-- i 2 VISIT T0 OBERAMMERGAU AND SEEING THE PRESENTATION OF THE PASSION PLAY. Simple-Minded Folk Bent in Upholding the Tradition of Their Village--The Play Does Not Show Signs of Deterioration. Of the thousands of visitors who week by week enter the village of Oberammergau this summer, how many have discovered its real charm? Certainly, those who arrive over. night for the next day's performance of the "Passion Play," and leave direcfly after, kiiow nothing of it. They have seen the Play, but they know nothing of the players, and the secret lies with them. To know Oberammergau, and appreciate it at its full worth, you must know the people. | have stood outside the theatre more than once this summer and watched the people streaming owt of the vast auditorium, hurrying to catch train or 'bus, bedt only on flying off some- where else to "do" the next thing. They have "done" the "Passion Play"; now they proceed to the next item on their programme castles, it may be, in the near neighbor- hood, or peaks and passes farther off, And all the time they are leaving behind what might be the most enjoyable item of all--a knowledge of the men, women, and children who produce this wonderful presentation of the Passion of Our Lord. It is true that there are some who act otherwise, and find in the village sufficient entertainment for ome holiday, at any rate. Indeed, I have known persons who have found Oberammergau so attractive 'on their first visit that it has been repeated years after year with never-diminish- ing joy. The place has become to them a perpetual delight. But all such persons are not of those who go to make up the general run of tourists' parties. In holiday-making it is everyone to his own liking. Some like one thing and some another. There are those who discover a pleasant spot, or a quiet nook, and are satisfied; there are others who are ever craving for fresh scenes and pastures new, and, in fact, enjoy 'travel. The Ameri- can is fairly typical of the latter, and it is extraordinary not sgerely what ground he covers and what sights he sees, but what he takes in. The Englishman is less inclined to be the gadabout, and is content with a quiet- er and more restful holiday, and he probably of all the nationalities represented at Ober- ammergau in the year of the "Passion Play" is the most apprecidtive of the people and the Play, for the simple reason that he really makes a point of getting to know them and to probe their motives and their actions to the bottom. I remember, on my first visit to Oberammergau in 1901, when I formed one of a deputation from England to present the rocessional cross to the village after the lay of the previous year, that Josef Mayr paid this compliment to the English. He said, in the course of his speech at the public presentation, that no people had shown such lasting sympathy towards them nd given such proofs of benevolence with so many kind deeds as the English. There is a very strong bond of affection between Ober. smmergau and the English visitor, It is often asked whether the people are not spoilt (by so much public attention, and whether their motives are as genuine as of old, I don't hesitate (0 answers tions to the credit of the Oberammergau. Nothing 1 have seen or heard induces me to think that they are other than their fathers were, simple-minded folk bent on upholding the tradition of their village. No other spot in the world gathers so many people togethet from all nationalities as does this village of Oberammergau at the time of the "Passion Play," and yet, in spite of tempting financial bribes, they remain true to their traditions, and, from what I hear, never before have the offers to break away from them been so at- tractive as they were this year. Simplicity is, in fact, their chief characteristic, and what gives to them their great charm. Bat sim- plicity does not mean weakness of character. The story of the "Passion Play" for the last fifty years is full of incidents which have! Brought out great strength of character: the struggles of the men to face disappointment, ~the d.sappointment of a minor part wm the ! Play, or the surrender of an old part on ac count of increasing years, These are things which may seem trivial to outsiders, but to the nten of the village the Play is the ab: sorbing thing in their lives, and to lose their position in it is a matter ofthe greatest grief. All the parts are chosen by the Committee (duly elected for the purpose), and their re- fusal to allow Josef Mayr to be the Christus of 1900 was indeed a bitter blow, and deeply he felt it. But he had grown too old, and the surrender was inevitable, though he did not think so. But, by way of compensation, a place was made him as Prologus, and not Wg after the village showed their trust and affection by electing Mim Burgomeiser A whivich sadder case than this was the depor sition' of Gregor Lechner as Judas. He had represented the betrayer from 1850 to 1880, but ir 18%) he was considered too old and given 4 minor part. It broke the poor old man, and Ne died from sheer disappointment and vexation, who recall Mayr's majestic presence as Prologus will, perhaps, have been disap- sted with his successor this year. But Mayr 'was a difficult man to follow, either as the Christus He had an rdinarily s voice; he seemed to opi gorh a forget his solemn words of greeting at the very ontset of the Play:-- | 1 welche die Liebe hier d vereint, tranernd ihm and, of course, those of wy party were strict ly loyal to his feclings. Does the Play show signs of deterioration? Certainly not. The Play is as strong as ever. True, gue may pick out characters which one preferred on a previous