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OUR  LADY  OP  L 


ADY    OP    LOURDES. 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH   OF  HENRI  LASSERB& 

One  Yol.  12mo,  500  pages. 

Cloth  extra, $2  00 

Cloth  gilt, 250 

A  work  honored  urith  a  special  brief  addressed  to  the  authca 
fry  his  Holiness  the  Pope,  Pius  IX. 

SEVENTH  EBITIOK. 


THE 

WONDEKS  OF  LOURDES. 

"BT 
Cranslatett  from  tfje  jFrencfc 

OF 

Mas.  DE  SEOTTB 

BT 

ANNA  T.  SADLIER. 


"3 

NEW  YORK: 
D.  &  J.  Sadlier  &  Co.,  31  Barclay  Street. 

KB  NOTRE  DAME  STREET,  MONTREAL. 


'Every  person  reading  this  book  should  procure  a  copy  of  Lassenre's 
iplete  and  unabridged  work, 


complete  and  unabrid 

OF  J.OURDES.H 


Extract  from  the  brief  to  the  Author  from  His  Holiness  Pope 

Pius  IX.:    " 

"We  firmly  believe  that  She  who,  from  every  Quarter,  attracts  towards 
herself,  by  miracles  oi  her  power  and  goodness,  multitudes  of  pilgrims,  wills, 
In  the  same  manner,  to  employ  your  book  in  order  to  propagate  more  widely 
and  to  excite  towards  herself  the  piety  and  confidence  of  mankind,  to  the 
end  that  all  may  participate  in  the  plenitude  of  her  graces.  As  a  pledge  of 
the  success  of  your  work,  receive  our  apostolic  benediction,  which  we  ad 
dress  to  you  very  affectionately,  as  a  testimony  of  oar  gratitude  and  our 
paternal  benevolence. 


Batered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874,  by 

D.  &  J.  SADLIER  &  CO., 
la  the  Office  of  tbe  Librarian  of  Congress,  Washington,  D.C, 


PREFACE. 


THE  particulars  of  the  accounts  given  here  are 
taken  from  the  most  authentic  sources  :  firstly, 
from  the  excellent  and  admirable  work  of  my  friend 
Mr.  Henri  Lasserre,  already  known  throughout 
France,  and  far  beyond  it.  Scrupulously  accurate, 
Mr.  Lasserre  wished  to  see  everything,  hear  every 
thing,  and  judge  of  everything  for  himself.  lie  pass 
ed  entire  months  at  Lourdes  and  in  its  vicinity, 
sparing  neither  expense  nor  fatigue  to  go  and  ques 
tion  those  who  were  said  to  have  b^en  miraculously 
cured  ;  hence  his  testimony  is  rather  that  of  the 
actors  themselves  and  of  the  witnesses  to  the  pro 
digies  which  he  relates,  and  of  which  his  lively  and 
ardent  faith  has  made  him  the  faithful  recorder. 

I  have  next  borrowed  my  information  from  the 
Annals  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes,  collected  on  the 
spot  by  the  pious  missionaries,  who  see  with  their 
own  eyes  and  hear  with  their  own  ears  what  they 
.publish  in  their  monthly  report,  which  always  has 
the  approbation  of  the  bishop  of  the  diocese.     The 
missionaries  are,  as  it  may  be  said,  located  on  the 
spot ;   and  this  circumstance  gives  to  their  testi 
mony  an  indisputable  value. 
Those  from  whom  I  have  borrowed  all  my  facts 


tv  Preface. 

may,  then,  repeat  with  the  Apostle  St.  John  :  "  We 
declare  unto  you  that  which  we  have  heard,  which 
we  have  seen  with  our  eye%  which  we  have  looked 
upon,  and  which  our  hands  have  handled.  And 
these  things  we  write  to  you,  that  you  may  rejoice, 
and  that  your  joy  may  be  perfect." 

Therefore  I  cannot  too  highly  recommend  the 
reading  of  the  Annals  and  of  Mr.  Lasserre's  book. 
Its  contents  are  adapted  to  convert,  touch,  and 
greatly  console. 

In  this  little  abridgment  of  the  Wonders  of  the 
Grotto  of  IjOiirdes,  in  citing  facts  which  are  not  my 
own,  I  have  only  shortened,  condensed,  and  some 
times  slightly  changed  the  form.  But  the  founda 
tion  is  intact,  the  accuracy  strict,  and  the  merit, 
if  merit  there  be,  is  due  entirely  to  the  pious  mis 
sionaries  of  the  Annals  and  to  the  illustrious  and 
charming  historian  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes. 

I  have  no  need  to  declare  here,  what  is  always  un 
derstood  by  a  Catholic  author  when  he  relates  facts 
of  this  nature,  that  I  in  nowise  pretend  to  antici 
pate  the  official  decision  of  the  Church  touching 
their  miraculous  character.  In  presenting  them  as 
miracles,  as  facts  evidently  supernatural,  as  divine 
manifestations,  I  fully  submit  to  the  judgment  of  * 
the  ecclesiastical  authority,  which  is  alone  compe 
tent  to  decide  finally  on  such  important  and  delicate 
questions. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


MM* 
Ex-Voto,     .........       18 

L 

A  Word  on  Pilgrimages  and  Shrines,  ,        *       15 

n. 

The  favored  Grotto  of  Lourdes,  .....       19 

m. 

Little  Bernadette, 21 

IV. 

Thursday,  February  11, 1858,     .       ....       25 

V. 
The  First  Apparition, ...  25 

VL 

The  Second  Apparition,      .       .   .          ".  38 

vn. 

The  Third  Apparition  and  the  first  Words  of  the 

Blessed  Virgin, 81 

7 


viil  Contents. 

VEIL 

PAM 

The  first  three  Days  of  the  Miraculous  Fortnight,      .       86 

IX. 

Contradictions  and  Persecutions  endured  by  poor  lit 
tle  Bernadette,      89 

X. 

The  fifth  Day  of  the  Fortnight,  .....       45 

XI. 

Bernadette  at  the  Feet  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,     .        .       47 

XIL 
The  heavenly  Beauties  of  the  Vision,         ...       63 

XIII. 

Apparition  of  Tuesday,  February  23.    First  Secret, 

and  demand  for  a  Shrine,     .       .  56 

XTV. 

Apparition   of  Wednesday,  February  24    Second 

Secret,  and  exhortation  to  penance,    ...        60 

XV. 

Apparition  of  Thursday,  February  25.    Third  Secret, 

and  the  miraculous  Fountain,       ....       06 


Contents.  be 

XVL 

MM 
Friday,  February  28.    The  first  miraculous  Cure,     .       70 

xvn. 

Apparitions  of  the  last  Days  of  the  Fortnight,   .       .       74 

XVHL 

Marvellous  close  of  the  Fortnight—  Resuscitation  of 

little  Justin,  .   •    .       .       .      *.«'•«      .       79 

XIX. 

Ridiculous  Efforts  of  the  Police  Force  to  put  down 

Fanaticism  and  Superstition,        ....       87 

XX. 

The  Apparition  of  March  25.    "  I  am  the  Immaculate 

Conception,"        »       ......       97 


The  Apparition  of  Easter  Monday,  April  5.    The 

Miracle  of  the  burning  Taper,      ....      103 


Miraculous  cure  of  young  Henri  Busquet,  .  .      105 

XXIIL 

Eighteenth  and  last  Apparition  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 

to  Beraadette.  108 


x  Contents 

XXIV. 
Bernadette  since  the  Apparitions,       .       •       .       •     110 

XXV. 

The  Episcopal  Decision,  and  the  Canonical  Institu 

tion  of  the  Pilgrimage,         .....      117 

XXVL 
The  Miracles  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes,      .       •  124 

XXVH. 
Sudden  cure  of  a  Protestant  Free-thinker,         •       .     128 

XXVIH. 
Little  Pierre  Estournet's  Eyes,    .....      181 

XXEX. 
A  dying  Girl  instantly  resuscitated,    .       .       .  135 


Sudden  cure  of  an  old  Militia-Man,  .       .     145 


Instantaneous  cure  of  a  young  Working-Girl  in  her 

Agony,         ........      157 


Marvellous  cure  of  a  Boy  of  fifteen,  dumb  and  para 
lytic,     .       .  . 


Contents. 


Cure  of  a  Mother  of  a  Family  afflicted  with  Cancer  in 

the  Tongue,  .       .       .      .•      .*       •      .•       •      178 

XXXIV. 

Sudden  cure  of  a  little  School-Girl  threatened  with  loss 

of  Bight,       .       .       .       •       •       •       •       .M5 

XXXV. 

Cure  of  a  Switch-Tender,  related  by  himself,     •       .      187 

XXXVL 
Instantaneous  cure  of  a  young  consumptive  Peasant 

Girl,      .........     1W 

xxxvn. 

Touching  cures  of  Children  lately  worked  by  the 

miraculous  Water  of  Lourdes,      ...»      201 

XXXVIII. 

A  Workman  of  sixty  suddenly  cured  of  Varicose 
^       Swellings,  declared  incurable  .....      213 


The  Seminarian  of  Li6ge,    .  . 

XL. 

Instantaneous  and  radical  cure  of  a  young  Village-Girl 
dying  in  Convulsions,  .... 


xH  Contents. 

XLL 

Miraculous  cure  of  Pierre  Hanquet,  Master-mason  at 

kfege, .  23C 

XML 

What  Inference  does  Faith  draw  from  all  these  Mar 
vels?     241 

XLrn. 

What  the  Heavenly  Apparition  of  the  Grotto  teaches 

our  Piety,     •       .       .       .       .  944 


THE  WONDERS  OF  LOURDES. 


EX-V0TO. 

ON  the  17th  of  October  1869,  it  seemed  that  my 
mother  was  to  be  snatched  from  those  who  loved 
bor,  by  a  terrible  attack  which  in  a  few  hours 
reduced  her  to  the  last  extremity.  A  skillful  physi 
cian  candidly  warned  me  of  the  danger,  adding  that 
certain  alarming  symptoms  left  him  no  hope.  Tho 
distortion  of  her  features,  it  appears,  was  frightful, 
and  her  pulse  had  almost  ceased  to  beat. 

After  having  received  the  last  Sacraments  with 
great  faith  and  humility,  the  dying  woman,  who 
was  perfectly  conscious,  remained  in  the  same  con 
dition  for  several  hours,  "It  will  be  to-night," 
she  said  to  me,  calmly,  "it  will  be  at  sunset." 

A  pious  friend  of  the  family,  who  had  come  to 
bid  her  a  last  farewell,  was  inspired  to  have  recourse 
to  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes.  This  thought  was  joyfully 


14  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

received  by  all  :  by  a  providential  coincidence,  the 
last  book  which  my  mother  and  I  had  read  together, 
towards  the  end  of  our  vacation,  was  precisely  Mr. 
Lasserre's  beautiful  and  touching  book  on  the  mir 
acle  of  Lourdes. 

In  about  two  hours,  our  excellent  friend  brought 
us  a  small  flask  filled  with  water  from  the  miracu 
lous  grotrto  ;  we  put  some  of  it  on  the  bandage 
of  ice-water  which  had  been  placed  on  the 
patient's  head,  and  I  made  a  vow  if "  the  Blessed 
Virgin  left  us  our  mother,  that  I  would  go  and  cel 
ebrate  in  the  very  Sanctuary  of  Lourdes,  a  Mass  of 
thanksgiving. 

A  few  minutes  after  the  water  of  Lourdes  had 
touched  my  mother,  she  fell  into  a  peaceful  sleep, 
^wjhich  lasted  till  the  close  of  day.  The  sun 
went  down,  and  she  did  not  die.  "  Then,  it  will 
undoubtedly  be  to-morrow  morning,"  said  she  to 
me  again,  "  unless  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes.  .  .  .  These 
sort  of  attacks  return  almost  always  at  sunrise  ot 
sunset." 

Next  morning,  the  sun  rose  and  the  day  began 
without  anything  occurring.  That  evening,  the 
next  day,  and  the  day  following  that,  it  was  the 
same.  The  actual  danger  passed  away  from  hour 
to  hour,  so  much  so  that  at  the  end  of  ten  or  twelve 
daysj  she  began  to  be  convalescent. 

The  doctor,  who  was  a  true  Christian,  watched 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  15 

with  mingled  joy  and  astonishment  the  progress  of 
BO  unhoped  for  a  cure.  Without  wishing  to  present 
this  cure  as  a  miracle,  I  cannot  help  regarding  it  as 
a  supernatural  favor,  and  as  a  very  great  grace,  due 
to  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes. 

Full  of  gratitude,  I  have  then  fulfilled  my  vow. 
I  have  had  the  happiness  of  venerating  that  sacred 
grotto,  still  balmy  with  the  fragrance  of  the  Mother 
of  GOD.  And  as  I  wished  to  leave  at  that  blessed 
shrine  a  little  offering  in  token  of  my  gratitude  and 
love,  I  promised  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  to  collect  in 
a  little  popular  work,  within  reach  of  all  minds  and 
of  all  purses,  the  wonders  that  the  divine  mercy  has 
deigned  to  accomplish  in  that  place. 

It  is  this  little  work  that  I  now  place  at  the  feet 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  in  the  grotto  of  Lourdes,  and 
which  I  here  offer  to  your  piety,  my  dear  reader. 


I. 

A   WORD    ON    PILGRIMAGES    AND   SHRINES. 

THERE  are  on  the  earth  a  certain  number  of  priv 
ileged  spots,  where  the  mercy  of  the  good  GOD  lovea 
to  manifest  itself  with  a  sort  of  prodigality.  These 
blessed  places  are  called  Sanctuaries,  that  is  to  say, 
places  specially  sanctified  and  sanctifying.  They 


1 6  The  Wonders  of  Lonrdes. 

are  also  called  pilgrimages,  because  of  the  luimbet 
of  pilgrims  who  go  there  to  pray  and  implore  graces. 

Pilgrimages  are,  in  fact,  fountains,  or,  to  better 
express  it,  volcanoes  of  graces.  A  volcano  is  a 
mountain  whence  escapes,  if  not  always,  at  least 
often,  the  mysterious  fire  with  which  the  whole  inte 
rior  of  the  earth  is  filled.  This  fire,  whose  power  is 
inconceivable,  forms  for  itself  here  and  there  oper- 
ings  by  which  it  communicates  with  the  inhabited 
earth,  tearing  up  the  soil  all  around  it,  continually 
giving  forth  smoke  more  or  less  dense,  and  at  times 
breaking  out  in  eruptions,  as  they  are  called,  and 
sending  from  its  crater  torrents  of  burning  lava. 

Such  are,  in  a  spiritual  sense,  our  pilgrimages, 
our  great  Sanctuaries.  "  The  earth  is  full  of  the 
mercy  of  the  Lord"  says  the  Holy  Scripture  ;  this 
divine  mercy  supports  and  fertilizes  our  souls ;  like 
the  central  fire  of  the  earth,  which  maintains  a  cer 
tain  degree  of  heat  in  the  ground,  without  which 
everything  would  perish.  But  besides,  in  order  to 
satisfy  the  wants  of  His  heart  and  to  revive 
unceasingly  our  faith  and  confidence,  the  good 
GOD  deigns  to  manifest  to,  and  so  to  say  to 
inundate  us  with  the  treasures  of  His  love.  For 
this  purpose  He  chooses  certain  spots,  which  thus 
become  meeting-places  of  prayer,  of  piety,  of  ador 
ation,  where  the  faithful  acquire  new  strength,  and 
poor  sinners  are  more  easily  converted.  Always^ 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes .  17 

in  these  Sanctuaries,  the  divine  grace  flows  more 
abundantly  than  elsewhere,  like  the  smoke  of  a  vol 
cano  which  never  ceases;  and  often,  whether  for 
the  consolation  of  the  good,  for  the  conversion  or 
confusion  of  sinners,  the  almighty  mercy  of  GOD 
there  manifests  itself  by  prodigies,  by  sudden  cures, 
and  other  miracles  of  this  kind. 

To  each  of  these  blessed  places  whence  the  divine 
mercy  seems  to  gush  forth  as  from  a  fountain  of 
life,  the  beautiful  invitation  of  the  apostle  Saint 
Paul  to  the  Hebrews  may  be  applied,  "Let  us  go, 
therefore,  with  confidence  to  the  throne  of  grace, 
that  we  may  obtain  mercy  ! "  Yes,  let  us  go  with 
a  simple  faith,  an  humble  confidence  to  these  Sanc 
tuaries  of  grace,  where  we  are  sure  of  receiving 
much.  Since  it  is  there  that  the  good  GOD  awaits 
us,  calls  us  to  do  us  good,  why  not  respond  to  so 
sweet  an  invitation  ? 

When  one  makes  a  pilgrimage  piously,  or  enters 
with  full  sail  into  the  current  of  the  divine  will,  one 
is  assured  of  being  in  the  spirit  of  the  Church,  and 
following  the  footsteps  of  the  Saints,  who  have  all 
had  devotion  to  pilgrimages. 

Now,  why  does  GOD  choose  such  a  place  rathei 
than  any  other  to  there  display  His  glory,  or  that  of 
His  Mother,  or  that  of  His  Saints?  This  is  the 
gecret  of  His  providence,  and  it  is  the  simplest  way 
for  us  to  say  that  we  know  nothing  of  it.  In  every 


1 8  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

thing,  we  very  quickly  find  a  why  without  an  an« 
swer.      GOD  is  the  master  of  His  works  and  of  His 
gifts.      When  He  deigns  to  confer  benefits  on  us,j 
let  us  content  ourselves  with  humbly  adoring  and 
thanking  Him. 

Speaking  here  only  of  the  Sanctuaries  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  let  us  remark  how  much  our  Cath 
olic  France  has  been  privileged  in  this  respect. 
There  is  scarcely  a  diocese  which  does  not  possess 
some  one  of  these  pilgrimages  where  the  merciful 
heart  of  MARY  is  pleased  to  console  and  sanctify 
her  children,  and  that  sometimes  for  ages.  The 
history  of  each  of  these  pilgrimages  has  been  col 
lected  with  pious  respect,  and  forms,  under  the  title 
of  Our  Lady  of  France,  a  work  full  of  information 
and  of  touching  reminiscences. 

Who  has  not  heard  of  Our  Lady  of  Victory,  of 
Our  Lady  of  Chartres,  Our  Lady  of  Fourvieres,  Our 
Lady  of  La  Salette,  Our  Lady  of  La  Garde  (Our 
Lady  of  Guard),  of  Good  Help  (de  Bonsecours),  of 
Boulogne,  of  the  Vine  (de  la  Treille),  of  Liesse,  of 
Se*ez,  of  Deliverance  (la  Deliverande)  ? 

The  Sanctuary  of  Lourdes  is  the  last  that  came. 
Without  wishing  to  take  from  the  others,  it  must 
be  confessed  that  it  already  shines  with  a  won 
derful  lustre,  and  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  seoms 
there  to  multiply  more  and  more  the  prodigies  of 
her  power.  In  order  to  enlighten  and  at  the  same 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  19 

time  excite  the  piety  of  pilgrims,  I  venture  to  pre- 
sont  to  them  this  pamphlet,  in  which  I  collect  in  a 
fc\v  pages  the  incomparable  recollections  of  the 
Sanctuary  of  the  IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION. 


II. 

THE  FAVORED  GROTTO  OF  LOURDES. 

LOURDES  is  a  pretty  little  Pyrenean  town, in  the 
diocese  of  Tarbes.  Prior  to  the  marvels  which  wa 
are  about  to  relate,  Lourdes  was  little  known  except 
for  its  excellent  chocolate.  It  is  situated  at  tho 
entrance  to  several  mountain  gorges  Which  lead  to 
the  most  frequented  mineral  springs  of  the  Pyrenees, 
amongst  others  Cauterets,  Saint  Sauveur  Bareges, 
Bagneres  de  Bigorres,  Bagneres  de  Luchon. 

At  some  distance  from  the  town,  towards  the 
west  arises  an  almost  perpendicular  wall  of  rocks, 
known  in  the  neighborhood  as  the  Rocks  of  Massa- 
bielle,  which  means  old  rocks.  Nearly  at  the  foot 
of  the  rock  flows  the  stream  or  torrent,  formed  by 
the  waters  which  descend  from  the  neighboring 
mountains,  and  at  that  period,  a  little  stream  was 
detached  from  the  stream  and  ran  along  by  the 
Uocks  of  Massabielle,  for  the  use  of  a  mill  and  \ 
Baw-milL 


2O  The  Wonders  of  Lourders. 

In  this  wall  of  gray  stones,  nature  has  holloaed 
a  grotto  about  twelve  feet  in  height  and  of  equal 
depth.  The  roof,  smooth  and  even,  forms  a  curve 
and  at  the  end  on  the  left  side  it  meets  the  ground 
at  a  sharp  angle.  The  right  side  is  nearly  perpen 
dicular. 

Inside,  on  the  right,  facing  the  spectator,  and 
about  six  or  seven  feet  from  the  ground,  may  be 
remarked  a  hollow  in  the  form  of  a  niche  about 
six  feet  high,  and  very  much  like  an  elongated  O. 
This  excavation  is  natural,  like  the  grotto  itself. 
Never  had  the  hand  of  man  touched  these  wild 
rocks.  The  niche  is  not  deep;  and  by  its  very  con 
formation,  the  grotto  was  neither  dark  nor  damp. 
Wild  shrub*  gracefully  frame  the  grotto  in  an  arch 
of  foliage.  The  earth  becomes  deeper  as  you  go  up. 

This  grotto  was  the  place  designated  by  Provi 
dence  for  the  manifestation  of  the  glory  and  good 
ness  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

In  the  month  of  February  of  the  year  1858,  a 
sweet-brier  or  wild  rose  bush  was  the  only  orna 
ment  of  the  grotto  of  Massabielle.  It  grew  caprici 
ously  at  the  foot  of  the  niche,  and  its  long  branches 
fell  outside  of  it. 

No  one  ever  came  to  this  lonely  spot,  unless  it 
were  some  shepherds,  who,  surprised  by  bad  weather, 
sought  a  shelter  in  the  grotto.  The  earth  in  the 
cavern  was,  in  fact,  very  dry. 


Tkt  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  31 


IIL 

LITTLE  BERNADETTE. 

MARiE-Bernarde  Soubirous,  of  Lourdes,  to  whom 
we  will  give  her  familiar  name  of  BERNADETTE,  was, 
in  1858,  a  little  girl  of  fourteen,  humble  amongst 
the  humble  of  this  world.  Her  family  lived  by 
work  and  saving,  in  a  poverty  which  was  little  short 
of  misery. 

Bernadette  was  born  delicate;  at  fourteen,  she 
was  still  thin,  small,  and  sickly;  she  was  subject  to 
asthma  from  her  cradle.  She  had  been  brought  up 
in  the  neighboring  parish  of  Bartres;  and  a  good 
part  of  her  childhood  was  passed,  on  the  peaceful 
hills  of  that  village,  minding  a  little  flock  of  sheep. 

Nothing  distinguished  her  from  ordinary  child 
ren.  The  habitual  oppression  of  her  breath  de* 
stroyed  in  her  the  vivacity  of  childhood. 

This  frail  child  hid  a  treasure  which  GOD  guarded ; 
this  was  her  heart,  her  innocence.  Simple,  childish, 
extremely  docile,  very  affectionate,  all  was  candor 
in  her  looks,  speech  and  face.  Her  features  were 
commonplace;  but  her  countenance  was  sweet, 
agreeable,  and  very  sympathetic.  She  had  fine  black 
hair,  and  her  brown  eyes  were  full  of  sweetness. 

At  fourteen,  Bernadette  had  not  yet  made  her 


22  The  Wonders  of  Lourders. 

First  Communion.  Yet  her  baptismal  innocence  re« 
uuiined  intact  in  her  soul. 

She  had  a  horror  of  evil,  and  faults  committed  in 
her  presence  pained  her.  Her  sister,  three  yeara 
younger,  relates  with  tenderness  and  respect,  that 
Bernadette  often  scolded  her  for  not  caring  to  pray, 
for  her  abruptness  and  her  rough  ways. 

During  the  prayer  which  was  said  every  evening 
in  common  and  aloud,  little  Bernadette's  posture 
was  alway  very  respectful;  she  never  leaned  against 
anything ;  she  was  inclined  to  recollection. 

Notwithstanding  her  ignorance,  the  simple  child 
prayed  much.  She  loved  prayer,  although  as  yet 
she  only  knew  the  Rosary.  With  her  poor  beads, 
she  often  spoke,  during  the  day,  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin  MARY,  whom  she  scarcely  knew.  The 
Virgin-Mother  of  Nazareth  loved  Bernadette,  let 
her  grow  up  humble  and  pious,  and  waited  for  her. 

The  priest  who  had  charge  of  the  parish  of  Bar- 
tres,  at  the  time  when  Bernadette  was  to  leave  the 
village  to  prepare  herself  at  home  for  her  First  Com 
munion,  met  her  one  day,  leading  her  flock.  The 
child's  air  of  innocence  and  candor  went  to  his 
heart.  He  saluted  her  with  a  sort  of  respect;  and 
going  back  to  look  at  her  again,  he  said  to  himself: 
"  The  children  to  whom  the  Blessed  Virgin  appeared 
on  the  mountain  of  La  Salette,  must  have  been  like 
this  little  one." 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  2$ 

The  good  priest  never  suspected  that  in  these 
words  was  a  gleam  of  prophecy. 


IV. 

THURSDAY,  FEBRUARY    llTfl,  1858. 

THURSDAY,  February  llth,  1858,  the  woman  Sou- 
birous  allowed  her  daughter  to  accompany  her 
little  sister  Marie  and  a  little  neighbor,  who  were 
going  to  look  for  dead  wood  on  the  banks  of  the 
Gave,  besideathe  rocks  of  Massabielle.  Bernadetto 
wore  a  poor  dress  of  coarse  black  wool,  all  patched, 
and  her  head  was  covered  with  the  pretty  head  dress 
of  the  Pyrenean  peasants,  called  capulet.  Her 
capulet  of  white  wool  covered  her  shoulders. 

The  three  children  set  out  gaily  about  half-past 
eleven.  Half  an  hour  after,  they  were  at  work,  on 
the  common  ground  beside  the  stream,  facing  the 
grotto  of  which  we  have  spoken.  It  was  cold;  the 
weather  was  cloudy,  but  calm. 

Bernadette  was  a  little  behind;  less  fortunate 
than  her  two  companions,  she  had  not  yet  found  any 
dead  wood.  They  had  just  crossed  the  bed  of  the 
stream,  then  almost  dry;  they  had  waded  over 
with  bare  feet,  and  when  putting  on  their  little 


24  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

sabots,*  they  called  to  Bernadette  that  the  watef 
was  very  cold. 

Weakened  by  her  asthma,  poor  Bernadette  hesi 
tated  to  wet  her  feet.  "  I  dare  not  go  into  the 
water,"  said  she  to  them,  "  with  such  a  cold  as  I 
have."  She,  however,  decided  to  do  so,  and  sitting 
on  a  large  stone,  she  began  to  take  off  her  shoes. 
A  sudden  noise,  like  an  impetuous  wind,  caused  her 
to  raise  her  head  and  look  round.  It  was  strange! 
the  poplars  which  grew  on  the  bank  were  perfectly 
motionless.  "  I  was  mistaken,"  said  the  astonished 
child;  and  she  again  bent  down  to  remove  her  stock 
ings.  But  the  mysterious  voice  immediately  began 
again,  and  seemed  to  be  in  the  grotto.*  Bernadette 
raised  her  head,  and  looked  before  her.  .  .  .  She 
would  have  cried  out;  but  emotion  choked  her  voice; 
stupefied  by  what  she  saw,  she  grew  weak  and  fell 
on  her  knees. 

A  wonderful  apparition  appeared  before  her  at 
the  end  of  the  grotto,  in  the  niche  or  excavation 
which  we  have  described. 

Just  then  the  Angelus  bell  resounded  from  all 
sides. 

*  Wooden  shoes. 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  2$ 

V. 

THE  FIRST  APPARITION. 

IN  the  midst  of  a  dazzling  light,  brilliant  as  that  of 
the  sun,  but  sweet  and  peaceful  like  everything 
heavenly,  a  Lady  admirably  beautiful  appeared  tc 
the  eyes  of  the  child. 

She  seemed  to  be  of  ordinary  size,  in  all  the  glory 
of  youth.  She  was  clad  in  a  long  white  robe,  all 
resplendent  and  of  a  material  unknown  to  earth. 
This  robe  was  fastened  at  the  waist  by  a  flowing 
azure  girdle. 

A  large  plain  white  veil,  like  the  dress,  covered 
her  head  and  shoulders  and  the  whole  body,  reach 
ing  to  the  ground.  The  feet,  of  virginal  whiteness, 
were  bare,  and  seemed  to  rest  on  the  wild  rose-bush. 
Two  bright  roses  of  a  gold  color  adorned  the  upper 
part  of  the  Virgin's  feet.  Her  hands  were  clasped 
on  her  breast  as  if  in  fervent  prayer;  she  held  a 
long  rosary,  as  white  as  snow,  whose  beads  seemed 
joined  by  a  chain  of  glittering  gold;  a  beautiful 
golden  cross  as  bright  as  the  gold  of  the  roses,  hung 
from  the  rosary. 

The  countenance  of  the  Apparition  was  of  ineffa 
ble  beauty.  It  breathed  at  once  majesty,  innocence, 
goodness,  peace  and  tenderness.  The  forehead  was 
smooth  and  wonderfully  fair,  the  eyes,  of  celestial 


26  The  Wonders  of  Lour$e$. 

blue,  shed  a  charm,  a  sweetness  which  made  littlo 
Bernadette's  heart  melt  with  love.  The  lips  breath 
ed  a  divine  goodness,  and  gentleness. 

Moreover  there  was  nothing  vague  nor  indistinct 
in  this  heavenly  apparition.  It  was  not  a  phantom, 
it  was  a  living  reality  which  the  happy  child  beheld; 
and  all  glorious  as  it  was,  it  was  a  real  body,  living 
and  acting. 

Entranced  with  admiration,  the  humble  child 
could  not  believe  her  eyes.  From  the  midst  of  the 
light,  the  beautiful  Lady  smiled  most  sweetly  on 
her.  She  seemed  to  salute  her  with  her  hands,  and 
kindly  bent  her  head. 

Bernadette  rubbed  her  eyes,  instinctively  soughi 
in  her  pocket,  took  out  her  rosary;  and,  to  protect 
herself,  attempted  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross 
But  her  hand  fell  powerless.  A  vague  uneasiness 
took  possession  of  her.  But  at  that  moment,  the 
Lady  took,  with  her  right  hand,  the  cross  of  tli€ 
rosary  which  hung  from  her  left  wrist,  made  the 
sign  of  the  cross,  and  by  a  smile  of  ineffable  benignity 
seemed  to  say  to  the  child:  Do  as  I  do.  The  child 
imitated  her,  and  her  arm  freely  obeyed.  The  Lady 
clasped  her  hands  and  passed  the  beads  of  her  rosary 
between  her  fingers.  Bernadette  recited  her 
chaplet. 

Her  sister  had  been  watching  her  for  a  moment 
saw  her  pale,  with  eyes  fixed;  she  remarked  the 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  27 

double  movement  of  her  arm,  the  motionless  and  at 
tentive  attitude  of  prayer.  "  Stop,"  said  she  to  her 
companion  ;"look  at  Bernadette  praying." 

"What  an  idea  to  come  hereto  pray!"  answered 
the  other.  "It  is  quite  enough  to  pray  in  church! 
— Bah!  let  her  do  it.  She  can  do  nothing  else." 

They  paid  no  farther  attention  to  Bernadette,  and, 
to  keep  from  being  cold,  they  began  to  run  and  jump, 
picking  up  little  branches.  They  passed  there  several 
times  while  Bernadette  was  reciting  her  rosary. 

Bernadette  was  all  the  time  motionless,  on  her 
knees,  looking  at  the  mysterious  Lady,  so  sweet  and 
BO  beautiful. 

The  Lady,  with  ravishing  grace  and  goodness, 
beckoned  for  her  to  approach,  without  other  call 
than  this  gesture  and  her  smile.  Bernadette  dared 
not  stir.  At  last,  the  Lady  held  out  her  arms,  gently 
bent  her  head,  smiled  as  if  saying  farewell 

Bernadette  saw  once  more  the  cold  rock,  the  bare 
rose-bush,  heard  and  saw  her  companions  playing. 
The  heavenly  vision  had  disappeared. 

The  Immaculate  Virgin  MARY  (for  it  was  she  ) 
had  withdrawn  into  the  impenetrable  secresy  of  that 
heavenly  world  which  except  by  a  miracle  our  senses 
cannot  perceive  here  below. 

Bernadette  arose,  bared  her  feet  quickly,  crossed 
the  stream,  and  approaching  her  two  companions 
•aid  to  them  in  a  voice  still  much  agitated:  "Have 


28  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

you  seen  nothing  ?  "  And  as  the  children  quietly 
answered  that  they  had  not,  she  was  silent;  and  all 
three  together  set  out  on  the  road  to  Lourdes. 

However,  questioned  by  her  little  sister,  she  finally 
•related  to  her  all  the  details  of  what  she  had  seen, 
but  making  her  promise  to  keep  the  secret.  Her 
mother  having  heard  of  the  occurrence,  would  not 
believe  it,  and  told  Bernadette  that  it  was  all  imagi 
nation,  and  forbade  her  to  return  to  the  grotto. 
She  feared  that  it  might  be  some  snare  of  the  devil  for 
her  child.  Bernadette  kept  silent;  but  her  little 
heart  was  oppressed.  At  the  evening  prayers,  she 
burst  out  sobbing,  when  she  came  to  her  favorite 
invocation:  O  MAKY!  conceived  without  sin,  pray 
for  us  who  have  recourse  to  thee.  The  dear  child 
did  not  however  suspect  that  the  apparition  in  the 
grotto  was  the  Blessed  Virgin;  but  since  she  had 
seen  the  "  beautiful  Lady,"  she  felt  an  irresistible 
desire  to  return  to  the  grotto,  in  the  hope  of  seeing 
her  again. 


VL 

THE  SECOND  APPARITION. 

THE  Sunday  following,  the  fourteenth  of  Febru 
ary,  Bernadette's  sister,  the  little  neighbor  Jeanne, 
and  some  other  children,  begged  Mother  Soubiroua 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  29 

BO  hard  that  she  allowed  Bernadettt  to  return  to  the 
grotto.  The  weather  was  very  fine. 

A  thought  had,  however,  come  into  these  little 
heads :  might  not  this  extraordinary  apparition  be 
a  trick  of  the  devil? 

"  Perhaps  it  is  something  wicked,"  said  the  chil 
dren  to  Bernadette.  "  In  any  case,  you  must  throw 
some  holy  water  on  it.  If  it  is  the  devil,  it  will  go 
away.  You  will  say  to  it :  '  If  you  come  from  GOD, 
approach  ;  if  you  corne  from  the  devil,  go  away.'  r 
In  the  depth  of  her  heart,  Bernadette  was  sure  that 
the  apparition  did  not  come  from  the  devil.  She, 
however,  promised  to  do  as  her  little  companions 
advised.  They  started  ;  on  passing  by  the  church, 
they  took  some  holy  water  in  a  little  bottle  ;  and 
reached  the  grotto. 

Nothing  was  to  be  seen.  "  Let  us  kneel  down," 
said  Bernadette,  "  and  say  our  beads."  The  holy 
prayer  had  no  sooner  commenced  than  the  face  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin's  little  friend  brightened  sudden 
ly,  illumined  with  joy  ;  her  eyes  were  fixed  on  the 
hollow  in  the  grotto  with  an  indescribable  expres 
sion  of  happiness  ;  the  radiant  Lady  "was  there 
before  her,  as  the  first  time,  surrounded  with  splen 
dor,  with  smiling  face,  and  the  beautiful  white  and 
gold  rosary  passing  silently  through  her  fingers. 

"  Look  !  "  then  said  Bernadette,  much  agitated  ; 
"  look  !  there  she  is  '  "  But  the  children  saw  notb- 


3O  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

ing.  Yet  Bernadette's  face  was  so  transfigured 
that  they  could  not  for  an  instant  doubt  the  reality 
of  the  supernatural  apparition.  "  O,  see  !  "  added 
she,  "  see  ;  she  smiles,  and  she  salutes  me." 

Then,  one  of  the  children  placed  the  little  bottle 
of  holy  water  in  the  hands  of  the  kneeling  Bern  a- 
dette.  The  latter  rose,  shaking  the  holy  water 
several  times,  quickly,  towards  the  mysterious  Lady. 
"  If  you  come  from  GOD,"  said  she,  in  a  loud  voice, 
"  approach."  Strange  to  say,  her  companions  heard 
nothing,  and  did  not  even  perceive  that  she  spoke. 

The  holy  water  reached  first  the  rose  bush,  then 
the  feet  of  the  Virgin,  who,  smiling  still  more 
sweetly,  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  niche,  bending 
towards  the  child  with  an  expression  of  ravishing 
'sweetness.  Bernadette  said  a  second  time :  "  If 
you  come  from  GOD,  approach  ;"  but  she  dared  not 
add  the  rest,  so  evident  was  it  to  her  that  what  she 
eaw  could  not  come  from  hell. 

"  See,  now,"  said  Bernadette,  "  when  I  throw  the 
holy  water,  she  raises  her  eyes  to  heaven  and  bends 
towards  me."  And,  a  moment  after  :  "  You  do  not 
see  her  ?  she  is  there  ;  she  is  looking  at  us  .  .  . 
she  smiles  .  .  .  now  she  turns  her  head  .  .  . 
see  her  feet  .  .  .  her  flowing  girdle  .  .  . 
see,  see,  she  has  the  beads  rolled  round  her  arm 
.  .  .  Oh !  she  is  so  beautiful  !  .  .  .  Now, 
nhe  takes  her  beads  ;  she  crosses  herself." 


The  Wonders  of  Loiirdes.  31 

Bernadette  knelt  down  again,  made  the  sign  of 
the  cross,  remained  motionless,  and  artlessly  began 
her  rosary.  Kneeling,  with  clasped  hands,  her 
rosary  between  her  fingers,  her  body  extended  as  il 
drawn  by  a  power  from  on  high,  pale,  with  colorless 
lips,  her  eyes  raised  and  fixed,  she  remained  there 
like  a  statue  of  a  saint  in  an  ecstasy.  Her  sweet 
face  seemed  as  if  of  fine  wax.  She  smiled,  and 
bright  tears  rolled  down  amidst  her  smiles. 

The  Blessed  Virgin  received  the  child's  simple 
prayer,  and  showed  herself  to  her,  continuing  to  pass 
through  her  sacred  hands  the  beads  of  her  rosary. 

She  smiled  on  her  a  last  time,  and  disappeared. 

That  evening,  nearly  all  the  town  had  heard  of 
the  wonders  which  the  gcotto  of  Massabielle  had 
already  witnessed  twice. 


VII. 

THE  THIRD    APPARITION,    AND   THE    FIRST    WORDS    OF 
THE   BLESSED  VIRGIN. 

GOOD  little  Bernadette  went  home,  her  heart 
overflowing  with  joy  ;  she  was  wholly  engrossed  by 
what  she  had  seen.  She  did  not  yet  know  who  her 
heavoiily  visitor  was.  The  other  children  .felt 


32  The  Wonders  of  Louties. 

afraid  ;  this  supernatural  and  unknown  being, 
whom  they  did  not  see,  made  them  feel  a  sort  of 
religious  awe.  "  We  are  afraid,  Bernadette,"  said 
they  to  her.  "  Do  not  let  us  go  there  any  more. 
What  you  saw  might  do  us  harm." 

Her  father  and  mother  did  not  doubt  the  sincerity 
of  their  pious  child  ;  but  they  could  not  believe  in 
the  reality  of  the  apparition.  "  She  is  a  child,"  said 
they.  "  She  thought  she  saw  it,  but  she  saw  noth 
ing.  It  is  a  child's  fancy." 

Still  the  child's  statements  were  so  firm  and  so 
simple,  the  details  which  she  gave  so  precise,  she  so 
evidently  told  the  truth,  that  they  knew  not  what 
to  think.  They  no  longer  ventured  to  forbid  her 
going  to  the  grotto. 

Several  persons  came  to  the  house  to  question 
Bernadette,  and  the  little  one's  recital  was  so  full  of 
simplicity,  that  they  all  went  away  convinced  of  tha 
reality  of  her  vision  in  the  grotto. 

On  Thursday,  the  eighteenth,  two  of  them, 
Madame  Millet,  and  a  young  girl  belonging  to  the 
Sodality  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  Antoinette  Peyret, 
came  very  early  to  take  Bernadette  with  them  to 
the  grotto.  They  all  three  assisted  at  the  half -past, 
five  o'clock  Mass,  and  set  out  from  there  to  the 
Rocks  of  Massabielle.  "  It  is,  undoubtedly,  some 
soul  from  Purgatory  asking  for  Masses,"  thought 
they.  In  this  thought,  they  provided  themselves 


The  Wonders  of  LourJes.  33 

with  a  taper  ;  and,  lest  Bernadette  should  not  un 
derstand  what  was  said  to  her,  they  took  with  them 
}>uper  and  ink. 

However,  a  supernatural  strength  seemed  to  ani 
mate  Bernadette  ;  her  companions  could  not  keep 
up  with  her  ;  hence  she  arrived  some  minutes  before 
them,  in  front  of  the  sacred  grotto.  She  knelt  down 
in  her  usual  place,  a  little  way  from  the  rock,  and 
began  her  rosary,  watching  the  cavern,  which  was 
etill  empty.  All  at  once  she  uttered  a  cry  of  joy  ; 
a  heavenly  radiance  illumined  the  cavern  ;  a  voice 
was  heard  calling  her ;  and  immediately  th^re  ap 
peared,  standing  a  few  paces  above  her,  the  admir 
able  Virgin.  As  usual,  she  was  smiling  and  charm 
ing.  She  bent  towards  Bernadette  with  a  motherly 
air,  and,  by  a  movement  of  her  hand,  signed  for  her 
to  approach. 

Antoinette  and  Madame  Millet  then  arrived  and 
saw  the  face  of  the  child  entirely  transfigured. 
They  stopped,  through  a  feeling  of  respect.  Ber 
nadette  saw  them.  "  She  is  there,"  said  she  to 
them,  softly.  "She  signs  for  me  to  advance." 
"Ask  her,"  said  the  two  women,  "  ask  her  if  she  is 
angry  that  we  are  with  you.  If  so,  we  shall  iv- 
tire."  After  having  consulted  for  a  moment  tin? 
invisible  Lady,  Bernadette  said  to  them:  "You 
may  remain."  An4  both  knelt  piously  beside  the 
child,  lighting  their  blessed  tapers. 


34  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

Bernadette  heeded  nothing  more  but  the  sacred 
apparition.  "  Advance  towards  her,  since  she  calls 
you,  and  makes  signs  to  you,"  again  said  the  two 
women.  " Approach  her.  Ask  her  who  she  is; 
n'hy  she  comes  here  ?  Is  she  a  soul  from  Purgatory 
asking  for  prayers  and  Masses  ?  Tell  her  to  write 
what  she  desires,  on  this  papei .  We  are  disposed  to 
do  all  that  she  wishes,  all  that  may  be  necessary  foi 
her  repose." 

Bernadette  was  no  longer  afraid.  The  smile 
which  had  responded  to  her  little  exorcism  on  Sun 
day  had  dispelled  all  her  uneasiness.  With  im» 
plicit  confidence  she  gave  up  her  heart  to  the  myste 
rious  Lady,  to-day  again  so  radiant  and  so  sweet. 
Little  Bernadette,  therefore,  took  the  paper,  ink 
and  pen,  arose  and  advanced  towards  the  Appari 
tion,  holding  out  these  objects.  The  two  womcf 
arose  to  follow  her,  and  hear  what  would  be  said  ; 
but  Bernadette,  without  turning  back,  made  them 
a  sign  not  to  advance,  and  they  immediately  retired, 
much  confused. 

"  My  Lady,"  said  the  little  girl,  with  simplicity, 
"  if  you  have  anything  to  tell  me,  would  you  have 
the  goodness  to  write  here  who  you  are  and  what 
you  desire  ? "  The  two  women  did  not  hear  the 
child  speak  ;  nor  did  they  remark  any  movement  of 
her  lips. 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  35 

A  moment  after,  Bernadutte  let  her  arms  fall 
slowly,  waited  for  a  little,  and  came  back  with  the 
l>:mer.  "Well;  what  did  she  answer?"  "Oh! 
she  smiled,  and  then  said  to  me  :  '  What  I  have  to 
tell  you,  I  need  not  write.  Only  do  me  the  favor  to 
come  here  every  day  for  fifteen  days:  I  promised, 
and  she  said:  *  And  I  promise  to  make  you  happy 
not  in  this  world,  but  in  the  other:  " 

While  Bernadctte  returned  to  her  companions, 
the  Blessed  Virgin  followed  her  with  her  eyes,  then, 
for  a  moment,  looked  tenderly  at  Antoinette,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Sodality  of  the .  Children  of 
MARY.  "  She  is  looking  at  you,  now,"  said  Berna- 
dette  to  the  young  girl,  who  remained  awe-stricken. 
"  Ask  her,"  said  the  two  women  again,  "  if  it  would 
displease  her  if  we  came  with  you  every  day  during 
the  fifteen  days."  Bernadette  put  the  question  ;  and 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  true  Mother  of  Mercy,  answered  : 
"  They  may  return  with  you;  they,  and  othert 
besides.  I  wish  to  see  many  persons  here"  And 
she  disappeared  ;  and,  after  her,  the  celestial  light 
which  had  surrounded  her  also  gradually  vanished. 


36  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

VIII. 

THE    FIES1    THREE    DAYS    OF    THE     TWO    MIRACULOUi 
WEEKS. 

BERNADETTE'S  two  companions  related  to  her 
parents  all  that  they  had  seen  and  heard.  Much 
affected,  they  began  to  believe,  and  resolved  that 
one  or  the  other  of  them  should  accompany  their 
daughter  to  see  everything  for  themselves.  Berna- 
dette  repeated,  with  her  usual  candor,  all  that  the 
Lady  of  the  grotto  had  said,  and  how  she  had  made 
her  promise  to  return  there  every  day  for  fifteen 
days. 

That  day  was  a  market-day  at  Lourdes.  The 
news  of  the  apparitions  in  the  grotto  of  Massabielle 
spread  amongst  the  crowd,  and,  by  the  next  day, 
«/he  wonderful  details  agitated,  not  only  the  whole 
town  of  Lourdes,  but  the  mountains  and  valleys, 
all  the  country  round. 

"  If  the  apparition  is  real,"  was  generally  said,  "  it 
is  certainly  the  Blessed  Virgin  who  is  appearing  to 
Bernadette." 

On  Friday,  the  19th,  when  at  dawn,  little  Berna- 
dette  accompanied  by  her  father  and  mother,  arrived 
in  front  of  the  grotto,  she  found  about  a  hundred 
persons  already  there. 

From  that  time,  the  crowd  of  spectators  increased 
every  morning;  on  the  20th,  there  were  four  or  five 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  37 

hundred  at  the  grotto;  on  Sunday,  the  21st,  several 
thousands.  They  were  everywhere  around  the 
grotto,  and  even  on  the  common  beyond  the  stream. 

The  child's  mother  had  the  happiness  of  seeing 
with  her  own  eyes  her  daughter  as  if  entranced,  in 
ecstasy,  by  the  presence  of  the  apparition;  like  all 
the  spectators,  she  saw  that  little  face,  so  humble 
and  so  plain  in  its  natural  state,  all  at  once  illumin 
ed  and  transfigured.  Her  brow  was  radiant.  Her 
features  assumed  an  indescribably  lofty  and  superna 
tural  expression;  her  lips,  slightly  parted,  expressed 
admiration,  and  beatitude,  and  seemed  to  breathe  of 
heaven;  her  eyes,  fixed  and  brilliant  with  happiness 
contemplated,  reflected  an  invisible  beauty,  which 
no  other  saw,  tiut  which  all  felt  to  be  present  and 
saw  by  a  sort  of  reverberation  on  the  ecstatic  face  of 
the  child. 

All  who  saw  Bernadette  in  ecstasy  declared  thnt 
they  never  beheld  anything  like  it  on  earth,  and 
that  long  years  after,  their  impression  of  it  was  as 
vivid  as  on  the  first  day. 

As  to  the  little  seer  (voya?ite),  as  she  was  hence 
forth  called,  she  preserved  her  simplicity,  her  sercn- 
'ity,  and  her  humility  in  the  midst  of  these  crowds. 
Always  clad  in  her  poor  black  dress,  her  head  cov 
ered   with  her  little   white    woolen    capulet,    she 
quietly  advanced,  taper  in  hand,  knelt  down  before 
the  grotto,  took  her  rosary  and  prayed  as  if  she  were 
4 


38  The   Wonders  of  Lourde*. 

alone.  Everything  about  her  breathed  innocence, 
truth,  and  candor  The  heavenly  apparition  dis 
appeared  almost  always  at  the  instant  when  the 
favored  little  one  had  finished  her  rosary. 

The  people  were  always  silent   and   respectful.^ 
They  gently  made  way  for  Bernadette  to  pass,  and 
the  breath  of  grace  passed  over  that  extraordinary 
assemblage. 

On  Sunday,  the  21st,  the  Blessed  Virgin  appeared 
as  usual  to  her  little  friend:  she  always  wore  her 
beautiful  garments  white  and  luminous,  her  blue 
girdle  and  her  shining  rosary.  She  smiled  at  Ber 
nadette,  and  graciously  saluted  her  with  her  head 
and  by  a  gesture  of  the  hand. 

At  one  moment  the  apparition  seemed  to  draw 
back,  and  as  if  to  glide  into  the  interior  of  the  rock. 
So  as  not  to  lose  sight  of  her,  the  child  approached 
the  edge  of  the  cavern,  dragging  herself  along  on 
her  knees;  and  remarking  that  the  face  of  the  beau 
tiful  Lady  had  all  at  once  become  sad  and  sorrow 
ful;  "What  is  the  matter?"  she  ventured  to  say; 
"what  must  be  done?" — " Pray  for  sinners"  an • 
swered  the  Mother  of  Mercy.  And  the  spectators 
saw  two  large  tears  roll  down  Bernadette's  cheeks, 
whilst  her  eyes,  fixed  on  MARY,  remained  wide  open. 
Joy  soon  appeared  again  on  the  child's  face,  beeauso 
that  of  the  Virgin  had  recovered  its  grace  and 
serenity.  After  which,  she  disappeared. 


The  Wonders  of  Lcurdes.  39 

IX. 

CONTRADICTIONS     AND     PERSECUTIONS     ENDURED    BT 
POOR    LITTLE    BERNADETTE. 

THE  works  of  the  good  GOD  are  always  crossed 
by  the  rage  of  the  devil  and  by  the  ignorance  or  the 
passions  of  men.     The  great  things  which  were  i 
ing  and  being  prepared  at  the  grotto  of  Loir 
for  the  glory  of   GOD  and  the  salvation  of  souls, 
were  therefore    promptly  attacked    aud  misrepre 
sented. 

