Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-08-30
A LUTHER FESTIVAL PLAY.
Described by Alice b. Cushing in thu
Outlook.

We reached Grlmna ABOUT CLOCK,
and now all we had 10 do was to fol
low the little procession of fellow
pilgrims down the hill into the town.
All the afternoon the people from all
the country round had been coming
into town by train and in their high
green farm wagons, and now most OF
these peasants were gathered here
waiting for the doors of the hall to be
opened. 1t was clearly festal occa-
sion. The rich farmers were gorgeous
in the brightly embroidered vests,
black stocks, and long black coats Of
quaint cut decorated with rows Of
big fat silver buttons. or course the
wives as we'll were dressed in their
best-long loose black velvet coats,
bordered with broad bands Of mink,
They all looked very comfortable and,
according to Saxon farmers ideals,
even elegant. Even the less prosper
Gus peasants, in their everyday
clothes, had gala expression. The
time Of waiting was passed in neigh
borly chattering, which grew louder
as the clouds of smoke grew thicker.
| Every time there was a sound in the
, direction of the door there was mo
nent of excitement and pushing
back of chairs, and at last, after a
number of these false alarms, the
! door was really opened, and there was
Il stampede UP the stairs to the gal
lery.
There was still an hour before the
play was to begin, but it passed
quickly in watching the gathering au-
dence. There were freshlookins
young girls, with their smooth hair
demurely parted in the middle there
were fewer young men, for so many
were to take part in the play; but
there were plenty of fathers with
long gold watch chains and seal rings
on their first fingers, and mothers in
dresses that were fashionable 10
years ago. Fraulein Fanny's neighbor
was a young man of Grimma, who OBJ
llgingly told her all that she wanted
! to know-that the gentlemen in the
dress suits wearing blue and yellow
resets were the ushers, and that they
were a school principal, notary, a
merchant and a photographer. He
pointed out the celebrities as they
! came in-the venerable burgomaster,
the officers from the cavalry barracks,
/ the Judge and the pastor These were
! the people in the reserved seats. AT
! the sides, where we sat, were tho
q mechanics and the like humble folk.
/ The hall filled rapidly. The aisles were
blocked with chairs, until the word
came that there were no more chairs
in the building. The two tiremen In
the medieval-looking uniforms only
made one wonder what would happen
! if fire should break out. The gal
lerieS, given up to the peasants, had
long been filled with rows of weather
| beaten faces, bright now with antici-
patton, and certain pride too; for
cessfully defed pope and noble was
their Luther, as much son of pow
erty and toll as they.
Among the late corners was a pic
turesque figure, who passed just in
front of us Entering the hall where
every one else did, he walked with
dignity to the steps leading from the
auditorium to the stage, and, mount
! ing them, turned to address the audi
ence He was dressed in gorgeous
| heralds costume of the 10th century,
and in blank verse told us that Mar.
tin Luther was to be made to live
again before us. While he was speak
| ing, another 10th century gentleman
Joined him. The herald greeted this
senator, in his black velvet robes
with grave respect, and invited him
, to sit before the curtain and see the
i living pictures. So the herald and the
! senator seated themselves, one upon
each side Of the steps, while the or
| chestra began to play choral.
Every one rose to his feet, and, led
by choir OF 80 boys, Joined heartily
In singing one of Luthers hymns, "All
praise to God most high"
Then the curtain rose. There was
no scenery, but there before us was
Brother Martin in his monks cell at
Erfurt. The lawyer who played this
part Of Luther was strikingly like
the Cranach portraits in feature, and
as he spoke the noble blank verse of
, the text with fine expression. The
writing of the play is throughout of a
high order, and the author adheres
closely to words actually spoken or
written by Luther, often introducing
whole sentences with only the slight
alterations necessary to make them
conform to the meter or the verse.
This first scene is nothing but soil
loquoy in which the monk gives express
sion to some OF the doubts that are be-
ginning to torment him, but It forms
a necessary introduction to what Is to
follow At the end of the scene the
herald and the senator discuss the
monk and his opinions. The warm
admiration and enthusiasm of the
herald, and the judicially critical at