story and meaning of Luther’s heroic stand at Worms. Some schools may have to adapt and simplify the program given. Do not overlook the fact that preparation of mottoes and charts, and memory work, is not for spectacular effect only but is of educational value. 2. Create an atmosphere that zvill deepen impressions of the program :— have special ushers or a reception committee selected from various departments or from one department. Let boys carry shields made of dark blue or black cardboard with white lettering, or of white cardboard with blue or black lettering, bearing the zvords : LUTHER AT WORMS April 18 1521—1921 Girls may zvear scarfs of tarlatan or cheesecloth with similar lettering. Decorate walls zvith charts and mottoes made, if possible, by different depart¬ ments, according to assignment: “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. ' God help me. Amen.”—Martin Luther. “Unless I am convinced by the word of God Himself, by which alone my conscience is bound, I neither can nor will recant anything.” —Martin Luther. “It is neither right nor safe for a Christian to speak against his conscience.”—Martin Luther. “My conscience is bound to the Bible.”—Martin Luther. “I will not flee, much less will I recant.”—Martin Luther. “I fight not for myself, but for the honor of Christ.”—Martin Luther. As many other mottoes or quotations as may be desired may be added. Other wall decorations may be made with draperies or hangings of the Luther colors — black, red, white, blue and gold—the Luther coat of arms, pennants, etc. 3. Make very clear to the school that this celebration is not merely in honor of a man, but in recognition of the truths of God’s word for which 1 that man stood. 4. The following short program has been prepared for use at the regular Sunday School session. It may be given in about thirty minutes, leaving the usual time for the lesson period. In some schools it may be necessary to adapt it for use m various departments if the whole school is not gathered together. It may be adapted also for young people’s meetings. PROGRAM OUTLINE FOR SUNDAY SCHOOLS 1. Four Minute Statement, by the pastor, of the message of the National Lutheran Council for the celebration of this day and what it means. 2. Hymn. The Church’s One Foundation. The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord; She is His new creation by water and the Word; From heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy Bride, With His own Blood He bought her, and for her life He died. Elect from ev’ry nation, yet one o’er all the earth, Her charter of salvation, one Lord, one Faith, one Birth; One holy Name she blesses, partakes one holy Food, And to one hope she presses, with ev’ry grace endued. 14 Tho’, with a scornful wonder, men see her sore oppressed, By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed; Yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up, “How long?” And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song. ’Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war, She waits the consummation of peace for evermore; Till, with the vision glorious, her longing eyes are blest, And the great Church victorious shall be the Church at rest. Amen. 3. Prayer. Four Views of Martin Luther, the Hero of Worms (1) Luther the friend of little children .—One minute statement by superintendent of Kindergarten Department about Luther’s love for children, and the songs he wrote for them, followed by the hymn “Away in a manger’’ sung by Kindergarten Department. Away in the Manger . Away, in the manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head; The stars in the sky looked down where He lay; The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, The little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes, I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky, And stay by my side, till morning is high. Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay, Close by me, forever, and love me, I pray, Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there. (2) Luther the loving father .—One minute statement by superintendent of Primary Department about Luther and his own children, followed by the reading by boy of the Primary Department of the following letter written by Luther to his little son, Hans : “Grace and peace in Christ, dear little son. I am glad to hear that you are studying and saying your prayers. Continue to do so, my son, and when I come home I will bring you a pretty present. “I know a lovely, pleasant garden where many children are; they wear golden jackets and gather nice apples under the trees and pears and cherries and purple plums and yellow plums, and sing and run and jump and are happy and have pretty little ponies with golden reins and silver saddles. I asked the man who owned the garden whose children they were. He said: ‘They are the children who say their prayers and study and are good.’ Then said I: ‘Dear man, I also have a son whose name is Hans Luther; may he come into the garden and eat the sweet apples and pears and ride a fine pony and play with these children?’ Then the man said: ‘If he says his prayers and is good, he can come into the garden and Phil and Justy too, and when they all come they shall have whistles and drums and fifes and dance and shoot little cross-bows.’ But it was yet early and the children had not finished eating and I could not wait to see them dance, so I said to the man: ‘My dear sir, I must go away and write at once to my dear little Hans about all this, so that he will say his prayers and study and be good, so that he may come into the garden, and he has an Auntie Lena whom he must bring with him.’ Then the man said: ‘All right, go and tell him about it.’ So, dear little Hans, study and say your prayers and tell Phil and Justy to say their prayers and study too, so you may all come into the garden together. God bless you. Give Auntie Lena my love and a kiss from me. Your loving father, Martin Luther.” 15 (3) Luther the Bible Lover and Student. —One minute statement by- superintendent of Junior Department of Luther’s love for the Bible and his frequent quoting of the forty-sixth Psalm which is called “The Mighty Fortress Psalm,” followed by reciting of this psalm by the Junior Department or members selected therefrom. The 46th Psalm GOD is our Refuge and Strength: a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed: and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled: though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God; the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our Refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord: what desolations He hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth: He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder, He burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our Refuge. (4) How Great Men of all Nations Have Viewed the Hero of Worms .— One minute statement by superintendent of Intermediate Department, followed by quotations given by members of the Intermediate Department: George William Curtis said: “In the truest sense Luther is the father of modern civilization.” “The Diet of Worms may be considered the greatest moment in the modern history of men,” said Thomas Carlyle. “Our civil liberty is the result of the open Bible which Luther gave us,” said Henry Ward Beecher. Phillips Brooks said: “All human progress must remember Martin Luther.” “Blessed be the day of Martin Luther’s birth,” said Robert Southey, Poet Laureate of England. John Calvin said: “It is not so much Luther who speaks, as God, whose lightnings burst from his lips.” Daniel Treadwell said: “That the principles of Martin Luther are the fundamental principles of our American Republic there can be no question.” As many other quotations as desired may be added. 5. Hymn. “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” ! A mighty Fortress is our God, a trusty Shield and Weapon; He helps us free from ev’ry need that hath us now o’ertaken. The old bitter foe Means us deadly woe: Deep guile and great might Are his dread arms in fight, On earth is not his equal. With might of ours can naught be done, soon were our loss effected; But for us fights the Valiant One whom God Himself elected. Ask ye, who is this? Jesus Christ it is, Of Sabaoth Lord, And there’s none other God, He holds the field forever. 16 Tho’ devils all the world should fill, all watching to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill, they cannot overpow’r us. This world’s prince may still Scowl fierce as he will, He can harm us none. He’s judged, the deed is done, One little word o’erthrows him. The Word they still shall let remain, and not a thank have for it, He’s by our side upon the plain, with His good gifts and Spirit. Take they then our life, Goods, fame, child, and wife; When their worst is done, They have yet nothing won, The Kingdom ours remaineth. Amen. 6. Reading. “The Greatest Moment in Modern History,” and unveiling of Luther picture or poster. Almost every Sunday School can secure someone with dramatic ability who will memorize the following story and give it as a reading. If this is not possible have it told or read by a good story teller. In the center of superintendeds platform, on an easel or on the Wall, place the special celebration picture of Luther at Worms which may be ordered from the publication houses or the Lutheran Bureau. Have it veiled with a Christian flag or draperies of the Luther colors. Let two of the ushers wearing sashes or carrying shields stand on either side of the picture as the story is read or told. As the speaker says: “In what Thomas Carlyle has declared the greatest moment in the modern history of man, Martin Luther” have ushers draw the cords, that have been previously arranged, so picture is unveiled, the school rising as this is done. As story is concluded Superintendent should call the school to rise and sing : 7. Hymn. “Lord Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word.” Lord, keep us steadfast in Thy Word: Curb those who fain by craft or sword Would wrest the kingdom from Thy Son, And set at naught all He hath done. Lord Jesus Christ, Thy pow’r make known; For Thou art Lord of lords alone: Defend Thy Christendom, that we May evermore sing praise to Thee. O Comforter, of priceless worth, Send peace and unity on earth, Support us in our final strife, And lead us out of death to life. Amen. 8. Prayer. That we may be faithful to the heritage that is ours and give the Bible in its truth and purity to “every nation.” The poem, “Luther at Worms,” on page 22, may be recited before the singing of hymn if desired. 