MODERN MIRACLE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23085, 9 July 1938, Page 9 (Supplement)

MODERN MIRACLE

Blind Toy Finds His Sight After Da For 17 Years

A THOUSAND years ago, pilgrims flocked to the shrine of Qld Sarum on the hill outside Salisbury, in England, to wonder at its miracles. The Saxon high place, its shrine, its priests, its miracles, have long been buried in the dust of ages; but from the holy ground the memory of them iises still. Not far away a miracle has taken place as wondrous as any that ever hallowed Old Sarum. The Toymaker A blind old man has iound the sight he had lost for 17 years. He is Alfred Edginton who, though he is Hearing 70, htill makes toys with clever fingers whose touch has served him instead of eyes, and for his toys lie was recently given a special award by the Wiltshire Arts and C'ralts Society. Everyone in Salisbury knows old Air. Edginton and bis talent, and one day not lony; ago the curate of St. Martin s (Hev. F. .J. Colyer) went to see him and they talked about the chancel of the church. The blind man had never .seen it, but that night be dreamed that he stood in the chancel and saw it all as Mr. Colyer had described it. He saw it in all its detail, and when he woke he felt he must go to the church. The rest of the story is as it is told to us by Canon Willson, Hector of St. Martin's. The blind man sought his friend Mr. Colyer, went with him to the church, and together they knelt down for

prayer. They rose, and Mr. Edginton drew near the chancel which had been described to him. Ho was suddenly stunned as by a flash of light. To him it seemed to shine above the altar, and he was so overcome that he had to be assisted to a chair to recover.' For a few minutes he sat trembling, his hands over his eyes. His friend laid hands on his head to calm him, thinking lie was in a state of excitement, and then Alfred Edginton found to his bewilderment that ho could see! A Gift of God The chancel stood revealed before him, as lie had been told of it, never dreaming that lie would see it. But there were other sights to fall upon the eyes to which some miracle had restored the sight lost years before. For the first time since then he saw bis wife. Ho looks now on che faces of his grandchildren. He can see the toys his fingers made in the dark. The 20th century has vouchsafed to Salisbury a miracle that a thousand years ago would have been acclaimed as the gift of God. So we acclaim this miracle now.