The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1899-09-08

The grateful thanks of all who gather
| ed in the Congregational church, last
Friday evening, September lst, are Ger.
| tainiy due to Miss Carrie Knapp of
Bridgeport for her beautiful and realistic
| presentation of 'The Passion Play"
The presentation was labor of love, for
| Miss Knapp gave the lecture entirely
without recompense, and the proceeds
| uetted neat sum for the benefit of the
| Congregational church. Her example is
| most worthy of imitation, for il others to
| whom ample means give opportunity for
/ travel and study, would share the pleas
| ures of their outings with those whom
| 1t home, the world would be richer and
better. Unfortunate indeed ia that life
which has nothing which it can give
! away, nothing which it possesses and
can we'll part with and which another
would rejoice to have. Giving is not
confined to the giving of money. Giving
of money Ia often the poorest kind Of
giving, for there is SO little sacrifice
connected with it. The best kind of CIV
ing is the giving of self. Miss Knapp's
pictures were excellent. The amazement
vas how she had gotten them together
and 80 skillfully grouped them. Her
choSce Of language was Of the best, and,
taken altogether, the lecture was one of
which she may justly be proud. The
stereopticon, which was run by Messrs
a. @. Spalding 6 Son of Bridgeport,
gave entire satisfaction.
One needs to see these pictures and
near the sketchy description, which is
next to witnessing the play itself on the
home ground, to get complete idea of
this unique perfol nance, but we can
ne "a 70 q CfTav hfa kfanr,
n0w come to our mind from Miss Knapp's
recital. 1.-THE Passion Play" came into
history in connection with the Thirty
Years War. At that time a plague Wis
tied the village of Oberammefgau in
Bavaria. The people made a solemn
VOW that If the plague was stayed, as q
token of gratitude they would celebrate
THE Passion Play" This VOW has been
Kept, and, with the exception OF times of
var, the eel tration, every recurring
tenth year, has never been intermitGed.
Attempts have been made to induce the
olavers to come to America for a per
Torrance of ''The Passion Play; large
sums have been offered them. A noun
ain bard by the village has on it's sum-
nit cross, and the people believe that
awav from the sight of this cross they
could have no success with their play. |
The highest honor In the life of any res |
dent of Obsrammergau is to have the |
part Of Christ in this play. Joseph |
Meyer, who has borne this part in the |
Iast three presentations, is man of sin. |
Zularly rure and pious life. The one |
Who, In 1890, had the part of the apostle !
John, will succeed Joseph Meyer In act |
ing the part of Christ in 1900; but he can |
hardly equal Meyer 10 representing the |
Perfect Man. At first the play was |
given In the open air, but later for the |
accommodation of the throngs which |
came thester was erected capable of |
seating 6 600 persons. Yet most of this |
heater is open to the sky. No umbrella |
can be raised during performance, and |
Vt the season Of the year when the play |
js given rains are frequent. So intense |
ia the interest, however, that the specta- |
'ors often sit through the entire day in |
the p uring rain. The play is arranged
so that tablsau representing an Old |
Testament scene will be followed bv a
scene from the New Testament. This
arrangement is meant strongly to en-
oiiasize the thought that the Old and the
New Testaments re independent. The
scene from the kOId Testament will
be the type Of which the scene from the
New Testament is the res zstion. Thus,
the ts bleau of Adam and Eve driven from
Paradise will be followed by the repre-
sentstion Of the Alteration of the Cross.
The former allegorizea sin, the latter its
emedy. judas is portrayed as man
with whom two master passions strug-
gled for ascendency, the love of money
and the love Of Christ. At last this
greed gets the better OF him. So intense
" do the players live their parts that
they to a lsrge degree lose their
,wn persons ltv and are associated
in the minds Of the people with the char
acte rsthey hold. The one who has the
part of Judas Ia Stunned by the children
upon the street, the people even cross
the street SO as not to meet this man
face to face. On the evening before a
performance at z O'Clock there is a pro-
ceasion through the streets OF the village;
at o'clock bells ring and all are sup
posed to retire. At o'clock next morn.
ing signs Of activity are seen and soon
everyone is astir. At O'Clock the play
begins. The first part ends at noon with
the BETRAYAL of Judas. An hour is taken
for intermission. and then the tsbleaux
are resumed. The last word is said only
as the shadows of late afte rnoon are
growing very long.
Such recital as Miss Knapp gave IL
an education in itself. The pictures that
were shown will have strong impression
upon the mind for many day indeed it
Ia doubtful IL the impression ever wholly
wears away. The scenes represents those
things that are SO much to us all that
they must lift the soul into clearer
atmosphere and purer air.