St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-10-31
The official Catholic paper of

Lourdes mentions many remarkable
cures connected with this visit to
Lourdes. 1t is much easier to lack
faith than to possess it. l have
never had any surplus to boast of,
but l have with. my own eyes seen
things here which l shall remember.
One girl for years unable to walk
begged to be carried to Lourdes that
she might pray where she had heard
so many prayers had been answered.
With many others who were sick
she was brought down in the after
noon to the square fronting the
Basilica, and in her bathchair with
her crutches beside her, she was
placed close to the line of the process
sion. Just after the holy sacrament
had passed, and the benediction had
been pronounced, there was great
sensation, and the murmur of many
voices near where l was standing.
This sick girl from Brittany had
risen from her chair and handing her
crutches to her attendant she COM
menced to walk towards the "Grot-
to-" The great crowd sang the
"Magni6cat" as she passed along
under the trees beside the river. In
the evening she carried her torch and
sang her ave Maria" with the rest.
l do not say that this would not
have happened on the same day and
at the same hour, had she said the
same prayers in Brittany. l simply
tell you what l saw here in Lourdes.
No official organ of the Catholic
church speaks of such cases as mir
acles, but remarkable cures" If
faith will work miracles / believe it
finds at Lourdes field with as sim
cere disciples, and as earnest expo
nepts as any where in the world.
. Very likely more sick people are
harmed by the fatigue and exposure
OF a trip to this place than are ever
, Cured" by the prayers ofthe faithful,
but recall what l have seen, and
, impressions made while here, and
r others are as competent to draw
T.. conclusions as myself. In our days
doubtful Thomas are more
numerous | think than believing
/. saints, but here the former class seem
II to have a very small following
. There are those who doubt whether
l. Shakespeare wrote the books attri
4 buted to him, but that such mar
:. lived and that his birthplace is q
literary Mecca" towards which the
II whole world turns is accepted, anC
y this faith is a gold mine to "Strat
4 ford-on-Avon." That the peasant
:. girl "Bernadette Souberous" saw
- and heard what she SAID Ia 1888 will
- always be a question in the minds o
. many, but we do know that such
: girl lived, and that so many hav
faith in her story, that as result
r little hamlet at the foot of the Pyre
- nees has grown into prosperou
and beautiful town, and hundreds @
thousands annually come here t.
- pray, fully expecting the blessing
- promised "Bernadette." Her uncl
- is the owner of this hotel, and
:. large landed proprietor in this CON
- mune. Forty years ago he was poor
but now a millionaire thrice owe
= francs the unit of measure) an
he certainly ought to be thanl
r. full that a niece of his should hav
:, been the means indirectly of securin
for him so large fortune. l said t
!. two of the Brittany pilgrims VIII
were standing near me at the Croft
-. 81 should have thought this yea
:: YOU would have visited Paris rattle
, than Lourdes!" NO." was the r
- ply. paris has no attraction fC
- US, compared with Lourdes." Z
~ in the mountains this summer ga'
- little peasant boy of twelve
~ couple of francs for guiding me
= the track of an avalanche which he
49, swept down the mountains in one
-, last winters storms. "Now" l sa
49, what will you buy, a toy pistol,
49, top OF some candy" II shall saw
he said "these francs, and one
- these days I shall have enoul
ht money to go to Lourdes." The
49, patrons of Lourdes are not drawn
-. Paris with all its Grand Prix al
80 International Exposition charm
- In their pantheon there are no mich
10 for the gods of fashion and pleasu
49, Better for these devout pilgrims