The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1913-12-04


of a campaign prosecuted by
the Catholic missionaries to win converts from
the Protestants, who had preceded them in the
neld by several years, and at its initial presen-
tation all the roles were taken by French mis-
sionartes gathered from all parts Of the Society
group and brought to the Marquesas in trading
schooners chartered for the occasion The fol.
lowing year minor parts were given to natives
as rewards for becoming converts to Catholicism,
and before many seasons had gone by even the
leading parts came to be taken by the natives.
the missionaries contenting themselves with
such positions as stage manager, musical direc-
tor and the like.
The Passion Play is presented today in the
same place where the first performance was
staged sort of natural amphtheatre in the
native village Of Hiva-oa. The mission build
ings, low. rambling structures Of coral blocks and
galvanized iron, flank two sides of pentagonal
enclosure. The other sides shut in by close
set rows Of banyans Of such size that their roots
and downreaching branches mingle to form al
most solid wooden terraces upon which hun
| crowding.
The stage is hard packed piece of ground
! sloping gently down to a crystal clear stream
| which meanders past. sparkling in the sunbeams
like a row Of footghts, the position Of which it
approximately occupies Behind the stage is a
creeper covered wall Of rock, with a face so
sheer that the direction exit rear" must neces-
| sartly be eliminated from all performances. To
the left is down Ta-roo-a, the name OF the little
stream. and to the right is up Ta-roola. Actors
waiting in either wing are screened from the
sight OF the audience by the ends Of the rows
| Of banyans
| The music is furnished by slightly wheezy
| organ, clarinet and a lot of hollow tree tom
toms, and to the stirring strains Of the Mar
seillaise" played by this orchestra the curtain
is rung up upon the tabeau of Christ and the
Children" OF course there is no curtain and
no ringing up Christ simply srolls in from up
Ta-roola, and the children troop in from down
Ta-roola, and they meet in the middle of the
stage.
There stage settings and little is done
In the way Of makeups. The children are sim.
ply children and Christ is smpy-well for the
last fifteen years he has been Lurau Lurau is
the greatest pearl diver and shark fisher in all
the Marquesas. There is little in his disposition
of the stage to fit him for his role. He owes
the honor that has come to him to his heard II
Is the only one borne by a native in the Mar.
quesas.
With his hair and beard neatly oiled and
eomoed and dressed in trailing white robe Of
snowy muslin Lurau makes a far more accountable
Christus than one sees in manv n, the south
American presentations of the play The only
especiaiiy Earring note In his makeup is a halo
which Is apparently from niece Of shinv
biscuit tin. During the week Of the play both
on ana on the stage. Lurau is quiet dignihed and
} paragon in every particular: afterward he ia
Just ike all the rest of his brothers and sisters
Inc second scene is the Redemption of the
Masaaiena' Ihe latter. wearing a bright red
noiokau or wrapper comes strolling in from
tne upstream side and discovers Christ resting
b OIL niche of the rock which forms the hack
wall ner repentance and forgiveness follow,
+ atter which Lurau presents her with a pure
"n"e ho'okau' She receives blessing, trips
on down stream, changes holokaus behind the
,runk OF oreadfruit tree, and the curtain" fol-
l. lows her disappearance upstream IN her trailing
l. robe Of white
for the supper scene no endeavor is made, to
. reproduce tabeau Patterned on the famous
painting OF Leonardo da vinci A bountiful re.
psss psss o. oreaolruit pantans prawns. yams and
ieaves and everybody sits down crosslegged and
spoken
supper over, the remnants are gathered up
follows the washing of the feet Of tho pi.ciples,