The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-30

around him. At little distance some big-headed
peasant OF Gers; and near him the nne features
and delicate profile of Bearnais, or the straght
built figures Of group Of Basques. The news, TOO
had spread beyond the border, and some Spaniards
were present, standing in their large cioaks III
sculptural tranquility while they prayed, with eyes
fixed patiently upon the grotto. Not an inch OIL
the road on the river banks on either side, not
hill nor the branch Of tree whence sight Of II
could be got, was unoccupled. More than 5000
men were numbered among the pilgrims that
morning, besides women and children, and theif
number increased every moment.
Faith. prayer, curiosity. scepticisn, the desire
for amusement must have been all among that
crowd and many motives doubtless brought II
there; but when Bernadette appeared to keep her
last appointment with the celestial visitor every
head was barred ana every knee was bowed at least
In the outward semblance Of devotion The child
was perfectly humble. There was no change in her
dress or appearance. She was too full OF her holy
mission to feel confused or to blush though police
men upon horseback now hemmed her in on all
sides and escorted her to her prayers.
The vision appeared to Bernadette on this day
also; told her to drink and to wash in the fountain
and to eat again Of the herb which grew there
then she told her to return to the priests and to
tell them that she desired chapel to be built and
professions to be formed on this spot.
The child asked the vision to tell her name, as
Jacob had done of divine visitor who came to him
before he was called Israel. But the radiant lady
gave her no answer. 'Prayer penitence and
abstinence" had been the three things enjoined
by the vision. "Pray, repent, drink water, eat
simple food" that seems to have been the sum
ana substance OF her command.
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
Bernadette still paid occasional visits to the
grottO after this and upon the 25th of March, the
festival OF the Apnunciation, she found an i'm.
mense crowd awaiting her, and the lady Of her
vision appeared to her with the same divine light
and with the same benign aspect as before. The
child twice asked her name, but two sweet linger-
ing smiles only replied to her. Then she asked
once more, and at this third prayer the lady
smiled again, and separating her hands, which
had been crossed upon her breast, she replied,
with gesture CT inefrable grace, ~ am the I'M
maculate Conception" Then she vanished.
Upon Easter Monday, also, April s, 1858, she who
had called herself the Immaculate Conception ap.
peared again to Bernadette; and the crowd around
her upon that day saw
SOMETHING MORE EXTRAORDINARY THAN EVER
Bernadette captivated and entranced by the beauty
of the vision joined her little hands above the flame
ola WAX TAPER WulCu SLc CoTTlcu, duQ WHICH TeSJeu
on the ground before her where she kneN. For more
than quarter Of an hour the dame blazed steadily
against her palms and passed In jets through her
fingers but Bernadette never moved, and the
ecstatic smilelremained fixed upon her face The
flames had no more power to injure her than they
had to harm those who of old time were cast into
the burning fiery furnace
BOARDING UP THE MIRACLE.
fho fms of Du,Ii IN
thought he would try his hand at putting an end
to the thing, and did so, with results-for time,
very short time. His Exceency commanded
that the Virgins grotto should be closed
up with boards and ordered all tres
passers to be fined. There was an idea
Tor you now The French of1cials had found
out the way to turn the miracles into money at last
and people went to be fined in great numbers.
Then some lltlgious persons would not be fined
any more, pulled down the boards, got into shin
dies with the police and were condemned to divers
pains and penalties for wanting to say their prayers
in their own way.
AN ECCLESIASTICAL RECOGNITION.
1t was upon the 10th Of July, on the feast of Our
Lady OF st. Carmel that Bernadette, who had gone
to pray In front Of the rock onhe opposite bank Of
the Gave, had once more, and for the last time, o
vision more splendid than ever OF the celestial
l6uy, duu bIlcu oL 1851 Vic
OF Tarbes resolved to interpose with his eccesias-
tical authority In coming to this determination
he was supported by the Archbishop OF Auch, the
Bishops OF Montpelier, SCISSORS, and that arch
guardian OF the Church. M. Louis Veufllot, the
famous editor OF the Ursfuers. Indeed 1t was high
time that something should be done. Pre-
feet Massey, In his baronial wisdom, had
issued orders to shave Bernadette's
head and to treat her as lunatic, while
NJ. Jacomet, the policeman, urged BY the French
officials, again since their appetites had been
sharpensd by fines, had stormed the grotto, turned
out the pilgrims, broken their kneeling apparatus,
seized their money and very nearly got himself
thrown into the River Gave. At the close Of july
1885, Monseigneur Laurence, Bishop of Tarbes instf
tuted o commission Of ecclesiastics and men OF
science to report upon the L0urdes miracles. Mean
time, however, all pilgrimages to the grotto were
forbidden upon pain or fine and imprisonment
AN IMPERIAL MANDATE.
Fortunately for the reputation of his reign, Ma
poleon III. happened at this moment to be at
Barritz. He was not demonstrative monarch.
He was man Of few words, and his ideas trans
lated themselves into action rather than language.
When he heard of the absurd behavior Of Minister
Roulaud, Project Massey and the French officials
generally his mournful eyes lighted up, as they
sometimes did, with cold CLEAN Of anger. He
shrugged his shoulders In q manner peculiar to
him and then rung the bell Of his study violently.
"Take that to the telegraph" he said briefly, to
the ofilcer OF his household who answered the
summons.
'That" was laconic despatch to the Prefect of
Tarbes commanding him instantly to cancel his
absurd prohibition, and to leave people free to 60
to the grotto Of Lourdes or not as they listed.
Meantime Bernadette had been confirmed, and
when her mission was ended she felt wish for a
life of religious retirement She is now one Of the
Sisters OF Charity Of Nevers. or character sim
gulary pious and simple, she aspires to no eccle-
siastical dtgnities and to no authority. She Is
merely Of the sick nurses or tarneteres OF the
sisterhood to which she belongs. Most Of those
who once prosecuted her have come to grief.
The Project, Massey, has carried his baronia wisdom
to another world.
On the 18TH January, 1862, the Bishop Of Tarbes
pronounced judgment on the Lourdes miracles;
and proclaimed by mandate, under his episcopal
SEAL that the ''lady" who had appeared to Ber-
n~sfw ~ v,rr.