The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-09-24

nns;t;veiv did not degrade the part
he undertook. Tall and dignihed IN
stature, aud with q face and gesture
in which supPfssseaI , Seseloped he
throueh ali those varied scenes-the same
SUFFERING vet unconquerable personsnoy.
Yet at every turn there seems to hang
about him that consciOusness OF PoWe'
within, which, though taxed 70 sae u :" 10
most by mental suffering, yet needed . 70 90
held In BY the sternest self.suppressio!n'
lest Il should overwhelm all arouna ~.
His first appearance was, OF course, l'G.us
in the triumphal Palm Sunday froeess.on
And, SO calm was bis Pertorman.cce, .n"s
it can be called-lay, positively, IN she
slowly deepening erpyessioss OF inner euHet.
ing which his brow and face exmoi1eo. ~
the Palm Sunday Procession there was ~
least o serenity upon it. serious, II nTs
| a sad, serenity-but still serenity. IN
the Institution Of the Eucharist the pre-
vailing expression had grown rather deep
ar: 1t is that of sadly and seriously gong
through a solemn action which, none-ae
him comprehend, and which He cannot ex-
Them, however loving, and Hin, however
beloved, which was caused by His Divine
| knowledge, Of what He was doing, ana
their human ignorance of all, was the pre-
vailing thought suggested. Then In ACT
VII, came the Agony; ana a, n1eh t the
g bloody sweat" never returned to it's
former expression or, to write more cor
rectlv. never lost the added expression OF
the Permanent effect produced upon his
soul by the experience OF that awful nour.
The whole scene in the Garden was given
nth astonishipg force. Thesense of agon-
lied unrest in the three-fold coming ana
going. and vet the expression OF total seu-
SSrnstration before the Divine Will, which
MAR contrived to convey by the very sim
plicity Of his slow but purRose.ah. ges. rms
and uplifted head, then bowed his forehead
;; tn the rock, and lastly rose again, paler
- - and paler, after each thrice-repeated pray
- - er. was indescribably thrilling; From thls
b time onward his conception OF MS Pars WA ths
y Christ is led, there the Christ goes. W.
:, never before realized how rightly tn!
:, whole history is called "the Passion
"a MAR realized it to US. He ceased to act
At 1t was no longer Action. 1t aeas fass, ;,
~ could be called Passive, he was Passir
10 through all the rest of the performance
- It was Passiveness done in life, Rasslve
mn ness full of voluntary purpose thas mar
h.. yelous combination of VIII. ana OF aost
OF S;sicnlt to represent, MAR has managed
iye convey in a manner which enables us
~ realize the Passion History as we new
~ realized it before. These few sentenc
ha must serve to characterize the RENAME
.,o Of the Passion Play, SO far as MAR is CO.
US oarnad.. The-sceues are natural and II
re- presstvc to the last degree. Perhaps o
aS rmost beautiful-though@of course mo
-, ra0 moving-is that of the Cross. bearing, a a
,an XIV. We have already explained thaS I
the covered portion OF the stage ssanS Sn or.
;ne and that it scarcely occupies much me
har than a third Of its breadth. Hence
hat two sides of the stage running oack alo
al. the two sides ore clear, and are arrane
al SO az to represent the streets OF Ierus are
%. Well then down the one street, orc
the and large, comes the procession, headed
an. a mounted Centurion. We should
.;st afraid to say how many persons 1t inclut
E", but it gave the effect of large and CROW
snr. ed street. Arriving at the anglo wheTe
~, turns to cross the Pro Scenium, the IL
t,no faints beneath the Cross, while down
t tho street on the other side the holy won
~ come, and arrive in front just as the Cr
- ,ya is laid on Simon, of Cyrene. 1t is n IN
cod touching scene; and then in due time
,rful chief actors u .t tain faIia Won h
,,er the noise of the workmen's hammers
= L. when the curtain rises. the two thieves
10 already raised upon their crosses, but t
'.nrs of our Lord is still to raise, though dc
hem fixed upon it. 1t is raised Slowly
a',e. steadily, while the women lament bel
ianS and the Magdalen rushes forward to CT
IL 10 it's base. The rest is past description.
Il, bese must suffice to say that the Evangeii
"a narratives are strictly followed, and
,trn INV from first to last our conception of theI
Anti. heightened, not lowered, by the solemn
II of the representation.
tired But, if an intensely calm solemn
IN of marks the action of MAR, and OF ti
And who are nearest to the Christ, 1T Is 9
g al gether otherwise with the enemies OIL
I; in Lord, The furious vehemence ofthe
, the beers of the Sanhedrim stands IN
! act marked contrast with His unapProaoh
act dignity. The parts are admirably sus'
con- ed. Gaiaphus, man in the prime OF
and ia full Of busting activity. Inc {
Il ac- Annaa, white haired, yet energetic sti
atles, in all things his assessor, and the two
sim q capital pair. One wonders how 81
d "a village, and that not large one, can
man nish 80 many grand-looking and dign
art men. True, the dignity of the sup
Lord characters is heightened cleverly oy
Peter selection of the most mean-looklng
nciuq under-siz personages for such par
res so those of the Temple traders, the false
atten- pesses, and the like. Barabbas, too,
never the best imaginable foil to Mair's imp n