Some  cried  out  "  Superstition,  illusion,  folly." 
"This  little  girl  is  insane,"  said  they;  "she  must 
be  shut  up."     Others  spoke  of  impostures,  fraudulent 
tricks.      "It  is  a  cheat;   ail  will  end  with  money. 
This  child  is  playing  a  disgraceful  farce.      Jr. 
should  interfere."      Finally,   others   a   little   more 
moderate   and   better  posted,  admitted   that   they 
could  not  doubt  either  of  the  child's  candor  or  pro 
bity.      "  It  is  simply,"  added  they,  "  a  natural  phe 
nomenon,  which  comes  within  the  range  of  medicine. 
Science   knows   perfectly   the   surprising  effects  of 
Acatalepsy,  hysteria,  and  hallucination.      Let  a  phy 
sician  examine  the  thing  closely,  and  certahily  tl 
BO-ealled  visions  will  melt  away  like  snow  in  the 


The  town  of  Lourdes  was  literally  turned  upside 
down.      The  commissary  of  police,  who,  as  a  goou 


4O  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

magistrate,  was  not  obliged  to  believe  in  miracle's, 
thought  he  had  seized  upon  a  magnificent  opportunity 
to  distinguish  himself  and  show  his  zeal.  Therefore? 
in  the  afternoon  of  that  same  Sunday,  as  the  people 
were  coming  out  from  Vespers,  one  of  his  agents,  ma 
king  his  way  through  the  crowd  which  surrounded 
and  was  questioning  poor  Bernadette,  had  the 
courage  to  arrest  her  "  in  the  name  of  the  law,"  and 
to  the  just  indignation  of  all,  "  Follow  me  to  the 
commissary  of  police,"  said  he  to  the  child. 

But  it  was  the  fox  caught  by  the  dove.  The 
crafty  commissary  used  every  means:  feigned  kind 
ness,  paternal  caresses,  sarcasms,  intimidation, 
threats,  promises:  he  employed  all  these  to  embar 
rass  the  poor  child.  As  she  told  the  truth,  she  could 
only  answer  according  to  the  truth;  and  it  was  this 
truth  which  disconcerted  and  enraged  the  commis 
sary.  He  did  not  want  the  truth ;  and  on  whatever 
side  he  turned,  it  arose  before  him  bright  and  in- 
vulnerable;  the  Blessed  Virgin  was  evidently  assist 
ing  her  privileged  child.  "What  unshaken  firm 
ness  in  her  statements,"  said  a  witness  of  the  exam 
ination,  to  the  commissary.  "  What  truthful  ac 
cents  !  It  is  evident  that  she  believes  that  she  saw 
this  !  She  is  sincere." 

The  examination  had  lasted  a  full  hour.  The 
commissary  was  furious.  Outside  the  crowd  were 
indignant  and  were  becoming  threatening.  Fathei 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  41 

Boubirous  appeared  to  claim  his  child;  but  ho  was 
so  intimidated  by  the  threats  of  the  commissary, 
that  he  promised  him  to  forbid  Bernadette's  return 
ing  to  the  grotto.  "For  this  time,  I  pardon  her," 
said  the  commissary;  "but  in  case  of  a  second 
offence,  she  shall  be  put  in  prison.  You  know  that 
the  Pi-ocureur  Imperial  does  not  jest."  And,  dis 
missed  by  a  brutal  gesture,  the  father  and  child 
returned  home,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the 
crowd. 

As  to  the  honesty  of  Bernadette  and  her  parents, 
it  was  several  times  and  was  always  unsuccess 
fully  triod  They  were  offered  money;  most  tempt 
ing  promises  were  made  to  them;  they  refused  them 
all;  and  yet  GOD  knows  they  were  poor. 

Physicians  and  those  who  modestly  called  them 
selves  "  men  of  science,"  succeeded  no  better.  On 
Sunday,  the  21st,  one  of  the  best  physicians  of 
Lourdes,  Doctor  Dozous,  wished  to  observe  himself 
the  "  cataleptic  or  hysterical  symptoms,"-  which,  ac 
cording  to  him,  must  explain  all.  He  therefore 
went  early  to  the  grotto,  and  placed  himself  near 
Bernadette,  so  as  to  better  examine  them. 

He  was  bewildered:  not  one  of  the  symptoms  of 
these  strange  diseases,  perfectly  known  to  medicine, 
were  here  manifested.  All  absorbed  as  she  was  in 
the  contemplation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  the  child 
had  however  perfect  consciousness  of  all  that  wag 


42  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

passing  around  her:  her  taper  going  out,  she  imme 
diately  held  out  her  hand  to  have  it  relighted,  and 
some  one  attempting  to  touch  the  rose-bush  in  thv3 
cavern  with  a  stick,  she  quickly  made  a  sign  to  stop, 
and  her  face  expressed  fear.  "  This,"  said  the  doc 
tor,  "  is  not  the  stiffness  of  catalepsy,  nor  hal 
lucination  with  its  unconsciousness;  this  is  an  ex 
traordinary  case  of  an  ordei  altogether  unknown  to 
medicine." 

He  took  hold  of  Bernadette's  aim;  it  was  flexible 
and  perfectly  supple.  He  felt  her  pulse:  the  puls 
ation  was  tranquil,  regular,  entirely  normal.  No 
symptom  whatever  of  disease.  Decidedly  "  science" 
was  at  fault. 

In  spite  of  this,  the  opposition  continued  and  be 
came  real  persecution.  The  commissary  of  police 
was  indignant,  .  although  he  brought  the  affair  to 
the  office  of  .the  Procureur  Imperial,  to  the  prefec 
ture  of  Tarbes.  A  warrant  was  issued  against  the 
innocent  %child,  by  "an  administrative  measure" 
(that  is  to  say, by  the  right  of  the  strong  which  ad 
mits  of  no  dispute).  Bernadette,  declared  insane, 
by  the  prefect,  was  on  the  point  of  being  taken  from 
her  parents  to  be  shut  up  in  a  lunatic  asylum^ 
But  for  the  truly  sacerdotal  energy  of  the  venera 
ble  pastor  of  Lourdes,  the  crime  would  have  been 
perpetrated.  "  This  child  is  innocent,"  cried  the 
priest,  indignantly,  when  the  Procurenr  Imperial 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  43 

and  the  mayor  of  Lourdes  came  to  announce  the 
.prefect's  decision;  "  this  child  is  innocent.  You  could 
iiml  no  pretext  upon  which  to  prosecute  her.  Such 
a  measure  will  be  the  most  odious  persecution,  tho 
more  odious  that  it  strikes  a  poor  defenceless  crea 
ture.  The  prefect  cannot,  by  any  law,  have  Berna- 
dette  arrested. 

"  As  a  priest,  as  pastor  of  this  parish,  I  owe  a 
duty  to  all,  and  especially  to  the  weakest. 

u  I  know  my  duty  as  a  pastor.  Gro,  then,  and  tell 
the  Prefect  that  his  officers  will  find  me  at  the 
threshold  of  this  poor  family,  and  that  they  shall 
have  to  pass  over  my  body,  before  they  touch  a  hair 
of  this  poor  little  girl's  head.  Make  inquiries,  you 
are  free  to  do  so ;  but  if  you  wish  to  strike  the  in 
nocent,  know,  that  before  reaching  the  least  and 
humblest  of  my  flock,  it  is  by  me  you  must  com 
mence."  They  dared  not  go  farther,  and  the  inno 
cent  child  was  saved  by  the  Blessed  Virgin  in  the 
first  place,  then,  by  the  courage  and  faith  of  the 
Abbe  Peyramale. 

That  excellent  priest  had  more  right  than  anw 
other  to  take  Bernadctte's  cause  in  hand,  for,  since 
the  commencement  of  the  apparitions,  he  had  main 
tained  the  most  prudent,  the  most  perfect  reserve, 
relative  to  the  occurrences  in  the  grotto.  He  had 
exacted  this  same  reticence  from  his  assistants,  leav 
ing  to  time  in  the  first  place,  and  then  to  his  Bishop, 


44  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

the  care  of  determining  in  a  definite  manner  the  reaj 
character  of  the  mysterious  apparitions. 

As  for  Bernadette,  she  had  much  to  suffer  before 
the  evidence  of  the  truth  and  power  of  the  Immacu 
late  Virgin  should  have  triumphed  over  all  obsta 
cles, 

One  day,  during  the  apparition,  the  commissary  of 
police  and  the  general  of  militia  carried  their  insolence 
BO  far  as  to  attempt  to  put  themselves,  so  to  say,  be 
tween  Bernadette  and  the  Mother  of  GOD.  They 
placed  themselves  before  the  child  in  her  ecstasy, 
and  tried  to  disturb  her.  But  her  indignant  god 
mother  energetically  defended  the  freedom  of  the 
little  one,  who  was  doing  no  harm  and  whom  none 
had  the  right  to  annoy. 

Several  times  Bernadette's  parents  were  threa 
tened,  as  well  as  herself.  But  nothing  could  subdue 
the  quiet  firmness  of  the  poor  child.  This  was  what 
reassured  her  frightened  relatives.  She  repeated  to 
them:  "  They  will  not  do  all  that  they  say,  and  GOD 
is  stronger  than  they  are.  Do  not  fear.  Do  as  I 
do;  I  am  not  afraid.  If  they  put  me  in  prison,  they 
will  have  the  trouble  of  taking  me  out  again." 

This  annoyance  and  persecution  lasted  for  several 
months.  But  let  us  return  to  the  story  of  the  mar 
velous  apparitions 


The   Wonders  oj  Loutdes.  45 


THE  FIFTH  DAY  OF  THE  FORTNIGHT. 

ON  returning  home,  after  the  stormy  scene  with 
Jie  commissary  of  police,  Bernadette's  father  had  for 
bidden  her  to  return  to  the  grotto.  With  a  swell 
ing  heart,  the  child  submitted.  She  knew  no  more 
how  to  disobey  than  she  did  how  to  lie. 

On  Monday,  February  22nd,  she  was  sent  early 
to  school,  where  other  trials  awaited  her.  Besides 
the  privation  which  had  been  imposed  upon  her  and 
which  her  loving  little  heart  felt  very  deeply,  she 
was  grieved  at  seeing  herself  turned  into  ridicule 
by  borne  of  the  school  children,  and  what  was  worse 
by  some  of  tlie  Nuns.  These  latter,  GOD  permitting 
it  so  in  order  to  try  the  child,  did  not  believe  in  the 
reality  of  the  apparitions.  They  had  not  as  yet 
had  time  to  know  Bernadette  well;  they  also 
thought  it  their  duty  to  forbid  her  going  to  the 
grotto. 

The  poor  child  knew  not  what  to  do;  she  did  not 
wish  to  disobey  her  father  nor  the  Sisters;  and  yet  she 
thought  she  was  doing  wrong  in  not  keeping  the  prom 
ise  which  she  had  made  to  the  mysterious  Lady,  so 
beautiful,  so  kind,  so  beloved.  The  good  GOD  him 
self  took  care  to  remove  the  difHcuty.  When  Ber 
nadette  came  out  of  school  to  go  home,  a  strange, 


46  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

irresistible  force  took  possession  of  her,  and  urged 
her  like  a  leaf  carried  by  the  wind,  towards  the 
grotto.  She  readied  there  without  well  knowing 
how. 

A  considerable  crowd  had  been  there  all  the  morn 
ing,  vainly  awaiting  the  little  seer.  When  she 
came  about  half -past  twelve,  a  good  many  people 
were  still  there. 

But  alas!  days  follow  each  other  but  are  not  all 
alike.  Bernadette  might  pray,  watch,  say  the  rosary 
over  and  over  again;  nothing  appeared.  A  long 
time  passed  thus.  Much  grieved,  the  child  went 
away  in  tears.  Assailed  by  a  thousand  questions, 
she  gently  answered,  her  eyes  red  with  crying:  "  To 
day  the  Lady  did  not  appear  to  me.  I  saw  noth 
ing."  Many  people  mocked  her.  "  Other  days," 
said  Bernadette,  "  I  saw  her  as  I  see  you;  and  we 
spoke  together,  she  and  I;  but  to-day,  she  is  not 
there,  I  do  not  know  why!  " 

She  returned  to  the  house,  praying  and  weeping. 
"  Did  I  commit  any  fault  ?"  she  asked  herself.  But 
her  conscience  reproached  her  with  nothing.  In 
spite  of  her  grief,  she  was  full  of  hope. 

"  Where  were  you  ? "  asked  her  father,  the 
moment  she  entered.  She  related  all  that  had 
passed.  "  And  you  say  that  some  force  carried  you 
there  against  your  will  ?"  "  Yes,"  answered  Berna 
dette.  "  That  must  be  tru<>"  thought  he,  "  for  this 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  47 

child  has  never  lied."  And  after  a  moment's  reflec 
tion,  he  made  up  his  mind.  "  Well!  "  said  he  to  his 
daughter,  "since  that  is  the  case,  I  do  not  forbid 
you  to  go  to  the  grotto.  I  give  you  leave  to  do  so." 

This  unhoped  for  permission  tilled  our  dear 
nadette  with  joy. 


XI. 

BEBXADRTTE  AT  TUB  BLKSSED  VIRGIN'S  FEET. 

IN  the  first  part  of  the  miraculous  fortnight  Ber- 
nadette  received  no  order  from  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
She  usually  remained  kneeling  on  the  stone,  at  the 
entrance  to  the  grotto,  during  the  period  of  the 
ecstacy.  The  time  of  the  apparition  was  passed  in 
the  peaceful  contemplation  of  the  glorious  and  im 
maculate  Virgin,  the  Queen  of  the  Rosary,  she,  who 
is  the  sweetness  of  heaven  and  earth. 

Bernadette  was  there,  calm  and  unmoved,  with 
her  eyes  attentively  fixed  on  the  opening  in  the  rock. 
She  was  saying  Hail  Marys  on  the  beads  of  her 
rosary.' 

Suddenly,  a  slight  shiver  announced  the;  august 
\i>it,  her  hands  were  raised  a  little  with  a  gentle 
und  rapid  motion;  her  whole  being  seemed  to  ascend 
towards  what  she  saw  on  the  heights. 


4$  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

The  crowd  felt  all  this.  "Now!  .  .  .  she  sees 
her!  she  sees  her!  "  The  word  passed  through  the 
entire  multitude  and  caused  some  emotion.  With 
fresh  curiosity  they  crowded  round,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  protect  the  child  from  the  pressure  of 
the  multitude.  The  silence  became  more  profound; 
a  religious  recollection  prevailed  over  the  assembly; 
one  would  have  thought  himself  in  a  sanctuary. 
Every  eye  was  fixed  on  Bernadette. 

The  child  entranced,  was  seen  to  make  graceful 
aud  respectful  gestures  as  if  of  salutation.  A  timid 
out  happy  and  serene  smile  slowly  overspread  her 
face.  She  bent  again,  seeming  to  return  mysterious 
and  delightful  greetings;  then,  with  eyes  still  fixed, 
she  made,  with  the  crucifix  of  her  rosary,  a  solemn 
sign  of  the  cross,  full  of  faith  and  of  grace,  a  sign  of 
the  cross  so  beautiful,  so  noble,  that  those  around 
her  said:  "  Only  the  Saints  in  Heaven  can  do  that, 
before  the  glory  of  the  Saviour." 

In  Bernadette's  hands,  the  beads  of  the  rosary 
moved  sometimes  quickly,  sometimes  slowly,  often 
ceasing;  and,  wonderful  thing!  whilst  she  said  her 
Hail  Marys,  the  eager  spectators,  who  followed  the 
slightest  movements  of  her  face,  saw  her  lips  almost 
always  motionless.  The  nearest  of  them  heard  far 
down  in  her  throat,  silvery  and  scarcely  audible 
Bounds. 

At  certain  moments,  she  seemed  more  deeply  ab- 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  49 

§orbed  in  t6o  vision,  as  if  listening  to  h&r.  Several 
times  she  AMI  it  have  spoken  to  the  gracious  Lady. 
No  ear  he-ivd  her.  One  day,  she  said  to  a  person, 
with  iniii'h  surprise:  "How!  did  you  not  hear  me ? 
I  spoke  6  t  loud!  "  Yet  there  was  neither  sound  nor 
motion  'tf.  her  lips.  At  intervals  she  renewed  her 
beaut' o\  and  touching  sign  of  the  cross. 

For  several  days,  her  left  hand  held  a  lighted 
tape; ;  whilst  the  right  moved  the  beads  of  the 
rosary.  When  she  had  no  taper,  her  hands  were 
jo^ied,  and  .with  her  little  thumb  she  moved  the 
Wris  of  the  rosaiy  on  her  clasped  fingers. 

One  morning,  a  cold,  brisk  north  wind  made  the 
far  me  of  her  taper  flicker  and  threatened  to  extin 
guish  it.  The  child  instinctively  held  out  her  hand 
to  protect  it.  Suddenly,  the  wind,  striking  the 
rock,  blew  directly  on  herself,  and  sent  the  flame 
/gainst  her  open  hand.  It  licked  her  fingers,  and 
nras  seen  passing  between  them.  "She  is  burning! 
^\id  the  people  anxiously;  "oh!  poor  little  one!  She 
h  burning!"  There  was  not  the  slightest  contrac 
tion  of  her  face,  nor  the  least  movement  of  her  hand, 
*nd  the  fire  left  no  trace. 

Motionless  and  as  if  held  by  a  sweet  attraction, 
BJiC  was  then  actually  beautiful.  The  crowd' watched 
per  in  amazement.  She  was  lovely  not  with  the 
rosy  and  glowing  freshness  which  makes  us  smile  at 
the  face  of  a  child,  but  a  strange  and  superior 
r»eauty.  & 


50  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

Her  cheeks  were  extremely  pale,  but  vvitb.  an  in* 
describable  shade  of  sweetness,  as  if  the  light  shone 
through  them;  a  slight  flush  faintly  tinged  the  lips 
and  cheeks,  relieving  the  alabaster  whiteness. 
The  eyes  were  fixed  with  an  eager,  enraptured  look; 
not  a  movement  disturbed  the  eyelids.  Her  lips 
were  sometimes  seen  to  move,  but  faintly;  almost 
always  they  remained  closed  without  any  effort! 
Over  her  whole  face,  a  joyous  reflection  spread  a 
dawning  smile  of  ineffable  sweetness,  in  which  might 
be  read  an  immense  respect  and  admiration,  mingled 
with  an  immense  love,  and  which  showed  the  pres 
ence  of  a  being  very  great  and  very  good. 

From  time  to  time  tears  fell  from  her  motionless 
eyelids,,  rolling  down  like  drops  of  dew,  without 
spreading  or  moistening  the  face,  and  remaining 
for  a  long  time  shining  on  the  whiteness  of  her 
cheeks. 

Whilst  still  kneeling,  Bernadette  seemed  as  if 
drawn  upwards  by  some  invisible  and  mysterious 
attraction. 

What  every  one  felt,  was  that  she  was  happy 
with  an  unknown  happiness;  that  in  that  moment, 
earth  was  nothing  to  her  soul.  She  seemed  no  more 
of  this  world.  Every  one  spoke  in  a  low  voice  so 
as  not  to  disturb  her.  "  She  sees,"  they  said;  "  oh  I 
yes,  she  sees  ! " 

The  child  was  absorbed;    all  the  powers  of  lie? 


The  Winders  of  Lourdts.  5* 

being  belonged  to  the  Vision;  nothing  that  passed 
around  her  could  for  an  instant  detach  her  attention 
from  it.  In  this  superhuman  state,  which  drew  her 
from  herself,  she  remained  at  least  an  hour. 

The  crowd,  struck  by  the  wonderful  spectacle  of 
which  they  saw  but  half,  felt  that  she  was  in  com 
munication  Avith  the  other  world,  and  that  heaven 
was  near  her.  They  forced  themselves  to  keep 
silent  and  respectful.  Bernadette  seemed  to  hear 
nothing.  Her  mother  and  her  aunts  protected  her 
from  the  pressure  of  the  crowd. 

As  for  the  spectators,  they  tried  to  discover  the 
invisible  on  the  face  of  little  Bernadette;  they  kept 
their  eyes  on  it  as  on  a  mirror,  to  seek  there  the 
image  of  what  made  her  so  ravishing.  Then,  know 
ing  well  that  they  would  see  nothing,  they  looked 
longingly  towards  the  hollow  of  the  rock.  To 
them,  it  was  empty,  cold,  obscure. 

At  length,  after  this  long  ecstasy  of  smiles  and 
happy  tears,  of  mysterious  commune  escaping  all 
ear?,  under  the  unwearying  gaze  of  a  multitude 
trembling  at  the  manifest  vicinity  of  a  supernatural, 
invisible  and  ravishing  Being,  Bernadette,  still  kneel 
ing,  bent  her  head  several  times  with  the  easiest 
and  most  noble  air,  respectfully  saluted,  showing,  in 
the  expression  of  her  transfigured  countenance, 
regret  at  parting,  saluted  again,  and  then  drew  a 
long  sigh,  .  .  .  and  seemed  to  fall  back  agaiu 


52  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

on  herself;  the  heavenly  reflection  died  away;  her 
em. le  vanished;  no  more  light  in  her  eyes;  a  vague 
melancholy  and  an  appearance  of  weariness  on  her 
face,  her  wonderful  paleness  gave  place  to  the  color 
of  her  ordinary  complexion. 

The  radiant  Lady  had  vanished,  drawing  back 
into  the  interior  of  the  cavern.  Her  magnificent 
light  shone  for  a  moment  after  her,  grew  dim,  and 
died  gradually  away;  and  when  its  last  rays  had 
disappeared,  Bernadette  saw  once  more  the  rock, 
her  mother,  her  aunt,  the  crowd;  she  had  returned 
to  ordinary  life. 

The  noise  increased;  the  people  were  slowly  dis 
persing;  they  crowded  round  Bernadette,  but  her 
mother  and  her  aunt,  who  accompanied  her,  drew 
her  away,  defending  her,  as  far  as  possible,  against 
their  importunate  curiosity.  The  child  climbed  the 
bank,  supported  by  them;  an  immense  crowd  fol 
lowed  her  to  her  home. 

Surprised  at  seeing  the  little  shepherdess  bowing 
with  so  much  grace  and  dignity,  at  the  end  of  the 
ecstasy,  a  lady  said  to  her  one  day,  "  But,  Berna 
dette,  who  taught  you  to  make  such  pretty  bows  ?  " 
"No  one,"  answered  she,  astonished;  "I  do  not 
know  how  I  saluted;  but  I  understand  that  I  am  to 
do  everything  like  the  Virgin,  and  she  salutes  me 
!<ke  that  when  she  is  about  to  go." 

This  is  the   exact   account  that  has  been  given, 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  53 

of  Bernadette  in  her  ecstasy,  without  borrowing 
anything  from  imagination,  and  to  which  imagination 
has  not  added. 

What  did  the  happy  child  see  ?  She  repeated  a 
thousand  times  that  she  was  unable  to  tell. 

This  is  what  the  most  ardent,  the  most  ingenious, 
and,  let  us  add,  the  most  legitimate  curiosity  could 
obtain  from  the  little  seer  by  long  and  careful 
examination. 


XII. 

THE  CELESTIAL   BEAUTIES  OP  THE  VISION. 

AMID  an  ever  increasing  brightness,  a  soft  light 
which  gilded  the  cavern  and  the  rock,  appeared  the 
mysterious  Lady,  whose  feet  rested  on  the  wild 
rose  bush. 

And  the  Lady  was  admirably  fair:  the  sweet  and 
very  youthful  face  as  of  one  with  an  infinite  grace, 
ravishing  looks,  smiles  of  unparalleled  benignity,  a 
motherly  tenderness;  and  in  this  ineffable  benevo 
lence,  this  freshness  of  divine  youth,  a  grandeur,  a 
majesty  of  which  the  child  could  give  no  image. 

When  Bernadette  had  answered  thus  to  a  thou- 
eand  questions  which  made  her  detail  what  she  had 
not,  dreamt  of  telling,  she  added  with  a  thrilling 
accent:  "  She  was  beautiful,  .  .  .  beautiful  .  .  . 
beyoni  every  thing." 


^1  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

Or.e  day,  in  presence  of  some  distinguished  and 
brilliant  women  of  the  world,  she  was  asked  :  "  Was 
she  as  pretty  as  these  ladies  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  "  said  the  child,  casting  a  disdainful  glance 
at  them,  "  a  great  deal  more  so.  The  Virgin  wore 
a  robe  of  dazzling  whiteness  ;  it  seemed  to  be  drawn 
in  at  the  back  in  graceful  folds,  the  sleeves  were 
narrow.  Her  head  was  covered  only  by  a  veil 
reaching  to  the  line  of  the  forehead  :  and  following 
the  outline  of  the  face,  it  flowed  over  the  shoulders, 
as  white  as  two  streams  of  milk,  and,  scarcely  en 
veloping  the  arms  in  its  waving  folds,  it  fell  over 
her  sides  to  her  feet.  A  blue  girdle  encircled  her 
waist  ;  the  two  ends  passed  one  into  the  other,  into 
a  single  knot,  hung  down  in  front,  broad  and  with 
out  ornament,  far  below  her  knees.  Her  bare 
feet  she  covered  under  her  trailing  robe,  and  on 
each  one  bore  a  full  blown  rose  of  a  golden  color. 
From  one  of  her  arms  hung  a  long  rosary,  the  beads 
of  which  were  white  and  sparkling,  and  the  chain 
and  crucifix  shone  like  gold." 

All  these  beauties  were  seen  in  a  light  of  intense 
brilliancy,  and  wonderfully  soft.  This  splendor  from 
another  world  wrapped  the  Virgin  as  in  a  garment 
of  glory,  and  shone  with  a  steady  light. 

Bernadette,  enraptured,  fixed  her  eyes  on  the  re 
splendent  halo,  and  saw  the  Lady  within  it,  clearly 
and  distinctly.  She  gazed  upon  the  features  of  the 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  55 

celestial  cointcnamv,  the  folds  of  the  garments; 
ghe  admired  the  white  and  delicate  hands.  The 
Virgin's  Iriir  was  always  hidden  from  her  sight. 

But  when  she  was  asked  to  give  by  comparison 
some,  idea  of  those  things,  she  could  not  do  it. 

Ifo.v  was  the  light?  like  that  of  the  stars,  like 
the  mild  light  of  the  moon  ?  like  the  splendor  of  the 
dazzling  'midday  sun  ?  "No;  the  halo  resembled 
no  earthly  light;  it  was  more  beautiful,  much  more 
beautiful  !" 

And  the  virginal  robe  ?— Bernadette  was  shown 
vhe  most  dazzling  white  stuffs,  the  most  delicate 
tissues  !  She  never  recognized  eitli3r  the  color  or 
the  kind  of  the  marvellous  stuff  ;  all  whiteness  was 
pale;  all  tissues,  coarse.  It  was  something  else,  and 
more  beautiful,  always  more  beautiful. 

Every  possible  shade  of  blue  was  placed  before 
her  eyes.  She  did  not  find  the  tint  of  the  won 
derful  Lady's  girdle,  and  she  said  that  the  azure  of 
heaven  was  not  so  blue.  She  saw  mother-of-pearl, 
crystal,  precious  stones:  the  beads  of  the  rosary  were 
richer  and  more  transparent.  And  the  gold  in  the 
chain,  the  crucifix,  did  not  look  like  the  gold  which 
men  admire;  it  was  entirely  different  and  far  more 
beautiful. 

The  child  could  never  become  acci.-tomcd  to  tiii* 
celestial  splendor.  At  the  eighteenth  otntei-i  lation, 
sho  was  as  powerfully  affected  by  it  as  01*  tiu-  iust  day. 


56  The  Wonders  of  Lourdts. 

The  Virgin  appeared  standing,  her  feet  resting  OH 
the  rose-bush.  She  saluted  the  child  witl  a  gesture 
of  the  head,  smiled  graciously,  bent  again;  then, 
with  the- crucifix  of  her  rosary,  she  made  the  sign 
of  the  cross  majestically,  and  with  ineffable  piety, 
and,  clasping  her  fingers,  she  moved  one  after  the 
other  the  white  beads,  her  lips  were  moving. 

The  Virgin  almost  always  kept  her  eyes  fixed  on 
those  of  Bernadette,  now  and  then  she  cast  them 
over  the  crowd  with  a  happy  smile.  The  little  girl 
said  that  she  seemed  to  take  great  pleasure  in  seeing 
these  pious  people  brought  thither  by  a  suspicion  of 
her  presence. 

So  appeared  the  Immaculate  Virgin  to  the  de 
lighted  eyes  of  Bernadette,  the  eighteen  times  that 
ehe  deigned  to  appear  in  the  favored  grotto  of 
Lourdes. 


XIII. 

APPARITION    OF     TUESDAY,    FEBRUARY      2 3D FIRST 

SECRET,  AND  DEMAND  FOR  A  SHRINE. 

IN  appearing  thus  continually  to  little  Bernadette, 
the  Blessed  Virgin  daily  took  more  powerful  pos 
session  of  the  blessed  child,  prepared  her  for  her 
mi  won,  and  rUsposed  the  people,  by  the  oft  repeated 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  57 

miracle  of  this  quiet  ecstacy  to  receive,  as  the  mes 
senger  of  her  will,  the  poor  and  obscure  daughter 
of  the  Soubirous. 

*  The  Mother  of  GOD  was  about  to  reveal,  through 
the  ministry  of  this  child,  the  merciful  designs 
which  caused  her  to  descend  to  the  grotto;  and  the 
exterior  acts,  required  of  Bernadette  for  the  accom 
plishment  of  her  mission,  began  on  Tuesday,  Feb 
ruary  23d,  the  sixth  day  of  the  miraculous  fortnight. 

The  Blessed  Virgin,  whom  Bernadette  had  not  yet 
recognized,  had  already  spoken  to  her,  it  is  true,  in 
the  preceding  apparitions,  and  the  child  had  also 
spoken  to  her;  but  in  these  mysterious  conversa 
tions,  the  Queen  of  Heaven  had  not  yet  uttered  any 
precise  command.  She  began  to  do  so  on  Tuesday } 
the  23d. 

In  the  midst  of  a  dense  crowd  of  .from  eight  to 
ten  thousand  persons,  Bernadette  arrived  as  usual  at 
the  grotto,  about  daybreak.  She  had  knelt  down  in 
her  usual  place,  outside  the  cavern;  in  her  left  hand 
was  a  blessed  taper,  in  the  other  her  rosary. 

Suddenly  she  heard  the  blessed  voice  of  the  Queen 
of  Heaven^  calling  her.  "  Bernadette  /  "  «  Here  1 
am,"  immediately  answered  the  child.  "  I  have  a 
secret  to  tell  you,  for  yourself  only,  which  concerns 
you  atorce,"then  said  the  Mother  of  GOD.  "Do 
you  promise  me  never  to  reveal  it  to  any  one?  "  "  I 
promise  you." 


58  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

The  dialogue  continued.  Although  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  the  child  spoke  aloud,  no  one  heard 
them.  "What!  you  did  not  hear?"  said  she  on 
coming  out  of  her  ecstacy.  "Yet  the  Lady  spoke 
aloud.  She  has  such  a  sweet  voice! " 

The  Blessed  Virgin'  then  taught  her  a  prayer, 
making  her  repeat  it,  word  for  word,  with  maternal 
condescension.  This  prayer  the  child  recited  at 
every  apparition;  but  she  would  never  make  it 
known  to  any  one. 

"  A.nd  now,  my  daughter"  added  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  "  go  and  tell  the  priests  that  a  shrine  must 
be  erected  here,  and  that  they. must  come  here  in  proces 
sion.  "  These  words  ended  the  apparition  for  that 
day. 

On  leaving  the  Rocks  of  Massabielle,  Bernadette 
immediately  repaired  to  the  pastor's  house.  The 
latter  had  as  yet  never  spoken  to  her.  "  Are  you 
not  Bernadette  ?  "  said  he  to  her,  gravely  and  almost 
sternly,  as  soon  as  he  saw  her  coming  towards  him. 
'*  Yes,  it  is  I,  sir,"  quietly  answered  the  humble  mes 
senger  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  "Well,  Bernadette, 
what  do  you  want  of  me  ?  What  brought  you 
here  ?"  "I  came,  Father,  on  the  part  of  '  the  Lady,' 
who  appears  to  me  in  the  grotto  of  Massabielle!" 
The  priest  seemed  to  treat  the  matter  very  ligntly 
and  not  to  believe  it.  The  child  repeated  with  an 
air  of  candor,  and  with  great  confidence,  the  words 


The  Wonfass  of  Lourdes.  59 

of  the  apparition.  "And  you  do  not  know  this 
Lady's  name?"  said  the  worthy  pastor.  "No," 
answered  Bernadette.  "  She  did  not  tell  me  who 
she  was."  "  Those  who  believe  you,  imagine  that  it 
is  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary.  But  take  care;  you 
alone  say  you  see  her;  if  you  falsely  pretend  to  see 
her  in  the  grotto,  you  are  taking  the  way  never  to 
see  her  in  Heaven."  "  I  do  not  know  if  it  is  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  Father,"  answered  the  child; 
"  but  I  see  the  vision  as  I  see  you,  and  she  speaks 
to  me  as  truly  as  you  speak  to  me.  And  I  come  to 
tell  you,  from  her,  that  she  wants  a  shrine  to  be 
raised  to  her  at  the  Rocks  of  Massabielle,  where  she 
appears  to  me." 

Much  agitated,  the  good  Father  Peyramale  made 
her  repeat  the  very  words  used  by  the  Lady  at  the 
grotto.  "After  having  confided  to  me  the  secret 
which  concerns  me  and  which  I  can  not  reveal  to 
anyone,"  said  .the  child,  "  the  Lady  added:  '  And 
now,  go  and  tell  tfie  priest  that  a  shrine  must  be 
.  erected  here,  and  that  people  come  in  jwocession  to 

u: " 

After  a  moment's  reflection,  the  pastor  replied: 
"I  can  not  take  your  word  for  this,  you  understand 
Tell  this  Lady  that  she  must  make  horsi-lf  known. 
If  she  is  the  Blessed  Virgin,  let  her  show  it  by  Borne 
miracle.  She  appears  to  you,  you  tell  me,  on  a  wild 
ruse-bush?  It  is  now  February;  tell  her,  from  me, 


60  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

that  if  she  wishes  a  shrine  built,  she  must  make  the 
rose-bush  bloom."     And  he  dismissed  her. 

What  had  passed  between  the  child  and  the  priest 
was  soon  known  in  the  town.  Curiosity  and  ex 
citement  were  general;  and  several  free-thinkers  of 
the  neighborhood  resolved  to  go  henceforth  to  the 
grotto,  in  order  to  assist  at  the  exposure  of  the 
"  superstition." 


XIV. 

APPARITION     OP     WEDNESDAY,      FEBRUARY       24TH— 
SECOND  SECRET,  A.ND  EXHORTATION  TO  PENANCE. 

A  PROMINENT  inhabitant  of  Lourdes,  of  upright,  but 
somewhat  sceptical  mind,  related  to  Mr.  Henri 
Lasserrehow,  on  that  day,  he  was  convinced  by  the 
evidence  of  the  supernatural.  He  did  not  see  the 
rose-bush  bloom,  but  he  saw  Bernadette  in  ecstasy ; 
he  saw  the  heavenly  reflection  on  the  face  of  the 
humble  child;  and  his  good  faith  returned.  How 
.can  we  help  believing  in  the  sun,  when,  without  yet 
seeing  itself,  we  perceive  the  summit  of  the  moun 
tains  gilded  by  its  rays  ? 

"  I  reached  the  grotto,"  said  he,  "  very  much  dis 
posed  to  investigate,  and,  to  tell  the  truth,  to  have  a 
good  laugh,  expecting  a  farce  or  something  ridicu* 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  61 

lous.  I  placed  myself  in  the  first  row.  Tlu  crowd 
was  immense.  About  sunrise,  Bernadette  arrived. 
I  was  near  her.  She  knelt  down,  without  heeding  the 
crowd  which  surrounded  her,  as  if  she  had  been 
alone.  Very  soon  her  look  seemed  to  receive  and 
reflect  an  unknown  light.  Before  this  transfigura 
tion  of  the  child,  all  my  preconceived  denials  fell  to 
the  ground  at  once,  and  gave  place  to  an  extraordi 
nary  feeling  which  took  possession  of  me,  in  spite  of 
myself.  I  felt  certain  that  a  mysterious  being  was 
there.  Suddenly  and  entirely  transfigured,  Ber 
nadette  was  no  longer  Bernadette.  Her  attitude, 
her  slightest  gesture  had  a  superhuman  majesty.  She 
smiled  at  the  invisible  being. 

"  I  was  no  less  moved  than  the  other  spectators. 
Like  them,  I  held  my  breath  to  try  and  hear  the 
conversation  which  was  taking  place  between  the 
vision  and  the  child. 

"  At  a  certain  moment,  Bernadette  advanced  on 
her  knees,  from  the  spot  where  she  was  praying, 
that  is  to  say,  from  the  banks  of  the  Gave,  to  the 
end  of  the  grotto.  This  was  about  fifteen  feet. 
Whilst  she  thus  ascended  the  somewhat  steep  sido 
of  the  rock,  those  who  were  in  her  way  very  dis 
tinctly  heard  her  pronounce  these  words:  *  Penance! 
«  .  .  penance! !  .  .  penance! !  ! ?> 

The  more  than  impartial  witness  who  relates  this 
touching  scene,  saw  Bernadette  come  out  of  her 


62  The  Wonders  oj  Lourdes. 

ecstasy  and  immediately  become  again  a  poor  little 
girl,  almost  in  rags,  in  no  way  distinguished  from 
other  peasant  children.  He  was  the  receiver  of 
taxes  at  Lourdes,  and  it  was  he,  who  on  the  Sunday 
previous,  had  assisted  at  Bernadette's  examination 
by  the  commissary  of  police. 

What  had  passed  during  this  sixth  apparition  ? 
Had  the  child  delivered  the  pastor's  message  ?•  The 
rose-bush  had  not  blossomed. 

When,  on  leaving  the  grotto,  Bernadette  presented 
herself  at  the  pastoral  residence,  Father  Peyramale} 
with  his  usual  calmness,  said  to  her,  "  Well,  did  yon 
see  the  vision  to-day  ?  and  what  did  she  say  ?  "  "I 
saw  the  vision,"  answered  the  child,  "  and  I  said  to 
her:  *  Our  pastor  asks  you  for  some  proofs,  for  in 
stance  to  make  the  rose-bush  under  your  feet 
blossom;  because  my  word  does  not  suffice  for  the 
priests,  and  they  will  not  trust  me.'  Then  she  smiled 
but  without  speaking.  Then,  she  told  me  to  pray 
for  sinners,  and  commanded  me  to  come  up  to  the 
end  of  the  grotto.  And  she  said  three  times:  *  Pen 
ance!  .  .  .  penance!  ! .  .  .  penance!  ! ! '  I  repeated 
these  words  dragging  myself  to  the  end  of  the  grotto 
on  my  knees.  There  she  revealed  to  me  a  second 
secret  which  concerns  only  myself.  Then,  she  dis 
appeared.'1  "  And  what  did  you  find  at  the  end  ot 
the  grotto ? "  "I  looked  after  she  had  disappeared 
(for  while  she  is  ther^  I  notice  nothing  but  herself, 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  rtj 

she  absorbs  me,)  and  I  saw  nothing  but  the  i  x;k, 
and  in  the  ground  a  few  blades  of  grass  growing  up 
in  the  sand."  "  Let  us  wait,"  said  the  pastor. 
•  But  in  this  recital  Bernadette  omitted  some  inter- 
t'sl'mg  particulars,  of  which  we  cannot  deprive  the 
pious  reader. 

Whilst  the  child  was  absorbed  in  the  ecstasy,  she 
was  seen  to  kiss  the  ground,  several  times,  ascend 
ing  on  her  knees  the  rugged  rock  which  arose  before 
her,  as  far  as  the  end  of  the  grotto,  on  the  left.  The 
Blessed  Virgin  had  said  to  her:  "  You  will  pray  to 
GOD  for  sinners.  .  .  You  will  kiss  the  ground  for 
the  conversion  of  sinners."  And  she  signed  to  her 
to  .advance  on  her  knees. 

Bernadette,  raising  her  head,  after  having  kissed 
the  ground,  looked  for  the  Apparition;  she  saw  her 
slowly  drawing  back  and  followed  her,  renewing 
her  humiliating  kisses  of  penance.  She  went  in 
under  the  arch  and  remained  some  time  motionless. 
At  this  moment,  she  saw  the  Virgin  so  near  her, 
she  said,  that  by  raising  and  extending  her  arm, 
she  could  have  touched  her  feet. 

She  turned  toward  the  spectators,  made  a  gesture 
which  seemed  to  ask  the  crowd  to  bow  down.  It 
was  not  understood.  Then  her  finger  rested  for  a 
moment  on  her  lips,  then  was  pointed,  quickly  and 
imperiously  towards  the  ground  with  an  astonishing 


64  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

energy  and  authority.      The  look  and  gesture  said 
to  all:     Yon  also,  kiss  the  ground  ! 

Many  persons  instantly  bowed  down,  awed  by 
the  supernatural  grandeur  of  that  lowly  child; 
and  thinking  they  obeyed  an  order  from  the  Vision, 
they  kissed  the  ground. 

Bernadette  again  knelt  down,  still  kissing  the 
ground,  and  returned  to  her  contemplation  before 
the  niche. 

From  this  spectacle  so  trying  to  human  pride,  the 
spectators  retired  with  various  feelings.  But  all 
were  awed  and  amazed.  Many  went  away  with  the 
religious  impression  left  by  mysterious  events  be 
hind  which  one  feels  that  GOD  is  hidden,  thinking 
that  a  great  future  was  being  prepared  in  the  grotto. 
The  Blessed  Virgin  made  them  feel  a  presentment 
of  her  mercies. 

Subsequently,  penance  for  sinners  was  again  asked 
of  Bernadette.  She  went  up  and  came  dowii  once, 
during  each  apparition,  and  always  in  silence-;  that 
first  time  only  she  was  heard  as  she  went  pronounc 
ing  the  words: — Penance  !  penance  !  penar./;e  ! 

One  day,  she  made  several  of  these  laborious  as 
cents.     Her  face  was  continually  lit  up  with  a  happj  - 
smile,  a  shade  of  melancholy  veiled  it  at  times,  and 
even  then  the  smile  remained  sad  but  happy.     The 
Virgin  also  smiled  to  the  eyes  of  Bernadette,  and 


The  Wonder*  of  Lourdes.  6$ 

Browned  her  penance  by  that  entrancing  token  of 
divine  joy. 

It  is  often  remembered  with  astonishment  what 
lightness  the  child  displayed  in  that  difficult  ascent 
on  her  knees,  "  I  often  thought,"  writes  an  eye 
witness,  "  that  invisible  beings  were  aiding  her  to 
ascend  and  descend  so  rapidly." 

She  was  asked  the  first  day  :— "  But  why  did  you 
walk  on  your  knees  and  kiss  the  ground  ?  " 

"The  Vision  commanded  me  to  do  it;  and  it  wa§ 
as  a  penance  for  myself  and  others." 

"  Why  did  you  make  us  a  sign  to  kiss  the  ground  ?  n 

"  The  Vision  seemed  to  say  that  you  all  should 
do  penance  for  sinners." 

More  than  a  year  after,  some  priests  who  ques 
tioned  her  very  closely,  said  to  her  in  relation  to 
this  penance;  "  But  it  is  very  strange  that  the 
Blessed  Virgin  should  have  asked  all  that  of  you  ! 
These  are  extraordinary  things,  which  appear  to  us 
unreasonable."  She  answered  with  downcast  eyes 
;ind  in  a  thrilling  tone:  "  Ah  !  for  the 

conversion  of  sinners !  .  .  . 

The  heart  of  MAKY  was  revealed.  It  was  si  in  UTS 
whom  she  called  by  Bernadette's  prayer  and  humili 
ation.  It  was  sinners  she  also  sought  by  the  mir 
acles  which  weie  to  be  performed,  in  hundreds,  ia 
that  favored  grotto. 


66  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 


XV. 

APPARITION     OF    THURSDAY,     FEBRUARY     25TH— THB 
\       THIRD   SECRET  AND  THE  MIRACULOUS  FOUNTAIN. 

IT  was  the  eighth  day  of  the  fortnight.  Every 
spot  in  the  vicinity  was  crowded  with  ardent  eager 
people.  When  little  Bernadette  appeared,  every 
one,  the  sceptics,  as  well  as  the  believers,  in 
stinctively  uncovered  their  heads.  The  kind,  merci 
ful,  and  most  admirable  Virgin  MARY  vouchsafed, 
that  day  like  the  others,  to  keep  her  appointment 
in  the  grotto.  In  no  other  sanctuary,  perhaps,  did 
the  Mother  of  GOD  so  often  repeat  her  celestial 
visits. 

She  began  the  conversation  on  this  occasion,  by 
confiding  to  her  dear  Bernadette  her  third  secret  • 
uMy  daughter,"  said  she  to  her,  "I  wish  to  confide 
to  you,  for  yourself  alone,  a  last  secret;  like  the 
other,  you  are  not  to  reveal  it  to  any  one  in  the 
world." 

Bernadette  heard,  with  joyful  heart,  the  ineffable 
melody  of  that  voice  so  sweet,  so  motherly,  so 
tender, which  of  old,  at  Nazareth,  charmed  the  ears 
and  heart  of  the  child  JESUS. 

"  And  now,'*  said  the  Blessed  Virgin  to  her,  afte* 
&  moment's  silence,  "  To  drink  and  wash  yourself  at 
the  spring,  and  eat  of  the  grass  which  is  there." 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  67 

Bernadette  looked  round  her  in  astonishment. 
There  was  no  spring  in  the  grotto;  there  had  never 
been  one.  A  sandy  and  arid  pile,  strewn  with  frag 
ments  of  rock,  which  then  obstructed  the  interior 
of  the  cavern,  and  readied  to  the  roof,  a  height  of 
about  seventy-five  cubic  feet.  Without  losing 
sight  of  the  Apparition,  Bernadette  was  moving  to 
ward  the  Gave,  when,  by  a  glance  and  a  gesture  of 
the  hand,  the  Virgin  pointed  out  the  place  where 
she  was  to  go. 

"  Do  not  go  there,"  said  she  to  her;  "I  did  not 
tell  you  to  drink  at  the  Gave;  go  to  the  fountain, 
it  is  here."  And  extending  her  hand,  she  pointed 
out  to  the  child  that  same  dry  corner,  to  which,  the 
evening  before,  she  had  made  her  ascend  on  her 
knees.  It  was  at  the  end  of  the  grotto,  on  the  left 
of  the  spectator. 

Bernadette  went  up,  and  when  she  was  near  the 
rock,  she  looked  for  the  fountain.  Not  finding  it, 
and  wishing  to  obey,  she  told  her  embarrassment  to 
the  heavenly  Lady  by  a  glance.  In  obedience  to 
another  sign,  the  child  bent  down  and,  scraping  the 
earth  with  her  little  hands,  began  to  make  a  hollow^ 
in  the  ground. 

All  at  once  the  bottom  of  the  little  cavity  became 
damp:  coming  from  unknown  depths,  across  the 
rocks  and  through  the  thick  of  the  earth,  a  mysteri 
ous  water  appeared  beuealh  the  hand  of  the  child 


68  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes, 

of  MARY,  and  soon  filled  the  little  hollow, which 
might  contain  about  a  glass  full.  Mingling  with 
the  earth,  it  was  quite  muddy,  and  poor  Ber- 
nadette  raised  it  to  her  lips  three  times,  without 
having  courage  to  taste  it.  The  radiant  Apparition 
presided  over  this  strange  scene,  and  followed  the 
child  with  an  attentive  glance.  The  latter  at 
length  overcame  her  repugnance;  she  drank  the 
muddy  water  and  bathed  her  face  with  it. 

The  spectators  understood  nothing  of  all  this; 
"Oh!  see!"  cried  some  of  them;  "see  how  she 
daubs  her  face,  poor  child!"  Others  said:  "She 
is  losing  her  mind;  there  is  no  sense  in  that  !  "  At 
this  moment,  with  her  wet  fingers,  Bernadette 
plucked  and  ate  some  blades  of  grass  which  grew 
there. 

Immediately  the  water  of  the  rising  spring  over 
flowed  the  banks  of  the  little  pond  hollowed  by  the 
child,  and  began  to  flow  like  a  fine  thread,  which, 
during  the  first  day,  only  moistened  the  sand.  The 
wet  mark  which  it  traced  on  the  soil  slowly,  insensi 
ble  lengthened,  in  the  direction  of  the  Gave. 

With  her  feeble  hand,  Bernadette  had  unconsci 
ously  opened  the  source  of  cures  and  of  miracles. 

The  Blessed  Virgin  Rewarding  her  little  workwo 
man  with  a  smile,  disappeared,  all  radiant,  and  the 
faithful,  obedient  Bernadette  went  home  as  usual. 

The   astonished   spectators  wished  to  see  the  mi- 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  69 

raoulous  fountain,  and  to  soak  tlieir  handkerchiefs 
in  it.  Next  day,  the  Blessed  Virgin's  fountain, 
visibly  increasing,  flowed  already  a  finger's  breadth. 
At  the  end  of  a  few  days,  it  gushed  out  of  the  earth, 
pure  and  limpid,  about  as  broad  as  a  child's  arm. 
It  then  ceased  to  expand. 

It  was  subsequently  measured  with  mathematical 
precision:  the  first  week,  it  gave  85  quarts  a  minute; 
five  thousand  one  hundred  quarts  an  hour;  that  is 
to  say,  a  hundred  and  twenty-two  thousand  four 
hundred  quarts  a  day.  And  before  that  time,  we 
say  again,  that  that  rock,  those  sands  were  dry  and 
arid,  as  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  knew. 
The  strong  minds  of  the  neighborhood  said  and 
wrote  that  it  was  something  quite  natural,  that  there 
was  no  spring;  that  the  crazed  and  deluded  Berna- 
dette  had  simply  struck  a  collection  of  water, 
which  had  undoubtedly  oozed  out  of  the  rock  ! 

The  miraculous  water  of  Lourdes  has  been  analy 
sed  by  skillful  chemists;  it  is  a  pure,  virgin  water; 
a  natural  water  devoid  of  all  mineral  properties. 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 


XVI. 

FRIDAY,     FEBRUARY     26TH THE    FIRST    MIRACULOUS 

CURE. 

THAT  day  the  Immaculate  Virgin  did  not  appear 
to  her  dear  child.  Every  one  regarded  Bernadette 
with  a  respect  and  reverence  which  amounted  to 
veneration;  when  she  passed,  people  said,  in  her 
hearing  :  "  There  is  the  Saint !  " 

MARY,  the  mother  of  humility  and  meekness, 
undoubtedly  wished  to  fortify  her  child  against  the 
danger  of  vain-glory:  she  left  her  to  pine  in  wishes, 
in  tears,  in  prayers;  she  would  not  appear.  Hum 
bled  and  grieved,  Bernadette  was  obliged  to  go 
home;  she  cried  all  the  way. 

