The New York herald., 1873-10-11
More About the National Religious Pill
grimageS Of France.
An Attempt to Enlist Workingmen Into
the Revival.
A TALK WITH THE CURE.
The FascinatiOns Of Church Traditions and
Their Effect on The DevOlee.
LIEssE, August II, 1873.


fifteen hundred inhabitants and a considerable
1oating population OF pilgrims, for the pilgrimages
20 ON all the year round, even in the depth OF
winter.
The country around Is bare and bleak, the soil
poor, and little but rye or beetroot can be got
out Of 1t. The Prince OF Monaco, q prince OF
pleasant Sort is, the greatest OF the local mag
mates, and has the good TO prefer the life Of
q country gentleman in France to
KIsGING IT IN SMALL WAY
at Monaco Perhaps because he has unhappily
lost his right for time. He maintains consider
able state at the Castle OF Marchas, and is hos
pitable, good natured and open handed. The
estate on which he resides for great part OF the
year is one OF the few large landed properties still
kept together In France. The house is really
fine old house. and 1t Is surrounded by about four
hundred acres OF park, very little oft being under
cultivation. 1t has good shooting, good fishing and
some deer. The walks and drives about 1t are
admirably kept. 1t s wonderful that SO fine
place should have escaped the changes and chances
OF 80 many revolutions.
The Prince OF Monaco takes no public part in the
pilgrmages to Liesse, but his neighbor the Marquis
de st. Waller, who resides at the
CASTLE OF COUCY,
s one of the chief leaders and promoters OF them.
Liesse itself is not lively place, and the natives
sons disposed to awake and stir them up az un-
seasonable hours. They are generally disinclned
TO exertion of any kind, averse to boot cleaning,
coffee making and dinner getting. There is pot
Of cofee, which was made one day last week,
standing somewhere in an outhouse. II pilgrim
will wait till q fire is wanted for other purposes
perhaps it mag be boiled up; perhaps not. II he
really wishes to have it warmed he had better 60
and look for it. "Tenez," says mine hostess ''here
Is the key OF the outhouse / think 1t was lett
there" The mode OF breakfastng at Liesse Is to
walk about near a nat cheese OF dark mahogany
color and strange smell. The native carries a
loaf Of spongy bread, OF the same size and shape
as horse collar. in his left hand; in
his right is clasp pocket-knife, with which he
makes occasional grave digs at the morose cheese,
which looks much inclined to resent them. This
repast the native mostens with some violet
colored fluid OF extreme sourness, supposed in the
neighborhood to De called wine Then as to dinner.
There will be some pork, stewed with potatoes,
towards one O'clock and twill 60 on stewlng,
with occasional additions, till about six O'Clock.
The pilgrim may eat any quantity of that which he
get laded out to him when he catches the
maid Of all work, and then he had better be on and
make his own bed, for nobody about the inn will
think Of doing so.
The funny papers are fond Of saying that
HOTEL WATERS ARE THE PROMOTERS OF PILGRIM.
AGES.
At Liesse there is not hotel waiter in the tow a.
and the only landlord OF an inn worth mention did
not conceal his opinion in private talk with me
that
PILGRIMS BOTHERED HIM.
'.Ah! naais, oui, Monsieur. = added his wife, with
a sigh OF conviction.
TIE CURE OF LIEssE
is a clergyman of high type, worn almost to a
shadow by lasting and vg1ls, yet mild -mannered
tolerant large minded indugent. He is OF
those
MEN WHO BUY SALVATION DEAR AND SELL 1T CHEAP.
He had certainly made no more by the Pilgrim
ages than the local hotelkeepers The only differ
ence in that respect between him ana them was
that the pilgrims did not bore him.
found him hard at work experimenting the
erection OF dinner tables Tor two thousand poor
pilgrims in the garden Of the seminary hard by his
dwelling 1t was bare dwelling, with none OF the
demure snugness OF a Protestant rectory about it,
which speaks SO plainly OF good cheer and good
housewilery.
The Cure told me that his parshioners were hon.
est. simple folk, very pious and well conducted
Indeed" said he, 'it could hardly be otherwise"
We had long conversation upon the Liesse pill
grimages, and he had an earnest unaffected belief
IN the efficacy OF prayer and the PROBABILITY OF
miracles resulting from it. He told me that an en-
deavor had been made TO lure the Partisan
work people gradually from the suburban wine
shop and aancing booth and to provide them with
better objects for their Sundays outings than riot
ing and tipsiness. 1.-TWO thousand OF them Will be
here next sunday" said he; ''tney will arrive in
the morning; they Will return at night. They Will
not lose one hours labor and the pilgrimage Will
cost them less than an excursion to Champigny
have three plentiful meals aurlng the day, with
wine included, Ior lour francs. BY these and other
abled to introduce the thought OF God into the
pleasures OF the laboring classes.r
While the Cure spoke l was especially struck
with the
BEAUTY OF ROMAN CATHOLIC WORSHIP.
1t keeps faith alive and warm. 1t Is not an I'M
comfortable Sunday mystery going on between
whitewashed walls. There is iood ior Imagination
in that story of the Eastern princess the three
Christian knights which first made sanctuary
of Liesse, and so there is in most OF the Catholic
legends. Tne Roman Catholic faith addresses
itself to the heart and the fancy and through them
The Cure OF Liesse seemed well beloved by his
1ock, and he took with him to see the distribu-
vision. 1t formed marked contrast to English
schools OF the same class, and | could not help
women were fitted for the business OF lie and now
much better and more amusngy taught they were
than the generality OF English girls. They played
a charming drawing-roonl comedy before us, as
only French girls could play 1t, and It had, OF
course, a pretty moral i, 1t closed WIN the neat
the heart, gratitude is the only certain test OF III
Tnen they sang song urging war OF extermina-
tion against butterflies
.'GUERRE AUX PAPILLoNs''-
who, the song averred, were unworthy to taste
those sweets which lie IN the bosoms OF flowers,
and which should be reserved for the laborlous
bee. Then they sang very sweet chorus, and
ALL GOT PRIZES.
observed that the girl who got the prize OF
honor was staid, persevering person. and that
the pfettest girl In the room bore the prize for
arithmetic: When the prizes OF honor had beeu
distributed some little mites, just able TO read
their primers, received prizes lor being good The
prizes were all the same, crown OF white roses
LOT nrst prize OF honor, crown OF laurel for the
other prizes, and wnat seemed to give especial
value to 1t was that the crown was put on by
Monsieur le Cure.
Leaving the Cure thronged by stout farmers
who had driven in from many distant homestead
TO take away their daughters for the summer
vacation, and who were loud and eager In their
efforts TO win positions near their pastor and to
share his smile, went into the parish church. IL Is
beautiful old building, ana its walls were all COW
cred with votive tablets recording some mercy
from on high