occasion, but, taking the Play as a whole, it moves as much as ever it did, and its inspiration is equally great. And the master mind of if all goes about the village almost unnoticed. An elder- iy. man, Herr Ludwig Lang, the head of the carving school, is impervious to public re- cognitibn. A genus for management and a true artist, possessing a strong will, he dom- inatds the Play with his personality and has brought it to its present height. He directs each performance, and his puppets move to the wave of his hand in astonishing obedi- ence. They are almost too obedient, for the shouting of the crowds in unison is not the usual way of crowds. It is strange that such a matter as this has not impressed itself on Herr Lang, because in Germany stage crowds are quite famous, It was, 1 believe, the visit of the Saxe-Meiningen Company to London that gave our stage-managers a conception of the real possibilities of a crowd: and those who bave seen the "Meistersingers" at Bay- reuth, or elsewhere in Germany, will at once recall the riot scene of the apprentices. But it is on the artistic side of the "Pas- sion Play" that so much is due to Herr Lud- wig Lang. All the groupings and tableaux are his conceptions; and the robes and dress- €s are planned by him and cut out by his sister. The tableaux seemed miore striking than ever this year. In one of them they introduce a donkey--I think it was the scene of Joseph sold by his brethren. I can tell a story about the dog of past Plays, which, 1 think, will be new to most, and is rather pretty. The tableau of Tobias anid the angel comes down to us from the earliest of the old mystery plays, and Tobias is invariably adcompanied by his dog. . At Oberammergau this tradition was strictly adhered to. In 1870 a white Pomeranian figured in the scene, having been trained to stand quite still by his master. The Franco-German War broke out, and the play was interrupted. The dog's master was called away to join his regiment. The dog was sold and taken to a distant vil- lage. But it was not long before he found his way back to Oberammergau, where he lay down on the threshold of his old home, refusing all food and drink, and so died. Ont of regard for his faithfulness, the villagers had the skin stuffed, and in this way the dog appeared in the representations of 1880, 1890, and 1900. In the last decade the dog dis- appeared, probably owing to the ravages of time, and no one had the heart to replace it. Of Anton Lang, who as a young man was called upon to take up Josel Mayr's part, much has been written. To succeed Mayr in the chief chargcter must have been an under- taking indeed. It had been hinted to him years before that he might possibly be want: ed, though he had not taken a part in the Play. He was a delicate youth with a feeble voice, to strengthen which he would roam over the hills in his spare hours singing lustily, with no one to listen but the cattle The magnitude of his task almost over- whelmed him, and he went to Josef Mayr. And the old man's advice was excellent. "I can teach you nothing," he said in effect. "Study the Life of Christ, and try to realize the part all you can" It was not, perhaps, the advice that was looked for, but it was the best that ocunld be given. And so the young man set to read no only the Gospel story, but every book that hore on the Life of Christ that he could lay his hands on, and the one that helped him more than any other was the Imitatio. Who can wonder? Herr Lang is by no means an ascetic or a recluse. He is a very pleasent companion, a charming host, and enjoys a good joke. He is, in fact, a good example of the happy Christian man. And while he does not wear his religion on his sleeve, he makes his presence so felt that no one would venture a questionable joke in his presence. The music of the Play is a special attrac- tion. It cannot be heard elsewliere or under any other conditions. 1 have heard two ex- fto St. Paul's Cathedral; and his next cerpts from it apart from the Play, but this was on the occasion of the presentation of the cross to which | have alluded, when, as a special compliment to the visitors, the "Heil! Dir" chorus and one other were sung in the church. The music is for the "Passion Play" and the "Passicn Play" only. It has not been published, and 1 hope never will be There is nothing very special about it, but it suits the people and it suits the Play, and 1 hope will never be changed--not even for Bach, whose Passion music is incomparably finer and altogether on a different plane, The choir. is uncommonly good this year, and some unaccompanied singing in the church, and in the open air on the occasion of the Papal Nuncio's visit, when he was serenaded. was quite equal to any of our own Northern choirs. But, apart from the choir, the people themselves sing very little. Those who have been to Oberammergau for Corpus Christi, and witnessed the ppocession all along the river banks--a very picturesque scene--must have been disappointed at the lack of choral sing.:ng. The recitation of long litanies may be the expression of great devotion, but it does not strike one as being so in the same way that our English hymu-singing does. The "Charm of Oberammergau" is found in all these small items of village life and the Play, which anyone can discover for himself by coming in contact with the people ant talking with them over their experiences. There is one dear frietid in the village who wears on his watch-chain a couple of bullets, and will relate their history by giving you a vivid narrative of the Battle of Worth in the Franco-German War, and if you get to bed by midaight you will be lucky. But, what- ever the hour he lets you off, you will find Bim at his smithy at five the next morning: or taking his place as leader of the chorus a few hours later. Another of the principal characters has visited England. I asked him what he enjoyed most. Please take a note of bis answer. His first great joy was his vial H stage sings at Margate! 