# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1855 07 17_S186
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186

festival it was to be rung in for an hour with all the bells in three longer peals, and thereupon a preparatory vespers with sermon, or in the usual manner of this kind of service, and confession; on the festival day itself, however, *) at least a forenoon and an afternoon service, the former with the celebration of Communion and both with a festival sermon, were to be held. It was prescribed that all churches be adorned "with the best ornaments that were available in each place, and the Musicam vocalem and instrumentalem" (vocal music with instrumental accompaniment) "be made to sound, as well as can be done in each place, with beautiful Jubilate and Cantate, to awaken honor to God and hearty thanksgiving." No trade might be carried on on this day, no work undertaken, all shops and workshops must be closed, also during the sermon driving in the street was to be avoided and all city gates kept shut. In the cities where universities were found, all the university teachers together with the burgomasters and the councilmen; where not, at least the latter, were to assemble on the festival morning at the town hall, strike up a Christian hymn for their encouragement, and during the last ringing go in solemn procession into the church, and after the close of the service return in like manner to the town hall. The Elector had also had the festival texts selected "by his theologians" for each service and had had forms drawn up, which were to be read before the reading of those texts. A number of hymns were likewise proposed for congregational singing, and the festival prayer to be read after the sermon was prescribed.

*) Also two hundred years ago the 25th of Sept., as in the present year, fell on a Tuesday, namely after the 15th Sunday after Trinity.

These orders of the sovereign were then carried out throughout the whole Electorate with hearty gladness and joyfulness. The Elector himself, who at this time was staying with his court at Freiberg, had his chief court preacher, Dr. Jacob Weller, come there for the delivery of the festival sermons. In Dresden the Te Deum laudamus (Lord God, we praise Thee) was sung, amid the thunder of cannon from the ramparts. In remembrance of this jubilee festival the Elector also had a medal (memorial coin) struck in gold and silver and distributed. On one side was represented the likeness of the Elector with his children and grandchildren, all bearing palm branches in their hands, with the inscription (besides the statement of the occasion): V. D. M. J. Æ. (the Word of the Lord endureth forever). The other side represented an altar, on it the Augsburg Confession lying, above it the dove with the olive branch, with the inscription: Confessio nostra triumphat, that is, Our Confession triumphs. In the circle stand the verses:

Usque Dei verbum manet et doctrina Lutheri.
Cum patriae patre hac in relligione nepotes
Perpetuo maneant et qui nascentur ab illis. That is,
As long as God's Word endures, so too Luther's doctrine endures.
May they, with the father of the fatherland, remain in this religion, his children and those who shall be born of them, forever.

In Leipzig, in accordance with the instruction, the University, besides the citizenry, also arranged a special solemnity. On the day before the festival the Rector of the University had a Latin program publicly posted and distributed among the students, in which he invited them to the celebration of the festival in the University church. On the festival day itself, however, after the close of the early service, all the professors and members of the Council assembled with the studying youth in the said church, where, after a festival motet with instrumental accompaniment had been performed, the renowned Professor Dr. Hier. Kromayer delivered a Latin jubilee oration. In like manner the festival was also specially observed in Wittenberg by the University there. On the second day thereafter, namely, Calov, then Professor and General Superintendent at Wittenberg, held a Latin so-called jubilee disputation, and on the following Sunday, after the early service, Professor Michael Wendeler delivered in the Castle Church a great Latin jubilee hymn, to the hearing of which the University rector (Rector Magnificus) had likewise invited by a Latin program.

In the city of Delitzsch the whole congregation entered the church in solemn procession.

According to reports still extant, special solemnities were also arranged in the Latin schools. Kapp reports among other things of one such, which the Gymnasium at Eisleben arranged, at which four Latin jubilee orations were delivered, namely two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Wilisch reports the like of the Gymnasium at Freiberg.

In the Reuss territory it was ordered that in the cities "all and sundry preceptors with their schoolboys, large and small, after the second ringing assemble in the school, thereupon go in procession and good order from the school to the choir, on the way sing the hymn: 'O Lord God, Thy divine Word has long remained obscured' etc., and at the entrance into the church be received by the organist with a prelude."

B. In the Year 1755.

As to the celebration of the jubilee festival 100 years ago, in the year 1755, Pastor Hering writes about it in the Sächsisches Kirchen- und Schulblatt of the 27th of Febr. of this year: "Hardly ever has a festival been celebrated with such general participation as this one 100 years ago. In many places the whole assembly in the church and in the marketplace fell upon their knees; the churches were overfull; neither eye nor ear was turned away from the preacher; in some places there were nearly 1000 communicants; 'throughout, they held out most steadfastly the whole service to the last man; many even forgot eating and drinking over it, and were scarcely home from the first service when they had already gathered again at the town hall or some other place of assembly for the second sermon; one fire kindled another;'" royal councillors, magistrates, officials, noble families, etc., took the same part in the same ceremonies with the humblest among the people; in the great majority of places the music in the taverns and inns was even wholly suspended; the jubilee day was observed at the same time as a day of repentance and prayer, 'that God would preserve to us and to our children the dear Religious Peace and His holy Word yet longer.'"

The jubilee celebration of a hundred years ago distinguished itself from that of two hundred years ago in that it was far more general and that in the former the youth also were more drawn in. Not only did the schools in many places go in solemn procession with singing into the church and out again, but special little memorial books also appeared for them. Thus, among others, the then General Superintendent at Wittenberg, Dr. Carl Glob Hofmann, brought out a little writing of his own of 70 octavo pages, which was distributed among the youth in Saxony and in which the history and significance of the Religious Peace of Augsburg is set forth in question and answer in a manner comprehensible and pleasing to youth and yet with distinguished thoroughness. It bears the title: "Unterricht für die Evangelische Jugend vom Jubelfest, welches wegen des im Jahre 1555 zu Augsburg geschlossenen Religionsfriedens gefeiert wird." After a few months the writing had to be issued a second time. A similar but smaller little writing was also brought out at that time by a preacher in Freiberg, M. Christian Gotthold Wilisch, under the title: "Kleiner Beitrag zu dem 200jährigen Gedächtniß des den 25. Sept. 1555 zu Augsburg geschlossenen Religionsfriedens, welcher der Grundpfeiler der Freiheit der Evangelischen Kirche in dem heil. Römischen Reiche ist. Der Jugend zum Besten in Druck gegeben." The well-known Senior at Augsburg, Urlsperger, also brought out such a festival booklet for the youth, called: "Nöthige und nützliche Anweisung von dem Religionsfrieden," and likewise J. G. Kirchner in Halle. A testimony of the lively participation also of the Latin schools in the jubilee celebration of a hundred years ago is, among other things, a whole little book full of German, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French and Italian poems, which the students then at the Gymnasium at Freiberg in Saxony had composed on the Religious Peace, and which they published under the title: "Frohe Jubelwünsche bei dem mit Gott erlebten zweihundertjährigen Andenken des Religionsfriedens 1755." Also in the Lyceum of the Holy Cross in Dresden, in the Gymnasia at Frankfurt on the Main, Freiberg, Riga, and in many other places, a great public Actus was held, with delivery of German, Latin and Greek orations and poems by teachers and pupils, in honor of the jubilee festival.

In the Margraviate of Ansbach it was ordered that on the Sunday before the festival "after-