Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-10-31


sometimes a sunbeam tags through
crack in the side Of the build
ing, but the only reliable light
comes from kerosene lamps. II il
calculated to accommodate an audience
OF six hundred, while the euc'O-
sure for the regular PassiOn-play accom-
mOdated as many thousands. At three
O'Clock we took our places, and fOrtu-
nately the house was by no means
crowded; our position was near
enough, aud our view of all parts
of the stage unObstructed. The
played is styled The school of tne Cross,
ana the trestment OF the subject or de
velOpment Of the plot Or may say sol,
will best be understood 10y a statement
/ Of the themes attempted IN its course
| First-The curtain Tis % on tsbleau Te-
| presenting The Cross, u female figure
/ at its foot, and groups of kneeling chill
dreG further from it. SecOnd-Sin.
/ Thifd-Typic8lo offerings. FOuTth-SuO-
| mission. Effective sscr. fi-e 1T
| is finished" Sixth-Nictory. "TGr1ugh
! darkness to light" Each act col sists
Of q scene from the Old Testament. In
the first scene Cain manifests his hatred
Of his brother. Abel does not under
stand the feeling as toward himself, but
tries to convince Cain OF Gods justice and
willingness to accept 3 righteous sacri-
flee. Adam and Eve dread the temper
of their rst-bOTn, eXpostulate with him,
aud make vain efforts 70 comfort each
other The tablesU is Christ driving the
changers OF money aud trsdars from the
temple. IN The foreground are scribe:
and chief priests, manifesting in theiI
features and positions hatred sg2iIs
- st ali.
of hatred, the second shows that sir
consummsted in bloOdguiltiness. Cair
affects to be recOnciled with his brother
and induces him to 60 and witness bet
ter sacrifice that he has prepared. Eve
parts with Aoel fOndly and with fear
while he has no suspicion of evil
Adam enters and is soTely troubled Il
learn that the brothers have gone away
together. He goes after them and re-
turns with the desd body Of Abel, OWL
which they mourn, and Adam bears ii
off again; then Cain appears, tortured
by remOIsa, for which Eve can find nC
remedy; the angel prOnounces his doom
and he flies from the presence of hi
parents. IN the whole plsy there j.
nothing II at approaches rantiDg, unles,
it is the action of Cain in these two
scenes, and it is difficult to see how be
could show hatred, Discrimination
revenge and remOrse, such as his, with
out little "fine frenzy" The third
scene is laid in Valley Of Shevah. Mel
chizedek and an attendant are at al
altar making an offering Of bread and
| wine, when AbTam enters with his men
of war, accompanied by Lot and toe
! rescued Captive5, and after them tie
king Of SOGom. Then follows the bless.
ing, the giving Of tithes and the division
of spoils. Abram is q young warrior
with rather modern style Of helmet and
accoutrements. The offering, and the
blessing of Abram, which are the real
points TO illustrate, are too much crowd
ed out OF sight by the warlike thTOng.
Next We had the beautiful tsblsau OF
The Last Supper, in its general features
reminding one of the well-KnOWn frescO
at Milan by Leonardo ds Vinci, though
the individual pCSiODs are different.