'cases of manslaughter and erected in close prosimmily asd reduced the se- clusion of the place. The willage courtships are much affected by the Play. There is an uabroken rule that no married woman is allowed to appear on the stage of Oberammergau. The conse quence is that for some years prior to the Play the young swains of the village have a very poor chance of mating if there is the least probability of a part in the Play for the would-be sweethearts. 1 know of more than one young man who is only waiting for the end of the Play this year to try bis luck Let us hope he will meet with such success as his patience deserves. 1 have never been able to find out the real reason for this rule, but my honest opinion is that it is a purely domestic one. Someone must look after the housing of the guests, and (will some of our lady friends please note?) it is thought wiser on the whole for the womenfolk to 'do it. True, it is a man- made law, female suffrage being unknown in the village, but it is accepted by the women without demur, and to be mistress in their own departments is' what, after ali, they de- sire, The possibility of obtaining a part in the Play, however, must be very upseiting to the ordinary life of 'the village. The choice of Ottilie Zwink as the Blessed Virgin was a very happy one, and received general approval. She was away from the village last year when she was summoned home to take part in one of her minor sum- mer plays, and so successful was she in her role that it was generally realized that she was the ideal Mary for the current Play, and 33 eager was her father for her to have it that he offered to resign his part of Judas in her favor. But he was not called upon to make this sacrifice, and father and daughter are appearing in these strangely contrastéd parts, . Gentle-hearted, humble-minded man, bearing the burden of a great sorrow, Herr Zwink is a very attractive personality, and one is never able to realize him as the Judas of history. He has good reason to be protid of his daughter, for her Mary is a very sweet performance, and probably the best they have had for a long time. I have left the greatest charm of the vil- lage to *"- last--viz. the children of Ober- ammiergan. "Were there ever such pic turesque little mortals? and neither better nor worse than other children. There is a picture at every corner of the village, for there are these long-haired, bare-legged boys and girls, many of them in Tyrolese costume, to be seen at their games. And if you are up early enough you will find them all at Mass, preparatory to their morning school, No educational difficulty here. Their religion is their life..."]t. seems to suit these people," said a fellow-penman a Bittle contemptuonsly, as we watched the people pouring out of church. "Yes," | rejoined, "and they are all of one mind." 1t is a happy state of things. And so we take farewell to the age, with the memory of .its wonderful Play m. delibly impressed ont us, our last 160k as we gaze behind shewing the view of the Kofél towering high abave the village with iis cross-crowned summit, speaking te us to the very last of the Sacred Passion and the mes. sage of Divine Love. Handed It Back. A clergyman in the neighborliood of Not- tingham was complimenting a tailor in hiv parish on repairs which he had dene for him. In the course of canversation he, however, incautiously observed: "When I want 3 good coat I go to London. They make them there." Before leaving the shop he inquired, "By the bye, do you attend my charch?" "No," was the reply. "When I want to hear a good sermon 1 go to London. They make theni there"==London Tit-Bits. Lore of the Wi 1g- Ring. In the Isle of Man the wedding-ring was formerly used as: An insteuinent of : tartare. Cyril Davenport, in his book on "Jewellery" remarks that there once existed a .cHstom in that island "according to which an wunare ried girl who had been offended by a mag could bring him to trial, and if 'be were found guilty she would be presented with a sword, ad 20, 1910. OUR LOST ILLUSIONS. But They Only Indicave Lack of Perception o on Our Part. New World We are apt to say of one who has gone through some particularly bitter phase of existence that he has now been dimllusioned; that the world is now plain to him in its aspect of uncompromising harshness and that he sees life as it really is--grim, inexorable, stern. All this only indicates lack of percep- tiom on our own part. To lose belief in human natafe is not, strictly speaking, to lose one's illusions Goodness, purity, kindoess, honésty, sincerity are existing virtues. Because you have been disappointed in one person and found these qualities lacking in his nature is no reason why you should believe that the whole world Jacks them. We are far (00 prone to indulge ourselves in generalities of the most sweep ing nature om the slightest premise An illusion is a fancy or belief in certain things which do not éxist. If we invest the other person with infaginaty qualities it is ten chances to one that we will be grieved when we find out our mistake. Naturally, since we are not given supernatural gifts of divination we cannot find out what is in the mind of the other person. It is just as well we do not, for the loss of our illusions oon- cerning him would not be half so startling as that, But if we do