The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 1, 1901, Page 3

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 1901. A3 RICH IN ITS SCENIC EFFECTS AND STRIKING SITUATIONS IS SANTA CLARA’S PASSION PLAY Students tray Incidents ——e— Ably Por- in| the Life of Jesus| ““Nazareth’” Proves a Great Success on lts! _ Initial Presentation By Blanche Partington. Special Disne The Call. enter into culation -] fact. To ene the pr ed drama, * suit College matic writer, suggested passion play him, The w such college the objectior feminines terjal for but the pla stecles by hie & pession p suggested ( es in the wz ed hat acqul: e four 1 to Hero LARA, May SL—It were| | the fasci- | | as to | p of the only | but such I8 | the wae to-night given | | to celebrate the golden in Santa | te of the college and uested Lo fur- | iemw jubilee of his the | te subject with de all .ob- 2 conviction that ht he written about a the feminine fig- 1 the ma- adequate tted him- admitted. rth the sufficiently aded the a ““epochs” - of Bethle- opening the e plains of | | | the interest »efore Pi- s for the from the charges e better acting whi usually well, d here be easily that follows, - 2 al the top = appee ving along a wall carried by the in the ninth ents the Temple on the the end has al present- completes 00d. The felt and ere deliv- il performers with a { feeling. The Judas TATHER Fomp JSTAGE NAHAGER, ~ RBVEREND FATHER KENNA' ENT OF ESUIT COLLE ctoril smoothnees ance er of Herod. rger public than Clara Valley. d by the sut his worthy bent THE PASSION PLAY OF OBERAMMERGAU | Has Been Produced for Centurics | Past by Peasants High Up in the Bavarian Alps. The play y and the 1 and things went for a first her or not this “Passion me to stay, and it is amply , T think the au- “Passion Play” and the careful Martha 2s the houid serve to satisfy that I am Greene could do this d reach of it is worth while doing. d be content that a rther reward than | ge should have chosen s jubflee and to follow A generation ago there were but few people outside of the kinglom of Bavaria a o were aware of the fact that a “Pas- Play’ wes regularly produced any- where in the world, and still fewer had wny definite iGea of the character of the sroduction. sver, Oberammergau and its In the last few years, how- unique re- igious dramatic performance, the latter serving to introduce both, have become more or less familiar to the reading pub- Sc of the Christian world. High up in the Bavarian Alps, near the jead of the Ammer River, far out of the ine of trayel and not easily reached over e herdly passable mountain roads, the e f——— i SCENES IN THE PASSION PLAY AS PRESENTED BY STUDENTS @QF SANTA CLARA COLLEGE. quaint little old villages of Unter and Ober Ammergau have had little part in Eistory and no place at all on most maps. And such would still undoubtedly be the case but for the “Pa ’ which has for nearly three centuries past been produced at regular intervals at the last named place. TUntil quite recently a few visitors from Munich and other cities of Southern Ger- many, with the inhabitants of the neigh- boring mountain villages, formed devout audiences before which were rendered witk: pious fervor and devotion the pictur- esque scenes and impersonations of the “Passions-Spiel A few years have wrought great changes. DUntil 1850 the world at large knew nothing of Ober- ammergau and its Passions-Splel. Then Edward Devrient witnessed the perform- ance and on his return to the world pub- lirhed an account of it. Others followed him, and in 1880 a number of magazines and journals of both America and Burope were represented ati the performance. Then the place was made more accessible by modern conveyance. Now the visitors are numbered by hundred thousand, and what was for 200 years performed as a sacred duty, and at some considerable cost to the community, has becs source of large revenue to the village. In 13%) some 200,000 people found their way to the Passion Play village, and the receipts for admission were over 700,000 marks, or nearly $175,000. and in 1900 these figures were increased by nearly 70 per cent, the visitors including devotees and tourists | from nearly every nationality in the world. Oberammergau lies forty-five miles southwest of Munich and by railroad and | ticliey line can now be reached in three | hours’ time. Unterammergau, six miles | below, and the old monastery of Extal, jm-urly as far above, are its only near neighbors. It stands 2600 feet above the level of the sea and is overlooked by the cross-surmounted Kofel Peak on the west, ving it & close and wild background. It as a population of some 2000 souls, from which all the actors and participants in the sacred drama—some 700 in number— are drawn From this remote spot the real ‘“Pas- elon