1 7 THE GREATEST MOMENT IN MODERN HISTORY Copyrighted. For permission to reprint address Lutheran Bureau of the National Lutheran Council, 437 Fifth Ave., New York. On Tuesday after Easter, in the year 1521, a carriage was leaving the city of Wittenberg in Germany. In front of the carriage rode a herald; following after it were a number of horsemen; inside sat four men. The emperor himself, Charles V, had summoned Martin Luther to appear before him in the city of Worms to answer the charges that had been made against him. The city of Wittenberg had furnished the carriage and three escorts, and now their beloved “Dr. Martin,” was on his way to answer the emperor’s summons. All Germany was stirred by the boldness of Luther, the monk who had dared to protest against the sale of indulgences which promised the forgiveness of sins to those who paid the price named by the Pope and his priests. Luther had declared that even the Pope and his councils made mistakes, and that to every man should be given the right to read God’s Word for himself and to know that by faith in Jesus Christ alone can men be saved. On the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg he had nailed ninety-five clear statements about the teachings of God’s Word. The Pope had issued a decree, with the papal bulla or seal, stating that Martin Luther was cast out from the Church—a teacher of false doctrine. Yet all over the land the weary, oppressed people hailed Luther as the liberator of truth, and eagerly bought and read his books. As his carriage went onward, great crowds of people who learned that Martin Luther was going to Worms came out to meet him. Ten miles from the city of Erfurt forty horsemen advanced to escort Luther into the city. Further on the procession was joined by pro¬ fessors, university students and citizens. A poem written in Luther’s honor was read and an oration delivered. On Sunday he preached in the church at Erfurt and the people thronged to hear him. His friends begged him to turn back and not go to Worms. One of them who had a strong castle sent a band of knights to persuade him to let them hide him there, but Luther answered fearlessly, “Though there may be as many devils in Worms as tiles on the roofs, I will enter.” On the morning of April 16th a trumpet call sounded from the dome of the cathedral in Worms. “He is coming! He is coming!” cried the men in the streets. People left their dinner tables and hurried out to catch a sight of the fearless monk. In front of the hotel of the Knights of St. John the carriage stopped. As Martin Luther stepped out the crowd pressed close about him. He raised his eyes. Up the street, down the street, at every door and window were throngs of people whose eyes were fastened upon him. 18 “God be with me,” prayed Martin Luther, as he suddenly realized that the eyes of all Germany were fixed on him. On the next day at four o’clock the summons came for him to appear before the great Diet or Council of the empire, in the bishop’s palace. Such throngs of people filled the streets that the imperial herald and marshal, sent to conduct Luther into the presence of the emperor, could not get through. They were obliged to go back through the garden and alleys. People sat on the roofs near the palace, hoping to catch at least a glimpse of Martin Luther as he passed. Into the great hall the herald led the solitary monk in his simple, black robe. As the doors opened, a graybearded general stepped to Luther’s side, and laid his hand on his shoulder. “Little monk, little monk,” he said earnestly, “you are about to go into a more terrible battle than I and my knights have ever fought, but if your cause is just and God is with you, go forward boldly, and have no fear!” The shouts of the crowd outside followed him as the door was closed. “Luther, our Luther!” “God bless our Dr. Martin!” “Be not afraid!” “Play the man!” Inside the atmosphere changed. A sudden chill that was colder than the April day fell on the monk as he approached the throne. He was no longer with his friends. On the throne chair, rich with its costly gold brocade, sat the Emperor Charles V. About him were the princes of the realm—archbishops, cardinals, electors, margraves and dukes, and besides all these the ambassadors of all the great rulers of Europe. His eyes rested for a moment on the kindly face of good Elector Frederick of Saxony. Then he turned to the emperor. As Charles V saw the slight figure of the unpretentious monk who fol¬ lowed the herald he said with scorn to his nobles beside him: “Is that the monk? He will never make a heretic of me!” On.the table in front of the Emperor were piled a number of books. Martin Luther recognized the titles of books he had written. Suddenly the chancellor’s voice broke the silence: “Martin Luther, his imperial Majesty has summoned you here that you may recall and retract the words you have written in these books, published by you and spread abroad. First, do you confess that these books bearing your name on the title page were written by you? Second, will you recall and retract what you have said in them, or will you reaffirm what is written therein?” “Let the titles of the books be read,” called out a voice. As the titles were named, one by one, Luther bowed his head in acknowled- ment. When the list was completed he raised his head and said in a low voice, “I cannot deny that I have written all the books named, and I have also written some others not mentioned here.” The emperor waited for the answer to the second question. Martin Luther went on: “As to the other question, it is too grave to be answered in a word; for, not having considered what I am to reply, I might not answer wisely, and might utter either more or less than the exact truth. 19 “Therefore I beg that your imperial Majesty will give me time to consider, that I may answer the question without denying my Lord or losing my own soul.” The princes turned to each other with excited comments. “Do not give him time,” whispered one, “he is weakening, he will recant.” “Did you notice in what a low tone he spoke?” said another, “It is evident he is frightened. Threaten him now that he will be burned at the stake and he will retract.” The chancellor spoke. The buzz of voices ceased suddenly. “His Majesty grants a delay of twenty-four hours,” announced the chancellor. The herald led the way, and Martin Luther followed him back to his room at the Knights of St. John. The rumor spread through the city that Martin Luther had been frightened by the great council and that he would retract the next day. The following day the imperial herald came again to lead Luther before the emperor. “Is it true that our Dr. Martin was frightened by the mighty princes, and that he will recant ?” asked anxious friends. “When he gives his answer you will know,” said Justus Jonas, who was in the room next to Luther’s in the hotel. “All night we have heard him praying. ‘O Thou, my God,’ he prayed, ‘stand by me against the wisdom of the world! It is Thy cause, not mine. For mine own honor I am not concerned. With these great men of the world I have nothing to do. I am ready to sacrifice my life as patiently as a lamb. But the cause is Thine; Thou must help me defend it.’ ” The crowds gathered in even greater numbers than on the pre¬ ceding day. Again the herald was compelled to lead Luther through the garden and the alleyway. A hush of expectancy fell on the assembly of princes as he entered the hall. Would the little monk confess today that he had been wrong and seek their powerful protection? The chancellor’s voice rang out: “Martin Luther, you requested yesterday a delay which has now expired. Now, therefore, answer the inquiry of his Majesty who has manifested so much indulgence. Are you prepared to defend all your writings contain, or do you wish to retract any part of them ?” The princes leaned forward to catch every word of the answer. The torches had been lighted as the April twilight fell, and their rays illumined the robes and the jewels of the emperor and his counsellors. The monk in his simple black robe took a step forward and began to speak. “Most serene Emperor, and you, illustrious princes and gracious lords, I, upon this day, appear before you in all humility, according to your command and I implore your Majesty and your august Highnesses by the mercies of God to listen with favor to the defence of a cause which I am well assured is just and right. I ask pardon if by reason of my ignorance I am wanting in manners that befit a court, for I was not brought up in kings’ palaces, but in the seclusion of the cloister. “Two questions were put to me yesterday by his imperial Majesty; the first, whether I am the author of the books whose titles 20 were read; the second, whether I wish to revoke or defend the doctrine I taught. I answered the first and I adhere to the answer.” A murmur rose among the princes. “Silence!” shouted the chancellor sternly. He turned to Luther and motioned for him to continue. The voice of the monk became yet more firm. “As to the second, I have composed writings on very different subjects. In some I have discussed faith and good works. My adversaries themselves confess that these writings are profitable and should be read. Even the Pope acknowledges this; what then should I be doing if I were now to retract these writings ? I, alone of all men living, should be abandon¬ ing truths approved by the unanimous voice of friends and enemies, and opposing doctrines that the whole world glories in confessing.” Again a murmur rose among the princes. “Silence! Silence!” called the commanding voice of the chancellor. Martin Luther spoke again, “I have written, secondly, certain books against the errors of the Church and the Pope. To retract this is to strengthen the tyranny. Shall I now become an infamous cloak to hide and cover all kinds of sin and oppression?” Almost unconsciously, Duke Frederick spoke out. “Our Dr. Luther speaks like a man.” Protests arose all over the hall. “Silence! Silence!” commanded the chancellor. “Thirdly,” continued Luther, “I have written books against such persons as have defended the tyranny of Rome, and destroyed the faith of the righteous. I may have written too violently; I am only a man. If I have spoken evil bear witness of the evil. I implore you to prove to me by the authority of the prophets and the apostles that I am wrong; as soon as this is done I will retract all my errors and will myself be the first to seize my writings and commit them to the flames.” The young emperor leaned forward, “The monk speaks with a fearless heart and unshaken courage!” he said. Impatiently the chancellor silenced the comments and murmurs of the princes. “You have not yet given answer. You are not here to question the decisions of councils, you are required to give a clear and distinct answer. Will you or will you not retract?” Martin Luther’s voice rang out clear and distinct in the silence that fell on the hall: “Since your most serene Majesty and your mighty Highnesses require of me a simple, clear and direct answer, I will give one that has neither teeth nor horns. This is my answer: I cannot submit my faith to either pope or councils, for it is as clear as noonday that they have often fallen into error, and even into self-contradiction. Unless I am convinced by the Word of God Himself, by which alone my conscience is bound, I neither can nor will recant anything! It is neither right nor safe for a Christian to speak against his conscience.” The silence that had been almost breathless was broken by mingled shouts of anger and admiration from various parts of the hall. “Down with the heretic!” “Nay, he has spoken bravely. We will defend him.” “He must reftact. He must! Threaten him !” “He must be made to retract.” 