Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-06-06
SENIOR PLAY
IS "EvERYMAN''
Graduating Class Will Pre-
sent Interesting Old
Morality Play

The annual senior play will be pre-
scribed by the graduating class of the
state Normal school at the auditorium
on Friday evening. The members of
the class have invited their friends
and because of the limited capacity of
the auditorium there invited guests
holding tickets of admission will be
seated first.
The play is one of unusual interest,
being a revival of very early type of
English drama, when the church still
controlled the stage, gave subjects to
the drama, and taught through this
medium it's own religious truths. Such
dramas were called moralitiess and
were generally allegorical in character
and serious in tone. "Everyman," the
morality to be played on Friday eve
ming is of such type.
| Those who see the play must i'm
agine themselves in Catholic England
of the fifteenth century. when Henry
| VI. or Henry VII. was ruler; they
must imagine themselves as part Of an
audience of artisans, apprentices,
| townsfolk of the middle class, who
listen each Sunday TO Latin service
| which they cannot understand, and
| who possess no Bihle in English, even
| if they could read it. 1t is holiday,
and some monks in a cloister near the
the general public, on the church porch
play You, with all the town, crowd
to hear. push your way through the
press TO the front, and stand patiently
until a messenger" the first charac-
ter to appear, comes up from the green
and sketches in brief for you "the
moral" You are not at all bored by
the name or the idea of a preachment
in language you can understand be-
cause at your work you often think of
the why's and wherefores of world
concerning which you have been
taught little. When the messenger
has departed, the voice of God calls to
his servant. Death, complains to him
of mans general disobedience and
commands that he summon Everyman
to account for his wickedness at once.
At this moment, Everyman gaily walks
across the stage singing love song.
Full little he thinketh on my COM
| ing" comments Death, as he stops him
with his bony hand.
At first Everyman does not compre-
bend the seriousness of the message
delivered to him, but when he does, he
endeavors to buy Death, bribe him
from carrying out the awful command
to journey "at once without delay or
any tarrying' to Gods throne.
When he learns that he must go,
Everyman calls on his friends to bear
him company; each in turn promise to
do anything for so jolly a wight as
Everyman, but when they learn the
nature draw back one by one. Gay
Heart, Fellowship, practical minded
Kindred, pretty Cousin and grey
bearded Riches hooking from his huge
chest. Only little Good Deeds, lying
cold on the ground, bound down by the
sins of Everyman, promises help, and
her sister, knowledge, queen of mans
minds.
With the help of knowledge, Every
man goes to confession, accepts the
scourge of penance: assumes the gar
ment Of sorrow, and then goes to
Priesthood for the remainder of the
sacraments administered by the chuch
the dying. When he returns, Beau
ty, Discretion, Strength and Five Wits
break their promises to stay by him
until the end, and only little Good
Deeds and Knowledge help him as he
sinks into his grave. An angel speeds
his soul on its journey to God, and
from above come the voices of angels
singing joyously Gloria in Excelsis
Dec. in terra pox hominibus bonae
voluntatis"
To those who love a play for It's
simple dramatic qualities, to those who
love to approximate to the spirit gov
erning their brother man in a former
century. this quaint old story of the
uncertainties of life must appeal. It
is staged and costumed as closely as
possible after the manner Of the CEN
tury which brought 1t forth.