Mexborough and Swinton Times March 31, 1939

Bible Pageant
Striking Performance at Mexborough
Seven Churches Combine

A scene depicting the arrival in Britain of St. Augustine.

A composite pageant, given by the churches of Mexborough, has this week been brilliantly performed in Olympia Hall, Mexborough; to call to mind, as the prologue stated, “the history and greatness of the English Bible.” With the expert help of the producer of the Green Room Club, Mr. J. Verdi Popple, the able co-operation of seven churches, a sufficiently large stage and a finely dressed cast who have had more than average histrionic ability, the production has been lifted from the usual realms of a mere procession of biblical characters into fine and instructive entertainment.

It would not make for the continuity of the sequence to state which individual churches took part in the various scones which briefly depicted the advent and translation of what has subsequently proved to be the world’s greatest seller, nor is it the desire of the performers who, in the words of one of the church secretaries, “would like to be represented as part of a successful whole rather than a disconnected unit.”

A list of the integrals of this “successful whole” will be found at the end of this account ; it is sufficient to say that the large measure of success was entirely duo to the general integrity of feeling as such stage devices as were employed were of extremely simple character.

Before each scene the prologue gave the sequential context and location of the characters.

Coming Of St. Augustine.

In four complete scenes the story opened with the coming of St. Augustine from Rome to Kent, there to meet the dubious King Ethelbert and his wife, Bertha who, coming from France, was already a Christian. Augustine was accorded a warm, if suspicious welcome, with the coming of Christianity a new spirit was said to have entered into the life of England, songs became less fierce, faith replaced fatalism and sorrow was relieved by hope.

The second scene was the monastery of St. Hilda’s at   Whitby, where Caedmon asked to speak to the Abbess Hilda and told her that he had dreamed a dream and now it sung through his head—”the song of all created things.”

The Venerable Bede, who, first as a little boy, was taken into a monastery and who studied the scriptures and Latin, was one of the first translators of the Latin writ.

The third scene showed how the great scholar peacefully passed away, a commentator on the scriptures, a compiler of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and, first English history, and the man who, on his death bed, translated the Gospel of St. John and died as the last words passed his lips.

King Alfred.

The next scone portrayed the youth of King Alfred who showed a liking for his books, and an incident in the history of the Bible in the middle ages when the monks were busy illuminating those glorious pages, was of more complex character.

Slowly through the middle ages the church grow richer and richer and men entered its bounds more for ease of living than the spreading of true Christianity. A scene showing Langland, who lived among simple folk and John Wycliffe who preached against worldliness of thG church, was full of historic interest.

With the Renaissance the need of the translated Bible became greater. William Tindale realizing that England would not tolerate his work, decided to translate abroad and another vivid scene showed how the first copies that filtered through from abroad were received, and in a last impression the whole world was shown as having received the epic book in the mother tongue.

With studied reverence the whole scenes were carried through with a dignity and conviction that was heightened by choral plain chants from an invisible choir.

The pageant was a credit to producer and cast and there was an audience of over 500 at the first performance on Tuesday night.

The Pageant was repeated yesterday