Play” has been brought to the notice of the worl§ at large. Several other Ger- man and Syiss villages have plays and representations of a religious nature, but they are oniy survivals of the ‘‘myste- rles” or miricle plays common in con- tinental Eur@je and parts of England ome a | | between the ninth and fourteenth cen- | turfes. = The Oberammergau | ance, it is claimed,/ has no such dertv: | tion.” It dates from 1634, when it was i | stituted in accordance with a vow made | by the village in council in 1633, on ac- count of the pestilence caused by the wars of Gustavus Adolphus, which pre- vailed over Central Europe at that tim Caspar Schuchler, a native of the village, who had gone to the low country to work, brought back the plague, which threatened to depopulate the village, as it had done elsewhere. The villagers met in_council and made a vow that if the stourge was stayed they would every ten years forever perform the play “for thankful remembrance and edifying con- templation, and by the help of the Al- mighty, of the sufferings of Jesus, the Savior of the world.” From fathers to sons the obligation on the community has been recognized, and the vow faithfully accomplished, ~with few interruptions. And as the generation coming has assumed the sacred duty of the one guslng‘ so in many cases the son has been chosen for the particular part performed or several successive de- cennials by the father, who, perhaps, 1 like manner followed 'the grand-father. | While there is a redistribution of the parts on cach cccasion, and they are in no sense considered hereditary or belong- ing to any one family more than anoth- er, yet as the son derives from his father by birth and constant association his ex- celling skill as a musician, sculptor, wood- carver or terra-cotta worker, so in many instances fitness of person and physiog- nomy, manner of bearing and speech and special cast of disposition, with & happy comprehension of the character in ques- tion, seems to go down from the one to the other for several successive genera- tions. Thus Johann g, the Burgo- meister who played the part of Christ on three occasions, and then that of the High Priest Calaphas three times, up to 1890, in 1900 retired from the cast while his son, Sebastian, took the latter part and his son Anton that of Christ, which had been held the three previous occa- sions by his relative, Jostgh Mayr. !§ needs but a glance at the photographs o the two men, Sebastian and Anton Lang, to see their fitness for the parts, especial- ly in case of the latter, and he is said to be an exact counterpart of his father at the same 1;0303 Another brother, Rochus Lang, in took the part of Herod, be- fore played by an uncle. So Peter and Thomas Rendl had the parts of St. John and St. Peter, following after their fath- ers, and Rosa Lang the part of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, following the other side of her house. Johann Zwink, said to be the most impressive actor of the whole gToup, twice took the part of Judas, which had frequently before fallen to the Zwinks. And so it is wWith most of the other characters. While the Ammergauer is a deeply re- liglous map he is still human, and the “Germinde” with the committee of six adyisers, at the head of which is the schoolmaster, have to exercise the great- est tact in allotting the parts in the play. They receive the numerous offers of ser- vices, discuss and sift and vote upon them several times maybe and then, after & special service in the church, the cast is made. The result is not always satis- factory to every one and both during the deliberations and after the allotments the human in the Ammergauer is sometimes made very manifest. / For a long time the whole affair was ott in the open air; then the auditorium was partly roofed over, but for the last play the village community erected a cov- ered hall capable 6f seating 4000 persons, at a cost of $50,000. The stage and pros- cenium are still open, however, and the sky and valleys and mountains still fur- nish an appropriate background to the most impressively devotional ceremony that is {0 be seen in the world. Over $80,000 were spent in producing the last play, but the returns were propor- tionately large. Besides the admission fees, the amounts received for entertain- ment of visitors, sale of souvenirs, etc., ran weil up into seven figures. The performances began on May 24 and continued twice or -thrice a week until September 30, twenty-seven in all. They begin at 8 o'clock in the morning and it lasts until in the afternoon, with an hour and a half intermission. The play covers the whole of the sacred story both of the Old and N ment, including the Apocrypha, and is constructed on the basis of the typology of the Scriptures, type and anti-t: be- ing