The Irish standard., 1908-02-15
FURTHER HISTORY
The Last Apparition That Took
Place at Lourdes
Was in July 1858, About Fifty
Years Ago.

The last apparition that took place
at Lourdes was on the 18th day Of
July, 1858, writes Hubert Larkin, for
4 eign correspondent Of the Salt Lake
Intermountain.
On that day. as the sun was declin-
ing, Bernadettc felt within her u
strong impulse to go to the grotto. She
went, gazed once again upon the vis-
ion of transcendent loveliness, the
Lady smiled graciously upon her, van
ished into the gloom of the grotto and
Bernadette saw her never again.
:. Such is the simple, unvarnished his
tory of these mysterious visitations.
We now come to less interesting. but
to the man Of the world more practi-
cal and, let us add as hard-headed
Catholic, more matter of-fact domain
Of thought.
The Commssory of Police at Lour-
des was satisfied the young girl was
advance the laughter and ridicule to
which his department would be reduce
ed by critical France, and he made up
his mind to end what he termed la
sottise-the tom -foolery-at once. So
in, the early stage of the apparitions,
he sent for the millers daughter. He
was wise. this Commissory, and when
the young girl entered his office he
received her with great cordiality. He
asked her to be seated. and then in a
fatherly way questioned her as to what
story in her own way, in simple Ian
guage and with visible sincerity. For
three quarters of an hour, in the pres
ence of another police official, the
Chief questioned and ross-questioned
her. She stood the test. Then tho
Commissory changes his tactics. Ris-
ing from his seat he looks down upon
her in wrath, and III a voice hoarse
with indignation and anger, he de-
nounces her as a fraud and a cheat.
Shaking his finger in her face, he tells
her she is deceiving the people, and
that unless she now tells him the
truth he will hand her over to the po-
lice.
Bernadette was awed by the men,
acing bearing of the Chief, but that
was all. Rising, she said. "You may
put me in prison. but say to you,
SvyH,o %o1 jc II,
The other official had no more faith
in the apparitions than the Chief, but
he declared that the sincerity of the
& child was above suspicion.
During these days, hundreds of peo-
pie questioned the child, and to all she
answered in the same sincere and sim
pie manner. Not Only the Chief Of
Police, but the Bishop of Tarbes. in
whose diocese was the parish of Lour-
des, now, for the first time. enters the
field. He appointed commission of
inquiry composed of sixteen of the
representative men of his diocese to
investigate the affair and to report to
him.
The subjected Bernadette to A. Sc
we're and searching examination, and
wrote that of the girls truthfulness
and sincerity they had no doubt
Strange though it may seem, there are
no men so hard to convince of the ac-
tuality-not the possibility-of a. mir
acle or vision as priests. And the rea-
son is. that no class of men know so
profoundly as the priesthood the injury
done to religion in the past by charla-
tans and imposters who foisted false
miracles upon the people. Bernadet-
te's father was a poor miller and died a
poor miller Why do mention this?
For this reason. Crowds of curious
and pious people came to his house to
see the young girl. Many, very many
OF these hundreds of people offered the
father and mother money and they re-
fused absolutely every gift. Traps
b were set to catch them. Men were
sent who listened to the child's story
with the apparent piety of devoted
Cathol1cs and then offered them purses
filled with gold. But every offer was
refused. Now, how did the priests of
Lourdes and the neighboring parishes
comport themselves during these ex-
citing times? What did the Bishop do?
M For flve months, from February to Ju-
Sly. though pressed upon every side,
begging him to speak, not one word
did he utter against or in favor of the
childs narrative. On the expiration of
u the fifth month, the bishop appoints
his commissioners who begin to move
aS ct once. After several months, dur
ang which they covered every detail,
s they report that the evidence supports
1.-The actuality Of the visions and the
4 sincerity of the child. During the time