Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-05-17
Four thousand See Famous
Passion Play.

witnessed the opening performance
of the famous passion play today
Among them were several hundred
Americans. One party Of over a hun
dred came with the Aegis Clarks
Tourist agency. Another large delega-
tion was composed of American sol.
diers from Coblenz, all anxious to
take advantage of the earliest oppor-
tunity to see the play on account OF
belonging to units that have been or
,deredh home next week.
An endless procession of motor
buses and private cars have COM
menced congesting the village main
street yesterday and by 8 o'clock this
morning every avenue leading to the
festive theatre was filled with the
surging crowd of expecant visitors.
Those who came day or two early
found the village still in the throes
of feverish last minute preparations
but the carpenters and others have
now finished their work s'nd every
thing is spick and span and in shape
for the reception of the guests.
AS there is no evident disposition
on the part Of the villagers to extort
exorbitant prices from the guests, the
! success of the festival will depend
upon their determination to continue
to suppress such tendencies mad hold
up the moral lesson taught in one of
the scenes of the Passion Play where
Anton Lang, taking the role of Chris
tus, drives the money changers from
the temple.
Chief interest now centers ON the
corner where Lang, who has taken
the part of Christus in previous fes-
tivals, has on display many articles
of pottery that he has made. His pho
tographs are bought eagerly by the
Unsuitable souvenir hunters.
In addition to the roles of Christus
and a skilled potter, his third role is
that of the husband of one Of the
busiest housewives in all oberammer-
gau, who gives food and shelter to
more persons than anyone else in
the village.
An interesting member of the fam
lily group is the donkey which carries
Christ into Jerusalem and during the
remaining time fulflls it's vocation
as a beast of burden by drawing
luggage cart.
Anton Lang is assuredly one OF the
greatest assets Oberammergau pos
sesses and the festival committee
would have made an irretrievable
mistake had they not elected him to
impersonate the important role this
season despite the fact that his popu-
larity and materia successes have
been resented by certain element
in the village
Lang is now At years old, of rather
frail physique and does not indicate
that he has a tremendous reserve
strength that is necessary to. enact
the exhausting role where he will be
obliged to carry the heavy cross for
Is minutes and hang suspended upon
it for twenty minutes.
He is in imminent danger of heart
failure each time and one false move
ment during the impressive descent
from the cross may cause the blood
to rush too suddenly to his head and
cost the actor his life.
When witnessed the second time
within week the performance gains
impressiveness and gives one an in
creased respect for these simple
mountaineers who are perpetuating
the religious vow made by their an
cestors three centuries ago.
Some of the stage picures are so
astoundingly rich in design and color
ing that they would do credit to any
metropolitan stage. But in ,he last
analysis the unique characteristics OF
the Oberammergau Passion Play lies
in certain crudities; it is an art which
could not be successfully transplant
ed to any other soil so long as the vii
layers retain their attitude of rever-
erce and simplicity. toward their
great "Christus Drama"
It is possible that Martha Wet, the
new Mary, will grow into the part but
so far she is not possessed of the
qualities of personality of her dis
tinguished predecessor. The two out