The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-07
LECTURE AT ST. JOHNS
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Passion Rlay vividly Described by One Who Saw it 1t ohsram- rnsrguA-Hsard by
 Lexgs Auaience. In the chspsI of Et- Johns Episcopal Church last night . number of people gathered to hear Judee Conner of Gin.
 cinnati, in his famous lecture on ''Remi- niscences of the Passion Play"
 Judge Conner witnessed the play iu
 lsoo in the land of its birth. oberammer- Rau. in the Highlands of Bavaria.
 He began by telling the story of the Passion Riay4 In 16a1 the plague ragged throughout Bavaria, many people dying l in tho villages, on the mountains and l fin the valleys. It's terrible ravages were everywhere felt until at last it reached the little village of oberammergau. The inhabitants of that quaint little village had ever been a devout and God fearing people. But now that the plague had been visited upon them they realized that therein was a lesson intended for them. So they gathered together in their churches and they vowed unto God that If the plague would but be stayed that from> generation unto generation they would comnemorate the Lords death in this grand Passion Play" And immediately the plague ceased.
 In 1s3s ths people gave the nrst repre- sentation of the Passion Play" and for 26S years at intervals of every ten years, true to their vow, the children of the oriEiuators and their children's children. down to the present day, have faithfully kept their VOW. Judge Conner described the two. heau- tifuI routes leading into the uttls village -A A e~~t~.
 and beauty of the village itself as first
 viewed. of the great cross with its arms outstretched on a peak just behind the
 village that is 200 feet high. where for all these years. the Saviour has been
 honored as no. where else in all this
 world.
 The great play is done by the peasants
 who look forward to taking a part as an
 honor to be derived above all things And
 they are so earnest and intentiy inter-
 ested in their every effort. to portray the
 characters which they represent. that
 they paRtaxe of their character In very
 truth, and to watch them as they go
 about their work they seem asi pictures of their frames a q
 Tn some of the scenes, Judge, Conner
 said there are on the stage. over 300 peo- pie at one tfme--old men and old women.
 young men and girls. and little children,
 This is truly and eminentiy religious
 scene, not the slightest evidence of lev ity througlaoslt the entire day. x. At 8 o'clock the curtain rises. There are seventeen acts. divided into three
 parts. The first aeven acts portrays
 Christ's entry into Jerusaierh The eighth
 to the fourteenth. His crlicihxion and the fifteenth to the seventeenth Hts resur- rection and ascension. Tho entire play is in the German language. and though Judge Conner said he could not under stand the words, 70 true and SO plain
 was everything that no one could fail to understand 1t all
 The great auditorium had 6 seating capaclty of 4,0o0, and after the beginning l of the play no one entered or no one left except at inkermissions.
 The play began with ChTists trfum- plant march into Jerusalem. and the chorus of many .voicea in the anthenl. '7Iosannnh to, Hrn that Cometh In tne Name of the Lord.
 There was. nothing oven bordering on the sacreligious. as any one woald sup nose. even though the el- vine'' was portrayed by the Human and so really done that one feels that ne is indeed looking upon the Christ. Things that were understandable, mysteries that to his mind were unexplaiuahie. in the life of the Christ. were made clear and plain to him in &his play. !. Judge Conner took up each act and gave a description so vivid and 90 clear, he carried his hearers, as it1 were, and sat them down in the quaiAt little vti- laae in the Tyrol valley and there they viewed the scene together. The parting of Jesus and His mother as he was about to 20 into Jerusalem for the last time, a devoted son who knew his time had come and loving mother who felt that
 something was wrong. but knew not the
 height or the depth of the misery for her
 and hers.
 Tn the fourth act an effecting scene
 was when He stood on the Mount of
 Olives and viewed Jerusalem and cried
 out. 70 Jerusalem, Jerusalem. thou that
 killed the prophets and stonest them that
 are sent unto thee, how often would
 have Rathered thy children together even
 as a hen gathereth her chicken under
 her wings and ye would n0tf'
 In the fifth act the Last Supper was desribed. The look of the human ae He
 realizes that he Is about Co wash tho feet of His bstrayer, Then a look of infinite
 pity and compassion sweeps over His face
 and. passing, leaves only the light of divinity.
 Then is the scene in the Garden ee Gethsemane enacted-where Jesus pFays that the cup may be paEsed nevertheless fnot my will. but thine Bs done" Here it
 Is that Judas betrays Him with a kiss.
 Here 1t Is that Peter sInites off one of the
 ears of a soldier and Christ as immedi.
 ately rebukes him. Here 1t Is that Peter.
 who has vowed his allegiance to his Mas
 ter, forsakes Him and all His disciples
 leave him and He is taken to bs sentenced
 to death by a. cruel and brutal tribunal
 In the next act, Judas repents of his
 faIseness and sin and carries the thirty
 pieces of silver back to the wicked men
 and cries out. in anguish and bitterness from the depth of his heart, Let me die!'
 During this scene hail storm swept over
 the village and the balls of hail pelted
 Judas mercilessly. as though it were fin
 reality a part of the play.
 The next two acts depict the scene of
 the trial of the Saviour. Pilate, who was determined to spare Him, who wanted to
 scourge Him and set Him free, but the cry arose fierce and strong, "Crucify Him, cruelty Him." Through the whole piti-
 full scene the crown of tlforns pressed
 upon His head. the great drops of blood flowing from the wounds. the agony of
 the human in representing the divine:
 the shudder that passed over that great multitude as the sound of the blows were
 rained upon Him by the soldiers with slaves. Then Pilate turns to that hoWling mob and says. Behold, the man. am innocent of the blood of this just person;
 see ye to it." Then the people answered.
 ''His blood be upon us and on our chill dren."
 Then came the tragic scene of the cru
 cfffxfon the Vgs.ikht of fha croaa to hA