Judas appears in the act Of going out
after that Satan has entered into MIN, as
narrated by Saint John; just turning
the corner of the table, clutching the
! mOney-bag with an svsriCiOus grip, and
expressing a malicious purpose in his
cOuntenanCe and posture. In the fourth
scene Abraham ian old man now) re,
ceive5 the command to offer his son in
sacrifice; pleads tnst another offering
may be substituted; struggles between
parental love and obedience to God, and
! finally submits fully, makes his pre-
paratIOns, and informs Isaac OF the
! morrOw's journey. TabIeau-Cbrist, on
the Mount Of Olives, submits to the will
of the father. Christ in the position OF
prayer, aud the apostles asleep below
| him. Scene filth-Abrshsm makes the
sacrifice required. Sarah parts with
Isaac as for the last time, having been
told of Gods command by Abraham,
! while Isaac is all unconscious of his i'm
pending fate and enjoys the prospect OF
| his trip to MOriah and wonders at his
mothers esTnestness. The character OF
| Sarah was one OF the most interesting 10
| the play, as well on account Of her part
as of the actress herself She wears q
| hourHOus style Of garment, girded at
| the waist. Voice, face, figure and
movement, all have dignity and grace
entirely natural and in keeping with the
| Incidents deliDe3ted. Whether she il
/ pretty or not l am unable TO say. ]
would rather say she is an exceedingly
| WOmanly wOman-much as one may
| imsgine Eve to have been, III whom
|
! but all was perfect. Having pa cted WITH
| Isaac she awaits the result IN hope and
! fear alternately, supplicatipg for the life
| OF her son, knowing that Abraham will
not fail OF his Obedinece, nor wishing it;
| but hoping in the confidence OF faith
| that her prayers will be heard. The
chief of the servants who had gone with
| Abraham returns and reports to Sarah
| that the sacrifice is accomplished. He
| tries to comfort her with the belief that
/ Isaac will return; but he knows nothing
! fer certain; he was at q distance and
saw only the smoke OF the sacrifice.
Why should not Isaac come home
again? Still, If God had ordered that
he should not return, even his mother
muSI not muTmur. And so she passes
the time of waiting in alternate
hope and fear. Every change of
! feeling is most faithfully ex-
pressed, and yet she scarcely stirs from
one place-nOt motiOnless by any
means, but the very excess of her mater
nal anxiety seems to restrain her action.
At length the return Of Isaac restores her
peace, and her prayer is changed to
thanksgiving. The counterpart TO this
scene is the crUcifiXiOn-the most in
teresting of the tableaux because Of its
novelty and the apparent difficulty Of
making a living picture of that scene.
The representation seems to be perfect
in all its details, and one looks in vain
70 detect any sage trick. OF the three
crucifed, only the Saviour is nailed
through hands and feet, ana ali are still
living. One could hardly imagine the
scene so well and completely as it is here
portrayed. Scene sixth represents the
meeting Of jacob and Joseph, He who
was sold to Egyptian slavery returns to
his OWL country prince and in prince
ly splendOr; the brothers who despised
and thrust him out, receive him with
humble Obeisance. Old Jacob, blind old
Jacob, who has mourned his son as one
dead, rejOices in his embrace again, and
praises the God Of his fathers. The As
censiOn Of Our Lord is the fiGal tableau,
and halielujsh chorus closes the Per
fOrmance. We arose from our seats and
left the house with feelings mUGe in
keeping with the church than the thea
ter; not agitetsd by emotions, nor with
passions excited; not even in mood to
crticise the play or the players; but
rather serious and enlightened, with Old
convictions more clearly defined and
more firmly settlsd,-in such frame of
mind as 3 sermon might cause, bat only
right good sermon Of the solid kind.
Such an epitOme of the religious history
and teaching Of four Thousand years
could rot well be given in an afternoons
discourse, The whole performance, in
GLIDING the music and orchestra, IL COM
posed arranged and executed by the
vilIagers-the work of strict ROmanists
entirely, and yet there is nothing
jenOminational in it, but, on the con-
trary, the scheme seems to present a
comprehensive platform on which all
christians msy stand together. The
acting il throughout remarkably quiet
and free from ordinary stage methods OF
making effects or expressing emotions.
At the supposed time Of the killing Of
Abel q little thunder is introduced, but
beyond that only ordinary light and
shade are used for r.ifiCsl effects. Most
OF the events which were the subjects
of tabieaux have been illustrated By great
painters, some of them by several, but
/ did not recognize any one OF them as
a COPY of a picture. All Of the scenes, ex'
cepting perhaps the first tableau OF the
Cross. would permit much more ex-
tensive and gorgeous style Of represen-
tation than could be attempted in this
barn and with no stage machinery, but
they would thereby fat party, il not
wholly. to dslinea. > with simplicity and
effect these grand truths Of history.
Our Little BaIIet-GirI.
New Yor k Graphic.
She appeared suddenly in our midst
one morning, at rehearsal, as the latest
addition IN the ballet-a WPII-OrOyVu girl