Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-22

always rather wanted to see the Passion
Play, but the thought of the fashionable
Oberammergau made me sick. Would 1
like to be vorgesteHt? Rather. 1t was
not ten minutes after this Introduction be-
fore 1 had settled to stay with st. John,
and clouds of good American tobacco
many an 'auf Ihr WohT was busying the
pretty Kellnerinn. They trotted out all
their reportory of quaint local songs for
my benefit-it sounded bully, 1 tell you.
out there with the sunlight and the green
leaves and the rush of the river-and in
this aroma of beer and brotherhood /
blessed my damaged thigh. Three days
hencei Just time for 1t to head. A provi
Dental world. after all.
And it was indeed with buoyant step
and a gay heart that 1 set out over the
hills at sunrise on that memorable morn
ing. The play was to begin at 10. and
should just be on time. What walk!
Imagine 1t, Clear GOODNESS of dawn fresh
green sparkling dew; the road winding up
and down, round hills, up cliffs, along val
leys, through woods where the green
branches swayed in the morning wind and
dappled the grass fantastically with dane
ing sunlight. And as fresh as the morning
was, L felt, the artistic sensation awaiting
me. swung round the last hill-shoulder
saw the quaint gables of the first house
peeping through the trees, the church
spire rising beyond then groups of Tyro-
lese. converging from all the roads dipped
down the valley. past the quiet lake, up the
hills beyond. found myself caught in a
stream Of peasants. and, prestoi was
sucked from the radiant day into the deem
gloom of the barn-like theater.
II don't know how it is done in Ober-
ammergau, but this Tyrolese thing was g.
strange tumble of art and naivete, of tai
cnt and stupidity. There was full-fedged
stage and footlights. and the scenery, some
one said, was painted by a man from
Munich But the players were badly made
up; the costumes. If correct, were ill-ft-
q Gfn had Ix- }0ht ND
didn't line. Some of the actors had
CLEANS Of artistic perception. ST. Mark
was beautiful to look on, Caiaphas had a
sense of elocution. the Virgin was tender
and sweet. and Judas rose powerfully to
his great twenty minutes soliloquy. But
the bulk of the palyers though all were
earnest and fervent, were clumsy or self
conscious. The crowds were stiff and
awkward, painfully symmetrical, like
school children at drill. A chorus Of ten
CT twelve ushered in each episode with
song, and man further explained 1t in
bald narrative The acts of the play prop
er were interrupted by tableaux wants OF
Old Testament scenes from Adam and Eve
onward There was much, you see, that
was puerile. even ridiculous; and every
now and then some one would open the
door OF the dusky auditorium and shaft
of sunshine would fly in from the outside
world to remind me further how unreal
was all this gloomy make-beIeve. Nay
during the entracte I went out like every
body else and Iunched off sausaees and
beer.
And yet, beneath all this critical con-
seriousness. beneath even the artistic con-
ciousness that could not even resist jotting
down face or scene in my sketch book,
something curious was happening in the
depths of my being. The play exercised
from the very first strange magnetic
effect on me; despite all the primitive
humors of the players, the simple. sublime
tragedy that disengaged itself from their
uncouth but earnest goings-On began to
move and even Cypress my soul. Christ
had been to me merely theme for artists;
my studies and travels had famliarized me
with every possible conception of the Man
OF SORROWS. l had seen myriads Of Ma
donnas nursing him. miles of Magdalens
never felt. Perhaps it was my Jewish
training; perhaps it was that none of the
Christians lived with had ever believed
IN Him. AT any rate. her for the first
time the Christ story came home to me as
real, living fact; something that had &C.
tuaIly happered 1 saw this simple son
OF the people-made more simple by my
knowledge that this representative was
baker-moving among the ancient peasant
and fisher life of Galilee; / saw Him draw
men and women. saints and sinners, by
the magic of His love, the simple sweet
ness OF His inner sunshine: 1 saw the sun
shine change to lightning as He drove the
money changers from the temple: watch
on. l saw Him bid farewell to His mother
l heard suppressed sobs all around me-
Then the heavens were overcast and IL
seemed as IL earth held its breath, waiting
Tor the supreme moment. They dragged
Him before PLATE; they clothed Him in
scarlet robe and plated His crown of
thorns and spat on Him; they gave Him
vinegar to drink. mixed with gall, and He
so divinely sweet and forgiving through
ALL A horrible oppression hung over the
world; / felt choking; my ribs pressed in
| ward; my heart seemed contracted. He
| was dying for the sins OF the world. He
summed rp the whole worlds woe and