In  place  of  the  usual  Apparition,  the  crowd  could 
see  the  spring,  a  living  testimony  of  the  omnipo 
tence  of  the  mysterious  Lady.  The  good  pastor  of 
Lourdes  had  asked  for  a  sign ;  instead  of  the  trifling 
one  which  he  had  felt  bound  to  ask,  the  Blessed 
Virgin  had  given  him  a  much  greater  one,  and  not 
only  to  him,  but  to  all,  to  the  wicked  as  well  as  the 
good.  The  rose-bush  blooming  would  have  been 
only  a  simple  miracle,  a  miracle  of  compliance,  frail 
and  transient;  the  supernatural  spring  was  not  only 
a  miracle,  and  a  great  miracle,  but  a  permanent 
miracle,  an  inexhaustible  source  of  miracles.  Oh  I 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  /I 

how  much  better  the  good  Virgin  knows  than  we 
do! 

On  that  Friday,  the  26th,  the  miraculous  water 
performed  its  first  miracle:  a  miracle  of  the  first 
order,  proved,  proclaimed  in  the  first  place  by 
science,  then  by  ecclesiastical  authority. 

There  was  at  Lourdes  a  poor  quarry-man,  named 
Bourriette,  who,  twenty  years  before  this,  had  had  his 
eye  terribly  injured  by  the  explosion  of  a  mine.  lie 
came  near  dying,  and  in  spite  of  the  enlightened 
and  assiduous  care  of  Doctor  Dozous,  the  same  who 
examined  Bernadette  in  her  ecstasy,  the  poor 
miner's  sight  had  grown  worse  from  year  to  year, 
so  much  so  that,  at  the  period  of  which  we  speak,  his 
right  eye  could  not  distinguish  a  man  from  a  tree. 
Known  and  beloved  in  the  whole  town,  Bourrietto 
was  a  man  of  faith,  a  true  Christian.  He  was  mar 
ried  and  the  father  of  a  family. 

lie  had  heard  of  the  marvelous  things  which  were 
occurring  at  the  grotto,  and  in  particular  of  the 
spring  which  had  gushed  forth. 

"  Go  and  get  me  some  of  that  water,"  said  he  to 
his  daughter.  "  The  Blessed  Virgin,  if  it  be  her, 
has  only  to  wish  it,  and  I  shall  be  cured."  Half  an 
hour  after,  the  child  brought  a  little  of  the  still 
muddy  water.  "  Father,"  said  she,  "  this  is  only 
muddy  water."  "  Never  mind,"  said  the  good 
Bourriette,  beginning  to  pray. 


?2  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes 

He  rubs  his  lost  eye  with  the  water.  .  .  ,  H« 
gives  a  loud  cry,  a  cry  of  joy  and  gladness.  He 
begins  to  tremble  with  emotion.  The  darkness 
which,  for  twenty  years,  had  deprived  him  of  sight,, 
was  dispelled;  there  only  remained  a  sort  of  slight 
dimness,  like  the  mists  of  the  morning. 

He  continued  praying,  and  bathing  his  eye;  the 
mist  gradually  disappeared,  and  he  could  clearly 
distinguish  objects.  He  was  cured  ! 

"I  am  cured!"  cried  he,  running  up  to  Doctor 
Dozous,  next  day,  on  the  street. 

"  Impossible,"  said  the  doctor.  "  You  have  an 
organic  affection  which  makes  your  disease  absolutely 
incurable.  The  treatment  which  I  made  you  fol 
low  was  only  to  ease  your  pain;  it  could  not  re 
store  your  sight." 

"  It  is  not  you  who  has  cured  me,"  answered  the 
quarry-man,  still  much  agitated;  "it  is  the  Blessed 
Virgin  of  the  grotto." 

"  That  Bernadette  has  ecstasies  which  cannot  be 
explained,  is  certain,"  said  the  doctor,  shrugging  his 
shoulders;  "I  have  verified  that  myself.  But  that 
the  water  which  gushed  forth  from  the  grotto  from 
some  unknown  cause,  suddenly  cures  incurable  d"\s- 
eases,  is  not  possible."  So  saying,  he  took  out  his 
memorandum  book,  and  wrote  some  words  in  it 
with  a  lead  pencil. 

"  Stay,"  said  he  to  Bonrriette,  putting  his  hand 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  73 

over  his  left  eye;  "if  you  can  read  this,  I  will  be 
lieve  you."  The  passers  by  had  gathered  round 
them.  Bourriette  immediately  read,  without  the 
slightest  hesitation:  "Bourriette  has  an  incurable 
amaurosis,  and  he  will  never  be  cured." 

The  doctor  stood  astonished,  bewildered.  "I 
cannot  deny  it,"  cried  he;  "it  is  a  miracle,  a  real 
miracle,  without  disparagement  to  myself  and  to  my 
brothers  of  the  Faculty.  I  am  amazed;  but  the 
fact  is  evident;  it  is  beyond  all  that  poor  human 
science  can  do." 

Louis  Bourriette's  cure  was  all  the  more  remark 
able  that  the  miracle  had  left  all  the  scars  of  the 
wound.  The  quarry-man,  almost  crazed  with  joy, 
related  the  details  to  all  who  would  listen. 

From  that  time,  enthusiasm,  lively  faith,  thanks 
giving,  took  more  and  more  possession  of  the  multi 
tude.  More  and  more  evidence  of  the  miracle  ap 
peared.  Towards  evening,  the  quarry-men  of  the 
guild  to  which  the  fortunate  Bourriette  belonged, 
went  in  great  numbers  to  the  Rocks  of  Massabielle, 
and  cut  through  the  rocks  a  more  convenient  path 
for  pilgrims.  Before  the  opening  of  the  miraculous 
fountain,  they  placed  a  wooden  trench,  and  hollowed 
out,  below  this  trench,  a  sort  of  little  basin,  having 
very  nearly  the  form  and  dimensions  of  a  child's 
cradle. 

The  Blessed  Virgin's  name  was  on  every  lip.     No 


74  The'  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

one  knew,  and  yet  all  were  certain  that  it  was  she 
and  no  other.  After  sunset,  without  any  previous 
arrangement,  or  the  interference  of  any  priest,  hun 
dreds  of  tapers  suddenly  lit  up  the  improvised 
Sanctuary;  and  thousands  of  voices  began  to  chant 
with  indescribable  power  and  emotion,  the  Litany 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

The  grotto  remained  thus  illuminated  all  during 
the  night. 


XVII. 

APPARITIONS    OF   THE   LAST  DAYS  OF  THE  FORTNIGHT. 

IT  was  near  the  end  of  the  sacred  fortnight.  The 
Blessed  Virgin  continued  to  appear  every  morning 
to  her  dear  little  Bernadette ;  and  crowds  came  from 
twenty  and  thirty  miles  round,  having  always 
before  their  eyes  the  same  marvellous  sight  which 
became  more  and  more  impressive,  more  and  more 
fruitful  in  grace  and  in  instruction;  the  transfigura 
tion  of  an  humble  child,  the  awe  of  an  immense 
multitude. 

Everything  went  on  in  the  most  orderly  manner. 
People  drank  at  the  fountain;  sang  hymns,  and 
prayed. 

Meanwhile,  nothing  new  signalized  these  last  ap- 


Wonders  of  Lourdes.  75 

pavilions;  only,  the  miraculous  fountain  visibly  in 
creased,  as  we  have  said,  and  sudden,  supernatural 
cures  were  so  evidently  multiplied,  that  the  free 
thinkers  were  at  their  wits'  end. 

In  each  of  these  apparitions,  Bernadette  renewed 
the  acts  of  penance  and  of  obedience  which  we  have 
related.  At  the  Blessed  Virgin's  command,  she 
drank  at  the  fountain;  and  sometimes  she  was  seen 
to  drink  several  times. 

In  a  movement  of  the  crowd  in  their  efforts  to  seo 
better,  the  wild  rose-bush  was  f  of  an  instant  shaken. 
Bernadette  extended  her  hand,  in  alarm,  and  moved 
quickly  in  that  direction.  Her  eyes  were  full  of 
tears. 

"Who  stirred  the  rose-bush?"  cried  she.  "Ob 
do  not  touch  it  1  "  And  she  looked  anxiously  into 
the  cavern.  The  shrub  becoming  motionless  again, 
Bernadette's  face  became  once  more  serene,  and  the 
happy  smile  again  returned  to  it.  Every  one  was 
astonished  to  hear  her  cry  out  so  in  the  midst  of 
AU  ecstasy  so  profoundly  silent. 

During  the  day,  the  person  who  had  touched  the 
oush  came  to  Bernadette  to  apologize  for  the  grief 
which  she  had  caused  her.  "  Oh  !  you  pained  mo 
very  much,"  said  the  child;  "  when  I  saw  the  rose- 
tree  shake,  I  was  afraid  that  the  Lady  might  fall. 
She  was  on  it,  and  she  made  me  a  sign  that  th« 
bash  must  be  let  alone." 


76  The  Wonders  of  Loiirdes. 

This  person  was  much  struck  by  the  expression  ol 
Bernadette's  face.  She  had  not  as  yet  believed;  on 
the  instant  she  gave  full  faith  to  the  celestial  Vision. 
The  thought  of  having  failed,  even  unconsciously, 
in  respect  for  the  Blessed  Virgin,  by  disturbing  the 
branches  on  which  her  feet  rested,  filled  her  with 
sorrow  and  regret;  she  loved  Bernadette  and  fol 
lowed  with  profound  piety  all  the  apparitions. 

Since  the  fourth  apparition,  Bernadette,  on  arriv 
ing  every  morning,  lit  a  blessed  taper  and  held  it  in 
her  left  hand,  whilst  the  Blessed  Virgin  appeared. 
It  was  a  lady  of  the  town  who  first  lent  her  one; 
Boon  her  aunts  gave  her  each  in  turn  their  Sodality 
taper. 

One  day,  near  the  end  of  the  ecstasy,  Bernadette 
arose,  still  pale  and  radiant,  bent  towards  her 
youngest  aunt  who  accompanied  her  that  day,  and 
said:  "Will  you  give  me  your  candle  and  let  me 
leave  it  in  the  grotto  ?  ** 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  give  it  to  yon;  go  and  place  it  there 
if  you  wish."  The  child  went  towards  the  end  of 
the  grotto.  She  placed  the  end  of  the  taper  in  the 
ground,  leaning  it  against  the  rock  and  lit  it,  then 
returned  to  her  usual  place. 

After  the  apparition,  her  aunt  asked  her,  on  their 
way  home:  "But  why  did  you  ask  me  for  my  can 
dle,  and  why  did  you  leave  it  there?" 

"  I  wished  to  leav«  it  burning  in  the  grotto,  whea 


T/tc   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  77 

I  went  away;  and  as  it  was  yours,  I  could  not  do  it 
without  your  permission.'*. 

Already,  as  we  have  seen,  some  persons  had  placed 
tapers  there:  touching  homage,  the  lirst  of  those 
thousands  of  tapers  which  now  unceasingly  light  up 
the  rock  of  the  apparition,  to  glorify  and  thank  the 
Mother  of  Goix 

The  devotion  of  candles  is  as  old  as  the  Church. 
The  lighted  taper  is  a  beautiful  symbol:  the  white 
and  virgin  wax  of  which  it  is  formed,  signifies 
the  most  pure  humanity  which  the  Saviour  took  in 
MARY'S  womb,  and  which,  united  to  the  divinity,  is 
the  light  of  the  world;  like  the  wax  of  the  tapper, 
this  sacred  humanity  is  consumed  before  GOD  in 
adoration,  in  supplications,  in  thanksgiving,  in  pen 
ance  and  in  sacrifices  of  all  kinds.  The  light  of  the 
taper,  bright  and  burning,  signifies  the  divinity  of 
the  Son  of  MARY. 

The  lighted  taper  also  represents  the  Christian, 
who,  enlightened,  inflamed  with,  the  ardor  of  true 
faith  and  the  love  of  JESUS  CHRIST,  should  also  be 
consumed  before  the  good  GOD  as  a  victim  of  pen 
ance  and  of  love. 

On  Tuesday,  March  2d,  Bernadette  went  onoe 
more  to  the  pastor  of  Lourdes  and  renewed  the  re 
quest  made  by  the  Lady. 

"  She  wants,"  said  the  child)  "  a  shrine  to  be  built 
at  the  grotto  and  people  to  come  there  in  procession." 


?8  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

Events  had  transpired;  the  miraculous  spring  had 
. gushed  forth;  miracles  certain  and  authentic  had 
proved  Bernadette's  veracity,  and  the  reality  of 
the  apparitions;  notwithstanding  his  prudence  the 
worthy  pastor  was  fully  convinced.  He,  like  every 
one  else,  felt  that  it  was  the  Blessed  Virgin  who  was 
performing  all  these  wonders. 

"  I  believe  you,"  said  he  to  Bernadette.  "  But 
what  you  ask  in  the  name  of  the  Apparition  does 
not  depend  on  me.  That  depends  on  His  Lordship, 
the  Bishop,  whom  I  have  already  informed  of  what 
is  taking  place.  I  will  go  and  apprise  him  of 
what  you  ask.  It  is  for  him  alone  to  act." 

M.  Peyramale,  in  fact,  went  to  Tarbes;  he  laid 
the  facts  before  the  venerable  Bishop  Laurence,  who 
resolved  to  exceed  him,  if  possible,  in  prudence,  to 
let  the  fruit  ripen  and  to  content  himself,  for  the 
time,  by  establishing  a  judicial  investigation,  at 
which  all  the  facts,  past,  present,  and  future,  would 
be  examined  with  the  most  scrupulous  impartiality, 
whilst  awaiting  an  official  decision. 

The  next  day,  Wednesday,  March  3d,  there  was 
an  immense  crowd  at  the  grotto,  notwithstanding 
that  the  place  was  surrounded  by  troops  and  pla 
toons  of  gendarmerie  which  the  civil  authority  had 
foolishly  stationed  along  the  road  to  the  Rocks  of 
Massabielle,  as  if  these  meetings  threatened  to  be 
come  riotous.  The  fears,  it  might  well  be  said,  the 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  79 

hopes  of  these  shortsighted  men  were  defeated;  the 
most  perfect  order  reigned  among  the  multitude 
during  the  whole  day. 


XVIII. 

MARVELLOUS  CLOSE  OF  THE   FORTNIGHT—  RESUSCITA 
TION    OF  LITTLE  JUSTIN. 

THE  last  of  the  fifteen  days  during  which  Berna- 
dette  did  the  Queen  of  Heaven  the  favor  of  coming 
to  the  grotto,  —  the  day  which  was  to  close  this 
long  series  of  wonders,  was  the  subject  of  universal 
conjecture.  Those  who  had  not  witnessed  the  super 
natural  spectacle  of  Massabielle  and  those  who  had 
already  seen  it,  wished  to  be  present  at  this  final 
scene. 

It  was  Thursday,  a  market-day  at  Lourdes.  All 
the  morning,  long  before  dawn,  the  road  to  the 
grotto  was  crowded;  by  sunrise,  more  than  twenty/ 
thousand  persons  were  already  waiting,  and  others 
were  continually  arriving. 

Never  before,  never  since,  perhaps,  even  at  those 
grand  solemnities  so  far  famed,  was  such  a  crowd 
Been  at  Lourdes.  Policemen,  gendarmerie,  soldiers 
of  the  garrison,  were  all  there  "  to  prevent  disorder. n 

A  common  feeling  held  that  innumerable  multi- 


So  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

tude  breathless;  the  vague  expectation  of  some 
great  spectacle.  It  seemed  to  all  that  the  fortnight 
of  apparitions  must  end  by  an  extraordinary  event. 
Some  thought  of  a  miracle  operated  on  Bernadette 
or  accomplished  by  her. 

According  to  custom,  Bernadette  heard  Mass  'be 
fore  starting.  On  the  summit  of  the  rock,  a  gen 
darme  awaited  her;  he  walked  before  her,  with 
eword  drawn,  to  clear  the  way  for  her  through  the 
crowd.  Planks  had  been  placed  near  the  grotto  to 
facilitate  her  passage.  Without  these  precautions, 
it  seemed  impossible  for  her  to  pass  through  the 
dense  mass  of  spectators. 

When  the  child  prostrated  herself,  all  the  people 
by  a  UT  unimous  impulse,  fell  on  their  knees.  An 
unusual  silence  reigned  amongst  the  multitude. 

Soon  the  ecstacy  commenced,  serene,  radiant,  as 
usual.  The  child  went  to  drink  at  the  fountain,  and 
kneeling  and  touching  the  ground  with  her  lips,  she 
performed  the  usual  penance  for  sinners.  But 
nothing  new  had  yet  signalized  this  apparition  of 
March  4th.  Bernadette  was  commanded  as  on  the 
preceding  days,  to  go  and  ask  the  priest  to  erect  the 
shrine  and  to  hav-e  processions.  She  begged  the  Ap 
parition  to  tell  her  her  name:  the  radiant  Lady  did 
not  answer  this  question. 

Then,  by  her  salutes  to  the  Vision,  Bernadette 
announced  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  was  about  to 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  8 1 

disappear;  she  received  her  last  farewell,  her  last 
smile;  saw  for  the  last  time  the  brightness  of  her 

aureola  fade  and  become  lost,  sighed It 

was  finished. 

She  took  her  mother's  arm  and  retired;  but  hei 
heart  full  of  sorrow,  the  sorrow  of  separation :  should 
she  ever  again  behold  the  heavenly,  the  sweet 
Virgin  ? 

The  crowd  slowly  dispersed.  All  that  day  the 
grotto  was  the  scene  of  a  very  animated  pilgrimage. 
In  the  evening,  towards  four  o'clock,  there  were  still 
five  or  six  hundred  persons,  examining,  praying, 
drinking  at  the  fountain  and  carrying  away  soino 
little  memento  of  the  sacred  place. 

But  the  Immaculate  Virgin  did  not  wish  that  that 
memorable  day  should  terminate  without  a  brilliant 
manifestation  of  her  goodness.  A  great  miracle,  a 
maternal  miracle  worthily  marked  the  close  of  that 
fortnight  of  miracles. 

A  little  child  of  two  years  old  was  dying  in  a 
poor  cottage  at  Lourdes.  His  name  was  Justin. 
His  father,  Jean  Bouhohorts,  was  a  day-laborer. 
Subject  from  his  birth  to  a  slow  fever,  the  poor  child 
had  never  been  able  to  walk;  he  was  dying  of  con 
sumption,  notwithstanding  all  the  efforts  of  the 
doctor.  lie  was  in  his  agony;  his  despairing  father 
and  mother  were  beside  his  cradle  to  see  him  die. 
A  charitable  neighbor  had  already  prepared  the 


82  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

little  shroud,  and  was  trying  to  sustain  the  courage 
of  the  unhappy  mother. 

The  child's  eyes  had  become  glassy;  his  limbs 
stiff  and  motionless;  his  breathing  was  no  longer 
perceptible. 

"  He  is  dead,"  said  the  father. 

"  If  he  is  not  dead,"  said  the  neighbor,  "  he  is 
going  to  die,  my  poor  friend.  Go  and  cry  some 
where  else;  I  will  wrap  him  up  presently  in  this 
shroud." 

But  the  mother  wept  no  more.  A  wild  hope  had 
taken  possession  of  her.  "He  is  not  dead,"  she 
cries,  "  and  the  Holy  Virgin  of  the  grotto  will  cure 
him  for  me." 

"  She  is  mad  with  grief,"  said  the  father,  sorrow 
fully. 

As  for  her,  she  seizes  the  already  stiffening  body' 
of  her  child;  she  wraps  it  in  her  apron,  and  in  spite 
of  the  efforts  of  her  husband  and  her  friend,  she 
rushes  out,  running  like  a  mad  woman,  praying 
aloud.  "  I  am  going  to  the  Virgin,"  she  cried,  as 
she  went  out. 

It  was  near  five  o'clock,  and,  as  we  have  said,  some 
hundreds  of  persons  were  still  around  the  grotto 
and  the  fountain.  The  poor  mother  throws  herself 
on  her  knees  before  the  grotto,  and  prays  with  all 
her  heart,  then,  dragging  herself  on  her  knees  to 
the  little  basin,  she  takes  the  naked  body  of  her 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  83 

or  dying  child,  and  plunges  it  entirely  into  the 
miraculous  water.  It  was  very  cold,  and  the  water 
was  frozen. 

A  cry  of  fright,  and  murmurs  of  indignation  burst 
from  those  around  her.  "  The  woman  is  mad,"  was 
said  on  all  sides;  "she  will  kill  her  child."  They 
seek  to  prevent  her.  She  remains  motionless,  hold 
ing  her  child  under  the  water. 

"  Let  me  alone  I  Let  me  alone  I  "  she  answered  in 
an  eager  and  supplicating  voice,  "  I  want  to  do 
what  I  can,  and  the  good  GOD  and  the  Holy  Virgin 
will  do  the  rest."  Little  Justin  was  quite  livid;  he 
neither  stirred  nor  gave  any  sign  of  life. 

"  The  child  is  already  dead,"  *said  the  people. 
"Let  her  do  it;  it  is  a  poor  mother  whom  sorrow 
has  crazed." 

For  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the  supposed  mad  wo 
man  held  the  body  of  her  son  in  the  icy  water  which 
would  have  killed  him  in  less  than  five  minutes,  even 
had  he  been  in  perfect  health.  Nothing  could  move 
her,  neither  cries,  nor  supplications,  nor  even  threats. 
The  body  of  the  child  was  frozen,  motionless.  Full 
of  faith,  however,  the  mother  drew  him  out  of  the 
water,  wrapped  him  in  her  apron,  and  brought  him 
home,  praying  all  the  time  to  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

'  You  see  he  is  dead,"  said  the  father. 

"No,"  answered  she;  "he  is  not  dead.  The 
Blessed  Virgin  will  restore  him  to  us;"  and  she  putt 


84  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes* 

the  child  back  into  his  cradle.  A  moment  after, 
she  bends  over  him:  "He  breathes!"  cries  she. 
The  father  rushes  forward;  his  child  was  indeed 
breathing,  His  eyes  were  closed;  but  it  was  no 
longer  death,  it  was  no  longer  the  agony;  it  was  a 
Bleep,  peaceful  sleep.  The  Blessed  Virgin  then  said 
from  the  height  of  heaven  to  that  Christian  mother, 
what  JESUS  said  of  old  to  the  humble  and  faithful 
woman  of  Canaan:  "Go  in  peace;  thy  faith  hath 
saved  thee." 

During  the  night,  the  breathing  continued,  strong 
and  regular,  under  the  tender  gaze  of  the  mother, 
who  did  not  sleep.  The  next  day  little  Justin 
awoke;  his  color  was  fresh  and  healthful,  although 
he  was  still  emaciated.  His  little  eyes  were  full  of 
life  as  he  smiled  on  his  happy  mother.  He  asked 
for  the  breast,  and  drank  freely.  He  who  had  never 
walked  wanted  to  get  out  of  his  cradle;  but  the 
frightened  mother,  who  could  not  believe  in  a  re 
surrection  so  complete,  so  sudden,  dared  not  put 
him  on  the  ground.  The  day  passed  thus:  the  child 
drank  from  the  breast  eagerly  and  often;  he  waa 
making  up  for  lost  time.  He  passed  an  excellent 
night. 

Next  morning,  the  Oth  of  March,  the  father  and 
mother  went  out  early  to  their  work.  The  child 
was  sleeping  quietly  in  his  cradle.  When,  after 
some  hours  the  mother  came  in,  she  almost  fainted, 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  85 

At  seeing  her  little  boy,  until  then  paralytic,  dying, 
not  to  say  dead,  the  evening  before,  had  got  up  all 
alone,  and  was  walking,  trotting  here  and  there, 
around  the  room,  going  from  one  piece  of  furniture 
to  another,  delighted,  and  full  of  vigor.  She  waa 
obliged  to  lean  against  the  door  to  keep  from  fall 
ing.  Oh,  what  a  cry  of  love  and  gratitude  must 
then  have  gone  up  from  her  maternal  heart  to  the 
heart  of  the  Virgin  Mother  I 

Little  Justin  ran  joyously  to  throw  himself  into 
the  arms  of  his  mother,  who  embraced  him,  sobbing. 
"  He  was  cured  yesterday,"  thought  she,  "  since  he 
wanted  to  get  up  and  walk,  and  I,  unbeliever  that  I 
was,  wanted  faith  and  prevented  him."  And  when 
her  husband  came  in,  she  said  to  him:  "  You  see  he 
was  not  dead;  the  Blessed  Virgin  saved  him." 

The  good  neighbor,  who,  the  evening  before,  had 
made  little  Justin's  shroud,  could  not  believe  her 
eyes.  She  looked,  looked  again,  and  thought  she 
was  dreaming.  "It  is  he,"  she  cried.  "It  is 
really  himself  1  Poor  little  Justin  ! "  They  all  fell 
on  their  knees.  The  mother  joined  her  child's  little 
hands,  that  he  might  also  return  thanks  to  the  Mother 
of  GOD. 

Justin  is  now  a  large,  strong  boy  of  thirteen; 
gince  his  cure,  he  has  never  had  a  relapse.  "  lie  is 
»  good  child,"  said  the  venerable  pastor  of  Lourdes 
to  me  in  tlu  month  of  April,  1870-  "he  is  a  good 


86  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

child,  a  little  giddy,  but  he  has  a  good  heart,  and  he 
iovea  the  Blessed  Virgin  very  much." 

This  miracle  produced,  in  the  town  of  Lourdes, 
and  in  all  the  surrounding  country,  a  prodigious 
effect.  Three  skillful  physicians  confirmed  the  truth 
of  it,  In  their  eyes,  three  circumstances  made  the 
cure  an  actual  miracle,  a  miracle  of  the  first  order: 
in  the  first  place,  the  duration  of  the  immersion  of 
a  dying  child  in  ice-cold  water;  then,  its  immediate 
effect,  which  had  no  connection  with  the  reaction 
caused  by  the  ordinary  application  of  cold  water; 
finally, the  faculty  of  walking,  manifested  as  soon  as 
the  child  had  got  out  of  the  cradle. 

"  The  mother,"  said  the  report  of  one  of  the  doc 
tors,  "  held  her  child,  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  in  the  water  of  the  fountain.  She  thus  sought 
the  cure  of  her  child  by  proceedings  absolutely  con 
demned  by  experience  and  by  medical  reason,  and 
she  yet  obtained  it  immediately.  .  .  .  The  cure  of 
the  child  took  place  without  convalescence,  in  an 
entirely  supernatural  manner." 

It  was  thus  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  wished  to 
( rown  "  her  fortnight."  Henceforth  the  pilgrimage 
was  founded,  and  the  fountain  of  grace,  coming 
from  the  heart  of  MARY,  much  more  than  from  the 
side  of  the  rock,  flowed  fruitful  and  consoling,  nr ?er 
to  be  exhausted. 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 


XIX. 

RIDICULOUS    EFFORTS    OF    THE    POLICE  TO  "  SUPPRESS 
FANATICISM  AND    SUPERSTITION." 

THE  police  and  the  government  vied  with  each 
other  in  zeal  against  the  work  of  God,  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  and  the  new  pilgrimage  which  had  just  been 
inaugurated  by  so  many  prodigies. 

To  the  miraculous  cure  of  Louis  Bourriette,  to  the 
yet  more  touching  one  of  little  Justin,  many  other 
sudden  and  evidently  supernatural  cures  were,  so  to 
say,  added  every  day.  In  the  very  town  of  Lourdes, 
the  eating-house  keeper,  Blaise  Maumus,  had  been 
cured  by  the  water  of  the  spring,  of  an  enormous 
wen  which  he  had  on  his  wrist.  The  widow  Crozat, 
who  had  been  for  twenty  years  as  deaf  as  a  post, 
had  suddenly  recovered  her  hearing  by  making  use 
of  the  miraculous  water.  Auguste  Bordes,  who  had 
been  for  a  long  time  lame  from  the  effects  of  an  acci 
dent,  had  had  his  leg  instantly  straightened  and  re 
stored  to  its  natural  vigor.  These  people  and  many 
others  belonged  to  the  town;  every  one  knew  them, 
and  every  one  could  point  to  the  evidence  of  a 
miracle. 

The  devil,  the  police,  and  the  government,  could 
not  tolerate  such  a  state  of  things.  They  had  first, 
naturally  enough,  attacked  the  innocent  child  whom 


88  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

the  Blessed  Virgin  had  chosen  as  the  means  of  estab 
lishing  the  pilgrimage.  Thanks  to  the  divine 
protection,  and  thanks  also  to  the  good  pastor, 
Father  Peyramale,  Bernadette  had  escaped  the 
storm.  They  could  not  reach  the  invisible  power 
which  was  at  work  in  the  grotto  and  causing  the 
"  scandal."  They  therefore  resolved  to  seize  on  the 
grotto  itself,  the  fountain,  and  the  Rocks  of  Massa- 
bielle;  and,  being  unable  to  catch  the  bird,  they 
would  at  least  break  the  cage.  The  devil  .chose,  for 
that  fine  exploit,  the  prefect,  with  his  officers, 

The  prefect  of  Tarbes  was  then  a  man  of  honest 
intentions,  a  practical  Christian,  somewhat  luke 
warm,  like  many  others  in  government  circles. 
These  men,  without  actually  going  so  far  as  to  deny 
the  miracle  in  theory,  absolutely  rejected  it  in  prac 
tice.  To  them,  all  that  resembles  the  supernatural 
is  chimerical,  or  fraudulent,  their  poor  little  reli 
gious  level  is  the  perfect  rule  above  which  there  can 
be  nothing  but  fanaticism  and  superstition;  to  them, 
a  miracle,  in  the  nineteenth  century,  is  a  scandal. 

Fortified  in  these  pious  sentiments,  by  the  reports 
of  the  intelligent  police  whom  we  have  before  men 
tioned,  the  intelligent  prefect  wished  at  all  costs,  to 
put  a  stop  to  popular  assemblies,  which  he  regarded 
as  "  dangerous  to  order,"  as  likely  to  "  disturb  con 
sciences,"  and  to  injure  "the  true  interests  of  re 
ligion." 


Tke   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  89 

He  confirmed  his  wisdom  by  the  eminent  wisdom 
of  the  then  reigning  Minister  of  Worship,  the  devout 
and  illustrious  Mr.  Rouland;  and,  enlightened  by 
this  light  from  on  high,  acted  with  the  air  of 
\one  who  was  infallible.  He  decided  that  the  mira 
cles  of  Lourdes  had  no  reality;  and  he  acted  accord 
ingly.  Poor  minds  are  these.  Proud,  full  of  them 
selves,  they  fight  against  GOD  with  an  exceeding  good 
faith,  and  commit  real  crimes  with  those  good  in 
tentions  wherewith  hell  is  paved.  They  are  all  of 
the  race  of  Pilate. 

The  prefect  wished  to  use  a  radical  remedy,  by 
which  to  prevent  crowds  from  flocking  to  the  grotto. 
Some  weeks  after  the  miraculous  fortnight,  he  as 
sembled  all  the  mayors  of  the  country,  and,  in  an 
administrative  lecture,  full  of  force  and  unction,  he 
made  them  understand  that  all  that  was  passing  at 
the  grotto  was  ridiculous,  that  this  superstition  was 
disgracing  the  country,  that  white  was  black,  and 
that  by  fair  means  or  foul,  all  this  must  cease.  In 
consequence  of,  and  from  the  height  of  his  infallible 
authority,  he  excommunicated  the  grotto,  and 
ordered  the  police  magistrate  to  remove  all 
the  objects  of  piety  that  "superstition"  had  placed 
there,  and  to  arrest  as  lunatics  or  as  propagators  of 
false  news  all  who  would  speak  of  miracles,  of 
apparitions,  etc. 

This  decree  had  no  effect.     It  grieved  and  an- 


go  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

noyed  the  crowd  of  pilgrims  who  continued  to 
gather  piously  round  the  Rocks  of  Massabielle. 
The  commissary  of  police  whom  we  have  already 
seer,  at  work,  made  it  his  business  to  strip  the  grotto; 
but,  on  account  of  the  many  objects  to  be  removed, 
he  required  a  cart  and  horse.  Followed  by  some 
policemen,  he  first  addressed  himself  to  the  post 
master.  "  I  do  not  lend  my  horses  for  such  pur 
poses,"  said  the  latter,  with  emphasis;  "I  do  not 
wish  to  be  concerned  in  what  you  are  going  to  do. 
Serve  a  writ  on  me,  if  you  please.  I  refuse  my 
horses." 

The  commissary  went  successively  to  all  the  hotels 
and  wherever  vehicles  were  to  be  hired,  but  every 
where  he  met  with  the  same  refusal,  the  same  open 
indignation.  He  was  seen  going  and  coming  through 
the  streets,  followed  by  his  agents,  vexed,  although 
repressing  his  anger.  Vainly  did  he  offer. up  to 
thirty  francs  for  a  distance  of  not  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  mile.  An  avaricious  woman  at  last  lent 
him  a  horse  and  wagon,  to  the  great  indignation  of 
all  the  inhabitants. 

This  was  not  all:  once  at  the  grotto,  he  was 
obliged  to  commence  the  stripping  of  it.  Now,  the 
sacrilegious  work  was  retarded  by  the  roughness  of 
the  soil,  and  still  more  by  the  threatening  attitude 
of  the  entire  population  who  had  repaired  to  the 
Bocks  of  Massabielle. 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  91 

The  executor  of  the  prefect's  noble  design  began 
with  the  money  and  jewelry,  offered  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  which  not  even  the  boldest  robber  had  hither 
to  dared  to  touch.  Then  he  collected  the  bouquets, 
and  made  a  movement  as  if  to  throw  them  into 
the  Gave;  but  a  significant  murmur  from  the  crowd 
made  him  stop  short.  His  movements  had  something 
convulsive  about  them.  So  as  to  hasten  the  work, 
he  called  to  his  aid  a  little  boy  who  was  standing 
by.  "  Here,"  said  he,  offering  him  a  picture,  "  carry 
that  to  the  cart."  The  child  mechanically  held  out 
his  hand.  But  a  companion  immediately  cried  out: 
"  Wretch  !  what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  The  good 
GOD  will  punish  you."  The  little  one  drew  back, 
and  no  command  from  the  commissary  could  make 
him  stir.  The  poor  policemen  performed  the  task 
with  unconcealed  repugnance. 

When  the  grotto  was  stripped,  the  commissary 
wished  to  remove  a  wooden  balustrade  which  had 
been  placed  at  the  entrance  through  a  feeling  of 
pious  respect.  He  needed  an  axe;  he  went  to  ask  for 
one  at  the  saw-mill.  All  the  workmen,  one  after 
another,  refused  him.  A  little  further  on,  a  work 
man,  who  was  alone,  dared  not  resist,  and  let  him 
take  his  hatchet.  The  commissary  was  himself 
obliged  to  perform  the  task:  no  one  would  aid  him. 
When  the  first  strokes  of  the  axe  were  heard  the 
popular  indignation  threatened  to  break  forth.  The 


92  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

Gave  was  near  by,  and  at  any  moment  something 
bad  might  happen.  The  guilty  man  felt  it.  He 
stopped  then;  and  pale,  and  humiliated,  he  turned 
'.towards  the  crowd,  and  in  a  voice  trembling  with 
fear,  perhaps  also  with  remorse,  he  said  that  ho 
was  only  obeying  orders,  and,  so  to  say,  asked  par 
don  for  the  shameful  act  in  which  he  was  en 
gaged.  Then,  all  being  finished,  he  returned 
to  Lourdes  with  the  spoils  from  the  Blessed 
Virgin. 

This  very  evening,  to  protest  against  this  impiety, 
the  crowd  went,  more  numerous  than  ever,  to  the 
holy  place,  and  soon  the  grotto  was  filled  with 
flowers  and  lit  up  with  a  thousand  tapers. 

The  next  day,  by  a  coincidence  which  escaped  no 
one,  which  consoled  the  good,  and  made  the  wicked 
reflect,  the  woman  who  was  not  ashamed  to  lend 
her  horse  and  cart  to  the  commissary,  fell  from  a 
loft  and  broke  a  rib;  and  the  workman  who  had  not 
dared  to  refuse  his  axe,  had  his  two  feet  smashed 
by  the  falling  of  a  beam. 

These  absurd  and  unjust  measures  of  the  policy 
increased  the  ardor  of  the  multitude  who  came  every 
day  to  pray  at  the  grotto.  During  the  whole  month 
of  May,  numbers  of  pious  people  came  there  to  cel 
ebrate  the  month  of  MARY.  But  to  the  great  dis 
appointment  of  the  police,  there  was  no  disorder, 
uot  the  slightest  disturbance. 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  93 

The  prefcctoral  government  then  took  a  violent, 
end  as  they  thought,  a  decisive  step. 

On  the  8th  of  June,  in  virtue  of  a  warrant  which 
"  issued  in  the  interests  of  religion  and  of  the  public 
health,  which  was  threatened  by  the  free  AIR!  im 
prudent  use  of  the  fountain"  which  they  affected 
to  think  was  strongly  impregnated  with  minerals,  the 
police,  amid  the  general  indignation,  again  removed 
all  the  objects  placed  in  the  grotto,  and  closed  it 
up  with  planks.  The  approach  to  it  was  forbid 
den,  and  there  was  a  formal  prohibition  against 
drawing  the  water.  On  the  summit  of  the  rock 
where  the  chapel  now  stands,  a  stake  was  fixed 
bearing  these  words:  "All  person*  are  forbidden 
to  trespass  on  this  property" 

The  policemen  and  gendarmere  kept  guard.  The 
injunction  was  defied;  persons  went  in  by  stealth, 
at  the  risk  of  being  discovered.  Sometimes  several 
persons  united,  and  one  of  them  remained  as  senti 
nel  on  the  rock,  watching  for  the  arrival  of  the 
officers,  whilst  the  others  prayed  at  the  grotto. 
There  was  a  number  of  arrests  made.  Poor  wo 
men  and  working-men  appeared  before  the  judge 
for  disobedience  to  the  order. 

This  vexatious  measure  exasperated  the  people; 
threatening  murmurs  were  heard.  Yet  the  most 
angry  suppressed  the  slightest  attempt  at  violence. 
The  calmness  with  which  the  working  population  of 


94  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

Lourdes  passed  through  this  phase  of  absurd  perse 
cution,  should  be  counted  amongst  the  astonishing 
things  of  that  time. 

This  was  due,  after  the  Blessed  Virgin,  to  a  few 
influential  men  amongst  the  working  classes,  who 
were  able  to  restrain  them  to  patience  and  order; 
but  it  was  especially  to  the  honor  of  the  worthy 
pastor  of  the  town,  whose  energetic  words  exercised 
the  most  salutary  influence  over  the  people. 

Pilgrims,  when  they  wished  to  pray  freely  before 
the  blessed  grotto,  all  the  dearer  because  an  arbitrary 
and  unjust  opposition  disputed  it  with  their  faith, 
went  to  the  opposite  bank,  and  knelt  down  on  the 
grass  or  on  the  sand  which  remained  dry  in  the  very 
bed  of  the  Gave.  The  cavern  of  the  apparition 
could  be  seen  above  the  boards  of  the  enclosure. 
They  looked  far  into  the  hollow  sanctified  by  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  and  retired  consoled  at  having  been 
able  to  send  their  prayers  thither. 

Soon  the  number  of  persons  discovered  there  waa 
considerable,  and,  on  the  police  lists,  were  the  names 
of  strangers  which  were  very  embarrassing.  The 
authors  of  these  arrests  felt  that  they  were  ridicu 
lous  and  odious,  with  all  their  impotent  severity; 
they  therefore  relaxed  their  rigor,  and  let  thinga 
go  on. 

The  prefectorate  was  also  deceived  as  to  the 
water  of  the  grotto.  Whust  the  struggle  was  going 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  95 

on  amongst  men,  the  Blessed  Virgin  continued  none 
the   less   to   cure.      The   fountain  still  more  loudly 
proclaimed  the   miraculous,  favored  the  "  supersti 
tion."     Such  a  belief  must  be  overthrown. 

Being  unable  to  contest  the  reality  of  the  sudden 
.md  impossible  cures  by  the  known  resources  of 
medicine,  they  would  have  it  that  the  fountain 
should  have  a  mineral  quality,  superior  to  that  of 
the  other  Pyrenean  springs.  Through  cowardice, 
a  chemist  of  the  country  found  in  it  some  very 
powerful  healing  properties;  and  it  was  published 
that  Lourdes  possessed  an  unequalled  mineral  spring. 
It  was  not  generally  nor  for  very  long  believed ;  and 
recourse  was  afterwards  had  to  other  analysers, 
to  discover  the  truth.  These  latter  decided  on  the 
absence  of  all  mineral  substance  from  the  liquid 
which  was  presented  to  them.  Mr.  Filhol,  profes 
sor  of  chemistry  to  the  Faculty  of  Toulouse,  after 
having  tried  the  water  of  Massabielle  by  all  known 
means,  declared,  on  the  7th  of  August,  in  a  learned 
report,  that  it  was  simply  ordinary  water,  drinkable, 
without  the  least  mineral  property. 

Against  hell  and  against  men,  the  cause  of  the 
apparitions  was  only  defended  by  itself  and  by  the 
peaceful  belief  of  the  people.  The  clergy  did 
nothing  against  it;  but  did  not  sustain  it.  They 
were  all  at  first  incredulous.  The  most  learned 
priests,  seeing  the  saintly  character  of  the  appar* 


96  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

itiona,  changed  to  respectful  doubt;  a  little  later, 
they  joyfully  adhered  to  it  with  their  whole  soul. 
A  great  number  continued  1'jr  quite  a  long  time  to 
hesitate. 

But,  by  a  prudence  now  inexplicable  by  the  wit 
nesses  of  the  popular  enthusiasm  which  carried  away 
even  the  impious  themselves,  and  thanks  to  a  disposi 
tion  of  Providence  which  would  not  have  even  an 
appearance  of  human  action  in  the  work  of  the  Im 
maculate  Virgin,  not  a  priest  was  among  the  crowd, 
during  the  whole  time  of  the  apparitions. 

The  pilgrimage  of  Lourdes  was  thus  the  exclusive 
work  of  the  Blessed  Virgin;  she  herself  did  all. 
The  police  were  defeated;  the  government  and  the 
prefect  were  defeated.  A  formal  order,  coming 
from  the  supreme  authority,  permitted  to  the  piety 
of  the  pilgrims,  free  access  to  the  blessed  grotto; 
and  since  then,  no  attempt  of  human  power  has 
disturbed  its  peace  and  sweetness. 

As  it  had  become  impossible  for  the  unlucky  pre 
fect  to  remain  in  the  country,  he  was  appointed  to 
the  first  vacant  prefecture;  and  by  a  charming 
stroke  of  Providence,  he  was  only  expelled  by  Our 
Lady  of  Lourdes  to  fall  upon  Our  Lady  of  La^ 
Salette;  from  Tarbes,  he  went  to  Grenoble.  Incor 
rigible,  like  all  those  liberal,  governmental  and  semi- 
rationalist  Christians,  he  pleasantly  remarked  that 
if  he  had  been  prefect  of  Grenoble  in  1846,  he  would 


The   Wonders  of  Lourfys.  97 

have  settled  with  the  apparitions  and  "  superstition  " 
of  La  Salette.  He  died  there  some  years  after  of 
an  attack  of  apoplexy.  May  God  have  mercy  on 
his  soul ! 

The  crown  solicitor  of  Lourdes  was  also  changed,  ^ 
as  well  as  the  illustrious  commissary,  who  has  be 
come,  it  is  said,  one  of  tUe  most  distinguished  blood 
hounds  of  the  higher  police  force. 


XX. 

IHE  APPARITION  OP  MARCH    25TII — "l  AM  THE  IMMA 
CULATE    CONCEPTION." 

AFTER  the  close  of  the  fortnight,  littte  Berrca- 
dctte  went  every  day  to  the  grotto.  She  said  her 
rosary  there,  like  the  other  pilgrims;  long  did  her 
eyes  remain  fixed  on  the  hollow  of  the  rock;  but  the 
sweet  Vision  appeared  no  more,  and  her  transfigur 
ations  had  ceased.  The  promised  time  had  expired. 
Still  the  people  were  always  hoping  to  see  onee  more 
the  wonderful  ecstasy,  and  every  time  that  the  -child 
passed  towards  Massabielle,  they  closely  followed 
her  footsteps.  With  her,  they  believed  they  were 
going  to  meet  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Bcrnadette 
could  not  expect  to  find  her.  The  voice  which, 
during  the  fortnight,  had  warned  her  soul,  when 

8 


gS  The  Wonders  of  Lotcrdes. 

MARY  was  about  to  come,  had  been  silent  «ince 
then. 

On  the  25th  of  March,  the  feast  of  the  Annunci* 
ation,  Bernadette  felt  herself  powerfully  drawn 
towards  the  grotto,  by  a  well-known  attraction. 
She  joyfully  obeyed  the  interior  call,  and  repaired 
to  Massabielle.  The  solemnity  of  the  day,  the  gen 
eral,  though  uncertain  hope  that  the  Vision  would 
return,  had  attracted  from  all  parts  a  considerable 
crowd,  Bernadette  was  surprised  to  find  it  so. 
She  began  to  pray,  with  her  beads  in  her  hand,  and 
soon  a  sudden  thrill  and  the  transfiguration  of  her 
face  announced  that  the  Virgin  had  appeared. 

That  was  a  great  day  in  th«  history  of  the  ap 
paritions. 

Bernadette  had  several  times  before  asked  the 
mysterious  Lady  to  tell  her  her  name.  She  had 
only  been  answered  by  smiles.  In  this  new  ecstasy, 
remembering  that  the  priest  had  earnestly  requested 
her,  if  she  saw  her  again,  to  ask  her  name,  she 
said:  "O  Lady,  will  you  have  the  goodness  to 
tell  me  who  you  are,  and  what  is  your  name  ?" 

The  Vision  seemed  to  become  still  more  radiant; 
always  smiling,  she  smiled  still  more  benignantly, 
that  was  her  answer. 

"My  Lady,"  continued  the  child,  "will  you  tell 
me  who  you  are  ?  "  Again  a  long  and  more  divine 
smile  on  the  mute  lips-  of  the  royal  Apparition. 


The   Wonders  of  Loitrdcs.  99 

"  O  Lady,  I  entreat  you  to  tell  me  your  name ; 
you  must  tell  me  who  you  are  ?  " 

From  amidst  the  aureola,  the  virginal  face  smiled 
again  on  the  child  the  last,  and  doubtless  the  most 
ravishing  smile.  Then  the  Lady  withdrew  her  gaze 
from  Bernadette,  unclasped  her  hands,  slipped  on 
her  arm  the  rosary  which  had  kept  her  fingers 
joined  at  her  girdle,  raised  her  hands  and  her 
radiant  head;  whilst  her  hands  were  joined  on  her 
breast,  her  head  thrown  back,  and,  more  radiant 
than  ever,  her  eyes  piercing  the  glory  of  heaven, 
*he  said:  "I  A.H  THE  IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION." 

Without  another  glance  at  the  child  and  without 
another  smile,  without  the  accustomed  farewell,  she 
disappeared  in  the  same  attitude,  leaving  to  Berna- 
dette's  soul  that  image  and  that  name, 

Bernadette  hastily,  and  with  great  joy,  went  to 
tell  the  pastor  the  name  of  the  LADY,  at  length 
known.  But  she  did  not  at  all  understand  these 
words:  Immaculate  Conception;  it  wae  there,  and  in 
the  splendor  of  the  apparition,  that  she  had  heard  it  for 
the  first  time  in  her  life.  And  this  unknown  word 
tlid  not  make  known  to  her  who  the  lady  was.  Sho 
was  afraid  of  forgetting  it,  and  she  repeated  it  all 
the  way  home:  "  I  am  the  Immaculate  Conception, 
...  I  am  the  Immaculate  Conception." 

The  priest  understood  it;    the  Christian  poopto 


IOO  The   Wanders  of  Lourdes, 

understood  it;  they  had  not  been  mistaken.  It  wa« 
SHE,  the  Virgin  MARY,  the  Mother  of  GOD. 

But  they  did  not  expect  that  name  from  her 
mouth.  It  could  not  have  been  supposed  that  she 
would  give  to  the  grotto,  to  the  town  of  Lourdes, 
to  the  Pyrenees,  to  Pius  IX.,  to  the  whole  universe 
the  joy  of  naming  herself  by  the  glorious  privilege 
that,  for  four  years,  the  Catholic  world  with  its 
Father  and  Pontiff,  had  celebrated  in  an  unceasing 
outburst  of  admiration  and  of  love. 

This  apparition,  radiant  with  a  new  and  sweet 
splendor,  when  wholly  unhoped  for,  and  when  the 
heavenly  communications  had  seemed  ended,  it  ap 
peared  to  be  the  heart  of  the  work  of  MA  RY  at  the 
grotto.  She  made  clear  the  mystery  so  long  un 
solved,  of  her  first  fifteen  visits.  The  Lady  had 
made  h'er  name  felt  before;  and  the  people,  hearing 
the  child's  story,  said:  MARY  ! — but  they  wished  to 
hear  it  from  her  lips.  She  vouchsafed  to  descend 
again  and  tell  it:  "lam  the  Immaculate  Concep 
tion!" 

In  no  other  part  of  the  world  and  in  none  of  her 
innumerable  apparitions,  did  she  call  herself  by  that 
name.  MARY,  by  her  unexpected  words,  gives  to 
the  grotto  of  Lourdes  a  special  glory,  that  of  being 
the  Sanctuary,  alone  recognized  by  Heaven,  of 
the  Immaculate  Conception.  She  reveals  the  whole 
Divine  thought  on  the  new  pilgrimage.  The  Im- 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  lOi 

maculate  Conception  is  the  reason  for  it,  and  shall 
be  its  treasure. 

Pilgrims  have  all  their  whole  prayer  in  that  word; 
it  contains  the  secret  of  their  hopes.  In  the  won 
ders  of  Lourdes,  GOD  prepares  a  new  glory  for  the 
Immaculate  Conception.  It  is  in  honcr  of  the  Im 
maculate  Conception,  it  is  by  the  favor  of  the  Im 
maculate  Conception  that  cures  shall  gush  from  the 
fountain;  and  it  is  again  from  the  grace  of  the  Im 
maculate  Conception  that  sinners  shall  derive  the 
joys  of  mercy.  The  tapers  lit  under  the  rock  shall 
honor  with  their  flame  the  spotless  purity  of  MARY; 
it  is  the  Immaculate  Conception  that  nations  shall 
come  to  celebrate  in  innumerable  and  magnificent 
processions,  and  the  stones  of  the  chapel  which  she 
asked  for  shall  all  praise  the  Immaculate  Con 
ception. 

Bernadette  kept  alive  within  her  the  image  of  the 
Virgin  glorying  before  her  in  her  Immaculate  Con 
ception.  It  is  perhaps  the  recollection  which  is  the 
freshest  in  her  memory.  She  has  often  been  asked 
to  describe  that  august  scene. 

