The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-02-12
TYROL ROLES
DESCRIBED.
Miss Ada Murcutt on
Passion Play.
APPEARS IN COSTUME
Lecture at Y. M. C. A. Last Night to
a Large and interested
Audience.

rBE Young Mems Christian Associa-
ton hall was filled to it's doors
last night, the announcement that
Miss Ada Murcutt would lecture
upon the great Passion Play which she
witnessed in the village of Oberammer-
gau last summer having aroused wide
spread interest
Mrs. Mcdonald opened the program
with a song, accompanied by Prof. A.
b. ingalls, upon the piano. Miss Muir
cult appeared upon the stage dressed.
in the costume of the Oberammergau
chorister, long surplice of white silk
falling from the neck and held loosely
at the waist with golden cord, and
over the shoulders, a beautifully draped
mantle of soft blue, hanging in grace
full folds over the sleeves at the side.
This, Miss Murcutt explained, is the
costume worn by the guardian an
GELS or choristers, thirty-four in
number, who appear upon the stage in
the sacred play and sing an explana-
ton of the tableau or acted scene that
is to follow.
Beginning with description of the
little German village in the purple
hued German mountains. and the Gus
is wood-carving, she spoke of the inf1u-
ence of their art upon them and the
simple religion and faithfulness to the
customs of their forefathers. She re-
viewed the great decennial Passion
Play from it's opening tableau of the
expulsion of the first man and woman
from Paradise to the death OF the Sa-
vior upon the cross and His resurrec
drax -ir,c audience a vivid
picture of the beautiful sacred drama
as acted by the Oberammergauers
Throughout her description, which last
ed an hour and a half, she held the
attention and pleased interest of her
audience, and when she had finished
there We're many who personally thank
| ed Miss Murcutt for the pleasure she
| had afforded them.
/ The custom of representing the life
and passion of the Savior, she explain
ed, was an old one, having been OBJ
served since the year SOP A. D., having
been Instituted by Bishop Gregory Of
lAntioch, but that it's performance every
ten years had been observed as a Gus
tom for only 260 years, dating back to
/ the time of the spreading of a fatal
plague in Europe The little village of
IOberammergau was secluded and cut
off from all the rest of the world and
:, had been immune from the ravages of
| the plague, though all over Europe it's
| deadly force had been felt. The vii
|lage had been quarantined and it was
ordered that no one should go or come
from other places, so that the health
of it's people might be preserved, but
a young man of the village who was
away at another village became home
sick and disobeyed the order and re-
turned to Oberammergau. He was
seized with the plague and it began
spreading among the villagers.
The peasants gathered together in
supplicatfon and prayed together, ap-
pealing to the Almighty that they be
spared. In their prayers they vowed
that if the curse should be taken from
them they would glorify the Lord by
acting the sacred play every ten years
so long as time should last and theil
people be spared. 1t would seem thai
their prayer was answered. The plague
vanished and ever since that time the
Oberammergauers have been faithful
to the vow.
The decennial drama is the one grea1
topic of interest to look forward to anG
back upon. Over a thousand of the
villagers take part in the play and 1T is
considered disgrace never to have
been allowed to take part, while the
greatest honor that could be conferred
is the appointment to act the part O.
the Christie.
It is much to be regretted that Mis-:
Murcutt could not have secured a stere
opticon lantern with whicG to exhibi
the splendid and rare views of the grea.
sacred drama, as it would have been {
treat for which the opportunity is no
frequently offered to have witnessed
the lantern-slide illustrations to the in
teresting account given by the enter
tanning lecturer. Miss Murcutts friends
will endeavor to prevail upon her t.
repeat the lecture and to secure a Ian
tern with which to exhibit the slide