The Irish standard., 1908-01-18


u level with the ground and looks like
"a huge, black oven of semicircular
shape. Above this are two other ex-
lcavations. The one to the right is
hike deep niche in a church, or,
rather. a large oval window. for
Through it the light shines on the
. grotto below. 1t is overhung with
moss, trailing ivy and wild mixture
of .'briar and wild thorn. in this orfice,
now protecting a ctaste and beautiful
statue of the Blessed Virgin, the young
girl Bernadette beheld the vision. The
lower grotto is separated from the
public by a high iron railing, to pre-
vent pilgrims from entering and CAR
lying it away by pieces. Behind these
there by those who came here lame
and so home with the use OF their
limbs. Over this grotto, on the great
rock, French piety has built one Of
the most beautiful churches in 1.u-
rope. 1t cost S2.5Ooo00 francs and to
describe it adequately in the Inter-
! mountin Catholic would demand the
whole of your forty columns.
The sermon for the mass of the Pill
grims began almost Immediately after
entered the consecrated fame and was
delivered by the bishop of Orleans. 1t
was on the vicissitudes OF his coun-
/ try and the trials of his church. The
prelate ascribed them principally to
! the anti-Christian conspiracies of
! oath-bound secret societies, to Ii
centious and infdel press, to tho in
fatuation of pride. conceit and i'm
morality, and to the low, atheistic
public education. With Il purpose to
raise the spirits of his hearers of this
severe exposure OF the folly of their
Fcountrymen, he told them there was
mo cause for despair.
There was no nation on the face Of
; the earth. he continued, raising his
voice. so equal to 'self-sacriflce, SO
capable of generous impulse and so
anenable to salutary influence as
France. However, there were obsta-
eles in the way obstructing the free
exercise OF these virtues. He ex-
planned that his countrymen were
easily led away by theories they did
lnot sufficiently examine, and were also
flnexcusably Indifferent to the public
good. He besought them to stand
shoulder to shoulder; to root out their
Have OF pleasure: to be earnest citi-
szens. His peroration
stretching out his hands towards
his hearers. as if pleading with them
to. follow him. he asked: will you
now promise to serve and love your
country aus Christian men ought to
loce the country?" Our (yes).
answered the thousands, and from
MOUNT to valley travered the afflrma-
tton. "WH1l you say, 'Vive la France
! (France for ever), as persons ought
to who have been fed on the bounti-
full bosom of Il loving and beautiful
naothcr?''
.1''Vive Ia France" shouted the sons
Of France In the temple of God. Then
'silence! I heard the rush OF the Gave
flowing by the sacred building: u
Thousand lights from loving hands
auroeled and blazed around the mira
culous statue, around our Lady OF
i11oudres.
Down from the great white cross,
that rose by the pulpit, the dying
Christ looked upon the silent multi
tude., They saw the gaping wounds
dripping blood, the bleeding spikes
buried in the divine flesh, the crown
'of thorns. the trucking streams seam
ing red the CHASTITY palor of the divine
face, and in plying sympathy with
the agonized Christ, the sons OF France
went down to alteration. Then from
out the pulpit, from beside the great
white cross, there came "a voice break
ing the silence and filling the conse-
Grated building: "Vlve regliso la roche
des siecles" .(the church, tho rock of
ages. forever). Tho army Of pilgrims
rose as one man, and looking to tho
bishop as soldiers to their leader.
gave tongue to their loyalty, and
cried aloud: The church, the rock of
ages, forever. 1t was the echo of
the shout of the Crusaders travelling
down tho avenue of time; it was as if
the holy place shook with tho clamor-
ing answer of nature responding to
the voice Of man. The bishop came
down and entered the sanctuary. Then
a venerable priest, stading by tho
sanctuary railing, announced that at
o'clock that afternoon Monseisneur.
the Bishop of Annonay, would preach.
OVER THE NoRTHWEsr