21 The emperor arose and faced Luther. There was still opportunity to retract, but above the tumult and argument of the princes rose once more a clear and unfaltering voice: “I can retract nothing. Here I stand! I cannot do otherwise. God help me! Amen!” The emperor dismissed the Diet. “The greatest moment in moden history” (according to Thomas Carlyle) had passed. In that moment Martin Luther had not failed. In the old palace at Worms he had made for the Protestant church of all the ages an unshaken stand on the Word of God as the only rule of its faith and life. LUTHER AT WORMS Into the splendor of the vaulted hall, Aglow with banners and with rich brocade, The black-robed monk in answer to the call Of herald, stood alone and unafraid. Outside, the crowd an anxious tumult made; “Our Luther! May God help him by His might!” They cried from housetops where they stood and prayed. The mitred prelate and the belted knight Within, sat nodding at the monk from lofty height. “Do you recant these words?” Through the hushed air The question fell. May faith thy spirit gird, O “little monk”! Of what thou say’st beware! By breath of thine the king’s robes are not stirred, Yet round the world thy answer shall be heard. He faces that mailed throng, uncowed by fears. “God be my help; I stand upon His word!” Rings out his answer on their waiting ears, And naught shall silence it throughout the coming years. He stood, a priest of God, the miner’s son, Who swerved not for man’s scorn nor man’s applause. For men and nations yet unborn he won Freedom of conscience. This, the one great cause For which he stood. Nor would he cringe, at threats, nor pause At beck of cardinal or pope. In vain Their subtle arguments in measured clause; Forgotten, now, the nuncio’s clever brain; Forgotten, too, the warrior and his conquered slain. But he shall live who valued not his life; Whose heart no fear of sword or flames could daunt; Who, loving peace, yet gave himself to strife; Brought low with homely words the arrogant; Defied Rome’s threats with courage adamant, And when the shining armour lies in rust, That quiet answer, “I will not recant”— That challenge to God’s truth, a sacred trust, Shall live in human hearts when crowns and thrones are dust. 22 LUTHER: AN APPRECIATION* PRESERVED SMITH ' It takes a bold man, at this date, to attempt to write something fresh about Luther. Estimated by the catalogue of the British Museum, which would certainly not err in favor of the German, more has been written about the Reformer than about Shakespeare or Napoleon or Dante. In fact, no other name in this catalogue, save that of Jesus Christ, exceeds or approaches the amount of space given to registering the titles of works about Martin Luther. In Germany, how many of the most famous historians, from Flacius Illyricus to Lamprecht, have written about him ex professo. The list would include Sleidan, Seckendorf, D. F. Strauss, Ranke, Doellinger, Janssen, Pastor, Denifle and Freytag. Almost all German theologians, from Melanchthon to Harnack, have been obliged to define their attitude to Luther. And very many of the other great Germans have said something notable about him, among them Goethe, Lessing, Heine, Herder, Kant, Nietzsche, Fichte, Hegel, Schlegel, Durer and Frederick the Great. Many Frenchmen have left interesting opinions about him. Napo¬ leon spoke of him from the standpoint of the indifferent politician; Bossuet wrote a large book against him, and Voltaire visited him with a portion of the sarcasm he expended on Christianity generally. But, on the other hand, noble tributes to the Reformer have been uttered by Calvin and Beza, Michelet and Victor Hugo. England has perhaps had more to say about Luther than any nation save his own. Until rather recently the general tone has been, save among the Romanist minority, one of warm appreciation. At present the Church of England is coming more and more under the influence of the party which rejoices in the name of Catholic and repudiates that of Protestant. It almost seems as if the High Church Anglican is more hostile to the Reformers than is the Roman Catholic. Thus J. Neville Figgis brackets Luther and Machiavelli as two con¬ temporary corrupters of European morals. Thus the University of Cambridge gives an honorary doctorate in divinity to Denifle for his notorious work on Luther, a work rightly branded by Gooch, an English scholar of repute, as “among the most repulsive books in historical literature.” It is quite in tune with the prevalent fashion that socialists like Bernard Shaw and Belfort Bax, and neo-catholics like Chesterton, should each have their sneer for Luther. But at an earlier time England believed she owed much to the prophet of Witten¬ berg. That the English Bible was translated largely from his German version, that most of his important works were Englished and widely read, and that the famous Thirty-nine Articles themselves were princi¬ pally founded on his formulas, is generally known. With many of the religious leaders in England, such as Tyndale, Cranmer and Wesley, his influence has been decisive. Among the great writers and historians who have praised him have been John Foxe, Thomas Nash, Milton, ^Reprinted from the “American Lutheran Survey” of March 14, 1917. 23 Creighton, Beard, Carlyle, Coleridge, Browning, Wordsworth, De Quincey, Walter Pater and J. A. Symonds. Others, like Francis Bacon and Thomas Brown have expressed a more neutral opinion of him, and, of course, there have not been wanting Catholics like Thomas More, David Lyndsay and Cardinal Newman to anathematize him. With something of what has been said by these men and others, in my mind, I cannot pretend to offer any novel or original contribu¬ tion to the understanding of Luther’s character. I can only point out a few of the principal traits long known by everyone at all familiar with the life of the great Reformer. First and foremost he was a religious man. What with most men is rather subordinate, though rarely totally absent, was with him the ruling passion and guide of life. He felt, as did Paul, that the things which are seen are transitory, whereas the unseen things are eternal. To him God and the Devil, heaven and hell, were more real than food and drink, suffering and death. When