The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-02-20
PASSION PLAY LECTURE
MISS ufTOACA GAY Ar THE y. W. Z. a.
HfIL.

IN "
NAIL.
Ct. D.scribes wildly the Great Ober-Am-
morgan Production to n Cultured Audience
Scene. In Bavaria the Day of the Pro-
duoiion.
A cultured and appreciatiye audience gath
cred az the Young Mems Christian Association
| Hall last night TO hear Miss Matoaca Gray,
who lectmed on the Passion Play which
WAS presented ut Obor-Ammergau, Bavaria,
last summer She held her audience at
| high tension of interest throughout. and by
/ her excellent descriptive powers made many
silent tear steal down the faces OF her listen
| ers.
Miss Cav entered the hall shortly after
! o'clock and was conducted amid applause to
! the platform by Mr.. Thomas Boiling. She
I wore "A black silk dress. while her lalr Was
/ caught up with black aigreite. As soon As
! she was seated she sat throughout the Ice
/ ture) She was presented with huge Ouhch OF
| mqueminot roses and beautiful bunch OF
! Gala lilies
She began by saying that no matter what
| she would say it was impossible 20 give an
| idea of the great drama. There l. an impress
/ sion made by the playa spell cast upon one
/ - soon as one enters the village that can only
| be realized or entered into when one mas
! Witnessed the drama. The journey To Ober-
! Ammergau the village. the theatre. TIE lay,
| the people all impress one. and troms O'Clock
I'm the morning until M tine evening hNe
thousand persons would SIT To see the play.
Canon Earrar EXPRESSED his aversion 10 the
play if viewed by ordinary sight-seers. for he
said that il was beautiful and touching as
survival Of an untaught age and people. As
art has changed as regards painters
ideals. so the time for the play
has changed. and 1t IS now ont
of harmony with thi, period of the worlds
history I'm 1850 the play was discovered 10y
Dean Stanley. who in 1860 wrote of the place
and play that IL was 'contaglon OF reNer-
ence.' Last year 100000 people visited the
drama.
LAID DEsOLATE.
Tn 1893 most of Bavaria was laid desolate by
pestileuce but the village of Ober-Ammei gan
escaped unscathed. due more than anything
else To the excellent quarantine provisions made.
The people met in prayer and registered
vow that if they We're delivered from the
,courge they would each ten years present
the Passion Play. They haze faithfully Kept
their vow. only the European walls lettering
them in their presentations.
Miss Gay. continuing, said She left Munich
| on AUGUST 18TH and that train after train was
people Of every description We're gathered
at the station French English, German and
Italian and % see the play one has 90 pass
through the Bayariau Alps.
Oicr-Ammergau Is no the base Of great
mountain. and vehicles of every DESCRIPTION
are used % convey people to the village,
which, bv the way. Is SIX mile, from the rail-
way station. The actors can bee seen iu
the village in their original simplicity.
after decades have passed IN winch tine drama
ha. been rre-ented The Government taxes
ore-fourth If the proceeds of the play. the
fund, being used 10 keep the roads On order,
which have been cut in the sides OF the noun
tains.
ROLE OF THE SAVIOUR.
The play appeal. co one rs the most tre-
mendDus and simultaneous devotion that Ina,
ever been -eeu, and tear, rise % the eyes. and
the spell Of the place falls over one. The
people of the village are quiet. dey0ut,
simple folk. cOntented srlt-respeculg,
and haze rather independent aif
and the actor feels as though 10
was an net of worship rather than play
Joseph Nyor who plays Chr,tus, sad ~ IS
the greatest honor Of h, lfe and the minor
characters arc trained To act their part, in the
village church.
Fog instance. in the act in the play Palm
Sunday when Chrstus enters jerusalem
there is music and singing, and all this train
ing WAS done IN the village church Is re-
hear-ai room.
There are about five or six hundred people
in the play, and Dasenberger who trained
the people. and who is now dead spent hs
whole life studying. reLearslng and present |
inc the play. ending his lite by saying
that he had done IL all for the "edihcauOn 0t
Christian peOulen There Is not much chance |
10 sleep on the morning of the Passion Play,
and travellers are constantly arriving through !
ont the Night and mussc- have been gong on |
I'm the Catholic church since o'clock !
in the morning. Little after daybpak can
non cali the masses 10 church, and the Eng
lish chapel IS also well hlled-a priest from
England being sent there whenever the play
i, presented.
One can distinguish in The crowded streets
the actors by ,hrir long hair, and as they
move through the crowd there IS nothing
STACEY or theatrical about them. There are
thirteen hundred residents Of the village SIX
hundred OF whom take pant.
At O'Clock the crowd assembled at the
theatre which is one hundred and twenty
feet wide one hundred and seventy feet deep.
and the background for the stage are real
mountains. Inc drama opens with chOru5es.
sung by twenty-iour persons, and explain |
throughout the day everything in their
choU,es.
Tie music is Of the simplest character, but
is admirably adapted 10 the purpose. and was
written by Bayaran musician. The play is
alternated with tableauX made up from events
in the Old Testament.
Mss Gay, continuing. spoke Of the most
striking scenes Of the play beginning with
the parting of Christus with his mother, and
ending with the ascension.
After the lecture many friends went up 10
the platform and congratulated her upon her
excellent effort
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Telegraphic BreNities.
Two trains on the Erie and Pttsburg rail-