Show I 1 PASSION FLAY at the court house by mrs stanley ial A fair audience listens to an in recital tho day or o 0 days tho club woman of I 1 A i e 1 last evening mrs caroline H stan ley of michigan Michi ean spoke at the county 1 l court bouse on the passion play as presented at ober ammerman in south ern germany the enter unmeet was under the auspices of the free kindergarten and the audience was composed the most intellectual and appreciative f mrs stanley ia not a lecturer she is a woman who talks direct to her audience in a conversational manner and is ery explicit in her handling of the subject y the mandolin club rendered a selection i aa the opening number and then mrs stanley R began her talk by the statement that I 1 tl aae was one of a party who in 1890 pent the zulimer in europe which b year wag the one in which the passion f play waa last presented A brief explanation that the play is a representation of the crucifixion of christ aija the incidents of the week J and mrs stanley told of the causes leading up 0 o the first presentation of tho play as rela a legend of the folk the legend runs that ia 1633 there broke out a v plague in southern germany but ir ober am merman was untouched while other villages Til lages were almost de populated there wae a strict quarantine which fc iia evil hour was evaded by a laborer T who brought the disease into the vil itsu la two days be was dead and in month eighty four more bad perished in their extremity the villagers prayed to god for relief and kofl that it he take the plaggie avav they would in perpetual remembrance the of christ by performing the passion Pae sion every bentli year the bleue wae stayed and the a their vow in thanksgiving over the deliverance of their forefathers A brief description of the village and i the theatre followed and then comes the t play fr it is 8 suddenly the boom of a cannon is heard it Is tho signal for the play to begin the umbrellas a which have been up before this are down in an instant and the hush of expect i v ancy falls upon the people instantly from the pillared por a on either aide issue twenty a tk persons men and women who with stately tread to ter here they meet tormina a line abe stage these are the chorus singers wycee it ia to explain in the meaning of the tableau to be next presented and ita relation to the following 1 dress ie effective they wear a white with a ore ceiaa border of gold yellow sandals and the color as the anter robe robe which are of different colors blue garbet pink purple f eto re held in place by gold cords and are very artistically and gracefully grace tully td AH wear coronets with the cloea in the center and the effect of the costume is exceedingly bril irne twice the colored robes are ex backed tor black immediately before and after the crucifixion f benle are of the handsomest material of to eland the weather to aluch they are exposed for this part of uncovered the audience in front can and do protect themselves with rugs blankets robes anything any thine that will cover gingera ere absolutely unprotected they ap peered in tho afternoon in bierent di erent COB tames in etyle to those worn in fr the morning but unlike in color this change was made by the they received at the farat part f ot the performance when all are in line the leader at i ared in scarlet ec arlet recites some verses clearly and impressively and the cboin boraca into bonz accompanied by an orchestra concealed from view in front of the eface abo tinkle of a bell ie beard and the binders divide and tall back so ae to reveal the tableau the cartain brisee and the tableau Is dis played during which they sing acain the cartain falls they reaume their old i and the proceeds when they come loan end half file off to the wines on the right half to the left and y the play proper beff ins they take their 1 aaen after each acene and resume two important things are by the choir they explain what is to corn end they nil in the i time that must be taken for the ecenia and Bro apin the v aur h these tableaux are among the most p effective features of the 1 play the ecenia are taken from the old testa t biant and are supposed Bup posed to the c acene represented on the ataee act Tf aaa before the bargain of with the priests is a tableau representing the sale 0 joseph by hie brethren before the ewt sapper ie tho thea children ot israel fed with manna in tho this by the way is one of the very cheet ot them all more than five hundred persons including one hundred and fitly children tho youngest not more than three years old appear in the the grouping id exquisite the israelites bland in dene crowd the child loa in tho tore gound abo youths and maidens in groups and the mothers with their babes in their arms loees and and occupy prominent places and every band is outstretched and every eye directed toward heaven whence the roanna uninterruptedly falls the little children with their innocent faces upturned and their baskets and aprons held out to catch the heavenly food form an feature and their control over themselves is perfectly wonderful the most careful scrutiny with a glass fails to detect the slightest motion and their positions aro held ten times as lone I 1 should sa as any tableaux I 1 have ever been it is exactly like a mammoth picture the grouping in many cases is after celebrated pain linee a for in stance the last sapper is after da vin cis famous picture of that came and the scene in which christ is taken from the cross is after renowned descent from the cross in the cathedral at antwerp of the ascension mr stead bays it is as it famous picture in the vatican hud become instinct with life but while tho choruses and tableaux are unsurpassed the main interest naturally centers in the dramatic