The Ocala evening star., 1911-03-10
A WORLD-FAMOUS EVENT
Impressi0ns of an OeaIan on Viewing
the Passion Play at Ober-
0mmerxau
(Mrs. Clarence Camp

Does the Oberammergau Passion
Play aim at becoming a secular thea
ter and Gas it is 50 generally assum-
ed) look to money making. No. this
is certainly not the case. II IS faith
which once brought the crowds hither.
which still attracts and draws them
on and which will also continue to do
so.
AS regards the inha bitants of Obera-
mmergau themselves. their sole inten-
tion is TO edify and to fulfill the VOW
of their ancestors. AS early as the
thirteenth century some drama of the
life of Christ was here performed. but
il became an established institution of
the place two hundred and fifty years
ago. At that time a plague was rag
ing in Bavaria. In Oberammergau
alone nearly one hundred people had
perished. Accordingly the terrified
survivors made a vow that if their
town were spared all further ravages
of the disease they would thereafter,
every ten years, portray in a dramatic
form, for the instruction of mankind
the story of Christ's life and suffer
| ings. Apparently their vow was
heard, for the plague at once abated,
and ever since the villagers of Ober-
Iammergau have felt it to be both a
duty and a privilege to carry out the
! promise of their ancestors, bequeath-
| ing it from generation to generation
as a sacred obligation. l will now en-
deavor to give a description of the
/! impressions on that great day.
| We are awakened by the report of
the signal gun. We follow the stream
of devout people to the church, where
early mass is celebrated. We see the
church filled with crowds of Worship
pers and most of the passion actors
are there TO fortify themselves for the
great work with a prayer. But renew
! ed reports warn us that the play is
about to commence. and we must make
haste if we are to get there in time
| The play commences exactly at eight
O'Clock and at twelve we retire fol
our lunch and rest until two; then we
are back on time in our places, ready
and anxious to see and hear the re-
mainder of the play, which is finished
at six. Eight hours thousands of peo-
pie are held SPELL -bound-never
inoise from any one except an occaS.
liona1 sob.
a curious sensation comes over Us
as we approach the huge hall with it,
large vaulted roof. \ devout stillnes:
surrounds us; infinite awe seiZes us a
the sight of the venerable stage
which, with but few minor alterations
has remained practically the same
through these centuries. a place O.
such sacred art is holy ground. TIL.
very ground upon which this stage
islands seems hallowed. The sight o
it awakens in us sensations that W.
cannot explain. 1t is as if the time:
lof days long gone by had once NOR,
Ereturned. And away over the gable
of the theater we see the peaks of tn,
mountains. and the sunshine of glor
ious summer morning floods the by
ways of Jerusalem.
The music begins. muffled and har
monious from the half hidden orches
ira. From the columned halls Oh
either side of the stage the chorus
lslowly and solemnly comes forth. II
Iantique white robes with colored man
ties. it strides in two procession
Iacross the proscenium, taking up it
position in one long row. The chor
iagus then commences his recitation
Just as we burst into tears Whel
sympathizingly and unexpected,
ispoken to of an old and long hiddel
Isorrow. so upon the address uttered b,
the choragus, the whole misery of tn
curse upon mankind seems to com
over US and we shed uncontrollabl
tears of remorse. The first tableau i
shown: the expulsion of Adam an
Eve from Paradise. Adam and Eve
!, dressed in skins, driven out o
Paradise. Adam hides his face witt
his hands, but Eve on the other ham
casts a longing look back to the los
| Paradise, and, with her sorrowin:
. mankind looks back once more upo
\ the lost Paradise of religious peac
| and child-like innocence. The choru
accompanies this tableau with mos
touching and appropriate music. An
now the prologue begins. He recite
the fine Introductory verses in tn
same antique metre in which Daisen
berger has written the introductio
for the chorus. and the text with it
iambics then begins.
In sublime beauty. harmony to tn
ear as a message of consolation afte
the divine punishment, the words c
Anton Leschner resound. Behind tn
scene are now heard the loud erie
of Hosanna, and mngIing with tn
song of the chorus are heard tn
voices of the jubilant crowd. bringin
| Hosannas to their Lord and Savio
i The spectator is strongly impressed
4 he hardly expected to find these mass
/ es of people possessing such goo
taste in the color and arrangement {
1 the costumes. together with their flo
i of pulsatfng life in every movemer