The  child  would  think  for  a  moment,  and  then 
\say :  "  She  did  like  this  " —  and  her  hands,  her  head, 
and  her  glances  would  indicate  the  movements  of 
the  Virgin.  In  this  simple  gesture  of  raising  hei 
hands,  clasping  them  lengthwise  on  her  breast,  there 
so  much  majesty,  so  much  dignity  and  gracej 


IO2  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

her  face  was  so  grave  arid  so  sweet;  and  her  glance, 
while  raised  to  heaven,  assumed  such  an  expression, 
that  on  seeing  her,  people  were  impressed  with  in 
voluntary  admiration  and  religious  respect.  Often 
tears  were  shed,  so  well  did  she  depict  that  ravish 
ing  moment  of  the  Apparition.  One  day,  a  man  of 
the  world  was  so  struck  by  it  that  he  said :  "  For 
me,  that  suffices.  I  believe.  That  child  has  seen: 
of  herself  she  could  never  do  what  she  does  now. 
What  she  has  seen  is  not  of  th\s  world." 


XXI. 

THE    APPARITION    OF    EASTER    MONDAY,  APRIL   5TH— 
THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  LIGHTED  TAPER. 

TEN  days  after,  on  the  5th  of  April,  Easter  Mon 
day,  Bernadette,  surrounded  by  a  multitude  of  per 
sons  praying,  was  again  favored  by  an  apparition  of 
the  Immaculate  Virgin.  This  time,  there  was  a 
spectacle  which  excited  more  astonishment  than  all 
the  former  wonders,  and  which  showed  the  divine 
character  of  the  visions. 

The  child,  kneeling,  held  in  one  hand  a  lighted 
taper,  which  was  resting  on  the  ground.  Absorbed 
in  the  contemplation  of  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  her 
little  hands  came  together,  and  without  heeding 


The   Wonders  of  Loitrdcs.  103 

what  she  was  doing,  she  raised  them  a  little  and  let 
them  rest  gently  on  the  top  of  the  lighted  taper. 
And  then  the  flame  passed  through  her  fingers 
which  were  slightly  parted,  and  reached  above  them, 
swayed  to  and  fro  by  a  slight  breeze. 

The  people  beside  her  were  alarmed,  and  cried 
out:  "  She  is  burning!  ...  She  is  burning!  "  The 
child  was  smiling,  motionless,  serene. 

"  Let  her  alone,"  said  some  to  those  who  would 
have  removed  the  taper;  "  evidently  she  does  not 
feel  the  fire.  Let  us  see  what  will  happen." 

A  physician  was  observing  the  child.  Amazed, 
he  took  out  his  watch.  The  flame  continued  to 
burn;  the  hands  rested  on  it  without  the  slightest 
quiver,  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  All 
that  were  near  enough  to  see  Bernadette  saw  the 
flame  rising  above  her  fingers.  They  said  softly: 
"  A  miracle !  a  miracle ! "  Never  yet  had  there  been 
such  excitement  at  the  grotto.  At  last  her  hands 
parted;  the  doctor  took  and  examined  them;  they 
were  white  and  unhurt. 

After  the  ecstasy,  when  Bernadette  had  returned 
to  ordinary  life,  one  of  the  spectators  brought  the 
flame  of  the  still  lighted  candle  near  the  child's 
hand. — "  Oh!  you  are  burning  me,"  cried  she,  draw 
ing  back  quickly. 

So  manifest  and  so  touching  a  miracle  left  a  deep 
impression.  It  was  the  seventeenth  apparition,  and 


IO4  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

the  fifteenth  of  those  to  which  the  Virgin  had  called 
the  multitude  as  witnesses  of  those  interviews  whose 
mystery  was  so  profound  a  secret  and  yet  so  ad 
mirably  revealed.  On  that  day,  there  were  more 
than  nine  thousand  persons  around  Bernadette. 

The  divine  spectacle  ended  for  the  crowds  on  the 
5th  of  April.  For  the  last  time  before  them,  the 
Queen  of  Glory  made  the  reflection  of  her  splendor 
shine  on  the  angelic  face  of  the  transfigured  child, 
showed  the  power  of  her  beauty  in  the  ecstasy  of 
that  soul  carried  away  by  an  irresistible  entrance- 
ment.  She  wished,  on  that  day,  to  give  a  triumph 
ant  testimonial  of  herself. 

She  came  to  place  the  Divine  Seal  on  her  work 
and  to  confirm  faith  and  the  glory  of  her  name  by 
the  inimitable  signature  of  a  miracle. 

Graceful  and  astounding  spectacle!  The  little 
child  contemplates  the  Lady,  prays,  smiles.  She 
presents  her  tender  hands  to  the  flame.  The  flame 
touches,  caresses,  and  does  not  burn  them.  That 
blessed  candle,  consuming  like  a  prayer,  respects 
the  child,  whilst  she  is  with  the  Immaculate  Con 
ception.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the 
flames  were  seen  to  lick  her  little  hands  and  the  child 
smiles. 

It  was  thus  that  the  multitude  saw  Bernadette  in 
the  last  public  apparition;  and  such  is  the  last,  the 
divine  remembrance  left  of  her  presence  by  the 


The  Wonders  of  Lotirdes.  105 

white  Lady  of  the  rose-bush,  the  Virgin  of  tl«  grotto, 
of  the  fountain  of  miracles,  of  the  rosary,  of  light, 
of  roses,  of  smiles,  the  Immaculate  Conception. 

Bernadette  was  to  see  her  once  more,  but  almost 
alone,  and  long  after  that  day,  to  be  strengthened 
and  consoled. 


XXII. 

MIRACULOUS   CURE    OF   YOUNG   HENRI   BUSQUET. 

MIRACLES  were  manifested  by  the  operation  of 
the  water  of  the  grotto,  like  flowers  by  the  action  of 
the  Spring  dew.  They  were  already,  so  to  say, 
innumerable.  Here  is  one,  chosen  from  amongst  a 
hundred  others,  and  the  authenticity  of  which  has 
been  proclaimed  by  physicians  and  at  the  same  time 
by  the  ecclesiastical  authority. 

There  was  then  at  Nay,  in  the  Basses-Pyrenees, 
a  young  lad  of  fifteen,  named  Henri  Busquet,  whose 
health  had  been  destroyed  and  his  blood  vitiated,  in 
consequence  of  typhoid  fever,  which,  two  years 
before,  had  almost  carried  him  off.  An  enormoua 
abscess,  of  a  scrofulous  nature,  had  formed  on  his 
neck,  at  the  right  side,  and  had  insensibly  reached 
the  top  of  the  chest  and  the  lower  part  of  the  cheek 


io6  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes, 

At  the  end  of  four  months,  as  the  result  of  an  opera 
tion  which  was  judged  necessary,  a  hideous  gaping 
«ore  extended  over  all  the  part  diseased.  Besides, 
swelling  of  the  glands  had  come  near  the  ulcer. 

All  treatment  had  been  useless.  The  waters  of 
Cauterets  had  done  more  harm  than  good.  The 
poor  child's  condition  grew  worse  every  day. 

Henry  was  very  pious.  He  heard  of  the  wonders 
of  Lourdes  and  the  miraculous  spring.  Being  unable 
to  go  there,  he  begged  a  good  neighbor  who  waa 
going  to  make  the  pilgrimage  to  bring  him  a  little 
of  the  water.  He  was  convinced  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  would  cure  him;  the  usual  presentiment 
with  those  on  whom  the  grace  of  a  miracle  is  be 
stowed. 

On  the  evening  of  the  28th  of  April,  the  so  much 
desired  water  was  brought  him.  He  knelt  down 
with  his  father,  his  mother,  his  brothers  and  sisters, 
all  faithful,  simple,  trusting  Christians.  Henri  lay 
down,  that  the  lotions  might  be  more  conveniently 
applied.  The  doctor  had  recommended  that  no 
cold  water  should  be  allowed  to  touch  the  ulcer. 
The  consequence,  he  said,  would  be  very  serious. 
But  to  the  pious  child,  the  Blessed  Virgin  came  be* 
fore  the  doctor,  and  the  water  from  the  grotto  was 
not  "  cold  water." 

He  therefore  takes  off  the  bandages  and  the  lint 
which  covered  the  ulcer  and  the  tumors,  and  with  a 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  107 

f.loth  dipped  in  the  miraculous  water  he  bathes  his 
iVurf ul  sores.  "  It  is  impossible,"  thought  he,  "  that 
the  Blessed  Virgin  will  not  cure  me;"  and  with  this 
thought  he  went  peacefully  to  sleep. 

Next  morning,  on  awaking,  lie  was  cured,  com 
pletely  cured.  No  more  ulcer,  no  more  sore,  no 
more  tumors,  no  more  suffering;  as  a  remembrance, 
the  Good  Virgin  had  however  left  him  the  scar  of 
his  ulcer;  but  this  scar  was  firm  and  white,  as  solid 
as  if  the  hand  of  time  had  slowly  healed  it.  The 
cure  had  been  radical,  sudden,  and  without  any 
convalescence. 

Yet  more,  the  young  Henry's  very  constitution, 
until  then  scrofulous  and  much  impaired,  was  at  the 
same  moment  restored  to  its  normal  condition. 
Since  that  time,  in  fact,  Henri  Busquet  has  always 
been  well;  he  has  grown  up,  full  of  health  and 
gtrength. 

"  To-day,"  says  an  eye  witness,  "  he  is  a  fine  tall 

young  man  of  twenty-eight,  working  with  his  father, 

a  plasterer  by  trade,  singing  all  day  long,  not  coarse 

*nor  obscene,  but  gay  and  cheerful  songs,  or  hymns 

in  honor  of  his  immaculate  benefactress." 

The  report  of  the  physicians  has  fully  established 
the  perfectly  supernatural  character  of  this  cure. 
"We  class  this  fact,"  they  say,  " amongst  those 
which  fully  and  in  an  evident  manner  possess  a 
supernatural  character." 


1O8         .      The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

The  doctor  who  had  attended  the  favored  child  of 
MARY,  declared  with  no  less  frankness  that  "the 
sudden  cure  was  miraculous  and  divine." 


XXIII. 

EIGHTEENTH     AND     LAST     APPARITION     OF     THE     BLESSED 
VIRGIN   TO    BEBNADETTE. 

WE  have  said  that  Bernadette  was  to  see  the 
Immaculate  Virgin  once  more,  and  to  receive  a 
supreme  consolation  from  her  who  had  given  her  to 
suffer  for  the  new  work  of  her  love.  The  poor  child 
had,  in  fact,  undergone  many  persecutions,  as  we 
have  before  said.  She  had  endured  them  with  great 
constancy,  sweetness,  and  simple  humility. 

It  was  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  July,  the  Feast 
of  Our  Lady  of  Mount  Carmel.  Bernadette  felt  the 
mysterious  attraction  which  had  formerly  called  her 
to  the  meeting  at  the  grotto.  She  spoke  of  it  to  her 
family.  Her  youngest  aunt  offered  to  accompany 
her.  Two  persons  from  Lourdes,  who  had  one  day 
testified  a  lively  desire  to  follow  Bernadette  in  the 
hope  of  seeing  the  ecstasy,  were  informed,  and  all 
four  set  out  together. 

The  grotto  was  then  closed  by  order  of  the  pre 
fect  ;  and  Bernadette,  of  all  people,  could  not  en- 


The   Wcndcrs  of  Lourdcs.  IO9 

,oh  on  the  forW.1,1,.,.  ground.  They  went  down 
,  o  ,"h  the  meadow,  ««*  V,c  on  the  oppose 

,k  of  the  Gam  They  knelt  down,  facing  the 
gol  at  ».„,,-  dittanee  from  a  group  of  persons 
who  were  pr.vying,  without  heeding  the  new  comers, 
±I>d  ITail  Mary's  on  the  beads  of  their  rosary. 

11  «2et  hands  suddenly  unclasp  and  Ml  by 
her  side  as  if  in  surprise.      Her  comp—  suspect 
the  ecstacy  is  coming.     By  the  last  hght  of  day  th  y 
,e  her  face  grow  pale,  her  eyes  sparkle.      At  tlus 
Tn±nt,awfman   approaches  ^»«f^ 
Bnd  kneels  down,  not  far  from  Bernadette,  without 
thinking  of  the  miracle.     The  light  was  reflected  < 
the  transfigured  face  of  the  child.     Once  more  and 
for  the  last  time  Bernadette's  aunt  beheld  her  niece 
.„  her  radiant  pallor,  the  beatitude  of  her  glance 
lost  amid  the  beauties  and  the  glory  of  the  Virgin 
MART       Rapt  in   admiration,  the  two  companions 
looked  on  in  silence;  and  the  happy  child,  forgetful 
of   earth,  was  entranced  with   the  delights  winch 
MARY  brought  her  from  Paradise  for  the  eighteenth 

time.  j 

In  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the  ecstasy  ceased. 

Bernadetto  had  received  a  last  farewell 

She  spoke  of  the  Vision  with  a  deep  impression  of 

happiness.     From  the  first  rays  which  announced  it, 

§he  had  lost  sight  of  evei y  thing,  of  the  Gave,  of  the 


HO  The  Wonders  of  Lour des. 

barriers.  It  was  as  at  the  grotto;  the  Virgin,  noth 
ing  but  the  Virgin  and  her  white  robe,  and  her  veil, 
and  her  blue  girdle,  and  her  aureola,  and  he* 
sweet  looks,  and  her  smiles.  .  .  .  Only  the  Mother 
of  GOD  had  never  appeared  so  glorious.  Her 
countenance  seemed  to  the  child  still  more  beautiful 
and  more  radiant;  the  light,  more  dazzling  than 
ever. 

This  almost  solitary  apparition  was  entirely  for 
the  child.  It  was  little  known,  and  it  had  no  in 
fluence  on  the  belief  of  the  people. 

Poor  little  Bernadette  had  fulfilled  her  mission 
with  a  simplicity  full  of  courage,  and  a  devotion 
stronger  than  any  trials.  For  the  Lady  of  the  rock, 
she  had  fought,  she  had  suffered;  she  was  to  suffer 
and  to  fight  again.  The  unhoped  for  return  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  showed  that  she  was  pleased  with 
her  child,  and  in  the  ineffable  joys  of  those  heavenly 
moments,  she  brought  her  the  reward  of  the  past 
with  strength  for  the  future. 


XXIV. 

BERNADETTE,  AFTER  THE  APPARITIONS. 

THE  humble  and  favored  child  whom  the  Blessed 
Virgin   had    chosen   to   perform   through  her  such 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  Ill 

great  things,  remained,  after  the  celestial  visits, 
what  she  was  before;  the  Blessed  Virgin  preserved 
her  simple,  modest,  innocent.  There  never  seemed 
lo  be  anything  extraordinary  about  her,  unless  it 
were  the  calm,  gentle  humility,  with  which  she 
braved,  so  to  say,  vainglory,  and  continual  ques 
tioning. 

At  school,  she  played,  ran,  amused  herself,  and 
joined  in  the  ring,  like  other  little  girls.  Her  intel 
lect  remained  quite  ordinary.  She  was  a  long  time 
in  learning  to  read  and  write.  She  was  pious,  ex* 
emplary;  but  there  was  nothing  to  distinguish  her 
from  other  pious  children.  She  spoke  but  little;  her 
language  was  somewhat  rude;  all  her  merit  seemed 
to  lie  in  that  which  had  charmed  the  Queen  of 
Angels;  the  innocence  of  a  poor  and  obscure  life, 
candor  of  mind,  and  conscientiousness. 

Bernadette  made  her  first  communion  in  that 
same  year,  1858,  on  the  3d  of  June,  the  Feast  of 
Corpus  Christi.  Something  extraordinary  was  ex 
pected;  nothing  however  occurred;  nothing  but  a 
good  little  girl,  piously  making  a  good  first  Com 
munion. 

For  two  years  after  this,  Bernadette  attended 
school.  Some  months  after  her  first  communion, 
she  was  admitted  into  the  Sodality  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  where  she  continued  to  edify  all  about  her, 
without  surprising  any  one.  In  1860,  the  Sisters  of 


112  The  Wonders  of  Ljurdts. 

Charity  at  Nevers,  who  sensed  the  hospital  of 
Lourdes,  and  at  the  same  time  directed  the  school, 
offered,  her  a  shelter  with  them,  and  thenceforth,  she 
remained  nndcr  their  roof.  She  was  always  the 
game;  her  health  was  still  feeble;  she  was  troubled 
with  asthma,  and  it  may  well  be  added,  with  the 
continual  visits  of  pilgrims  and  other  persons. 

This  crowd  continued  every  day.  '  Faithful  to  the 
grace  of  publicity  which  had  characterized  the  mir 
acles  of  the  sacred  grotto,  Bernadette  did  not  hide 
herself  from  the  looks  or  qnestions  of  any  one,  even 
when  they  were  indiscreet.  Of  herself,  she  never 
spoke  of  the  supernatural  power  of  which  she  had 
been  the  object.  When  questioned,  she  answered 
briefly,  with  much  clearness,  and  what  was  most  as 
tonishing,  without  showing  the  least  emotion.  She 
was  merely  a  witness,  simple  and  sincere,  who  told 
what  she  had  seen,  who  repeated  what  she  had  heard, 
nothing  more,  nothing  less. 

When  she  saw  that  the  persons  who  questioned 
her  had  determined  not  to  believe  her,  she  avoided 
all  dispute.  "  That  is  what  I  saw,  and  what  I 
know,"  she  said,  without  bitterness  and  almost  with 
indifference ;  "  if  you  will  not'believe  me,  what  am  I 
to  do  ?  "  And  she  was  silent. 

In  the  beginning,  when  she  was  threatened,  or 
when  they  tried  to  make  her  say  that  she  had  spoken 
falsely,  she  answered  with  a  firmness  beyond  her 


The   Wonder*  of  Loitrdes.  113 

age:  "Do  as  you  will;  as  for  me,  rather  than  say 

my  words  are  untrue,  I  will  go  to  prison." 

The  good  Goo,  however,  caused  the  pure  truth  of 
Bernadette's  words  to  shine  forth  in  an  inexplicable 
manner;  he  gave  her  an  irresistible  power,  and  this 
child  who  naturally  had  nothing  with  which  to 
touch  and  convince,  nearly  always  touched  and  con 
vinced.  A  Protestant  magistrate,  who  was  a  learned 
lawyer,  went  one  day  to  visit  Bernadette  with  a 
clergyman  of  his  acquaintance.  They  both  ques 
tioned  her.  The  Protestant  listened  with  deep  in 
terest;  gradually  emotion  overcame  him,  and  he 
began  to  weep.  "  Reverend  Father,"  said  he,  as 
they  came  out,  "  people  may  dispute,  they  may  seek 
to  explain  the  marvels  of  the  grotto:  as  for  me,  the 
force  of  conviction  is  here;  that  child  surprises  and 
touches  me.  There  is  something  in  it." 

To  sincere  objections,  Bernadette  always  found 
the  required  answer  with  strange  facility.  She  never 
was  witty,  but  at  those  times,  when  there  was  ques 
tion  of  defending  the  honor  of  truth,  and  conse 
quently  the  honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  An  excel 
lent  Christian,  pretending  not  to  believe  that  the 
Blessed  Virgin  expressed  herself  in  Bernese  patois, 
said  to  Rernadette:  "You  are  mistaken,  my  child. 
The  good  GOD  and  the  Blessed  Virgin  do  not  under 
stand  your  dialect;  they  do  not  know  that  miserable 
tongue." 


c  14  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes* 

"  If  they  did  not  know  it,  sir,"  gently  answered 
the  little  girl>  "how  could  we  know  it  ourselves? 
And  if  they  did  not  understand  it,  who  would  make 
us  able  to  understand  it  ?  .  .  .  ." 

"  How  could  the  Blessed  Virgin  order  you  to  eat 
grass?"  asked  another  strong-minded  individual; 
"  did  she  take  you  for  a  beast  ?  " 

"  Do  they  think  you  are  a  beast  when  you  eat 
salad?"  immediately  answered  the  child,  with  a 
Blight  smile. 

We  have  said  that  neither  Bernadette  nor  her 
poor  parents  would  ever  accept  anything  from  the 
innumerable  visitors  who,  either  through  kindness 
of  heart,  or  to  try  them,  made  them  a  thousand 
times  over  the  most  tempting  offers.  The  child's 
refusal  was  always  so  firm,  so  emphatic,  that  many 
thought  that  this  was  one  of  the  three  secret  com 
mands  which  the  Blessed  Virgin  had  given  to  her 
little  favorite. 

A  lady  knowing  her  extreme  delicacy  and  at  the 
same  time  the  poverty  in  which  her  parents  lived, 
secretly  slipped  two  pieces  of  gold  into  her  pocket 
one  day.  Bernadette  felt  it.  She  quickly  drew  out 
the  two  pieces,  and  with  a  feeling  of  wounded  dig 
nity  she  said:  "  Madame,  I  thank  you;  but  I  will 
not  keep  your  gold." 

"  But,  my  child,  your  parents  are  so  poor,"  an 
swered  the  lady,  kindly ;  "  I  give  you  that  with  my 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  \  1 5 

whole  heart.  Poor  child,  perhaps  you  do  not  always 
have  bread." 

"Not  always,   Madame;  but   I   need  so  little  1 " 

The  generous  lady  was  obliged  to  take  back  her 
gold. 

Another  day,  a  good  priest,  deeply  affected,  offered 
her  a  piece  of  silver.  She  refused  it;  he  insisted; 
she  refused  again.  "  Please  take  it,"  said  the  priest, 
"  it  will  not  be  for  you :  it  will  be  for  the  poor.  You 
will  have  the  pleasure  of  giving  alms." 

"  Give  it  yourself  for  my  intention,  Father,"  an* 
swered  Bernadette;  "that  will  be  better  than  if  I 
gave  it  myself." 

Meanwhile  Bernadette  became  a  young  woman. 
As  she  advanced  in  life,  she  felt  herself  more  and 
more  disgusted  with  the  world  and  its  tumult,  and 
she  resolved  to  consecrate  herself  to  GOD  in  a  reli 
gious  life.  After  having  been  the  messenger  and 
apostle  of  the  Immaculate  Virgin  during  the  first 
years  of  the  pilgrimage  of  I  ourdes,  after  having 
thus  done  immense  and  incalculable  good,  she 
entered,  in  July,  1860,  the  novitiate  of  the  Sisters  of 
Charity,  at  Nevers,  and  made  her  vows  there,  on 
the  30th  of  October,  1867,  under  the  name  of  Sister 
Mary  Bernard.  She  was  then  a  little  more  than 
twenty-three  years  of  age. 

She  was  always  the  same  little  Bernadette,  simple, 
humble,  gentle,  always  sufferipg;  always  wortl?^r  of 


Ii6  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

the  Immaculate  Virgin.  "  Her  countenance,*'  sayfl 
a  person  who  had  the  happiness  of  seeing  her  lately, 
"her  countenance  has  preserved  the  character  and 
the  grace  of  childhood.  She  possesses  an  incom 
parable  charm,  a  charm  which  is  not  of  earth;  the 
very  sight  of  her  elevates  the  soul;  and  one  leaves 
her  embalmed  with  the  odor  of  innocence.  Other 
wise,  there  is  nothing  extraordinary,  nothing  which 
distinguishes  her  to  the  eye  and  which  could  make 
one  guess  the  sublime  favors  of  which  she  was  the 
object.  GOD  visits  her  still,  no  longer  by  radiant 
apparitions,  but  by  the  sacred  trial  of  suffering. 
She  is  often  sick  and  has  the  happiness  of  suffering 
much.  She  endures  pain  with  a  gentle  and  almost 
joyful  patience.  Several  times  they  thought  her  at 
the  point  of  death:  'I  shall  not  die  yet,'  said  she, 
smiling." 

As  formerly,  at  Lourdes,  unless  she  is  questioned, 
she  never  speaks  of  the  prodigies  of  which  she  was 
the  instrument.  She  only  seeks  retirement,  silence 
and  recollection. 

"  She  is  always  a  very  charming  child,"  wrote  a 
Religious  of  the  Community;  "she  is  as  pioua 
as  an  angel,,  as  gentle  as  a  lamb,  as  simple  as  a  little 
dove.  May  the  good  GOD  deign  to  preserve  her  to 
fia  !  It  does  one  so  much  good  to  see  her." 


The  Wonders  of  Lour de 5.  117 

XXV. 

EPISCOPAL  DECISION  AND  THE    CANONICAL  ESTAB 
LISHMENT    OF   THE    PILGRIMAGE. 

PROM  the  first  month,  the  venerable  Monseigneur 
Laurence,  the  Bishop  of  Tarbes,  informed  by  tho 
pastor  of  Lourdes,  had  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the 
extraordinary  events  of  which  the  grotto  of  Massa- 
bielle  had  been  and  still  continued  to  be  the  witness. 
On  the  28th  of  July,  1858,  he  had  named  a  com 
mittee  composed  of  learned  and  prudent  ecclesias 
tics,  physicians,  and  others,  respected  for  their 
knowledge  as  for  their  high  character. 

For  a  long  time,  too  long,  it  seemed,  Bishop 
Laurence  reserved  his  decision.  Providence  willed 
it  so;  it  wished  that  the  pilgrimage  of  Lourclea 
would  establish  itself,  supernaturally,  and  without 
the  aid  of  any  earthly  power,  even  the  most  divine 
of  all,  that  of  the  Church.  Only  the  Immaculate 
Virgin  was  to  be  the  soul  of  that  incomparable  pro 
digy,  first  by  her  mysterious  apparitions  to  little 
Bernadette,  then  by  the  continual  and  miraculous 
manifestations  of  mercy,  the  fame  of  which  had 
already  extended  throughout  all  France. 

The  judgment  of  the  prudent  and  pious  Bishop 
had  then  no  part  in  the  establishment  and  the  glory 
of  the  pilgrimage  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes.  When 


Ii3  The  Wonders  of  Lour de 3. 

the  Bishop  spoke,  the  pilgrimage  was  founded;  it 
shone  with  all  its  splendor;  and  the  decree  of  ecc1?,- 
siastical  authority  only  certified,  confirmed  what 
already  was.  Before  giving  it,  Bishop  Laurence 
wished  himself  to  see  and  question  little  Bernadette. 
In  a  solemn  sitting  of  the  committee  of  investigation, 
he  made  her  appear  before  him,  and  once  again 
she  repeated  her  story,  answering  all  the  ques 
tions  wnich  were  suggested  to  these  men  by  the 
consciousness  of  the  great  act  which  they  were  pre 
paring.  When,  relating  the  apparition  of  the  25th  of 
March,  Bernadette  imitated  the  attitude  and  gesture 
of  the  "  Lady  "  at  the  moment  when  she  said,  "  I 
am  the  Immaculate  Conception"  two  large  tears 
were  seen  to  roll  down  the  face  of  the  old 
Bishop.  After  the  council,  he  said,  still  much  af 
fected:  "Did  you  observe  that  child  ?  "  and  he  did 
not  seek  to  conceal  the  deep  impression  which  she 
had  made  upon  him. 

At  length,  light  was  fully  obtained,  all  possible 
objections  had  been  conscientiously  discussed  and 
fully  answered,  faith,  sound  reason  and  grave  science 
had  said  their  last  word,  the  Bishop  published,  on 
the  18th  of  January,  1862,  nearly  four  years  after 
the  apparition,  a  decree  giving  judgment  on  the  ap 
paritions  of  the  grotto  of  Lourdes. 

The  statement  of  this  solemn  decree  was  as  fol 
lows; 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

"After  having  conferred  with  our  venerable 
brethren,  the  Dignitaries,  Canons  and  Chapter  of 
our  Cathedral  Church;  having  invoked  the  holy 
name  of  GOD; 

"  Following  the  rules  wisely  laid  down  by  Bene 
dict  XIV.  for  the  discernment  of  true  or  false  ap 
paritions; 

"In  view  of  the  favorable  report  presented  to  us 
by  the  committee  appointed  to  investigate  the  ap 
parition  at  the  grotto  of  Lourdes  and  the  facts  con 
nected  therewith ; 

"  In  view  of  the  written  testimony  of  physicians 
whom  we  have  consulted  on  the  subject  of  the  nu 
merous  cures  obtained  immediately  on  the  use  of 
the  water  of  the  Grotto; 

"  Considering  in  the  first  place  that  the  fact  of  the 
upparition,  regarded  either  as  to  the  young  girl  who 
Tclates  it,  or  still  more  as  to  the  extraordinary  effects 
which  it  has  produced,  can  be  explained  only  by  the 
intervention  of  a  supernatural  cause; 

"  Considering  in  the  second  place  that  this  cause 
can  only  be  divine,  since  the  effects  produced  were, 
some,  sensible  signs  of  grace,  (like  the  conversion  of 
sinners)  others,  departures  from  the  laws  of  nature, 
(as  miraculous  cures)  which  can  only  proceed  from  the 
Authorof  grace  and  the  Master  of  nature; 

"Considering,  finally,  that  our  conviction  ia 
strengthened  by  the  immense  and  spontaneous  con- 


I2O  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

course  of  pilgrims  to  the  grotto,  which  has  never 
ceased  since  the  first  apparitions,  and  the  object  of 
which  is  to  ask  favors  or  to  return  thanks  for  those 
already  obtained; 

"  To  respond  to  the  legitimate  impatience  of  oui 
venerable  Chapter,  of  the  clergy  and  laity  of  our 
diocese,  and  of  so  many  pious  souls  who  have  long 
Bince  demanded  from  the  ecclesiastical  authority  a 
decision  which  motives  of  prudence  have  made  ua 
delay. 

"  Wishing  also  to  satisfy  the  desire  of  several  of 
our  colleagues  in  the  episcopacy,  and  a  great  num 
ber  of  distinguished  persons,  outside  the  diocese; 

"After  having  invoked  the  light  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  the  assistance  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 

"We  have  declared  and  do  declare  what  follows: 

"  £  We  judge  that  the  IMMACULATE  MARY,  MOTHEB 
OF  GOD,  did  really  appear  to  Bernadette  Soubirous, 
on  the  llth  of  February,  1858,  and  on  days  follow 
ing,  to  the  number  of  eighteen  times,  in  the  grotto 
of  Massabielle,  near  the  town  of  Lourdes;  that  this 
apparition  has  all  the  marks  of  truth,  and  that  the 
faithful  are  authorized  to  believe  it  certain.' " 

Bishop  Laurence  added  that  he  submitted  this 
decision  to  the  supreme  judgment  of  the  Roman 
Pontiff;  he  authorized  in  his  diocese  the  devotion  of 
Our  Lady  of  Lourdes ;  and,  continued  he,  "  in  con- 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  121 

formity  to  the  will  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  several 
times  expressed  in  the  apparitions,  we  propose 
to  build  a  sanctuary  at  the  grotto,  which  is  now  the 
property  of  the  Bishop  of  Tarbes."  And,  for  this 
purpose,  the  pious  Bishop  made  an  appeal  to  the 
charity  of  all  the  faithful  eager  for  the  glory  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception. 

Some  years  after,  without  directly  giving  judg 
ment  on  the  sacred  apparitions  of  the  grotto,  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff  indirectly  confirmed  the  decision 
)f  the  Bishop  of  Tarbes.  In  a  beautiful  Brief  ho 
iddressed  to  the  celebrated  historian  of  Our  Lady 
of  Lourdes,  dated  the  4th  of  September,  1869,  the 
Pope  congratulated  him  on  having  "proved  and 
established  the  recent  apparition  of  the  most  merci 
ful  Mother  of  GOD,  and  that  in  such  a  manner,  that 
the  very  struggle  of  the  malice  of  men  against  the 
divine  mercy  serves  precisely  to  show  forth  with 
more  force  and  lustre  the  luminous  evidence  of  the 
fact"  It  may  then  be  engraved  on  the  rock  of 
Massabielle,  with  the  august  signature  of  Pius  IX., 
these  words  which  the  spirit  of  GOD  dictated  to  his 
heart:  "The  apparition  of  the  Immaculate  Con 
ception  in  the  grotto  of  Lourdes  is  a  fact  of  glorious 
truths." 

Th?  appeal  of  the  venerable  Bishop  was  heard. 
A  magnificent  plan  of  a  gothic  church  was  adopted; 
H  was  to  cost  millions;  it  presented  enormous  diffi« 
11 


122  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

culties;  Bishop  Laurence  only  consulted  his  faith; 
he  thought  only  of  the  glory  of  the  Immaculate 
Virgin.  The  work  was  commenced  in  the  month  of 
October,  1862,  and  four  years  after,  on  the  21st  of 
May,  1866,  the  Holy  Mass  was  celebrated  for  the 
first  time,  in  the  crypt  over  which  the  new  Sanctuary 
was  to  rise. 

But  p'revious  to  this,  a  first  solemnity  had  already 
celebrated  the  glory  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes,  and 
realized  the  desire  of  which  little  Bernadette  had 
formerly  been  the  messenger  :  "  I  wish  the  people 
to  come  here  in  procession." 

The  statue  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  was  to  be 
blessed  and  placed  in  the  grotto,  in  the  oval  hollow, 
in  the  very  place  where  the  Immaculate  Virgin  had 
deigned  to  appear  so  many  times.  On  the  4th  of 
April,  1864,  six  years  after  the  miraculous  appari 
tions,  Bishop  Laurence,  surrounded  by  an  immense 
number  of  the  clergy  and  laity,  solemnly  blessed 
the  marble  statue  which  the  talent  and  faith  of  a 
Lyonnese  artist  had  endeavored  to  reproduce  of  the 
Vision. 

This  statue  represents  the  Blessed  Virgin  at  the 
moment  when  she  said  to  Bernadette  on  the  25th  of 
March:  "/  am  the  Immaculate  Conception"  It 
was  made  according  to  the  exact  description  of 
Bernadette,  faithfully  represented  in  all  its  details. 
But,  alas !  what  can  the  hand  of  man  do,  when  it 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  123 

would  reproduce,  with  material  elements,  things 
heavenly  and  divine  ?  When  Bernadette  saw  thie 
beautiful  statue,  she  said:  "  Ah,  it  is  very  beauti 
ful  !  but  ....  it  is  not  HER  !  Tiie  difference  is 
like  that  between  earth  and  heaven." 

The  day  of  the  inauguration  of  the  shrine,  Ber- 
nadftte  had  the  happiness  of  seeing  with  her  own 
eyes  the  triumph  of  her  Immaculate  Benefactress. 
It  was  a  festival  for  the  town- of  Lourdes  and  the 
whole  diocese;  and  the  memory  of  that  day  still 
lives  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 

The  surrounding  land,  bought  by  the  bishopric, 
was  appropriated  to  the  wants  of  the  pilgrimage. 
The  soil  of  the  grotto  was  leveled,  and  the  miracu 
lous  water  which  gushes  out  at  the  end,  on  the  left, 
\s  now  received  in  a  basin  of  white  marble,  whence 
(t  flows  into  the  Gave.  The  grotto  remains  as  it 
was  during  the  apparitions.  The  crypt  and  the 
church  are  placed  on  the  Massabielle  rocks,  like  a 
splendid  crown  offered  to  the  Immaculate  Concep 
tion.  The  spire  rises  three  hundred  feet  above  the 
grotto- 

The  wants  of  the  pilgrimage  have  necessitated 
the  foundation  of  a  special  house  of  missionaries, 
who  receive  processions,  welcome  pilgrims,  hear 
confessions  and  distribute  to  the  faithful  the  Holy 
Eucharist  and  the  Wcrd  of  GOD. 


124  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

XXVI. 

MIRACLES    OF  OUR  LADY  OF  LOURDES. 

\ 

As  for  the  miracles  of  all  kinds  which  weie,  so  to 
say,  unceasingly  performed  either  at  the  grotto 
itself,  or  at  a  distance,  by  the  use  of  the  water,  or 
even  by  the  invocation  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes, 
"There  are  so  many  that  we  no  longer  count 
them,"  said  the  excellent  Superior  of  the  missionaries 
lately  to  me. 

When  Bishop  Laurence  gave  his  decision,  there 
was  published  with  it  the  account  of  seven  cures, 
all  in  the  one  year,  1858,  and  which  had  been  recog 
nized  as  absolutely  miraculous  by  the  physicians 
of  the  commission.  We  have  already  related  three 
of  them;  the  sudden  cure  of  Louis  Bourriette's  eye; 
the  all  but  resuscitation  of  little  Justin;  the  instan 
taneous  cure  of  the  sores  and  incurable  infirmities 
of  young  Henri  Busquet.  These  are  the  four 
others : 

Blaisette  Soupenne,  of  Lourdes,  had  an  inveter 
,,ate  disease  of  the  eyes,  which  had  for  three  years 
resisted  medicines  and  the  use  of  mineral  waters. 
A  surgical  operation  was  pronounced  indispensable. 
Blaisette  washed  her  eyes  for  two  days  at  the  grotto, 
and  immediately  they  became  perfectly  sound, 

Catherine   Latapie-Chouat,    of   Loubajao   in  the 


The   Wonders  of  Loxrdes.  125 

Ilautcs-Pyrenees,  had  as  the  result  of  a  dislocation 
a  weakness  in  the  right  arm,  and  two  fingers  stiff 
and  cramped.  Obeying  an  urgent  inspiration,  she 
went  and  dipped  her  hand  into  the  water  of  the 
fountain.  The  fingers  at  once  opened  and  remained 
supple;  the  arm  recovered  all  its  strength. 

Madame  Madeleine  llizan  of  Nay,  a  widow,  in 
consequence  of  a  violent  attack  of  cholera,  in  1837, 
was  quite  crippled  :  she  was  lame,  her  left  hand 
pained  her;  her  limbs  were  always  icy  cold;  she 
scarcely  ate  anything,  could  not  digest,  vomited 
continually,  and  was  subject  to  fainting  fits.  In 
1858  it  was  thought  she  was  dying.  She  began  to 
spit  blood;  her  swollen  limbs  became  contracted;  it 
was  impossible  for  her  to  move  in  the  bed. 

She  drinks  of  the  water  of  the  grotto;  instantly 
she  feels  her  hand  cured;  the  water  is  applied  to  the 
diseased  parts  of  her  body:  the  disease  everywhere 
disappears,  successively  and  immediately  cured  by 
the  miraculous  water.  The  sick  woman  rises,  eats 
with  a  better  appetite,  and  begins  to  live,  like  a 
person  in  perfect  health. 

Miss  Marie  Moreau,  of  Tart  as  (Landes),  had  been 
for  ten  months  suffering  from  :v  disease  of  the  eyes, 
and  the  most  skillful  treatment,  as  well  us  sea 
bathing,  were  tried  in  vain.  The  young  girl  must 
•oon  and  inevitably  become  blind.  Her  family, 


126  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

hearing  of  the  wonderful  cure  of  Madame  Rizan, 
commenced  a  novena  to  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes. 

The  first  night,  the  young  invalid  went  to  bed 
with  bandages  soaked  in  the  water  of  Lourdes  on 
her  eyes.  Next  morning,  on  awakening,  she  found 
her  sight  entirely  restored. 

During  the  first  four  years,  a  hundred  and  forty- 
four  miracles  of  the  first  order  were  witnessed  and 
recorded,  without  counting  hundreds,  thousands  of 
others,  all  as  rare,  though  less  striking. 

For  the  glory  of  the  Immaculate  Virgin,  for  the 
consolation  of  the  faith  and  piety  of  the  faithful, 
for  the  encouragement  of  the  sick,  infirm,  and  all 
those  who  suffer,  for  the  confusion  of  strong  minds, 
and  of  impious  or  indifferent  physicians,  we  shall 
relate  yet  more  of  these  splendid  prodigies  which 
have  been  performed  since  then.* 

They  manifest  with  irresistible  evidence  the  truth 

*  I  have  borrowed  all  the  details  from  the  Annals  of  Our  Lady 
of  Lourdes.  Nothing  can  be  more  authentic  than  these  accounts, 
taken  from  the  most  part  from  the  persons  themselves  who  have 
hnd  the  happiness  of  being  cured  by  the  Blessed  Virgin,  or  from 
eye-witnesses,  or,  in  fine,  from  the  venerable  missionaries,  who 
have  them  from  the  most  authentic  sources 

In  Mr.  Henri  Lasserre's  beautiful  book  the  reader  will  find  the 
conscientious  account  of  many  other  miracles,  which  the  author, 
I  repeat,  has  verified  himself  even  to  the  slightest  details,  devot 
ing  entire  months  to  visiting  the  persons  cured,  and  obtaining 
from  their  own  lips,  what  he  /elates  so  charmingly  and  with  BO 
much  faith  It  brings  tears  to  the  eyes  to  read  of  these  wonder* 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  127 

of  the  Catholic  faith,  and  in  a  special  manner,  the 
legitimacy,  the  divine  fruitiulness  of  devotion  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin  and  the  mystery  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception. 

Let  us  yet  observe  :  however  numerous,  how 
ever  incessant  may  be  the  miracles  of  Lourdes,  it 
must  not  be  forgotten  that  there  as  in  all  the  other 
sanctuaries  of  MARY,  a  miracle  is  and  can  only  be 
the  exception.  When  we  say  miracles  we  mean  an 
extraordinary  intervention  of  the  divine  powers  in 
human  things.  It  would  then  be  absurd  to  imagine 
that  it  suffices  to  drink  the  water  of  Lourdes,  or  to 
make  a  novena,  or  even  to  go  on  a  pilgrimage  to 
the  miraculous  grotto,  to  be  infallibly  delivered 
from  an  infirmity,  or  from  a  disease. 

Confidence  in  the  Immaculate  Conception  cannot 
indeed  be  too  great,  too  entire;  but  this  confidence 
must  always  be  controlled  by  a  profound  love  for 
the  will  of  GOD  and  by  the  most  absolute  submis 
sion  to  the  secret  ways  by  which  Providence  con 
ducts  us.  The  Mother  of  Mercy, mark  this  well, 
always  accepts  and  hears  our  prayers;  but  she  hears 
them  in  ner  own  way,  not  in  ours;  she  hears  them 
divinely,  granting  us  whatever  is  the  best  and  most 
sanctifying  for  us.  Suffering  is  so  often  the  favor 
of  favors  and  the  most  real  of  al  goods  !  If  the 
Blessed  Virgin  does  not  think  it  expedient  to  cure 
the  evils  of  our  body,  doubt  not  that  she  obtaim 


128  The   Wonders  of  Loi^rdes. 

and  grants  graces  of  resignation,  of  lively  faith, 
which  are  a  thousand  times  more  useful  than  any 
cure. 

Let  us  then  go  to  the  Immaculate  Virgin  of 
Lourdes  with  these  elevated  sentiments,  which  are 
alone  worthy  of  Christian  hearts;  and  even  though 
we  may  not  have  been,  like  so  manv  others,  the  ob 
ject  of  a  miracle,  let  us  not  be  foolish  enough  to 
think  the  novena,  the  confident  use  of  the  waters 
from  the  grotto,  the  long  and  painful  pilgrimage, 
useless,  when,  it  has  not  been  answered  by  a  cure 
fervently  asked,  impatiently  expected.  It  is  be 
yond  doubt,  that  the  Mother  of  GOD  is  never  im 
plored  in  vain,  and  that  we  cannot  too  often  have 
recourse  to  her  maternal  heart. 


XXVII. 

SUDDEN  CUBE  OF  A  PROTESTANT  FREE-THINKER, 

I  WILL  first  relate  a  charming  little  miracle,  im* 
pressed  with  a  certain  originality,  and  which  was 
related  to  me  by  one  of  the  pious  missionaries  of. 
Lourdes,  who  was  an  eye-witness  of  it.  It  was  per 
formed  on  a  Protestant  free-thinker,  who  was  so  far 
from  thinking  of  asking  for  it  that  he  was  not  only 
amazed  but  vexed  at  it. 


Wonders  of  Lour  tics.  12$ 

He  was  au  artist,  Mr.  Max  M ,  who  was  tol 
erably  well  known  in  one  of  the  principal  watering 
places  of  the  Pyrenees.  He  there  directed  with  real 
talent,  the  orchestra  of  a  grand  casino-concert,  dur 
ing  the  summer  season.  He  had  been  much  trou 
bled  for  some  time  on  account  of  a  tumor  which 
grew  on  his  right  hand  and  for  which  neither  medi 
cine  nor  surgery  could  do  anything.  In  I860,  this 
tumor,  vainly  compressed  by  a  leaden  plate,  was 
almost  as  large  as  an  egg;  it  already  prevented,  the 
poor  musician  from  closing  his  luuid  and  from  freely 
using  his  bow, 

His  wife  was  a  Catholic;  what  kind  of  one,  I  do 
not  know;  but  at  all  events,*  she  was  neither  a  Pro 
testant  nor  a  free-thinker.  A  pious  friend  having 
induced  this  lady  to  -accompany  her  to  the.  grotto  of 

Lourdes,  Mr.  Max  M consented  to  be  one  of  the 

party,  which  he,  beyond  doubt,  considered  as  a  curi 
ous  excursion  and  not  a  pilgrimage. 

When  they  reached  the  grotto,  he  had  not  even 
the  good  taste  to  uncover  his  head  nor  to  throw 
away  his  cigar.  Standing,  with  his  hat  on,  smoking 
among  a  crowd  of  pilgrims  piously  kneeling,  he 
coolly  and  disdainfully  observed  the  grotto. 

His  wife's  friend  approached  him ;  '  Mr.  Max," 
isaid  she  to  him,  "  the  Blessed  Virgin  may  cure  you. 
Come  with  me  and  drink  the  miraculous  water." 
At  first  the  musician  resisted  and  shrugged  hia 


1 30  The   Wonders  of  Lonrdes. 

shoulders;  but  the  pious  lady  insisted.  "What 
harm  will  it  do  you?"  said  she.  "  Do  it  for  me. 
Drink  some  of  the  water;  it  is  fresh  and  excellent. * 

"  At  least,"  thought  the  free-thinker,  "  if  it  does 
me  no  good,  it  can  do  me  no  harm;"  and  he  ap 
proached  the  fountain  sneering  a  little.  The  lady 
offered  him  a  glass  of  water  which  he  drank  at  one 

draught The  tumor  had  disappeared.  "Ah, 

my  GOD!"  cried  he,  growing  pale  and  quickly  ap 
proaching  his  wife,  who-  was  kneeling  in  prayer. 
"  My  dear,"  said  he,  much  agitated,  "  I  am  cured.5* 
"  Let  me  alone ! "  answered  she,  a  little  crossly. 
"  It  is  not  right  for  you  always  to  mock  thus  at  my 
convictions."  "But  I  am  not  mocking.  Wait; 
look:  my  tumor  is  no  longer  there." 

The  poor  woman  could  not  believe  her  eyes.  Th  e 
leaden  plate  lay  on  his  hand,  of  which  the  skin,  the 
veins  and  the  flesh  had  suddenly  returned  to  their 
normal  state.  With  her  friend,  she  threw  herself 
on  her  knees,  bathed  in  tears. 

As  for  him,  as  pale  as  death,  he  knew  not  what 
to  do.  He  had  instinctively  uncovered  his  head, 
thrown  away  his  cigar  and  could  not  help  saying, 
and  repeating  aloud:  "I  am  cured,  cured  for  good. 
The  Virgin  has  cured  me."  The  missionary  Father, 
who  was  there,  asked  him  to  leave  as  ex  voto,  the 
plate  of  lead  with  the  bandages  which  had  com 
pressed  the  tumor,  to  be  hung  in  the  grotto.  He 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  131 

consented;  and  to  this  day,  that  modest  ex  voto  if 
to  be  seen  at  the  grotto. 

Mr.  Max  M- went  away  oure<i,  but  not  con 
verted.  Let  us  hope  th-it  he  will  some  day  draw 
the  logical  consequences  from  his  euro  so  evidently 
miraculous,  and  Uiot  the  Immaculate  Virgin  of 
Lourdes  will  sooner  or  later  relieve  him  of  the  enor 
mous  tumor  of  heresy  which  has  hitherto  prevented 
his  eyes  from  being  opened  to  the  heavenly  light  of 
the  Gospel  and  of  the  Church. 

Miracles  do  not  always  make  conversions:  wit 
ness  those  that  Our  Lord  performed  before  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees — but  when  they  do  not  con 
vert,  they  condemn  beyond  forgiveness.  It  may  be 
said  of  miracles  what  is  said  of  the  Eucharist: 
"  Vita  bonis,  mors  mails."  To  the  good,  it  is  life; 
to  the  wicked,  death.  To  believe,  even  after  a  mira 
cle,  one  must  be  sincere  and  humble. 


XXVIII. 

LITTLE  PIERRE  ESTOURNEf's  EYES. 

IN  1864  Madame  Estournet,  of  Tarbes,  had  a  little 
boy  named  Pierre,  whom  she  was  nursing  and  whose 
eyes  began  to  grow  sore.  Thinking  that  it  wns  only 
wie  of  those  temporary  ailments  to  which  all  young 


132  The   Wonders  of  Lourdts. 

children   are   subject,  she   was  not   at  all  anxiona. 

One  day,  when  she  was  carrying  the  child  in  he* 
arms,  a  physician,  who  was  a  friend  of  the  family, 
stopped  to  see  little  Pierre.  "  His  eyes  are  a 
little  sore/1  said  she. 

"  Oli  \  he  is  a  splendid  child  !  But  what  is  this 
soreness  of  the  eyes  ?  "  said  the  doctor,  in  an  anx 
ious  way,  as  he  examined  the  pupils  of  the  eye. 
"You  unfortunate  woman;  this  child  is  getting 
blind." 

The  poor  mother  was  terrified.  "  Yon  are  not 
serious  in  telling  me  that  ?  Is  it  true  ?"  For  an 
swer,  the  physician  showed  her  Pierre's  eyes.  The 
inside  was  hideous:  a  ball  of  red  flesh,  swimming  in 
a  sort  of  matter.  Madame  Estournet  was  heart 
broken.  A  feeling  of  strong  faith  came  to  sustain 
her.  She  thought  of  the  water  of  the  grotto. 

She  however  took  her  son  to  another  doctor. 
"The  case  is  serious,  very  serious,"  said  the  latter; 
"  you  have  much  reason  to  fear  that  the  child  may 
become  blind;  it  may  be  te*>  late.  Why  did  you 
wait  so  long  ?  " 

"O  my  GOD!  I  did  not  suspect  this!"  said  the 
poor  weeping  mother. 

A  prescription  was  written.  Every  day  there 
was  to  be  put  on  the  eye  a  drop  of  very  powerful 
Hquid,  which  would  consume  the  diseased  flesh. 

Madame  Estournet  was  endowed  with  a  rare  de» 


The   Wonders  oj  Lourdes.  133 

cision  of  character  and  a  very  lively  faith.  She  at 
once  resolved  what  to  do.  She  turned  towards  the 
Blessed  Virgin  and  said  to  her:  "  No  remedies! 
You,  O  MARY,  will  cure  my  child  by  the  water  from 
the  grotto."  And  she  threw  the  doctor's  prescrip 
tion  into  the  fire. 

She  again  examined  the  poor  child's  eyes;  they 
seemed  worse  than  she  had  yet  seen  them.  Beside 
herself,  she  fell  on  her  knees  before  a  statue  of  the 
Virgin,  and  said,  many  times  aloud:  "  Cure  him  for 
me!  Oh!  cure  him  for  me!  " 

Then  trembling,  she  pours  on  little  Pierre's  eyes 
some  drops  of  the  miraculous  water.  The  eye-lid 
scarcely  moves.  A  sort  of  despair  seizes  upon  the 
mother.  "Oh!  it  is  not  possible,''  said  she  ;  "no,  no, 
he  will  not  be  cured;  I  do  not  deserve  a  miracle." 