decenes the first of christs entry into Jern ealem is one of the noat impress a of the whole play it represents the streets of jerusalem thron ced with people A great shouting is heard in tha distance and chiist appears riding on a colt and followed by the multitude waving branches and casting their garments at bis feeland crying hosanna blessed is he that come b in the name 0 the lord following this triumph entry come the other decenes in their scriptural order the cleansing of the temple when abo tables 0 the moneychangers money changers are overturned and they cast out the next is the council of the a looking lot of men in oriental dress plotting together him then comes the to the home of mary ani martha and lazarus at betha uy and the feast at the houe of simon next ie the preparation for the passover in which peter and john seek the upper chamber then follows the tender scene of the last erthe washing of the ties feet tho blessing of the cup the startling announcement that one of them shall betray him and tho anxious questioning tio ning lord is it I 1 there ie the revelation to judas of bia own baadness baa eness and be goes out there is the farewell talk to the bewildered discipio who fear they know not what and the familiar words which have comforted sorrowing hearts for over eighteen centuries and more seem doubly as we look into those anxious grief stricken faces abat surround eur round him and bear bis pitying voice ay let not your heart bo troubled yo believe in goj believe also ia me the scene change with the priests and back gain to there is th agony in the garden and tle sleep of the duci ples with christs piteous plaint ae be over them could ye not have watched with me one hour the culmination of the play is of course the scene of the crucifixion this is appallingly maier who represents the christ is nailed to the cross apparently and the cross is lowered into be bole prepared for it and braced with umbers he has every appearance of banging bang inc there by hie hands and feet mr stoddard aives this explanation of how it is really done mayer wears a ebirt oj flesh colored gauze which gives exactly the appearance of the naked flesh under this Is a shirt of mail of the finest woven steel and in the back is a stout hook which slips into a ring in the croes and fastens securely his weight is thrown upon the steel As he bangs there all the details of the gospel narrative are carried out the of bis garments the moistening of his lips with the dipped in vinegar even to the thrusting of the spear into bis side alise by the way is explained by another mechanical device it is said that between the ct mall fand the gauze ia placed a little back containing a red fluid which looks like Jiro aking open thia lonely vigil comes the trampling of feet the alfiro ot torches and the voices of angry men the disciples flee Judas betrays bis lord with a kiss and it is a positive relief when we are dismissed tor the noun hour with the aft racoon 1 come still more thrilling there the trini before the high priest and peters denial when the baye thou also art one of then and the cock actually crows 1 the place is the outer court of abe high priests palace juet a peters vehement denial ia given sil christ is brought the room nod I 1 hears it he turns and looks at peter who ROCS out weeping bitterly there is the magnificent scene of christ before pilate Bt anding there in simple majesty alone while the same multitude that shouted Hoe annal surge around the place with and threats crucify him crucify hickl not this but Barab baa and pilate washing bis hands before them all aa a sign that he is innocent of hie blood de livera him to them with worda which have rung through toe ages 4 behold the man 1 there ie the scourging the booking mo oking the crown ot thoras pressed into abo flesh till the blood trickles dowland dow nand ho says not a word As a sheep before her she arera is dumb so he not bia there is the road to calvary with simon carraine the cross and the great throne following there is the crucifixion the buical the ascension it is all there 1 blood As abe beear ie dex threat into exactly be tight place the ie punctured and this flows out the illusion ig perfect A telling mo last fall about a barance coincidence that occurred the day ha baw the passion play he said that just at abis paint wllie mayer was hanging on the crose the sky grew very dardr there wae a flash of lightning that illuminated the elenc and a terrific peal of thunder it was a mountain storm that bed been unnoticed by them in their in the play the crash cornice juet when it did with every bodye gervea wrought up to the highest pitch was thrilling in the extreme the play began at eight for an hour the singers bang the actors played and lie people listened in the rain then the clouds broke awty the eun came out and we bad after all a delightful day the third good day of the we were told and for nine and a halt boure with an of one hour and a half for dinner these people held that vast audience spellbound spell bound and motion lead while they lived over what baa been admy called the worlds tragedy through it all there was nothing to offend the taste of the goei fastidious nothing to grate epou the sense of propriety of any except of cour sethe idea of mans presuming to personate the divine and when one the betting that abig au has among a people who and patron saints on their houses who bow down before wayside shrines and look upon the possibility of tome timo being worthy to play the christus Cb ristus aa the greatest to holy living the thought browl that perhaps in them it not be sacrilegious thing mr stanley closed by a description of the peasantry their industries eto and the manner ct their training for the pay |