Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1900-08-30

covered; the stage, excepting the beck
part, is not. The play opens by Anton
Lang who was the Christ OF ten years
ago. marching out on the front OF the
stage with a chorus OF 20 persons, all
dressed in the court dress OF the Caesars at
Christ's time. A fine orchestra aud this
chorus open With an anthem, which is
grand, after which the chorus separates
and backward march to the side OF the
stage, " bile the curtain rises at the pack
OF the stage and a tableau OF Adam and
Eve In the garden OF Eden Is revealed and
while this tableau Is on a duet is sung by
a soprano and tenor. The curtain drops,
the singers march out and the play begins.
The play is Just a portrayal ni Christ's
life and the new Testament as the people
there understand 1t. Before each act,
Anton Lang marches out with the chorus
and he gives prologue OF the coming act,
followed by solo and tableaux. All the
ia bleaux are from the old Testament, such
as the Garden OF Eden, Children OF Israel
in the Wilderness with the mamma falling,
and Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac,
whom he has bound on an altar OF stone,
covered with wood. Abraham has large
knife Just ready to draw across Isaac's
throat, when be sees a ram Ia the thicket
near by. The tableaux are very beautiful
and instructive.
How these simple peasants can do such
wonderful acting, except that 1t is divine
ly inspired and the fact that they are born
and bred to this for many generations
back no one can conceive.
Now II you do not think ii was a grand
and great play, with fine acting and all
the accessories necessary, how DO you
suppose they could hold an audience OF
1000 people packed in like ssrdines in a
box, on hard wooden benches without
cushions. for eight hours? And through
the whole play you could almost have
heard pin drop. We thought the actors
were great people before the play, now we
almost worship them. Six hundred and
fifty persons are in the play.
Here is a strange thing-Among all the
people whom have seen and talked with
about the play, not one says be would like
to see it again, and yet everyone says IL
was the greatest thing be ever saw and
that ne would sacrifice almost everything
to see il once II he had not seen it. One
very impressive thing about the play the
day we saw 1t was, after JUDAS had be-
trayed his Master and was in the Garden
running back and forth, wringiDg his
hands and tearing his hear with the grief
OF his terrible act crushing him, very
black cloud came up in the sky, making
il very dark, with thunder and lightning,
and a very hard hail storm fell on Judas
and the stage. The audience were under
cover
We left Oberammergau at 5 a. m. and
had hard days ride through a very in
teresting country till s p m, when we ar
rive at Innsbruck which means the break
ing of the river Inn.) This is one OF the
loveliest places | have ever been in-the
only place ever saw more beautiful than
Randolph. The scenery is some like that
OF the White mountains. Or our way
here we passed in sight Of the Black For
ests.
The next morning we iourneyed on
throug the Innsbruck pass OF the Aus
trian Tyrol, with grand and beautiful
scenery and snow-capped mountains.
On our way we crossed the boun dairy be-
tween Austria and Italy and came to
where a notice says "Change cars, change
time, change money, change language"
and almost thought we must change our
clothes, as we had to go into custom
house and open all our grips and baggage.
In the latter part OF the afternoon We
arrived in Venice and had a little "scrap"
with the gondoliers to secure our Condo
las TO go to our hotel.
We were near st. Marks cathedral and
square. IL was very beautiful here aud We
enjoyed a couple of days riding in gon-
dolas to visit the cathedrals, lace shops,
etc. No carriages or teams, although
there are narrow streets at the back OF the
buildings-all traffic done by boat. ST.
Marks cathedral is very very beautiful,
but not as large as many IN Italy.