The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-09-19
Piles Of Clutches Attest
It's Healing Power.
Scene of Great Beauty and I'm
pressiveness.

Quebec on the morning OF our arrival IN
the strange old town, we saw the follow
ing announcement: Especial P1Igrimages
made to the Shrine of the Good St. Anne
de Beaupre, Sept. 2nd. Trains leave the
Canadian Pacific Railway station at $50
and 7.50 a. M. AS we read the I'M
familiar French words with careful de-
Iberateness, we exclaimed, ''Here may
be the opportunity of a life time. A
veritable pilgrimage to shrine hardly
less noted than the famous Notre Dame
de Lourdes of Europe, or the Asiastic
Mecca Shall we improve it9' The inter-
vening hours decided the question and
the next morning, Sept. End, we formed
a part of a large company on our way to
a place made famous in song and story.
the Shrine of Bonnie Ste Anne de Beaupre.
Thither go thousands of the faithful
each year to worship, to praise and give
thanks, to seek help for existing Ills, and
immunity from those they know not of,
for exemption from all perils by sea or
land, for spiritual and temporal prosper
ity. Every part of the world, one might
say, is represented in these annual pill
grimages, particularly our own conti-
nent. So sacred are they that all rail-
ways and trains used in their transporta-
tion are soIemnly blessed eacn year by
the cardinal. Upon the day mentioned,
we were told that there were five such
pilgrimages in progress. And it was
variously estimated that between three
and four thousand people were on the
!. ground. Our own train carried about 900
persons. The Shrine is situated twenty
miles from Quebec. 1t was erected in the
early part of the nth century by some
Breton fishermen who were rescued from
a violent storm and who out of gratitude
to the good saint built this place in her
honor. In 1860, we are told, 1t was re-
placed by a larger structure, which finally
gave way to the present magnificent
building. This was raised to thesdign1ty
of a bas1lica by Pope Plus TX in 1886 who
! sent as mark of his appreciation a relic
: of great vaIue-a finger joint of St.
Anne. Four years ago he supplemented
this gift by one of far greater vaIue,-a
portion of her wrist bone. The place
holds in deep veperation. also a rock
taken from the grotto where the Virgin
Mary was born. OF these we shall speak
IN detail.
Journey
mghtful bit OF country. On one side the
blue waters Of the ST. Lawrence CLINT in
the sunshine; on the other, picturesque
little hamlets lend a constantly increas
ing interest to the scene. The farms OF
these French Canadians are models of
their kind. The land is rich and fruit
full, not having the appearance of being
coaxed as have our New England lands.
Some of the finest cattle in the country
are here and constitute a large part OF
the revenue of the people. The buildings
are of good dimensions, exceedingly neat
in appearance. The fences with not even
a rail out of place, are laid out with
MATHEMATICAL precision. In every village
the substantial stone church surrounded
by the inevitable giIded cross and a
colossal figure of It's special saint, marks
the landscape.
But fascinating as were all these, the
observance ana study of our fellow pas
sengers were of far greater interest. The
cars are made after the pattern of our
ordinary close electrios only much larger,
with two rows of seats running longt-
tudfnaIIy through the center of the car,
thereby bringing the passengers together
at close range. These appeared to be
made up from the better middle classes.
Entire families were largely in evidence,
children from the baby, up to the boy or
girl OF twelve years, mothers, fathers,
and grandparents. Black garbed priests
gave q bit OF ombreness to the bright
coIoring. The simple curiosity seeker. or
tourist whom we saw in such numbersain
Montreal and elsewhere was conspicuous
by his absence. French was the Ian
guage everywhere heard. But once did
we hear our mother tongue and that was
so broadened by the Irisn brogue as to
be scarcely recognizable.
AS the train proceeded on it's way
rosaries and prayer books were brought
into reouisition and the rough place be-
came a sanctuary. ooh but Its the bonnie
St. Anne that's been good to me. Didn't
nv poor man die leaving me with the
three children here an one OF them that
lame she couldn't take step without a
cane: the Oldest not three years old an
the Youngest not thres months an not so
much as one clint to help me self with;
and that weak an sick I couldn't do a
stitch of work If I'd had IT, said my
vis-a-vis with the Irish brogue. IAN
didn + come straight out to bonnie St.
Anne, an didn't she cure me ana tne
little girl that was lame. Look up
darlin an let the lady see how strong
YOU be now An didn't she give me
work every day since, then, an that was
goin' on nine years ago; An come out
here evsry year ma'am to thank her FOR
her goodness to US and to ask her If she