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Show FEAR PASSION PLAY MAY BE DEGRADED Great Rush of Tourists From United States Putting It on. Commercial Basis. Special Cable to Tho Tribune, OBERAMMERGAU, Germany, Aug. 20. With tills week's performances the Passion play season roaches Its climax, and this little Bavarian town Is swarming swarm-ing with tourists. Although tho performances per-formances continue until lato in September, Septem-ber, It Is already possible to cstlmato tho Importance Oberammcrgau Is assuming merely as an economic factor. The villagers themselves are at last studying the business side of tho question ques-tion seriously, as on this may depend not only their own future welfare, but the preservation of tho play itself from commercial exploitation. From an official source was obtained today figures showing how Important the commercial iispect has become. "Up to dato." said the Informant, "there have been thirty-four performances. perform-ances. The theater seats avcruged S4S00 and as a rule Is well filled- This means that more than 150,000 persons have Journeyed Jour-neyed hither to see the play, I should say that throe-fourths of the visitors aro Americans. Undoubtedly tho total number num-ber will exceed 200,000 before the season Is over. Euns Into Millions. "Estimating the average prlco paid for seats and lodgings alone as low as 45 marks ($11.25). tho amount spent here will aggregate 9,000,000 marks (52.250,000). to say nothing of souvenir sales, faros and Incidentals. "Oberammergau's problem Is how to retain control of tho business In its own hands. The village gets now the arbitrary ar-bitrary fixed sum of 31,000 marks (7750) for each performance. The keepers of hotels and pensions share In the receipts re-ceipts with the tourist agencies, with which thoy have made contracts. The villagers are not avaricious and luckily tho sincere nnd dignified character of the play has remained untouched by the money changers. If, howevor, 1920 witnesses wit-nesses another great Increase In tho attendance, at-tendance, something will hnvo to bo dono to rescue the play nnd tho town from the danger of commercialism." It Is expoctod that 2500 visitors from the United States will attend tho play tomorrow. |