New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-16

|
49,, NE sivtear bours TIE New-York Central
makes the same trip in ten hours al Cost ol
s2S to the passenger
VISIT TO LOURDEs.
Being near Lourdes while in the Pyrenees' /
paid visit 10 that world-famous shrine Inc
village church stands on high hill, and on one
side is a precipice running down u the river d
! distance Of about two hundred feet
Ar the bottom Of this precip.ce is srotto'
such as is common to the rocks Of that country
II WAS about one hundred feet deep and irreg-
uar and rough in shape. The legend OF the
rlacs is thai in 1855 the Virgin appeared u
child in this grotto with a promise o. healing
/ for rho sick and a fountain burst forth, the
/ waters Of which have miraculous power Faltn
/ in this has built highways along the river ahn
! over the hills for the pilgrims to tramp over
! constructed two splendid roads from the PLAIN
! 10 the church. incosing within their arches
! broad plaza and under the hnsl LANDING
| hasilica for the thousands NJ worshippers Every
/ foot If the walls Of basca and the churcn are
| Covered with slabs on which the persons placing
| them there have recorded some cure or SPECIAL
blessing received there. over and around the
erotto hang thousands If crItch"s and surgical
! appliances tor supporting the body which have
! been left there by the healed Alongside the
| grOtf0
filed with ice cold water from the spring. Into
this the patients are plunged no matter what
their disease o. deformity may be 1t was told
mo that over twelve hundred dipped the
dsv that | was there. They remained IN the
water only 4 moment While they are being
hathed constant and loud applications for their
/ healing made
THE SCENE AT NIGHT.
A. e-enas wonderful.
Thousands CARRYING torches and singing hymns
are marching over the winding roads. other
thousands are on their knees in the space IN
front If the grotto praying. singing and i'm
nloring the Virgin for help Hundreds upon
J hundreds Of candles flicker and flare In the
erotto and throw weird light upon the white
robed statue Of the Virgin which stands just
above In the AFTERNOON a vast procets sion forms
az the grottc and marches along the river; turn-
ing into the plazas IT passes the point wnere the
road rises from the plain on the arcnes 10 the
church On one side Of the plaza were placed
some hundreds Of little wagons. each containing
! an incurable sufferer. The sight Of these nelp-
less. and except by miracle hopeless men, wo-
men and children in every stage OF physical as
tortion or living death is affecting beyond the
power Of words 10 express.
AS the head of the procession reached the first
wagon. the priest elevated the Host before the pa
tent Another priest with great depth OF lung
I cried out: Oh Lord. help this sick one The
hundreds OF priests and 5000 pilgrims echoed the
cry in unison. Again the leader with tremendous
nassion and energy would cry out: oh, Lord
heal this sick one The crowd would take up the
cry as before. and deep roar Of invocation would
I go UP to Heaven AS the procession marcned
down the line. hating before each little wagon
h. excitement
became painful in its intensity. The patients
grew frenzied with anxiety and hope The cool
est and most Indifferent man in the world could
. not have remained unmoved. | have seen and
felt similar waves Of emotion at camp-meetings
and reyivals out they had not the added force OF
this writing mass OF praying. beseeching. des-
pairing and hoping human suffering
STORIES OF CURES
"As was crossing the plaza after this scene,
from one Of the little wagons heard my name
called It was occupied by lady and was drawn
by her son. a student at the College of Physicians
and Surgeons in New-York Beth had recognized
| me- having heard me speak in New-York She
| told me that the physicians at home had told her
| that science and skill could do nothing for her and
| that she must make herself as comfortable as
| possible for a few months the end was shortly
| to come. So she had come 70 Lourdes with faith
and hope / asked her the cause Of her hope, and
she replied that a miracle had been performed
| that afternoon. and that was what caused all the
excitement. and asked me II had not seen It,.
This was her story:
"A young girl who stayed at the same hotel that
she did had been unable 10 walk or put her foot
10 the ground for six years. She suffered fright
full pain and screamed with agony when dipped
in the ice water She had been dipped six sue
cessive days and after the procession had passed
her on that day she called out that she was cured.
! asked the medical student what he knew OF II.
He said that he had the knee bandaged at
noon. and IL was badly swollen and he counted
twenty-eight running sores. The pilgrims were
mobbing the verification rooms TO which she had
been taken after her cure told him that must
see that girl The attendants were doing their
best To get the crowd away. My friend, with
New-York audacity called out: The distin-
guished Dr. Chauncey NJ. Depew TO see the pa
tent and In few moments We were inside. The
girl was not there having been carried away.
There was an English physician there, and ! APP
pealed TO him. He said that he had dressed the
leg at noon. n swollen. exuding sickening
matter and incurable; that a haf-hour before
came in he had cut the bandage on the leg
and II was cured. The bandage was about two