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Show B Ccfjrlght igo-f h 7- C. Strains. "'' 7 Jthnitn. Ctfjrlght bj Undtrxottd tfn vof, . r. H POPE PIUS X MANAGER MARTIN BECK HIGH-GLASS FAKER, ELBERT HUBBARD H East -AVLjroxet On The Beets: Circuit I . rT H No Necessity to Leave Home To See The Passion Play Martin Has Pope's B Permission Probably a "Philistine" With Every Ticket. : H When the time again arrives for the peasantry B of Oborammergau to produce the Passion Play, it H is just possible that there will not be so many B reservations from America, and all because Amer- H ica's foremost vaudeville manager, nd the pro- H pagater of white hyacinths (done in goat's ears H every little while at East Aurora) have arranged H according to the latter to import these famous B Thespians, so the people may know what they H have missed, and incidentally pay a visit, their fl respects and their loose change to the soft soap m salesman of East Aurora. 1 Apparently there is little question about their B coming, even if as yet there is little more than 1 the word of Fra Elbertus to rely on, and so an in- crease of travel from all over the country may be expected a year hence. If it is true that the Passion players will come, another wreath must be added to managerial laurels already secured by the acquisitive Beck, and if he has really arranged for the production of the famous spectacle in America he is entitled to great credit, even if the patron of palaver in Aurora seems to be associated with him in the enterprise. Regarding the possibility of the production being be-ing seen in this country, Hubbard says: "You see, the theatrical men of America have been trying to get the Passion Play artists to come to this country for years. They are a religious re-ligious people and their art is a sort of creed. They spurned all offers of money because it seemed a sacrillge to present this wonderful play for money,, and particularly in a theatre. We j have overcome all obstacles. We learned that these simple peasants wanted to build a beautiful church in Oberammergau. We showed them a way to do it. Mr. Beck went straight to the Pope at Rome and laid our plan before him. We guarantee them ?25,000 to come and they are to have all the sur- J plus over that amount and their expenses. This is not a money making matter. We give them all. When the plan had been laid before the Pope he offered no objection if they took this method , of raising the necessary money to build their ' church." |