Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-10-10
NY TOUR Of EUROPE
PASSION PLAY WAS DISCUSSED
BY Him-An Appreciative Audience
Assembled In the \. NJ. c. A. Audi
torium-His Address i'm Part.

preciative audience The meeting was
called to order by Secretary Lynch
who made a few Introductory remarks
concerning the Y. NJ. c. A. and the
progressive condition it was in at pres
emit. He then introduced Col. White,
! who said, in part, as follows:
Il want you take trip across the
ocean with me this evening, for little
time. The ocean is grey, glistening
and beautiful and shows a manifesto
| ton of a higher power" He told OF
| the scene across the ocean, OF the ris-
ing o. me sun and its setting, Of the
schools of dolphins that followed the
vessel and the many other interesting
sights. When he arrived in England
he went direct to London. OF London
he said: .N could talk for several
hours on London. Of its mighty traf-
fic, of its swarms Of people, OF its stage
coaches, of the palace in Kensington
Park, the birthplace of the queen OF
England, and of the walks OF this mag
nis:cent park One thing l shall never
forget is the Westminster Abbey, with
its naives, its chapel and its tombs
containing the remains of England's
great people of centuries ago. The
! Parliament building near it, shall also
always remember.
THE tower of London, the erection of
which was started by William the Con-
queror, is very interesting. 1t contains
a guillotine with the knife hanging in
it, the old suits of armor, and the
crown jewels with a guard standing
around them.
I'VE will now leave London, cross
the English channel, and go to Paris
/ did not think much Of Paris. Of all
places for beggars, they may have been
worse this year than usual, Paris is the
worst. They follow after you street
after street. / was greatly disappointed
in it. | had read of the Seine and i'm
agined it the most beautiful river in
the world. | went on little steam
.boat-their steamboats, are the street
railway cars of Paris-up the river. In
Old Paris, what novels, what poverty.
Little boys and girls run after you
begging for money. In other parts OF
the city the buildings are handsome
l saw the beautiful arch and the place
where the guillotine once stood that
beheaded Marie Ans)inette.
Just out of Paris is the Palace OF
Marseilles. The grounds about this
palace are magnificent, with their inn
mense trees The building is hand
somely furnished in the interior. The
fountains at the Tuilleries are hand
some. The gardens of st. Cloud is the
most beautiful spot in the world"
He spoke very entertainingly of Swift
zerland and the Alps. He stated the
Alps are not so grand as the Rockies
in our own country, but their peaks
crowned with snow and the light upon
it are beautiful. THE Swiss roads are
much better than our Ohio county
roads, and the views from them as they
wind up and down around the noun
tains are magnificent. You can see
across the mountains the Swiss wo-
men sitting on rocks knitting while
they watch their focks.'
1.-THE Swiss farms differ from our
American farms. The people there live
in small villages. The land is all own
ed by rich landlords. The farmer rents
small plot of ten or twelve acres from
him, and on this cultivates his crops.
They still reap with sickles, the man
using them while behind him his wife
or daughter rakes the grain in heaps
and puts it in either basket or a
sheet This she carries to the barn in
the village. Their houses are nan
home and half stable. You have to go
to Switzerland to see Swiss cottage.
They are fifteen or sixteen feet high
| and are very long.
Il went from Switzerland to Munich,
| the capital of Bavaria. From there
| went to the village of Ober-Ammergau
and saw the Passion Play. This has
| had more influence in the closing part
| of this century than anything else.
You may call it sacrilege If you want
to, but I feel it has made me better to
! see it. Thousands OF people from all
parts of the world come to see it.
1.-THE village of Ober-Ammergau, with
it's small streets and narrow pavements
is inhabited by about 400 peasants
| There day after day they ply their
trades; some are shoemakers, other;
| are blacksmiths, others wood-carriers
| etc. The women watch the herds
churn, do the housework, help in the
| fields. etc Yet these simple people en-.
act scenes that make the heart shuddel
and the eyes shed tears. These peas
ants have attracted the world, and al
who witness it come away better Chris
tianS.
"Of the 1.400 inhabitants 700 take
| part in the play. The play is enacted
between the hours of S and IL and
and s. Although the people have to ST
in the immense theater that accommo
dates 5000 people. no one leaves unit
the play is finished.
Back $40 years ago terrible plague
swept through the country. In ODER
Ammergau it wiped out one-half of thu
population. The remaining citizens
gathered together and said If God would
take away the plague they would. once
in ten years, give the play in thanks K
God. The first performance was giver
in 1890. and since then every ten years
| they have repeated it,
1T is really not play, it is drama
but their acting is not dramatic, 1t !:
not the acting Of an actor. We can SEE
nothing in the course Of tie scenes thai
would suggest the manner OF an actor
Their movements are natural and sim
pie"
II He next spoke Of the theater and th'
manner of announcing the time o.
starting.
"The first thing on the programme /;