The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-03-17

which with thousand threads con-
meets the one with the others. And
how really fine these moving masses
of people are, in their bright raiments
which in no way give the idea Of mere
costumes. In these figures so true
to life, we see best how wrong the
idea Of our modern painters is who
can only imagine Truth" clothed in
the everyday dress of our European
fashions When we witness the
Istrewing palms upon which the Son
of man treads, his slender form in the
traditional red and grey garments
standing out in all its chastity; when
we see the face with its expression Of
infinite gentleness and submission, we
realize that he is standing before us
in the flesh. The representative Of
this years Christus will bear most
favorable comparison with his prede-
lcessor, Mayn. The two can stand side
by side, just as well as the various
types OF Christ Of various artists.
What Anton Lang lacks of Mayr's
more dogmatically correct appearance.
Where he cannot command the depth
Of expression of his predecessor. he
has the indescribable dignity and ma
Ijesty, as also the infinite pathos Of the
whole figure. If Mayr was more the
powerful God, who in full knowledge
OF the same. with whom only the
human part OF his nature was, to a
certain extent, under his strong will
shaken in its depthsand whose agoni-
zing groans always made you recog-
nize the conflict between the God head
and man--so Anton Lang is entirely
the lamb Of God, who without COM
planning. without resisting, bears the
sins Of the world in dumb submission.
l believe that Flunger excepted there
| has been no such typical and truly
German embodiment of the ''Nazarene"
during the whole of the century as in
Anton Lang. When he is hanging on
the cross, 1t Is just as If the wonder
full picture of the Crucifixion by Over
beck in the Rosminiamim at Stresa
were before US.
But let us now continue to follow
the course OF the play. In the mean
time Christ has alighted from the ass
and has entered the precincts of the
temple. He sees the desecrated spot
which the traders have turned into a
market place. In holy anger he raises
his hands, overturns the tables of
those who sell doves, and also over
turns the cages containing the doves
and they fly away free. He brandish-
les the scourge over the heads of the
profaners of the temple. The Pharisees
become enraged, the traders conspire
together for revenge; the animal ma
ture in man now associates itself with
he 49,, f,,srr oF
|ly throngs All conspire together to
destroy him. The foundation is now
laid upon which the chief priest, the
scribes and the elders can erect their
pernicious fabric. In the next act be-
gins the conspiracy of the High Coun-
ell We may call this assembling Of
the High Council masterpiece of the
text of Weiss and Daisenberger so
powerfully do those assembled work
upon us. The eminent dialects of the
Chief High Priest the religious fanat-
icisms the priestly hierarchy in danger
of being overthrown, the passionate
ness of the Jewish character, which
is expressed in the words IAN eye for
an eye, tooth for tooth" All this
presents picture of grandest truth,
and mastery portrayal of character
The leave-taking at Bethany follows,
and the whole shadow of painful
events, as described in the gospel of
st. John, seems to cast itself over our
hearts, and we shudder at the thought
of how they will come to pass Here
for the first time the women appear;
Mary Magdalene annoints the feet of
the Lord and dries them with her long
hair Judas Is enraged at the waste
and we feel that avarice has already
seized his soul. Then we witness the
lsorrowful leavetaking of the Savior
and HIS disciples; we see the last
tleave-takin from the mother, whom
he thanks for all her loving care which
she has shown to him in the thirty
three years OF his life Gone of the
most beautiful and touching scenes)
There is nothing more impressive than
the sight of Him, appointed to die,
who in full knowledge of the same,
goes to meet his destiny. All Christ's
sorrowful preparations, in which he
Iexplains to his disciples the expe-
diency of his sufferings; the effective
iscene of the washing of feet; the sub
llimity of the last supper-all things
that carry the soul through a sea of
approaching sorrow on to the Mount
Iof Olives where the presentment be-
lcomes certainty--where the gloomy,
lapprehensive feeling OF eave-takfng
is converted into heart-rending lamen-
ltation The impression made upon us
/ by the Last Supper cannot be describ-
led The Washing of Feet and the
Last supper are placed before us in
so perfect manner that our souls
iseem, as ii were. brought nearer to the
source of all love. 1t is the. highest
manifestation of the divinity of art.
i Now comes the preparation for the
Mount of Olives. AS the beautiful
tableau, The Mamma in the Wilder
ness" and the Grapes brought by the
spies from Canaan introduce the
Last supper. so the suffering on the
Mount of olives, and the taking pris-
oner of Jesus are prefaced by two in
troductory pictures: Adam tilling the
soil in the sweat of his brow as a
precursor of the agony of Jesus on
the Mount of Olives, and the 'sAssassi-
nation of Amasa by Joab near the
rock of Gideon The music here is
exceptionally good and forms most
suitable perface to Judas treachery.
And then with Christ we stand at the