Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-10-29
croyiei Modern Shrines.

ror-enFs-DR TYSG's IMPRESSIONS AT
RECENT VISITS HE CHARGES THAT THEY
ARE MONEY MAKING INSTITUTIONS SIGHTS
HE SAW IN BOTH PLACES.
The Rev. Stephen H. Tying, ir., who
has Just returned from Europe, said In
conversation with representative OF the
New York Times on Sunday:
II have been abroad ever since the 18th
of Nav. and have travelled in England,
France. Switzerland and Italy. ran
down the whole French coast from Boul-
ogne to Biarritz, taking in all the water
ing places-Dieppe, Trouville, Etretat,
etc. besides crossing to the other side OF
the English channel and spending few
davs in the Isle of Wight. The weather
was good. and l enjoyed the trip abund-
antIy. What struck me most during my
whole absence was the two mlracle-work-
ing shrines of the Virgin at Lourdes,
France, and at Knock, Ireland. Both
are money-making institutions, and that
at Lourdes especially So Eighteen years
ago Lourdes was barren, deserted spot
at the base of the Pyrerees. Since that
time people have built there large, rich
and splendid church, one of the finest IN
the south of France, with so private al
tars, adorned with gold. jewels and pre-
cious stones, n multitude OF confession
ais. 300 elaborately embroidered banners
hanging in the ciere story. Instead of
the walls being lined with plaster, they
are covered entirely with richly polished
.aal va,-c''E slabs If r'erbies, porDhyry.
and other precious stones. eacn pearlng
the name Of the donor. Besides the
church, they have built out OF their con-
stantly increasing wealth three large mon
asteries adjoining 1t. The crowds OF
nlorin9 worshipers are Immense, num-
herring tens Of thousands, from all coun-
tries and nationalities. As l said before
IT is tremendously paying business,
The streets from the railway depot to the
church are lined throughout their length
with shops for the sale OF molly relics
souvenirs, candles and the like. L stop
pei and bought some OF these at the shop
Of the brother of the girl who saw the
vision. and had long talk with hlm. W
course he was convinced OF Its truth Inc
profits Of the trade are very great. The
grotto in which the girl Is SAID to have
seen the vision is a most extraordinary
place. 1t is literally filled with cast
crutches, trusses, bandages, etc, which
the sick and wounded worshlppers nave
flung away, and imagined themselves well
under the influence of the delusion,
There is fountain in the grotto, and the
worsbippers use the holy water from II
for washing and drinking purposes. In
one corner is hole, into which are flung
Thousands and thousands Of letters to
the Virgin. written, signed and sealed,
and the requests Of which the supersti-
tious writer's doubtless believe will be an
swered. | saw some people kiss the
ground, and actually rub their heads
against the sacred crevice where the Vir-
GIN is said to have appeared. The depth
of the superstition is most marvellous.
This Virgin is said to have been seen by
little peasant girl named Soubirot while
she was picking up chips, and, although
no grown person or anyone else saw 1t,
she persisted that she had seen it more
than a dozen different times. The girl
WAS doubtless suffering from some Of the
hvsterical disorders common to her sex.
She died in horrible agony and after the
most prolonged and extreme suffering,
and there can be but little doubt that she
was nervously disorganized. The thing
that puzzles me-'stumps' me, to use
slang expression-is this Why, if there
was any truth or reliability in the appear
ancc, it should have been seen by her and
able
"But the Irish superstition is even
more extraordinary. | travelled down to
Knock in company with Dublin barris-
ter. sharp fellow and Protestant. He
said he had several friends, all of them
G., -~r ,nrn. and Bon-C Catholics, who had
gone down there to expose the fraud and
had been So astounded at what they saw
aud at the testimony of people who were
cured or thought they were cured, that
actually they came back converts to the
belief that the cures were miraculous.
Knock has not been gong as long as
Lourdes and the receipts, as well ~ the
exposition of cast-off crutches, trusses,
bandages, etc, is, therefore, not us great,
but still it is very considerable, and fast
increasing. The place and its suburbs
are greatly crowded, however. The inn
keepers, lodging house keepers and neigh
boring tradespeople of all sorts are, Of
course. doing a rushing business.
How do you account for the Knock
delusion ?"
ut is partly explained by the pecu-
liarly excitable and nervous temperament
of the Irish. II is the same among the
Protestants as among Catholics In the
great revival Of 1855 certain of the new
ly admitted converts were guilty OF very
disorderly conduct They disturbed the
services by shouting, going into convul-
sions, etc Now imagine this mercurial,
impressionable Irish temperament work
ed upon and excited by Romish supersti-
tions, and you have the key. / think, to
the extraordinary manifestations at
Knock.
us the excitement about Knock on the
increase?"
DECIDEDLY. When l left they had
lust discovered or were making efforts to
discover, another shrine of the same pro
fitable sort at Knock Ballina. some miles
from the lnaiu chapel. The fact is, that
the IRISH are intensely ultramontane, and
popish, and therefore priest ridden, under
the rigid control of their clergy, much
more SO than the French.
'TJ sum up" added Mr. lying, zone
cannot help, though with reluctance,
coming to the conclusion that the mani
festations Of Knock and Lourdes are RI
diculous, absurd, and quite as much OF O
fraud US the Rochester rappings. Many
Of the people who go there are doubtless
sincere. But when they tell you that the
Virgin talked in French to this little gir
picking up chips (who, as | have said
afterward died in terrible agony, ant
When you come to contrast the other IN
conalstencies, contradictions and absurdl
ties, there IS only one conclusion that al
unblasel 'oind can arrive at