The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1908-01-18
Located in the French Extension of the
Pyrenes Mountains, it is Charm
ing, Picturesque Place.
Terminus of the Greatest Pagrimages Of
Modern Times and Mecca of All
Europe Described.

1T is now nineteen years since
made my first tisit to the famous
Croft" Of Luurucs writes Hubert Lar
kin in the salt Lake City lntermo,nt-
ain Catholic.
] had heard 50 much Of the wonders
wrought at the shrine, had read so
many contradictory reports in the
French and English newspapers. that
made up my mind 10 go to Lourdes
and see with mine own eyes and hear
with mine own ears. ] was at no time
'hrr"duln'l%. J. WAS not in tho mental
condition of ST. Thomas, but rather in
That of the shepherds, who could
hardly credit their senses, anG in their
bcWild"rmcnt said one tn another.
Let us go over ln Bethlehem aud
let us 500 for ourselves this word tha.
is come 10 pass, which the Lord hath
made known to u.s.
SO J. went TO Lourtcs and reported
! what l there sawjfor Il great New York
journal. After uinctcen yenrs | find
myself once again in this holy VIII
lHGc, which has shifted its boundaries
and added considerably To its popuIl-
tion since then. Now, as in the past,
J. came alone, for like the Roman poet
p / dislike II crowd Whcrc is Lourtcs? :?
| have SO much 10 say of the people
| and iIr | ,Nitnncc.aI nt
| deem il well I" say something Of the
past before l,urr;,lc the events of
the present.
| l.om,dcs then is I: charming ANA pic
! lIrcSuuc town in the French extension
Of th" PNrrncsi range Of mountains ris-
ing between Spain and France. Long
] il had Il little history of it. own. In
the days of old Il famous Saruccn chief
built II fortress here, barred the pass
and levied toll. IT was the key dr the
4 Pyrcncs, and it took the great Char
lemHngc and his stout lighters three
| months to drive out tho Moor and
| 'P'I 'i; I'tH'>. Il'iI LIIcIC GtlS lEduls
tioEs Of briGand chiefs and FREQ boot
crs and guerrilla captains, who forli-
lied themselves here ana ravagcd the
surrounding country and thc naidcns
Of the land. But that was long ago,
and though the river Gave still rolls
on tumuItuously in the rainy season.
,,;Ij =
to the young lover OF romance and
daring deeds. will not probably appear
as poetic now as it was in the brave
days Of old
Whether the Traveller be en- route
for I,arregcs. Saint Sauvcur, Cantcr-
cts or Bngncrcs-dc Iaigorre, or
whether the tourist be leaving Can
tarets Or Pau for Luchon, hc must
pass by J.ourdcs. Thi, romantic spot
is a center whence all the roads to
the thermal stations radiatc, unknown
u half IL century ago. and today as IA
nous as Rome itself.
But ! must como to the realities of
our own times which have made Lour-
dos the terminus Of the greatest pill
.rimhycs OF modern times and the
Mecca of all Europe. Until the ycar
of 1858, tho town, then a wayside viii
lagc. was simply II haltiDg place for
winter tourists on their way to the
hot springs and the health resorts OF
the Pyrcncs. Then came the many
ASPIRATIONS Of the Blessed Virgin tC
the young maiden Bernadette on the
spot where now is the Grotto, the
creation Of tho miraculous spring and
the wonderful cures effeced by the
waters, all of which arc too familiar
to your readers for me to go into de-
tails. One fact, however, may not
be 50 well known, the remarkable fact
that the bishops and the clergy were
in the beginning opposed to the pro
| clamation of the apparations and the
miraculous origin of the rock spring
the great events which originated the
celebrity of Lourdes. Ten years aftel