Carlyle says that the bravest thing Luther ever did was throwing his inkstand at the Devil, he illustrates with an apocryphal anecdote a profound truth. Luther often said that his spiritual temptations—which appeared to him as vivid, personal struggles with the Evil One—were far more severe than the storms of a life of peril. Jesus Christ was an ever present friend to His disciple. “The best thing theology can teach us is to know Christ,” said Luther, and it was by this rule that he tested the books of the Bible: “What teaches Christ, that is Scripture, even if Judas and Pilate had written it.” It was because he found nothing of Christ in the Epistle of James that he “expelled James from the university.” One of his most touching and beautiful sayings about Jesus is this: “Even if Christ were only a man, yet He would be worthy of great honor, for He deserved well of us, doing much good and no evil, not to mention that He is very God and Saviour.” Luther’s greatest quality was his utter sincerity. The Rev. F. S. Buchanan, of Oxford, has well said of this: “I may say that spiritually I owe more to Martin Luther than to any of my own countrymen, and am under a greater debt to him for his bravery, for his courage, for his truth, for his humanity, and for his total absence of all hypocrisy. If you ask me what was the grand thing about Martin Luther, it was that the man had not a line, not a trace of hypocrisy in his whole composition. I think this can scarcely be said truly of any other great ecclesiastic.” In comparing Luther with Calvin it seems to me that the most fundamental difference between the two is that the former was by nature a poet, the latter essentially prosaic. I do not deny the greatness of Calvin’s intellect nor his moral earnestness, but nevertheless to me he lacks just that which makes Luther one of the most attractive personalities of history. Save for “Ein’ Feste Burg,” whose sublime music has been carried by a ceaseless pilgrim chorus for four hundred years, Luther’s greatest poetry is not found in his verses. It comes out, rather, in his expressions of tenderness to wife and children, and in some of his wonderful sayings about nature. He gazed at the stars 24 and reflected: “He who built that shining vault must be a good master- workman.” He looked at the deer gambolling in the woods and he blessed them. In the rabbit he tried to save from the hounds he saw an image of the soul pursued by wicked men and devils. Of the violets he said: “These first summer flowers are as blue as the sky; neither the Grand Turk nor the Emperor could pay for them in all the world.” When he saw the birds nesting in the eaves he exclaimed: “Dear birds, I love you; why can you not trust me?” At Feste Coburg he looked out on the crows and daws holding a diet in the coppice under his windows, and he wrote: “They care not for a large place to meet in, for their hall is roofed with the vault of heaven, its floor is a carpet of green grass and its walls are as far as the ends of the earth. They do not ask for horses and trappings, having winged chariots to escape snares and keep out of the way of man’s wrath.” In the same spirit, he wrote, in the autumn of 1534, in the form of a letter from the “pious, honorable birds,” a complaint against a fowler who was setting nets to catch them. It closes with the words: “Written in our lofty home in the trees with our usual quill and seal. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.” The well-bred, dissipated and weary man of the world may arrive at the point when he can truly say that his motto is “nil admirari.” But in the poet the faculty of wonder is always fresh. So it was with the Saxon, who said in one of his sermons: “The miracle of the manna helped the children of Israel little, for it became common and they did not regard it. So the sun rising daily on us, though a great miracle, has become so customary that we think it cannot be otherwise. Likewise we esteem it no miracle that corn and wine grow early, yet by these and other daily miracles —for the growth of the corn from the seed is as great a miracle as the manna—our faith ought to be strengthened.” At another time, in a sermon of 1538 he said: “If we opened our eyes and ears the corn would speak to us: Be happy in God; eat, drink and use me and serve your neighbor. I will fill the ground. As the cows go out and return, were I not deaf, I should hear: Rejoice, we bring butter and cheese; eat, drink and give to others. The hens say: We will lay eggs. The birds say, We birds will hatch our young. Thus I like to hear the pigs grunt, for they give us meat and sausage. All creatures speak with us.” Humor has become so important an element of modern, and especially of American life, that it almost seems as if the worst thing one could say of a man nowadays is that “he lacks a saving sense of humor.” This blighting charge, which might be preferred against several theologians, could not be brought against Luther. He was full of joy and of jokes. Like Lincoln he often knew how to meet a hard situation with a jest, and, like Shakespeare he was addicted to the bad habit of punning. Some of his stories are a little simple, as that telling how a rustic swallowed a robin whole and heard it keep on chirping until he drank some beer to drown it. Sometimes he would 25 good-naturedly take off the weaknesses of his companions. Thus he found much amusement in quoting “The just shall live by his faith” in Greek to his wife, and hearing her reply, “Good heavens! who said that?” Bugenhagen’s prolixity in the pulpit furnished him a mark for some satire. Thus he told how a woman excused herself for putting half-cooked food before her husband by saying that she thought Bugenhagen was going