The Newtown bee., 1900-11-30
ed in garments of cloth of gold, and on
 the heads of Mother and Child are crowns

ed in garments of cloth of gold, and on the heads of Mother and Child are crowns of gold set with precious stones. In the light of the candles that burn all about this altar and its images, there is rich resplendence of gold and silver and gems. This is tour Lady of the Hermits," to whore image myriads of people have de- voutly knelt in praise and prayer, among them many of the princes and nobles of the earth. Hlther have come, often from remote regions, multitudes of men and women, rich and poor, high and low, learned and ignorant, to offer their hom- age, to present their gifts, to pour out their sorrows and supplications, to in. yoke miraculous headings and, as they have testified, not in vain. And still they come, these pilgrims, to this shrine of great sanctity, singly. or in groups and companies, every year, every month, Roman Catholic cantons of Switzsrland, from Italy, from Austria, from Germany, from France, from Spain, from England and from America. The average yearly number of communions in this church, during the last 300 years, has been l5O., GOO! In 1710 1t was 261 900! In 1749 1t was 226 900! In the Jubilee Year of 1861 1t was 21O, 600! The annual number of pilgrims to this shrine is said to be nearly 140. .000! This Is village whose inhaD- itants, counting in those of all ita outly-
 Think, for instance, of $50 pilgrims, attended by 65 priests, coming here from Paris, marching up through the town in solemn procession, singing hymns, amid the peal of bells from the church tower, and going up into the church! Think of them, and of their evening services before that holy shrine, of their enthusi. asm, their fervOr, their tears and prayers and songs! think no one of you could intelligently look on such scene, or even upon that altar and its image, without deep emotion. Deprecate 1t all as you might, you would feel great surgings of soul. One day when I was at Einsiedeln srrived"aoc or mere. pi At niehsfail % Iis,v tney prepared to enter the church, snd we followed them. Each pilgrim carried in his or her hand lighted candle or torch. There was no other light in the great church, save that of the candles before the altar in the Holy Chapel. Four abreast they marched in procession around the church aisles, again and again, singing their hymns with great fervor. There was no sound of organ or OA Vtk1cI3 luetIUlu0uts 1U0Q t06y 8ll gathered about the Holy Chapel through whose screen the black Virgin is visible; aud there they stood for full hour, singing with esrnestness various hymns printed on slips of paper which they all had In hand and read by their candles' light. One would start song, and all would join. That flnished, some other person would immediately start another. Two women sang . plaintive duet. How weird they all looked, in the gloom, with their dim tapers, in their homely dress. They were plain people. But such earnestness and such devoutness have seldom, If ever, elsewhere, witnessed
 My heart went out to them. I wanted to sing with them. It seemed ike an old fashioned revival meeting at it's height of interest. Similar pilgrimages are continually occurring. Another .cene I recall. One afternoon we noticed that a large number of children had assembled in front of the church, and we proceeded to follow their movements. They were the children of the pariah schools, going In with their teachers, to some service. The boys marched up one aisle. the girls up another, and came together before the choir, two or three hundred strong. Tho service was responsive, and the children and youths knew 1t perfectly. First the