The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1900-08-24
EUROPEAN LETTER.
Talbot Clay Writes Interestingly
of The Passion Play.
DEAR WALTER:

DEAR WALTER
have wished more than once that
you and Frank had continued the trip
with us, but especially did 1 wish for
you when we witnessed the perform
ance of the Passion Play at Ober-
ammergau. To describe this play is
beyond my power-it must be seen to be
! appreciated l would not have
missed seeing it for anything, and our
! trip to the quaint little village of Ober-
ammergau was one Of the most enjoy
able of our entire tour. We left Munich
at 9:06 a. M, Aug 4th, and after run
/ of four hours were landed at the station
| in Oberammergau. 1t was raining and
| the streets were muddy and full of
! tourists, all eagerly hunting lodging
| places. We had no trouble finding our
! quarters, which we had previously
/ secured through Messrs. Cook & Sons,
and soon found ourselves housed in one
| Of the best cottages in Oberamnlergau
! together with eight or ten other tourists,
the family with whom we stayed, and
nine fine Jersey COWS and two horses,
all under the same roof.
~
Oberammergau is a rural gem en-
tirely unlike any of the other villages Of
| it's size that we have seen i'll Europe.
The houses are built of stone, plastered
over, and the roofs are covered with
/ boards held on by numbers Of large
! stones laid all over the roof. Many of
! the houses have the outer walls painted
with queer looking pictures represent
! ing biblical scenes. The accOmmoda-
lions which they offer, however, are
comfortable and invariably clean, not
withstanding the habit the natives have
Of using one end Of their residences for
stable. The scenery around Ober-
ammergau is very pretty. 1t is stu
ated at the mouth of a mountain gorge
opening into a valley. High peaks en-
close it on one side, while on the other
the green hills stretch far away into the
distance. On top of one Of these peaks
and directly overlooking the village is a
large wooden cross erected by the villa
gers, but for what purpose l do not
know, although there is a history at
tached to it.
The Passion Play was first produced
at Oberammergau over two hundred
and fifty years ago and is given every
ten wears. 1t consists of eighteen acts,
preceded by prologue, and the play is
interspersed with about twenty five
tableaux, switch are emblematical of
/ Old Testament history, and, that the
spectators may understand the meaning
of these living pictures and their con-
nectiOn with the play, chorus is in
troduced, consisting of thirty-hye sing
ers, whose duty it is to explain the action
of the drama and to engage Ia a kind Of
running commentary upon it. This is
presented in a series Of vocal pieces, the
music of which is very fine and is used
solely for the Passion Play and is not
allowed to be published or sold. The
playhouse will seat about six thousand
spectators and there were very few
vacant seats at this performance. There
are about seven hundred people who
take part in the play, but not over five
hundred of them were on the stage at
one time. The play itself begins with
Christ's entry into Jerusalem and ends
with his crucifxiOn and resurrection.
Some of the scenes are very touching,
especially the parting with his mother
and friends at Bethany, where in bid
ding his mother goodbye. he says:
Mother, mother! for the tender love
and maternal care with which for three
and thirty years thou hast surrounded
me, receive the ardent thanks of thy
Son. The Father calls me. Farewell,
beloved mother" His mother and the
others of the household had been be-
seeching him not to go to Jerusalem
and these are the words with which he
answered her. Another very affecting
scene was in the Garden of Gethsemane
where Jesus, in his agony, was praying
to the Father to spare him from the
coming ordeal. He uses these words:
Father, my Father, if it be possible
and all things are possible with Thee,
so let this cup pass from me. But
Father, not as I will, but as Thou wilt. F."
He prays a second time, using these
words: Father, the strife is fierce, but
if this cup may not pass away except 1
drink it, Father, Thy will be done,
Hottest One! will fulfill Thy will. /"
For the third time he prays: ''Father,
if it is not possible that this hour pass
} from me, Thy will be done Thy most