brought before the spectators ]n each scene in t‘?bl?u‘.mword :l.nd mull'f. ’l;:a{: are ny instructive and suggestive hin: lowra om 3 ine holy monks of Extol, the monastery just above. These were modified somewhat in the early part of the last century to meet the deinands of the Bavarian Government. It had issued a decree for the suppres- sion of all miracle and religious plays throughout the kingdom. The sion Play at Oberammergau, however, secured cxemption from compliance with the de- cree on conditiom that certain features of interpretation be left out. The villagers regard the play as a most devout and appropriate form of wership and the performance is a revelation of reverence associated with the histrionic art. Every word and gesture is true to the spirit of the story and the Ammer- gauers at least do indeed worship in fol- lowing the performance. From first to last, from Eden to Calvary and the Mount of Ascension, as one visitor puts it, as the “Life of Lives” is depicted so realistically the spectator will inevitably get the rest which comes from entire self-forgetful- ness. The interest is most intense from the moment when the prologue calls all “to_the holy wonder” at the thought of God's anger turned away to that ecstatic one when at the Resurrection the choir breaks forth in singing *‘ Him! Praise Him! Hosts of Heaven.” And im- mediately follows the Ascension scene. It takes one from the earth. @ iniviniriieiuineiuinnisleiieininieiniivi @ EVENTS IN-SOCIETY The ,Intermediate Friday Fortnightly Dancing Club gave its closing party at Cotillion Hall on May 2i. Appropriate to the lateness of the season, the members and invited friends were attired in white ‘duck suits. The hall was given the ap- pearance of a summer resort; palms, ferns and grapevines draped the music stand and walls, and colored lanterns cast a sof: light over a typical midsummer scene. Miss Ida G. Carr and Mr. Willlam Euler led the cotillion. On Wedn evening the annual con- cert and ball of Professor Merki's Mando- linata Club took place, There-was a large t‘hwm prueut‘fl::md thoroughly enjoyed e programme offered. The members of Professor W, Clarkson's Mandolin and Guitar Club were treated to S e an agreeable surprise last Wednesday evening, _the Socasion being Professor Clarkson’s thirty-fourth birthday. It was the club’s regular rehearsal night, and after rehearsal the members were marched into the dining-room, where a tempting supper was served. Afterward dancing and games ere indulged in. ‘Those present were: fessor and Mrs. Clarkson, Dr. and Mrs. B. W. Pratt, Mrs. K. Apperson, Mrs. A, W. Carley, Mrs. 'E. Hevener, Mrs. F. Hotop, Miss A. Gatto, Miss L. Lagomasini, Miss M. Lago- masini, Miss M. de Martini, Miss E. Donlon, Miss R. Rosenblatt, Miss A. Bose, Miss Pratt, Miss K. Butler, Miss B. Frankel, Miss C. Frankel, Miss A, Hotop, E. Bose, F. ligano, W. Needham, F. Hoggard, C. R. Leonhardt, C. Sheppard. . On Tuesday evening the members of the Liberty Swimming Club spent a very leasant evening at the Lurline baths. ose in the party were: Mrs. W. Thomas, Mrs. Carrle Ewing, Milss Isabelle Beach, Miss Christine Jorgensen, Miss 1da Lothrop, Miss Minnie Sproul, Miss Annie Mcintire, Miss Lizzie Cantus, Miss Laura Cantus, Miss Marzaret Thomas, Fred Blake- lee, Myron M. Clinton, B. Johnson, Fred Win- fred, H. A. Bowman, Dr. Esson. Miss Annie McIntire carried off the prize of the evening. The next swim will be on &esdw evening, June 11, at Lurline t entertainment and The regular monthl a8 of Vermont will dance of the Native be held at Odd Fellows’' Hall Friday even- ing, June 7. The following programme has been prepared for the occasion: Part J—Overturs, Delloplane’s Orchestra; Vermonters' Quartet, J, C. Flood, George Wal- lace, J, E. Donahue, J, J. Colgan: banjo duet, J, B, Appleby, Harry F. Hastings; songs and monologue, Vermonters' faverite, . J. Hynes. ald Ttavers in “The Play- a o in_two acts, John Clark, Frederick Gilbert: Charles Sefton, George R. Vevoda; Mr, Bmith, Charles Travers; Mr. Gil- feend, Alfred LaMotte: Thomas, Robert W. S A e e S Julle nmm’fl:; Edward Xoan, Regh Mr, and Mrs, I, Barnett announce the mg::}nw! of their dlughiar. Bellrena, to d Franklin, They will receive June 2 at 1630 Buchanan street from 2 to 5 p. m, ‘Mrs, Merton L. Cook and children will spend the summer In Los Gatos at the Hotel Lyndon. San Francisco First to Rival Custom of Oberammergau Passion Play Given by Star Company Twenty Years Ago e ST \ OR the second time in the sacred dramatic history of America Cali- fornia has had the unique homor of producing the only modern Pas- sion Play existent west of Ober- ammergau. | The playgoer of a score of yearS ago | Will well remember the first production of the sacred drama in San Francisco, writ- | ten by Salmi B. Morse