The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-09-11
II STE. ANNE's SHRINE.
TINE CANADIAN LoUmDGo or LIVES
UHvoRTUxATEs.
Tie Plsee SD Iss ouset, Aseasisn
SettAnG--Un4uestSsn Faith -
Pi19rl0s-vstfvs O1ssings - ths

II there ID an Arcadia sssE to be STUN
bed ACROSS In this beasy-hsArted world OF
ours, surely /; ia 10 be found In o Ffencn
Canadian village. Ia ali America u =
only within the walls OF THOSE little white
washed cottages that fringe the blue 81
Lawrence that the hum OF the spinning
wheeI can stu be heard. In those same
Htt1e cottages, whose wide caves hang
over their muisaoned windows Ike tired lids
over sleepy eyes, dwell a h0msly and old
fashioned folk who are. At heart. still
French peasants OF the day OF the Bour-
bon. The language they speak 10 the Ian
guAge Of the seventeenth century, and the
chansons sung by their children are old
foik-songs heard in Brittany Two cen
turtles ago.
IL In mis- Canadian home the hAbitant 10
happy IL In because his fa&tes are simple
and his wants are few, Give him his little
wsds-eASed cottage, small. Il " true, but
scrupu1ousiy clean. his little patch Of to-
bacco plant. few pct vines on the sunny
side Of his house. . tiny orchard with .
garden plot nearby. and the consciousness
that the alimmering sptre Of the village
church n not too many miles away. and
he II happy. II was three centuries ago
that = certain handful Of adventurous
Hsstoa sn4Jors crspt slowly up the g. Law
rence In : primitive little Breton sailing
shtp. Al that time New France was sfiiI
y o
Old World. The hops OF finding happier
homes In this region Of fable had lured
thsm westward.
y When opposite what b now known -
the Isle Of Orleans Z storm came UP. With
the storm came darkness. and each mo-
nent that iittis handful Of Breton rovers
: Axpected their Httis vessel 70 20 10 pieces
ON some unknown rock. The wanderers.
= the hour o. theae troubie, remembered
- So - kAle hnaF
hack to Ste. Anne d'Auray. before whose
little Norbfhan shrine - children OF the
- they had been taught to pray. Do.
while watching through the darkness OF
that dreadful night. they registsrsd . vow.
In that vow they swore that II only the
good Ste. Anne 6Auray would deliver them
7 they would build for her . shrine on ths
very spot where their fest nrst touched.
~ the night wore away the wind went
down. and morning broke over them blue
end cloudlsss. southwafd lay Orleans. and
10 the north stretched the gresp Lauren
tjRn hflls. Nearby little stream ran
down through the wide. level meadows Of
waving marsh grass. I'd the mouth Of
this stream they made their way. and.
casting anchor. stepped 1cyfu1iy ashore.
There, on the point OF land known ~
Petit Cap. they. true 70 their word. built
4 shrine 70 Gte. Anna
That was three long centuries ago. ana
since then great changes have b1fallen
New France. The neur-de-iyu no longer
waves over the ramparts Of the gray eta
del OF Old Quebec. but nesting down and
the beautiful lowland meadows Of the river
the shrine OF Ste Anne has remained. un-
shaken by those busy currents that have
all but swept away a nation. About the
little shrine Of Petit Cap. between the
wide meadows Of MARYLAND and the muf-
Ned green foothills OF the L.arrcntians. ris-
ing wave after wave in the gray northern
distance. struggles the now extensive
French Canadian village Of Beauprs. nam
cd after tho meadows on which II n built.
This village Of quaint flower gardens and
whitewashed cottages, OF Many-baicon.ed
maisons de pension and Irregular streets
and tiny open.air shops. In now q place
halinwed n the eyes Of every hAhitani Of
Lower Canada Here each summer come
$4,000 pilgrims. and here morning.. noon
and night can be heard the notes OF Ave
Maria Stella" and the often repeated cry
OF "salnte Marie. Mere de D.eu. prizes pour
nous. pauvres pecheurs. mAintenant ct 3
rheure de notre morti Ainsi so.s-ii''
And = strange prooessson Of Nfe's IN
fortnnatss II n who come 10 this ou.-of-
the-way village. which has now come 90 be
known a. the Canadian Ioyrdes the mecca
Of the faithful IN America. All summer
long one may see them. bands Of dusty
pilgrims praying and singing aloud IN the
streets. led by . Jesuit, father. usually
black rohed. but often enough with gown
faded By sun and rain to teil-tale green.
In those strange professions one may see
the lame ana the decrepid the hind and
the dumb. the deformed and the diseased.
and those whose troubles lie deeper than
the mere msser,es OF the fissh. Fur Mt
Cote Beaupre. under tho very shadow OF
the new church which has replaced the
Jtxss 80 o..
bubbles up the holy spring, whose waters
are believed 60 possess miraculous curative
powers. Within the church itself IL The
equally potent shrine and the few treas
ured relies 10 which the spirit, Of unauss-
tion.ng faith In those simple hearted Dill
srims has attributed supernatural powers
The mos. rr~cieus of these relics "a the
carefully preserved nnger-none OF ste
Anne herself secured some time ahcu, 1910
by MoE,morenct lie Laval from the cashe-
drai chapter of Csvcassonas and brought
from Rome over twenty years ago by
Father f4alshsrts. AZ a later date was also
secured a part 81 the wrist bore az The
saintea daughter es Emerenstana In this
same church. too. "a a rich chasghi~. made
by thu fingers 81 Anne 81 Austria. mother
Of Louis XIV, wha sent I, a. an Offering
TO the shrine OF New France. az which she
had heard, The ornaments uaon this
eAssuhis arc red. white and hack arrows
the whole being richly worked IL gold and
s!lver. St!ll another relic treasured by the
church IL a painting ~ lie Rrun. gwen In
fss a thank Offering from iss Marquis
de Tracy Tor delivery from shipwreck.
Net FAR from TIRE church. where Moate
Anne rises at,sa feet behind the village
neatllng al Its f2at, IL ira ssrais Santa .
replica ~ that - Rome. t7r each step ~
iris hong stairway ira dsyous sa or their
Blended knees. saving PRAYER an each
Next 10 Scala Santa Is the substantial
pr~sessere. VITA a. w~s-k~pt garden.
where II h. re ssneomrioa s.ghs 20 see ors
ef the rsssty faced Resansptorfss fathers
gathering mess ~ eustsrSsans For ,he
monastery rrseetcry Net far awav se,. 4.
the convent ~ the Franciscan Sisters the
White MINIS W.. may ~ seen xognx s.fens.
~ abans 'he village streets
Thh tAen. IL the sewn 60 which fhrs
Arrange pilgrims frem a.. corners - IRE
land ecnne feeking 80 Mss The sAers' relics
ona 70 drink ~ tse waters es sAe hsiy
sprtHg ard - climb he sssps .. fae s,sta
Santa and ~ fs<s Through thetr w.irs~-i
bodies IN. 9slsS4ysas srewsag sha frs~~sAss