Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-03-15
MIRACLE OF
OLD MEXICO

pilgrims landed at Plymouth rock say'
the Chicago Chronicle. There II abou
the place an atmosphere breathing th'
perfume of the old and quiet days thai
Is not destroyed by the advent OF tn'
Introduction OF the electric cars by th'
strenuous northerners whose Ideas o
progress are beginning 10 work like
leaven I'm this land OF the dreamy south
Around this town Of Guadalupe there
llnger memories OF bygone times, times
when the people OF the great northern
republIc were struggling, a feeble
fringe Of humanity against the limos.
pltable cline and barbarous foes FOR a
foothold on the continent that furnlsh
food for dreams all the days Of tran
quill existence. From away BACK OF
that comparatively modern Time only
300 years or 80 ago there come visions
to the dreamer OF the teemlng multi
tudes Of people who lived and died un-
der the same high arching blue SKY
and who tolled over the same Mus ana
valleys 10 shrine Of that older race
Just as their successors In the country
do now. For the place where the mlI-
lions OF plous Mexicans 20 on Pilgrim
age to the hottest place In the land,
once beheld the shrine OF the ancient
Azteo's mother Of the gods, and they,
too, paid homage here hundreds OF
years before the coming of the Span
iurds and the teachers OF the Christian
faith
II was nearly four centuries ago, or,
10 be precise, on the morning OF Dec
2. 1854, that Juan Diego, poor In
dian on his way 10 mass In the church
OF Santiago Tlaltelocoloo, heard near
the Hin of Tapagacac, RISING behind
the site Of the splendid church, the
music OF an angelic choir. Then ana
there did appear to him lovely LADY,
who addressed him In his own tongue,
bidding him TO go TO the bishop ana
tell the prelate that she desired that In
that place temple should be built to
her. Juan fell ON his knees as the
lady, clothed In celestial spendor
spoke TO him ana when the vision had
passed he arose and went TO the bish-
op, Juan zumarraga who, while app
proving the faith of the Indian was
unable TO believe In the reality OF the
vision. Again Juan went TO the hill,
where the lady appeared to him ana
listened TO the tale Of the bishops in
credulity. She commanded Juan Diego
TO return once more and he did so on
the following Sunday when the lady
for the third time appeared and direct
"a the Indian TO tell the bishop Of her
wish, Again did Juan Diego go TO
the bishop, who was still hard OF heart
and unbelievng, and desiring a sign
which should convince him told the
Indian TO bring him some evidence Of
the truth Of his marvellous tale,
The Indian In all faith. went back
TO find the lady OF his vision, watched
unbeknown 10 him by two servants OF
the bishop. When Juan Diego was
again nj the base Of the hill he dis
appeared az by enchantment, the spies
could see nothing Of hint The lady
was there, and on his telling Of the de-
sired sign, she babe him TO come the
next day, when the proof should be-
given him. When Juan reached home
he found his uncle very III with fe-
yer, and the following day Juan was
engaged In nursing his uncle, who
Wteadlly grew worse so on Sunday
morning Dec. IL, Juan FASTENED to
1ialtelocOlco TO call priest 10 confess
the dying man. Fearing that the vision
might again come to distract him from
his holy errand, the Indian took a new
path. But once more the lady APP
peared and called him In his own Ian
guage. He explained the urgency OF
his errand, but she told him he need
not fear for his uncle, who was now
cured Then the lady commanded
Juan to cut some flowers on that dry
and arid hill, whore no flowers had
ever been before known TO grow. Ama2-
ed the Indian noted that flowers
abounded all around him, and he gath
cred some filling as directed, his tllpa,
or shoulder blanket, with them Take
the flowers TO the bishop" said the
wondrous lady and show them to no
one else before he sees them
Juan Diego fastened 10 the city and
stood with Indians patience at the
door I'LL the prelate appeared Then
was the bishop astonlshed for when
the flowers fell from the tilma there
was revealed painted thereon the image
OF the virgin
The bishop, retaining the tlma, sent
Juan Diego TO his home, accompanied
by two servants, and arriving there,
the sick uncle was found miraculously
restored to health
Here were miracles enough. and, con-
ordered that n chapel be built In the
spot where the virgin had appeared to
John Diego, and In February, 1892 the
miraculous image Of our lady was here
enshrined and Juan Diego and his UNI
Gle became servitors In the chapel.
And what In this marvellous picture
20 which Catholic Mexico bows with
reyerential faith? Two or three times
the glass before It has been removed
and the painting examined by Mexican
painters and they have reported that
they We're unable to decide whether
II was done In dlstemper, water color
ar OIL It Is marvelously executed on
the tima, which is made OF coarse tex
tile fiber Whatever be the process
II IL still q puzzle to the faithful an !
skeptcs alike Two Americans high
In the favor Of the Mexican church
have been permitted to take n ladder
and ascend to view the picture and
have reported that they could not eX-
plain the process by which 1t was made
II Is not an article Of faith 10 believe
in the Authenticity of the alleged mira
Gle Many enlightened Catholics here
frankly say they do not believe In the
legend The Roman Catholic historian
senior lzcalbaceta IN q report maze 10
the late Archbishop Labastday DaVa-
los. declared that the legend was pure
fabrication that there never was any
such apparitlon nor any Juan Diego,
and that the picture was painted by
some artist and used with intent to
deceive.
Thus the skeptlcism and scientific in
credulty repeat In our day the unbe'
lief OF Bishop Zamarraga on FIRST hear
ing Juan Diego's story But the pill
grlm's, especially the humble Indians.
believe, and believing, gain great store
Of faith and happiness the sick are
healed Of their lnhrmltlcs; and men
and women are spiritually helped TO
overcome sin or filled ,vrh swet as
surance Of heavenly all ard in their
daily battle with the spirit OF evil
The church stands az the foot OF the
steep hill on the spot whore the virgin
appeared to Juan Diego. First Bishop
Zumarraga built a chapel then that
was enlarged ana at the BEGINNING OF
the seventeenth century a church was
built and dedicated I'm November. 1922,
two years after the pilcrlms landed on
Plymouth Next, I'm l6a5. another