THE SACRED GROTTO.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1890, 27 October 1913, Page 10

THE SACRED GROTTO.

IRISH PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES. ' _ ! ■ The ranks of the thousands who ap- ■ peal at the Grotto at. Lourdes for Wr Lief from suffering .were swelled this ydar by. the first national pilgrimage from Ireiaii'3. « Cardinal' Logue, tho Primate of- Ireland; and the groat majority of the bishops identified them- . selves with tho'pilgrimage.' Only about ' 200 of tho 3000 pilgrims were invalids, md tho task of tlieir safe transportation was in the hands of Messrs. Tlios. 3ook and Son. Some six or seven hun- £ 3rcd from tho South of Ireland went <3 llrect to Boulogne, but the balance, 6 ibout 2450, travelled via London. Tlio travellers wore divided into xmtingents.' distinguished by various jolours. Each pilgrim wore a distinc;ivo green badgo, bearing tho_ words n gold lettering, some in. English and wrae ih Gaelic, "Irish National Pil- j ;rimage." From tho badge depended t medallion .with a reproduction of the j rrotto and tho words ■ " Conic hithpr n possession" on one side, and a >oss and tho name and date of the silgrimago on tho. other. ■ , Each pilgrim who goes to worship in . ,ho grotto pays liis own..expenses, the f onrney costing between £11 and £15 ■ !.ich. "But ill the many of tlio "• nvalids-this was impossible, '.and their . ■xponses were accordingly defrayed, by. _ haritable subscriptions. Nearly- a'- f lozen children .sufferi'.iE' from various iiseases' and' malformations were , sent the pilgrimage at the expense o.f a;, roll-known lady of North Armagh. .. /'■ There :were m.aiiy touching scones, .as he invalids, were carried. from:- :.the rakes to': tho train.' Tho most general, omplaints .'apparently,, wore .pairalvsjg ntl various malformations. One otlier-. 'ise sturdy-looking young man. mhose 3gs were'quite lielploss, lin.cl with. hmV . the 'stretcher a couple of businesfike Irish blackthorns. Several of'_ the -■* ilgrimft were either blind or iinrtially ® lind, l'mt three young ladies,., qll blind rom birth, who to a' carriage'■ y their friends', wero "briglrfj. Mid cheer- . il, and wore confident that/ tliov would Btimi from' the pilgrimage' with their . ||sht. A' full .staff of-doctors,, 'iwirses. .i nd amhulanco attendants accompanied y lie pilgrims, a doctor, .two'nurses, and > jxir. attendants being apportioned 'to icli train. ' '' '■ Fire broke out in the Famburg- ' merikn liner Imperator- at HolwkMi, , ew York, and'in fighting.the (lames the icoftd officer lost his life. The fire was ctinguished after five hours, the dam- • 50 bring estimated at-<£ 30,000. During le winter the Impcrator'and tho Whites tar liner; the Olympic, will .be out of irvice' for some weeks for pur-poses of rerhauling. , et poet's'.enihuso.asUliey.may, Ami-dcdicatc songi -to-tlieirjloves. ;'s t'lie way of the world, I supposo, ; For.wo'all have our own turfle-doves. : hough rivals may enter the lists And endeavour luy.v heart to secure, ■ ic'll always be-'loyal and trite To Woods* Great Peppermint Cure. v —Aiivt. - The King' Irns for ..eonie months be'p-n { ipplied <|aily,vat his'own request, willi a *■ eather report from the ■ Meteorological Miimittoo'. 1 ' .. .'... .-s V m