The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-09-29

Il "A possible to think Of it as
town, in spite of it's l $50 in
habitants 1t seems to be built any
how. The houses are white. with
deep-browed red roofs. Many of them
are gaily painted, not only as to their
woodwork and with quaint devices
around the windows and doors, but
with pictures, sacred and profane,
and one Of them has the whole of its
wall space decorated in this way with
frescoes done a hundred years ago by
a great master in the art. The tor
tuous streets are full Of little shops
and some big ones, in most of which
carvings are displayed for sale, and
in this festival year there are tenn
porary booths besides, for the sale
of post cards or other things that the
modern traveller has need of. The
rocky mountains, clothed with dark
pines and still in part snow-Covered
rise on either side, and on the sum
nit Of the highest peak is an enor-
nous wooden cross so far above you
that it looks as If 1t were made of
matchwood
AS you walk about the streets and
the country roads almost every one
you meet halls you with a "Gruss
Gott," and the men and boys raise
their green, feather hats. They are
the most courteous and gentleman
nered people l have ever met. and l
think the most truly religious. You
soon get used to the long hair OF the
men. even when you see it on the
road sweepers. The true Ober-Am-
mergauer never cuts his hair
Players In Daily Life.
II IS worth while staying in ODER
Ammergau for a day or two before
or after a performance. II only to see
the players going about their daily
work. You recognize a girl who
serves you in a shop-a smiling Ger
man Fraulein with her fair hair neat
ly plaited-as one of the sweet sing
ers in the choir of Guardian Angels"
when she wore a robe of gold and
purple over her white. girdled gar
ment. and her hair fell from beneath
her crown to below her waist An
urchin padding in the mud outside
the schoolhouse stood with arms out
stretched for full two minutes in one
Of the tableaux and never stirred.
At the blacksmith's forge a man with
a noble, classical face and gray hair
and beard is shoeing a horse. Yes
terdGy he was for the third time lead
er of the chorus, a kingly figure in
gold crown and scarlet robe with
a fine voice and splendid dignity
Of bearing. Everywhere you meet
familiar faces. for during the long
hours of the performance they have
stamped themselves in your memory.
was taken to the house of Johann
Twink and we were shown into a
brightly-painted room with an old
porcelain stove in the corner A
sweet-faced young girl talked with
US for little and then said she
would go and fetch her father. She
was Ottilie Twink, who takes the
part of Mary. the Mother of Jesus.
She is not yet twenty. but she is
already spoken of as one of the best
representatives of her difficult part
that the play has ever had. She is
the Mater Dolorosa her voice full Of
piercing sorrow and her eyes of tears
Presently her father came in. a
sray-haired man with a kindly some
what pathetic face He is a house
painter and he apologies for the
state of his working clothes. He has
gone through many troubles. and only
recently lost his eldest son, who had
been a hopeless invalid for ten years.
He had been Isaac in the tableaux
of 1900, and it Is said that he con-
tracted the rheumatic fever from
which he died by sleeping on damp
hay. when all the Beds in his fathers
house were given up to the visitors.
A Wonderful Performance.
As a young man, Johann Twink
twice played the part Of the Apostle