Norwich bulletin., 1917-12-21
THE HOLY NIGHT DRAMA.

and Go. B. New Hampshire stgnal
 corps.
 THE HOLY NIGHT DRAMA.
 Pantomine of the Nativity to Be Givsh
 in Pomfret For the Fifth Time.
 The fifth annual celebration of the Pantoruine of the Nativity, c Christ mas Miracle play, will be given in Pomfret,- on the evening Of Sunday, December 2Srd- A cordial invitation is extended by the com nunity to one
 and all to see this beautiful pageant
 and join in the yearly festival As these scenes have been portrayed
 by painters and poet of all the cen turieS since the beginning of the
 christian era, from the masterpieces of the worlds great artists down to the various pictures are sentiment Of the seasonal card of greeting, 90 once a year in Pomfret. they are enacted
 in living scenes, with a spirit of grave solemnity.
 After a community singing of carols, the Gospel of the Nativity is read:
 The Annunciatlon: St Luke, 1. 2S- 36.
 The Birth in the Maneer: St. Luke it. f-20-
 The Visit of the Wise Men: St The musical theme of the Miracle play is the ancient melody,
 silent nL, E1OIy NlSnIs
 All is still save the light
 Wonder where they sweet Virgil keep
 Der the Child, who in holy sleep Rests in heavenly peace,
 Rests in heavenly peace ! As the last note dies away. the cur tain rises, showing Mary, nleeksst and love1iest woman in all history She is shadows at the back, comes a heroic figIIre-the' angel of the Lord. As the message which he brings penetrates to the heart of Mary, she falls upon her
 breast. On her thus. the curtain falls.
 l. rises on a world of darkness,
 one by one. in couples. finally in They stretch themselves upon the
 ground in various attitudes of rest after weariness. One lights a fire. They all draw near. They warm them
 selves. Some of them sleep; others watch. A strange prescience of
 something unusual makes itself felt To all it finally penctrates. In the ! distance, at the back. there is i light. It Elows and brightens, draws nearer The darkness in flooded | To! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord
 shone round about them, and they
 Suddenly. sweeps in the angallic choir, with trumphets and harp, while
 the glad tfdinss pours forth over the | world
 'tGlory TO God in the highest, and on 1 earth, peace, good will to men!" As the throng draws near. the as 1 founded shepherds fali hack Some l drop upon their knees, stunned and afraid: others hide their faces from | the blinding radience, while others, l still. opening their hearts to the bless l ed tidings start eagerly after the an l gels as they withdraw.
 1 The light The EaTTfaFTdg l alone shine up into the faces of the
 shepherds as they confer togetheR
 Ut came to pass. as the angels were gone away from them unto heay- 1 en, the shepherds said, one to anoth- l CT, tAet us now go even Tmto Beth 1 lehem, and see this thing which 4s come to pass, which the Lord hath
 made known unto us
 i As they go out, mastering 4fbsF GI1is l angelic host, the curtain falls to rise 1 again on The Manager at BeEh4ehsm- 1 The stable is bare and dark cave for the radiance from the 1na1g@s 1 which iIfuIn1nateS the face of Mary, ] the oN1ther, as she bends above 4t 1u adoration, and penetrates the sl14d- down on the Light that 1s to nghasn 1 the world through the ages to come. Joseph, Mary, and the Babel Oyer 1 them the bare, chill shelter about Ghesn
 none but the beasts The picture 2s | profoundly significant. For nineteen I hundred years it has cast it's gPsu l over Christendom.
 1 The shepherds steal 8n ab4shsd. 1 They fall or their knees in adoraEton. ! They finger and worship, and dGPGFt 1 Now come the MagHKings of Ehe Orient, rich in possession as in wis
 dom they journey hither. followed by a magnificent train of attendants, seeking a. King in his majesty A superb pageant of the VFoE3dI7s TIlzlsaE i and power, they enter the stable where ' I housed, to bend the knee and Icy l their priceless gifts before a stray i filled manager In the light from that i manager, their treasure fades. their ] Mary, a humble virgin from the 1 ranks of the people, sees nothing but II the Child. Joseph needs them not. 1 The humble shepherds uplfftsd by the Ii on, give little heed, Even tue beasts in the stalls are unwilling of their
 The Son of God. who had not where to lay his head. is sdn the King of Kings. and Lord of Lords. the glory Ii and pomp Of the world: there the un questionable light of divine love, shin Hing in darkness. H The shepherds pass The kings H pass. Joseph and Mary and the Ra- II diance that nils the mangsr are alone in the dark place Wesriness 3anE \ and darkness and silence and peace ESteal over the WOTtQs O4lC8 SlzesAll Efrcm out the far distance hidden from
 mortal eyes, appears the Angel of the Lord
 la'.A I'd when they were departed, be
 hold the Angel of the Lord appearett to Joseph Tn a dreaxn. saving, Arise and take the young child and his
 mother. and flee into Egypt MtddIefeId-rhe Levi D. coe pubic
 library is going to close on WedHss- day Afternoon to save fual. It VI