The Story of the Posting of the Theses

For centuries, the pamphlet has been one of the most powerful weapons in the great wars of words. In the hands of men like Swift, Burke and Thomas Paine, it has changed the course of history. The following account shows how this ancient device was once again put to good use—and how the Moratorium at IHS did not go undefied.

The first thing I noticed Tuesday morning was that a large crowd was entering the northwest door of IHS at an unusually slow rate. The cause of this delay was two students who were passing out some sheet or other, probably related to Homecoming Weekend. But then I realized that this was The Week, the week of the Fifteenth. Already, the leaflet was thrust in my hand, I was reading the first sentence. My worst suspicions were confirmed; the sale of indulgences had begun. Tetzel had arrived in Irondequoit.

About the Author

Richard Brookhiser

Historian Richard Brookhiser is a senior editor of National Review and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute.

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William F. Buckley Jr.

For centuries, the pamphlet has been one of the most powerful weapons in the great wars of words. In the hands of men like Swift, Burke and Thomas Paine, it has changed the course of history. The following account shows how this ancient device was once again put to good use—and how the Moratorium at IHS did not go undefied.

The first thing I noticed Tuesday morning was that a large crowd was entering the northwest door of IHS at an unusually slow rate. The cause of this delay was two students who were passing out some sheet or other, probably related to Homecoming Weekend. But then I realized that this was The Week, the week of the Fifteenth. Already, the leaflet was thrust in my hand, I was reading the first sentence. My worst suspicions were confirmed; the sale of indulgences had begun. Tetzel had arrived in Irondequoit.