The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-11-07
A Rellsaous Sensation Is rrsnce- -1'lss

l trarfs letter ln the New; York World 3 &.
Lourdes could not be situated In d loYelier
place. It Is on d lofty, steep mountain, n spur
of the Pyrenees. In front of It lies q valley
fertilized by the waters Of LIE Gave, and
which extends to the gapin the distant ridge
| which bounds the horizon with its snow
capped peaks. The villages nestle SO closely
| in the mountain's base not one of them is to
be described from the shrine. Look where
You may, not house Is visible. The land
| scape. is cLeckercd only by grass and vine
and woods, browsing sheep and goats, Ste
lllc granite, and eternal snow. All is lighted
| by the sun Of southern France. What mira.
cles this miracle hath wrought! When NJ.
Henri Lassere wrote his book telling how bis
blindness had been removed by water from
Lourdes grotto, when NJ. Victor Paine
published the work, the former was a DOOR
| writer for the press and the latter
an obscure publisher. The volume sold
by hundreds of thousands of COPIES, the
author has received $4,000 from it, and it
still yields him $4,000 year; the publisher is
wealthy. The Southern Railway Company's
receipts at Lourdes station are 81 200 day
all the year round. and the pilgrimage of the
9Th of October put $4,000 in its treasury.
Every year the company has determined to
build monumental station at Lourdes, and
every year the accepted plans have been
found inadequate to the stations require
| ments. Lourdcs was wretched hamlet.
without a single inn; no railway trains
| stopped there. Now there are fifty shops of
religious articles" alone, none making les,
than 5000 month, and the majority of them
$500 month. Whole villages in the neigh
borhood are supported by the manufacture
Of "beads." There are dozen hotels in
Lourdcs, and every house has furnished
| lodgings. A subscription TO place an organ
in the church at the grotto was opened.
Twenty thousand dollars were at once sub.
scribed.
The miracle occurred on Shrove Thurs
day, February. 1858. Bermdettc Soubirous,
Il girl fourteen years old, was gathering
| wood on the mountain. While near the
Grotto de Massabiellc she perceived in the
grotto woman Of angelic beauty, wearing
Il long white dress with blue belt. Bcr1,a-
dette was terrified at first, but seeing la dame
rccite her beads she initiated her and fell on
her knees and.swooned. When Bcrnadctte's
senses returned la dame had disappeared
Bernadcttc returned the next and fol-
lowing days, and saw Ia dame each time ::
but la dame never appeared TO ANYBODY but
to Bernadctte. The villagers in crowds fol-
lowed Bernadctte without seeing ANYBODY.
and told Bernadette {: q" Take pen, ink. mid
paper, and beg the virgin to give Us evidence
that she has indeed visited the Grotto de Mas
ISABELLE" Bernadcltc did so, but the rirgin
smiledand refused to write. When Beruadette
reported her unsuccessful requests she be-
| calnc the butt Of the village, and the curate
himself refused to give the least credit to
what she said. Bernadette depored her
| hard fate to la dame, who babe her scratch
| the ground Whereon she stood and she
would discover spring there-Notre Dame
dc Lourdes Spring. She did as directed and
discovered an abundant spring. Everybody
cried, "a miracle has / cen wrought!" Still,
| until NJ. Las ere published his book, the
miracle had merely n local reputation. The
| events of the last two years current incl
dents, the mcnacinS future, have created in
many minds Il ycarning for that support
man finds only when he rests on Heaven.
The Importance of religion as a social
necessity is more keculy felt than ever.
1t Is, moreover, desirable for dcyout people
to count themselves and to show the world
| how strong numerically they are. All the
causes combined have made this pilgrimage
to buurdcs extremely important. The num-
Der of pilgrims fell below expectations. One
hundred thousand were reckoned on; ;wen-
ty.tiye thousand only CAME. This difference
was doubtless due in part to the disturbances
at Nantes and to approximations of still
9riycr scenes. Moreover, there were ru-
morS current that Henry V. Count dc Cham
bord) would be proclaimed King at Lourdcs.
Thm;d people kept at home. Nevertheless
the pilgrimage was imposing. There were
eight bishops and two thousand priests, all
Of whom celebrated mass. and will carry
back to their parishes stories likely to extend
| the enthusiasm for Lourdcs.