Mataura Ensign GORE,FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9th, 1983. MARTIN LUTHER.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 6, Issue 304, 9 November 1883, Page 2

Mataura Ensign GORE, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9th, 1983. MARTIN LUTHER.

Tb-iiAY is, .or is said to.be, the 400thanniversary of the, birth of MART.rf Luther. The event will be verj widely celebrated by Protestants, will produce ; innumerable speeches, sermon_, debates, meetings, and quarrels, and may, therefore^ fitly be niade the subject of remark 'in the secular press. Before Setting out with 1 our remarks, however, -we wish to pfe_nise that the Church prior to the Information was the mother., of us jaX\V. Anything that may be laid to the cHavg^of • that ige must be regarded *. as against tke -Protestant equally with the. Catholic. The citizen of the United States would be y^ry weak indeed- who should co«.lolrah a modern Englishman^ hecguse, • "/hia 1 'anc^'stors'submitted^p; thevacillafr-'; ing tyranny. #£ King J^H^r, fSr theijeijaasaume that Catholic*P^^_^^^_^ heritors of the, shame of a degSS-¥&te age. It -should also bo noted- that though the greater part of Europe did not accept the [Reformation in the form of casting off the authority of Rome, yet the whole of Europe did accept sonie part or some form of that great movement, so that the Catholic Church of to-day is not the Church of . the dark ages, as Protestant bigots af_Lrm. Returning now to Luther. Tbat the Church at the end of the fifteenth century was in a* barbarous state is undeniable. ; Europe was then barbarous, all Europe's institutions were barbarous, and how the Church could have been; entirely free from the spirit of the age and th© degrading .circumstances in which it was set, we are unable to suggest. The outward sign I of inward and spiritual degradation is very distinctly, seen jn the lives oi. atheistic and whoremongering, priests and popes, in the worship of relic*',, and in some ofthe rites commonly practised. Of the first of these three signs we only say that Pope Alexander VI., and his son Cae£ab £osGi4, also a Church dignitary, aro- among the very worst characteru in - human history. When the former of them happened tti ; eat by mistake some figs that be bad f prepared * for|6ne of his Cardinals a Roman historian wrote — "All Rome ran together asd could not be sated with gazing upon this dead viper." Regarding the second sign, a volume could be filled with the extreme absurdities of relic worship, feathers from , the tail of the cock whose crowing. is associated with the his'ory. of- Bt, Peter, and feathers from the wing of the archangel (jA^rie^, knocked out. as he flew through* a window .to speak to the virgin; were certainly ridiculous objects'of reverence. 'But if we '.first suppose a, state* of barbarism that could believe in .the genuineness of, these articles, the rest may pass : as natural en.iugh. Of ridicu'ous rites obser fed we cite only the .following : In I ent the word "Hallelujah " was not.used as it was a word of joy,, Jlence came* ■■he' notion that it. w»s dead for the time being, and hence .agafn J;he fanpy that it ought.to be buried when Lent, began andvi-essurrected when Lent was over. It Was, therefore, in some, places blazoned on a card, and at the "right season, placed in a small coffin, carried out of the church with procession and dirge and* duly buried, - W&n' Lent was over tho word rose from its grave ani/], .was rolled to heaven by v -rejoicW worshipped: % IW it would appea? ' thateven the.Salvation Ar^y have not invented the 'mosf absurd iise -for tt.e .^ord Hallelujah. What?- was mow natural Xhan-7thaf ..-as the. .'mind, >- r of •' E,uiope : r.ose above childishness these* ! things . 'became , . djsUst_f ui. Hael..' a . person Veil" v^'^d jiTfte '.

