MIRACLES AT LOURDES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9028, 5 November 1892, Page 10 (Supplement)

MIRACLES AT LOURDES.

EXTRAORDINARY SCENES. One February mid-day, in the year 1858, one of three children, a little girl of 14, was observed by her companions, with whom she had been occupied gathering wood by the side of a stream, suddenly to fall upon her knees before a small grotto in the overhanging cliff, and there to remain in prayer

for about a quarter of an hour; on rising from her knees and turning to the 'other children, she asked them if they had not seen anything ; and, on their replying that they had not, she informed them, °after some hesitation, that just as she was stooping down to take off her shoe? with the intention of crossing the stream she had hoard a sudden noise, like the sound of a great wind, and on looking up towards the little grotto had seen the rock gloriously illumined, and in the middle of the flood of

light, with her feet seeming to rest on a largo wild rose tree that clambered across the face of the cliff, stood a lady clothed in dazzling white, who smiled and stretched her hand to her. ■ Of course this story was received with absolute incredulity by the child's mother, who said the whole thins; was nonsense, and forbade her going back to the grotto. A couple of days after, however, permission to do so was obtained, and she repaired thither, accompanied by her mother and some little friends. After some waiting, and praying, the girl's face suddenly lit up, and, pointing to the rock, she cried out to her companions, "Look, there she is ! Don't you see her ?" But none of them saw anything, except the bare rock and the wild rose. A third day, and the same thing was repeated, the lady on this occasion making the child promise, so she said, to return every day for a fortnight to visit her at the grotto. The story was soon all over the town, and first a hundred people flocked to the grotto to witness what was goin<j forward, then five hundred, then several thousands, until at the end of a fortnight over twenty thousand persons made their way from all the country round, and thronged in dense masses along the foot of the cliff to await the arrival of the child for her daily visit. In all, the number of these apparitions amounted to eighteen, after which they ceased; and, notwithstanding constant visits to the spot, the child was never again favoured with a sight of her beautiful and radiant lady. During one of the later apparitions the girl, apparently obeying some sign of the mysterious figure, was seen to go to a corner of the grotto and scratch-with her fingers in the dry earth. The crowd, much astonished at this proceeding, wore yet more surprised when they saw her appear to take water in her hands and begin to drink. They thought she was mad ; when suddenly a narrow ribbon of water was observod to spring from the place where she had been scratching and made its way down towards the river. In a day or two it had grown to bo a considerable spring, and in a short time was calculated to give over 120,000 litres of water each day. Already before the cessation of the apparitions some startling occurrences had been reported. A man, for instance, who, owing to an explosion, had lost tho sight of one eye twenty years before, regained it instantaneously on applying some of this wonderful water. In 1872 the numbers of pilgrims in six mouths amounted to 140,001); and a great national French pilgrimage came to be organised every year. This year some 20,000 souls presented themselves at Gourdes on the 20th of August. Over 12,000, bringing with them 1100 sick, had

come from Paris and the north in 17 special pilgrimage trains. The sufferings endured by these poor people, in every stage of sickness and disease, during those lon# two days, packed in suffocating and crowded

carriages, one cannot readily imagine. My duties consisted in receiving the sick at the door, assisting them to undress, and leading them down to the piscinaa large bath into which the water from the groto is introduced. Tho water in the piscina is only renewed twice a day, and very soon presents a turbid, frothy aspect, which, in persons of somewhat finer susceptibilities than the majority of my patients, would have lent, in my eyes, a spice of heroism to the determination to take a plunge therein. Yet, even so, there was, indeed, no lack of heroism. The patient, after ho is divested of his clothing, is enveloped in a wot loincloth just discarded by his predecessor,

plunged in the same bath which he knows has done duty previously to fifty other sufferers from every kind of human affliction, and then dressed again at once without anv pretence of drying. " You know," said one poor fellow to me, shyly—a lean, wheezylooking being, suffering for years from chronic bronchitis—as he stood shivering and looking down at tins cold, back-water, you know, this sort of thing may be all very well for a bad leg, but it really does require some faith to try it for bronchitis !" And he went down bravely into it, smothering the involuntary gasp which was forced from him at the contact with the chilly flood, and prayed with an earnestness of devotion truly moving to us bystanders.

