The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-05-19
YEAR OF THE PASSION PLAY
Many Americans. viii Go to ober-
Ammergau From Paris

This is the year Of the Passion Play
at Oberammergau, and the prospects
are that, wins to the Paris exposition,
the number Of visitors VIII De mucn
larger than usual The old wooden the
alter has been demolished. and an I'M
mense iron structure has been erected
which viii seat 5000 people ThlS IS roof
ed. excepting the tage, which IS LETT
open to the sky ard to the mountains
10 heighten the illusion. There are i've
different grades OF seats III
price from 10 marks down to : marks
The representations last from 3 a. n to
; Q. m. weather permitting There are
10 be three grand rehearsaIs' begin
min May 20, and closing June 4. WITH
intermissi0ns Of about a week between
There viii be from five TO seven repre-
sensations" each month TIL september
The weII-knOwn origin of the play is
as folIows- over $50 years ago, at the
time when the long Thirty Years war
was devastating Germany, a severe al
tack of plague broke out IN d villages
and valleys of the Bavarlan Tyrol-
PartenkIrchen. Mtttenwald- and indeed
all the larger towns, were devastated
bv il. The little secluded village OF
Oberammergau was. however exempt
from the visitation; and in order 70 be
safe from Infection the village
ties drew a Gordon about the hamleJ-
already protected by nature by It's circle
of mOurtains-and FORBADE anyone OF
the inhabitants TO pass from the happy
valley into the DerllCIS outer WcfId.
while the conditions, OF course 1ncIuueu
that none should penetrate from the
characterization region into n charmed
circle thus held exempt
Perhaps it never occurred to modest
little Oberammergau that any atUrac-
tons within it would tempt strangers
TO break through the DIVIDING baFflef.
As it haDDeled- however q naive OF
I the village who had been for some time
working at E~schenlohe. a vlHage at the
foot Of the Etfalberg, where the plague
was raging ~furi0usty, was seized WIN
q sudden hOmeSiCkueSS, and, L1AlOWh
to any of the village mag1ates, re-
turned, finding his way by night over
the mountains
Three days afterwards he lay dead
OF the fell disease, and no less tnan
forty Of his fellow villagers succumbed
4 10 the same cause. IN their agony OF
terror IT occurred to the good people
Of Oberammergau that a ptous vow
might possibly propltiate heaNsn
and urn the vengeance from hHI
hearths and homes. Thee then ana
there. in solemn assembly, consulted
as 90 what would be most
ef1cacious. that is to say. pleasing 90
the Almighty. and finally il was re-
solved then. and every ten years AFTER
wards. to perform with all Que EeNer
ence and solemnity q play which should
set forth the life, death and mediation
From that time. it is asserted, the
plague was stayed in the village, and
the vow has been kept strictly and re-
heiousIy. the d~eceuniaI connection pc
ing only once broken since 1854. II ofoei
TO establish the a ~
beginning Of every decade, fer which g
fresh start was made in 1856
The Passion Play consists or Is acls
OF scenes. together with q prologue OF
introduction. The play Itself pe9lA'
with Chrfst's entry into Jerusalem. bu
a series Of tabIeaux wants from TN
Old Testament history alternate WIZ
the acted. spoken scenes OF which the1
are embIematicaI- While. in order ina
the spectators may understand IN
meaning Of the vin pictures and thel
connection with the Genes OF the aeIst
tragedy. q chorus IS VIII
duties similar to those of the chorus Q
the classic Greek plays Their part i
to explain and make Ineligible the &C
/ ton Of the drana. and to engage N
kind Of running commentary upon II
which is presented for b most pari