Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-12-26
PASSION PLAY ACTOR
TALKS OBOUT WAR
Man Who Takes the Part Of
Christ IN Play Is In Mourn
full Mood
By Carl w. Ackerman
United Bros stalf eorrespondentl

/ (Cnlted Press staff correspondent
( oherammergau, Bavaria, Dec. 25.-
/ tDelayed)-"This is not God 5 war; it
Is man s war. So long as there are ar
mics and so long as nations prepare,
there will be war;
! So spoke Anton Lang, "Christus -
in 0beranimergau s world famous Pas
sion Play, today--on the saddest yule-
tide the little Bavarian village has
ever known. Of her 1900 population,
Oberammergau has given $50 TO the
army, including Alfred Bierling, the
Saint John of The play, who is now an
] artilleryman in the German army.
Through the United Press, Lang de-
sired that greetings be sent to his
friends in America and that denial be
made that he had joined a machine
gun company.
81 have never been to the front, -
said this bearded man whose face most
nearly resembles the features of the
Savior. 81 am still alive. Please tel
my many American friends that for
me- -
And then Lang showed his visitors
book, with the names of thousands of
his friends signed therein. One sig
nature was that Of the king of Ru-
mania.
Fifty of our people have fallen, "
ut end? ] see no end. | see another
spring of fighting, bloodier than ever.
| And if neither side is defeated-then
more fighting, with millions being kill
cd and millions of others working so
\ other millions shall be killed, with
some of those millions becoming rich
in the war.
~ recall Christ s words-FWho
takes the sword shall perish by the
sword. That doesn t mean Europe
shall perish by the sword, but l inter
pret the phrase to. mean that he who
starts war shall perish.
| i" would be glad if there were no
/ militarism in any land. Shall person
always be used to destroy person2 Is
not there another method? Cannot all
tional agreements? Cannot America
take the first step?'
lang was told how some of Ruman-
ia S soldiers said they did not believe
in God anymore because God would
not permit such murder as this great
war has brought about.
] I4dHS TepIleu SLOWLY: 1eS, KNOW.
| receive similar letters from the front
But | reply, this is not God s war, it
| is man s war. Nowhere in the bible
are nations told to murder-on the
contrary, the bible says thou shalt
not kill, but | know how the feeling
| is growing among soldiers and | fear
| the war S bad effect on religion,
| sometimes l think the war is a
necessary evil The world seems to
learn by experience.
81 hope America is never threatened
| by such war. As long as there are
armies and as long as. nations prepare,
there will be war Until all unite and
agree to limit their armies and navies
to mere police forces, wars will con
tlnue. Fifty or sixty years after this
war ends there may be another
'That is the saddest thought today.
Why has England the largest navy?I
Why has Germany'sthe largest army ?
Because of world trade.
GLOW sad it is to see Christmas
and no end to war.
Lang was dressed in his red cross
uniform and had just returned when
interviewed, from a cemetery where
he had buried an officer. The face
of the famous Christus was placid-a
picture of paticnce--his words reveal
ed his own suffering.