1 wish 1 could give an adequate impression of the .scene. Within the piscina

—a lon},' room containing three baths and crowded with invalids, each under the charge of one or two attendants— a constant murmur of prayer filled the ears. As each patient came down for immersion four or five of the assistants gathered round to join, with arms uplifted, in praying with him. The demeanour of the sick men themselves was very various. Some, with eyes closed and hands clasped, and with an air of complete resignation on their faces, lay quietly back to await what might befall them. Others, clutching wildly at our hands as we led them down, flung themselves about, and beat the water in an agony of despair, crying out imploringly that health and strength be given them. A few, with perhaps more vigour than devotion, kneeling erect, flourished their hands almost threateningly aloft, exclaiming, "Cure us, Holy Virgin ; Holy Virgin, you must cure us !" Most pathetic were some of the incidents. One of the figures most noticed among the crowd of sick was that of a Capuchin friar, blind and almost stone-deaf, who had been brought from far by two of his brethren in hopes of obtaining cure. These accompanied him to the piscina, all dressed in the long robes of their order. He was led down to tho water, pale, silent, but full of hope, and bathed. " And now you can hear us?" asked one of the friars, confidently, as ho helped him out again. No reply. "Bub surely you could hear when they were in the water ?" he persisted. Still no answer. " And could you nob even hear our voices when wo prayed for you ?" he exclaimed, wonderingly. Alas ! though, I saw his sad face four times returning to the piscina, and I thought, " Surely if any man deserves healing, this is hethe water had no virtue for him, and he went away uncured.

Outside the piscina, from the grotto right, along the foot of the cliff, is stationod, from early morning till late evening, a vast crowd, among whom various prayings and preachings, hymns and litanies, are continually going forward. In the afternoon, right through the middle of this great throng, passes the procession of the Blessed Sacrament, the crowning feature of the whole pilgrimage, which everybody comes down to attend. The sick are all brought out from the piscina and stationed along the route in litters, chairs, or on benches, according to their condition* First come some hundred priests, all holding lighted tapers; then another hundred, also with tapers, but wearing surplices. These are followed by the higher dignitaries in their robes, and finally by the great canopy, under which walks a priest carrying the sacred Host. As the procession passes along, another priest stationed among the people gives out ejaculations—" Lord Jesus, we love Thee," " if -Thou wilt, Thou canst make us whole"which are repeated in one great shout by all the assembled thousands. As the Ifost draws near the excitement grows greater, the priest ever straining his voice more and more, and the answering shouts rising constantly higher and louder. Thousands of hands are held alofb, every head is uncovered, all who are able on account of the press sinking on their knees as the Lord passes by. Mothers with their sick children on their laps strain them forward, holding up their arms in adoration. Every now and again one of the unfortunates breaks from among the crowd and rushes toward the Blessed Sacrament, falling on his knees right under the very canopy. And then a way is kept, and all the sick who are able to follow in the wake, and those who are nob able watch the bop of the canopy with straining eyes as it disappears among bhe multitude, surrounded by its great swinging lamps, Bbretchi. , out) their bands after ib and

crying again, " Lord, give me my sight," ••Lord Jesus, make me to hear," "Lord, not my will, but Thine be done." It was the most affecting scene I have ever witnessed, and greaG sobs from all around testified to the profound emotion it excited. Are any cures wrought that could not be effected just as well anywhere else by a little well directed imagination ? I saw many cases certified. Of course people will say either imagination invents the disease, or suggestion cures it. Can imagination invent a cancer, or suggestion euro a tuberculosis tumour ? I cannot expect to convince people by this sort of second-hand testimony, nor should I wish to do so. .