Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-04-21
he play and a courier waiting to see
back to Munich on the specified

the play and a courier waiting to see
you back to Munich on the specified
date.
If you were to write today to the
~BurgOmaster that you would be in
Oberammergau or a certain day in Au-
gust. you could travel Their. in a peace
full frame of mind, for he would attend
to o as faithfully without the pre-
payment of a cent as though you We're
to send him a fortune in advance.
Those who go ~unannounced and are
unable to gel quarters must remember
that Oberammergau is a small village
OF a few hundred houses; and that if
of a few hundred houses: and that it
Is impossible to find quarters for the
1900 people who are expected to visit
there during July and August.
The Passion Play is the work of gem
erations. The people walk in it's lights
and shadows all their days. and, sin
gularly enough, they have come to re-
semble the characters of sacred his
tory. They are types of Nazarenes, as
different from the Bavarians as can be.
1t is the highest ambition of every boy
in Oberammergau to. some time play
the Christ in the Persian play; and
the dearest wish of every girl that she
may take the part of the Madonna.
When a boy is born the parents say
He may play Christi and when a girl
is born they keep her mind pure that
she may be fitted to play the Madonna.
1T is ar unwrittcn law that the Mary,
the mother of Christ, must be a vir-
gin, and for that reason Rosa Long.
who played Mary in 1890, her
marriage until after the play. For
some reason-no one in Oberammergau
ever new why-Rosa broke her en-
gagement n left the village, coming
back only to nurse her dying mother.
1t was rumored that she would enter
the church. but she merely went away
and worked in another town.
Rosa Lang had always been of sweet
disposition: therefore when she showed
talent as an actress she received the
appointment to play Mary Those who
saw her will never forget tina repre-
sentation. She did not only play the
part; she was the Madonna. She look
ed it: such a face was never seen. This.
coupled with her wonderful art, made
the play realistic in the extreme: a
portrayal that any actress of the world
might envy.
The Passion Play is produced only
three times a week. This year. If the
audience demands it. there may be four
performances a week. But it is so IA
tiguing upon the cast that the number
may be reduced to two. The play be-
gins at s in the morning and lasts con-
tinuously until 5 in the afternoon, with
short intervals for refreshments. In
1891. Joseph Mayer, the greatest Christ
that ever acted the character, became
so reduced in health by the rigor of his
part that toward the last it was no UNI
usual thing for hin to faint upon the
cross; his devoted wife was ever pres
ent behind the scenes to revive him.
May 20 will see a dress rehearsal of
he play and May "a the first perform
ance will be given. Hundreds of tour
lists from all parts of Europe will be
present, and in August there will be all
the fashionable world from the Paris
exposition. In September the play will
come to an end, and then we shall hear
no more of Oberammergau for another
ten years., but the boys will go on try
ing to be worthy to play the part of
Christ. and the girls will go on trying
to be Madonnas in real life.
WALTER O. BRIDGES.