The Irish standard., 1905-09-23
IN FRANCE
Opening Of Lourdes Season
Furnishes Protestant
Testimony to the Reality of
Catholic Belief.

A writer in one of the London daily
papers describes wildly the departure
from Paris Of the pilgrims for Lour-
des. The article, which we reprint
almost entirely, is a remarkable trib.
ute and admission from Protestant's
pen as to the reality of faith in Catho-
lie France. The article begins:
The departure of succession Of
trains for Lourdes packed with in
valids in all stages of disease marks
the opening of the pilgrim season. I
paid my annual visit yesterday to the
railway terminus whence the trains
started-to witness, of course, the
same touching scenes as in former
years.
1t is a noteworthy fact, however,
that, despite the alleged growth of ir-
religion in France, this years pilgrim
age will prove the most important Of
the last decade. Twenty-Five trains
bound for Lourdes have already left
Paris and other French cities or towns,
and more will follow during the pres
ent month. The Paris trains convey
ed about 1,500 sick persons to the
miracle-working grotto and over co..
coo able-bodied pilgrims. The melan-
choly white train, conveying the
most seriously, not to say hopelessly,
stricken, was the last to leave the
metropolitan terminus. It steamed
slowly out of sight couple of hours
or so after midnight with it's cargo
of afflicted humanity, whilst on the
platform people remained waiting in
silence till the sound of hymns or
prayers proceeding from the train
grew fainter and fainter, and finally
died away.
AS in former years, the spacious
hall of the Austerlitz Terminus was
transformed into an ambulance for
the occasion. The aspect of the place
was painfully suggestive of hospital
ward, and yet picturesque. Amongst
the passengers were to be seen per-
sons in the last stage of consump-
ton, for whom medical science could
do no more, poor, wan-faced, spectral
creatures, almost at their last gasp.
Gently encouraged by the nuns or
priests attending to their wants, they
clasped their trembling hands, MUIR
muring prayer or invoking saint,
in the firm persuasion they were I'M
der divine protection. Some of the
patients were suffering from cancer,
and had been given over by doctors as
incurable. They sang out their faith
i'll "Our Lady of Lourdes," to whose
shrine they were going, buoyed up by
fervent belief in the miraculous
virtue of the waters of the sacred
grotto. 1t was indeed curious and
pathetic sight, strangely out of keep
ing with the spirit of these modern
days, to watch the attendants belong
ing to religious orders, or not, going
about from one stretcher to another,
from one improvised couch to a
neighboring one, eXhorting the sick
to pray and hope, to appeal to the
Virgin while ON the long, weary jour
ney, and to place entire faith in divine
interposition on their behalf.
Leave-takings between the sick and
their relatives, whose means do not
always allow of their accompanying
them, are unexpressibly saddening. A
mother, after hurriedly turning aside
her head to wipe away traces of tears,
smiles bravely as she clasps her sons
emaciated hands in hers and says:
"You will come back cured, dear boy;
am sure of it. We will be here to
meet you on your return. We will
pray for you" And after these con-
sOling parting words, when the "lugu.
brious white train" is out of sight, the
smile, so courageously kept up to the
last, fades from her face, and the
pun AlllAO ACd1 C-UlONcA WO1lldl1 SIlE3
down on bench, weeping and Sob
bling passionately. She is rewarded
for her effort at self-control by the
knowledge that her son leaves her
comforted and hopeful, though she
probably is aware this is last adieu.
Similar scenes go on all around one
during the half-hour preceding the de-
parture of the white train conveying
spectral forms to the land of hope, to
the beneticent Lady of Lourdes. AS
the ponderous locomotive begins
slowly to move a chorus of ave
Maria Stella" comes from the heavily
laden train, and then silence super
| venes. in the midst of which railway
servants put things in order again for
the ordinary traffic of the following
day, while mournful little groups
leave the terminus for their homes,
their minds and hearts assuredly
heavy with anxiety about the fate of
the loved ones they have seen off to
Lourdes in the hope of a miraculous