of history been then a ive he could have foretold from the' state of publio opinion that these follies were doomed wj.th greater or less suddenness to^is-,., *4*^"at^Onv ? pCu>o*^v P||tic; op||ibu| \ ' ripened^slowljr but :§iirelyMnd wJWi it, y w as- ripe-abuses had^td-. dijfappea^#j,ust- r as|ti the e*jje of sl^}ry,^mlaw^Hridy >o-Sn boi&ughs. f 0h& *-^|ooi v atiOn*' "ol| i ■ the' 'name of Luther with thn Kefor- | mation is natural, but the vulgar idei that he was the author of it is sufficiently disposed of by what has gone before. Thero would havo been a J_<_f'ormntiorj if there hid boon no Luther. • He was.the maa of.the hour, whom.circumstances forced to the front. But i he no more originated the movement is^n he originated tho Frem-h Ilevo- ,: lutioni Movements that whole nations i take' up. wiHi*' enthusiasm, are. move-;' ments the nee.d oF,w.hie.h Jias. bean lonii; felt and which must talce ,p ace quite irrespective of the advocacy or opposi- , tion of any one' man. , While, 'thero--1 fore, we give all honor to any man who by personal exertion and courage may have gu'ded or expedited any gnat ; movement,it in very seldom indeed that we can admit .thnt one fri-An originated;, such a movement. .In the case of tli3 .' Reformation Luthkr, : was certainly , only one. of millions' .>vno were- impelled in the' saine 'direction^, claim thnt the B?forma,tipn, to some extent, has been co-extensive with the Church. The cause, that brought about a severance from Rome were mainly political. Germany and Britain, never submitted- willingly to be governed by Rome and the occasion was seized for casting off once nnd for all the authority the of "foreign priest." How should true Protestants cele. brate, if they celebrate at .all, the birth of Luther? By .'.yelling "No Popery?" We trow- hot? As well might a political reformer, of torday rave against the -feudal, system of the Middle .Ages. The Reformation 7 was directed against , abuses that existed then. 'I he - true • followers of Luther will not slay, tho slain, but attack the abuses of their own lime, No sab e person can say that Catholic! ism is a crying evil- -in our midst. At anyrate ' the yelling of " No Popery " for three hundred years has made no impression* qnit whatever. That fact jnay be taken as evidence that there is no longer g crying, wpral or'- social evil for common sense to revolt against. ?The Reformer or Protestant of to-day should commemorate the' fourth''- cen-" "ttenary of Luther by an 'attack upon some evil of this age,as land monopoly, drunkenness, political corruption, gambling, adulteration, &c. "We suggest this progi'ara_ne to gentlemen who! are preparing to slay^the; slain, to-, day or on Monday. A^ er U ie battle, of Waterloo ' the Iron Duke inet an Irish soldier whom ' he^knew and to whom he saidr-—" Well, Pat, what have you done, to help to, .win this victory?" " Faith, sir," replied Pat, -«-I- walked boldly up-to one ofthe enemy and cut' off his fdot" r ' 4 His. foot !".Oxclaimed the Puke^.'why ohearth didn f t you cut •off his head ? " :.^pee4ithat was off already," explained 4 the son of Erin. It appears to us 'that the champions whoistill bayonet, the old Reformation cries " to BpliVthe^ears^f the groundlings " are wal^jg boldly, up to the ■*en : &£Vj,nd cutt^ig »6ff hia_fi_Ot*. . people of >Vyndham are dieter-! be behind in the 'march of progPP^VThey have copcertedly agreed to P&_o_e [ their plac.es of .business to-day. It would be a good 'thing- if- the unanimity would continue and an. agreement come to close- at a reasonable hour every eveniag. At present we, .should ..