The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1922-07-24

baggage
All was quiet. Here came por-
tiers, quietly. steadily but slowly.
They didn't talk much. They took
your baggage, they looked at your
house and room number and they
were off and you were quietly IN
their wake You yelled for por-
ter No use, they came when they
could Life was long and you
could wait At once the atmosphere
Of the place struck you.
Along the streets Of that little
town we went Quiet even with its
throng Of visitors for the Passion
Play the next day, Sunday. Shops,
regular ones and ones opened just
for this year, were lovely in wood
carvings, porcclains, china, potter
IS, pictures. bead bags, worries and
many other things. Mushroom
banks and exchange places, Cook $
men, carriages and busses.
Our home was to be with Anton
Lang, the Christ in 1900, 1910 and
this year. A potter's home. HIS
wife met US They have six chill
dren She manages most of the
business of reservations and tickets.
Speaking in English, she graciously
received US and was efficiency and
sweetness personified, all the time.
Our porter. participant IN the tab
lcaux, took up our baggage. His
face was fine and his long hair
beautiful
The mems wonderful faces
and beautiful hair and boards. All
is real IN the play. They begin as
boys. And these are lovely with
their straight and curly hair falling
over their shoulders, as they strive
for the day when they, too, will be
the Christs, the Johns, the Peters
and others
After supper the orchestra for
the next day paraded through the
town followed by the town folks
That was their fun.
A little Of the Passion Play his
tory before | tell you Of it, itself
You remember the old mystery plays
Of the latter middle ages and after
the renaissance and Reformation.
Perhaps, the legend goes, the village
Of Oherammcrgau had such. In any
case in 1888, because Of the great
Plague, the city fathers vowed to
give the Passion PLAY once every
ten years. After that vow not
another person died Of the disease
there and the next year the first
Play was given Often there were
great difficulties 10 overcome Bav-
aria forbid all other such plays IN
the kingdom and only by special
gift allowed the one at Oberammer-
gau TO continue. Wars and invas-
ions and oppositons and obstacles
were not lacking in the next one
hundred years yet they kept Many
years saw deficit IN the Plays
production 20 be met by taxation
The Great War came along with
its worse aftermath and II could
not be held in 1920. But this year,
despite great handicaps, the city
fathers felt they must be true to
their tradition. Never have they
gotten rich on their Play. IL is
quiet and modest village in which
the men are wood-carvers or ivory
carvers or potters or farmers. All
workers true 10 a vow and the faith
their fathers, living, as well as act
ing the parts they play every ten
years.
And this is what a part Of the
foreword to the text Of the Passion
Play. as printed by them this year,
says: "The Play should have taken
place in the year 1920, but il was
found 70 be impossible. First, the
political and economical situation
had 70 be clearer, then new per-
formers had TO be chosen and edu-
Gated TO take the places of those
sacrificed by the war. SiXty-sevcn
sons Of the village lost their lives.
Let us think of them with honor,
and with them, Of the heroes Of all
places aud nations, be they friends