A  little  while  after,  unable  to  restrain  her  im 
patience,  she  takes  her  child  from  the  cradle,  and 
washes  his  eyes  again  with  the  water  from  the  grotto; 
then  takes  him  in  her  arms  to  see  if  he  will  look. 
Her  father-in-law  and  a  woman  of  the  house  were 
there.  She  calls  Pierre  and  caresses  him  to  make 
^him  look  at  her.  The  child  feebly  uncloses,  and, 
with  his  eyes  scarcely  opened,  he  turns  his  head 
towards  where  she  was  calling  him.  "  Oh!  he  will 
be  blind,"  said  the  mother,  in  a  tone  of  distress. 

"No!  no,  see,  Madam,"  said  the  neighbor,  "he  is 
looking  at  you."  The  agitated  mother  could  not 


134  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

perceive  it.  But  her  confidence  in  MARY  overcame 
her  fears;  she  began  to  hope  again. 

Three  days  passed  in  anguish  and  in  prayer.  "  O 
Our  Lady  of  Lourdes!  O  Virgin  of  the  grotto,  cure 
my  child!"  These  words  were  unceasingly  on  her' 
lips  and  in  her  heart;  she  repeats  them  thousands  of 
times. 

Every  day  she  pours  some  drops  of  the  water 
from  the  grotto  on  the  child's  eyes,  without  using 
any  remedy.  On  the  third  day,  she  has  just  wiped 
the  little  one's  eyelids  and  was  looking  anxiously  at 
them,  when  the  child  opened  his  eyes,  fixed  them 
gently  on  his  mother,  smiled,  looked  again,  his 
eyes  were  clear  and  bright. 

"  I  became  crazed  with  joy,"  said  she  to  the 
missionary  to  whom  she  related  the  fact.  "I  fell 
on  my  knees  before  the  Virgin.  Then,  what  did  I 
do?  I  do  not  very  well  know.  What  I  do  know 
is,  that  I  threw  myself  on  the  Virgin's  neck,  and 
covered  her  with  kisses.  Ah!  she  restored  my  child 
to  me!" 

The  doctor  came.  Madame  Estournet  showed 
him  her  little  Pierre,  saying:  "I  am  content;  I 
think  he  is  cured.  But  examine  them  well,  and  see 
how  they  seem  to  you?" 

"  He  is  cured,"  said  the  doctor,  after  a  moment  of 
attentive  observation;  "the  remedy  was  happily 
applied,  was  it  not?  " 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  135 

"  But  toll  me,  is  he  really  cured?  do  you  assure 
Jio  of  it?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Well  then,  doctor,  it  was  not  your  prescription 
t  1 1  cured  him.  I  must  confess  that  I  put  it  in  the 
hre." 

"  Miserable  woman!  " 

"  When  you  were  writing  it,  I  already  thought:  'I 
will  not  use  it;  I  have  a  better  remedy.'  Do  you 
know,  doctor,  what  has  cured  my  little  Pierre  ?  the 
water  from  the  grotto,  and  it  alone." 

The  doctor's  answer  was  not  related  to  me. 

To-day,  in  1871,  little  Pierre  Estournet  is  seven 
or  eight  years  old,  is  full  of  life,  and  has  magnificent 
eyes. 


XXIX. 

A  DYING   GIRL  INSTANTLY  RESTORED. 

IN  1858,  Melle.  Broca,  living  at  Borderes,  near 
Tarbes,  had  been  sick  for  twenty  months,  in  conse 
quence  of  great  troubles  in  the  family.  Nothing 
was  to  be  hoped  for  from  medicine.  Her  confessor 
advised  a  novena  to  the  Virgin  of  the  grotto.  Melle. 
Broca  exclaimed:  "  What  do  you  ask  of  me,  Father? 
Do  you  believe  in  that  ?  "  She  still  remembers  thesa 


136  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

words.  It  was  certainly  not  impiety  which  dictated 
them;  all  her  life  she  had  been  very  pious,  and  she 
tenderly  loved  the  Blessed  Virgin.  But  the  appari 
tions  of  Lourdes  were  then  much  contested,  and  in 
her  neighborhood  they  were  but  little  believed  in. 

It  required  a  command  to  decide  her.  Her  ser 
vant  then  went  for  water  to  the  fountain  of  Massa- 
bielle.  The  sick  lady  drank  it  for  nine  days.  At 
the  end  of  the  novena,  the  Holy  Viaticum  was 
brought  to  her;  and  during  the  Mass  offered  for  her 
intention  she  suddenly  found  herself  relieved;  in  the 
evening,  she  felt  that  her  disease  had  ceased;  next 
day,  she  left  her  bed.  Her  faitli  in  Our  Lady  of 
Lourdes  became  deep  and  loving.  This  was,  how 
ever,  but  a  slight  sample  of  the  graces  which  she 
was  to  receive  later.  Her  convalescence  lasted  three 
months,  and  then  left  to  the  young  girl 
a  continual  languor.  She  was  not  yet  radically 
cured. 

She  had  promised  the  Virgin  to  go  and  thank  her 
at  Lourdes.  From  that  time  amid,  the  painful  anx 
ieties  which  afflicted  her,  the  remembrance  of  her 
promise  and  the  desire  to  see  the  grotto  became  her 
predominant  thought.  But  her  continued  weakness 
and  other  reasons  hindered  her  from  carrying  out 
her  plan.  In  October,  1862,  a  serious  illness  ren 
dered  its  execution  absolutely  impossible. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1863,  Melle.  Broca  was  con 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  \  37 

fined  to  her  bed.  The  doctor  spoke  of  consumption. 
The  invalid  suffered  from  a  dull  pain,  often  becom 
ing  acute,  in  her  chest  and  back.  Fever  preyed 
upon  her  at  the  same  time,  and  for  a  whole  year  she 
was  frequently  delirious.  She  was  extremely  wenk. 
She  had  taken  neither  meat  nor  broth  since  1858. 
It  was  almost  impossible  for  her  to  eat,  and  she  was 
slowly  dying.  She  lost  her  faculties  one  by  one; 
and  what  completed  her  sufferings  was  that  she 
never  could  get  a  moment's  sleep.  In  the  month  of 
August  she  received  Extreme  Unction. 

"She  was  not  dead;  neither  was  she  living,"  was 
written  in  the  report  made  to  the  Bishop  of  Tarbes. 
She  was  allowed  to  sit  up  for  about  an  hour  every 
day;  but  it  may  be  said  that  death  had  begun  in  all 
her  organs.  She  could  scarcely  hear;  she  could  see 
but  a  little;  her  throat  could  give  no  sound;  a  few 
very  slow  steps  put  her  out  of  breath;  her  bent 
body  seemed  as  it  were  distorted  ;  her  nour 
ishment  for  two  whole  days  was  a  glass  of  milk. 
Her  head  was  also  weakened,  and  her  memory  so 
bewildered,  that  Melle.  Broca  almost  entirely  forgot 
her  verbal  prayers.  Of  all  the  afflictions  which  had 
come  upon  her  this  was  the  most  grievous  to  her 
truly  Christian  soul.  Piety  was  the  only  sweetness 
of  her  life,  or  rather,  her  life  itself. 

In  this  accumulation  of  physical  and  mental  suf 
fering,  a  recollection  often  came  to  her  mind  which 


138  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

pained  it  deeply.  This  was  remorse  for  not  having 
accomplished  her  pilgrimage  to  Lourdes,  whilst  it 
was  still  possible,  and  fear  that  her  sickness  was  a 
punishment  from  heaven.  She  suffered  much  from 
this  thought,  and  gradually  the  design  of  fulfilling 
her  promise  at  any  cost,  took  possession  of  her  mind 
ttnd  became  a  necessity.  But  to  go  to  Lourdes  was 
something  impossible;  to  think  of  it  folly. 

She  trembled  to  ask  it;  conscience  made  her  dare 
it  in  the  month  of  November,  1864.  Her  confessor 
put  off  the  pilgrimage  to  the  Spring.  But  the 
moment  came  in  1865,  as  the  invalid's  condition  be 
came  so  serious,  that  he  dared  not  take  on  himself 
the  responsibility  of  such  a  decision,  and  he  asked 
advice  of  the  Vicar-General  of  the  diocese.  Melle. 
Broca's  faith  and  heroic  confidence  in  Our  Lady  of 
Lourdes  prevailed  over  prudence.  He  received  for 
answer:  "  The  confidence  of  the  sick  girl  will  supply 
the  strength  which  she  no  longer  has." 

The  day  is  fixed;  a  novena  commenced  «nd  has 
continued,  notwithstanding  the  fever,  the  pains  in 
the  chest  and  head,  and  the  most  alarming  weakness 
For  seventeen  days,  the  unfortunate  young  girl  had 
swallowed  nothing  but  a  small  quantity  of  water, 
and  that  with  much  difficulty.  It  was  feared  that 
she  would  not  return  alive  from  her  pilgrimage; 
ehe  herself  was  persuaded  that  she  was  going  to 
Lourdes  to  die  there. 


The  .  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  139 

Before  the  day  of  departure,  she  made  her  final 
••arrangements.  She  dictated  her  will,  settled  her 
place  of  burial,  made  her  confession  as  if  for  the 
last  time,  recommended  an  old  and  faithful  servant 
to  the  charity  of  her  confessor,  and  waited  for  th« 
next  day,  saying:  "I  shall  die;  but  it  will  be  in  ac 
complishing  my  promise  to  the  Blessed  Virgin;  I 
shall  die  happy.'1 

On  the  22d  of  April,  a  carriage  entered  the  court 
yard  of  the  house.  Two  persons  who  were  to  ac 
company  Melle.  Broea  supported  her  coming  down, 
At  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  she  fainted:  they  made  hex 
sit  down,  and  at  length  she  was  placed  as  if  dying 
on  cushions,  inside  the  carriage.  The  driver  waa 
frightened  and  repented  of  having  come;  he  thought 
he  would  have  to  bring  back  a  corpse.  The  in 
valid's  servant  and  her  friend  were  in  continual 
alarm  on  the  way:  the  poor  sick  girl  remained  as  if 
in  agony.  They  made  her  inhale  ether;  they  did  all 
in  their  power  to  save  her  the  jolting.  The  carriage 
walked  exceedingly  slow;  the  driver  was  obliged  if 
6top  three  times:  the  invalid,  fatigued  by  the  shall- 
ing,  had  fainted. 

They  at  length  arrived.     The  horses  went  as  near 
as  possible  to  the  rock.      At  that  time,  the  road 
by  which  the  grotto   is  now  reached  was  not  there, 
and  from  where  the  road  turns  and  follows  the  Gave 
there  was  only  a  narrow  and  rugged  footpath. 


140  The  Wonder  $  of  Lourdes. 

The  sick  girl  was  lifted  from  the  carriage  and 
placed  on  a  chair.  A  workman  offered  to  carry  her 
in  his  arms;  but,  in  her  modesty,  she  had  asked  not 
to  be  touched  by  men,  whatever  happened.  Her  two 
companions  raised  her  in  the  chair,  and,  one  of  them 
walking  backwards,  they  advanced  trembling  and 
with  difficulty  towards  the  grotto.  At  the  first 
motion  Melle.  Broca  had  lost  consciousness. 

The  chair  was  placed  in  front  of  the  grotto:  the 
fainting  fit  still  continued.  The  servant  ran  to  the 
carriage  to  bring  cushions,  whilst  her  dying  mistress 
slowly  recovered  her  senses.  The  friend  stayed  with 
her  and  drew  some  of  the  water,  praying  as  she 
did  so. 

Melle.  Broca,  still  dizzy,  had  scarcely  recov 
ered  consciousness,  when  her  friend  said  to  her: 
"Drink."  She  swallowed  a  mouthful  without 
knowing  how;  then  a  second.  At  the  third,  sud 
denly,  an  inconceivable  pain,  a  supernatural  shock, 
eeemed  to  pass  through  all  her  limbs.  It  was  rapid 
and  terrible,  as  if  a  thunderbolt  had  struck  her 
body. 

She  raised  her  eyes,  and  saw  the  white  statue. 
All  pain  had  passed  away;  an  intense  happiness 
penetrated  her  soul  and  body.  The  first  words  from 
her  entranced  heart  were:  "O  MARY!  ....  I  do 
not  deserve  it!  ....  Cured!  cured!  ....  Yes, 
I  am  cured,"  cried  she  in  her  heart,  whilst  her  emo« 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  141 

hon  stirred  the  very  depths  of  her  soul.  "Oh! 
MARY!  why?  ....  why?  .  .  .  ."  She  became 
lost  in  the  deep  sentiment  of  her  unworthiness,  and 
in  an  unknown  sweetness.  At  the  same  time  a 
dazzling  light  illuminated  her  soul,  and  perhaps  her 
eyes  (she  could  not  tell  it).  Heavenly  moment  ;  it 
lasted  but  a  few  seconds  :  but  her  life  has  never 
known  any  such.  However,  she  had  not  yet  spoken. 
Suddenly,  still  sitting,  in  a  sonorous  and  thrilling 
voice,  her  eyes  fixed  on  the  Madonna,  she  said: 
"Regina  coeti  loetare."  "Rejoice  and  be  glad, O 
Queen  of  Heaven."  ....  This  prayer  suddenly  re 
turned  to  her  memory.  When  she  had  finished  it, 
she  rose.  Her  friend  hardly  breathed.  She  beheld 
a  resurrection.  Melle.  Broca  fell  on  her  knees:  for 
a  year  she  had  not  been  able  to  kneel. 

She  remained  a  long  time  motionless.  Her  whole 
being  rested  in  a  sweet,  profound  calm;  her  soul 
was  serene,  and  possessing  the  fullness  of  peace. 
Soon  her  tears  fell;  her  friend,  silent  and  overjoyed, 
wept  beside  her.  Together  they  recited  the  Rosary 
of  the  Seven  Dolors.  Melle.  Broca,  who,  for  a  yi-ar 
had  not  ventured  to  fix  her  eyes  on  a  book,  read  the 
Mysteries, 

She  rose;  her  friend  saw  her  draw  to  its  full 
height  that  figure  which  for  so  long  and  at  so 
short  a  time  before  she  had  seen  bent  almost  double. 
The  invalid  walked  without  any  difficulty,  with  per- 


142  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

feet  freedom  of  motion.  All  three  went  and  sat 
down.  Melle.  Broca  ate  a  hard-boiled  egg  and  some 
bread.  It  was  an  accumulation  of  wonders. 

Just  then,  the  pastor  of  Lourdes  arrived  at  the 
grotto.  The  event  was  related  to'  him,  and  he  took 
a  paper  from  his  pocket,  to  try  Melle.  Broca's  eyes, 
She  read  quickly  and  without  the  slightest  hesitation. 

Meanwhile,  the  moment  of  departure  had  come. 
The  fervor  of  the  three  travelers  prostrated  to  ask  a 
last  blessing  may  be  imagined,  and  the  tenderness 
of  the  last  glance  which  Melle.  Broca  cast  on  the 
statue  of  her  who  had  just  restored  her  to  life. 

She  passed  with  a  firm  step  and  without  any  kind 
of  support  along  that  path,  where  an  hour  before  she 
had  been  carried  half-dead.  The  driver  of  the  car 
riage  did  not  recognize  her  and  could  not  believe 
his  eyes.  She  got  into  the  carriage  herself.  The 
cushions  were  no  longer  needed,  and  the  driver  went 
with  as  much  speed  as  he  wished.  There  was  not 
the  slightest  inconvenience,  during  the  whole  jour 
ney.  When  she  got  home,  to  Borderes,  Melle. 
Broca  crossed  the  court-yard  and  went  up  stairs 
without  any  difficulty.  There,  she  met  a  friend; 
" Good-day!"  said  she  to  her.  On  hearing  the 
voice,  the  friend  looked  at  her  in  amazement. 

"  What!  "  cried  she  !  ..."  is  it  you?—  " 

"Yes,  it  is  indeed  myself."  And  the  two  friends 
joyously  embraced  each  other.  When  the  young 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  143 

girl  was  assured  that  Meile.  Broca  was  cured,  she 
exclaimed:  "I  did  not  believe  it  ....  I  believe.1* 
I  believe !" 

The  next  day,  Low  Sunday,  Melle.  Broca,  before 
half  the  parish,  received  Holy  Communion  at  the 
first  Mass.  The  report  of  her  cure  had  been 
rumored  the  evening  before.  From  that  moment,  it 
was  the  subject  of  conversation  for  the  whole  town, 
and  the  sick  girl  who  yesterday  was  sinking  from 
pain  and  weakness,  had  to  exhibit  herself  every  day. 
Her  room  was  never  empty.  She  spoke  unceasingly, 
all  day  long  relating  what  the  Immaculate  Virgin 
had  done  at  the  grotto.  Of  her  terrible  illness  only 
her  paleness  remained. 

The  next  day,  she  resumed  her  occupations  which 
had  been  interrupted  for  three  years;  her  color  soon 
came  back,  and  some  days  later,  she  was  able  to 
make  long  excursions  on  foot. 

After  two  weeks,  however,  the  good  GOD  wished 
to  try  her  fidelity,  by  suddenly  withdrawing  from 
her  the  faculty  of  reading.  But  her  cure  remained 
complete,  and  her  health  was  habitually  good. 

The  astonishment  in  the  neighborhood  was  great. 
Faith  in  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  gained  over  the  most 
indifferent, and  conquered  hostile  minds;  confidence 
increased,  and  prayer  turned  with  more  hope  than 
ever  towards  the  miraculous  grotto.  A  man  of  the 
world  was  touched  so  far  as  to  be  entirely  converted, 


144  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

He  did  not  frequent  the  Sacraments.  The  core  of 
Melle.  Broea  made  him  a  faithful  Catholic,  and 
prepared  him  for  a  most  edifying  death. 

Several  physicians  had  seen  the  sick  girl  during 
her  long  sufferings.  The  doctor  of  Borderes,  dis 
couraged,  had  long  ceased  to  visit  her,  giving  as  his 
reason  that  his  art  could  do  nothing  for  a  person 
who  was  unable  to  take  any  remedy  whatever. 
After  the  prodigy  of  the  grotto,  one  of  them,  a 
grave  and  distinguished  man,  said:  "  Nothing  is 
impossible  to  GOD;  He  can  save  where  human  science 
is  at  fault."  Another  spitefully  exclaimed:  "That 
devotee  must  have  had  an  understanding  with  the 
priest." 

Since  her  cure,  Melle.  Broea  comes  every  year  to 
the  grotto,  on  the  22d  of  April,  to  celebrate  piously 
her  beautiful  anniversary.  She  comes  there  with 
the  friend  who,  in  1865,  shared  the  sorrows  and  joys 
of  the  first  pilgrimage. 

Through  a  feeling  which  is  easily  understood  she 
at  first  refused  to  give  publicity  to  the  precious 
details  which  we  have  just  read;  she  only  decided 
to  do  so  with  a  view  to  the  greater  glory  of  the 
most  Blessed  and  Immaculate  Virgin  MARY.,  who 
had  deigned  to  work  such  great  things  in  her  and 
for  her. 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  14$ 

XXX. 

SUDDEN  CURE  OF  AN  OLD  GEXD  ARME. 

JEAN  MARIE  FOSSES,  originally  of  Trebons(IIautei 
Pyrenees),  a  retired  gendarme  and  now  an  innkeeper 
at  Arzacq  (Basses  Pyrenees),  was  suddenly  cured  of 
an  incurable  disease,  on  the]  1th  of  November,  1867, 
at  the  grotto  of  Lourdes.  On  the  first  day  of  the 
month  of  August,  1807,  Fosses,  recovering  from  a 
long  illness,  was  sitting  before  the  door  of  his  house, 
inhaling  the  fresh  evening  air.  He  suddenly,  felt 
his  face  grow  very  hot;  this  was  succeeded  by  a 
cold  sweat;  and  his  back  became  stiff.  Soon  an 
excruciating  pain  went  through  his  head.  From 
that  time  the  poor  man  had  no  rest.  The  nights 
•were  particularly  distressing  to  him,  for  several 
hours ;  always  about  the  same  time  the  torture  be 
came  intolerable.  The  inside  of  his  head  seemed  to 
be  crossed  in  all  directions,  whilst  outside  it  was  as 
though  gnawed  and  harrowed. 

The  physician  strove  to  master  this  fearful  disease; 
but  without  success.  To  crown  all,  the  poor  invalid 
was  filled  with  gloomy  and  wearisome  fancies;  he 
became  uneasy  and  impatient,  and  extremely  irri 
table,  —  whereas  before  he  was  kind,  loving,  and 
good-tempered.  Fosses  was  grieved  to  find  that,  in 
13 


146  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

spite  of  himself,  he  was  almost  always  rough  and 
cross.  It  made  him  still  more  unhappy  to  be  inca 
pable  of  controlling  himself. 

He  tried  ail  sorts  of  remedies.  Medicines  were 
multiplied;  the  weeks  passed;  and  never,  never  any 
relie  f. 

In  the  month  of  October,  he  could  scarcely  eat. 
Suffering  incessant  pain,  and  deprived  of  sleep,  he 
was  visibly  declining  and  became  fearfully  debilitated, 

Thinking  that  he  was  soon  to  die,  he  caused  his 
EOII  and  daughter,  who  were  absent,  to  be  brought 
that  he  might  embrace  them  for  the  la.st  time. 
Some  days  after  the  daughter  had  to  return  to 
her  grand-mother's  house.  "Farewell,  my  poor 
child,"  said  the  sick  man,  weeping;  "farewell,  I 
shall  never  see  you  again." 

Discouraged  and  irritated,  Fosses  would  try  no 
more  medicines.  The  doctor  vainly  insisted. 

"  You  are  kind  and  attentive,"  said  the  invalid, 
with  energy;  "  but,  of  all  your  medicines,  not  one 
has  relieved  me;  they  are  killing  me;  it  is  useless 
for  you  to  prescribe  any  more." 

Meantime,  a  peddler  stopped  at  the  inn.  Fosses 
was  sitting  in  the  chimney-corner,  silent  and  de 
pressed.  He  told  him  his  sad  story  and  his  discour- 
agement. 

"  Well,"  said  the  traveler,  "  I  was  like  you ;  like 
you,  very  sick,  and  like  you,  despondent.  For  throe 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  147 

wliole  years  I  consulted  doctors,  and  took  medicine: 
til  in  vain.  And  I  am  cured.  But  it  is  not  to  men 
that  I  am  indebted  for  my  cure.  I  had  a  fearful 
running  sore  on  my  neck.  I  suffered  terribly.  My 
vondition  in  life  and  my  small  means  forced  me  to 
travel,  God  knows  with  how  much  pain.  I  went  to 
the  waters  of  Cauterets,  of  Bagneres-de-Bigorre,  of 
Bagne.^es-de-Luchon;  I  spent  a  great  deal  of 
money.  The  money  and  the  journeys  were  useless. 

"  I  "had  heard  of  Our  Lady  of  Buglose  and  of  her 
miracles.  Hoping  nothing  from  men  nor  from 
mineral  springs,  I  turned  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  At 
Bareges  I  was  making  a  last  trial  of  the  waters, 
when  I  was  told  of  the  shrine  of  Lourdes:  what  I 
heard  gave  me  great  confidence,  and  induced  me  to 
remain  two  days  in  that  town.  When  I  saw  the 
rx.owds  who  were  going  to  the  grotto,  my  confidence 
was  redoubled.  The  waters  of  Bareges  had  left  my 
gore  just  as  inflamed.  I  went  to  the  grotto,  I  prayed, 
I  drank,  I  washed  myself.  Instantly  I  was  enabled 
to  remove  the  cloth  which  covered  the  sore;  tre 
flesh  had  come  together;  the  discharge  ceased;  the 
pain  was  gone.  I  began  again  the  next  day;  there 
Only  remained  a  very  slight  scar.  I  was  cured. 
Imagine  my  happiness.  I  however  went  to  Buglose. 
There,  the  sore  entirely  disappeared. 

"  And  see,"  added  he,  uncovering  his  neck,  which 
was  quite  sound,  "  i»  there  any  sore  there?  Well, 


148  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

there    was  my  old  and  horrible  sore 

confidence  in  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes.      I  can  say  so. 
Gc  to  the  grotto." 

This  was  a  message  from  Heaven.  Fosses  was  a 
faithful  Christian;  and  all  his  life  he  had  loved  and 
invoked  the  Blessed  Virgin.  When  the  traveler 
had  spoken,  and  shown  how  evident  wras  the  mira 
cle,  the  sick  man  believed  that  he  would  be  cured 
by  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes,  with  an  immense  confi- 
dence  which  filled  him  with  joy. 

A  pilgrimage  to  the  grotto  was  resolved  upon. 
But  when  to  go?  and  how  to  get  there?  He  felt  so 
weak.  His  sufferings  were  so  terrible!  Could  his 
head  endure  the  jolting  of  the  carriages?  These 
fears  diminished  his  joy,  and  made  his  hope  fail  a 
little. 

The  Blessed  Virgin  sent  him  another  message. 
A  boarding-house  keeper  from  Arzacq,  Mr.  Dussau, 
told  him  incidentally  of  a  pilgrimage  which  he  had 
made  to  Lourdes.  "  I  know,  too,"  said  he,  "  what 
the  Blessed  Virgin  can  and  does  do  at  the  grotto  of 
Lourdes.  I  was  in  that  town  taking  a  few  day^ 
rest  with  some  relations.  Seeing  strangers  coming 
to  the  grotto,  I  went  there  also.  For  some  days  I 
had  felt  a  slight  indisposition,  not  serious,  it  is  true, 
but  very  troublesome.  Seeing  the  faith  of  tr.e  pil 
grims  who  drank  and  washed  themselves  at  the 
fountain,  my  heart  told  me  to  imitate  them.  I  oon» 


Tke  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  145 

fess  that  I  asked  for  relief  without  any  grejit  fervor 
But  I  drank  and  washed  myself.  On  the  very 
instant  my  illness  left  me.  It  was  as  sudden  as  if 
I  took  offji  garment  and  threw  it  there.  My  dear 
Fosses,  I  am  your  friend,  so  you  may  believe  me. 
Doctors  will  not  cure  you:  have  recourse  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin;  go  to  Lourdes." 

This  time  the  pilgrimage  was  decided  upon,  and, 
notwithstanding  that  his  sufferings  and  his  prostra 
tion  were  greater  than  ever,  poor  Fosses  started 
with  his  wife,  on  the  10th  of  November,  1867. 

The  journey  was  fearful.  Listless  and  dejected, 
the  patient  sat  bent  down  in  the  carriage,  his  poor 
head  hanging  on  his  chest,  for  he  was  unable  to 
hold  it  up.  In  body  and  mind  lie  was  completely 
exhausted;  he  had  not  strength  to  utter  a 
word. 

Arrived  at  Lourdes,  he  rested  for  some  moments, 
and  supported  by  his  wife  he  journeyed  painfully 
towards  the  grotto.  Seeing  him  start  so  pale  and 
debilitated,  every  one  said:  "That  unfortunate  man 
will  not  reach  the  grotto;  or  if  he  does,  he  will 
never  come  back." 

Fosses  advanced  with  a  sort  of  awe.  "  So  near, 
BO  near  the  place  where  the  Blessed  Virgin  has  ap 
peared,"  said  he  to  himself,  much  agitated. 

The  grotto  is  before  him;  he  perceives  the  status 
of  the  Virgin.  lit-  srt-s,  he  hears  the  miraculoui 


1 50  The   Wonders  of  LourdeS. 

springs.  .  He  stops;  he  looks;  something  solemn  is 
passing  in  his  soul. 

Long  afterwards,  when  he  told  his  story,  the 
recollection  of  that  moment  still  made  his  heart 
throb. 

"  I  felt,"  said  he,  "  an  indescribable  emotion.  I 
was  agitated;  I  was  joyful,  yet  trembling.  I  felt  a 
deep  respect  more  than  in  a  palace  and  more  than 
in  a  church.  At  the  same  time^  I  felt  a  sweet  fear, 
I  was  as  if  bewildered.  But,"  he  would  add,  in  an 
altered  voice,  "  I  cannot  make  it  understood;  if  it 
was  anything  natural,  I  could  explain  it;  I  would 
find  words;  as  it  is  I  cannot  express  it." 

He  knelt  before  the  Virgin.  But  he  could  not 
pray;  speechless  with  emotion,  his  whole  being 
prayed,  unconsciously  to  himself. 

Fatigue  soon  obliged  him  to  rise,  and  he  bathed 
in  the  fountain  his  diseased  head  and  neck.  Imme 
diately  he  felt  a  sensible  relief.  He  again  tried  to 
pray.  The  thought  of  the  apparition  filled  his  heart. 
"The  Blessed  Virgin  here  1"  thought  he;  "oh!  hap 
py  was  the  child  who  saw  her!  I  will  be  cured;  I 
feel  it.  Yet  I  am  so  sick!  and  besides,  I  am  so 
unworthy!"  And  he  humbled  himself;  and  he 
prayed  with  his  whole  heart. 

To  render  himself  more  worthy  of  favors  from 
MARY,  he  went  to  confession.  "  I  seem  to  have 
mort  strength,"  said  he  to  his  wife,  as  they  came 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  I  $  I 

tack  to  Lourdes.      "  Oh!    I  believe  indeed  that  the 
Blessed  Virgin  will  cure  me." 

"Bah!"  answered  his  wife,  "  it  is  just  that  you 
have  got  that  idea  in  your  head."  She  had  very 
little  hope. 

Next  morning,  at  half  past  five,  Fosses  heard 
Mass  and  received  Communion  in  the  crypt.  Then, 
going  down  to  the  grotto,  he  prostrated  himself  on 
the  flags  and  prayed  a  good  while,  not  as  long  as 
his  heart  would  have  wished,  but  in  proportion  to 
his  weakness.  He  drank  at  the  fountain  with  entire 
confidence  in  the  goodness  of  MARY.  "Had  I  been 
void  that  it  was  poison,"  said  he,  "  I  should  have 
drank  without  fear,  so  great  was  my  confidence  in 
the  Blessed  Virgin." 

He  went  into  one  of  the  bath-rooms  and  prepared 
himself  to  plunge  into  the  water.  His  wife  was 
there  trembling.  It  was  the  llth  of  November; 
the  sun  had  scarcely  risen  to  the  top  of  the  hills; 
a  severe  frost  had  hardened  the  banks  of  the  Gave; 
the  North  wind  blew  bitingly  cold  around  th 
grotto. 

The  old  soldier  went  resolutely  into  the  bath:  the 
cold  took  away  his  breath;  he  plunged  in  neverthe 
less;  the  water  covered  his  chest;  it  encircled  his 
throat  like  a  band  of  iron  spikes;  lie  was  almost 
frozen;  he  tried  to  breathe,  to  stop  the  trembling  of 
his  limbs.  Panting,  unable  to  speak,  he  inwardly 


152  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

said  to  the  Blessed  Virgin:   "Oh!  thou  wilt  cure 
me  !" 

"Wife,"  said  he  in  a  stifled  voice,  "pray;  help 
me  to  pray." 

Seeing  his  courage,  she  also  felt  herself  pene 
trated  with  confidence.  "  He  will  be  cured  1 "  she 
thought.  And  yet  as  the  poor  man  changed  color: 
"Oh I  get  up,"  said  she  to  him.  But  Fosses  re 
mained  in  the  icy  water,  still  praying.  He  shivered, 
and  taking  a  towel  to  dry  himself,  he  looked  again 
at  the  basin.  "I  must,"  thought  the  brave  gen 
darme,  "  testify  once  more  my  confidence  in  the 
Blessed  Virgin;"  and  in  spite  of  his  wife,  he  plunged 
up  to  his  neck  again  in  the  fearful  bath,  praying  all 
the  while. 

A  moment  after  he  came  out;  he  dried  himself; 
but  in  spite  of  all  his  energy  as  a  Christian  and  a 
soldier,  he  could  not  repress  the  shivering  of  his 
limbs,  nor  the  chattering  of  his  teeth.  "  I  was  suf 
fering  frightfully,"  said  he  afterwards,  "yes,  fright 
fully,  and  yet,  I  have  never  felt  such  a  moment  of 
happiness.  Scarcely  was  I  dried,  when  I  felt  pass 
ing  through  my  body,  something  sweet  and  strength 
ening,  which  penetrated  every  limb;  I  cannot  tell 
what  it  was,  something  like  the  water  of  life.  Yes, 
life  was  coming  to  me.  I  was  being  cured.  I 
was  cured.  My  face  quivered;  I  smiled  invol 
untarily;  everything  seemed  beautiful  to  me  then* 


The   Wonders  cf  Lourdcs.  153 

I  looked  at  the  rock  with  ecstasy.  I  smiled  at 
my  poor  wife;  I  said  to  her:  *  Why,  ....  I  am 
cured!  ...  I  am  cured!' 

«  A  moment  before  my  head  had  felt  so  painful 
that  I  could  not  touch  it,  and  I  said:  '  But,  my  dear,  I 
feel  no  more  pain ! '  At  the  nape  of  the  neck  for  some 
days  before,  I  had  had  a  large  pimple,  very  painful 
and  which  seemed  alarming;  it  had  almost  disap 
peared.  *  See,'  said  I  to  my  wife;  '  there  is  hardly 
anything  there;  and  no  suffering.'  My  wife,  agi 
tated  and  trembling,  looked  at  me,  helped  me  to 
dress,  not  knowing  what  to  say.  As  for  me,  I  felt, 
I  knew  that  I  was  cured;  I  blessed  the  Holy  Virgin; 
I  hastened  to  go  and  thank  her  at  the  grotto." 

He  went,  .indeed;  he  knelt,  and  prayed:  prayed 
for  a  long  time.  His  wife  hurried  him;  he  rose,  he 
drank  at  the  fountain,  he  prayed  again;  his  soul 
was  overflowing  with  joy.  "  I  could  not  go  away," 
paid  he  in  relating  his  cure;  "I  went;  I  returned. 
A  voice  within  said:  'Stay  here,  stay  here?  and  I 
would  have  been  willing  to  remain  forever,  to  be 
the  guardian  of  the  grotto.  My  wife  »t  length 
forced  me  away;  I  went  back  again;  I  looked  back 
as  long  as  I  could." 

The" happy  Fosses  walked  firm  and  erect,  for  some 
months  he  could  not  bend  his  feet;  to  rnovf*  at  all, 
he  was  obliged  to  raise  them  quickly,  and  to  la~  tnera 
down  flat.  The  slightest  touch  on  the  heel  g-»v« 


154  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

torture  like  red  hot  needles,  passing  through  tii« 
spinal  marrow  and  the  head.  Now  his  feet  were 
perfectly  supple;  and  he  walked  with  the  ease  of 
his  younger  years.  To  verify  the  completeness  of 
his  cure,  he  struck  his  heel  sharply  against  the 
frozen  ground:  not  a  start,  not  the  slightest  pain. 

His  relieved  chest  drew  in  with  sound  lungs  the 
frosty  morning  air.  He  purposely  drew  several 
long  breaths,  to  try  the  new  power  of  his  restored 
organs.  He  trembled  lest  he  should  feel  again  the 
Bharp  pains  which,  even  yesterday,  had  tortured  him 
when  lie  needed  to  inhale  more  air:  it  was  like  a 
saw  going  through  his  body;  and  he  had  often  re 
mained  for  hours  bent  double,  panting  with  the  sup 
pressed  breath  of  agony.  Now  he  breathed  freely, 
and  with  ease. 

On  his  way  back  to  the  town,  he  repeated  to  his 
wife:  "I  am  cured!  ....  oh!  entirely  cured.  .  .  . 
I  have  new  strength." 

"Do  not  boast  too  much,  and  be  careful,"  an- 
gwered  she.  They  had  reached  a  little  hill,  quite 
near  Lourdes. 

"Well,"  said  the  gendarme,  "to  show  you  that 
I  am  cured,  do  you  want  to  see  me  run  ?  "  and  the 
sick  man, a  short  time  before  tottering,  still  fright 
fully  pale  and  thin,  started -and  ran  with  the  utmost 
agility.  His  wife,  more  and  more  astonished,  cried 
out  to  him-  "Oh!  you  are  really  cured!  But  no 


The   Wonders  oj  Lourdcs.  155 

foolishness;  stop."  He  only  ran  the  faster,  for  about 
thirty  paces. 

With  an  appetite  unknown  for  nine  months,  lie 
made  a  hearty  breakfast.  The  astonished  people  at 
the  inn  could  not  believe  their  eyes.  He  set  out  for 
Arzncq,  wild  with  joy. 

Gladness  returned  with  him  to  his  home.  lie 
held  out  his  arms  to  his  son.  The  young  man  see 
ing  his  poor  father  who  the  evening  before  had  left 
failing  and  in  fearful  suffering,  DOW  walking,  full  of 
strength,  was  seized  with  childish  joy,  and  began  t^ 
dance  round  the  room,  repeating:  "Oh!  father! 
father!  you  are  cured  I  you  are  cured  !  .  .  .  ." 

The  wonderful  cure  of  Fosses  was  soon  known 
in  the  whole  town.  Friends  and  curious  persons 
filled  the  house.  He  related  all  that  had  happened. 

"  Wait,"  said  he  at  one  time,  "  I  am  so  entirely 
cured  that  I  feel  able  to  perform  some  of  my  youth 
ful  feats  of  agility.  I  want  to  try,  as  you  have 
formerly  seen  rne  do,  to  jump  over  a  stick,  holding 
the  end  of  my  foot  in  my  hand."  And  he  really 
jumped  with  astonishing  lightness. 

His  general  health  had  become  good  again.  No 
convalescence;  and  since  then,  not  a  tinge  of  neu 
ralgia;  his  appetite,  his  sleep  and  his  health  were 
all  good.  No  more  ill-humor.  "  I  had  become  un  • 
bearable,"  said  he;  "at  home  I  kept  them  in  a  con 
stant  turmoil;  I  had  fearful  nightmares:  I  am  no 


156  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

longer  the  same  man;  everything  appears  good  tc 
me,  and  I  find  myself  once  more  loving  and  joyous 
as  before.  For  more  than  three  months  I  suffered 
terribly.  The  doctors  declared  that  it  would  bfe 
three  years  before  I  recovered  my  health.  I  was 
tired  of  remedies,  and  I  had  left  off  taking  them 
At  Lourdes,  by  a  bath  of  a  few  minutes,  I  was  cured 
instantly,  radically,  and  for  more  than  nine  months 
my  cure  has  corttinv.ed" 

In  the  month  of  June,  1868,  Jean-Marie  Fosses 
returned  to  Lourdes:  no  one  knew  him.  "  It  is  I," 
said  he,  laughing,  "I,  who  was  cured  in  November, 
of  last  year,  at  the  fountain  in  the  grotto."  A 
strange  doctor,  after  having  questioned  Fosses,  said 
aloud  in  the  grotto,  that  such  a  cure,  instantaneous, 
without  convalescence,  and  radical,  could  not  bo 
explained  except  as  a  miracle. 

Since  the  miracle,  Jean-Marie  Fosses  has  been 
full  of  GOD  and  of  His  holy  Mother.  The  remem 
brance  of  his  cure  remains  in  his  soul,  living  and 
tender.  Every  instant,  he  thanks  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

"  Before  I  was  somewhat  quick-tempered,"  said  he 
,to  the  missionary  Father  of  Lourdes,  to  whom  he 
related  all  the  details  of  this  story;  "  only  I  paid  no 
attention  to  it.  Now,  one  great  idea  restrains  me: 
The  Blessed  Virgin  will  not  be  pleased!  .  .  .  That 
is  enough;  and  if  I  chance  to  give  way  ever  so  little, 
I  ask  her  pardon." 


'lj/iitTS  <>_/  Lourdes.  157 

Tlie  good  Fosses  has  but  one  dream  in  the  world; 
it  is  to  possess  one  day  a  little  competence  which 
will  permit  him  to  settle  at  Lourdes  that  he  niny 
every  day  bless  and  pray  to  his  blessed  Mother,  in 
that  grotto  where  she  cured  him,  and  in  which  he 
dwells  meanwhile,  in  thought  and  in  heart. 


XXXI. 

INSTANTANEOUS  CURE  OF  A  YOUNG   WORKING-GIRL   IN 
HER  AGONY. 

IN  that  same  year  1867,  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes 
manifested  her  merciful  power  in  the  little  village 
of  Maquens,  situated  at  the  gates  of  Carcassonne. 
A  young  working-girl  named  Francoise  Pail  lies, 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  was  the  recipient  of  this 
favor  from  the  Immaculate  Conception.  She  was 
a  good  girl,  gentle,  industrious,  and  truly  pious.  At 
fourteen  or  fifteen  years  of  age,  her  health  had  been 
injured  by  the  unhealthy  labor  of  a  cloth  manufac 
tory.  She  lingered  on  for  six  months,  and  just  after 
Christmas  1866,  she  was  obliged  to  keep  her  bed,  a 
prey  to  the  most  cruel  sufferings.  The  seat  of  her 
disease  was  the  heart.  Very  painful  convulsions 
Roon  reduced  her  to  the  most  pitiable  state.  For 
four  months,  she  could  only  take  a  little  broth. 
14 


158  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

In  the  month  of  April,  her  condition  became  most 
alarming.  Every  one  thought  her  death  very  near. 
Francoise  alone  hoped.  She  derived  this  confidence 
from  her  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin ;  her  con 
stant  prayer,  the  only  one  her  weakness  permitted, 
was  the  famous  invocation:  "0  MARY,  conceived 
without  sin,  pray  for  us  who  have  recourse  to  theeT* 
She  was  convinced  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  would 
restore  her.  In  the  beginning  of  the  month  of 
Mary,  she  made  one  of  her  brothers  arrange  a  sort 
of  little  altar  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  before  her  bed, 
with  a  poor  little  plaster  statue  and  some  flowers. 
Francoise  often  looked  at  the  holy  image;  she  then 
felt  still  more  hope  and  courage. 

She  was  so  weak  that  she  could  not  turn  in  the 
bed.  In  her  convulsions,  which  became  more  and 
more  terrible,  she  was  delirious.  On  one  occasion, 
her  brother  was  obliged,  for  three  hours,  to  use  the 
whole  strength  of  his  arms  to  keep  her  in  the  bed. 
Death  was  rapidly  approaching. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  a  Sister  of  Charity  came  to 
see  her,  and  related,  to  console  her,  the  apparitions 
of  Lourdes,  and  the  miracles  which  were  wrought 
by  the  wat^r  of  the  grotto.  "  To  be  sure,"  said  the 
good  Sister,  afterwards,  "  I  believed  in  Our  Lady  of 
Lourdes;  but,  then,  I  did  not  even  think  of  a  cure, 
for  the  poor  girl's  death  appeared  to  me  so  inevit 
able  and  so  near."  "O  Sister!"  said  Francoise,  ia 


The   Wonders  cf  Lourdes.  \  59 

in  almost  inaudible  voice,  "send  me  some  of  thai 
water  quick ;  it  will  cure  me."  The  Sister  took  leave 
of  her,  thinking  it  was  for  the  laut  time,  and  asking 
for  her  a  holy  death. 

"  Oh,  if  I  had  some  of  that  water! "  was  hence 
forth  the  poor  dying  girl's  only  thought.  Next  day, 
the  disease  took  such  a  form  that  the  excellent  pas 
tor  of  the  village  hastened  to  give  Francoise  the 
last  Sacraments.  A  slow  and  painful  agony  then 
commenced.  Several  times  poor  Francoise  lost  con 
sciousness,  and  they  thought  her  dead.  That  whole 
night  and  the  day  following  passed  in  a  series  of 
terrible  struggles  between  life  and  death,  each  time 
the  recovery  becoming  less  and  less  possible. 

The  whole  village,  which  the  good  pastor  had  led 
to  piety  by  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  fre 
quent  Communion,  were  praying  for  the  unfortunate 
young  girl.  In  the  rare  intervals  between  the  con 
vulsions  the  latter  would  make  an  effort  to  repeat: 
"  Sister  did  not  send  the  water  then  ?  .  .  .  .  It 
will  cure  me." 

From  the  beginning  of  her  agony,  the  poor  girl 
could  not  take  even  the  slightest  drink.  The  doctor, 
yielding  to  eager  entreaties,  came  on  Thursday,  May 
8th,  merely  through  kindness,  declaring  that  his 
visit  was  entirely  useless.  He  tried  to  make  the 
patient  swallow  a  few  drops  of  liquid  by  opening 
her  mouth  with  a  spoon.  Her  suffering  whilst  ho 


160  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

did  so  was  so  great,  that  he  turned  away  his  head, 
unable  to  endure  the  sight  of  it.  All  was  useless; 
and  the  doctor  left  saying:  "  I  knew  it  well;  there 
\a  no  hope  for  her." 

Two  friends  of  Fraricoise,  going  to  Carcassonne, 
came  to  see  her  on  their  way. 

"  Oh,  tell  Sister,"  murmured  the  dying  girl,  "tell 
Sister  that  she  did  not  send  me  the  water  from  the 
grotto  ....  Do  not  come  back  without  it  .... 
Oh,  how  I  will  wait  for  it! " 

In  the  evening,  when  the  little  bottle  of  miracu 
lous  water  was  given  her,  she  collected  her  strength, 
worn  out  by  the  agony,  and  convulsively  seized  the 
phial.  She  opened  it,  recommended  herself  to  MARY: 
some  drops  of  the  miraculous  water  went  into  her 
mouth:  she  made  a  long  and  fatiguing  effort  to 
swallow  it:  she  waits,  she  tries  again  ....  Her 
throat  refuses  it.  "  I  cannot  ....  ,"  sadly  mur 
mured  the  dying  girl.  The  spectators  looked  on 
saying  in  a  low  voice:  "It  would  require  a  miracle, 
and  there  will  not  be  a  miracle." 

Francoise,  however,  persisted  in  keeping  the  phial 
in  her  hand.  In  the  evening,  during  the  exercises 
of  the  month  of  Mary,  word  was  sent  to  the  pastor. 
"Come  quick;  Francoise  is  dying;  you  may  not  even 
be  in  time  to  read  the  prayers  for  the  dying."  He 
hastened;  the  convulsion  which  seemed  to  precede 
death  soon  ceased,  increasing  the  dying  girl's  agony. 


The   Wonders  of  Lcurdes.  161 

Her  brothers,  coming  in  from  work,  found  her  so 
wo;ik  that  they  thought  they  were  scarcely  in  time 
to  bid  her  a  last  farewell.  Choking  with  grief,  they 
could  take  no  supper. 

The  poor  young  girl  suffered,  excruciating  pain^ 
She  8till  clung  to  hope.  The  whole  night  and  all 
the  following  day,  she  held  the  phial  in  her  hand. 
From  time  to  time,  she  laid  it  down  to  let  it  cool; 
and,  feeling  that  she  could  not  succeed  in  drinking, 
she  put  it  closed  into  her  parched  mouth,  to  give  her 
temporary  relief.  Her  lips,  almost  speechless,  slowly 
muttered  the  beloved  words:  "O  MARY,  conceived 
without  sin  ....  /" 

One  time  perceiving,  in  the  midst  of  her  agony, 
that  her  poor  parents  were  crying,  she  said  to  them: 
"  Do  not  cry  ....  The  Blessed  Virgin  will  cure 
me  with  this  water." 

Her  father,  a  man  full  of  faith,  heart-broken  by 
his  daughter's  sufferings,  yet  submissive  to  the  will 
of  GOD,  did  not  go  to  work  on  Friday,  that  he  might 
hear  the  last  sigh  and  catch  die  last  look  of  that  dear 
child  He  passed  the  day  in  running  from  her  bod- 
side  to  the  chuiflh.  Distressed  by  the  excruciating 
sufferings  of  Francoise,  he  prayed  fervently  to  ob 
tain  for  her  relief  or  deliverance  by  a  speedy  death, 
which  would,  however,  break  his  heart.  The  whole 
village  were  expecting  every  instant  the  sound 
of  the  death  bell ;  everyone  was  astonished  at 


1 62  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

the  length  of  her  agony,  and  all  pitied  the  poof 
child. 

Towards  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  she  was  so 
weak  that  every  one  thought  her  last  moments  were 
approaching.  Francoise  murmured: 

"  I  can  do  no  more  ....  I  am  dying.  I  want 
to  see  my  brother."  The  young  man  soon  arrived. 
Without  speaking  a  word,  he  wrung  his  sister's 
hand,  weeping,  and  fled  with  his  sorrow  to  his  work 
shop. 

The  Children  of  MARY  were  preparing  their  white 
dresses  for  the  funeral.  Franeoise  herself/some  days 
before,  notwithstanding  her  persistent  hope,  had 
asked  one  of  her  aunts  to  go  and  get  her  Child  of 
MAKY'S  dress,  that  it  might  be  put  on  her  when  she 
was  dead.  And  the  dress  had  come,  and  Francoise 
had  seen  it;  she  had  shown  her  aunt  where  to  put 
it  in  the  closet  that  her  mother  might  not  see 
it. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  priest 
came  for  the  third  time  that  day.  Francoise,  in  a 
stifled  voice,  her  eye  bright  with  fever,  said  to  him: 
"Oh,  Father,  I  am  burning!  I  am  burning!  .... 
Ah,  if  I  could  drink  a  little  water!  ....  Father, 
you  ought  to  cure  me!"  "Poor  child,  I  cannot; 
none  but  GOD  can  do  it.  Have  confidence  in  MARY; 
offer  her  your  sufferings;  pray.  I  will  also  go  to 
the  church  and  pray  for  you." 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  163 

Francoise  wished  to  pray.  But  those  who  were 
present  saw  the  stupor  of  death  coming  on. 

The  priest's  sister,  who  had  been  for  a  long  tune 
at  the  bedside  of  the  dying  girl,  went  away  for  a 
moment.  She  stopped  at  the  door  to  speak  to  a 
neighbor,  talking  of  Francoise,  wl>en  suddenly  a 
broken  and  trembling  .voice  called  her.  It  was 
Francoise's  mother.  She  thought  the  last  moment 
had  come,  and  hastened  to  be  present  at  it. 

Tlte  trembling  mother  met  her  on  the  threshold 
saying  in  a  clear  and  piercing  tone:  "  Fran<3oise  has 
drank;  go  up."  She  had  scarcely  reached  the  top 
of  the  stairs,  when  a  cry  of  joy  came  from  the  bed 
where  site  had  left  the  dying  g'ul— "Cured,  Mar 
guerite!  I  am  cured! "  In  truth,  she  saw  Francoise 
sitting  up  in  the  be<l,  radiant,  happy,  her  eye  bright 
with  joy,  and  she  repeated  in  a  full  voice:  "Yes, 
cured!  really  cured!  See,  Marguerite;  see,  it  is 
this  water;  it  is  the  Blessed  Virgin!  Go  and  tel 
the  priest  to  come." 

