Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-25

Already thousands Of American tourists
are on their way to Bavaria thar they may
Join with the 1000 peasants Of the little VII
lage Of Oberammergau in witnessing the
first presentation Of the Passion Play for
1910, The first performance will be given
on May l6, and Il will be seen by the larg-
est crowd ever gathered for that purpose
The last series OF presentations was In the
summer Of 1900 and the crowds then taxed
the resources not only OF Oberammergau.
but OF all the neighboring country. This
year the travel will be much heavier Prob
ably three-fourths Of the people who Jour
ney to Oberammergau will be Americans
The Passion Play Of Oherammergau Is
the most remarkable Of all the religious
dramas. Its performance dates back TO 1879
since which time IL has been given regu-
larly every ten years. The performances
were originally given every tenth summer
on Sundays only, but In 1900 the crowds
which flocked to the village were so great
that Il was impossible FOR all 10 see the
performances as given only once a week
and 1t was found necessary to repeat them
on week days. Whether the peasants will
be able to give performances a. often as
might be desired IS a mooted question. for
the play, beginning at o'clock in the
morning and continuing until nearly 6 in
the evening with an hours interrnission at
| noon. is a great physical strain upon the
participants
The origin Of the Oberammergau Passion
Play, according to the story handed down
from father to son among the peasants
grew out Of a great deliverance Of the viii
layers from a plague in 1888. A pestllencc
prevailed in the Bavarian Alps and one of
the peasants working in an infected district
| came to Oberammergau to visit his family
He siclSened and died, after which the
soourge spread rapidly. Among the stricken
families was that Of a peasant whose hut
nestled beneath the shadow Of the Kopfel-
Spite. The mother and all the children
were borne to the churchyaTd, and on the
night Of his final bereavement the father
and husband, kneling in darkness and de-
spair. prayed that he, too. might be taken.
Immediately there appeared to him in a
vision the face Of the Saviour. In a few
moments he saw the outline Of the cross
and then, in a gentle voice, Christ seemed
TO say to tho humble supplant: Ny son.
are you weary7 Are you avy-hearted? ?
Do you weep? Remember my agony; I
have endured more than thou" Immedi-
house to the church, where he found all in
darkness. No lights burned on the altar.
Only the faint red fire that never goes out
fllckered overhead. The peasant seized the
bell rope and began to ring. Soon all the
villagers came trooping to the church,
When they had gathered about the bell
ringer he related the story Of his vision and
urged them TO make vow that they would
enact the Passion OF the Redeemer every
ten years. Tradition relates that from that
hour the pestnence was stayed.
From that day until this the Passion
Play has been the chief thought in this
minds of the villagers. OF course. they dc
mot spend the intervening nine years doing
nothing Most Of them are wood carvers
and potters, and they find a ready market
for their wares among the hundreds and
thousands OF visitors who flock TO the towr
even in years when the Passion Play is not
being enacted. Anton Lang, the peasant
who played the Christus in 1900 and who Is
appearing in the same role this year, is him
self a wood carver and other members OF
his family are skilled with knife and a
the potters wheel. Naturally his work i!
In great demand, as every visitor wishes tC
take away as a souvenir something mad
by the chief figure in this great symbolic
drama.
For three years the peasants Of Ober
smmergau have been preparing for thi
summers work. They look upon the PLAY
as a religious rite and none is allowed {,
take part whose life has not been withou
reproach. The three years preceding tn,
performance are looked upon as a period
Of consecration. The play consists of
number OF tableaux, explained and intro
duced by a chorus Of eighteen, eight mel
and ten women. These tableaux preced
each Of The eighteen acts into which tn
play is divided and each tabeau IS
scene from the Old Testament, bearinJ
upon the events Of the New. For example
the first tablsau shows Adam and Ev
in the Garden OF Eden, with the serpen
twinsd about the tree Of life Before Chris
! is hailed before the sanhedrin the tablea,
Of Joseph's brothers selling him to tn
Egyptians is shown.
The selection OF the peasants 10 enact tn
! various roles Is made on December C. tn
celebration OF the feast OF St Nicholas
No, higher honor does life hold for thes
peasants than TO be chosen TO enact tn
role Of the Christus or the Virgin Mary
The role OF Judas. which offers the fines
acting opportunities in tho whole play,
always a source Of the deepest grief L
the person chosen for the part II is al
ways accepted, however. with the spiri
that the actor will endeavor 20 make tn
: scene Of remorse 50 poignant that il vii
: be a never to- be- forgotten object lesson Z
! all who see it.
The profits of the play are divided int