The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-25
THE VIRGIN MARY's HOUSE.
The LaEarist Fathers Believe They
Have Found II Near Ephesus.
From the New York Journal.

From the New York Journal.
The Lazarist Fathers of the Mission Of
Ephesus believe that they have found the
house in which the Virgin Mary lived in
that city.
Their discovery is receiving the atten>
ton of many experts engaged In archaeo-
logical research in Asia Minor. All that
they have said so far tends to confirm the
belief that the house of the mother OF
Christ has really been found. The discov-
cry is one of greater interest to the
Christian world than any that has been
made In centuries.
The Lazarists are a French order, and
the discoverer of the sacred ruin I'm Father
Poulain, superior of the Mission of Ephe-
sus. The headquarters of this mission 10
at Smyrna. The territory in which the
missionaries labor includes the site of the
once great city OF Ephesus, which Is now
occupied by few Turkish villages.
The manner in which Father Poulain
was led to the discovery Is very extraor.
binary. On the shelves of the mission
library he found a work entitled Tho
Life of the Holy Virgin" by Catherine
Emmerich. This woman was a strange
religious mystic who lived at the end OF
the last century at Dulmen, in Germany.
She protested to have supernatural vision,
and was generally believed insane. The
father did not regard her as worthy Of
consideration. He threw the book on the
floor in the corner, expecting that the
servants would carry II away.
As It remained untouched for several
days, he picked 1t up again in leisure mo-
ment and glanced over its pages Finally
his eye rested on a chapter which told
about the last years of the Virgin, which
she passed in house built for her by St.
John the apostle.
This house" she said, us about eight
miles from Ephesus, on mountain which
Is reached by narrow paths, which are
to the south of Ephesus. From the sum
NIT one sees Ephesus on one side, the sea
on the other, the sea being nearer TO the
hill than 1t is 20 Ephesus."
This statement struck the reader as
wonderfully precise for woman who had
never been to Ephesus. IL was followed
by a detailed description of the plan of
the house. of its furniture and Of its small
est contents.
The account went on to say that the
house was built Of stone and was square;
but in the rear II was round, or octa-
gonal.
AS the alleged site was so near, the
priest thought IL would be worth while to
make a personal investigation. He con-
suited NJ II. Jung, professor Of mathe-
mates in the College of Smyrna, who also
read the interesting passages In Gather
inc Emmerich's story. He was at once
disposed TO treat II as worthless, but, as
a man Of science, was willing to inves-
tigate.
The priest and the professor organized
an expedition. In this part of the Sultan
of Turkeys dominlons II is no small dan
ger to wander out Of the beaten track.
A party was made up. consisting OF a SER
want, a railroad employe and a well-armed
negro Mussulman.
The only hill that could be meant by
the visionary was the Bulbul Dag. or hill
Of the Rlghtingales. The party went by
railroad 10 Aye-Soulouck. one Of the VIII
lagos that occupy the site Of Ephesus, and
then started for the hill.
The first day was spent in gathering in
formation. The country was inhabitated
chiefly by brlgands, but the gendarmes
were numerous. One of them, Capt. An