and given at the | Grand Opera-house by the notable com- | pany of players then associated with the |old Baldwin Theater. The play created | an enormous sensation. From theybitter- | est _denunciation to an almost wosShipful | partisanship public feeling was aroused to | highest pitch. The house was crowded nightly with Jews and Christians, Protes- tants and Catholics, atheists and bigots, ministers and laymen—all altke profound- | Iy interested in the attempt of the modern | actor to picture the sacred story. No expense was spared on the produc- | tion, which cost “Lucky’”’ Baldwin a cool ‘ $40,000 to put on the stage. The costumes | were on a satisfying scale of splendor, | with settings and mechanical appliances | of the best that could then be procured. | An orchestra of 200 pleces was engaged, | performing among other numbers the Rossini “Stabat Mater” and, say those who were present, doing excellent service in the creation of the necessary solemnity of atmosphere. No applause was permit- ted, and the sable draperies of the thea- ter and black-edged programmes added still further to the dignity and unusuai- ness of the occasion. Nothing, in short, was left undone that could lend sacred- | ness, truth, beauty or dignity to the play, |and only the ever open question of the propriety of human representation of di- vinity remained to be settled. Archbishop McCloskey, to whom the au- thor and “Lucky” Baldwin had submitted | the manuscript of the play, was gener- ously appreciative of its possibilities, en- tirely in sympathy with its stan int and hopeful of its spiritual effect. ther important ecclesiastical authority was similarly encouraging, and it was with the most sanguine expectations that author. actors and manager presented for the first time before an American audience the sacred story of our Lord’s life and death. Among those in the cast of the play | were James Nelll,, then a striking beautiful—there is no other word—young man. He was leading man in the Bald- win Stock Company, with Lewis Moorrison as co-star, and, according to Mr. Morri- | son, who is the only representative of the famous cast now in town, was a noble figure as the Christ, for which part he was cast. “Neill was _very nervous that first night,” says Mr. Morrison. “He feared riots and possible shooting, for crowds followed us to the theater with all kinds of friendly and unfriendly manifestations: but from the moment the curtain went up, showing Christ with his disciples, and the opening words ‘Let us pray’ fell Into the silence, the proper note was at once struck and the play was heard with a rightful reverence from beginning to end. “I was the Pilate—and never before fully realized the high worth of the character, by the way—and after the great speech, ‘I have found no guilt in this man,’ poor Morse came to me and sald: ‘Morrison, you will never need to play another part for all your life.” James A. erne, or Samuel Plercey, was the Herod; Mackey the Judas, Forrest Robinson the Caiaphas, Mary Wilkes Mary Magdalen, Olive West Mary the Virgin. = Five hundred people in all appeared and each seemed to enter | tully into the spirit of what was to all the most memorable performance of their lives. | “The Passion Play ran just three weeks. It offended the sensibiliges of a large number of the ‘unco guid® and Neill and 1 were arrested nightly after it was over. Every night we paid our $50, and Baldwin offered to put up the flnes by the week to save time. Every day. too, we had to stand trial, till the Neill-Morrison case became a standing joke. Then the State was petitioned against the play and finally the President himself was approached and the first Passion Play of America dled an ignominious death. “Afterward Henry E. Abbey, the New York impresario, became interested in the production, bought the rights of it and took over the principals to New York to give the Passion Play there. But the New York public would have none of it. Ab- bey had prophesied tuat Gotham's greater breadth of outlook would insure its friend- 1y regeption in the East. but he was not permitted to produce Morse's at all there. Ome private performance at Proctor’s Theater was given, with Henry C. de Mille, then professor of English lit- ! erature at Columbia University, as the Christ, and that ended the eventful his- tory. ~The sequel is somewhat tragic. Morsg, the disappointed author of the play, one week later committed suicide. Reduces Number of Chaplains. LONDON, May 3L—The Daily Mall says that King Edward has decided to reduce his ecclesiastical establishment from thirty-six paid chaplains to twelve. —— e ADVERTISEMENTS. Fire! Fre!! Dr. Pierce’s Common Sense Medical Adviser, ,anerooven,nnentfinm recei; 21 ome-cent ’% to upenlcpt of mailing only. E R. V. Pierce, Buffalo, N. Y.