, 1874-05-03
MODERN MIRACLES.

We have been treated to lArge doses Of the su-
pernatu1al during, the last few years. The man
,festations have been arbitrarily classed as OF
the devil OF Of the Lord, according as they were
wrought by persons outside or inside the Roman
Catholic Church. When the closets Of the ho-
rayian settlement ut Bethlehem sWarmed with
ghosts Of blood-bedabbled heads and SHADES
of clutching hands. ''demoniacal posses-
zion Was tho ready explanation And,
in truth, the fnane tricks Of the Az
e1aee spirit drumming OF guitars, and
carving Of handkerchiefs and laying On OF
hands.-are too utterly frivolous to be ascribed
to any very lofty source. Yet the devl must be
vondrously stupid il he buaies himself in such
WAYS. The miracles OF to-day are, however, but
little better. Why should the Virgin Mary float
aronud in the air over = certain spring
Or whv should ths holy Spirit, in the
shape Of white dove. enter oathe-
dral and fy around the head OF q
priest who denounces the seizure Of Rome
by 1taly7 Surely. these are very trlfltng mira-
cles. scarcely better than none at all Yet mark
the C0m1u0kOA hAo5 ~AAoo' ~ 3A~AA ~A%AA- A'~A~~
she sees the Virgin lowering over the Grotto Of
| Jnnnrdes. She tells her innocent fiction. Pres
toI up goes \ chapel and down 60 the
| pilgrims, hastening from every part OF
| Franco, Special trains are run for them
! Tha engines are decked with crosses.
There is a National Assembly excursion. The
deyout Deputies sing, On their journey. hymns to
the Virgin and Henry Fifth, to Heaven and
France 1t ia curious po!itico~relgious affair
Fancy = Congregational excursion to place
where diseased girl thought abe had seen God,
with singing Of hymns in the French fashion:
Praise God from whom all blessings now,
And Grant, our patron he1a below.
Miracles have been most common On French
so;1 National humiliation and the {ancled per-
secution OF the Church have put thu
common people into restless state
Of mind that givos ready evidence X
reports Of great deeds wrought BY Heaven II
comfort France or Rome. Moreover. the clergy
hayo hitherto encouraged such belief. 4 gu
in San Francisco announced, BONE time since
that her body had been miraculously impressed
with the sticmata. The marks were there, SUR
enough Crowds came to sec this palpable mira
Gle. But the Catholic Bishop OF that diocese
. like a wise man, cot feminine detective t
watch the girl. She WAS soon caught pickini
the skin OF her hands and feet will
her nails. The miracle collapsed. There Was
a similar case in Germany. The most noted OF tn
t French clergy, Bishop Dupanloup, who left tn
I French Academy when 1t admitted q rank inhde
to it's sacred circle, has apparently learned wia
dom By the experience OF his German Al
! American brethren, and has turned infidel him
b self, 80 far as miracles are concerned. He ha
, | written = pastoral letter strongly condemnin
, that craving foz the wonderful whic
| marks sensational religion. He quotes til
| saving Of Pho Mono: IT do not give much credi
to prophecies, because those in particular whic
r have been recently produced do not deserve
: be read" Yet the Pope's children do not her
| agree With the Pope. 4 book written, in suppo1
Of = prophecy that the world Was to and On th
9 18th Of last February found 5000 buyers |
j., France. It will be seen that prophecy pays,
r as, indeed, DR.. Cummings has already fount
t | It would have cost him much money il the la
: trump had been blown at the time he fri
, | fixed for it. Each Of his failures in prophec
4 has given him chance to write = fresh boo1
t containing tho very latest news about tho dn'
. | n~xra ar.n nrfor7nstinn Aoana Eaut chAneb hi