Salt Lake Telegram | 1924-01-27 | Page 5 | Middle Road Way to Happiness, Says Oberammergau "Christ"

MIDDLE ROAD WAY TO HAPPINESS SAYS OBERAMMERGAU CHRIST S b f 1 1 S i I I Ir I II j r I I Ir S r I I I 1 I I T 4 I tt S II I I- I IV V I II I t ANTON LANG THE CHRI OF OBERAMMERGAU By ROY J. J GIBBONS N S NEA Service Writer CLEVELAND D 0 O. Jan 26 To To the the middle the of road adhere that grea real I-real f blessings e 3 and happiness may come come comeBy to you jou By Anton Lang Christus of the I Oberammergau Passion pa players placers ers troupe now touring the United States is this message to the American pee pee- eo- eo S Severely dressed and gaunt and with eyes that tha t in deeply recessed recessed I pockets seemed to burn bum urn behind a thick j entanglement pf of hair hall and bard this simple Bavarian peasant spoke these I words to me Not as preachment nor th the stirrings stir stir- rings of ot a holler thou than-thou attitude did they come But from lips that palely smiled the they were given as the reflections of an ordinary man who for y years ars literally has followed folio In the anguished footsteps s of a Calvary Calvary- o Savior BEWARE DEWARE THE To the luss that word of his his' native Germany which has Its Its equivalent in iii the English translation of surplus or overthrow Lang the Christus dedicated his conversation conversa conversa- tion S Transition from meager fare to his his his' war ar torn country to the unaccustomed luxury of ample abundance showered upon him in America merica has shocked L Langs Lang's unprepared simplicity iC y ag mR Perhaps at the h he lie might ha have hae e been secretly reminiscing of the faithful frau and his brood of or hungry hungry hungry hun hun- gry kiddies tucked away awa awan in n the SeQuestered se sequestered se- se hamlet across the sea But an anyhow how in irs an English that clicked and halted under the striving self consciousness of a limited vocabulary vocal vocal- this man n from a village where Christ crucified Is th the exemplar of or daily dally life said the was vas not good Always the middle way is The he best wa way he averred Too much or too little works ps because with abundance or long privation the mind forsakes God I CONDEMNS PROHIBITION AS EXTREME I That is why extremes are bad Your lour prohibition l Is an extreme It does not nol balance well weB with Justice or orthe orthe the middle road i I speak to you only as n a 1 man Not ot otas las as maa nor theologian I 1 am amI I merely Anton Lang To 10 represent Christ on the cross I 1 am most un- un l worth worthy I But when you ou ask asIc is la it hard to follow in Jesus' Jesus footsteps I say to toi i YOU vou it is not if the mind and heart are aie willing and there te If love be between men Yes Yes the middle road Is the best road It leads to God Cod and happiness Some Soma da day the world will wUl get t ack upon it It Is with hope that we of Oberammergau who try In our poor wa way to send Christs Christ's message to the world look forward to such a thing Extremists may say that the world and Its young oun are headed for ruin hut but this Is only as extremists see U. U They are not upon the middle road SHUNS MAWKISH DEMONSTRATION Lang and his Passion play companIons companions companions compan compan- ions are exhibiting their pottery potter and find woodcarving to Americans The They seek funds to save Oberammergau and its its- people from starvation and thus save the Passion pa play an Oberammergau Ober- Ober institution since 1633 Some preternatural strength seems to animate this m mUll n wro in sri reenactment reenactment reenactment reenact- reenact ment translates to the modern world the sufferings of Christ week weel after w week ek by dangling from the cross for twenty excruciating minutes Constant portrayal of the Savior has hu left t a deeply p religious e and unaffected f air 1 about b him which fc even n nUn Un the most casual observer Immediately senses But Anton Lang is not conscious of this Thou Though h magnetic and charming his personality he disdains kt rinie display sometimes demonstrated I tr by those devout who have In times past sought to 1 Kiss nis Dr garments garment's garmont's gar s-ar- ments ment's hem Hotel managements he has petitioned petitioned petitioned peti peti- to cut the portions of his lois food It Is he always ut ber And It Is not good For it is not the middle way An extraordinary book A Plea for Monogamy Mono by bv the noted psychologist gist Dr Wilfrid La Lay demonstrates on psychological grounds that there need be no no matter how apparently ap ap- ap- ap incompatible the couple no marital unhappiness and no divorce on an any grounds Tho The book Is pub- pub b by Boni Liveright ht