, 1870-03-27
NEw Yonk, March Is, 1870.


gnu.
Pr rp in the Barar&1u Highlands, In wild
and picturesque country, lies tho little village
at 0hcr. Ammcreau. IN tho GEAR 1888, Il VAS
attacked ~ the plague, and to procure ths
ceteasion Of the EPIDEMIC, the Inhabitants
ses7s forever .sea GnA s aes the + s,e, ye1 ~
kept to the letter. hut after that the date Of tic
performance was changed to 1850, and avsr
since tho play has been given On the return Of
the regular decade. In the Jear 1T9, thu
denrling Al nizaele-rlays, md prohibiting
their performance Throughout Germany. Tbs
rlays called mysteries or mIaclc-p1ays Ate H.
ways founded uIoh Biblical subiects> tho word
myFteEy in this hcnsc having nothing to do
Hith +" mysterious" !" but coming from tho latin
nlsnlRrT1uns, ministry. OF rrHEioua cerr-
many.
Every eort Of Scripture incident WAS repre-
rented III tl,eso plsrs, from the Creation to the
Last Judgment, and only thetr eaznestnosn
and tinrerity OF purpose rendered them toler-
at'te 10 an educated mind Tho devil generally
appeared II the necessary comic element, and
Judas, koodeuus, and some other less import
riaicn1e and personal ABUSE Even - LITE as
the tinc Of Queen Anne, Of England. We hare
play bill Of the performance in Smithdeld Of
tie - little opera" called the :" OLD Creation Of
the World, With the addition ot Nnaha
Flood" several fountains on tie stage playing
Iiia family, and the bctsta, coming out OF the
Lk, two and two, with III the fowlA Of the
ais seen "in prospect, sitting npon trees. "
To give Gvelinees to this entertainment they
bad ~ machines descending from above.
donble and treble, With Dives rising out Of
besides several figures dancing 1igs, sArahAnds
and country dances, to the admiration Of the
spectators with ths merry coneeit Of Squire
Punch And Sir John Spendat1." Adam and Eve
we're frequently represented In all their Para
dieascal nudity. the stage direction being that
Hen Adam md Eve will stand hacked, aud
OF co1rse, among. the rude and ignorant
people, theae plays gave rise to Ill sorts ot
AbuEc*, and the Archbishop OF Sa1xhurg,
checked BY the scandals concerning them,
tnado = vigorous effort to suppress them
sn's nS'g1S9q1t o9 soa1hesR asaaS t tas
8 iss sss sss fhess sed ss sea sssss 70"
Ma1imiiian Joeeph, begging for the repel Of
eaae, which Was finally granted.
Tho Enperor, however, made ii I condition
that the p1o3aue element should be entirely e1-
somanh hat remodeIled, although The Oldest text
Of the year 16G2 fotma the basis Of Tie play.
Tie drama is enacted ia an imn1enae wooden
amphithektrc, capable OF boiling ai1 Thousand
people. 4 row Of boxsa for tie more dis-
unguIthed guests is covered with Al awning,
TIC stage ard the body Of the hausa
We open 10 the skE, consequently tho pl.y
cAn only be given in line Weather. At the
back Of the stage, IN the centre, is smaller
etags, Or balcony, upon which tAb!eAu1 from
the Old Testament are represented between
tho scenes of the drama. When the curtain
Of this smaller etsge IL down the soene repre-
s.l. ssnts h1reet u Jerusalem, with other
bills and forests Of the DavariAn highlands
sly iiseN, and complete Tile lie pictules rs
Nearly five hundred people taks part in the
play, including large chorus, IN antique
dI.resy With ga1landed 6aads, who sing the
performance il conducted III the true spirit OF
aEeis1ous ceremony. The people, actors, anA
audience 60 10 early mAss someHbere Abpnt
dasbreah, to prepare themselves tos the e.
c1cises Of the day. The ptay iteeN begins II
. o'clock IN the morning, md laets until J.,
there Is an hours intefmisaion, when she
performance goes on again, until in tho
dsernoon. The tahleAu1 from tho Old Ter
lament. between the ecenee, are said to be
Sety Inferior to the piay. and to convey esly
seLte Of ,iustl and tr1,mpesy. The i'm
Preston universally produced by ths drama
HssfA.' 0S<Aa9 ~ HV tA4t " Ill GA4uB1L9 fGf1o4
at pictures by the old matters, m effect ~ Of
one Of tie beat galleries, suddenly come toGfe,
with III the adtuncts Of sunlight and shallow,
and drspeEy tuttering in the wind A long
and interesting description Of this performance
viii be found in Anna Mary Howitt's Ar
Student in Munich" and another In +Qniis,'
An admirable novel by the Baroness TAut-
rl9ue. Eoth Of these accounts are OF the play
OF ib1o. The last performance, Ia 1850, il said
10 have called forth several important and in-
teresting works on the subject In va1ioul Ian
guages~
1lia year il is to b represented again. md
great preparations arc making in tbs village
fot the reception Of the expected crowds Of
foreign sitisore: The frrt rerforuxnee is to
on euereeeisc Sundays throughout H,e karu-
mer, until the end OF September. Ae rolio
OF the Middle Ages, and ! specimen OF tbs
aEtiquc style Of thcatricI representation, this
PLAY will 10 curious and entertaining sreeta-
Gle, apart from ita intrinsic merit, which Is said
to be very great