The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-14
VIRGIN HALTED
March ON PARIS
French Women Point to An
Gent Legends as
Proof.
EXPLAIN HALT TO KAISER
Story of Peasant Girl Who Saw Ma
donna and Prussian War
Incident Retold. -
EXPLAIN HALT TO KAISER
BY Ia RACONTEUsE.


1o-I his war IL OF
course a great calamity to the French
people. who had really given up all
thoughts OF a war revenge against the
nation that in 1871 robbed us of two
of our fatrest provinces. but. as events
are daily proving. spiritually IL has
been a blessing to the French nation
for it has brought about renaissance
and given us back the purest and best
qualities OF our national soul
can see my American readers
smile when | say that at the bottom
of our hearts we are a religious peo-
pie. The soul of this nation has al
ways been inseparable from the cult
of the Holy Virgin. "Notre Dame" As
far as we look back through the his
tory of the church we have honored
the Virgin and invoked her prayers.
Throughout centuries the French
people have with special prediction
turned toward the Virgin to whom
Louis XIII dedicated France. and in
whom we have always trusted. conf
dent in the belief that she would
never fail us in spite of our many in
fidelities.
Nanifcstatfons Of VfrRiu.
Who has not heard of Notre Dame
Of Lourdes? But il what happened a.
the whole Christian world there have
been other events which specially Of
feCted the French nation. The two
principal events of this kind were the
ones which happened on the mountain
Of La Salette in the French Alps and
the one which took place in the VII
laCe Of Pontmain the Department OF
Mayenne
short time ago there died a poor
old in 10 Of Dar
on the Adriatic. She had come to the
village an absolute stranger and had
lived there for many years when she
died alone and unknown.
II created an immense sensation
when il was made known that she
was to he buried with great pomp and
ceremony from the cathedral and that
the bishop himself would read the
masses for her soul.
Standing at her coffin he told tbs
peopl" who the woman was. and the
wonderful things which had happened
10 her in hNr youth. thing so won
derful. that it made her retire from the
world with the rich treasure of her
soul
The dead woman was MeIanie Ma
thieu. the little seeress from La Sal
cite. who when Is years old. had seen
and talked 10 the Madonna.
"eSSh&e III uaoonna-
II was in September. 1886 when Me
lanie. then girl of 16 herding cattls
on the grassy mountain slopes to-
Eether with boy Of IL. Nahum Gi-
rand. was suddenly dazzled by a light.
brighter than the sun. but not the
same color" and in this light both
children saw the Holy Virgin who
gave Melani~ a message to my own
French people"
Melanie was deeply affected and re-
tanning Nadonna's words in her mem
DRY she wrote them down and sent
them to Pope Plus who. when he re-
ceived the letter burst into tears and
said:
Terrible punishments threaten
France. but it is not alone France that
is guilty, but Italy. Switzerland. Ger
many: nay all Europe"
The world would have given much to
have known the full secret which was
known only to Melanie and the Holy
Father. Occasional glimpses only
were revealed. Melanie became a
saddened. reticent creature and wher-
ever she saw the name of Paris men
toned on a map or in a book she
crossed it out Asked why she did so
she replied:
because the day will come when
Paris shall be wiped out
Paris Doomed to Fall.
When tho war of 1870 came she
wrote to her mother from her hiding
place in Italy: Paris. you birthplace
OF sin and arrogance. nothing can
prevent your destruction unless burn
ing prayers arise to the heart of God.
You are guilty because you have hon
ored wicked man. who wrote against
tho divinity Of Christ. ernest Remain
known that this war would como and
twenty-five years L said of Napoleon
III that he was fraud. who would
rush my poor country into ruin. Sci
entists said I had boon the victim or
Authorization and that France was a
strong nation. Who is right now:
Where is the strength of France
Halt to Prussian..
The battle of Mans. lost January IL.
1871, admitted the Prussians to May
onnc and Western France. Gen.
Schmidt had been ordered to capture
Laval and felt so sure of his victory
that he had written tho order that IT
must pay war contribution of three
million francs.
At $50 in the afternoon he was sit
ting at his headquarters with his un-
willing host Monseigneur Fillon. hsh
op of Mans.
AT this moment my troops are en-
tering Laval" he said.
At that very moment the Prussian
troops without any apparent reason
stopped outside the town. Not another
step did they advance and the next
morning their retreat began. Vendeo
and Bretagne Were saved.
AN invisible Madonna barred the
way of my troops" Gen. Schmidt said
later. she is somewhere over toward
Bretagne."
Somewhere over toward Bretagne
lies Pontmain. That very night in the
Church OF Notre Dame des Victories In
Paris prayers were sent to the Virgin
in the presence of thousands of Pari-
slams to save France. and at $50 the
divine reply was written to the sky
above Pontmain.
Women Accept stories.
The village was quiet and in a hum
BILE cottage. the farmer Barbedette
sat with his two sons. Eugene. IL. and
Joseph. 10 years of age.
Eugene ran outside and in the sky
he saw the revelation of Notre Dame.
All the children of the village. who
came up saw the Virgin. who Nre-
manned hidden to everybody else. In
the stars she wrote with her finger a
line asking all to pray for France and
afterward other words siGnifying that
the prayers had been heard. At that
very moment France was saved.
We are remembering these old well
facts now. we women of
France. and not we alone but thoa-
sands of our husbands. sons or broth