Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-09-07
MODERN MIRACLEs.
What JoaquinyI Her Saw at st. Ann

What JoaquinM iller Saw at 81. AIMS.
Of The san Francisco Chronicle / |
QUEBEC, July 30, 1883 I
Were TO tell only what saw al st. AIMS |
with my own eyes only fear should have
not 50 much TO tell Of modern miracles after |
all The fact Is we must take some things
on faith. For example, am rot certain, O
at least | cannot absolutely prove 10 YOU
That the sun will rise tomorrow. But know
1t has risen regularly through many seasons.
and so believe truly it will rise tomorrow.
Wen, for more than two hundred years these
miracles of st. AIMS have been taking
place in quiet way aud in an unfrcouen,ed
quiiter of the world, and so these noonle
here know that they have been. are. and will
continue to transpire. During my months
residence here in Quebec | have talked
WIN many good men, lawyers, able iur-
ISIS, literary men GALL understand there is
university here, while this city has long
oech famous Tor It's schools and scholars)
anu IaVe FOUND none among them all who
pretend to doubt that there Is some singular
efficacy in the prayers of those making nil.
grlnagcs to St AIMS. The remarkable
cures or miracles as they are called here.
are as slnghlarly chosen as ia the location of
this remote and out-of-thc way SPOT. 1t
would be reasonable to expect that some of
the rich, noble and influential of the land
might be most forward in their appeals for
help; but through all these years il has
mainly been the poor and friendless, irpor-
AMI anu duh who have been relieved, and so
The church has struggled on in poverty there,
anu even up 10 this day the walls are merely
| N lagtf rod and ln g
OF the M st primitive kind A record of all
the miraculous cures is kept by the priests,
and you find on inspection that now il is mn
old man who has lost the use of his limbs
who hhs been suddenly healed stupid
on man, VINO has not any gift of expression
anu cnn only swing the axe and use his
restored back in hard labor as he stops be-
tween the strokes OF his axe aud s,nres Mt
you. Then, again, found an old woman
who drove cart who had been able to
walk as well as any one after years and years
Iui lhlncness. The cures however, which
excite inc interest OF science are those Of
a. more malignant order of malady.
When man is cured of cancer we may well
cxchim, "A mlrace.' OF course. as indi.
Gated before, ! cannot say that saw such
eases healed, or anything of that kind. Icat
only assure you that am assured that no,
only one or two, but many, very many sucl
cases are on record here ut the shine of goOt
st. Ann of Bcaupre.
The Blind RESTORED TO Sight.
Neither did | with my own eyes see tn,
blind restored TO sight. But from the lips O
Mrs. q. VI. Pcnuee,an English lady from tn,
Isle of Wight, heard the account in detail
; of perfect sight being given to little girl o
| sf,s l.. 1
birth. prettier or more pathetic ta,c d,
dot know. l only know it is true. Mrs
Fennee is of good English family, a parti
culnr personal friend OF the greatest Twin.
poet, and has brother who is famous in thu
"orld OF letters. She Is an elderly lady
VINO makes her home at the Conven
OF st. Ann. This lady took us into tue it'll
chapel OF the humble convent here one dav
: 1t is garie'. The sloping roof makes 70,
stoop very low if you pass to the right or t
The lelt OF the main aisle. For they are YER
poor here, you must know. Away back il
one corner knecled a little nun in black
She was entirely blind, and had come man,
hundred miles to pray that she might ono
more see the light of dav She is here o.
s her knees from morning till night, and
[ only led away to her meals. And will sb
( receive her sight Z" AS certainly as we Sc
n her kneeling there" answered the good o.
c English lady as she led me out and went o
4 telling me of the wonderful things she ha
c witnessed at st. AIMS. On my first visit her
| was struck by the number Of cripples max
i ng the pilgrimage. Indeed was surprise,
/ that this healthy country could produc
e among hardy people so many sufferer.
c jut the truth Is, we al home do not see a
the halt, the blind and the suffering in a
sorts of ways as we do here. For there the
l.. keep in doors; here they all go forth to pra
, for help. Even idiots are taken by thei
parents to the shrine of good St. Ann c
: Beaupre saw on his first pilgrimage
e little English lad, well clad and comfortable
, lie even had silvcr-mounted crutch to tax
the place OF the withered and distorted lie
> which hung helpless at his side. His mothe
C was with him, wachful and kind, but nc
c unhupeiul of help. met this gentle coupl
$ only yesterday here on the streets of Quebec
Y But the poor little lad had not left hi
E crutches on either Of the two pyramids G
e clutches there. On the same occasion ther
t was dark and w.browed French peasan
1 with II frishtfully swollen hand. He wa
l suffering great pain, and tried to talk wit
Y him, but he was sullcn and silent. The sam
day | saw hiin washing his hand in tn
o fountain before the door of the church. Ii
c was cry ing like child In fact it was hi
A demonstrations of joy aud delight at ben
Y thus suddenly healed that attracted tn
c crowd about him, and led me by chance
9 see him.
e An Old Mans Faith.
, On this same day saw an old man feeln
! his way down the great aisle of the church
1 over and around the numbers OF men, wome
: aud children kneeng there. He, literally
, was too feeble touse a crutch, and would dra
himself forward by holding on TO some ON
i, or the sides OF the pews. No one was nea
I hun or tried to help him; nor did any one al
4 tempt 10 stop him or interfere with him. lt
a his conduct seemed strange, and he SCENE
very much out Of place. Sill he kept on til
n he came to the statue of st. Ann, whc
/ stands out before the altar and almost be
n tween the two pyramids of cruches whic
q have been left there by restored cripple:
. Here this p or old creature laid hold of III
railing AT the foot Of the mother Of the Vii
n gin, where candles burn perpetually, and lif
: Ing his face, began to pray. As had nc
o 6 one there 10 pray, but to see. |, unlike til
!, others, noticed this man closely. In fact b
seemed so withered, so utterly as if he wer
:, dead and unconscious, his face SO Liz
y that o! Il corpse that found it impossibl
!, to take my eyes off him from the time sal
= him feeling his way along the aisle. Til
a bony hands of the witherei old peasant hcl
\, hard on to the altar. His lips moved and h
# prayed inaudibly, with his CHASTITY face lif
:. ed for long time. l decline to enter int
- details further here. 1t seems like profanity
Il Let me simply say that saw that old ma
N restored to health, If not to youth. | TO
" lowed him to the door and saw him pick Il
his bundle and his staff and strike off up tn
road with the step of an athlete. 10 nc
think he had ever entered that church b,
fore. | followed him little way till me
priest who lives here, aud this priest tol
e me he was stranger and from his peculia
u dress should say TINT he lived a long WaY o