Every individual in our country still rises superior
to the dialect of his native place, and the language of culture,
poetry, and science which Luther created is still the tie which binds
all German souls in unity.
And what he did for the social life of the Germans was no less; for by
his precepts and his writings he consecrated family prayers, marriage
and the training of children, the daily life of the community,
education, manners, amusements, whatever touches the heart, and all
social pleasures. He was everywhere active in setting up new ideals,
in laying deeper foundations. There was no field of human duty upon
which he did not force his Germans to reflect. Through his many
sermons and minor writings he influenced large groups of people, and
by his innumerable letters, in which he gave advice and consolation to
those who asked for them, he influenced individuals. When he
incessantly urged his contemporaries to examine for themselves whether
a desire was justified or not, or what was the duty of a father toward
his child, of the subject toward the authorities, of the councillor
toward the people, the progress which was made through him was so
important because here too he set free the conscience of the
individual and put everywhere in the place of compulsion from without,
against which selfishness had defiantly rebelled, a self-control in
harmony with the spirit of the individual. How beautiful is his
conception of the necessity of training children by schooling,
especially in the ancient languages! How he recommends the
introduction of his beloved music into the schools! How large is his
vision when he advises the city-councils to establish public
libraries! And again, how conscientiously he tried, in matters of
betrothal and marriage, to protect the heart of the lovers against
stern parental authority! To be sure, his horizon is always bounded by
the letter of the Scriptures, but everywhere there sounds through his
sermons, his advice, his censure, the beautiful keynote of his German
nature, the necessity of liberty and discipline, of love and morality.
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