to preach that day, and that, if he had, the meat would have been done to a crisp. In similar lightsome spirit he alluded to the habit of his friend Jonas of coughing and spitting in the pulpit. It is characteristic of the naive spirit of the sixteenth century that Luther occasionally found matter for jocularity in the Bible. It was surely with a smile that he said it was so marvelous a book that he would have to be dead several hundred years before he understood it all. The mutual recriminations which he imagined Adam and Eve exchanged after eating the apple, were wittily described by him. On one occasion he jocosely affirmed that in order to preach understand- ingly about the drunkenness of Noah he would have to get drunk himself. He was merciless in satirizing his enemies. Thus in 1534 or 1535 he wrote a burlesque summons to a general council in the form of a letter from the Holy Ghost, signed by Gabriel as notary and witnessed by Michael the Provost of Paradise and Raphael the Physician of God. Thus also, in 1542, he ridiculed the collection of relics at Mainz by drawing up a list of them containing such items as: “A fair piece of Moses’ left horn,” “a large wisp of Beelzebub’s beard,” “a whole pound of the wind which blew for Elijah in the cave on Mount Horeb,” and “a great big piece of the shout of the children of Israel with which they cast down the walls of Jericho.” In order to understand these familiarities with sacred subjects one must re¬ member the medieval miracle plays in which, with no intentional ir¬ reverence, Bible stories were enacted with a realism bordering on the comic. No man can be really great unless he has a heart as well as a brain and a will. Luther, whose intellect was one of the most active and capacious of his time, and whose will was the strongest and most passionate, added this also to them that he was a man of warm and tender affection. He was a good son and brother. He cared for no less than eleven of his own orphaned nephews and nieces not counting several of Catharine’s relatives. At a time when the position of woman was less secure than it is -now Luther was not only devoted to his wife, but treated her with more consideration than most of his contemporaries were capable of. Sir Thomas More is often pointed to as one of the finer spirits of that age, but he was able to write a * heartless epigram saying that the principal use of a wife is to die and leave her husband her fortune. When his own wife did die he married again within a month of her death. And yet he was rather better than his contemporaries. Erasmus praises him because, he says, More got more work out of his wife by jokes than most husbands did by harsher methods. But Luther always spoke kindly both of his wife and to her. His letters are full of affection towards her. 26 He thanked God for her as the best of all His gifts; he would not trade her for the dominions of France and Venice. To his friend Jonas he wrote that if Katie died he would never marry again. For his children Luther was a wise and loving father. It is true that he believed in more corporal punishment than most of us now do, but he spared neither care nor thought nor time on their education. The greatest sorrow of his life was the death of his daughter Magdalene. As a friend he was loyal. From the first day he knew Melanch- thon to the last, he loved and praised him, ranking his friend’s accomplishments, with perfect sincerity, far above his own. At the death of Hausmann he wept. Least of all, in his friendships, was he a snob. He treated his sovereign the Elector and his servant Sieberger as his equals. To all whom he knew and to the poor he was generous to the point of prodigality. I am not writing a panegyric of Luther but an impartial estimate. He was a man of like passions with other men, often tempted and often falling. Had he been more perfect, he would have been less human. Even his faults are full of character, of that personality which is both the most fascinating and greatest thing in the world. He was so great and rugged that his defects stand out more sharply than they would in lesser men. In many ways he was a paradox, combining the most opposite traits. He was both a dreamy mystic and a practical man of affairs. He saw visions and he knew how to make them realities. He was both a cold, scholastic logician, and an enthusiastic, God-intoxicated prophet. During the day he worked painfully at his dogmatic distinctions and in the evenings he took his flute, considered the stars and melted in melody and devotion. He could be as rough and as wild as the storm uprooting the oak; and he could be as tender as the zephyr caressing the violet. His hymns soar to heaven and some of his stories and jests trail on the earth. He was touched with profound melancholy and yet he had a ready, wholesome laugh. He was subtle and simple; mirthful and wise; narrow and sublime. BIBLIOGRAPHY In the Lutheran World Almanac and Annual Encyclopedia for 1921, p. 64. Boehmer, H.: “Luther in the Light of Recent Research,” 1916. $1.50. Chris¬ tian Herald. Charles, Mrs. E. R.: “Chronicles of the Schoenberg-Cotta Family.” Augustana. Dallman, W.: “Luther, the Liberator.” 1919. Northwestern Publishing Com¬ pany. Dallman, W.: “Luther, His Life and His Labor.” 1917. $1.25. Concordia. Dau, W. H. T.: “Four Hundred Years.” 1917. $1.00. Concordia. Dau, W. H. T.: “At the Tribunal of Caesar.” Written for 1921 celebration. Concordia. D’Aubigne, M. J. H.; “History of the Great Reformation.” S. Andrus, Hart¬ ford. Dell, J. A.: “The Influence of Lutheranism Outside of the Lutheran Church.” 1916. $0.06. Lutheran Book Concern. Elter: “Luther und der Wormser Reichstag.” Bonn. 1855. Evjen, J. O.: “Luther and the Reformation.” 