-.rather not be -an employe as it seems that about fourteen hours is the usual duration of a' -dayrs labor.' f All the Gore shops close at 6 p.m. • A case of .unusuajl, interest , comes on for hearing at the next sitting of the R.M. Court at Gore, an information having been laid by Commissioner Canning against the Chairman of the lobal Town Board for using provoking language. . . '. / A man uamed Matthew Haynes created "some disturbance in the Main street, Gore' on Wednesday. He was brought before Mr Macdonaid; J.P., yesterday, ' charged with having been drunk and disorderly, and with •using obscene language in a 1 public place. There being two charges, his* Worship simply ' inflipted a penalty pu the secpnd— 2Qs and J2s costs; in defaultg^'l4 -days' imprisonment, ... - - •"' • ' /. Otariia people will be glad to hear that a post office will be opened oh December Ist atthe schoolhouse * under the charge of Mr MacLachlan, the .teacher. It is intended that tjie service shall be an extension of that to.Ohatton '"so.thati mail' days- will remain as- • at present.. " . The nominatiqn,pf candidates for the Oreti seat at the County Council took place yesterday at Lumsden. The 'candidates were :— Cuthljert. Cowan, Thos, Bl«ack, G.. Meraqn ; and John Dickson, !'/ Thenomination'of candidates foi* the newly created riding of Toi Tois was not', a matter of much public interest.. Mr G. F. Richard- | son has so fuliy; it appears, earned* the' confidence.of his constituents that he was without question returned -unopposed. A meeting was held at Fortrose, on (Saturday pYon-* •• ing last,' at which, he was" present'. and at which' he was formally nominated and seconded as menibcr for ithe riding. Ije spoke, . in the course ofthe meeting, of tlje altitude . ot the Government toward'the 1 Otara Road '. A full report of his ■ speech will' appear"' on ; ■Tuesday next. .-•-.-- In order to.make room. in 'this, issue. for"a paper of cpnsrderabie^intere^t'to.our agricul-' tural reader's,;-'" The Ei^ory of the horse," we have been compelled to bm.t s'eveVal" reports, Mi* and Mrs Murray whose. names /are ;not entirely unknown in the' ; records of the -Gbr'e and other Police Courts, have just found that' their propensities are notfto be in-' dulged fn (Sit least in Wyndham) wjtjj impunity. . They were '.'out •" the 'other ,eye^ : inghutt^eNapolepnic of]Mr Fi*etwicll lit .on • therq. and they were promptly " riin' in." On ' Monday -nofning t^iey -vyere apra^n.^ before 'Uiaimi (Menzies ,^nd^ Eoi^'t^towere adfa need to Praser's hotel, Invercargill, for a ,period ; often days, no monetary consideration ' ;being acceptabW the worthy J] J, P, ; -rain-on siicli^ cattle";'' '• '*"■' ' ■■"• 7 "■".-■' • - "'.: \ /Mr W. -Hi Mathi-S-on •of Invercargill, has i a great of advertising himself, ahd . < lately 'rather " had ''. the Reporters of the'lr*.,. \ vercargill papers.' There was'a coach' which* j us^'fi; to.. iuh ! • betWeen •• Wyndham and Eden- j dale, It became spinewhatxlilamdated, and i

was sent down for repairs. When it was ' finished, intimation was givedHo^th^reportp-'y rial geinricmen, and they launcnir-d iorthsiri .p^ngi^jfr,, admiration, eulogising! *build»r,. l^inte^aVffl- lill^neernjed. • N^dou'bt the ; job is a : , highly cr^tfable one, btit the innocence aud freedbmi'ifrom guile iii.those pree'sin^ caljing^tbe* machine . -a.; ne.w. ohe, .painftili^;.. apparent; that they^are 'oblivions oC the difference between nn omnibus **ud a mortar board. We remind our readers of to-day's cricket mntfh, and to-night's concert at Gordon. The aljoTied meeting of the Guthrie and "T/firnach 'New: Zeaand Timber and Woadw:ire Kactovies Company at Dunedin on Tues» day was att.ende.Lby only one or two - shareholders. Tho business was purely formal, consisting oil fhe passing of a motion for- the appointment, of an inspector to inspect the accounts, books, etc, as provided by" the Acfr. /.Thirtv-Mx ratepayers in the Awarua riding will huve no vote in the 'election of a rcproseniative in the Southland County Council, lt sterns that through a mistake, ct-iily nv.de because of the recent alteration i.u i he riding boundaries, the names of the doctors iu question are on the Hokonui roll, instead of on that of the riding to. which .they belong. The clerk of the Cotinty Council was communicated with in regard to the matter, but. he replied that dealing with it was beyond his "province. Then a telegram was despalehed to the Property Tax Commissioner requeuing that should be taken io rectify thu error, so that those could vote who were really entitled to the privilege. Tho. following reply was received : — "JiV* Southland County. 