When,  a  moment  before,  the  priest's  sister  had 
gone  out,  Francoise,  excited  by  pain,  had  mustered 
the  remains  of  her  energy  to  say  to  her  Mother: 
"  Oh,  I  cannot  stand  it!  ....  I  am  burning!  I 
am  burning!  ....  Mother,  some  fresh  water.  I 
must  drink!"  Her  mother  urged  her  to  try  a  few 
drops  of  tisane.  "Ns,  I  want  some  of  the  water 
from  the  grotto.  It  must  either  cure  me,  or  finisb 


164  The   Wonders  of  Lonrdes. 

me  ...  .  Oh,  the  Blessed  Virgin  will  cure 
me!" 

The  mother  took  a  tea-spoonful  of  water  from  the 
phial,  and  raised  the  dying  girl.  Francoise  refreshed 
her  mouth  with  the  drop  of  water;  she  raised  her 
head  to  let  it  go  down  her  throat  ....  For  an 
instant  her  head  fell  on  her  chest.  Suddenly,  undei 
the  touch  of  the  Immaculate  Virgin,  that  dying 
body  was  reanimated  as  by  an  electric  shock.  She 
raised  her  head,  her  face  brightened,  her  eye  lit  up. 
Her  almost  lifeless  features  became  animated,  her 
voice,  almost  like  the  death  rattle  a  moment  before, 
sounded  ringing  and  joyous:  "  I  am  cured,  mother, 
I  am  cured.  Some  more  water;  I  want  to  drink  it 
all."  And  she  herself  emptied  the  phial  into  her 
mouth.  "Yes,  cured;  really  cured,"  she  again  re 
peated.  "  I  can  raise  myself."  At  the  first  drops, 
she  had  felt  strength  and  health  infused  through  all 
her  limbs. 

It  was  a  few  minutes  past  five  o'clock,  on  Friday, 
the  10th  of  May,  1867. 

Francoise  blessed  Goi>,  and  poured  out  her  soul  itt 
thanksgiving  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  who  had  saved 
her. 

Her  father  came,  looked  at  his  child,  fell  on  his 
knees,  and  when  he  could  control  his  feelings  a  little 
exclaimed:  "It  is  ,\  miracle!  a  great  miracle!  let  us 
thank  the  Blessed  Virgin."  And  he  prayed  until 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  165 

the  desire  of  embracing  his  restored  child  made  him 
rise. 

The  good  pastor  came  to  mingle  his  admiration 
and  his  prayers  in  that  scene  of  joy.  "  I  hoped," 
said  Francoise  to  him,  "I  believed;  I  prayed;  I 
drank  some  drops  of  water;  I  am  cured.  And  if  I 
said  that  the  tip  of  my  finger  still  ached,  I  would  tell 
a  lie." 

Meanwhile,  her  two  brothers  knew  nothing  of  all 
this.  The  father  ran  to  the  workshop.  When  they 
saw  him  coming  the  poor  fellows  trembled;  their 
sister  was  surely  dead.  They  could  not  believe  until 
they  had  seen  her.  And  then,  what  joy !  what  tears! 
what  cries  of  gladness! 

The  neighbors  came  in;  soon  there  was  like  a  pro 
cession  to  the  favored  house.  Francoise  said  to 
everyone:  "It  was  the  Blessed  Virgin  that  cured 
me,  and  here  is  the  phial  which  held  the  water  from 
the  grotto  of  Lourdes." 

When  the  crowd  of  visitors  was  great,  she  said  in 
a  voice  the  strength  of  which  excited  general  aston 
ishment:  "It  is  not  for  me  alone  that  this  miracle 
.has  been  performed;  it  is  also  for  you.  As  for  mo, 
I  can  never  love  the  Blessed  Virgin  enough.  But 
you  must  love  her  too.  All  of  us,  all  of  us,  should 
love  her." 

Without  opposition  from  her  parents,  Francoise 
got  up;  she  felt  strength  to  do  so.  She  took  a  larjje 


1 66  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

cup  rf  broth  without  the  slightest  difficulty.  During 
the  evening  she  talked  and  laughed  with  her  com 
panions  ;  after  a  sweet  sleep,  she  ate  some  oranges 
«, iid  pastry  ;  then,  the  next  day,  bread  and  meat, ; 
she  who  for  three  months  had  not  been  able  to  swal 
low  anything  solid. 

Her  brother,  coming  in  before  noon,  found  her  up, 
beautifying  a  little  that  altar  of  MAUY  which  had 
helped  her  so  much  to  pray  and  to  suffer. 

Every  Saturday,  every  Sunday,  people  came  and 
came  again  to  see  the  child  of  the  miracle.  She  was 
cheerful,  strong,  and  active. 

The  physician  was  informed  of  the  cure.  He 
would  not  believe  it.  When  he  could  no  longer 
doubt,  he  said  to  a  person  who  related  the  details  to 
him:  "  But  what  is  this  water?  Indeed,  it  works 
miracles.  But,  bah!  a  convulsion  will  soon  come, 
and  the  girl  and  the  miracle  will  go  off  together." 
"Then  if  the  cure  be  lasting,"  answered  her  mother, 
"  you  will  believe  ?"  "  Well,  yes." 

The  cure  continued,  evident,  splendid;  he  saw 
Francoise,  who,  two  or  three  days  after,  went  on  foot 
to  Carcassonne  to  thank  him.  He  saw  her,  he  ex 
amined  her,  he  touched  that  body  which  he  had  de 
clared  doomed.  "  Truly,"  said  he,  "  you  have  not 
the  slightest  illness;  you  are  perfectly  cured." 

He  saw,  he  said  all  that;  but,  like  so  many  other 
learned  men,  he  declared  himself  puzzled,  (that  is 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  167 

their  style,)  but  lie  d:ired  not  admit  the  miracle. 
They  are  all  alike;  before  the  supernatural,  their 
boasted  science  draws  back  affrighted,  and  then,  to 
escape  the  crushing  evidence  which  they  cannot  set 
aside,  they  bravely  take  refuge  in  absurdity;  then, 
two  and  two  no  longer  make  four,  white  is  black, 
certainty  is  impudently  denied.  Yes,  let  us  say  it 
openly,  out  of  ten  doctors  confronted  with  a  miracle 
which  they  cannot  deny  there  will  be  nine  whom 
want  of  faith  or  fear  .will  prevent  from  giving  glory 
to  GOD. 

I  knew  one,  a  practical  Christian,  who  in  presence 
of  a  fact  evidently  supernatural,  told  me  this:  "As 
a  Christian,  I  say  it  is  a  miracle;  as  a  doctor,  I  say 
it  is  something  unheard  of,  inexplicable."  "  And  as 
a  Christian  doctor,"  I  asked ,  him,  "  what  do  you 
say?"  He  made  no  reply;  he  was  afraid  of  the 
Faculty. 

Two  months  after  the  miraculous  cure  of  Fran- 
coise  Pailhes,  the  worthy  pastor  of  Maqueris  termi 
nated  thus  his  official  report  : 

"  Ever  since  her  admirable  cure,  Francoise  works 
ft* very  day,  and  enjoys  very  good  health.  Hence  wo 
con  certify,  and  the  whole  parish  might  certify  with 
us,  that  this  young  girl's  cure  was  sudden,  radical, 
and  persevering/' 

By  the  savings  of  her  daily  toil,  the  good  Fn>,n- 
coise  was  at  length  able  to  make  a  pilgrimage  of 


1 68  The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs. 

thanksgiving  to  Lourdes.  On  the  29th  of  April, 
1868,  at  dawn  of  day,  she  prostrated  herself  before 
the  sacred  grotto,  entranced  with  joy,  weeping  with 
love. 


XXXII. 

MARVELOUS.  CURE  OF  A  YOUTH  OF  FIFTEEN  WHO    WAS 
DUMB  AND  PARALYZED. 

ON  Saturday,  the  18th  of  July,  1868,  about  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  a  touching  spectacle  excited 
public  sympathy  at  Lourdes.  Two  strangers  were 
carrying  a  chair  through  the  streets,  each  holding  it 
with  one  hand.  On  the  chair  a  boy  of  fifteen  was 
seated,  resting  his  arms  round  the  neck  of  the  bear 
ers.  One  of  these  men  was  his  father.  The  boy 
could  scarcely  sit  up,  his  head  shook,  his  paralyzed 
limbs  swung  helplessly  as  he  was  carried  along, 
Where  were  they  going?  Every  one  at  Lourdes 
guessed.  "They  are  going  to  the  grotto,"  people 
said.  Poor  child!  poor  father. 

They  were  going  to  that  grotto  where  despairing 
misery  is  wont  to  hasten;  whither  the  Blessed  Virgin 
attracts,  because  she  loves  to  manifest  there  the 
power  of  her  mercy. 

This  boy,   Jean   Paoheou,    was   originally   from 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  1 69 

Gouze,  in  Lagor,  district  of  Orthez,  (Bassed  Pyre 
nees).  He  had  always  been  of  a  quiet,  gentle,  ami 
able  disposition.  For  nearly  two  years  past  hifl 
health  had  been  failing.  He  had  felt  a  strange  and 
unconquerable  aversion  to  his  ordinary  food.  Ho 
grew  visibly  thinner,  and  his  weakness  became  ex 
treme. 

On  Easter  Sunday,  the  12th  of  April,  1868,  before 
Vespers,  Jean,  who  was  standing  at  the  time,  fell 
down  in  a  faint.  His  mother  took  him  in  her  arms 
and  laid  him  on  the  bed.  From  that  time  the  poor 
boy  was  little  more  than  a  corpse.  His  withered 
limbs  refused  to  carry  him;  his  head  shook  without 
his  having  any  power  to  control  it;  his  arms  alone 
retained  their  power;  according  to  his  father's  ex 
pression,  all  his  limbs  were  "  disjointed."  He  had 
to  be  carried  as  when  he  was  in  the  cradle.  In  this 
ead  state  he  became  a  heavy  burden  to  his  parents, 
whose  only  means  of  support  was  their  daily  toil. 
Either  his  father  or  mother  had  to  keep  continual 
watch  over  him.  He  could  not  stay  in  bed  all  day, 
and  he  was  placed  on  a  little  straw  chair,  but  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  hold  himself  up.  He  was  bent 
double,  and  some  one  had  to  sit  beside  him  to  sup 
port  him. 

One  day  the  sick  boy's  face  assumed  a  strange  ex 
pression.  His  mouth  opened;  he  seemed  as  if  try 
ing  to  speak;  there  came  from  his  throat  only  a  hard 
15 


170  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

nusky  breath.  His  tongue  was  suddenly  gathered 
up  in  his  mouth.  Poor  child!  already  paralyzed,  he 
became  dumb. 

His  parents  were  heart-broken.  He  was  their 
eldest  son;  lie  had  always  been  most  kind  and  affec 
tionate.  These  worthy  people  had  neither  land,  nor 
house,  nor  trade;  the  father  was  simply  a  farm 
laborer;  his  wife  had  never  learned  anything  but 
house- work.  The  younger  boy,  now  of  an  age  to 
support  himself  and  assist  the  family,  was  soon  to  be 
hired  out  as  a  servant.  The  future  looked  very 
gloomy.  However,  he  had  not  lost  his  reason.  Jean 
could  communicate  with  his  parents  by  signs  and  by 
deep  breaths,  by  which  he  attracted  their  attention. 
But  his  dumbness  afflicted  his  parents  very  much, 
made  the  care  of  him  still  more  difficult,  and  ren 
dered  heavier  a  charge  already  so  burdensome.  The 
Bick  boy  often  suffered  from  acute  pains  in  his 
stomach.  When  they  became  very  great,  he  felt 
them  go  up  through  his  body  even  to  his  head.  The 
pain  in  his  head  made  him  forget  everything  else. 
It  was  then  pitiful  to  see  him.  His  loud  and  painful 
breathing,  the  only  complaint  possible  for  him  to 
make,  grieved  the  hearts  of  his  parents.  Not  know 
ing  what  to  do  to  relieve  his  pain,  he  struck  his 
forehead  with  his  clenched  fists.  If  the  attack  lasted 
long  he  would  put  his  hand  on  hi*  breast  with  signs 
of  distress,  and  point  towards  his  bed.  They  would 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  171 

immediately  take  him  and  lay  him  on  it.  He  would 
remain  motionless,  with  closed  eyes,  breathing  husk 
ily,  his  mouth  half  open,  for  ten  or  twelve  minutes; 
then,  coming  to  himself,  he  would  point  to  the  arm 
chair,  where  they  would  place  him  once  more.  This 
happened  once  or  twice  every  day. 

From  the  manner  of  the  physician  who  visited 
him,  the  parents  were  persuaded  that  he  knew  noth 
ing  about  this  strange  and  terrible  disease,  and  that 
he  had  not  the  slightest  hope  of  saving  the  boy. 
The  mother  had  prepared  the  shroud  for  his  burial 
which  every  one  thought  was  near.  This  species  of 
agony  lasted  for  more  than  two  months. 

Towards  the  end  of  June  the  boy  often  called 
them  by  his  loud  breathing  and  began  to  make  very 
animated  gestures  which  puzzled  his  parents.  He 
made  a  sign  for  something  far  off,  which  they  could 
not  guess  then,  he  made  movements  with  his  arma 
as  if  sprinkling  water,  showed  the  action  of  drink 
ing,  joined  his  hands  as  if  praying  fervently,  and, 
jwith  extraordinary  vivacity,  he  pointed  to  his  legs, 
initating  the  movement  of  walking,  then  moved  his 
lips  as  if  in  speaking.  During  this  pantomime,  he 
showed  an  inexplicable  joy.  His  parents,  who  in 
terpreted  his  wants  and  his  thoughts  every  day, 
were  bewildered  by  these  impotent  manifestations 
of  ideas  unknown  to  them.  When,  after  having  at 
tentively  followed  his  movements,  they  said  to  him' 


If 2  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

"  I  do  not  understand,"  the  boy  was  grieved  and 
geemed  completely  discouraged.  The  father  and 
mother  often  asked  themselves  what  it  could  be  that 
the  dear  child  wanted. 

One  day,  after  a  renewal  of  this  painful  scene,  one 
of  them  suddenly  thought  of  saying  to  him:  "Per 
haps  you  want  to  go  to  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes."  An 
intense  joy  brightened  the  boy's  face.  He  had  at 
last  succeeded  in  making  himself  understood.  He 
nodded  his  head  several  times,  smiled,  and  gave  vent 
to  his  joy  by  breathing  loud  and  hard,  "  What  do 
you  want  to  do  at  Lourdes?"  He  answered  by 
eigns:  " Wash  myself,  drink  and  pray."  "Why?" 
His  gestures  replied:  "I  will  be  able  to  walk,  and 

to  speak If  I  do  not  go  I  shall  not  be  cured.'* 

It  must  be  observed  that  the  name  of  Our  Lady  of 
Lourdes  was  well  known  in  these  religious  countries, 
and  that  before  the  child's  sickness  he  had  heard  of 
the  cures  performed  by  the  water  from  the  grotto. 

Ever  since  he  had  been  understood,  poor  Jean  re 
peated  his  wish  to  make  a  pilgrimage,  every  day  and 
several  times  a  day.  The  thought  occurred  to  them 
to  ask  him  this  question:  "  Who  told  you  to  go  to 
Lourdes  to  be  cured  ?"  The  boy  without  hesitation 
pointed  to  heaven.  "Was  it  the  Blessed  Virgin 
who  told  you  ?"  He  made  a  sign  of  assent.  Since 
his  illness  no  one  had  spoken  to  him  of  Our  Lady  of 
Lourdes.  It  was  an  entirely  supernatural  inspira- 


The    Wonders  of  Lourdes.  1*3 

lion;  the  more  remarkable  that  the  boy  had  but 
moderate  intelligence. 

They  promised  to  take  him  to  Lourdes,  without 
any  very  fixed  intention  of  doing  so.  Faith  had  not 
yet  come  into  the  souls  of  nis  parents.  But  the  boy 
insisted  more  and  more  every  day;  his  looks  of  en 
treaty  became  more  touching,  and  sometimes  his 
gestures  were  eager  and  even  impatient.  His  father 
then  reflected  on  a  hope  which  he  considered  child 
ish.  Pie  said  to  himself:  The  child  has  always  been 
good;  he  has  kept  himself  innocent;  the  Blessed 
Virgin  will  hear  him.  And  the  journey  to  Lourdes 
was  decided  upon  in  his  heart.  He  mentioned  the 
day  to  his  son,  who  testified  the  greatest  joy,  and 
confidence  in  his  cure,  and  after  that  very  moment 
said  by  signs:  "We  will  go  ....  and  I  shall  be 
cured! 

But  when  the  appointed  day  arrived,  the  father 
said  it  was  impossible  to  go.  The  poor  boy,  vexed 
and  disappointed,  fell  off  his  chair.  He  was  thus 
disappointed  several  times,  and  the  same  accident 
always  occurred, 

At  length  the  journey  was  fixed  for  Saturday 
July  18,  and  a  carriage  was  hired.  Jean  could  not 
contain  himself  for  joy  on  learning  that  his  pilgrim 
age  was  certain.  He  could  not  sleep  all  Friday 
night.  Several  times  he  woke  his  father  by  his  loud 
breathing,  and  he  could  hardly  be  kept  in  bed  till 


174  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

morning.     When  he  was  settled  on  his  little  ehah 
in  tlie  carnage,  his  joy  was  excessive. 

The  carriage  Was  approaching  Lourdes,  when,  not 
a  voice,  but  an  articulate  breath  said:  "  Papa!  Papa! 
.  .  .  ."  The  father  looked  at  Jean.  "  Papa,"  re 
peated  the  child,  "I  am  going  to  be  cured!  .  .  .  ." 
And  he  put  his  tongue  out  between  his  lips.  The 
father  trembled  and  felt  himself  filled  with  hope. 
He  thanked  GOD  for  this  first  favor.  The  child  had 
no  more  power  of  motion  than  the  evening  before; 
his  throat  gave  no  sound,  but  his  breathing  was  ar 
ticulate;  he  moved  his  tongue,  and  he  appeared  de 
lighted.  From  that  moment  he  prayed,  pronounc 
ing  his  Avords,  and  clasping  his  hands  fervently. 
From  time  to  time  he  interrupted  himself  to  say, 
always  in  the  same  manner:  "Papa,  I  am  going  to 

be  cured The  Blessed  Virgin  is  going  to 

cure  me I  shall  walk;  I  shall  talk."     Each 

word  increased  the  father's  confidence. 

At  length  they  arrived  at  Lourdes.  The  poor 
little  cripple  was  carried  in  his  chair  by  his  father 
and  the  driver.  Many  persons  saw  the  sorrowful 
sight.  The  chair  once  placed  before  the  grotto,  the 
two  men  knelt  down,  and  all  three  prayed  fervently, 
The  child  murmured  Our  Father  and  Hail  Mary. 
The  poor  father's  heart  cried  out  to  the  merciful 
Virgin.  The  boy  was  carried  on  his  chair  into  one 
&f  the  little  rooms  belonging  to  the  miraculous  foun- 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  175 

tain.  The  two  men  undressed  him,  and  his  father 
took  him  in  his  arms,  more  helpless  than  a  new  born 
child,  infirm  and  bending  every  way.  Ho  plunged 
him  into  the  water,  and  held  him  sitting  up.  The 
child  prayed,  the  father  prayed,  full  of  anxiety  and 
of  hope.  Whilst  he  prayed,  he  poured  water  on 
Jean's  head.  A  few  minutes  after,  a  word  came 
forth  clear  and  distinct:  "Papa!  .  .  .  ."  At  this 
voice,  which  he  had  not  heard  for  two  months,  the 
poor  father  was  overpowered  with  joy.  At  first  he 
could  only  utter  a  stifled  cry:  "O  my  GOD!" 
"  Papa,"  said  the  voice,  "  you  can  take  me  out :  I  am 
cured." 

The  child  had  felt  life  returning  to  his  limbs  ;  they 
became  firm  ;  he  tried  them  on  the  bottom  of  the 
basin  ;  the  rest  of  his  body  at  the  same  time  grew 
strong  ;  he  spoke  unconsciously,  by  instinct.  He 
arose,  carried  up  by  the  water  ;  he  stood  on  his  feet. 
Two  great  tears  fell  from  the  father's  eyes  into  that 
water  which  had  entirely  restored  his  son.  Jean  sat 
on  the  edge  of  the  basin. 

"My  heart  was  full,"  said  his  father  ;  "tears  pre 
vented  me  from  seeing  my  son."  He  took  him  by 
the  hand,  and  the  child  for  the  first  time  in  three 
months  was  there  before  him  standing  by  himself, 
speaking  and  smiling.  The  boy  dressed  and  put  on 
bis  oboes  himself.  The  driver,  who  had  gone  out  a 


176  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

short  time  before,  now  came  in:    "My  Gor>!" 
he;  "oh,  this  is  a  miracle!" 

They  all  went  to  kneel  before  the  holy  grotto; 
and  soon  the  boy,  without  any  assistance,  climbed 
the  rock,  and  reached  the  house  of  the  Missionaries. 

When  the  Missionary  who  collected  these  touch 
ing  details  said  to  the  father;  "You  are  veryfortu- 
uate,"  the  latter  could  only  answer  by  an  inarticu 
late  sound;  his  speech  and  his  sight  were  for  a 
moment  lost  in  tears.  Emotion  choked  his  voice  at 
every  instant  as  he  related  the  illness  and  cure  of 
his  son.  He  could  not  express  his  gratitude  towards 
her  who  had  saved  him  from  mourning  and  misery. 

The  child  seemed  as  if  just  awakened  from  a 
troubled  sleep.  He  returned  to  the  village  on  foot 
without  any  help.  The  motion  of  his  legs,  which 
were  extremely  thin,  was  slow  and  unsteady.  Next 
day,  at  half-past  five  o'clock,  he  again  made  the  jour 
ney  from  the  town  to  the  grotto.  He  went  to  Con 
fession  and  Communion.  He  was  happy  and  smil 
ing. 

Seeing  a  workman  bring  to  the  Missionary  a  hand 
some  donation  for  the  building  of  the  chapel,  Jean's 
father  looked  with  holy  envy  at  the  pieces  of  gold 
which  glittered  on  the  table:  "  Ah,"  said  he,  "they, 
are  happy  who  can  give!  I  would  also  like  to  give 
Bomething  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  ....  but  I,  a 
poor  laborer,  have  nothing." 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  177 

As  on  the  evening  before,  Jean  returned  to  Lour- 
des  without  any  assistance  The  pilgrims  got  into 
their  carriage,  and,  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  the)7 
arrived  at  the  door  of  their  house.  At  the  sound  of 
the  carriage,  the  mother,  who  was  waiting  impatient 
ly,  lit  a  candle  and  came  to  receive  the  travelers. 
Jean  got  out  with  but  little  help.  The  mother  on 
coming  out  found  him  before  her.  At  sight  of  her 
child  standing  erect  she  stopped.  "  Mamma,  I  am 
cured!"  said  Jean.  The  poor  woman  was  ready  to 
faint.  This  dangerous  emotion  passed;  she  looked 
silently  at  her  son;  she  could  not  believe  her  eyes. 
It  was  indeed  he,  but  coming  from  the  arms  of  his 
other  mother,  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

At  the  noise  of  the  carriage,  and  the  voice  of  the 
mother,  wfcoso  first  words  were  exclamations  of  joy, 
several  neighbors  got  up  and  came  to  share  in  their 
gladness.  Neither  could  they  believe  that  the  boy 
who  was  walking,  speaking,  laughing  before  them, 
was  the  same  who  had  started  a  few  evenings  before 
paralyzed  and  dumb,  doomed  to  certain  death.  In 
a  few  days  the  whole  neighborhood  knew  of  the  cure 
of  the  boy  from  Gouze,  and  blessed  Our  Lady  of 
Lourdes. 

About  two  months  after,  Jean  returned  tc  the 
grotto.  He  had  already  made  long  journeys,  and 
had  begun  to  work  a  little.  His  gayety,  his  good 
health,  his  happiness  delighted  his  father 


178  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

Jean  loves  the  Blessed  Virgin  very  mucl-  A 
akes  to  pray  to  her.  He  sometimes  leaves  hif  a,ls 
and  disappears.  His  father  seeks  him,  and  is1  jr.iied 
to  find  him  in  a  corner,  kneeling  in  praye  The' 
gentle  and  powerful  hand  which  cured  the  \  Ay  had 
left  its  imprint  on  that  innocent  soul. 

Let  us  not  be  astonished  at  seeing  thes<  miracu 
lous  favors  granted  almost  exclusively  to  tl  e  humble 
of  this  world,  to  children,  and  to  the  poor  it  is  the 
equitable  order  of  a  kind  Providence.  The  rich 
have  doctors  and  apothecaries;  they  can  go  to 
Cauterets,  Bareges,  Luchon,  Eaux-Bonnes,  and  to 
all  the  watering  places;  the  poor  and  the  humble 
have  only  the  good  GOD  and  the  Blessed  Virgin  and 
miracles.  As  for  mothers  and  young  virgins,  it  is 
easily  conceived  why  the  Blessed  Virgin  loves  to 
treat  them  as  privileged  ones,  even  when  they  are 
rich. 


XXXIII. 

CUBE  OF  THE  MOTHER   OP  A  FAMILY  AFFLICTED  WITH 
CANCER  IN  THE  TONGUE. 

% 

ON  the  3rd  of  November,  1869,  there  was  before 
the  grotto  of  the  Apparition,  a  group  of  pilgrims 
who  were  fervently  asking  of  the  Immaculate  Vir- 


The   Wonders  of  LvurJes.  179 

gin  the  cure  of  a  young  mother  whose  recovery  was 
almost  despaired  of,  and  whose  loss  would  have  been 
the  ruin  of  a  whole  family.  Two  priests  had  joined 
this  pious  pilgrimage,  and  were  praying  fervently, 
kneeling  amongst  their  friends. 

The  life  of  Marie  Lassabe,  of  Montfaucon  (Hautes 
Pyrenees),  was,  in  fact,  threatened  by  a  very  alarm 
ing  cancerous  sore.  She  was  still  young,  an  only 
daughter,  much  beloved  by  all  her  relatives,  and  the 
mother  of  a  fine  child. 

At  first,  Madame  Lassabe  had  felt  at1  the  bottom 
of  the  throat  an  odd  sensation,  like  the  cover  of  a 
grain  of  wheat,  whose  sharp  edge  was  pricking  the 
flesh.  She  sometimes  suffered  a  great  deal,  and 
could  not  eat  regularly.  Her  tongue  swelled,  be 
came  hard  and  painful,  especially  on  one  side,  and 
it  soon  assumed  the  alarming  color  which  denotes 
cancer.  She  could  not  stir  it  without  great  pain ; 
she  could  scarcely  speak,  and  had  great  difficulty  in 
eating;  on  the  3rd  of  November,  she  had  passed 
seventeen  days  without  having  swallowed  anything 
solid;  she  lived  on  soup,  broth,  and  other  nourish 
ment  of  that  kind.  Nothing  was  left  undone  to 
arrest  the  disease.  Physicians  were  called  in,  and 
prescribed  the  remedies  usual  in  such  cases.  But, 
in  spite  of  medicine,  her  condition  grew  worse. 

Her  tongue  was  so  enlarged,  and  so  pressing  was 
the  necessity  to  reach  all  parts  of  it  with  the  lini- 


l8o  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

inents,  that  they  thought  of  drawing  the  teeth  to 
free  the  tongue. 

Accompanied  by  her  physician,  Madame  Lassabe 
went  to  consult  the  doctors  of  Tarbes.  Some  of 
them  spoke  of  burning  the  tongue  if  the  ulcer  broke; 
others  prescribed  other  remedies.  But  all  were 
unanimous  in  declaring  the  disease  very  serious. 
They  could  not  entirely  conceal  their  opinion,  and 
the  poor  patient  saw  clearly  that  they  thought  her 
life  in  danger. 

Coming  from  these  visits,  Madame  Lassabe  went 
to  the  house  of  one  of  her  friends,  and  spoke. of  her 
disease  with  all  the  anxiety  excited  by  the  too  per 
ceptible  fears  of  the  doctors.  "Well,"  said  the  lady, 
taking  a  phial  from  a  cupboard,  "since  that  is  the 
case,  have  confidence  in  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes,  and 
drink  some  of  this  water;  it  comes  from  the  grotto." 
She  had  been  expressly  forbidden  to  swallow  any 
thing  cold.  She  took  the  water  courageously,  and 
soon  after  found  herself  a  little  relieved.  But  this 
was  only  a  little  encouragement  given  her  by  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  for,  two  days  after,  an  increase  of 
the  disease  gave  rise  to  new  anxiety. 

They  began  to  understand  that  human  means 
were  unavailing;  the  idea  of  going  to  seek  at  the 
grotto  of  Lourdes  a  cure  which  was  almost  unhoped 
for,  had  already  vaguely  occurred  to  Marie  Lassabe, 
and  the  pastor  of  Montfaucon.  Before  the  relapse, 


The  Wonders  of  Lourde*.  l8l 

it  had  become  a  settled  plan,  and  the  pilgrimage  was 
fixed  for  the  3rd  of  November.  The  evening  before, 
the  good  pastor  asked  one  of  the  doctors:  "Can  this 
disease  be  cured  suddenly  ?"  "  No,"  answered  he. 
"And  if  the  patient  be  suddenly  cured  to-morrow, 
what  will  you  say?"  "Ah!  I  will  say  that  the  cure 
does  not  oome  from  our  remedies." 

On  that  day,  the  2nd  of  November,  the  patient 
was  worse  than  ever.  Her  suffering  was  excruciat 
ing;  she  could  scarcely  take  a  little  liquid.  She 
longed  for  a  grape;  it  was  impossible  for  her  to  swal 
low  it. 

On  Wednesday,  at  the  moment  of  departure,  she 
was  just  the  same;  the  same  pain,  the  same  excessive 
weakness.  All  along  the  way,  Madame  Lassabe  waa 
obliged  to  keep  silent;  her  friends  avoided  speaking 
to  her,  to  spare  her  the  pain  which  eveiy  word  caused 
her.  When  she  said  a  word,  her  feeble  voice  could 
scarcely  be  heard. 

The  two  priests  who  came  to  aid  her  with  their 
prayers,  celebrated  Mass  in  the  crypt,  about  half- 
past  ten.  During  the  Holy  Sacrifice,  Marie  suffered 
more  terribly  than  ever.  It  seemed  to  her  as  if  her 
tongue  were  being  torn  out.  Full  of  faith  and  ener 
gy,  she  received  Holy  Communion;  but  with  extreme 
difficulty.  All  the  efforts  of  her  will  could  not  suc 
ceed  in  moving  her  tongue,  and  she  could  not  tell 
when  she  swallowed  the  Sacred  Host. 
16 


1 82  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

Since  the  commencement  of  her  illness,  her  limbs 
were  always  painful;  at  this  moment  they  could 
scarcely  sustain  her,  and  she  descended  to  the  grotto 
with  great  difficulty. 

There,  she  prayed  for  a  long  time  with  unbounded 
confidence.  She  had  said  previously:  "I  believe 
that  I  shall  be  cured."  Notwithstanding  the  re 
newal  of  her  sufferings,  notwithstanding  the  fatal 
nature  of  her  disease,  she  kept  this  same  firm 
hope. 

After  her  prayer,  she  rose  to  drink  a  glass  of  the 
miraculous  water.  This  took  much  time;  she  could 
only  swallow  a  very  small  mouthful  at  a  time,  and 
even  then,  suffering  real  torture.  She  knelt  down; 
her  companions  prayed  aloud.  The  poor  patient 
prayed  silently.  They  commenced  the  Litany  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin;  she  could  only  join  in  it  inwardly. 
In  the  middle  of  it,  a  quick  shiver  ran  through  her 
lira DS.  She  felt  her  tongue  loosened  and  relieved; 
she  felt  that  she  was  able  to  speak,  she  tried  .... 
softly  between  her  lips  she  answered  the  Litany: 
"  Pray  for  us!  Pray  for  us!  .  .  .  ."  Her  tongue 
worked  freely.  Agitated,  uncertain,  she  dared  not 
attempt  to  speak.  But  the  prayers  finished,  a  clear, 
firm  voice  uttered  these  words:  "Give  me  another 
glass  of  water;  I  want  to  drink  some  more."  It  was 
Madame  Lassabe's  voice.  Her  companions  looked 
at  her  in  astonishment;  they  gave  her  a  glass  of  the 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  183 

water,  which  she  swallowed  at  one  mouthful,  without 
the  slightest  difficulty. 

Their  first  surprise  became  intense  joy.  All  pain 
had  left  her  tongue,  head,  and  legs;  no  more  suffer 
ing  anywhere. 

All  of  them  were  fasting;  it  was  late.  Madame 
Lassabe  felt  an  unusual  desire  for  food.  The  provi 
sions  were  then  spread  out  on  the  grass,  and  the 
aquid  nourishment  prepared  for  her  was  offered  to 
,he  patient.  She  did  not  want  it;  she  took  some 
oread  and  eat  it.  She  took  tome  meat,  chewed  it 
*nd  swallowed  it,  without  the  least  pain,  and  she 
purposely  eat  on  the  side  of  her  mouth  which  had 
>een  most  affected.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
for  seventeen  days  her  stomach  had  not  received  any 
solid  nourishment,  and  that  the  evening  previous  it 
nad  been  impossible  for  her  to  swallow  the  pulp  of  a 
grape. 

In  the  meantime,  the  two  priests  returned  to  the 
grotto.  Her  father  went  to  meet  them.  "  Well  ?" 
said  the  pastor.  "  She  is  cured,"  answered  the 
father.  "Is  it  possible?  You  are  jesting;  you 
should  not  joke  here."  "I  tell  you  my  daughter  is 
cured;  she  has  eaten,  come  and  see  her."  The  good 
priest  advanced,  not  yet  venturing  to  believe.  The 
young  woman  received  him,  joyful  and  smHing;  she 
ppoke;  she  described  with  emotion  the  moment  oi 
her  cure,  and  laughingly  told  of  her  hearty  break 


1 84  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

fast.  "She  is  cured!"  exclaimed  the  priest,  with 
tears  of  joy  in  his  eyes;  "  she  is  cured!" 

Madame  Lassabe  went  to  kneel  before  the  grotto, 
to  thank  the  Blessed  Virgin.  A  moment  after  they 
all  heard  her  voice,  clear  and  ringing.  This  was 
something  inexplicable.  She  spoke  thus,  although 
her  tongue  had  remained  thick;  it  seemed  still  hard 
and  seamed.  They  could  not  understand  how,  with 
the  thickness  of  that  organ,  her  articulation  was  so 
rapid  and  so  clear. 

The  prayers  were  commenced  again  aloud;  they 
were  long  at  the  grotto,  and  still  longer  at  the  crypt; 
Marie  Lassabe  was  above  them  all,  and  it  was  her 
voice,  heard  alone,  that  the  other  voices  answered. 
Inspired  by  what  had  just  taken  place,  the  happy 
pilgrims  could  not  cease  blessing  the  Virgin,  and 
one  prayer  ended,  they  asked  for  another.  The 
chapel  seemed  to  keep  them  as  if  in  spite  of  them 
selves.  At  length  the  party  set  out.  Madame  Las 
sabe,  on  going  away,  left  her  earrings  as  an  ex  voto. 

The  pilgrims  returned  to  the  grotto,  the  first  time 
in  November,  and  then  in  December.  There  had 
not  been  the  least  return  of  the  terrible  disease,  nor 
the  slightest  failure  in  Madame  Lassabe's  health;  no 
more  suffering,  no  more  heaviness  nor  swelling  of 
the  tongue,  no  more  discoloration.  Besides,  since 
the  Litany  recited  at  the  grotto,  she  has  been  totally 
freed  from  a  violent  headache  which,  during  her  ill- 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  185 

ness,  had  not  left  her  a  moment's  peace.  Her  com 
plexion  and  her  whole  appearance  denoted  good 
health  and  a  vigorous  constitution. 


XXXIV. 

SUDDEN  CURE  OF  A  LITTLE  SCHOOL-GIRL  THREATENED 
WITH  LOSS  OF  SIGHT. 

ON  Sunday,  the  28th  of  November,  1869,  the  Sis 
ters  of  St.  Joseph,  established  in  Etoile  Street,  in 
Toulouse,  were  the  happy  witnesses  of  the  sudden 
cure  of  one  of  their  pupils,  after  a  Novena  to  Our 
Lady  of  Lourdes. 

About  a  year  before,  young  J.  E.  was  threatened 
with  blindness;  and  about  the  middle  of  the  month 
of  January,  she  was  obliged  to  interrupt  her  course 
of  studies.  Although  treated  successively  by  two 
skillful  oculists  of  Toulouse,  her  sight  had  not  at 
all  improved;  the  two  professional  men  had  declared 
that  she  need  not  expect  to  be  cured.  The  first 
assured  her  that  she  would  be  blind;  the  second  de 
clared  that,  the  ulcers  having  produced  as  it  were  a 
sort  of  burn  which  had  consumed  an  essential  part 
of  the  eye,  it  was  impossible  to  repair  the  harm  al 
ready  done.  All  they  could  hope  to  do  was  to  arrest 
•  Is  progress. 


1 86  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

In  the  month  of  October,  at  the  re-opening  of 
the  classes,  the  poor  child  asked  and  obtained  per 
mission  from  her  parents  to  resume  her  place  with 
her  elder  sister  at  the  boarding  school;  but  all  she 
could  do  was  to  listen  to  the  lessons,  and  to  scribble 
some  exercises  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  read. 
Discouraged  by  the  failure  of  the  remedies,  she  had, 
for  more  than  two  months,  given  up  all  sorts  of 
medical  treatment,  and  he  then  grew  worse  every 
clay. 

On  Saturday,  November  20th,  she  arrived  with  her 
sister  at  the  boarding  school  feeling  very  sad.  She 
had  declared  to  her  parents  that  she  could  no  longer 
see,  and  the  distress  of  the  family  was  at  its  height. 
The  two  sisters  wept;  and  their  companions,  as  well 
as  their  Mistresses,  were  deeply  touched;  a  Novena 
to  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  was  resolved  on  and  com 
menced  that  very  day,  and,  at  each  exercise,  the 
fervor  of  the  little  flock  seemed  to  be  redoubled, 
praying  to  Her  who  has  never  been  invoked  in 
vain. 

The  Novena  ended  on  Sunday,  the  28th.  The 
little  patient,  her  sister,  several  pupils  and  all  the 
Nuns  of  the  house,  received  Communion,  with  the 
design  of  doing  holy  violence  to  Heaven.  After  the 
Holy  Sacrifice,  one  of  the  Nuns  went  over  to  the 
poor  child  to  bathe  her  eyes  with  the  water  of 
Lourdes.  She  found  her  leaning  on  a  table,  weep- 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  187 

ing  and  trembling  in  every  limb.  "  I  see  !"  cried  the 
little  girl.  "After  Communion,  I  saw  a  strong 
light,  iiml  I  was  afraid;  I  see  that  light  still."  She 
wept  and  her  whole  frame  trembled  with  emotion. 

There  was  a  cry  of  joy  through  the  whole  house: 
her  sister,  her  teachers,  her  companions  wept  as  they 
embraced  and  congratulated  her. 

The  revered  pastor  of  the  parish,  who  had  shared 
his  little  parishioner's  sorrow,  hastened  to  take  part 
in  the  general  joy,  and  could  himself  testify  to  the 
truth  of  this  occurrence,  for  the  little  blind  girl  of 
the  evening  previous  read,  in  his  presence,  from  the 
books  purposely  chosen  with  very  fine  print. 

From  that  day,  the  happy  child  followed  her 
classes  with  her  astonished  companions.  She  studied 
her  lessons  holding  the  book  at  the  ordinary  dist 
ance  from  the  eye  and  without  any  fatigue.  A  No- 
vena  of  thanksgiving  was  commenced  to  the  Im 
maculate  Virgin  MAKY,  Health  of  the  Weak. 


XXXV. 

CURE  OP  A  SWITCH-TENDER,  RELATED    BY  HIMSELF. 

GUILLAUME  JAFFARD,  switch-tender  of  the  station 
of  Lespouey-Laslades,  on  the  Southern  railroad,  in 
thr  Hautes  Pyrenees,  was  so  fortunate  as  to  be 


1 88  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

miraculously  cured  by  the  Virgin  of  Lourdes  on  the 
23rd  of  April,  1869.  This  is  how  he  himself  related 
what  happened  to  the  missionary  at  Lourdes.  We 
<!o  not  in  anywise  change  the  style. 

"I  was  always  robust;  but  prolonged  labor  in 
bad  weather  brought  on,  about  seven  months  ago 
such  pain  as  soon  prevented  me  from  moving.  Th% 
doctor  said  it  was  chronic  rheumatism.  I  remained 
in  bed,  three  whole  months,  unable  to  stir.  When 
I  wished  to  move  my  leg,  I  called  my  wife  or  one  of 
my  little  children,  who  climbed  up  on  the  bed.  My 
sufferings  were  excruciating.  I  could  at  length  get 
up  and  move  around  with  crutches,  but  with  great 
difficulty  ;  I  dragged  myself  around  slipping  my 
feet  along  the  ground. 

"  My  situation  was  cruel.  We  lived  only  by  our 
labor,  and  so  many  days  lost.  My  wife  gained  ten 
francs  a  month  at  the  station;  we  had  three  very 
small  children.  One  day  they  asked  for  bread; 
there  was  none  «...  things  had  come  to  that 
with  us;  I  felt  worse  for  them  than  for  my  own 
sufferings.  Charity  came  to  our  aid.  The  priest 
'gave  me  broth,  and  from  time  to  time  soase  forty 
sous  pieces  which  were  always  acceptable;  the  cas 
tle  furnished  us  with  wood  for  the  Winter,  and  the 
station  master  gave  me  bread  for  a  long  time;  only 
for  that,  what  would  have  become  of  us  !  Ah  !  1 
suffered  !  .  .  .  . 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  189 

«I  went  out  a  little  about  three  months  ago.  A 
friend,  who  read  the  Annals,  told  me  of  Our  Lady 
of  Lourdes,  and  of  an  old  soldier  who  was  cured  by 
bathing  in  the  water  of  the  grotto.  My  barber  told 
me  that  his  sister,  a  teacher,  had  been  cured  of  some- 
disease  of  the  eyes,  at  the  grotto.  My  comrades  on 
the  road  said  to  me:  'Jaffard,  there  is  a  Supreme 
Being;  you  are  unfortunate;  you  must  pray  and  go 
to  Lourdes.  If  you  have  not  confidence,  do  not  go. 
But  God  can  do  everything;  have  confidence,  and 

then  go.' 

"Before  this,  I  did  not  think  of  GOD;  I  did  not 
pray.  But  when  misfortune  comes  upon  one,  he 
begins  to  remember.  All  this  made  me  reflect.  I 
had  hope,  and  I  began  to  pray  to  God,  and  we  made 
our  little  children  pray.  Sometimes  I  got  discour 
aged.  'It  is  not  possible,'  thought  I;  'you  will 
never  be  cured;  you  are  condemned  to  misfortune.' 
But  the  good  thought  came  up  again,  and  I  said  to 
myself:  'We  know  that  there  is  a  Supreme  Being; 
let  us  have  confidence.'  I  determined  to  start; 
something  told  me:  'You  will  be  cured.' 

"For  two  or  three  days  before,  I  did  nothing  but 
say  'Hail  Mary's.  At  last  I  set  out. '  Every  one 
pitied  me  on  the  way  to  Lourdes.  I  had  been  giyen 
a  little  money— a  carriage  took  me  to  the  grotto. 

"I  prayed.  I  thought,  'The  little  girl  who  saw 
the  Blessed  Virgin  was  very  happy;  that  will  not 


190  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

happen  to  me;  I  am  not  worthy  of  it  !'  I  wantod 
to  put  my  poor  feet  into  the  water  of  the  grotto.  A 
man  helped  me — I  was  not  able  to  take  off  my 
shoes.  He  held  me  while  I  plunged  into  the 
fountain.  Oh  !  how  I  prayed  then  !  I  thought  I 
would  leave  my  crutches  there.  I  felt,  it  may  be,  a 
slight  relief  but  almost  nothing.  That  did  not  dis 
courage  me.  I  said:  'Well;  I  will  come  again.' 
On  seeing  me  return  with  my  crutches,  my  wife  was 
sad. 

"I  had  brought  a  bottle  of  the  water  from 
Lourdes.  Befoie  going  to  bed  we  put  some  in  a 
vessel,  and  my  wife  bathed  my  feet  with  it.  You 
may  believe  that  I  prayed.  When  this  was  done,  I 
tried  to  rise.  I  stood  up.  Then  I  began  to  walk: 
I  could  walk  easily.  I  exclaimed:  'Wife,  I  am 
cured  !'  My  poor  wife  stood  there  amazed,  looking  at 
me.  At  last  she  said:  'Ah  !  poor  Blessed  Virgin  ! 
there  are  some  who  will  not  believe  in  her.  Oh 
Bhe  is  good  ! '  And  she  began  to  cry  with  joy. 

"Then,  I  was  so  happy  that  I  said  to  her:  '  I  must 
go  to  our  neighbors.'  'But  you  will  fall?'  'No;  I 
can  walk  as  well  as  you.'  I  carried  my  road-lantern 
and  we  set  out.  My  wife  said  to  me:  'Do  you  wish 
us -to  leave  the  children?'  'The  Blessed  Virgin 
will  take  care  of  them  ! '  We  arrived  at  our  neigh 
bors,  200  metres  from  our  house,  on  a  bad  road. 
They  got  up.  Judge  «f  their  surprise  !  You  should 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  i^l 

sec  them  !  !  Th«y  were  very  good,  religious  peo 
ple.  I  made  them  all  drink  a  little  of  the  water 
which  I  had  brought.  The  next  day  I  reached  the 
station  of  Lespouey  without  a  stick;  I  had  walked 
a  good  distance.  On  seeing  me,  the  wife  of  the 
htation  master  cried  out:  'Is  it  possible?  Here  is 
Jaflard;  he  is  walking  !  Oh  !  this  is  a  great  mira 
cle  ! '  Every  one  was  astonished.  I  went  along  the 
road.  My  comrades  stared  at  me,  they  could  not 
believe  that  it  was  I  ;  they  said  to  me  :  *  You  did 
well  to  go  to  Lourdes,  Jaffard;  they  may  say  what 
they  like,  there  is  a  Supreme  Being.  Confidence  is 
everything.  You  had  confidence  in  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  and  here  is  a  miracle.'  '  I  promised  to  come 
and  bring  my  crutches;  I  have  come  now.' 

"  My  comrades,  all  along  the  road,  congratulated 
me.  At  Lourdes,  when  they  saw  me  with  my 
crutches  in  my  hand,  they  said:  'There  is  Jaffard 
carrying  his  crutches  to  the  grotto.'  Not  one  said 
anything  against  it.  The  first  time  I  had  been  told 
that  I  would  do  better  to  go  to  the  hospital  of  Va- 
ence  d'Agen,  near  my  place,  I  did  not  even  listen; 
I  walked  from  the  town,  carrying  my  crutches  in 
my  hand. 

"I  suffer  a  little  yet;  I  am  not  very  active,  but  I 
hope  soon  to  be.  My  feet  were  enormous — the 
swelling  is  now  gone  from  them.  J  could  not  bend 
my  back  at  all;  I  was  as  stiff  as  a  piece  of  wood 


192  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

It  is  only  a  little  while  since  I  bathed  in  the  fountain, 
and  now  I  can  bend  to  the  ground.  Oh  !  the 
Blessed  Virgin  has  enabled  me  to  earn  a  living  and 
to  feed  these  little  children.  Now  I  am  always 
praying,  and  my  wife  and  I,  I  warrant  you,  need 
not  be  told  to  do  our  duty  as  good  Christians.  Oh  ! 
I  will  be  entirely  cured,  and  every  year  I  will  come 
back  here." 


XXXVI. 

INSTANTANEOUS    CURE    OF    A   CONSUMPTIVE    PEASANT 
GIRL. 

SOME  days  after  having  cured  the  worthy  switch- 
tender  as  we  have  just  heard,  the  Blessed  Virgin 
restored  life  to  a  young  peasant  of  Julos  (Hautes- 
Pyrenees),  named  Madeleine  Latapie.  This  good 
and  pious  young  girl  seemed  to  have  all  that  was 
requisite  to  charm  the  Immaculate  Virgin  and  to 
obtain  a  miracle. 

About  the  end  of  the  year  1866,  Madeleine  La 
tapie,  then  about  fifteen  years  old,  was  in  such  a 
state  of  weakness  and  of  suffering,  that  she  was 
thought  to  be  incurable.  She  was  consumptive. 
But  with  the  weight  of  suffering,  pale  and  languid, 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  193 

«he  could  still,  for  some  months,  drag  herself  slowly 
to  the  church.     It  was  two   minutes,  walk  from  her 
house.     It  took  her  half  an  hour  to  make  the  jour 
ney.     Soon  she  had  to  be  carried  to  the  church.    At. 
length,  her   strength  became  unequal  to  her  zeal  fo^ 
the  good  GOD,  a«d  her  love  for  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
She  was  obliged  to  keep  her  bed, from  which,  as  was- 
said  by  her  parents,  friends  and  by  the  doctors,  she 
was  never  to  rise.     This  was  towards  the  end  of 
June,  186  7. 

«  During  her  illness,  which  lasted  till  September," 
wrote  her 'confessor,  "I  brought  her  holy  Commu 
nion,  every  Sunday.  Then  more  than  ever,  she 
edified  all  who  accompanied  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
and  came  to  pray  at  her  bedside.  '  I  would  like 
to  die,"  said  she  to  me  once,  '  because  I  am  a  burden 
to  every  one.' 

"  She  remained  without  food,  for  her  poor  stomach 
could  retain  nothing,  for  four  months  between  life 
and  death.  A  strange  doctor  was  asked  by  Made 
leine's  father  to  come  and  see  the  poor  patient.  He 
came,  and  agreed  with  the  doctor  of  the  place,  as  to 
the  extent  of  her  disease.  'That  girl  has  not  four 
days  to  live,'  said  he  as  he  went  out.  The  next  .1  : ;.' 
Madeleine  received  the  last  Sacraments." 

"  Poor  child  1"  said  her  father  :  "  poor  child !  to 
die  so  young  !r  But  GOD,  who  mocks  at  the  science 
of  men,  had  other  designs  on  that  child. 


194  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

Madeleine  herself  thought  that  she  was  going  t6 

appear  before  her  GOD.     Her  confession  gave  her 

profound  peace.     Grace  filled  her  soul  with  the  sole 

I  desire  to  love  JESUS  CHRIS-T  forever.     She   was  six- 

fteen  years  old;  the  thought  of  the  world  frightened 

her.     Fearing  to  sin  if  she  came  back  to   life,  she 

asked  to  die,  and  promised  the  Blessed  Virgin  to  be 

a  Religious  if  she  recovered. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1868,  she  had  herself  taken 
to  the  grotto  of  Lourdes;  but  there  was  no  relief 
granted  her,  and  the  poor  young  girl  continued  to 
drag  on  her  "dying  life"  in  sufferings,  sustained 
only  by  the  consolations  of  piety. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  year  1869,  a  myste 
rious  dream  rejoiced  her  soul  and  gave  her  some  en 
eouragement  in  her  excessive  weakness.  A  person 
well  known  to  her,  said  to  her:  "  Go  to  the  grotto; 
you  will  be  cured. "  The  sound  of  this  voice  pene 
trated  her  whole  being,  and  a  feeling  of  profound 
joy  made  her  say,  while  still  asleep:  "I  will  be 
cured." 

