The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-24
REV. FATHER ]. n. CLEARY
Gave an Interesting Lecture at
the Auditorium.
HISTORIC PASSION PLAY
The Lecture Was Simple, Graphic De-
scriptson and Was Listened to With
Intense Interest-The Receipts
Will Go to q Charity.

The lecture delivered AT the Auditor
FUN last evening by Father Cleary Of
Minneapolis was one of the most eX-
traordinary efforts with which a Butte
audience has ever been favored from
an Evolutionary point of view and in its
intrinsic interest. The audience that
listened to the Intensely interesting lee
ture was not all the character of it de-
served, although the spacious Auditori-
UNI was more than half filed both on
the main floor and In the gallery.
Every auditor listened with an interest
so absorbing as to emphasize the APP
probation with which the lecture was
received more strongly than the
warmth of the applause that burst
forth as the speaker finished. The sub
feet was the Passion Play, and the
lecture was a simple graphic descrip-
ton of the great play as Father Cleary
saw it performed at famed Oberammer-
gau in 1890 while travelling through Eu-
rope The speakers word picture of the
performance was so real that one list
ening could almost imagine himself at
Oberammergau. Preceding the lecture
p. j. Donohue sang solo. Kathleen
Mavoureen,' in an effective manner.
accompanied by Miss S. NJ Homer.
Father Cleary was then introduced.
He took up his story of the Passion
Play at the point at which he com
menced TO journey to Oberammergau
and described the scenes and expert
ences he encountered while passing
through the Bavarian mountains.
The chief interest of the absorbingly
interesting theme centered in the play
itself. II was given, said the speaker,
not as a money-making venture, but
in the interest of Christianity. The
receipts from the performance are di-
vided into three parts. one part going
TO keep up the theater and defray eX-
penses. another to partially recon-
pense the performers for their services,
and a third part to supporting school
of design for instructions in wood cary
ing and charitable institutions.
The play begins on Pentacost sun
day and is given each Sunday until
September and on such other days as
ii becomes necessary to give ii, in or
der to enable all to witness the per-
Torrance who journey to Oberammer-
gau for that purpose. Performances
are also given on all feast days. The
theater is an immense structure, seat
ing 1000 people, and having stage
large enough to accommodate 600 or 700
performers. The performance Is pre-
pared under the direction OF a commit
tee of arrangements, which assigns
parts to employees; the stage director has
charge of all things pertaining to the
production and even fixes the prices
that the villagers may charge for en-
tortion.
At o'clock in the evening before the
performance is to begin the village
bells tolling warns everyone TO retire
if they would be up early the next
morning At 7:45 the following morn
ing the booming of a cannon is the sig
nal that the theater is open for strang-
ers to enter. and at S o'clock the per-
Torrance begins. The shouting Of a
great procession, etc, all as described
in the Scriptures. signals the approach
of Christ to Jerusalem, Then the
whole history of Christ in the
holy city from the time of his tri-
umphal entry down to the crucitixion
are given in exact reproduction as near
like the original scenes as may be had
from historical data. Father cleary's
description of the scenes of the famous
play which is given but once in 10 years,
was recounted in wonderful vividness
of word nicturing.
Tonight Father Cleary will lecture
on the subject of THE Flag and the
Cross his treatment being an express
sion of his views in regard TO the prop
er relations of church to state.