Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-04-28
They Lack the "Thirty Pieces

Speaking Of money, we have hat
some embarrassment over the thirt.
pieces of silver which Judas received
for betraying Christ. We used to have
the necessary silver, but during tn,
war we spent them for the poor
Learning that we lacked them w,
have had q number Of offers. On,
American visitor offered us thirty
American dollars, but there is a say.
ing now in Germany that you can buy
almost anything for $50, so they will
hardly do. However we will not lacl
for silver pieces; we have many
friends.
This Is the third time in my life
l am to take the part of Christ.
am forty-seven now and the longer
live the more deeply I feel it. Peo-
pie are constantly writing me about
it, and only recently l had a letter
from a father who told me he took
his wayward son to the Passion Play
twelve years ago and the youth was
so completely carried away by it that
it made man Of him. To hear such
things is a great satisfaction"
Lang's wife, who served as a
household domestic in England and
speaks quite good English, interjected
here:
II hope the Passion Play will be
bridge between the nations
These words. and the deep sincerity
with which they were spoken, are
quite characteristic of the atmosphere
in, this little village. Visitors dur
ing the Passion Play can hardly get
this to it's full extent. But I have
been living with them, though only
a few days and am impressed and
if it were not 80 interesting fear
I should be oppressed by the serious
mien of these mountaineer Even
their outward aspect is impressive
AS 800 Of the 1000 inhabitants take
part in the Passion Play they must
let their hair grow long, which gives
them in their ordinary life solemn
appearance. And in fact they are
solemn. 1t is as IL the whole village
had consecrated itself to the Passion
Play. Usually it is gay enough, am
told, bur this year even dancing is
taboo. Someone opened modest lit
tie moving picture house, where he
showed once a week, but there was a
very meagre attendance.
... An Ideal rvirsin Mary"
Martha Wet, the girl who will play
the Virgin Mary this year, is the most
serious young woman one could imag-
inc. 1 am sure she never swerves SO
far from the narrow path Of her duty
as to attend the movies. In fact she
rarely leaves the home OF her .father'
the woodcutter, who has never played
a more important role than a member
of the crowd. They could hardly have
picked a more demure and virgin-pure
character. II is a great honor in Ba-
varia to be named for this part, and
according to an old tradition the priest
who takes the village confessions has
the veto power on any candidate. Mar
tha has that virginia. forehead which
characterizes the best paintings Of the
Virgin Mary. She is only twenty-four,
and has never played before, but she
will make the proper impression by her
evident purity and character.
Martha was much embarrassed at
having to receive a strange foreigner
and talk about herself. She led me out
of her fathers shop, where l found her
and into her own room. The only place
for me to sit was on her little bed,
while she faced me nervously from
little stool. 1 don't know which OF the
two of US was the most embarrassed,
but she gradually relieved our mutual
restraint as she told me how she was
reared in the convent and had receiV-
ed the education necessary to be n
goyerness. She lived so hidden In her
fathers house that she could not be-
lieye il when she was told last Novem-
Der that the village council had elect
ed her to the role of Mary. She did
not suppose any one had noticed her
enough for that.
What are you going to do with the
money you will get?' l asked, my mind
still on the forbidden mercenary angle
'I don't know" she replied, rather
startled. There is not anything l
want"
YES, but the last Mary got 900
marks, which would be forty or fifty
thousand marks now."
She turned surprised eyes at me as
I mentioned the figure, but said moth
ing.
A Gay Little "Masdalene."
Paula Kendl, the Mary Magdalene,
is quite a gay little person. She is only
twenty-one. She comes from a family
which has produced many Passion
players. Her mother is a daughter OF
Josef Meyer, the most famous Christ
of the last century. Her father is the
wood carver who has played the part
of John the Baptist.
When asked her what she was 60
ing to do with the money she earned
she said she was going to travel. She
has spent all her life in the village and