New-York tribune., 1919-05-04


woe! OH
MERCHANT (as if srakened from a
trance: Why your cries of "woe, woe?
You still fail to grasp the truth of my
words But saw the truth long ago. l
recognized my true, my only god, who has
carried me to my present heights. And
have reared q temple to him in my
house and will worship him to the best
of my understanding. And all of you,
who have been helped by me through
him and been raised aloft, will worship
him as / do, together with me, if you
do not wish to be forsaken by him and
me. (1'he organ commences TO play anew.
The merchant turns piously toscard the
hoty ark. Intense uRrest prevails IN the
croWd and the merchants Wife acrinss
her hands. The merchant places HIM
self betaueem the holy ark aud the board
that bears the holy scroll; the BOARD
has daring this time been lo,cered from
the shoulders Of the bearers to their
girdIes; he turns NoaO to the audience
and opens the sacred scrol) Here is
the symbol of my god the embodiment
of his divinity. Replaces the scroll
upom the board, remoues the coper of
the scroll, also the inner aorapping aud
atnrolls the scroll. He holds it oloft,
spread out, each handle above his head
The scroll turns out to be auhite roll
Of aUool) This, this is the god that
elevated me to my present state. This
is the god that from now on you will
have to worship together with me.
Through him are we all what we are
to-day! He has made US rich. He has
made us strong. He the good god, the
sweet god, the loving god! Him shall
we love; him shall we kiss; him shall
we embrace; him shall we worship with
pious dance. HE scorks himself into an
increasing ecstotic frenzy, drosoning
aoith his cries the mi9htiest fortissimo
Of the organ, aud at lost he breaks into
singing at the top of his voice, erecut-
ing at the same time various dance
gestures.) There is no god like our god.
There is no lord like our lord!
(The terror and unrest of the audience
nonD attoins to its highest pitch; here
and there cries are heard. until at last
the shouting becomes general. "He is
mad! He has gone insane" The daugh-
ter becomes hysterical; the Wife 4oaiIs,
aoringing her hands in despair; the
mother tears her HAIR; all haze left their
places and gathered into group of
frightened, shouting, gesticulating per-
sons; above oil the din resounds the
highest notes Of the organ; only the
men upon the altar, tho ushers and the
butler remain calmly in their places
during the commotion.)
SON (says something to one of thu
guests; the latter dashes out. The son
then turns to has mother, sister and
grandmother, soothing them with q
caressing hand; he is pale and upset
and does not remove his glance from hi.
fother.)
MERCHANT looks about once agai,
as IT acakened from q trance, and cries
out)-Silence! (The organ and the cro,ct
become suddenly still, thus bringing
ont in greater relief the hystericoJ weep
ing Of the daughter, the aoailing of tn.
acife and the mothers despairing groans
The merchant loWers the scroll of aOoo
slowly to the board and cries again.
Silence! What sort of words are these
How did you dare to speak thus? Why
this sudden outburst of shouting? Why
this weeping? Why this tearing O.
hair? Why this wringing of hands
Why this fright? Does a madman speal
as | have spoken to you? l merel.
wanted to open your eyes. Why do yo,
refuse to understand that 1 have dis
covered truth that you, too, mus