The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-01

such furore throughout the country,
and which is to be presented III the Salt
Lake theater soon, we have Richard
Wagner's masterpiece. From reli-
each and every character, incident and
accessory is more or less sJmbolical
OF some Christian teaching, philosoph-
ical thought or problem of humanity.
In the holy temple, with its noble
knights, we are intended to see in its
grandeur and beauty that state of the
human mind and thought that is most
vino have reached that standard are
admitted within the walls Of the holy
temple. The holy grail is here intended
TO represent the actual grace of God
When uncovered, the grail sheds ite
lustrous gifts on all present. Without
this divine sustenance life within the
holy temple is unbearabe. Faith with
out works of charity does not find fav-
or in His presence.
In Titurel, the faithful guardian of
the holy grail, the author intended to
represent q perfect type of the spiritual
Utopia, the condition that was and that
is to be! AS long as the grace Of God
was received by the uncoveTing of the
holy grail. Titurel and all within the
sacred portals Of the holy temple lived
the life of faith, love and charity.
When Titurel gave the holy grail TO
the safekeeping Of his son, Amfortas,
who fell victim to temptation and
was in consequence unworthy 10 un
cover the grail, the old king Titurel
died, the knights lost their spiritual
power, and Amfortas was a constant
sufferer In body, mind and conscience.
Such was the result of sin and weak
ness when in the very presence of the
grace OF God merely waiting for the
asking,
In the suffering figure Of Amfortas
one sees a picture of poor sinful hu
manity, brought TO this condition
through its own weakness and neglect.
In the wound in the side of Amfortas.
which will not heal, is seen a symbol
ing committed deadly wrong, is
haunted always by reminder of
his sin. But even Amfortas. great as
his crime has been is finally redeemed
and brought back to tho fuvor and
grace of God in the holy temple through
penitence and his craving for saliva
tion.
Gurnemanz, the loyal servitor of the
holy temple and its knights, is seen
as one who suffers for the faults of
others, yet not losing faith in God, is
finally rewarded for his constancy and
loyalty.
In the character Of Klingsor is seer
the everprescnt type OF the temptet
and evil-do who. being unworthy of
degrade all who are more fortunate.
Khngsor is denied admission to the
holy temple, In revenge he tries by
every artifice and means to bring ruin
upon the heads of the knights of the
holy grail. His magic flower garden
and its beauteous maidens, by which
he tries TO accomplish his design, is
a. l,a
of the world that are inclined to blind
one IS eyes to the true path and so
render one less liable TO successfully
resist falling into the pit before him
In the character of kuudrv, witch and
enchaptress, is recognized at once fe-
male type of the Jekyll and Hyde or
der. The author intended TO portray
with this character the ordinary hu-
man love IN contrast to that higher
and spiritual love that we instructive
ly crave for. But more than this, how
ever, in the character OF Kundry,
is seen the dreadful depths that
polluted passion and desire, so often
mistaken for the enobling natural love,
can lead one TO- In this beings dual
nature, even at its worst stage, the
instructive craving for release from her
bondage OF sin and the desire TO do
good even when an outcast IS seen. In
her struggles 10 free herself from the
control Of Khngsor is seen poor,
fallen womanhood, trying TO resist
with all her power, yet weak and pow
erless in the grasp offs sin (Klingsor) she
is unable to continue the struggle
longer and falls farther still into the
vortex Of shame and degradation. Yet
ultimately is seen this being, fallen and
vile as she has become, restored to the
grace Of God through the all-powerful
influence Of the redeeming love.
1t is, however, in the beautiful char
acter Of Parsifal, the hero of the story,
wherein lies the chief charm OF the
drama and its teachings, Parsifal comes
upon the scene when everything is
chaos and disaster. The knights are
in despair and misery. Amfortas is be-
wailing his fate and prays for death
TO relieve him OF his wretched condi
ton and plight, Klingsor, with his ma
gic garden, is in the height of his
struction of all pertaining to the holy
temple and its afflicted knights, Moth.
ing seems possible to avert the threat
ened doom, and when everything seems
the blackest, Parsifal appears AS a spe-
cially ordained and divinely appointed
redeemer. Heaven has answered his
prayers. Providence has sent them a
deliverer Reared within the confines
of a lonely forest guarded and guided
by watchful mother, Parsital has en-
tered the lone world without a llnowl !
edge OF sim The development of his .
own inherited gifts is left to the ma
tural instincts of a nature that is guile
less and without a knowledge of wrong
Seeing all the sorrow and misery with
in the domain Of the holy grail, in
the simplicity and goodness of his ma
ture he prays for the power to allie
viate it all, Klingsor and his instru
ment, Kundry, seek in every possible !
way to encompass his downfall. Par.
sifal resists them to the utmost, but |
in doing so learns for the first time /
the horrible significance Of sin.
With the sign of the Cross made /.
with the sacred spear that he has re-
covered from Klingsor. the magic gar
dcns and its habitants that have caused I
so much of misery and sorrow. are made !
TO disappear from the face of the earth. !
and Parsifal. determined to make him
self worthy Of the glorious task of |
recruiting the knights from their i'm !
pending fate, goes out into the world /
with that sole object in view He is !