Show PASSION PLAY mrs stanley lectures before the students mra 0 H stanley one of the leading educators of michigan who is visiting her son prof stanley of the B Y A gays a last everns before tha society of this city on the subject the passion play the passion play is a dramatic presentation sen tation ci the last scenes of the life of christ thi play it is the fashion to produce in ober Am mereau germany once in every ten years the play begins with the elterine ent erine 0 christ in jerusalem and ends with the ascension in the year 1663 a famine broke out in ober Ammer yau killing over one hundred parsons afao people gathered and prayed to god to deliver them from the plague and promised to perform the passion play in remembrance of his son jesus christ every ten years the pestilence was stayed and ever since the play has been produced the performance has a worldwide reputation people of all nations ga there to bee it every time the year comes round for its production trains of carriages may be been winding win dinc over the high mountains and down into tha beautiful balley where the city lies along the roads are placed at intervals sacred images indeed which ever way one may turn 3 are found in abundance pictures are painted on the froah of all the houses pumps attached to distant cistern are mec with in every borcer and at this time crowds of tourists lounge about in all the streets tho pay is given in a large roofless hea and if perchance it happens to rain the people are drenched if the sun shines birds twitter for adear life and sail around oyer the haade of the audience the play lasts all day when the curtain rises twenty four pincers all in a row advance upon the stage and the play begins the costumes of tho players are rich and varied in color after a song by the choir it steps back and in the background is revealed a tableau biye hundred children with their mothers st andine grouped on the immense stage with their ayea upturned to heavens form one ol 01 the moat effective scenes thus me all the scenes of the latter part of the life of christ lived over for nin hours the peasants of this little city on the aloar river hold the audience i pall bound the lass acene ie of c urae the ascension tas cross with christ nailed thereon and all the incidents ol 01 that greatest ol 01 all esin ithe worlds history are brought to life the number of players is over beven hundred all the gaoat talented inhabitants ol 01 tho city elected to fill their different by the people are the leading charac era but all others have drill during the decade that the performance in order that the best talent may ba known and when the time come the people know exactly who should be elected to take cartr 3 the play ia put on not only once but several alms the characters become quite apt in playing play inc their parts some of the leading ones have become bem fem and held the earns part through many tace spirit that animates the players making them very devout and covering all with a religions sol la remarkable and enables them to act their parts so real that net a fault can be found indeed they doubtless feel the ersnes to be realities at least ther show their gratitude and bood will toward god B |