Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1910-12-26
THE PASSION PLAY
Rev. Glenn Finn Charms Large Audi
ence with Description of Play as
He Saw It at Oberammereau.

Glenn Finn, pastor of the First Meth
odist church, gave a description al
the evening service yesterday of the
great Passion Play" as he saw it last
summer at Oberammergau. The de-
scription was given in a converse.
tional tone, except at intervals when
the speaker would be deeply affected
by some touching incident in the
great narrative, when his voice would
ring out in burning and touching
words, making application of the point
to our common, everyday lives.
The objective point of DR.. Films
visit abroad was the great congress
of religion held in Edinburgh, Scot
land, in which all the religions of the
civilized world were represented. The
members of the party who went over
together met at Montreal and the
journey proper began there with the
famous trip down the St. Lawrence to
the gulf of the same name and thence
out into the open sea. His description
| of the scenery, the rapids, etc, was
very beautiful, particularly of the ice
bergs, the floating palaces" of snow
and ice, encountered in the North
Atlantic near Labrador
The trip over was without special
interest and after the religious confer.
ence at Edinburgh, the journey was
resumed, the party landing at Liver
pool and going by rail from there to
London. He described the cars as
small, dinky affairs, and each individ-
ual or party was given a separate CON-
partment and they were locked in I'M
til the end Of the journey was reached.
They visited a number of points, final
ly leaving Heidelberg by steamer on
the famous trip up the Rhine. This is
a world-famous trip on account of the
scenery, the many castles and great
estates that line the stream. and also
the many points of great historic in
terest that come within the range of
the travellers observation.
Arriving at Munich, short trip by |
rail brought the party to Oberam- |
mergau, nesting in the Bavarian Alps. |
The village itself is quaint and beauti- |
full, and is located in as picturesque
place as there is in all the world. The |
speaker told how long it had been the |
custom for these simple villagers to
reproduce the Passion Play once in
every ten years and the reason for its |
reproduction. Since the twelfth CEN
fury there had been a kind Of repro
duction, but for hundreds of years it !
was obscured and confused with mys- I
teal and unreal scenes and situations
which kept it from taking deep hold
upon the people.
In the sixteenth century a native
priest revised the play, cutting out
everything except a simple narrative
and reproduction of the events of Pas.
sion Week. Since then it has grown
in interest and power with each pass.
ing decade.
The reason for the perpetuation Of
the play was that once a direful
scourge swept the villages of the
country, almost depopuladng them.
Oberammergau was more isolated
than the others and escaped for a
time. a man, however, who was away
working in another village that was
infected eluded the vigilance of the
guards and returned to his home. He
was soon stricken and died. The mem.
oers Of his family followed quickly
and then others until eighty had died.
A meeting was called at the church
and the people prayed and covenanted
with God that if He would free them
rom the plague they would perpetuate
his memorial to the Savior by repro
iucing every ten years the events of
ne week OF the Christ's passion. The
village was spared, the sick recovered,
md the covenant of the people has
lever been broken.
Those who take part in the play are
'arefully selected by a committee
famed by the officials and the priests.
nd some seven hundred are required
or the cast. Months are spent in re-
earsal.
The play opens with the triumphal
ntry of Jesus into Jerusalem when
he people cast their garments before
i'm and, waving palm branches, cried
Hosaha, Hosana in the highest" etc.