A CHURCH PAGEANT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 532, 12 June 1909, Page 5

A CHURCH PAGEANT.

AT FULHAM PALACE. PICTURESQUE REPRESENTATIONS. PERFORMERS 4000. (BY TELEGRAPH—rOBSS ABBOCIATION-'-CorralaHT.) (Rec. June 11, 11.10 p.m.) London, June 11. Tho great pageant of tho English Church has opened at Fulham Palace. Thero are 4000 porforraors. It is expected that 80,000 people will witnose the spectacle. THE CHURCH AND ITS SAINTS. HISTORIC PICTURES. The profits of the pageant will be Riven to the Society for the Propagation of the Goepel in Foreign Parts and to the Church Missionary Society. The Master of the Pageant, Mr, Frank Lascelles, has forecasted its 6cope as follows:— "Over four thousand .performers are to tako part, and with their assistance wo shall show a series of scenes that will represent the rise of the Church of England from earliest times. Saints In Ragged Garb. "Roughly, the idea is to begin ivith a symbolic scene ropresentinu the founders of the Church. 'In this will appear our patron saints: St. George of England. St. Andrew of Scotland, St. Patrick of Ireland, St. David and St. Aidon of Wales. ' "These suints will not appoar as (hoy ore generally pictured, but will bo seen dressed almost in rajs. They will look, travel-stained and worn with their exertions. This is a human touch that will, I think, be understood. It is realistic, too, for surely the preachers of those times' must have appeared so. "After the prelude a number of scenes will be represented, beginning with the ■ Edict of Constantino in 313. Just to show that we are trying to make each episode historically correct in every detail, I .may say that the scenerj for the 'reading of the Edict'' will bo made from models constructed from the remains of the old church that'have been found at Silchestor... :'. . : ~.,.'.

St. Augustine's Arrival. ■>''■••' ■ "Then we shall depict' Augustine's arrival in Britain, and many other, eyents from early history; then the anointing of ■William the Conqueror, and afterwards the'death of Thomas a Becket at Canterbury. For this scene we shall, of conrso, have scenery representing the cathedral and the altar stops. . "The first part of the .programme will end with a miraclo play and pilgrimage scene'of the year 1350. . ■ "Most of us have forgotten, that the miracle plays were the foundation of the drama in England. Long, long ago tho demy in-tfo early churches Used to perform little sceißS from Bible history, or arrange tableaux. They must have found'these the n'ost effeotive possmle methods of teaching in' those primitive nays, and gradually their dramatic attempts became more and more ambitious, and also more appreciated by their congregations. As time went on it was found that the-churches were nor lafge enough to contain nil the people who flocked to seo tho miracle plays, and so they had lp bo performed put of doors, generally in the churchyard. ■ '." ['■". '.'.', ... ~., \"But still congregations increased, and the ttnai (levelopi<i»nr was a procession of big cars m>oll winch Scriptural soenes, were.arranged. These cars wr-ro drawn thttngh'the streets, so that thousands could see them as they passed •lou see, therefore, that tho Church play is one of the oldest ideas, though, of conrso nothing has over been attempted on the scale of the pageant to be held this year; V '■.• Daily Performances. ' "Two performances will be given each day one in the morning and oho in the afternoon! J. no scenes I have just mentioned will-be' shown each mornine, and those in'the "afternoon will bo quite different, and will represent later periods of history. ' "For instance, in the afternoons • will Tjo shown such episodes as tho trial of Wyclif in 1377; the coronation procession of Edward VL with every detail, faithfully represented;- the translators presenting the Bible to James I in 1S« execution of Archbishop laud

■ For this last scene:a scaffold will be erected and the whole dramatic scene will bo realistically enacted.-No, I cannot tell how tho actual execution , will be etago-managed, bnt it wilhbe/.grimly true. "The entire 4000 performers will be seen in The finale,, and the object will bo to show the' Church triumphant m all parts of the world. lno ie Tlenm will be sun? by 41)00 voices, and eo each day s pageant will come to an end."