She  woke  np,  and  all  her  sufferings  with  her;  the 
weakness  of  her  chest,  the  difficulty  of  breathing,  the 
feebleness  of  the  limbs.  Bat  the  impression  of  the 
promise  remained,  very  sensible  and  very  sweet. 
The  remembrance  of  the  dream  and  the  words-  "  Go 
to  the  grotto,  you  will  be  cured,'*  came  back  to  her 
memory  incessantly,  and  left  a  singular  hope  in  her 


T1i€   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  19$ 

heart.     However  it  was  only  a  dream.     But  do  not 
dreams  sometimes  come  from  GOD? 

Some  days  after  the  sick  girl  timidly  asked  hei 
parents  to  allow  her  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  Txmr 
des.     They   promised   vaguely,  some  day    when    u^ 
favorable  opportunity  would  offer.     While  waiting,' 
her  desire   increased  ami    became  owe  of   those  im 
patient  wants  so  usual  in  consumptive*. 

Madeleine  had  one  dear  and  devoted  friend,  the 
teacher  of  the  village,  her  former  mistress,  to 
whom  she  owed  her  habits  of  piety.  It  was  she 
who  was  to  be  tlve  companion  of  her  pilgrimage. 
After  having  postponed  it  from  week  to  week,  it 
was  definitely  fixed  for  the  20th  of  April. 

The  poor  consumptive  was  placed  on  a  mule, 
whilst  her  teacher  followed  on  foot  with  another 
friend,  named  Pauline.  Madeleine  was  full  of  joy; 
the  voice  of  her  dream  whose  echo  was  still  in  her 
heart,  left  her  scarcely  any  doubt  of  her  cure.  But 
goon  even  the  quiet  pacing  of  the  mule  fatigued  her. 
The  journey  lasted  an  hour  and  a  half  at  most.  Ar 
rived  at  Lourdes,  her  strength  gave  out,  and  she  had 
to  go  through  the  streets  very  slowly.  She  got. 
down  at  the  gate  of  the  town,  and  tried  to  go  ui*I 
the  road  to  the  rock.  Leaning  on  her  friend's  arm, 
panting  and  suffering  from  the  pain  of  her  chest, 
she  took  almost  an  hour  to  walk  a  distance  of  ten 
minutes.  Her  extreme  fatigue  could  note-flare  fr»m 


196  The    Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

her  soul  a  feeling  of  happiness  and  of  hope,  at  the 
sight  of  the  walls  of  the  chapel. 

The  first  visit  was  to  the  crypt.  In  an  hour's  rest 
completely  absorbed  in  prayer,  Madeleine  deeply  felt 
that  weariness  of  the  world  and  the  desire  to  leave 
it,  renewing  her  vow  of  a  religious  life,  and  asking  her 
cure,  on  condition  that  it  might  contribute  to  the 
salvation  of  her  soul. 

It  so  happened  that  she  was  obliged  to  go  down 
to  the  grotto  alone.  But  notwithstanding  that  she 
went  slowly,  she  reached  it  worn  out,  and  knelt 
down.  In  her  first  glance  towards  the  statue  of  the 
Virgin,  a  most  sweet  emotion  stirred  her  heart  and 
drew  tears  from  her  eyes.  She  prayed  for  a  long 
time  and  offering  herself  once  more  to  MARY  Im 
maculate  as  a  religious.  The  want  of  food  forced 
the  three  companions  away  from  the  grotto;  and 
without  having  yet  drank  at  the  fountain,  they  went 
to  take  their  meal  on  a  stone  bench,  in  the  grass. 

It  was  almost  noon  when  they  returned  to  the 
grotto.  Madeleine  prayed  again,  but  not  so  long  as 
before,  and  then  went  to  the  fountain.  During  these 
few  painful  steps  which  she  took,  bent  down  by  her 
weakness  and  the  oppression  on  her  chest,  she  said  to 
herself,  almost  without  thinking:  "It  is  now!" 

She  drank  two  glasses  of  the  miraculous  water, 
with  an  indescribable  tranquillity.  She  felt  no  strong 
emotion,  nor  shock  of  any  kind  in  her  being.  Only 


7 lie    \Vondcrs  of  Lourdes.  197 

she  felt  herself  immediately  refreshed.  This  sud 
den  relief  surprised  her.  She  however  said  noth 
ing  and  knelt  again  to  continue  to  pray  with  her 
companions. 

About  two  o'clock,  rain  drove  them  from  the 
grotto.  The  teacher  said  to  Madeleine:  "  Go  first; 
I  will  join  you  in  a  few  minutes."  The  sick  girl 
obeyed.  ~A  moment  after,  she  returned.  "  But  .  . 
...  I  am  cured!  ....  I  can  walk!  ....  You 
can  not  keep  up  with  me."  The  noise  of  the  wind 
and  rain  prevented  the  teacher  from  hearing  these 
words;  but  she  saw  Madeleine  smile,  and  saw  her 
return  quickly  and  then  go  on  at  a  light  gait. 
Anxiously  she  asked  herself:  "Do  I  behold  a  mira 
cle  ?" 

Madeleine  went  up  quickly.  She  was,  as  it  were, 
bewildered  and  could  not  fix  her  thoughts;  she  did 
Dot  know  herself.  No  pain,  no  fatigue,  her  chest 
expanded,  her  breathing  easy,  she  felt  entirely  and 
thoroughly  well,  her  heart  overflowing  with  unknown 
joy!  And  she  went  up.  At  length,  she  felt,  as  it 
were,  a  great  shock  in  her  soul;  she  burst  into  tears. 
"O  my  Mother,  you  have  cured  me!"  cried  she; 
arid  quickening  her  pace,  she  went  to  thank  the 
Blessed  Virgin. 

Hi  r  two  companions  had  stayed  behind.  Arriv 
ing  at  the  crypt,  they  found  their  sick  friend  kneel- 
ir.'g  and  they  let.  her  pray,  Madeleine  was  weeping. 


198  TJie    Wonders  of  Lonrdcs. 

The  agitation  of  sudden  immense  happiness  and.  the 
love  of  the   Blessed  Virgin  had  melted  her  heart. 
She  could  not  utter  a  word ;  but  her  soul  blessed  Our 
Lady  of  Lourdes,  and  she  gave  herself  once  more  t« 
her  heavenly  Mother  by  the  vow  of  a  religious 
which  she  knew  now  was  fully  accepted.      Tb 
happy  Madeleine  wept  long. 

The  teacher  at  length  rose  and  said  to  her  friend  : 
"I  sent  Pauline  to  get  the  mule." 

"Oh!  no,"  quickly  answered  Madeleine,  "I  do 
not  need  it.  Pauline  will  ride  on  it." 

The  teacher  made  a  gesture  which  seemed  to 
say  :  "Let  us  go,  foolish  child  !"  They  soon  went 
out.  The  teacher  took  the  young  girl's  arm  ;  they 
went  down  the  path  by  the  missionaries'  house, 
and  sat  down  011  the  wall  by  the  roadside.  After 
a  moment,  Madeleine  said  with  emotion  :  "  I  must 
tell  you,  mademoiselle,  I  am  cured — really  cured. 
1  feel  no  more  pain.  I  can  walk  to  the  village. 
The  Blessed  Virgin  has  restored  life  to  me  ! "  And 
she  threw  herself  into  her  friend's  arms. 

After  kisses,  tears,  and 'smiles  of  gladness,  thoj 
journeyed  quickly  towards  Lourdes.  The  teachc. 
was  overcome  ;  the  former  consumptive  did  thing: ' 
which  a  few  hours  before  would  have  been  impot 
sible  ;  she  knew  she  was  cured,  and  yet  she  doubted. 
Madeleine's  companions  forced  her  to  ride  through 
the  city  on  the  mule ;  but  on  the  way  she  leaped  to 


T/ie   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  199 

the  ground,  and  began  to  walk  at  a  rapid  pace.  The 
teacher,  fully  persuaded,  like  all  the  village,  that  the 
/oung  consumptive's  death  was  near,  and  familiar 
with  tint  thought  from  the  time  they  left  the 
chapel,  struggled  against  the  evidence  of  her  cure. 
Sho  saw  her  with,  her  own  eyes,  touched  her  with 
her  own  hands,  and  could  not  believe  either  her 
friend  or  herself.  But  at  this  sight  she  could  hold 
out  no  longer.  "  0  Madeleine  ! "  cried  she,  "  Ma 
deleine  !  truly  the  Blessed  Virgin  has  cured  you  ! " 

Madeleine  arrived  at  Julos  on  foot.  The  next 
day  she  went  to  the  fields,  and,  for  the  first  time  in 
her  life,  she  bent  down  to  the  ground  to  work  with 
her  parents.  There  was  general  joy  and  admiration 
in  the  village. 

Since  then  there  has  not  been  the  slightest  op 
pression  nor  the  least  touch  of  pain  in  Madeleine's 
chest. 

A  few  weeks  after  her  cure,  she  went  again  on 
foot  with  the  teacher  to  make  a  pilgrimage  of 
thanksgiving,  where,  full  of  joy,  she  ran  down  a 
hill. 

"  Madeleine  is  eighteen  years  old,"  said  a  missionary 
vho  saw  her  then.  "  She  is  tall  and  fully  developed. 
The  natural  color  in  her  face  shows  good  health. 
She  can  run  without  getting  out  of  breath  any  more 
than  any  other.  As  a  child,  she  could  work  but 
very  little;  now  she  does,  without  any  incoD- 


2OO  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

venience,  the  whole  indoor  work  of  a  numerous 
family  of  peasants.  Hor  friond  accompanied  her 
in  seven  or  eight  journeys  to  the  rock  of  Massabielle, 
made  on  foot  without  fatigue.  Sho  thought  she 

O  O 

could  never  sufficiently  thank  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes. 
And  how  recollected  and  fervent  were  her  prayers 
in  the  grotto,  and  how  the  pure  and  happy  child 
seemed  to  love  that  Madonna  who  had  given  her 
back  her  life  !  " 

Here  is  the  statement  of  the  physician  who  fol 
lowed  all  the  phases  of  the  disease  : 

"I,  the  undersigned,  declare  that  Madeleine 
Latapie,  of  the  village  of  Julos,  aged  eighteen,  was 
afflicted  with  consumption  for  four  years,  and  was 
in  such  a  state  of  prostration  that  all  the  resources 
of  medicine  were  powerless  to  arrest  the  progress  of 
the  disease,  as  several  other  physicians  have  agreed 
with  me  in  declaring. 

"  Without  knowing  from  what  cause,  I  see  her 
suddenly  cured.  I  declare  that  this  cure  excites  my 
astonishment  in  the  highest  degree,  as  well  as  that 
of  the  whole  community.  0.  LABBE/' 

"  ADE,  May  19,  1860  " 

Truly,  there  was  something  astonishing  in  this, 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  2QI 


XXXVII. 

TOUCH  ING  CURES  OF  CHILDREN  RECENTLY  EFFECTED 
BY  THE  MIRACULOUS  WATER  OF  LOURDES. 

We  have  said  leforc  that  the  sweet  and  maternal 
Virgin  of  the  grotto  seems  to  have  a  weakness  for 
children ;  it  was  through  a  child,  poor  little  Ber- 
nadette,  that  she  was  pleased  to  reveal  herself  at 
the  rock  of  Massabielle ;  and,  again,  it  is  on  chil 
dren,  the  living  images  of  her  Infant  Jesus,  that 
she  prefers  to  bestow  her  miraculous  favors.  Be 
sides,  she  then  kills  two  birds  with  one  stone— heal 
ing  a  mother's  hoart  by  the  same  power  which 
heals  the  child's  body. 

Here,  grouped  together,  like  a  little  bouquet  of 
rose-buds,  are  five  beautiful  miracles,  very  evi 
dent,  very  luminous,  which  we  lay  lovingly  in  the 
:  sacred  grotto,  at  the  feet  of  her  who  deigned  to 
perform  them.  These  little  roses  are  quite  fresh, 
the  favors  which  we  are  going  to  relate  being 
scarcely  two  years  old. 

The  first  of  these  miracles  took  place  in  the 
month  of  June,  1869,  at  Clermont-Lodeve,  in  the 
Diocese  of  Montpellier,  on  a  little  boy  of  six  years 
old.  named  Henri  Michel. 


202  The   Wonders  of  Louides. 

This  poor  child  was  taken  with  a  fearfully  malig* 
nant  fever  which,  from  the  very  first,  endangered 
his  life.  The  two  first  stages  had  passed,  and  the  4 
physicians  awaited  the  third  with  anxiety.  It  came, 
and  left  no  hope.  Little  Henri  fell  into  a  stupor 
which  seemed  to  be  that  of  death.  His  face  was 
like  that  of  a  corpse.  Henri's  grandfather  had 
died  of  a  similar  fever,  in  the  prostration  which  fol 
lowed  the  third  crisis. 

The  doctor  had  already  said  to  his  elder  sister : 
"He  is  gone";  and  to  the  religious  who  was  at 
tending  the  sick  child  he  said  confidentially  :  "  Go 
to  his  mother ;  prepare  her ;  •  and  when  you  can, 
announce  to  her  that  the  child  cannot  live." 

The  poor  distracted  mother  retired  to  her  room, 
where  she  prayed  for  three  hours,  waiting  till  the 
Sister  would  come  to  bring  her  the  dreaded  news. 
All  at  once  she  felt  inspired  to  make  a  vow  to  Our 
Lady  of  Lourdes  ;  and  she  promised  to  make  a  pil 
grimage  with  the  child,  if  the  Immaculate  Virgin 
would  deign  to  save  him.  She  then  rose,  saying  to 
the  Sister  :  "  Now  the  will  of  God  be  done  !  I  am 
going  to  give  Henri  some  of  the  water  of  Lourdes. 
It  was  the  first  thing  he  drank  at  his  birth  ;  it  will 
be  the  last  before  his  death."  The  same  day  all 
danger  had  disappeared. 

Three  months  after,  when  accomplishing  her  vow, 
this  pious  lady  related  before  the  grotto  what  the 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  203 

Blessed  Virgin  had  done  for  her  dear  child ;  and 
|Lhe  good  little  Henri  himself  was  there,  fresh  and 
vigorous,  smiling  as  he  heard  his  own  story. 
"  Mamma/'  said  he,  "  I  have  said  my  prayer  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin  three  times.  What  should  I  do 
now  ?"  His  mother  brought  him  into  the  grotto, 
where  the  family  recited  the  Rosary  with  a  fervor 
which  is  easy  to  conceive. 

It  was  at  Toulouse  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  was 
pleased  to  gather  the  second  rose  for  our  little 
bouquet ;  and  this  is  how  a  pious  son  of  Saint  Fran 
cis,  Father  Marie-Antoine,  related  the  fact  to  the 
editor  of  the  "  Annals  of  Lourdes  "  : 

"  Whilst  I  was  preaching  the  jubilee  in  one  of  the 
large  parishes  of  Toulouse,  a  young  mother  came  to 
me,  and  told  me,  with  deep  emotion,  of  Our  Lady 
of  Lourdes,  saying  that  she  wished  to  go  to  con 
fession,  and  make  a  communion  in  her  honor,  and 
to  pay  a  debt  of  gratitude.  She  related  to  me  the 
following  exquisite  story.  It  will  be  very  useful  to 
publish  it  for  the  good  of  souls,  because  it  will  be 
,gen  how  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  regards  purity  of 
conscience,  and  that  a  confession  and  communion 
ire  the  greatest  means  of  obtaining  favors  from  her. 

"  Here  are  the  facts  as  stated  in  the  letter  : 

"A  couple  named  Montcassin,  living  at  Tou 
louse,  have  a  young  child,  named  Louis,  who  was 
born  the  25th  of  July,  18C7,  and  was  infirm  from 


204  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

his  birth.  This  infirmity,  which,  according  to  the 
physicians,  proceeded  from  great  weakness  of  the 
loins,  had  so  much  enfeebled  him  that  he  was  con* 
tinually  declining*  Although  about  three  years  of 
age,  he  was  not  only  unable  to  stand  on  his  legs, 
but  he  could  not  even  put  his  feet  on  the  ground 
without  screaming  with  pain. 

"  After  many  attempts,  the  physicians  had  given 
up  the  hope  of  curing  him.  However,  following 
the  advice  of  one  of  them,  his  mother  took  him  to 
the  waters  of  Bigorre,  There,  instead  of  growing 
better,  his  illness  increased,  and  the  medical  in 
spector  of  the  waters  had  no  more  hope  of  curing 
him  than  the  doctors  of  Toulouse* 

"The  distressed  mother  then  turned  all  her 
thoughts  and  hopes  towards  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes ; 
but,  a  true  Christian  mother,  she  wtfuld  not  ask  a 
favor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  without  deserving  it  as 
much  as  possible  by  purifying  her  soul  from  all  sin 
to  make  a  fervent  communion  in  honor  of  Mary. 
But  her  confessor  being  absent,  she  was  obliged  to 
put  off  her  communion  till  her  return. 

"  She  set  out  for  Lourdes  with  her  sister  and  the 
child.  She  heard  Mass  there  with  the  greatest  de 
votion  ;  had  a  taper  burned  at  the  grotto  during 
Mass,  and  left  another  to  be  burned  afterwards, 
she  plunged  the  child  twice  into  the  fountain,  once 
before  Mass,  and  once  after*  There  was  no  cure. 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  205 

What  struck  her  forcibly,  and  also  amazed  all  the 
pilgrims  who  were  around  the  fountain,  was  that 
the  little  cripple,  who  had  been  plunged  several 
times  into  the  water  up  to  his  head,  was  not  even 
wet,  and  did  not  feel  anything,  although  the  water 
was  very  cold  and  his  body  very  delicate. 

"Astonished,  but  making  no  effort  to  explain 
the  mystery,  the  mother  took  with  her  a  supply  of 
the  water,  and  returned  to  Bigorre, 

"  Next  day,  early  in  the  morning,  she  made  the 
child  drink  some  of  the  water,  rubbed  his  loins  with 
it,  and  went  to  confession.  She  received  absolution, 
and,  notwithstanding  her  impatience  to  see  the 
miracle  which  she  hoped  for  after  the  communion 
she  had  promised,  she  thought  it  better  to  wait  till 
the  next  day*  That  evening  and  the  next  morning 
she  made  the  child  drink  the  water,  and  rubbed  him 
again  with  it;  then,  full  of  confidence  in  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  she  received  communion  with  all 
possible  fervor.  It  was  on  Sunday,  the  2Gth  of 
September.  She  felt  an  extraordinary  consolation 
in  that  communion,  and  she  returned  to  her  dear 
child  with  the  certainty  that  he  would  be  cured. 

"  She  had  scarcely  reached  the  door  of  her  house 
when  she  heard  her  child  calling  for  her,  and  walk 
ing  all  alone,  with  a  firm  and  rapid  step,  to  meet 
her,  opening  his  little  arms  and  crying  out  joyously  . 
'Come,  mamma,  come  !'  On  seeing  the-  miracle, 


2o6  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes, 

the  woman  who  was  minding  the  little  one  during 
.  his  mother's  absence,  and  from  whose  arms  he  had 
escaped,  fell  on  her  knees  and  began  to  cry.  The 
mother  cried  still  more,  and  she,  too,  on  her  knees 
raised  her  hands  and  eyea  to  MAEY  ;  '  0  our  Lady 
of  Lourdes  \  0  our  Lady  of  Lourdes  i  how  great 
thou  art  \  how  good  thon  art !'  and  the  child  leaped 
for  joy,  and  repeated :  f  Mamma,  let  me  kiss  the 
Blessed  Virgin.'  And  since  then  he  always  repeats 
those  words  when  his  mother  speaks  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  or  when  he  sees  any  statues  of  her.  All  of 
them,  to  him,  are  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  he  al 
ways  wants  to  kiss  them. 

"  His  infirmity  has  entirely  left  him  ;  the  cure 
was  instantaneous  and  radical ;  he  is  wonderfully 
well,  and  he  walks  better  than  most  others.  I  saw 
him  myself  walking,  and  I  admired  his  grace  and 
agility, 

1 '  The  happy  mother  immediately  wrote  the  good 
news  to  her  husband.  She  brought  the  cured  child 
-to  the  altar  of  Our  Lady  of  Mount  Oarmel,  and  the 
child  escaped  from  her  to  go  and  embrace  MAKY  ; 
the  mother  hang  round  his  neck,  at  the  foot  of  the 
altar,  the  medal  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes,  which 
the  child  always  kisses  lovingly.  She  promised  to 
take  him  as  soon  as  possible  to  Lourdes  in  thanks 
giving,  and  to  make  there  a  fervent  communion, 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  207 

winch  she  knew  by  experience  to  be  so  agreeable  to 
MARY  Immaculate. 

"These  are  the  facts  dictated  by  the  mother, andi 
of  which  I  guarantee  the  authenticity." 

Our  third  rose  is  the  fullest  blown  of  the  five. 
This  is  the  rose  for  the  centre  of  our  little  bouquet  of 
miracles.  It  represents  a  good  and  amiable  child 
of  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  old,  the  sister  cf  a 
young  pupil  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers  in  their  college 
at  Amiens,  who  himself  relates  as  follows  how  Our 
Lady  of  Lourdes  visited  his  little  sister  on  the  loth 
of  July,  in  the  year  1870  : 

"My  sister  was  named  Mary.  Having  fallen 
from  a  high  piece  of  furniture  when  about  four 
years  old,  she  slightly  injured  her  leg.  But  soon 
the  hurt  grew  worse,  notwithstanding  all  that  could 
be  done  and  all  the  tortures  which  she  was  made  to 
undergo.  It  was  decided  by  the  medical  faculty  that 
she  would  be  lame  for  life. 

"Eleven  years  had  passed  since  then.  Three 
weeks  ago,  when  she  was  at  the  boarding-school  of 
Lambersart  (near  Lille),  she  began  to  feel  again  thet 
most  acute  pains.  My  parents  immediately  came 
for  her.  Several  doctors  were  again  consulted  ;  but 
after  a  week's  treatment,  an  abscess  began  to  form. 
It  could  not  be  worse  than  it  was,  it  appears,  and 
they  already  1/egan  to  despair.  My  mother,  having 


208  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

heard  of  the  efficacy  of  the  water  of  Lourdes,  sent 
•  lor  a  bottle  of  the  miraculous  water  which  gushed 
from  beneath  the  good  Virgin's  feet. 

"  I  here  copy  verbatim  the  letter  which  my  cx< 
cellent  mother  wrote  to  me  : 

"'Yesterday,  Friday  (July  15),  we  commenced 
our  Novena,  which  consists  of  three  Rosaries,  the 
Litany,  and  invocations  to  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes. 
In  the  morning  we  said  the  first  Rosary  and  rubbed 
her  leg.  At  two  o'clock  the  second  Rosary;  I 
again  began  to  rub  her.  .  .  .0  miracle  !  I 
felt  your  sister's  le.g  lengthen  ;  the  pain  was  leaving 
her.  Marie  began  to  move.  She  moved  her  leg 
every  way,  and  wanted  to  get  out  of  bed.  Seeing 
her  eagerness,  I  allowed  her  to  do  so.  She  walks 
without  pain  ;  her  leg  is  quite  supple.  She  goes 
and  comes,  and  runs  around  the  room.  We  all 
wept,  and  you  can  understand  with  what  feelings 
we  thanked  GOD  and  the  Blessed  Virgin,  who  has 
been  so  good  to  us.  I  cannot  believe  my  eyes  ;  for 
who  knows  better  than  I  the  great  miracle  which 
GOD  has  performed  in  our  favor  ? ' 

"  Some  may  ask,  perhaps,  for  evidence  of  this/' 
adds  the  young  brother.  "  I  pray  them  to  believe 
that  it  is  not  wanting.  More  than  ten  doctors,  some 
of  whom  have  an  extensive  reputation,  and  two 
boarding-schools,  at  one  of  which  my  sister  re 
mained  four  years — is  not  this  more  than  enough 


The   Wonders  of  Lonrdcs.  209 

to  testify  that  my  poor  little  Bister  was  incurably 

flame  ? 

"And  now  what  else  can  I  do  than  thank  thee 
with  my  whole  heart,  my  whole  eoul,-and  my  whole- 
strength,  0  Immaculate  Virgin!  who  dost  obtain 
iill  things  from  thy  divine  Son,  and  whose  good 
ness  equals  thy  power  ?  Yes,  I  swear  to  thee,  0 
good  Virgin  !  that  as  long  as  I  live  I  shall  be  proud 
to  call  myself  thy  child  and  thy  entirely  devoted 
servant." 

The  cure  of  this  young  lame  girl  was  like  so 
many  others — sudden,  without  transition,  and  leav 
ing  no  trace  of  an  infirmity  which,  as  was  well 
known  by  every  one,  had  lasted  eleven  years. 

The  Blessed  Virgin  found  means  to  cull  our 
fourth  flower  in  a  Protestant  garden.  On  Monday, 
July  4,  cf  the  same  year,  1870,  at  Mornac,  in  a 
mixed  parish  of  the  Diocese  of  La  Rochelle,  she 
supernaturally  cured,  without  convalescence,  a  POOL 
little  infant  of  two  months  old,  who  was  afflicted 
with  millet. 

The  poor  child's  mouth,  lips,  and  throat  were 
covered  with  purulent  pimples,  which  were  rapidly 
turning  to  gangrene.  It  was  all  one  fearful  sore, 
exhaling  a  most  offensive  odor. 

Without  delay  the  child  was  taken  to  a  doctor, 
lie  was  not  at  home  ;  but  his  wife  declared  that 
the  disease  seemed  to  her  very  serious,  and  that,  in 


2io  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

spite  of  great  care  and  the  application  of  the  best 
remedies,  two  or  three  children  of  a  neighboring 
village  had  died  of  the  same  disease. 

What  sorrow  this  was  for  the  poor  parents  1 
On  their  return  home,  they  knew  not  what  to  do 
to  at  least  relieve  him  whom  they  hud  no  hope  of 
saving.  In  her  distress,  the  sick  child's  aunt  car 
ried  him  to  several  houses  to  ask  for  help.  She 
went  into  the  house  of  a  Catholic  lady,  and  there 
five  or  six  persons  saw  the  sad  condition  of  the  poor 
little  child. 

"  Immediately/'  wrote  this  good  lady,  f '  I  thought 
of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  ;  but  how  was  I  to  speak 
of  it  to  a  Protestant  ? 

"  '  Would  you  like  us/  said  I  to  her,  '  to  give 
the  child  some  water  which  I  have  here,  and  which 
will  refresh  him  ?  * 

"  (  Oh  1  yes/  cried  she,  '  I  would  like  it ;  and 
immediately,  if  you  please  !' 

"  I  gave  him  a  small  teaspoonful,  which  he  seem 
ed  to  relish  ;  then  another,  and  he  opened  his  eyes ; 
a  visible  change  took  place  in  him. 

"  The  aunt  went  home,  taking  some  of  the  water, 
with  which  she  moistened  his  lips  from  time  to 
time.  Wonderful  prodigy  !  the  sore  visibly  dis 
appeared  ;  the  child  began  again  to  take  his  ordi 
nary  food,  which  he  had  refused  for  corne  days. 
Next  day  he  was  cured— so  completely  cured  that 


The   Wonders  of  Lour dc$.  211 

his  little  mouth,  entirely  round  and  red,  showed 
not  the  slightest  trace  of  the  fearful  sore  of  the 
evening  previous. 

"  Filled  with  astonishment  and  joy,  the  Protest 
ant  mother  took  the  child  everywhere,  showing  him 
to  all  who  would  look,  and  saying  to  all  who  would 
hear  that  it  was  only  the  water  which  was  given 
him  that  had  cured  him,  since  she  had  used  nothing 
else,  and  the  doctor  had  not  even  come  to  see  him. 

"  '  Let  us  hope-/  adds  her  Catholic  benefactress, 
'  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  will  finish  her  work,  and 
that  sooner  or  later  she  will  lead  this  poor  child  to 
the  true  faith,  healing  his  soul  as  she  healed  his 
body!'" 

The  fifth  rosebud  was  also  of  1870 — a  year  as  fer 
tile  in  prodigies  of  grace  and  mercy  as  in  terrible 
manifestations  o£  divine  justice  on  kings  and  na 
tions. 

It  is  again  an  aunt,  but  this  time  a  good  Catho 
lic  and  a  very  pious  aunt,  who  gives  us  the  account 
>of  a  double  miracle  performed  on  her  nephew  by 
the  blessed  water  from  the  grotto  of  Lourdes. 

"  The  dear  child,"  wrote  she  to  the  superior  of 
the  missionaries  at  the  pilgrimage,  "is  ten  years 
old  ;  was  suddenly  seized  with  an  effusion  of  wau  r 
on  the  brain  and  acute  inflammation.  He  was  re 
duced  to  such  an  extremity  that  on  Saturday,  Juno 
11,  the  two  doctors  who  were  attending  him  had 


212  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

formally  declared  that  all  was  over  with  him,  and 
that,  unless  by  a  miracle,  his  euro  was  impossible. 

"  On  Sunday  morning,  June  12,  after  he  had 
made  his  first  communion  as  a  Viaticum,  and  re 
ceived  the  last  Sacraments,  whilst  his  father  and 
mother  and  myself  were  waiting  to  see  him  breathe 
his  last, .  I  felt  an  inward  inspiration  to  invoke 
Our  Lady  of  Lourdes,  I  then  said  to  her  in  my 
heart  this  short  and  simple  prayer  :  '  0  MARY  ! 
conceived  without  sin,  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes,  since 
a  miracle  is  required,  will  you  not  perform  it  ? 
Cure  this  child,  I  beseech  you/  Then,  taking  a 
flask  of  the  miraculous  water  which  one  of  my 
relatives  .had  given  me,  I  made  our  dear  little  one 
swallow  some  drops  of  it.  I  rubbed  with  it,  three 
different  times,  his  fearfully  swollen  face  ;  each 
time  the  swelling  visibly  grew  less,  and  soon  entire 
ly  disappeared.  From  that  time  an  extraordinary 
improvement  took  place  ;  he  had  a  very  quiet  night. 
On  Monday  morning,  to  the  great  astonishment  of 
the  physicians,  who  could  believe  neither  their  eyes 
nor  ears,  the  child  asked  for  something  to  eat,  and 
did  actually  eat  without  feeling  the  slightest  in 
convenience, 

"  However,  the  cure  was  not  complete  ;  in  the 

course  of  the  disease  the  child  had  lost  his  sight, 

.so  that  he  could  no  longer  distinguish  day  from 

night.     Encouraged  by  the  miracle  which  we  had 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  213 

already  obtained,  and  fully  convinced  that  Our 
Lady  of  Lourdes  would  not  leave  her  Work  Unfin 
ished,  I  continued  to  rub  his  eyes  with  the  miracu 
lous  water,  and  on  Tuesday  morning,  on  awaken 
ing,  the  clear  child  cried  out  joVoUsly  :  '  I  can  see 
as  well  as  before  I  was  sick.' 

"Ho  is  now  completely  recovered, " 

If,  after  that,  mothers  and  children  do  not  love 
the  Immaculate  Conception^  the  good  Virgin  of 
Lourdes,  I  do  not  know,  in  truth,  what  more  she  can 
do  to  gain  their  hearts. 


XXXVIIL 

A  WORKMAN  SIXTY  YEARS  OLD  SUDDENLY  CURED 
OF  ULCERS  AND  VARICOSE  BORES  DECLARED  IN 
CURABLE. 

The  Abbe  Coux,  Curate  of  St..  Alain,  at  La- 
Vatir  (Diocese  of  Albi),  sent  to  the  father  superior 
of  the  missionaries  of  Lourdes  the  following  ac 
count,  which  lie  specially  recommends  to  free*, 
thinkers  : 

"LAVAUR,  September  20,  1811. 

"KEVERKND  Y A  I'll  I ..;  : 

"The  supernatural  abounds  on  all  sides  in  our 


214  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

deluded  age  ;  here  we  have  it  confirmed  by  medical 
science. 

"Fra^ois  Macary  is  a  joiner  at  Lavaur,  sixty 
years  of  age.  During  half  his  life,  for  about  thirty 
years,  he  was  afflicted  with  fearful  varicose  swelling 
in  -the-  legs,  frequently  breaking  out  in  large,  deep 
ulcers.  His  legs,  bound  by  numerous  bandages, 
were  enclosed  in  dogskin  gaiters-  Franyois,  often 
obliged  to  give  up  work,  received,  as  he  him 
self  tells  us,  on  account  of  his  frequent  and  long 
cessations  of  labor,  more  than  a  thousand  francs 
from  the  St.  Louis  Society,  of  which  he  is  a  member. 

"  He  consulted  all  the  doctors  at  Lavaur,  some  at 
Toulouse,  amongst  others  Doctor  Laviguerie ;  all 
gave  him  the  same  answer  :  ( Your  disease  is  in 
curable.  ' 

"His  soul  was  no  less  diseased.  Poor  Macary 
had  given  up  all  his  religious  duties  ;  he  assisted  at 
no  Masses  but  those  required  by  the  Mutual  Aid 
Society  ;  and  during  the  long,  sleepless  nights  caused 
by  fearful  pain,  whilst  his  pious  wife  wept  and 
prayed,  Macary  furiously  blasphemed. 

"  Last  July,  when  confined  to  his  arm-chair,  he 
was  tired  to  death.  He  had  heard  of  Our  Lady  of 
Lourdes  and  Mr.  Henri  Laserre's  book.  The 
thought  occurred  to  him  to  read  it  for  amusement. 

"  He  read  it  in  two  days,  and  was  often  affected 
to  tears. 


The   \\'ondcrs  of  Lonrdcs.  215 

"  His  wife  had  a  happy  presentiment ;  and  he 
himself  felt  his  afflicted  heart  opening  to  hope. 

"  On  the  evening  of  July  16,  he  was  seized  with 
an  extraordinary  agitation ;  he  could  remain  no 
longer  in  his  arm-chair.  '  Wife,  we  must  go  out.' 
'But  it  is  imprudent.'  'Never  mind,  let  us  go 
out ;  I  cannot  stand  this  any  longer.' 

"  He  went  out,  leaning  on  his  wife's  arm,  with 
out  knowing  where  to  go.  Instead  of  going  to  the 
usual  walk,  a  few  steps  from  his  house,  he  dragged 
himself  to  the  town,  and  went  to  the  house  of  one 
of  his  sisters,  near  the  church  of  St.  Alain. 

"  I,  the  curate  of  the  parish,  went  into  the  same 
house.  '  To-morrow,'  said  I  to  all  who  were  there, 
'I  am  going  to  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes,  and  I  will 
have  pleasure  in  fulfilling  any  commissions  for 
you.' 

"  '  You  are  going  to  Lourdes  ?'  cried  Macary. 
'Well,  I  beg  of  you  to  tell  the  Virgin  down  there 
that  there  is  at  Lavaur  a  poor  devil  of  a  working- 
man  whose  legs  are  rotting  away ;  that  I  cannot 
bear  the  suffering.  Let  her  either  cure  or  kill 
me!' 

" '  You  must  acknowledge  that  you  are  giving 
me  a  singular  commission — t'o  ask  the  Blessed  Vir 
gin  to  kill  you.  She  would  not  listen  to  me.' 

"  Then  Macary  seriously  asked  me  to  please  pray 
for  him,  and  to  bring  him  a  little  water  from  the 


216  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

grotto.  I  promised  him  that  I  would ;  and  three 
days  after,  on  the  19th  of  July,  I  sent  him  a  little 
flask  of  water  from  the  miraculous  fountain. 

"  Let  us  now  hear  Fra  119018  Macary  :    . 

"  '  When  I  had  the  blessed  water  in  my  hands,  I 
hastened  to  -drag  myself  to  my  room.  There  I 
knelt  down  and  said  a  short  but  fervent  prayer  to 
the  Virgin.  I  took  off  my  gaiters  and  my  banda 
ges.  Pouring  some  of  the  water  into  the  hollow  of 
my  hand,  I  washed  my  poor  legs  with  it.  I  drank 
the  water  that  remained  in  the  flask.  I  went  to 
bed,  and  fell  asleep. 

( ' '  About  midnight  I  awoke ;  I  no  longer  felt 
any  pain  in  my  legs.  I  touched  them  with  both 
hands  ;  the  ulcers  had  disappeared. 

"  f  My  wife  was  in  the  next  room,  with  which  a 
door  communicated.  '  "Wife/  cried  I,  '  I  am  cured  ! ' 
'You  are  crazy  ;  go  to  sleep.  .  .  / 

"  '  A  sleep  such  as  I  had  not  enjoyed  for  a  long 
time  came  over  me.  Next  day,  on  awakening,  I 
hastened  to  look  at  my  legs  ;  ulcers,  varicose  veins, 
all  had  disappeared.  The  skin  was  smoother  than 
that  of  my  hands.' 

"  Two  days  after  this,  Macary  said  to  me  :  'Now 
I  belong  to  you.  The  Virgin  has  cured  my  legs  ;  it 
is  for  you  to  cure  my  soul.' 

"  On  the  18th  of  September,  the  day  of  the  pro- 
Cession  from  Castres,  you,  Reverend  Father,  saw 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  217 

Franyois  Macary  at  the  grotto,  bringing  as  an  ex- 
voto  his  gaiters,  which  are  now  hung  at  the  grotto. 
He  showed  you  his  legs  perfectly  sound.  You  saw 
him  weep  at  the  grotto  and  at  the  Holy  Table, 
which  he  approached  for  the  fourth  time  since  his  „ 
cure.  The  whole  parish  has  seen  him  accompany 
ing  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  happy  and  proud  to 
carry  the  canopy. 

"  Here  is  the  testimony  of  three  respectable 
physicians  in  proof  of  the  miracle.  You  will  es 
pecially  remark  the  indisputable  evidence  of  the 
learned  Doctor  Bernet.  As  for  us,  with  the  good 
Franyois  Macary,  with  the  whole  of  the  population 
of  Lavaur  and  its  vicinity,  we  return  thanks  to  the 
Immaculate  Conception  of  Lourdes,  who  has  deigned 
to  give  to  the  world  this  new  proof  of  her  power 
and  her  goodness.  May  she  open  the  eyes  of  the 
blind  and  touch  obdurate  hearts  ! 

"  J.  Corx,  Priest, 
"  Curate  of  St  Alain,  at  Lavaur  (Tarn).99 

"  I,  the  undersigned,  declare  that  for  about  thirty 
years  Mr.  Macary  (Franyois),  joiner,  was  affected 
with  varicose  legs.  These  varicose  veins  were  as , 
large  as  one's  finger,  and  intermingled  with  thick 
and  knotty  fluxcous  cords,  which  have  until  now 
necessi tilted  a  methodical  compression,  produce,!  by 
tlie  aid  of  a  bandage  bound  round  or  by  a  gaiter  of 


2i8  The    Wonders  of  Lourdcs. 

dog-skin.  In  spite  of  these  precautions,  tilcerations 
frequently  appeared  on  both  legs,  and  each  time  ne 
cessitated  absolute  rest  and  long  treatment.  Ivisit- 
•j  ed  him  yesterday,  and,  although  his  lower  limbs  were 
entirely  uncovered,  I  could  only  perceive  some  marks 
of  his  enormous  varicose  veins. 

"  This  case  of  spontaneous  cure  appears  the  more 
surprising  to  me  that  the  aniaals  of  science  mention 
no  fact  of  this  nature. 

"LAVAUR,  August  16,  1871. 

"  SEGUE,  M.D., 
of  the  St.  Louis   Mutual  Aid  Society." 

"  Certificate  of  the  signature  of  Doctor  Segur. 
"  LAVAUE,  September  3,  1871. 

"Ex.  DE  VoisiJs",  Mayor. 

"  Certificate  of  the  signature  of  Mr.  Etienne  De 
Voisin-Laverniere,  Mayor  of  Lavaur,  affixed  to  the 
other  side. 

"AtLAVAUii,  September  5,   1871. 

"  CELLIERES,  Sub-Prefect." 

"  I,  the  undersigned,  certify  that  for  about  thirty 
years  Mr.  Macary,  joiner  at  Lavaur,  was  afflicted 
with  varicose  legs  with  enormous  nodes,  frequently 
complicated  by  large  ulcers,  in  spite  of  the  constant 
compression  caused  by  gaiters  or  appropriate  band 
ages  ;  that  these  accidents  have  disappeared  sudden 
ly,  and  that  to-day  there  remains  only  a  sensibly-di- 


The    Wonders  of  Lourdes.  219 

minishcd  node  OH  the  inner  and  upper  part  of  the 
right  leg. 

"  LAVAUR,  August  25,  1871. 

"  ROSSIGNOL,   M.IX" 

"  Certificate  of  the  above  signature. 
"  LAVAUR,  September  3,  1871. 

"  ET.  DE  Voisix,  Mayor." 

"  Certificate  of  the  signature  of  Mr.  Etienne  De 
Voisin-Laverniere,  Mayor  of  Lavaur,  affixed  to  the 
other  side. 

"At  LAVAUR,  September  5,  1871. 

"CELLIERES,  Sub-Prefect." 

"  Fran9ois  Macary,  aged  GO  years,  joiner  at  Lavaur, 
a  member  of  the  St.  Louis  Society,  consulted  us 
about  twenty  years  ago  for  varicose  ulcers  in  the 
hollow  and  under  part  of  the  left  knee  and  leg. 
There  was  then  on  the  lower  third  of  that  limb  a 
varicose  ulcer,  hard  at  the  edges,  and  with  consider 
able  and  painful  swelling  of  the  muscles.  Besides, 
there  were  on  the  outside  and  inside  of  the  upper 
part  of  the  calf  two  large  scars,  having  no  connection 
with  the  affection  to  which  we  refer,  being  the  result 
of  a  burn  which  the  patient  had  received  twenty 
years  before.  The  swollen  veins  were  so  numer 
ous  and  so  enlarged  that,  for  us,  the  surgical  means 
usually  employed  in  this  disease  were  totally  im 
practicable. 


220  The   Wonders  of  Lonrdes. 

"  Macary  then  appeared  to  us  to  be  condemned  to 
a  lasting  infirmity,  and  we  prescribed  for  him  means 
of  relief  which  had  been  already  advised  by  several 
,f  f  our  medical  brethren. 

"Eighteen  years  later,  about  two  years  ago, 
Macary  again  consulted  us.  The  condition  of  his 
leg  had  .become  much  worse.  We  confirmed  our 
first  statement,  and  declared  that  it  was  absolutely 
necessary  for  him,  in  order  to  heal  the  ulcer,  to  sub 
mit,  as  the  only  means,  to  absolute  and  prolonged 
rest  in  bed,  and  to  the  application  of  systematic 
dressing. 

"  To-day,  August  15,  1871,  Macary  came  to  us 
for  the  third  time.  The  ulcer  is  completely  healed. 
There  is  no"  bandage  on  the  leg,  and  yet  there  is  not 
the  shadow  of  a  swelling.  What  especially  strikes 
us  is  that  the  varicose  swellings  have  entirely  disap 
peared  ;  that  in  their  place,  by  touching,  we  can 
perceive  small  cords — hard,  bloodless,  and  rolling 
under  the  fingers.  The  inner  saphena  vein  has 
assumed  its  normal  size  and  direction.  The  most 
careful  examination  can  discover  no  trace  of  a  sur- 
«jical  operation. 

"According  to  Macary' s  account,  this  radical 
cure  has  been  produced  in  the  space  of  one  night, 
and  simply  by  the  application  of  bandages  soaked  in 
water  drawn  from  the  fountain  in  the  grotto  of 
Lourdes. 


The    Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  221 

"We  conclude  that,  apart  frofn  Macary's  account, 
science  is  unable  to  explain  this  fact;  for  our  au 
thors  can  cite  no  similar  or  analogous  occurrence. 
}  They  all  agree  that  varicose  veins,  left  to  themselves,  . 
are  incurable  ;  that  they  are  only  cured  by  pallia 
tive  means,  and  still  less  spontaneously  ;  that  they 
grow  continually  worse  ;  and,  finally,  that  a  radical 
cure  cannot  be  hoped  for,  except  with  great  risk  to 
the  patient  in  the  application  of  surgical  procqss. 
Thus,  even  were  not  the  fact  affirmed  by  Macary 
proved  by  other  authentic  testimony,  it  would 
nevertheless  remain  for  us  a  most  extraordinary, 
or,  if  you  will,  a  supernatural  occurrence. 

"  In  view  of  which  we  sign  the  contents  of  the 
present  report  : 

"  LAVAUR,  August  15,  1871. 

"D.  BERNET,  M.D., 

of  the  Faculty  of  Paris." 

"  Certificate  of  the  above  signature. 
"LAVAUR,  September  3,  1871. 

"  ET.  DE  VOISIN,  Mayor. y 

>  "Certificate  of  the  signature  of  Mr.  Etienne  De 
Voisin-Laverniere,  Mayor  of  Lavaur,  affixed  op 
posite. 

"  LAVAUR,  September  4,  1871. 

"  CKI.LIKUKS,  Suit-Prefect." 


222  T/ic'    Wonders  of  Lourdes. 


XXXIX. 

THE    SEMINARIAN    OF    LIEGE. 

On  Wednesday  in  Holy  Week,  April  13,  1870,  a 
pious  young  seminarian  of  the  Diocese  of  Liege,  in 
Belgium,  was  instantly  cured,  on  the  first  use  of  the 
water  of  Lourdes,  of  a  decline  which  was  rapidly  car 
rying  him  to  the  grave.  He  was  a  sub-deacon,  named 
Henri  Joseph  Grenier.  This  is  how  he  himself  re 
lates,  to  the  superior  of  the  missionaries  at  the  holy 
grotto,  his  disease  and  its  miraculous  cure  : 

"  After  a  decline  which  lasted  three  months,  I 
was  cured  suddenly  on  the  first  use  of  the  water  of 
Lourdes,  on  Spy  Wednesday,  April  13,  at  half -past 
eight  in  the  evening. 

"  From  the  beginning  of  January  I  suffered  from 
a  cough,  which  I  neglected  for  a  whole  month,  I 
often  felt  a  ravenous  appetite  and  dizziness  from 
the  stomach  ;  my  breathing  became  painful.  In 
the  beginning  of  February  I  began  to  understand 
the  necessity  of  taking  care  of  myself.  The  doctor, 
seeing  at  first  only  catarrh,  was  astonished  to  find 
mo  so  weak.  He  treated  me  for  derangement  of 
the  stomach,  but  my  cough  turned  to  inflammation 
of  the  chest ;  I  took  a  catarrhal  fever,  which  was 


The   Wonders  of  Lour  ties.  223 

only  to  be  cured  by  complete  and  long  abstinence. 
The  fever  once  passed,  I  could  eat.     As  I  was  no 
longer  suffering  I  thought  I  was  cured,  and  there 
fore  I  immediately  tried  to  resume  my  studies  ;  but 
1 1  was   exhausted,   and  couM   not .  continue    them. 
Voracious    hunger,  vertigo,    weakness,    headaches, 
painful  digestion,  all  had  returned  ;  the  oppression 
on  my  chest  was  almost  continual. 

"  I  dragged  on  a  more  and  more  painful  life  at 
the  seminary  until  the  13th  of  March.  I  then  re 
turned  to  my  family  in  the  village  of  Ilermalle,  two 
leagues  from  Liege,  to  build  myself  up  by  rest  and 
strengthening  diet.  For  nearly  three  weeks  my 
appetite  continued  without  the  least  return  of 
strength.  After  more  than  two  weeks  of  tonic  diet, 
the  doctor  pronounced  me  weaker  than  I  was  on  my 
return. 

"  From  the  3d  of  April  this  factitious  appetite 
left  me.  I  soon  felt  that  life  was  going  with  my 
strength.  On  the  10th  of  April  I  gave  up  taking 
the  doctor's  drugs,  for  which  I  felt  great  repug 
nance  ;  and  yielding  to  the  entreaties  of  my  despair- 
,  ing  parents,  I  consented  to  have  recourse  to  the  water 
of  Lourdes. 

"  We.  resolved  to  commence  a  novena  on  the  eve 
ning  of  Spy  Wednesday,  April  13.  I  confess  that  I 
reluctantly  decided  to  have  recourse  to  this  means. 
I  had  never  asked  my  cure  of  God,  and  my  opinion 


224  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

was  that  I  should  let  him  do  it  in  his  own  way.  On 
that  Wednesday,  the  13th  of  April,  I  was,  in  every 
respect,  weaker  and  more  miserable  than  ever.  I 
made  an  effort  to  go  to  confession,  and  I  intended 
to  receive  Communion  as  a  viaticum  the  next  day. 
The  priest  said,  between  seven  and  eight  in  the  eve 
ning,  that  I  was  as  good  as  gone  ;  the  common 
opinion  was  that,  after  lingering  for  some  time 
longer,  I  would  calmly  pass  into  eternity.  At  a 
quarter-past  eight  the  family  were  assembled  to 
commence  the  Novena. 

"  (  0  Immaculate  Virgin  ! '  said  I  inwardly,  '  I  be 
lieve  that  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  cure  me  ;  if  thou 
dost  cure  me,  I  will  go  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Montaigu ' 
(14  leagues  from  our  village). 

"  The  prayers  ended,  I  took  a  few  drops  of  the 
water  of  Lourdes  in  a  teaspoon.  Immediately,  with 
out  shock  or  pain,  I  felt  myself  become  perfectly 
well ;  in  place  of  the  mortal  weakness  of  a  moment 
before,  I  felt  a  freshness  and  a  new  activity  which  I 
desired  at  once  to  try.  I  could  not  yet  believe.  I 
left  my  parents  praying,  and  went  slowly  down  the 
stairs  from  my  room  ;  but  I  felt  that  all  was  changed, 
that  I  went  down  easily.  I  went  up  again  ;  I  flew  - 
like  an  arrow,  and  fell  into  the  arms  of  my  parents, 
who  were  overcome  with  astonishment.  I  seized 
Mr.  Laserre's  book,  and,  drawing  a  full  breath,  I 
read  a  good  deal  of  it  aloud,  and  recited  the  Rosary 


TJie   Wonders  of  Lonrdcs.  225 

with  a  full,  sonorous  voice — I  who  the  evening  be 
fore  had  vainly  tried  to  say  one  Hail  Mary  !  Then  I 
ran  to  tell  the  good  news  to  the  priest,  and  I  came 
back  to  eat,  to  write,  to  pray,  etc.  About  half-past 
eleven  I  went  to  bed,  and  slept  a  sound,  peaceful,;' 
and  unbroken  sleep ;  and  I  was  awakened  at  ten 
o'clock  next  morning.  For  several  years  I  had  not 
been  able  to  sleep  like  this. 

