Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-07-17

washington, July lO.--AllnOuSN
these be days OF marvellous medical
holds its own as a healing agency,
Indeed the belief in its miraculous
power, like the belief in other super
natural, phenomena. is evidently
greatly son the increase. New shrines
are springing up all over the world,
and old n are attracting greater
numbers of patients than ever before.
The annual pilgrimage of the af-
flicted to Lourdes this year, for in
stance. has been exceptionally large.
Patients, many of whom are carried
on stretchers or rolled in wheel
chairs have been taken to the little
French town from points as far dis
tant as Belfast and Belgrade. In the
past, most of the pilgrims were prac-
tically without hope OF relief through
medical, assistance, but this veal large
numbers suffering only minor all
ments are seeking the shrine, inspir-
ed by the new theory of auto-sugges-
ton and other faith cures.
Lourdes, which contains the most
famous Of the worlds healing shrines,
the entrance of hat huge chain of
mountains separating France from
Spain. known as the Pyrenees. Until
1858 it wassa quiet, self effacing lit
tie. town visited only by sagacious
tourists search for unusual rustic
scenery and quaint architecture, but
in this year it suddenly acquired
widespread fame owing to the alleged
miraculous experience of a 14-year-
old sl1epherdess.
It is recorded that one day while
this young lady. whose name was
Bernadette Soubirous, was out gather
ing firewood with her younger sister
near the now famous Massabielle
Rock, she was suddenly confronted
by a vision. It appeared in the form
OF a beautiful young woman. dressed
all in white with the exception of a
blue sash around the waist. The en-
tire figure was surrounded by a bright
halo of light, at the sight of which
Bernadette fell down upon her knees
and remained in a state of ecstacy
until the vision faded
Like Joan of Arc.
When the girl returned home and
recounted her experience, her family
to have her treated for Authorizations.
But as Bernadette continued to see
visions with great persistency, in one
of which appeared a figure claiming
to be the Virgin Mary, the villagers
began to place some credehce In her
story. The thing had happened to
Jeanne dare. who was also a simple
peasant girl-why not to Bernadette +?
Thus the tale spread rapidly from
town to town until the whole Of Eu-
rope was interested and people began
to arrive by the thousands to see the
sacred spot where the visions had in
variably appeared to the shepherdess.
Then, suddenly, the report went
forth hat miraculous cures were TAX
ing place in Lourdes, near the spring
in the grotto visited by the vision. A
blind boy had regafned his eyesight;
another who had been deaf could now
hear plainly, and al old I'M para
lytic was able to walk after having
been a helpless invalid for five years.
At last q small statue of the Virgin
Mary was placed in the .grotto, which
signified the church's official accept
ance of Bernadette Soubirous' story.
Since then, hundreds of thousands
of invalids have knelt before Our La
dy of Lourdes, as the little statue is
called, and prayed that they might be
cured. And many marvellous cures
have actually taken place, If one may
believe h testimony Of numerous
amazed spectators as we'll as that OF
various grateful pilgrims. One of last
years cases., for example, was that Of
a young woman with a badly twisted
ankle. resulting from a fall. Several
surgical operations had failed to cor
rect the trouble, and she was able to
walk only with the aid of a specially
made brace and crutches. When she
left Lourdes, however, she left these
aids to locomotion behind her.
In describing her sensations while
h cure was taking place, the young
woman said: Upon kissing the statue
of Our Lady the second time a felt a
severe pain shoot through my Grip
Piled leg and Something seemed to
crack behind my knee. I then kissed
the statue a third time, after which
the ankle Strengthened out, all pain
instantly vanished, and I walked for
ward unaided."
The French have another famous
shrine located in Brittany, known as
the Shrine of Ste. Anne d'Auray,
which has. been steadily working sim
liar miracles ever since the year 1923.