The New York herald., 1873-08-16


work OF solid silver, gift OF Louis XII, who also
caused his own statue, In an attitude OF prayer 70
be set up before the tomb.
King Francis l., however, being In want oi
money, seized upon these things, and his over
throw at Pavia, which consigned him as prisoner
to Charles ", has always been attributed py the
Church to his irreverence for the patron salns VI
France There can be no doubt that II must nave
considerably shaken the faith and consequently
cooled the courage OF his followers. Now, when
faith Is absent and courage begins to doubt, what
Is, what can be the fate Of host and Its leaderf
In 1852 the Hugnen0ts fell upon the cloister OF e'
Martin, pilaged the church, ravaged the tomb
stole the treasures OF It, melted the sacred vases
burned the bodies OF the saints, ana nnished their
work by setting fire to st. Martins relics. Never
theless
PORTION OF ME HEAD AND ARM
vere saved from the connagration, and the furious
fanatics being ultimately expelled from the neigh
borhood by force OF arms st. Martins tomb was
rebuilt as 1t ever had been. His blackened cinders
were collected by pious hands, and put into small
silver casket and returned to the same spot where
his body had formerly been laid; also the place
where his ashes had been thrown by the
RAGE AND CONTEMPT or THE HUGUENors
was surrounded by an iron railing, and, up to the
time OF the revolution, pilgrims from many lands
press ID round it to gaze upon the flowers which
grew In that sanctined soil. The cupcla and the
columns which supported 1t were likewise rebuilt,
and therein were enclosed the scanty remains OF
the saint which had been saved from PROCLAMATION.
Thus 1. seems that the hercest fights OF hostile
armies and widest phrensy Of angry sects
had indeed succeeded IN reducing the body
and bones Of st. Martin to q shapeless heap
OF ashes, but they had, In no sense, diminished
<ha In vvhtc hfc Wau hny6
shaken the confidence felt in hts intercesslon. To
his shrine still came the sick to pray that they
might be healed the sorrowful to seek for comfort
from on high, and the just TO ask that they might
not faint or grow weary in well doing.
The French revolution, which broke out at the
close Of the eighteenth century, and swept all re-
lgious things away as heap Of rubbish, dispersed
the Dean and Chapter Of st. Martin, demolished
his church and scattered his relics, so that in 1902
there no longer existed tomb or basillsk or Mar
tiuop0lis The site upon which the basllisk was
built is now traversed by two Streets the Rue St.
Martin and the Rue Descartes. The very building
materials of his temple were sold by the Coaven-
ton, but the veneratlon OF the saint remains as
fresh and fervent as ever.
few years ago, therefore, the idea OF revivlng
pilgrmages to the tomb of st. Martin had entered
no mans mind The utmost that could be done by
Monseigneur Morlot, Cardinal Archbishop Of Tours,
in 1854, was to bless and approve pious associa-
tion which had been formed under the name Of
"Euvre dc st. Martin" (St. Martins charity), to
mantle which he rent to clothe o beggar In the
town Of Amiens.
BEGINNING OF THE RESTORATION.
This was the beginning of the business. The
'0cuvre de st. Martin" was charity which
had life in 1t. and, from the time Of
Its foundation, the nine days or prayer,
which every year precede the festival OF
the patron Saint Of France November 11) were
celebrated with more and more magni6cence and
attended by more numerous congregation.
Pilgrims also began to be seen now and then at
Marmoutier, where st. Martin resided during his
episcopate; at Candies, whore he gave back his
soul unstained to heaven; at Liguge, where he
founded the first monastery Of the Gauls, and al
Olivet where the relics Of his mantle had
been recently found. At the same time the
archives Of France and England were ransacket
for plans OF the tomb and basilsk which had
been destroyed. A committee was formed
to 90 into the work in a business
like MANNER and it was soon ascertained that
the case was not so bad as 1t seemed In the first
place. 1t was proved to demonstration by these
means that the site OF St. Martins tomb, con-
trary to the general belief had not been made q
public highway. Then, In 1851, rich man. who
was q member Of the committee, gave 16o, DOOR.
out OF his private fortune to purchase all the cot
tages which had been built upon the site. saw
this rich man. He came up and spoke to me, as
well he might, as stood in st. Martins church, q
pilgrim at the shrine he had helped to restore. He
was stont, fresh-colored rich man, with con-
tented countenance and an agreeable smile.
dare say he was good hand at bargain, and
that he dli not pay too much for the houses which
he bought Tor pious purposes and that things have
prospered with him ever since he rose to notice in
that way. was standing near the French Duke,
whom he recognized as an habitual pilgrim by the
red cross and the sacred heart upon his breast 1t
notice, but would have preferred great deal OF
1t, and was apprehensive that his light might
be hidden under bushel. for q personal
friend at his elbow tod me his name. which have
forgotten, though he spoke 1t in o loud whisper.
The Romans used to call such personal friends
"shadows." Perhaps they are.
At last, on the sth Of December, 1859, Monseig.
neur Guibert the present Cardinal Archbishop
OF Tours, soemnly approved project for the re-
establishment OF st. Martins tomb and issued an
archiepiscopal circular to that effect. After this
bencdlctlon the committee went on with such en-
ergy that on the 14th of December, 1862 at eleven
O'Clock post meridian, the tomb OF st. Martin, rs
indicated by historical record, was individually
found.
THE NATIONAL CREED OF FRANCE
Is this-nameiy, that God will bless the work
which began when this tomb was discovered
that He will reanimate all hearts by His grace, and
cause them TO turn with hope and confidence
towards st. Martin. the patron saint OF France.
One would not think 1t who saw French gentle
men dancing the culscdn at Buers and at Ma
bille but all Frenchmen are not such Frenchmen
as these.
The more educated class OF Frenchmen, by which
] mean the mobiles Of the old faubourg, who are
very carefully instructed, really do trust that
princes and people Will come aforetime to pros
trate themselves before the bones Of the miracle
worker.
That they actually, as matter Of fact, do come
isseen In this, that the proprietor OF the most 60
ahead newspaper OF the IorlI has sent corre-
spondent hither TO give an account\of them and he