The Duquesne Christmas Mystery

THE DUQUESNE
CHRISTMAS MYSTERY

AS WRITTEN BY
THOMAS WOOD STEVENS
TO BE ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF
DUQUESNE PENNSYLVANIA
XXIII DECEMBER
MCMXVI

WITH DECORATIONS BY
HARRY LAWRENCE GAGE

EFORE US is a steep hillside, crossed midway by a paved road. Up the center of the hill are stairways of stone, with wide landings; at the top, blocking out the stars, is a dark building with crenellated turrets. Beside the roadway is a windowless hut—a mere blind wall—and at each side of this wall the stairways ascend. Below is a playing field, and beyond this, further down, a river, with great mills beside it, where even at Christmastide the loud forges are flaming.

From the high turrets a sound as of many trumpets floats down. Then a light breaks on the level above the roof of the hut, and one sees dimly three figures, grave, majestic, imperative—the Prophets Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah.

List ye, as it is written, so spake I

Isaiah: For the Lord Himself shall send

Ye forth a sign; a virgin shall conceive,

And bear a son, and ye shall call his name

Immanuel.... And to thy light shall come

Gentiles, and kings unto the brightness of

Thy risen star.

List ye, as it is written, so spake I,

Micah, prophet of God’s will:

Thou, Bethlehem, though thou be little among

The thousands of Judah, out of thee shall come

Him who shall rule in Israel, whose path

Hath from of old been destined, everlasting.

List ye, as it is written, so spake I,

Hosea: When Israel was a child

I loved him well, and for his sake I called

My son out of dark Egypt.

So spake we, prophets of the wandering years,

Lifting our hearts in hope to beat with God.

List ye, for He hath wrought our visions out,

And He hath sent His Son to feed His flock

Like to a shepherd. He hath gathered home

The lambs unto His bosom. Praise His name.

The three Prophets disappear. Below, on the hillside, three Eastern Kings are seen approaching.

Stay, brothers and princes. The star is lost.

Now for twelve nights it hath burned clear.

And floated on before to guide our steps.

Here is some evil thing that it should fade.

Some evil near. Stay we our course. The star

That westward we have trailed from Araby

And your bright orient kingdoms, will not fail

Until the prophecies we read of old

Be new fulfilled. But peril to the Child

Might dim its fire.

Yea, in the ancient scrolls

Are dangers written deep. The star-flame blows

Back at the heavy tread of mailed feet.

Below, on the stairway, Herod appears, and comes slowly up followed by guards and counsellors.

What gleam of helmets yonder, and of gold?

Some lord is this, whose rule is not as ours.

Hail, Prince, and peace, and light unto thy path!

What stranger kings are these who come unknown,

Unbidden, to my realm?

From out the East

We come, Melchoir, and Jaspar, King of Taurus,

And he who speaks you here, Balthasar

Prince of Araby. We are come to seek

A Child new-born whose mystic star we found

As prophets had foretold from long ago,

A Child born to be King of the Jews. We come

With gifts to greet and worship Him. Say thou

Where is this Child?

King of the Jews, ye say.

I know Him not.

Who art thou, good my lord?

Forgive mine evil courtesy, sir princes,

But I am troubled.... Herod is my name, a king

In this lean land of Judah. Speak you fair,

And say again—this star—these prophecies?

The star hath led us westward, wondering on;

The prophecies name Bethlehem, a town

Little in Judah, whence shall come a King

To rule in Israel, anoint of God.

I knew it not. I have no child.... But when

First saw ye this new star?

Twelve nights ago.

’Tis like the Child was born that night.

Yea, very like, and have ye told me all?

All that hath been revealed. We wait

Here with our gifts. The star may burn again.

My greetings, Princes. Freedoms of my realm

Be yours. But this I pray you, when you find

The Child indeed, bring me straight word of it.

For I would worship also.

Herod goes down the stair, and pauses at the central landing, his spearmen and counsellors about him.

Dreams and seditions! When these kings return,

These dark intruding Magi, with their babe,

Bring them before me. They adventure far

But I will send them on a longer quest.

Whither wilt send them, Tetrarch?

Unto death.

For all their dreams are treason ’gainst my house.

And if they do not find the child?

Still—death.

For they have mocked me, searching.

Hear ye my sentence: if they find this child,

He dies. And if they find him not, but slip

Out of my hands unrecompensed, then all

Men children of this young child’s year, shall die,

That he escape not.

These be bloody words.

I have my prophets too. Wouldst flout their law

And mine? Set on.

Herod and his people move slowly down the stairways into darkness. In radiance above the center appears the Messenger Gabriel.

The watchers of the skies, God’s messengers,

Keep ward upon this land to-night. The tyrant

Speaketh true: the olden words shall fall

Like blades of harvest on the innocents

And Rachael weep, and weep uncomforted.

So it is written. But the child they seek

Dies not, but waits his agony, serene

Amid the singing of the morning stars.

The Gloria in Excelsis is heard afar off. At the left, on the hillside, a faint light glows upon a group of watching shepherds. As the light brightens, they hear the heavenly voices, see the angel, and, struck with awe, fall upon their knees.

Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of

great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day, in the city of David,

a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find

the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

The shepherds gather wondering, as the heavenly messenger disappears and the chorus echoes into silence.

Saw ye, my brothers?

Yea truly, and marveled.

And lo, our people come now from the hills

With wonder upon them.

Let the sheep graze alone. The Lord his hand

Is over us and all our flocks to-night.

This we have seen is in God’s will. And men

Hearing of us this strange new word, will come

From far to kneel adoring,—all such men

As we who toil and watch. Not unto captains

Of wrath, high lords, and governors of cities

Did he speak, but unto simple folk he came

And cried his tidings of great joy. To us

God’s messenger doth pledge a Saviour Christ,

And they who toil and watch, shall know of it.

Let us go now unto Bethlehem and see the thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Again the trumpets sound, and a mighty music of voices aspires as the thronging messengers of heaven appear along the central causeway. Before them, above the windowless wall, a star swings magically into flame. The Shepherds and the Eastern Kings move toward the star, enwrapt and silent.

Now the wall seems suddenly to vanish. In its place, filled with a golden radiance, is the manger, and Mary the Mother holding the Child.

The Shepherds kneel in adoration; and the Kings lay at her feet their gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Up from below come slowly the men and women of the nations who dwell in the city, they too kneeling till the stairways are dark with them; and all the while the music swells with a great gladness.

The vision fades, and the people turn singing to the darkness below, where the forges are clanging.

And now the Tree on the playing field breaks into light, and down the stone stairways patter the feet of many children, trooping with song to dance around its glistening spire.

THE DUQUESNE CHRISTMAS MYSTERY

THE DUQUESNE
CHRISTMAS MYSTERY