The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-11-16

EllCAL i'll
NCHU r |. TOWNS IN
N Az Last rec Weeks
ana Spectators Ppiaud} BY
Dreaming VI
IN Iukden, Tsinmfntsfn, and other
Chimes towns, thea trical perform
ances IRE common, They are re
sardsd two M VS. hey amuse and
theyGceIebrate.. The celebrations are
sofS some holy festival says the Phila:
Iphia Led ger:
Bsfore some pagodalike. ornate, six
sided fenple hose paIe-yellow roof
he sun. the performance is
held 1nasque procession is
fhe&pre ludeSto a performance Strange
dragons erpents# and mummers III
ssanttque costume parade before the
crowds.
These fantastic creatures are very
like the miniature counterparts of
sgTeenSand yellow paper seen in shops
1ssoyer the world. They are more
rotesaue than funny, more terrible
their grins and gcontortions than
esome. AS the white races under
stand beauty, none is evident in a
Chinese theatrical spectacle. Some
queer Laughing god, whose image or
picture#sis on the walls of the tenn
pie 49, the Inspiration They worship
sbefore his leering face with the laugh
able dangling monster Nothing is
7, For of Chit
sIlaman But when he laughs all the
deviltry Of that5which cannot be com
sprehended breaks out. He is the re-
33versesof the divine mystic to an Euro
spean simagination. It may be race
Ssprejndice but he seems in his sacred
gsroles#to4 be incarnate with the pro-
fame, the diabolical.
But every man to his own humor:
gonfucius was certainly very wise
and sane in most8of his philosophy.
md is image there is a genial
So before his temple, where
slender columns are wreathed in live
~ hybrId serpents, the spectacle of
three days duration may be ce1ebra-
ted.
Tie priests arrange these matters
uSy SGeiu " DSI1SfS III
seombining religion and amusement
slIenSare8 sent around with a subscrin-
lion paper. Afterward the generosity
sof subscribers is publicly show.-
Quite as subscribers to a season IF
Grand opera here, these are publish
s8ed, wi their names and the amounts
contributed. BUTT is not in the jour
na1s Or society papers that this is
made public. On the very white or
pale=coIored walls Of the holy temple
itsef%aTe#spasted the red sheets. On
these, made of the same paper that
1--WE know on the labels of f1recracker
packages, the names of the wealthy
and prominent patrons are written
vertical, fantastic rows, black or
gold.
cards as the French and even more
artistic. Who can say that the poster
new advertising fad?
Three days and even three weeks
ARE the length of performance.
These also prove that Wagner was
not original in that respect for the
sspectators take short recesses for eat
sSing%and sleeping. Moreover. our term
continuous performance is put to
Shame by these ardent devotees of the
SACRED theatrical, for they do not re.
peat They relate some long my
sthological tale, some religious fable,
some narration where war and myth
and adventure are woven into a con
st inued story.
Perhaps they have no three-volume
novels to read and no monthly maya
Zines to publish them. Perhaps ii is
human to reye1 from time to time III
IA long drawn out tale, replacing the u
Illusions Of daily life by one of the i'm
Il agination.
In the small villages where such
S;samussnents are rare, the people neg
sIects thing when strolling par
along,
permanent villages exist for
ss5t heaters These are only in the very
largest towns The stro1ling actors
wander from village to village, car
5;5rying their trappings on camels. One
lays time is ample to put up a thea
ter where 1000 persons may view the
spectacle- The stage is raised under