1915. $0.10. Free Church Book Concern . Fisher, G. P.: “The Reformation.” 1906. Scribners. Freytag, G.: “Doctor Luther.” 1916. $1.00. United Lutheran Publishing House. Graebner, Th.: “Here I Stand.” 1917. $0.25. Concordia. Gunsaulus, F. W.: “Martin Luther and the Morning Hour in Europe.” 1917. University of Chicago Press. Harley, W. N.: “Little Journeys with Martin Luther.” 1916. $1.50. Lutheran Book Concern. Herzog, J. J., and Hauck, A.: “Real Encyclopadie fur Protestantische Theo- logie und Kirche.” 1896-1913. Leipzig. Hunt, J. R. E.: “Lutheranism at a Glance.” 1917. $0.10. Heisey, P. H.: “Psychology Studies in Lutheranism.” 1918. $0.75. Lutheran Literary Board. Jacobs, H. E.: “Martin Luther, the Hero of the Reformation.” 1898. $1.50. United Lutheran Publishing House. Jacobs, C. M. et al: “Works of Martin Luther” (2 vols. ready). 1915. $2.00 each. A. J. Holman. *Kieffer, G. L.: “List of References on the History of the Reformation.” 1917. $0.35. H. W. Wilson. Knudsen, J.: “Martin Luther.” 1917. $2.20. Christiania. Koestlin, J. : “Life of Martin Luther.” 1883. $1.00. United Lutheran Publish¬ ing House. Kolde: “Luther und der Reichstag zu Worms.” Hallie. 1883. Krauth, C. P.: “The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology.” 1872. $3.00. United Lutheran Publishing House. Kraupatscheck, F.: “Das Schriftprincip der Lutherischen Kirche.” Leipzig. 1903. Listov, A.: “Martin Luther’s Levnet.” 1881. $5.75. Phillipsen, Copenhagen. Lenker, J. N.: “Luther’s Writings in English” (13 vols. ready.) 1903. $1.75. Luther Press, Minneapolis. Lord, J.: “Beacon Lights of History.” 1896. Luther, M.: “Werke.” Weimar edition, 1884. Moeller, W.: “Reformation and Counter Reformation.” (V. 3 of Hist, of Ch. Church.) 1900. $3.00. Macmillan. Nilsen, O.: “Luther.” 1917. $1.00. Augsburg. Painter, F. V. N.: “Luther on Education.” 1889. $1.00. Peter, M. L.: “A Miracle Among Men.” 1917. $0.10. North Liberty, Ind. Peter, P. A.: “History of the Reformation.” 1916. $0.35. Lutheran Book Concern. Remensnyder, J. B.: “What the World Owes Luther.” 1917. $0.50. Revell. Reu, J. M.: “Dr. Martin Luther’s Leben.” $0.35. Wartburg. *These Bibliographies are essential. 28 *Reu, J. M.: “Thirty-five Years of Luther Research.” 1917. $1.00. Wart- burg. Kidd, B. J.: “Documents Illustrative of the Continental Reformation.” 1911. Oxford. Clarendon Press. Document No. 42, page 82, Luther’s Answer before Emperor and Diet. 18. April 1521 (In Latin). *McGiffert, A. C.: “The Protestant Reformation.” (Bulletin of the General Theological Library, 53 Mt. Vernon St., Boston. Special reading list No. 28, 1917.) ..... . A select list of titles in English with approved annotations. Includes countries outside of Germany. McGiffert, A. C.: “Martin Luther, the Man and His Work.” New York. Century. 1911. Perhaps the most readable biography of Luther. Rue, J. M.: “The Life of Dr. Martin Luther for the Christian Home.” Done into English by Emil H. Rausch. Chicago, Wartburg, 1917. *Smith, Preserved: “Life and Letters of Martin Luther.” Boston and New York. Houghton, Mifflin, 1911. Popular edition 1914. Presents Luther a great character rather than as a great theologian. Valuable bibliography (pp. 433-475). *Smith, Preserved: “Age of the Reformation.” New York. Holt. 1920. “The excuse for writing another history of the Reformation is the need for putting that movement in its proper relations to the economic and intellectual revolu¬ tions of the sixteenth century.” Has classified bibliography, pp. 751-817. *Smith, Preserved: “The Last Decade of Luther Research.” (Paper read be¬ fore the American Church History Society, December, 1920, will be printed in Harvard Theological Review, June, 1921). Contains bibliography, especially a list of the books on Luther and the Reformation which have been printed in Germany since 1916. Singmaster, Elsie: “Martin Luther. The Story of His Life.” Boston and New York. Houghton Mifflin. 1917. The popular life of Martin Luther. Wentz, A. R.: “When Two Worlds Met, or The Diet at Worms.” Phila¬ delphia. United Lutheran Publication House. 1921. Especially written for 1921 celebration. Prices: Cloth 65 cts., paper 35 cts. Waring, Luther Hess: “The Political Theories of Martin Luther.” 1910. G. P. Putnam’s Sons. *Wolf, G.: “Quellenkunde der deutschen Reformations Geschichte.” 2 Vols. 1915-1916. Luther’s Primary Works translated by H. Wace and C. A. Buchheim. 1896. London. Hunter & Stoughton. FICTION Davis, W. S.: “Friar of Wittenberg.” 1912. $0.75. Augsburg. Richards: “The Knight in Gray.” Seebach, Margaret R.: “Martin of Mansfeld.” 1917. United Lutheran Publication House. *These Bibliographies are essential. 29 Celebration Helps (1) BOOK OF SUGGESTIONS This “Book of Suggestions” prepared for the Celebra¬ tion. Price: 25 cents each; $2.75 per dozen; $10 in lots of 50. Postpaid. One complimentary copy to each pastor in the National Lutheran Council. (2) CELEBRATION PICTURE Reproduced on cover of this book Especially prepared for this celebration. Three colors— buff, black and red. * Tinned border top and bottom. Size 22x28 inches. Suitable for framing. Price: 50 cents each; $5.60 per dozen; $22 in lots of 50. Post¬ paid. Ready March 25th. (3) CELEBRATION STAMP Two colors—gold and purple. Price: less than 100, 1 cent each; 100-1,000, 60 cents per 100; 1,000- 5,000, 45 cents per 100. Postpaid. Stamps come in sheets of 50 each. 100 sheets in a package. (4) REPRINT OF “PROGRAM FOR SUN¬ DAY SCHOOLS” Found in this book, pages 14 to 22. Price: 10 cents each; 75 cents per dozen; $2.50 in lots of 50. Postpaid. (5) REPRINT OF “THE GREATEST MO¬ MENT IN MODERN HISTORY” Found in this book, pages 18 to 22. Price: 5 cents each; 50 cents per dozen; $2 in lots of 50. Postpaid. LUTHERAN BUREAU 437 FIFTH AVENUE :: NEW YORK CITY 30