The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-09-06

merchant prince filled my glass, with . genial
smile.
There was silence.
'You are Matching thought" my friend. said
our host Bring forth.n
"No, am startled rather by doubt"
And the doubt IS" observed the Vicar Gen.
eraL
~ am doubling the legend OF Auch." said !.
at Is very proper subject Of doubt" remarked
the ecclesiastical lawyer, "but doubt is always In
danger OF
GOING TOO FAR"
"What is the legend OF Auchf' inquired our host
The legend OF Auch," replied. ''involves
small matter Of photography. The question is.
Can celestial beings spell correctly or can they
n0tf Some children at Auch have seen the Virgin
| Mary. They wrote to ask her what she wanted,
| and she answered them. also In writing thus
"'Frtez, Jete penitance, Auch sera detrtttt dams
| peu de tants.' What does this mean?
| The Vicar General laughed quiet, silent laugh
OF great enjoyment The lawyer frightened his
| straight lips. Our host opened his eyes with
amazement.
'.Perhaps 1t MEANS" said the Vicar General,
"that wherever there Is a work OF God going on
there Is a work OF the devil beside 1t. When the
unbelievers cannot meet US upon our own ground
they endeavOr to draw TO theirs and to try
our case upon false issue. II the miracle Of Auch
is doubtful, the uncertainty which attaches TO 1t in
no way Affects the miracles OF L0urdes. But II the
Virgin actually spoke to the children Of Auch, and
they wrote down what she said, they must have
written 1t down in accordance with their knowl-
edge OF photography at the time, or there would
have been two miracles Did the fishermen who
were the first disciples OF Christ, and
Mary Magdalene, write pure Greek or pure
Hebrew II they did not, and grammarlan ofthe
period had found grammatical faults in their mar
ratlve would that have invaded their testimony
as to what passed at the marriage in Cana OF
GaliIee, and respecting those wondrous words
which were spoken upon the Mount Of Olivesi
There are many disputed texts, both in the Bible
and In the New Testament. scholar of the time
OF Perlcles would possibly have smiled could he
have heard st. Paul preach to the Athenians"
'You want the names, ana dates and proofs"
said the lawyer, ''call upon me tomorrow morn
ing, and will give them to YOU"
Then the conversation became general and we
spoke OF French politics. The Vicar General observed
shat the clergy had no politics as body and that
some were legitimists, some Orleanists, some re-
publicans. The form OF French government had
never been made Church question, and never
would be. Every clergyman held his own opinion
as well as the New Testament, rather
POINTED TO REPUBLIC
than monarchy; but the first duty OF priest was
plainly to submit to the civil authorities whom he
found in pOwer.n
My host accompanied me on foot to my hotel, for
the August moon was shining at her full. Round
the fields Of Rheims the harvest was getting In.
and the pale gold OF the reaped fields showed in
strong contrast to the silver white OF the roads.
The roads are very good In France, and delightful
means oftravelling through the Champagne coun-
try would be on horseback, with saddlebags II
alone, or in phaeton and pair for Q honeymoon
tour. The next morning called on the ecclesias-
tical lawyer by appointment and this was the sub
stance OF our talk
We agreed, after more or less discussion and
with more or less reservation upon either side,
that freethnkers are rather persons Of o refresh
ing audacity than close reasOners They start from
the conviction that the world Is all their own; that
God has been definitely put aside as out OF fashion,
and that the doctrines Of the Catholic faith shou Id
be put in dust hole beside the pagan fables. The
professors OF modern schools and colleges consider
1t slur upon their reputation that It should be
seriously supposed they believe in Christianity.
Diplomatists remark with q sneer that religion has
nothing to do with government, and politicians
careful not to admit priests into their parlia
ments, not TO listen to them IL they are al.
mitted.
But the people OF France and other countries
cling with pertnacity to their priesthood and their
creed. The churches OF Paris were never full as
last Easter in period Of political anarchy and vo-
lent changes. Never was the crowd which wor.
shipped in them more devout; never were the re-
ligious convictions of the multitude so general or
so profound now that education is spreading
among all classes. The radical newspapers OF
Paris and some Of the great towns very witty
at the expense Of the clergy, and amuse wine shop
frequenters with profane jokes but the Figaro and
the best newspapers Of the provincial press are all
stanch supporters Of Catholicism; and it has come
o pass that we are now, alter nearly century OF
inndelity, In the midst OF great religious revival
The revival has been or has not been approved
by miracles from on high. Now either we must
deny the possibility OF miracles atogetner-and in
that case we must reject the whole Scriptures-0r
we must admit the possibility OF their occurrence,
and then the proof miracle must be treated by the
law OF evidence, like any other extraordinary &C.
currence.
But most people, and more especially the Anglo
Saxon race while perfectly ready TO admit the force
of logic when applied to terrestrial concerns, will
not consent to argue at all about the AFFAIRS OF
heaven. They deny that q miracle has happened or
can have happened, and they do not see the con-
sequences of that denial for IN the breath they
loudly profess their belief in Holy Writ which ex
pressy asserts that miracles have happened, and
that therefore they may occur again.
''Persons," said the ecclesiastical lawyer, "who
have no preconceived opinions, and who can be
convinced by evidence would do well to consider
seriously the following facts, which OF public
notoriety and which are certified by the honorable
endorsement OF
THE vIsCoUNT DE LA vAUssERIE.
Here are the papers connected with them. This
is the truth about them. Two children, living in
the parish OF ste. Marie des Batgnolles, have re.
Gently been cured of diseases in manner which
presents all the characteristics OF miracle"
Young Armand Wallet is the son OF Alsatian
parents, long established in Paris. His father Is
upholsterer residing at No. SO Rue Trufaut, at Ba
tgnolles The boy Is thirteen years DID, and he had