1 have nothing to do with rails. The Council made its own valuation.— J. Spkrrt, P.T.C." Now the public wants to know who ha* got to do with the rolls. Professor Leo Medo visits Fortrose shortly. Mr R. Kerr, blacksmith^. Pine -Bush, inserts a card. Mr Howells has a biliiatd room and Gore shop to let. Mass will be celebrated at Wyndham on ■ Sunday next. ~ ; . ' The half-yearly report of the Bank of New Zealand is published. v * -"*-• Lola Mon tea* and the Melbourne Turf Club advertise consultations. ..'_ ■ .. There will be a tea and' dance at. Croydon School on Friday next. . - Green aud Souness sell live and dead stock, .furniture, etc.,- to-morrow, '. . The di-triot butchers intimate a rise of .Xd per lb in the price of meat. Mr D. Lamb issues an addre-s to .the ratepayers of Mataura ridiug. * Mr G. F. -'Richardson has been returned-, unopposed for Toi Tois Riding. ! * The r.i.te-book for, the South Wyndham. Eo'ad District is open for inspection. "Messrs Cuming, MacGibbon, and Lamb have! been- nominated foi*. r ;Mataura Riding. PoJi-i-No?. iq.- t : ,; ia. a :.a\ *• > . SeVer.-ifroads in block -iVJlT., ""Wyndham" (Survey I-j-trictj: are to] bo 'eto •cd^arid , a neW"; oiie opened through the s^me block. ' ' •'• The Southland Education Doarll mtir/*/ that the annual examination for ..scholarships* and pupil teachers will be helel ori'Dec-niber. 17. • fe ;^ , : The best value for money ih.^ejidy nia-'e Boots and shoes is to. be obtained .jit 0. \\ r .; .Bowtell's Hoot Manufactory, next Colonial. "Bank, Gor..\ Inspection.:' invi'ed. Competition deli. *d. "77" "-..., . It js Worth a Trial.-^-J waS* -trouble- 1 for many years with kidney complaint, gravel, etc., my blood became thin,- 'I^was dull and inactive, could hardly crawl about, ancl was an old worn-out man ail over, and could get liothing to help me until I got. Hop Bitters, iand 'now my blood and kidneys are all right, and I am as active as a man of thirty although ."li'-am seventy-two, and I have no. doubt it will do as well for others of my age. It is worth the trial." — (Father.) Notice. Ndt a:,coinet .1 ..Npw/.to*be x seen>^t.;Mac*§ Gibbon k Sons the' larger 'stbdk 6f suinmer goods ever, exhibited in .. Gore or Gordon. The ladies of the district are specially invited to inspect our goods -before purchasing anywhere else r . Over 100 pieces of print, tQ ( chaar£r-m.' 'Saddle' cloths and Roslyn "and 7X3sß^s%^fim-ix&. -■w_Vts''''i'n • ? stocV--^in_ larg§P ( quantity.' , Invalids: can pUrchaseLhop BitWr&r oi>' any other drugs medicines of us. Slower and vegetable seeds in an astonishing variety. Turnip seed, Aberdeen yellow and purple -top, greystone, purple- top or Swedes," &c, &c. Oamaru barbed 'wire' on hand.' ■Hoiioway's Ointment and Pi.?,?.—-When-ever the weather is variable, and the ' temperature constantly changing, the weak and delicate must be very careful to neglect no syrtiptoru of disordered action or ill-health. Weak chested and strumous subjects will find in these noble remedies the, means of casting out the" bad humors which -originate and prolong their sufferings.. The Ointment, should bo well rubbed ..twice a day over the chest .and the Pills taken in alternative doses. It will penetrate and act most wholesomely and energetically on the diseased structure. These remedies manifest a wonderful power in removing all taints from' the blood, and consequently in curing a multitude of chronic ailments, which seemed to be almost irremediable. Mothers Don't Know.— How manychildren are punished for. being uncouth, wilful and indifferent to 'instructions or reward simply because they are out of health I An intelligent lady said of a child of this kind : " Mother don't know that she should give the little one moderate doses of .Hop , Bitters for two or three weeks, and the child would be all a parent could desire." Look for. '"■'-" * ■-••' •- - •■■■* " •' :'-.-' .:-' "r - - * ,