"  It  was  Holy  Thursday,  I  went  to  make  my 
Easter  duty,  sang  at  Grand  Mass  fasting,  and,  with 
out  the  least  fatigue,  abstained  the  three  last  days 
of  Lent.  My  only  leisure  moments  were  spent  in 
reciting  my  Breviary,  which  I  had  been  obliged  to 
leave  off  for  so  long.  All  my  miseries,  all  my  weak 
ness  had  suddenly  disappeared,  from  the  first  day  of 
the  Novena,  at  the  first  drop  of  water. 

"  The  cure  continued.  Since  the  13th  of  April, 
I  made  a  series  of  journeys  which,  in  my  best  health, 
would  have  made  me  sick.  On  the  19th  of  April  I 
undertook  a  pilgrimage  on  foot  to  Montaigu,  and, 
on  my  return,  after  having  gone  twenty-eight 
leagues,  I  was  as  fresh  and  well  as  when  I  left. 

"  Glory  be  to  God!  And  glory,  also,  to  the  Imma 
culate  Conception,  who  thus  stirs  the  world  only  to 
change  and  to  convert  it  !" 


226  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes* 


XL. 


AND  RADICAL   CURE  OF  A   YOUNG 
VILLAGE  GIRL"  WHO  WAS  DYING  IK    CONVULSIONS. 

In  consequence  of  an  apparently  trifling  accident, 
a  young  girl  named  Marie  Rousse^  of  Trebona 
(Hautes  Pyrenees),  was  taken  with  .a  brain  disease 
which  soon  endangered  her  life.  Marie  was  about 
twenty  years  of  age.  She  was  gentle  and  pious;  all 
her  family  were  truly  Christian,  especially  her  fa 
ther,,  whose  faith  was  able  to  remove  mountains. 

As  soon  as  she  had.  taken  to  her  bed,  poor  Marie 
was  seized  with  terrible  convulsions,  which  lasted 
long  enough  to  completely  exhaust  lier  strength. 
Some  weeks  passed  thus.  The-  family  as  yet  were  not 
very  uneasy  ;  they  supposed  it  was  one  of  those  ner 
vous  diseases  which  are  very  painful,  but  not  at  all 
fatal ;  which  go  as  they  come,  and  leave  no  traces  in 
the  constitution.  This,  security  soon  vanished.  TliG 
disease  took  a  very  serious  organic  form.  Mario 
could  take  scarcely  any  nourishment  ;  she  became 
excessively  weak,  and  felt,  sharp  and  eontmual  pain 
in  her  head. 

Two  doctors  who  saw  her  agreed  perfectly  as  to 
the  nature  of  the  disease  and  its  treatment.  Bui 


The  Vi\  /   L^arJcs.  227 

their  prescriptions  only  produced  trifliisg  and  mo 
mentary  relief.  Her  life  was  going,  and  it  was 
feared  that  the  poor  girl  would  ho  carried  off  sud 
denly  in  one  of  these  attacks,  which  distorted  her 
limbs.  The  poor  child  showed  great  resignation.  » 

The  priests  of  the  parish  had  already  visited  her 
several  times.  The  danger  being  imminent,  the 
Holy  Viaticum  and  Extreme  Unction  were  given  to 
iier.  The  whole  village  was  Interested  In  this  young 
girl;  her  excellent  character  and  her  edifying  life 
had  endeared  her  to  all ;  her  youth  made  the  gene 
ral  regret  still  greater.  All  expected  to  hear  her 
death-knelL,  and  those  who  had  seen  licr  had  no 
hope.  ; 

Her  father  was  4eeply  afflicted ;  every  time  lie 
came  from  his  daughter's  bedside  his  tears  were 
more  bitter-  Almost  without  hope,  ho  went  one 
morning  to  Bagnercs  to  consult  one  of  the  two 
physicians  who  had  treated  her,  and  he  brought 
back  a  new  proscription.  "  What  shall  I  do  ?"  said 
he  to  himself  on  the  way.  "  When  all  the  medicines, 
have  had  no  effect,  what  can  this  one  do,  now  that 
the  child  is  scarcely  alive  ?  "  A 1 1  d  h  e  w  t  •  j .  i . 

Suddenly  a  thought  took  possession  of  hi*  mind 
"  I  will  go  to  Lourdcs,     The  cure  is  Hiere.     U  < 
only  gives  me  time  to  get  there  ]  " 

From  that  moment  he  prayed  all  the  way.  He 
went  home  and  said  to  his  daughter:  ••  J  have 


228  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

another  prescription.  .  But  listen,  Marie ;  w«  -<t 
you  like  to  have  some  water  -from,  the  grotto  >  I 
will  go  and  bring  you  some." 

"Oh  I  yes,"  murmured  the  dying  girl  in  a  £  jint 
voice,  in  a  tone  of  hope  and  confidence. 

The  father  had  just  come  eight  kilometres  on 
foot  ;  lie  set  out  again,  without  ever  sitting  down, 
to  walk  twice  sixteen  or  seventeen,  and  with  a  rapid 
step.  In  the  hills  which  he  had  to  climb,  he  did 
not  care  how  he  got  up.  He  had  but  one  thought ; 
to  get  back  in  time.  His. heart  and  his  lips  inces 
santly  implored  the  Blessed  Virgin.  i(  To  under 
stand  what  his.  prayer  was  when  he  knelt  before  the 
grotto,  one  should  see  his  eyes  moisten,  hear 
his  voice  tremble,  when  he  speaks  of  it  now/'  says 
the  missionary  of  Lourdes,  to  whom  the  worthy  man 
applied. 

After  his  supplication  to  the  Mother  of  God,  in 
whom  his  confidence  was  unbounded,  he  filled  a 
bottle  with  the  miraculous  water,  and  set  out  foi 
home.  From  the  very  first  his  heart  was  lighter. 
Prayer  had  consoled  him,  and  he  felt  himself  as  if 
borne  up  by  hope.  Without  stopping  or  resting, 
or  perceiving  the  length  of  his  journey,  he  returned 
to  the  village. 

The  dying  girl  was  in  a  state  of  complete  prostra 
tion.  She  was  almost  insensible.  This  was  a  mo 
ment  of  intense  anguish  to  the  poor  father.  He  ex- 


The   Wonders  of  Lonrdes.  229 

pected  a  miracle  ;  lie  thought  that  no  human  remedy 
could  restore  him  his  daughter.  But  a  divine  remedy 
was  there.  "  Well,"  said  lie  softly,  "  here  is  the 
water,  Marie  ;  have  confidence  in  the  Virgin  of  the 
grotto.  I  prayed  a  great  deal  to  her." 

Marie  made  an  effort  to  pray  a  little.  Her  father 
made  her  swallow  a  teaspoonful  of  the  miraculous 
water,  and  put  a  bandage  soaked  with  it  on  her  fore 
head.  .  .  .  At  that  very  instant  the  relief  went 
through  all  her  limbs  ;  her  eye  lit  up  ;  she  smiled. 
.  .  .  Without  any  shock,  the  pain  had  left  her  ; 
she  was  restored  to  life.  She  sat  up.  "  I  am 
cured!"  cried  she.  .  .  .  "But,"  said  her 
father,  "have  you  no  pain  in  jour  head,  your 
nerves?"  .  .  .  "Nothing!  nothing  more  !" 
The  happiness  of  the  excellent  father  and  of  the 
whole  family  can  be  imagined. 

Soon  after,  Marie  eat  something.  It  was  evening. 
Next  day  she  got  up.  She  was  a  little  weak  yet, 
but  had  not  the  least  trace  of  pain,  not  the  slightest 
twitching  of  the  limbs.  Her  disease  had  been,  as  it 
were,  swept  away. 

*     "This   happened  in   the  first  days  of   October. 

rSix  months  after,  no  symptom  of  the  violent  <ii- 
which    had  been  so  nearly  fatal,    had   reappear ;,!. 
The  young   girl  'has   enjoyed   the    most    cons! 
health,    and   has   worked    vigorously.       She    onl\ 
remembers  having  been  on  the  verge  of  the  grave— 


230  The    Wonders  of  Lour  ties. 

to  rejoice   in   the    knowledge   that  Our    Lady  of 
Lourdcs  brought  her  back  from  it. 

"The  Blessed  Virgin  thus  munificently  rewarded 
the  father's  faith.  As  the  venerable  pastor  of  the 
parish  has  often  since  said  to  Marie  Rousse,  '  Thr 
Virgin  of  Lourdes  saved  you,  my  child  ;  but  it  was 
not  on  your  account.  You  had  nothing  to  do  with 
it,  I  think,  for  you  could  not  do  much  in  your  con 
dition.  Marie,  you  owe  it  to  your  father's  great 
faith — to  his  prayers  and  tears." 


XLI. 

MIRACULOUS    CURE  OF   PIERRE  HANQUET,  A  MASTER- 
MASOK    AT    LIEGE. 

Notwithstanding  my  desire  of  not  Avearying  the 
reader  by  repetitions,  I  cannot  refrain  from  relating 
here  one  last  miracle  of  the  Immaculate  Virgin  of 
Lourdes  which  was  recently  wrought  in  Belgium, 
and  the  fame  of  which  has  spread  through  all  the 
Catholic  provinces. 

Mr.  Pierre  Hanquet,  a  master-mason  of  LiepT, 
thus  relates  himself  his  marvellous  cure  : 

"Raising  my  hand  to  heaven,  I  swear  to  the 
truth  of  what  I  am  about  to  say. 

"  My  illness  dates  back  more  than  ten  years,  but 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  23 * 

it  was  only  in  May,  18G2,  that  I  felt  the  almost 
total  loss  of  my  strength.  I  was  then  a  little  more 
than  forty-one  years  of  age.  I  was  obliged  to  ab- 
•stain  from  all  that  might  fatigue  me,  and  especially 
from  any  movement  of  my  arms.  Several  times  I 
tried  to  resume  my  way  of  life,  but  it  was  impos 
sible.  Hobbling  on  in  this  manner,  I  reached  tin- 
end  of  that  year,  18G2.  I  had  consulted  two  phy 
sicians,  but  I  must  confess  that  it  was  with  the 
resolution  of  not  submitting  to  any  regular  treat 
ment.  In  truth,  I  hoped  that  the  winter  would 
put  me  on  my  feet  again,  as  it  had  done  before. 

"  In  the  spring  of  the  year  18C3,  seeing  that  I 
was  no  better,  I  resolved  to  take  the  advice  of  Mr. 
Michotte,  the  eminent  physician.  lie  declared  that 
I  had  softening  of  the  spinal  marrow,  and  pre 
scribed  rubbing  three  time's  a  day. 

"In  the  end  of  the  December  of  that  same  year 
I  grew  worse,  and  I  received  Holy  Communion  for 
the  first  time  in  my  room.  I  had  entirely  lost  my 
appetite  ;  a  little  flour  and  milk  once  a  day  was  my 
only  nourishment  for  several  weeks. 

"  From  the  month  of  February,  18G4,  till  July, 
excepting  a  little  tea  or  coffee,  I  took  nothing,  or 
almost  nothing.  Up  to  that  time  I  could  still  li 
my  bed  and  sit  up  for  some  time  ;  but  after  the  nth 
of  July,  tins  was  impossible,  1  passed  the  next 
three  months  on  my  bed  of  pain,  unable  to  turn 


232  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

either  to  the  right  or  left.  Only  when  the  air  was 
very  clear,  I  succeeded  in  moving  a  little,  but  it  was 
very  rare.  I  must  be  permitted  to  state  that  what 
greatly  aggravated  my  sad  condition  was  the  com 
plete  cessation,  for  fifteen,  twenty,  and  even  thirty- 
six  days,  of  a  certain  function  absolutely  necessary 
to  life. 

"  However,  by  some  new  prescriptions  from 
Doctor  Gilkinet,  I  obtained  some  relief,  and  I  could 
take  a  little  more  nourishment.  I  even  came  at 
last  to  take  a  light  meal  each  day.  That  kept  me 
up,  without,  however,  giving  me  strength  to  leave 
my  bed.  Life  became  insupportable  to  me. 

"  It  was  in  this  interval  that  Doctor  Termonia  also 
attended  me  with  a  kindness  for  which  I  am  still 
grateful.  He  made  me,  amongst  others,  atwo  long 
visits,  at  the  end  of  which- he  could  not  help  telling 
me  that  I  had  a  complication  of  diseases.  '  I  state 
this  from  all  the  symptoms,'  said  he  to  me  kindly. 
And  before  going,  he  told  my  relatives,  as  gently  as 
possible,  that  his  presence  would  henceforth  be  use 
less. 

"  At  the  end  of  the  first  three  years,  which  I  spent 
in  my  bed,  old  hemorrhoidal  tumors  turned  to  fear 
ful  abscesses.  For  five  or  six  months  these  abscess.es 
continually  succeeded  each  other,  and  forced  me  to 
remain  011  my  side.  I  found  in  this,  at  least,  the 
slight  relief  of  not  lying  day  and  night  on  my  back. 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdes.  233 

"These  abscesses  gave  place,  in  1867,  to  erysipe- 
flas,  which  grew  worse  every  day,  and  tormented 
me  continually,  especially  at  night.  This  new  dis 
ease,  together  with  consumption,  made  my  body 
like  a  burning  fire.  Even  in  winter,  I  could  not 
keep  a  quilt  over  my  chest.  And  for  six  years  my 
emaciated  limbs,  from  which  all  the  blood  had 
gone,  had  to  be  constantly  warmed,  even  in  the 
middle  of  summer,  by  bottles  of  warm  water. 

"  For  the  last  two  years  my  back  was  bent  like 
the  hoop  of  a  barrel.  I  could  not  be  taken  from  the 
bed  for  more  than  five  or  six  minutes,  and  only 
every  ten,  fifteen,  or  twenty  days  ;  that  is,  when  it 
was  necessary  to  shake  up  the  bed  u  little  and 
change  the  clothes. 

"  Frorii  the  month  of  February  of  that  year — 
18G9 — the  disease  gained  ground  and  grew  worse 
every  day  ;  my  poor  body  was  becoming  putrid. 
Never  an  instant's  rest,  neither  day  nor  night !  I 
at  length  understood  that  I  was  to  give  up  my  soul 
to  GOD,  and  that  was  from  that  time  the  object 
of  all  my  desires.  Calculating  by  what  remained 
of  my  strength,  I  was  persuaded  that  the  month  of 
December  would  bring  my  release.  My  relatives, 
without  my  knowing  it,  were  of  the  same  opinion. 
Heaven  had  decided  otherwise. 

"  On  the  15th  of  last  October  one  of  my  brothers 
brought  me  to  read  the  work  recently  published  by 


234  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

Mr.  Laserre — "  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes."  On  that 
day  I  finished  my  Novena,  the  success  of  which 
seemed  further  away  than  ever.  I  was  almost  de 
spairing  of  being  heard,  when  my  brother,  who  knew 
nothing  of  my  Novena,  brought  me  that  admirable 
book. 

*'  I  immediately  began  to  rend  it,  and  every  fibre 
of  my  being  was  stirred  by  it.  Every  time  I 
read  a  few  pages  of  it  my  eyes  filled  with  tears.  I 
would  then  cover  my  face  to  hide  them.  But  it  was 
impossible  for  me  to  conceal  my  emotion.  When  I 
came  to  the  cures  related  in  that  volume,  I  heard 
three  times  an  inward  voice  which  said  :  '  You,  too, 
shall  be  cured  ! ' 

Some  days  after,  my  brother  asked  me  if  there 
were  any  means  of  procuring  some  of  the  water 
of  Lourdes.  '  Undoubtedly,'  answered  I.  '  In  that 
case/  said  he,  '  we  shall  have  some.'  And  he  at  once 
wrote  to  Mr.  Peyramale,  the  pastor  of  Lourdes. 

"  The  letter  had  scarcely  gone  when  I  felt  a  great 
doubt.  '  Do  you  believe,'  said  I  to  myself,  '  that  a 
mouthful  of  water  and  a  simple  lotion  can  cure  your 
inveterate  disease  ?  Do  you  expect  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  is  going  to  work  a  miracle  for  you  ?  But  for 
what  purpose  ?  Would  it  be  for  your  family  ?  But 
can  they  not  easily  do  without  you  ? '  However,  all 
these  thoughts  left  me  at  sight  of  the  bottle  of  the 
water  of  Lourdes,  which  reached  us  on  the  27th  of 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  235 

November.  When  it  Was  placed  on  my  bed,  I  began 
•to  kiss  it.  '  It  seems  to  speak  to  me/  said  I. 

"About  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  my  brother 
came  to  ask  me  if  the  lotions  would  be  applied  that 
day.  '  Yes,'  said  I,  (  but  later,  when  all  have  retired, 
except  my  father,  you,  and  I.'  My  confidence  was 
again  shaken,  and  I  was  afraid  that  it  was  a  mock 
ery.  We  were  not  alone  and  quiet  until  half-past 
ten  that  night.  My  brother  then  lit  a  blessed  can 
dle,  and  said  aloud  the  Litany  of  the  Immaculate 
Virgin. 

"  A  little  before,  I  had  made  in  the  secrecy  of  my 
heart  an  act  of  entire  resignation  to  the  will  of  GOD. 
'  Blessed  Virgin,'  I  said,  '  I  cannot  pray  much;  but 
deign  to  ask  for  me  of  thy  divine  Son  the  grace 
which  is  best  for  me — oithe?  to  die,  or  to  suffer,  or  to 
be  cured— provided  that  it  be  for  the  greater  glory 
of  GOD,  or  for  my  greater  good.  Now  comes  tho 
trial.' 

"  My  brother  uncorked  the  bottle,  and  poured  me 
-  ut  u  erlass,  which  I  drank  at  one  mouthful.  He  took 
;,  cloth,  which  he  soaked  in  this  miraculous  water. 
'  Commence/  said  I,  '  at  my  neck,  and  batho  tho 
spine  and  all  the  bones  down  to  my  feet/  Win •:>. 
he  reached  the  region  of  the  heart,  I  lost  speech,  and 
began  to  utter  groans  of  pain.  I  hud  the  rattle  in 
the  throat  like  a  man  in  his  ap>ny.  My  good 
brother  hastened  ami  ivj.raird,  as  lie  touched  each 


236  The   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

limb,  ( Our  Lady  of  Lourdes,  pray  for  us  ! '  But  in 
the  depth  of  his  heart  lie  thought  that  my  last 
hour  was  come,  and  that  I  would  soon  be  a  corpse. 

"  He  therefore  hastened  to  put  on  my  bandages 
again,  and  went  to  cover  me,  I  threw  aside  the 
quilt,  my  pain  was  so  acute.  Just  at  that  moment 
I  put  my  foot  on  the  ground  ;  then,  still  groaning, 
I  put  down  my  other  foot.  Holding  on  to  the  hed 
with  both  hands,  I  raised  myself,  groaning  louder 
und  louder,  until  I  was  standing1  erect,  In  that 
solemn  moment  my  brother  left  me  for  a  moment 
to  get  a  bottle  of  Cologne  water  ;  but  I  made  him  a 
sign  that  I  did  not  want  it.  Then  my  cries  ceased. 

' '  My  old  father,  who,  at  the  beginning,  of  the  ope 
ration,  had  placed  himself  in  a  corner  of  the  room 
to  recite  his  Rosary,  »was  before  me,  with,  my 
brother,  in  ever-increasing  astonishment.  All  at 
once,  l  Do  you  not  see,' cried  I,  '  that  life  is  returning 
to  me  ? '  '  Why,  yes/  answered  my  brother  ;  '  it  is 
many  years  since  I  saw  you  so  straight.' 

"  Some  moments  after,  I  walked  across  the  room  ; 
I  went  back  to  my  bed  ;  I  put  on  a  coat,  and  went 
on  walking. 

"  My  room  seemed  too  small  for  me  ;  I  walked 
through  the  next  room.  Oh  !  I  still  remember  the 
cries  of  joy  that  then  escaped  from  my  heart.  t  You 
see,'  said  I,  '  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  is  all-powerful  j 
you  see  that  she  must  be  loved  and  honored  ;  you 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  237 

gee   that    the   impious  arc   impostors,'   and   other 
similar  words.     I  was  mad  with  jpv, 

"  '  In  the  presence  of  such  a  miracle,'  said  m} 
brother,  '  we  cannot  remain  here  alone,'  And  ho 
went  to  seek  all  the  family. 

"  I  forgot  to  mention  the  time  :  it  took  about  five 
minutes  to  apply  the  lotions.  As  for  my  cure,  which 
followed  immediately,  I  estimate  that  it  took  place 
in  the  space  of  a  minute  and  a  half. 

"My  brother  returned  about  eleven  o'clock  with 
my  two  other  brothers,  Henri  and  Auguste,  and  my 
nephew  Henri.  My  room  was  soon  filled  with  rela 
tives  and  friends, 

"  One  of  my  brothers,  perceiving  a  militia-gun, 
*  Pierre/  said  he  to  me,  'since  this  is  the  way  with 
you,  you  must  go  through  the  exercises."  And  then 
three  times  they  made  me  drill,  which  I  did  easily, 
and  even,  they  say,  with  dexterity. 

"  We  stayed  up  till  three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
Twice  we  knelt  down  to  return  thanks  to  GOD  ami 
to  the  Immaculate  Virgin.  I  drank  a  glass  of  wine 
and  a  small  glass  of  liqueur,  and  I  moreover 
smoked  a  delicious  pipe, 

"  I  slept  very  little.  At  half -past  seven  I  got  up. 
The  idea  then  occurred  to  me  to  go  and  play  ghost 
to  my  sister-in-law  and  her  children.  For  thi-  T 
had  to  go  up  seventeen  steps,  which  I  did  slowly. 
I  went  down  by  another  stair,  to  awake  my  good  «>M 


23  8  The   Wonders  af 


father,-  who  was?  nearly  80  years  of  age.  He 
1  1  have  since  learned  from  a  relative,  had  had  the 
conviction  that  I  would  be  miraculously  cured,  and 
that  for  a  long  time  he  had  prayed  every  day  to  ob 
tain  that  grace  for  me.  But  at  the  moment  when-  1 
woke  him  by  knocking  at  the  door  he  probably 
thought  that  he  wag  the  sport'  of  a  dream,  for  ha 
took  care  not  to  Open  it,  even  after  having  asked  my 
name.  He  did  not  recognize  my"  voice.  Life  was 
really  restored  to  me. 

'  '  Already  every  one-  was*  crowding  to  see  me.  The 
eld  coat  which  I  had  wrapped  round  ma  the  evening 
"before  had  been  for  a  long  time-  the  only  article  in 
my  wardrobe  \  all  the  rest  had  been  given  ta  the 
poor.  My  brothers  and  my  nephew  Were  obliged  ta 
lend  me  pantaloons,  shoes,  etc* 

"  I  stayed  up?  that  first  day  till  half-past  seven  in 
the  even-Ing,  Then.,  following  the  advice  of  my 
friends,  I  went  tov  feed,  I  still  slept  very  little* 
At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  got  out  of  bed, 
because  I  was  so  hungry.  Fortunately,  there  was 
plenty  for  me  tcr  eat.  I  waited  till  daylight,  eating, 
reading,  and  especially  praying  ta  the  Blessed 
Virgin, 

"  In  the  morning  I  made  a  good  meat  breakfast, 
and  this  did  not  prevent  me  from  making  three 
other  meals  before  night.  The  people  came  more 
and  more.  Amongst  others,  I  received  the  two 


The   }\\mt1cr$  of  Lonrdcs.  239 

doctors,  Termonia  und  Davrcux.     I  retired  tit  eight 
o'clock,  and  I  slept  perfectly  well, 

"AM  my  troubles  vanished  in  aft  IfttfttJt/,  like  t.. 
dream*       The  stooping    consumption,    erysipelas,  * 
swelling,  and  oilier  afflictions  of  the  body  and  of  the 
mind,  all  had  disappeared.     I  hardly  knew  myself. 

"On  Tuesday  I  received  even  more  visitors  than 
on  the  two  preceding  days*  We  agreed  that  the 
whole  family  would  receive  communion  next  day 
in  thanksgiving.  On  Wednesday,  therefore,  we  all 
met — my  relatives,  some  friends,  and  myself — in 
the  Church  of  St.  Denis,  where  I  had  the  happiness 
of  receiving  my  COD  and  of  assisting  for  the  first  time 
in  so  long  at  the  celebration  of  the  Holy  Sacrifice. 
An  hour  after  wo  returned  home,  I  embraced  my 
dear  relatives,  and  wo  all  sat  down  to  table  full  of 
gayety. 

"During  the  first  eleven  days  I  received,  it  is 
said,  more  than  five  hundred  persons,  to  whom  I 
had  to  relate  and  explain  everything,  even  to  the 
slightest  details. 

"  It  is  now  fifteen  days  since  my  cure*  I  sleep 
seven  or  eight  hours  at  u  time  ;  my  appetite  is  excel 
lent  ;  I  would  have  to  go  back  twenty  years  of  my 
life  to  find  my  health  us  good  as  it  is  now. 

<s  More  than  ever  I  will  honor  und  love  MARY, 
the  Queen  of  heaven  and  earth.  It  is  to  please 
her  and  to  pay  her  a  slight  tribute  of  gratitude 


240  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

that  I  send  this  account.     May  her  name  be  ever 
.blessed  ! 

"  P.  J.  HA^QTJET. 

"  LIEGE,  BELGIUM  (17  Cheravoie  St.), 
"  December  12,  1869." 

Here  followed  two  very  clear  certificates  from 
Doctors  Termonia  and  Davreux,  declaring,  on  the 
one  hand,  Mr.  Hanq net's  fearful  and  incurable 
state,  and,  on  the  other,  the  instantaneous,  unheard- 
of,  and,  in  a  scientific  point  of  view,  wholly  unac 
countable  character  of  his  complete  and  radical 
cure. 

Let  us  repeat,  in  concluding  these  accounts, 
miracles  are  multiplied  without  number  at  the 
sacred  grotto  of  the  Immaculate  Conception ;  and 
the  miraculous  water  of  Lourdes,  sent  every  day  to 
the  most  distant  parts  of  France,  and  even  further, 
is  frequently  the  blessed  messenger  of  cures  and 
of  supernatural  favors  due  to  the  most  holy,  most 
powerful,  most  merciful,  and  most  immaculate 
Virgin  MARY. 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  241 


XLIL 

WHAT   IS    TO   BE    INFERRED,  BY   FAITH,  FROM    ALL 
THESE   WONDERS  ? 

Before  this  glorious  collection  of  miracles,  heaped, 
BO  to  say,  one  on  another,  and  the  evidence  of  which 
is  obvious  to  the  most  ignorant,  let  us  rejoice  that 
we  are  children  of  the  holy  Catholic  Church,  which 
GOD  never  ceases  to  visit,  and  to  which  he  con 
tinues  to  give  the  pre-eminently  divine  testimony  of 
miracles.  In  the  beginning,  miracles  were  the 
great  proof  of  the  truth  of  faith ;  although  they 
be  now  no  longer  necessary,  miracles  are  none 
the  less  useful  to  our  intelligence,  and  experience 
shows  how  powerfully  they  revive  and  console  our 

faith. 

But  if  faith  is  divine  and  absolutely  certain,  let 
ns  be  consistent  with  ourselves  ;  let  us  practise  it 
faithfully,  energetically,  cost  what  it  may,  without 
calculating.  We  have  the  truth,  we  possess  the 
true  light  and  the  true  life  ;  let  us  be  Christians,  let 
us  be  fervent. 

In  the  second  place,  as  we  have  said  before,  let  us 
conclude  from  all  these  wonders,  not  only  the  legi 
timacy,  but  also  the  excellence,  of  devotion  to  the 


242  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

Blessed  Virgin*  We  live  in  a  time  of  half -rational 
ism,  when  many  Christians  themselves  are  full 
of  prejudice  in  regard  to  piety ;  let  us  not  be  led' 
away  by  this  half -Protestantism,  and,  as  true  chil-* 
drer;  of  the  Catholic  Church,  let  us  love,  serve,  and 
honor,  with  all  our  strength,  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
Mother  of  GOD,  and  Queen  of  the  elect.  Provided 
that  we  do  not  adore  her  (for  adoration,  every 
one  knows,  is  due  to  GOB  alone) — provided  that  we 
do  not  adore  her,  we  are  always  below  what  we  owe 
her.  Tell  me  what  Christian  will  love  and  honor 
the  Blessed  Virgin  as  much  as  her  divine  Son,  our 
Lord,  has  loved  and  honored  her  ? 

In  the  third  place,  let  us  draw  from  the  con 
templation  of  the  wonders  of  Lourdes  a  renewal  of 
the  spirit  of  faith  and  an  ardent  devotion  to  the  mys 
tery  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  This  mystery 
is  the  precious  pearl  of  our  century,  and  the  shield 
of  the  Church  in  the  struggles  of  the  latter  times 
which  are  approaching. 

What,  in  truth,  is  the  grace  of  the  mystery  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception,  if  it  be  not  the  grace  of 
the  total  triumph  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  over  Satan  ? 
She  crushes  his  head,  and,  on  that  account,  he  can 
do  nothing  against  her.  From  MARY  this  grace  of 
innocence  and  of  victory  flows  to  the  Church,  in 
order  that  the  Church  may  also  totally  triumph 
over  the  old  serpent  who,  for  six  thousand  years, 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  243 

has  seduced  the  world.  Armed  with  the  grace  of 
the  Immaculate  Conception,  assisted  by  her  Queen, 
the  Virgin  MARY,  conceived  without  sin,  the  Church 
will  crush  the  serpent's  head  and  triumph  over 
Antichrist.  All  of  us  faithful  Catholics,  children 
of  MARY,  living  members  of  Jesus,  let  us  arm  our 
selves  with  this  same  grace,  let  us  walk  in  this  light, 
and,  following  the  beloved  steps  of  the  Immaculate, 
of  the  Virgin  witKout  stain,  let  us  lead  a  life  pure 
and  innocent,  strong  in  faith,  faithful  to  the  Eucha 
rist,  fervent  in  prayer. 

The  great  miracle  of  Lourdes,  unique  in  its  kind, 
is,  as  it  were,  the  heavenly  crowning  of  the  dogmatic 
definition  of  December  8,  1854 ;  it  seems  to  be  the 
echo,  the  divine  reflection,  thereof.  The  Immacu 
late  Virgin  and  Pius  IX.,  the  mystery  of  the  Im 
maculate  Conception  and  that  of  the  Papal  infalli 
bility,  should  not  be  separated  either  in  our  minds 
or  in  our  hearts. 

Consoling  evidence  of  Catholic  faith  and  of  tho 
^excellence  of  the  devotion  to,  and  love  of,  the  Blessed 
Virgin ;  fidelity  to  the  sovereign  grace  of  the  mys 
tery  of  tho  Immaculate  Conception — such,  in  the 
eyes  of  faith,  are  the  three  first  conclusions  which 
shine,  like  rays  of  light,  from  the  marvels  which  the 
mercy  of  GOD  has  made  manifest  in  these  last  years 
at  the  grotto  of  Lourdes. 


244  Tke   Wonders  of  Lourdes. 


XLIII. 

WHAT  THE  HEAVENLY  APPAKITIOH  OF  THE 
TEACHES  OUR  PIETY. 

Taken  in  a  pious  point  of  view,  we  can  and 
should  draw  practical  conclusions  of  the  highest  im 
portance  from,  the  contemplation  of  Our  Lady  of 
Lourdes. 

Every  time  that  she  appeared  to  little  Bernadette 
the  Immaculate  Virgin  was  under  the  same  form, 
with  the  same  garments,  and  in  the  same  light ;  in 
a  word,  with  the  same  collection  of  mysterious 
details  which  are  so  many  silent  lessons  for  us. 

In  the  first  place,  she  always  appeared  surrounded 
with  light ;  and  this  light  was  so  pure,  so  splendid, 
so  sweet,  that  the  earth  knew  nothing  like  it.  This 
is  an  emblem  of  the  divine  light  of  faith,  in  which 
we  are  plunged,  so  to  say,  by  our  baptism,  which  is 
nourished  by  the  Holy  Eucharist,  and  with  which 
a  true  Christian  should  be  ever  penetrated  and  en 
veloped.  Faith  is  the  truth-light—"  the  light  of 
life" — wherewith  we  ought  to  shine  before  the 
world.  Yes,  our  faith  should  shine  out  in  the 
holiness  of  our  life,  and  that,  I  repeat,  in  all 
things  and  everywhere.  Faith  is  the  heavenly 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  245 

air  of  the  Christian.  Wo  should  never  go  forth 
from  it.  The  light  of  the  apparition  was  calm  and 
deep  ;  such  also  is  tho  Catholic  faith,  in  which  *o 
find  rest  for  our  souls. 

In  her  miraculous  apparitions    tho  Virgin    of 
Lourdes   was  beautiful— so  beautiful   that  Berna- 
dette's  eyes  could  never  find  anything  to  bo  com 
pared  with  her.     The  Blessed  Virgin,  our  Mother, 
thereby  teaches  us  that  we  should  labor  to  acquire 
the  true  beauty,  in  order  that  heaven  may  regard  us 
with    pleasure.     True  beauty  is  not  that  which 
strikes  the  eyes  of  men,  as  true  riches  is  not  that 
which  is  shut  up  in  strong  coffers  ;  true  beauty  is 
the"  beauty  of  the  soul ;  it  is  the  beauty  which  GOD 
sees,  which  charms'  JESUS  CHRIST,  which  attracts 
the  regard  of  his  Mother  and  of  his  angels.     To  be 
beautiful  in  the  eyes  of  men  does  not  depend  on  our 
selves  ;  but  it  depends  on  us,  by  uniting  ourselves 
most  intimately  with  Jesus  by  grace,  to  participate 
in  what  he  is.    Now,  JESUS  is  infinite  beauty  ;  and 
the  beauty  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  of  the  angels,  and 
of  the  blessed  is  only  a  reflection  of  his  divine 
splendor.     The  more  we  resemble  JESUS  CHRIST, 
the   more  we  shall  clothe  ourselves  with  him  by 
holiness,  tho   more  we  shall  be  beautiful  with  his 
beauty,  the  only  one  which  passes  not  away.     The 
beautiful  Virgin  of  Lourdes  is,  for  our  eyes,  tho 
perfect  model  of  that   celestial  beauty  wherewith 


The  Wonders  of  Lonrdes. 

she  would  see  the  interior  of  all  her  children  re- 
-  cplendent. 

The  robe  of  the  apparition  was  white,  but  a 
white  so  pure,  Bo  delicate,  so  splendid,  that  no 
precious  stuff  could  ever  approach  it  in  brilliancy. 
The  most  pure  Virgin  thereby  showed  Bernadette 
and  us  all,  in  her  person,  with  what  perfect  and  deli 
cate  purity  our  baptized  souls  should  be  clad  before 
GOD,  Sin  soils  our  beautiful  white  robe ;  the 
slightest  venial  sin,  the  least  voluntary  imperfection, 
tarnishes  its  lustre.  Let  us,  then,  avoid  sin,  and 
keep  ourselves  pure  and  immaculate,  to  resemble 
our  heavenly  Mother,  Above  all,  let  us  keep  with 
jealous  care,  with  scrupulous  vigilance,  purity  in 
its  proper  sense,  most  beautiful  and  most  holy 
chastity.  Chaste1  in  body,  chaste  in  heart,  chaste  in 
looks,  in  words,  thoughts,  in  his  whole  being— such 
should  be  the  true  servant  of  JESUS  and  of  MAEY. 

A  long,  white  veil,  as  pure,  as  dazzling  as  the 
robe,  entirely  covered  the  apparition  ;  from  the  head, 
it  fell  from  the  shoulders  to  the  feet.  Was  not 
this  the  image  of  that  which  enshrouds  and  pre* 
serves  innocence—modesty  ?  Modesty  is  that  array 
of  precaution,  vigilance,  mortification,  which,  so  to 
say,  envelops  and  preserves  purity.  If  we  would 
remain  chaste,  let  us  be  modest;  and  let  "the 
modesty  of  CHRIST,"  as  says  St.  Paul,  "be  the 
model  and  rule  of  our  most  trivial  actions," 


The  Wonders  of  Lourdes.  247 

Tho  white  robe  of  the  apparition  of  tho  grotto 
was  as  if  fastened  at  the  waist  by  a  girdle  of  celes 
tial  blue.  Bernadetto  said  that  the  azure  of 
sky  itself  was  neither  so  blue  nor  so  heavenly- an 
i,M:.go  of  what  should  be  the  heart  of  a  Christian 
which  desires  to  remain  pure  in  the  service  of  GOD. 
Now,  it  is  prayer,  interior  recollection,  and  union 
with  JESUS  which  in  this  world  render  us  thus  all 
heavenly.  "  If  you  wish,  you  can  be  a  heaven  for 
JESUS  CHRIST,"  said  St.  Ambrose  long  ago.  And 
St.  Paul  has  said,  in  tho  nam3  of  all  the  faithful, 
"Our  life  is  in  heaven."  Let  us  live  in  advance, 
by  the  aspirations  of  our  soul,  where  we  are  all  called 
to  live  eternally. 

Yet  more,  the  girdle  which  confines  the  garm  at, 
and  yet  leaves  liberty  in  moving,  is  the  emblem  of 
what  wo  should  be  as  regards  our  eternal  salvation 
—always  ready  to  depart,  detached  from  earth, 
mortified,  temperate,  free,  and  active  in  the  way  of 
ttie  commandments  of  GOD. 

The  Blessed  Virgin  appeared  with  her  feet  bare, 
•uid  on  each  of  them  shone  a  luminous  rose.  The 
bare  feet  of  MARY  teach  us  evangelical  poverty- 
that  beautiful  and  sublime  virtue  to  which  the 
Saviour  has  promised  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
"Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  they  shall  pos 
sess  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  And  what  is  tho 
spirit  of  poverty,  if  not  sincere  detachment  from  all 


248  The  Wonders  of  Lourdes. 

earthly  things,  humility  of  mind  and  of  heart,  the 
simplicity  which  attaches  itself  to  GOD  alone,  and 
p.vhich  sacrifices  to  him  unhesitatingly  all  that  does 
not  fully  agree  with  his  holy  love  ? 

There  is  nothing  more  edifying  than  this  humil 
ity — than  this  simplicity  and  poverty  of  mind  ;  like 
the  roses  in  the  apparition,  they  shed  everywhere 
the  sweet  odor  of  JESUS  CHRIST — the  divine  per 
fume  of  the  Gospel. 

Finally,  the  immaculate  Virgin  always  had  her 
hands  joined  in  prayer,  and  held,  either  in  her 
sacred  hands  or  hanging  from  her  wrist,  the  beau 
tiful  white  and  gold  Rosary  which  we  have  before 
described  from  Bernadette's  account. 

By  this  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  would  remind  us 
"that  we  must  pray  always  and  without  ceasing"; 
that  prayer  should  be  to  our  soul  what  breath  is  to 
our  body ;  and  that  purity,  fervor,  holiness,  are 
contained  in  that  one  word — -prayer. 

The  apparition  did  not  recite  the  Rosary ;  but 
^she  presents  it  to  us,  in  the  first  place,  as  an  excel 
lent  manner  of  efficacious  prayer,  then  because  the 
Rosary  is  the  prayer  of  the  simple,  of  the  humble, 
and  the  poor.  The  good  Virgin  thus  herself  recom 
mended  to  us  fidelity  in  reciting  the  Rosary.  Has 
each  of  us  a  Rosary  ?  Do  we  carry  it  always  with 
us  ?  Do  we  say  it  every  day  ?  Do  we  say  it  with 
devotion  and  recollection  ? 


The   Wonders  of  Lourdcs.  249 

Such  are  the  silent  lessons  which  are  taught  us 
by  the  -Immaculate  Conception  of  the  grotto  of 
Lourdcs.  Let  us  not  forget  them. 

MARY  usually  kept  her  admirable  eyes  fixed  on 
little  Bcrnadette.  That  look  of  the  Queen  of  heaven 
is  fixed  on  each  of  us ;  yes,  MARY  regards  us,  as 
JESUS  regards  us.  .  .  .  We  must  never  do  any 
thing  to  grieve  those  maternal  eyes. 

0  sweet  Virgin  !  guard  us  amid  the  dangers  of 
the  present  time.  Guard  the  Pope,  guard  the 
Church,  guard  all  thy  children  !  And  grant  that 
we  may  imitate  theo  so  faithfully  on  earth  that  we 
may  have  the  happiness  of  living  and  dying  in  the 
!ove  of  thy  Son,  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  JESUS 
CHRIST  ! 

Glory  bo  in  heaven  and  on  earth  to  the  IMMACU 
LATE  CONCEPTION  ! 


OUR  LADY  OF  LOURDES, 

TRANSLATED  PBOM  THE  FRENCH  OF 


HE1STRI 

1  voL  12mo,  500  pp. 
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A  work  honored  with  a  special  brief  addressed  to  the  author 
by  his  Holiness  the  P»pe,  Pius  IX. 

SEVENTH    EDITION. 


"  THIS  work  has  been  anxiously  looked  for  in  book  form, 
and  its  appearance  now  is  most  welcome.  Every  one  has 
heard  of  the  apparitions  of  Our  Lady  to  a  poor  peasant  child 
some  twelve  years  ago  at  Lourdes,  in  the  Pyrenees ;  every 
one  has  heard,  too,  of  the  wonderful  effects  that  followed, 
and  are  still  following,  that  latest  visible  manifestation  of 
the  powerful  Mother  of  Christians  to  her  poor  earthly  chil 
dren  ;  of  the  miraculous  fountain  that  sprang  up,  as  before  at 
La  Salette,  in  the  Alps,  with  healing  in  its  waters,  to  maifc 
the  spot  made  holy  by  the  visible  presence  of  the  great 
Queen;  every  one  has  heard,  too,  of  the  magnificent  temple 
that  has  been  erected  on  the  wild  and  lonely  place  where 
these  so  memorable  events  took  place,  of  the  countless  mir 
acles  that  have  been  performed  there,  and  of  the  multitudei 


•f  pious  pilgrims,  of  all  classes  in  human  society,  who  havt 
gone,  and  are  still  going,  to  honor  Mary  in  her  favored 
sanctuary,  or  to  seek  for  blessings  at  her  merciful  hands. 
Amongst  these  was  Henri  Lasserre,  the  gifted  and  pious  au 
thor  of  the  charming  book  before  us.  He,  too,  had  gone  to 
ask  a  special  favor  of  Her  who  is  truly  the  comfort  of  the 
afflicted ;  the  favor  was  granted,  and,  in  the  fulness  of  his 
joy  and  gratitude,  he  made  a  vow  to  write  the  history  of 
Our  Lady  of  Lourdes — that  is  to  say,  of  the  rise  and  progress 
of  the  devotion  to  Mary  under  that  title.  But  he  did  not 
write  his  book  lightly  or  hastily;  he  took  due  time  to  visit 
every  spot,  every  person,  connected  with  the  wonderful 
events  of  which  heaven  had  made  him  the  chronicler.  He 
took  nothing  at  hearsay — he  travelled  much  and  long,  and 
examined  everything  for  himself ;  the  result  is  before  us  hi 
a  book  that  will  delight  every  Catholic  reader,  and  ought  to 
open  the  eyes  of  those  who  wilfully  walk  in  the  darkness  of 
ignorance  concerning  the  Immaculate  Mother  of  Our  Lord, 
the  gracious  Lady  of  Lourdes.  .  ,  .  ,  .  The  book  in 
handsomely  got  up  on  fine  paper,  and  in  clear  and  legible 
type,  which  add  much  to  the  pleasure  of  reading  it." 


"Within  the  last  ten  years  the  little  town  of  Lourdes,  in 
France,  has  become  one  of  the  most  famous  places  of  pil 
grimage  in  the  world.  Incessant  processions  of  men, 
f  women,  and  children  are  made  thither  from  all  parts  of 
'Prance.  The  faithful  have  begun  already  to  erect  there  a 
church  which  is  to  cost  two  millions.  In  what  manner 
this  hitherto  obscure  place  has  suddenly  risen  to  such  a 
prominence  is  narrated  in  the  present  volume  by  one 


has  spared  no  labor,  and  hesitated  at  no  iimculty,  In  order 
that  he  might  arrive  at  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  facts 
in  the  case.  He  has  examined  all  the  documents,  spoken  with 
all  the  witnesses,  visited  the  places  connected  with  the  ap 
paritions  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes,  and  is  consequently  per 
fectly  qualified  to  write  a  true  history  of  these  most  won 
derful  occurrences.  The  whole  character  of  the  work  is 
strictly  historical,  and  yet  it  possesses  all  the  interest  of  a 
romance.  To  strengthen  the  weak  and  to  reanimate  the 
discouraged  in  an  age  which  denies  the  possibility  of  mira 
cles,  God,  in  his  infinite  mercy,  deigns  to  grant  most  signal 
evidences  of  the  miraculous  providence  by  which  he  leads 
through  the  ages  the  immortal  spouse  of  his  divine  Son." 


From  the  Irish  Citizen. 

"Among  the  mountains  of  the  Higher  Pyrenees,  where 
the  seven  valleys  of  the  Lavedan  come  together,  each  bring 
ing  down  its  bright  stream  to  form  the  Gave,  stands  the 
small  town  or  village  of  Lourdes.  Some  twelve  years  ago 
few  persons  dwelling  at  a  distance  even  knew  of  the  exist 
ence  of  the  village ;  but  now  the  town,  with  its  rocks  of 
Massabielle,  forms  the  object  of  a  vast  and  constant  pilgrim 
procession  ;  the  railroad  line  which  serves  that  Pyrenean 
country  has  made  a  detour  in  its  course  to  accommodate 
the  multitudes  ;  strangers  of  every  European  nation  and  of 
many  parts  of  America  are  to  be  found  thronging  the  vil 
lages  and  the  country  round,  all  making  pilgrimage  to  th« 
spot  where  the  Blessed  Virgin  is  said  to  have  appeared  daily 
to  the  innocent  little  girl,  Bernadette.  All  the  miraculous 
Incidents  connected  with  that  place  of  pilgrimage  havo 
taken  place  since  1858 — celestial  apparitions,  miraculous 
cures  and  conversions— and  now  a  magnificent  church 


crowns  the  rock,  the  grotto  where  the  child  was  spoken  to 
by  her  unearthly  visitant  is  enclosed  and  rendered  more 
accessible,  with  its  healing  spring  ;  and  on  the  arrival  of  a 
train,  especially  in  summer,  processions  are  formed  in  the 
cctart  of  the  railway  station — girls  in  white,  old  men,  ma 
trons  with  children  in  their  arms — and  they  move  in  solemn 
march,  with  banners  and  chanting,  to  the  scene  of  the  mira 
cle.  And  this  in  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  ! 
Yes,  even  so  ;  and  better  might  it  be  for  the  said  century  if 
these  things  did  not  seem  to  it  so  incredible  and  grotesque. 
It  believes  in  Lottie  Fowler,  the  clairvoyant,  or  in  some 
seventh  daughter  of  a  seventh  daughter,  and  finds  nothing 
revolting  in  their  visions  and  miracles  !  Be  this  as  it  may, 
the  full  and  circumstantial  narrative  of  the  favored  child 
hood  of  Bernadette,  with  the  testimony  of  such  as  have 
vouched  for  cures  and  the  like,  is  surely  worth  considering. 
Independently  of  the  visions  and  wonderful  cures,  which 
every  reader  is  welcome  to  believe  or  disbelieve,  the  book  is 
curiously  interesting  for  its  picture  of  the  life  and  ways  of 
the  simple  people  of  those  French  valleys,  into  which,  we 
trust,  King  William's  Goths  will  never  penetrate." 


From  the  Rochester  Union. 

"  Another  of  those  absorbing  books,  descriptive  of  the  life 
of  a  remarkable  personage,  and  of  marvellous  events  con 
nected  therewith,  so  well  calculated  to  inspire  reverence 
and  awaken  awe  in  the  hearts  of  true  Catholics  and  friends  of 
the  Church,  has  just  been  published  by  D.  &  J.  Sadlier, 
New  York.  The  title  is « *  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes. "  The  author, 
Henri  Lasserre,  received,  on  the  presentation  of  the  com 
pleted  work,  a  brief  from  Pope  Pius  IX.,  conveying  hii 
apostolic  benediction.  A  translation  of  this  document,  to 


getbcr  with  the  original  in  Latin,  immediately  precedes  the 
preface.  The  remarkable  personage  referred  to  as  described 
in  this  work  is  Bernadette  Soubirous  (now  Sister  Marie- 
» Bernard),  to  whom,  it  is  piously  believed,  appeared  the  ap 
parition  of  the  Virgin  Mary  in  February,  1858,  in  the  Grotto 
of  Massabielle,  near  the  town  of  Lourdes,  France.  The 
author  relates  all  the  circumstances  and  evidences  which 
go  to  substantiate  this  belief,  and  altogether  weaves  his 
data  into  a  tale  which  is  intensely  interesting,  whether  fact 
or  fiction.  I'he  experiences  of  this  innocent  and  illiterate 
country  girl  form  one  of  the  most  remarkable  chapters  of 
modern  miracles  connected  with  the  Church.  The  volume 
is  a  12mo  of  nearly  five  hundred  pages,  clearly  printed  and 
well  bound. 

"  Another  work  just  issued  by  the  same  publishing  house 
is  '•  The  Black  Prophet :  A  Tale  of  Irish  Famine,"  by  William 
Carleton,  author  of  half  a  score  of  Irish  stories.  The  au 
thor's  numberless  admirers  do  not  need  to  be  told  what  the 
present  book  is.  They  will  not  be  disappointed  in  their  ex 
pectations  of  finding  one  of  the  most  pleasing  tales  in  the 
whole  range  of  Irish  literature.  It  is  a  book  of  nearly  six 
hundred  pages,  and  is  brought  out  in  substantial  shape." 

Frwn  the  Daily  World. 

"This  is  a  narrative  of  a  miraculous  appearance  of  the 
Immaculate  Virgin  to  a  little  peasant  girl  of  the  Hautes- 
Pyrenees.  It  may  be  safely  -stated  that  one-half  the  Chris 
tian  world  will  disbelieve  this  fact,  and  that  the  other  half 
will  believe  it  with  equal  firmness  on  evidence  given  in  this 
work.  It  will  not  be  easy  for  any  one  who  approaches  thi* 
book  with  even  moderate  scepticism  to  believe  that  th* 
Apparition  was  not  an  hallucination ;  but  there  will  be  • 


difficulty  almost  equal  in  supposing  that  all  the  witnesses  to 
the  facts  narrated  are  deceivers  or  deceived.  The  narrator, 
M.  Lasserre,  goes  so  far  as  to  aver  that  he  himself  was  com 
pletely  cured  of  almost  total  blindness  by  the  waters  of  the 
miraculous  fountain  which  sprang  from  the  Grotto  of  the 
Apparition.  To  discuss  the  question  would  of  course  open 
up  the  whole  controversy  of  the  supernatural,  so  that  it  ia 
better  to  refer  the  reader  who  desires  the  evidence  of  the 
affirmative  side  of  the  case  to  this  book.  Whatever  his  con 
clusion — whether  to  accept  with  the  Catholic,  or  reject  with 
the  non-Catholic — he  will  find  M.  Lasserre's  work  thought 
ful,  graphic,  and  conscientious." 


D.  &.  J.  SADLIER  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

31  Barclay  Street,  New  York. 

Sent  post-paid  to  any  address  on  receipt  of  the  price