imagine in any one person qualities which he does not possess there is no reason, having been assured of our mistake, that we should rail at fate and de- clare in bitterness, "All men are liars and cowards." It must be a person of poor mature, one incapable of any great depth of feeling, who will let a disappointment sour and embitter him snd turn him against the world. It is selfishness to wrap one's self in one's hurt and refuse to believe in or see the goodness and the truth which really do exist. It is hard to suffer, yes, how hatd only thdse know who have gone down into thre deeps of heart- wrung anguish and cried aloud for help, but it is making the hurt ten times deeper, more hurtful, more miserable, to centre one's life in it and from that viewpoint of resentment and 'pain look at all the world, This is a good world, this is a kind world, individual experience to the contrary wnot- withstanding. Pessimism never helped any one. The most beautiful, the most lovable people we know are those who have come through great trials and have been sweetened tid made more loving and gentle by their sarrow. These have lost no "illusions." Per- haps they have made 'mistakes in judgment, perhaps they have been deceived and dis- appointed in those whom they loved, but they do not argue therefrom that they are deceived by all the rest of mankind. I -------- Relief of Massacre Orphans. For the last fourtéen Years the National Arpienia and India Relief: Association, says its secretary-treasurer, Miss Emily C. Wheel- er, Lunsfield, O., has been fighting a winning battle for the lives of children in Turkey and India. The work wad begun with the idea of saving the orphans left by the massacre of 1895. They were got into 3 home, taught various industries, clothed and fed for $25 a year. Those who were interested in cloth were put to tailoring, and boys who whittled well put into carpenter shops. -At Oorfh Miss Shattuck has two cacpenter: and. one aching shop, superintended by '&° young Scotchman. In Marash they are taught weaving, embroidery and farm work. In Harpoot boys become ' carpenters, bakers, weavers, farmers and shoemakers, and the boys, as well as girls, have learned to knot the Turkish and Persian rugs which now sell at good prices. There are many India children waiting for 'Supporters, but the interest has tarned more §SNards the 5,000 orphans fw Turkey who have been left homeless and fatherless by the 'massacte of 1909 in Cilicia. Many children have béen received in the orphanages already cstablished in Marash, Aintab, Hadjin, Kes- sab 'and Tarsus, atd new orphanages have a rope, and a ring. With the sword. she might cut off his head, with the rope she might hang him, or with the ring she might marry him. It is said that the latter punish- ment was that invariably inflicted." The wedding-ring was anathema to the early Puritans, who regarded personal adorn- ment as one of the many snires of Satan. In the old English marriage service it was the custom for the bridegroom to put the ring on the thumb of his bride, saying, "In the name of the Father" then on the next finger, saying, "and the Son" and then on the third finger, saying, "and of the Haly Ghost," finally on the fourth finger, with the word, "Amen" ) The ring was left there becanse, as the Sarum rubric says, '"a vein proceeds thence to the heart." In the modern marriage ser- vice the ring is placed at once upon the third finger, the invocation to the Trinity being understood, An English Sanctuary. Beverley minster, 180 miles north of Lon} ton, is the sheine of St. John of Beveriey,' who died it the year 721." In 938 Athelstad King of England, gave several privileges to' the monastery, ome being the privilege of sanctuary. This was not merely for ") slaying: it was open to all wrongdoers es cept those who had been guilty of treason For ordinary offences, such as horse stealing, © cattle stealing, being backward. in accomms « or being in receipt of suspected man came iftto sanctuary about a n the monastery or chareh." i to be four crosses on the main roads leading Beverley marking the Nit : Pip sufficient to. be within one Before the fugitive conld claim semcivary mist enter the church afi ; | stone chair known as "freed char." To this refuge from all parts of been opened in Adana. Poor little children have been taken into the homes, but. the great problem is to keep the children and titlr widowed mothets together. It is hoped that Christendom will rise to the necessity of caring somewhat lotiger for the Armenian childten of Turkey. The last massacre was thie 57th through which the Armenians have passed. Just now as 4 result of the massacre thousands are starving and relief is greatly needed. What Would St. Paul Say? Archbishop Alexander. 7 "If I have eaten my morsel alone," The Patriarch spoke in scorn, What would he think of the Church were he showp Heathendom huge, forlorn, Godless, Christless, with sou! unfed, While the Chatch's ailment is fulness of i bread, : Eating her morsel alone "I am debtor alike to the Jew and the Greek." The iighty Apostie cried, rversing coRtinents, souls fo seek, the love of the Crucified. centuries, since have sped, $ are i we have bread Yet we eat our morsel dlone. Ever from those who have largest dower Will Heaven require the more. Outs is affluence, knowledge, power, Ayan from shore to shore; Egst and West in our ears have said, "Give us, O give us this living Bread™-- . Yet we eat our morsel alone. ger live the Lord was shed, ie them bread, Aleta Brock ND Z hd NS For Sale by J. Of the Agricultural Societies' Fairs Almonte . Berwick Centreville .. 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