The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-26
THE PATRON SAINT OF PARIS.
IN ALL TIMES OF TROUBLE. ST.
GENEVIEVE HAS BEEN INVOKED.
Held the Franks at Bny for Years,
and Was Clovis Prime Minister.

Held the Franks at Iiny for Years,
and Was Clovis Prime Minister.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.
When things go well with Paris no one
thinks much of ST. Genevieve; it is only
when troubles come that the city feels its
need of patron saint. So long as "A Ber-
linz was the popular cry. not a man, wo-
man, or child was found TO do her shrine
reverence, but when the Germans were at
the gate and shells were whizzing through
the air, crowds knelt before it the whole
day long. Her church was thronged then;
thousands who had never been in such
place before made their way there Oddly
enough, they felt safer there than else
where. They were motley set, but none
the less they all Joined heartily in the
prayers.
'Sainte Genevieve, terreurs des Huns
priez pour nous" they murmured. ''Sainte
Genevieve, you saved our city from the
hordes of Attila, save us now from the
hordes of his descendants. Ayez pitie,
Sainte Genevieve. notre patronne; donnez-
nous du pain"
solemn neuvaine was held in honor of
the saint; for nine days her altar was one
blaze of light; and then came the news of
vieve's day. too. "A miracle! a miracleP'
cried the faithful: Saint GeneVieve will
save us yet" Yes, and she would have
saved us they say to-day, If 1t had not
Paris has good reason to be proud of its
patron saint, for If tradition is TO be re-
/ lied upon, St. Genevieve was a notable wo-
man, one with a clear head on her should
ers, and plenty of good, common sense.
She is emphatically the patriotic saint;
her devotion TO her country knew neither
bound nor limit, and her whole life was
given up to its service:
She was born at Nanterre about the year
AQ0 NOthinor "a known n her ma he
yond the fact that they were Christians.
There is a legend that St. German visited
that when he saw the golden-haired lit
tie Genevieve he hailed her as Judith,
and prophesied that she would do great
things for France. She seems to have
given proof of her vocation in very early
days, for we hear of her when quite a
child gathering herbs on Mount Valerlen
and making them into SyrupS and ONT
ments for the poor in the neighborhood.
When she was IA she took her vows as
a nun, but she still continued to live in
her old home, for there were no cloisters
in those days. The special work to which
she then devoted herself was relieving
the sufferings Of the poor. She went about
among them, into their huts, tending them,
nursing them, and helping them by all
the means in her power
When her father and mother died, St
Genevieve took up her abode in Paris,
near where Notre Dame now stands for
she had heard that she was more needed
there than in her native village. Nv Paris
she was soon hard at work, for, turn where
she would, she found some one or other
In need of her helping hand. But before
| long she was laid low by illness, aud lit
tie wonder, either, for she toiled from
morning to night, ard on scant rations.
Until she. was. so her usual diet was
bread and dried beans; then she began to
eat fish, just from time to time, and
drink milk. During her illness she was
| paralyzed for three days. and those around
! her maintained that as she lay there
| helpless she was holding converse with
! spirits. They spread abroad wonderful
| stories of the visions she had seen and
| the prophetic words she had uttered; but
there is no proof that the saint herself
ever laid claim to supernatural expert
ences or gifts.
Her fame as doctor soon spread among
| the poor, who focked TO her for advice
from all the countryside. 1t is not prob
able that she had any medical science be-
yond knowledge of the properties OF
certain herbs and simples, but this she
some of the cures she effected were de-
clared to be marvellous. All went we'll
We're laYished upon her for the work she
was doing.
Then came a change The Parisians be-
gan TO think that there was something
not quite canny about this woman, who
bound up their wounds so deftly and drove
away their fevers 1t was but step then
to witch hunt st. Genevieve was ston-
ed, and would have been killed if st. Ger
man had not arrived in the city. He
rated the citizens roundly for their do
lngs, and secuted the idea of Genevieve,
being in league with the devil. The peo-
PIE, Selzeu with remOTSe for the way they
had treated their benfactress, Frustrated
themselves before her, those who had
hurled stones taking the lead. To prove
their repentance they induced in all sorts
or eNuaVagant demonstrations of respect
and vowed that if the saint would but
remain among them she should hence
forth be to them as one sacred. They
Kept their word, too for a time, and her
VIII was all powerful in Paris.
Ihen came the news that the Huns
We're marching on the city The conster-
nation was general, for ugly stories were
aHoat as to the way Attila dealt with his
Ioes The citizens resolved to fee and
hide themselves in the forests. But these
We're not the sort of tactics that COM
mended themselves to ST. GenevieVe To
give up the city without striking a blow
would be shameful she declared. At first
induce the men to. stand by Paris; but
when she found they were still resolved
on flight, she turned upon them, called
them towards, and hurled at them Gods
curse. Every man who left the city would
perish, she swore, whereas nat a hair
OF the head of those who remained faith
1ul 10 their homesteads would be injured
Inc people, wild with fear and rage. de-
nounced her as a false prophecies. one
IN league with Attila, and they resolved
70 klL But before they could make up
their minds whether to burn her or to
behead her, a certain Sedulius, a holy
man, appeared upon the scene and warn
ed them that their only chance of safety
maps, too he dropped a hint that Attila's
troops were already in the forest. Be
TINS as II may, the citizens at once gave
up all thought of fight and promised thar