The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-24
MARY MACDALENE OF PASSION
 PLAY, TELLS EXPERIENCES
Contemporary Club Hears Miss Marie Mayer, First Oberrammergau Character to Come to This Country Members of Contemporary Organization Entertain ed By MT and Mrs. c. S. Garfield.

Something of the peace that is Ober- ammergau's, something of it's sincerity and something of the simple, poetic life of it's peasant-y, was reflected III the lecture given last evening before the Contemporary club by Miss Marie Mayer, the Mary Magdalene( of the i 1910 Passion play at the little noun tain set Bavarian town.
 i Miss Mayer is the first Passion play performer to come to America. Dur ing her lecture on "The Message of Oberamme mergau, ,'22she held her audi ence's attention every moment, by her charm, and by the beautiful and po- eticaI English, tinged with a, slight German accent, in which she talked to them. Miss Mayer IS a cultured young woman and a deep student who is able to hold an audience better than most women.
 Attorney and Mrs. Charles stuart Garfield entertained the club at thelr , home; 798 Park avenue, extending de- lightful hospitality to the gathering which was the largest that the liter ary organization has held this season.
 Jonathan s. Godfrey in well word ed speech about Oiberammergau, in troduced Miss Mayer.
 The young speaker was filled with the sincerity of her purpose to bring the real message of Oberamnergau, what it means to the Obermmergauers themselves. She believes that "after these sad times are over, Oberammer- gau will take a special part in re- uniting the world in the love of Jesus Christi
 For nine years,'' said Miss Mayer, ''my little mountain home, with its 1,7o0 inhabitants, sings it's own songs, and dreams it's own dreams in the little valley at the foot of the Bavarian hills. You will realize that there are the simple homes of simple people, fa like. But the workman, when his days toll is done, never forSets to lift up ehis heart to the Koval cross, the great cross, the symbol of Oberam- mergau, situated on Koval mountain, one of the higher hills about the tOwn.F
 Then comes the great day in Oc tober> when the election is made by ballot, then the great rejoicing of those who are chosen and the months of preparation for the great eYentS'
 The natives, Miss Mayer says, grow from childhood with the one arnbb- tiotl to play a certain part in the great pageant. It is their greatest hope in life to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors and portray the characters that they have inapersonated. Just what it means to them, she said, can never be realized by, any one outside the town. In her own case, the re- joicing when she was chosen was par ticular1y great as 30 years before, her mother had aspdred to be the Mary Magdalene, but had not been given the part, and thus had had her lire ambition crush ed.
 A man may play a certain part sev- eral decades but a woman can take part only once in the great pageant.
 Our method. of preparation is very simple,'' continued Miss Mayer, leach interprets the part as he feels it, and he is not taught how to sit or stand or such theatrical directions. There are, however, several months of in- side preparation. in fact, there is