THE question, however, raised by these supernatural events, by the Apparitions, true or false, of the Virgin, by the gushing forth of the Spring, by the miraculous cures, genuine or counterfeit, could not, as all agreed, remain for ever in suspense. It was absolutely necessary that all these things should be submitted to a proper and severe investigation. Strangers, who had not been in these districts except for a short season, had not been present at the commencement of these extraordinary events, and who had not been able, like the people of the country, to come to any reasonable conviction, were unanimous―in the midst of the different accounts and various appreciation they heard on all sides― in expressing their astonishment at the complete silence and apparent indifference of the ecclesiastical authorities. Much as they blamed the interference of the civil power, they did not less condemn the extent to which the religious power personified in the Bishop had kept aloof.
The Free-thinkers, interpreting the long hesitations and present attitude of the Prelate to their own liking, thought themselves sure of his verdict. The friends of M. Massy began to cry loudly that Monseigneur Laurence agreed with the Prefect in his appreciation of what had taken place. They threw on the Bishop the entire responsibility of the violent measures which had been adopted. “The Bishop,” they said, “might arrest the progress of Superstition by a single word. The only thing required was that he should boldly pronounce his judgment. The civil authorities have only been forced to act in his default.”
The believers, taking into consideration the evidence adduced of the miraculous facts, looked upon themselves as equally certain of a solemn decision in favor of their faith.
Others―and among these a great number of strangers―had not come to any conviction or decided views on the question, and sought to be relieved from their state of uncertainty by some definitive investigation. “Of what use are the religious authorities,” they observed, “if it is not to decide questions of this nature and to settle the faith of such as owing to distance, want of documents, or any other cause, are unable to examine and decide for themselves.
The Bishop’s palace was besieged with complaints of this kind. To the murmur of the multitude was joined the voice of the classes usually termed enlightened, though frequently the little lights of earth made them lose sight of the Great Light of Heaven. An investigation was demanded from all quarters.
The supernatural cures continued to be effected. From a hundred sources official reports of these cures, signed by numerous witnesses, were forwarded to the residence of Monseigneur Laurence.
On the sixteenth of July, the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Bernadette had heard within her the voice which had for some months been silent, and which now no longer summoned her to the Rocks of Massabielle, then closed and guarded, but to the right bank of the Gave, into those meadows where the multitude used to assemble to pray, safe from prosecutions and the vexatious proceedings of the Police. It was about eight o’clock in the evening. Scarcely had the child knelt down and commenced the recitation of her chaplet, when the Blessed Mother of Jesus Christ appeared to her. The Gave, which separated her from the Grotto, had almost vanished from her sight as soon as the ecstasy came over her. She saw naught before her but the blessed Rock―to which she seemed to be as near as on former occasions―and the Immaculate Virgin, who smiled sweetly upon her as if to confirm all the past and shed light on all the future. Not a word proceeded from her divine lips. At a certain moment She bowed Her head towards the child as if to tell her, “We shall meet again at some very distant period,” or to bid her a last farewell. After this She disappeared and re-entered Heaven. This was the eighteenth Apparition and it was the last.
In a different or entirely opposite sense, some strange events happened which it is of importance to point out. Three or four different times some women and children asserted that they had had visions like those of Bernadette.
Were these visions true? Was the Devil trying to mix up his mysteries with those of God in order to trouble them? Or were these singular phenomena attributable only to derangement of mind, ill-regulated enthusiasm, or the perverse and mischievous tricks of some naughty children? Or must we seek for some hostile hands, concealing themselves treacherously in the back-ground, who were pushing these visionaries to the front with the object of throwing discredit on the miraculous events at the Grotto? We cannot tell.
The multitude, with their thousands of eyes fixed on all these details, with their intuitive perception and the necessity they felt of coming to some conclusion, were less reserved in their judgments than we are ourselves.
The hypothesis that these self-styled visionaries were incited by underhand manœuvres on the part of the Police assumed immediately, right or wrong, a very serious hold on the mind of the public, which had become deeply imbued with distrust. The two or three children who claimed to have seen Apparitions mixed up all kinds of absurdities with their story, which was in other respects sufficiently incoherent. One day they clambered over the barrier formed of boards which enclosed the Grotto, and under pretense of offering their services to the pilgrims, drawing some of the water for them, and of sanctifying their chaplets by contact with the blessed Rock, they received from them and appropriated to themselves sundry presents. Jacomet, who might so easily have arrested them, suffered them to remain unmolested. He sometimes affected to be unconscious of these strange scenes, ecstasies, and infringement of the Prefect’s orders, sometimes to be absent at the time they occurred. From these surprising proceedings on the part of the very crafty and sharp-sighted Commissary, everyone concluded that it was one of those dark underhand pieces of roguery, of which men connected with the Police, and even with the Administration, are―too frequently, perhaps―considered capable. “Baron Massy,” they said, “finding himself deserted by public opinion, and being convinced by experience of the impossibility of putting a stop to what was going on by the assistance of violence, is attempting to dishonor the miracles by fomenting false visionaries, of whom he will afterwards make a great fuss in the newspapers and with the government. Is fecit cui prodest.”
Whatever might be the value of these suspicions ―and most probably they were unjust―such scenes might disturb the public mind. The Curé of Lourdes, roused by these scandals, lost no time in dismissing with disgrace the youthful visionaries from the Catechism class, and declared that if anything of the kind occurred again, he would himself take care to institute a severe investigation and discover the real instigators.
The attitude and threats of the Curé produced a sudden and radical effect. The pretended visions ceased there and then, and nothing more was heard of them. They had only lasted four or five days.
The Abbé Peyramale made the Bishop acquainted with this incident. As for M. Jacomet, he on his part forwarded to the proper authorities, a report, couched in hyperbolical and romantic language, of which we shall have occasion to speak hereafter.
This audacious attempt of those hostile to the movement, to dishonor it and alter its nature, added weight to the already very sufficient reasons with which the Bishop was urged to act. Everything combined to show that the moment of interference had arrived, and that the religious authorities should no longer delay their investigation and final judgment.
Some men of the highest consideration in the Christian world, such as Monseigneur de Salinis, Archbishop of Auch; Monseigneur Thibaud, Bishop of Montpellier; Monseigneur de Garsignies, Bishop of Soissons; M. Louis Veuillot, chief editor of the Univers; some personages less known, but of tolerable notoriety, Monseigneur de Rességnier, formerly deputy; M. Vène, Chief Engineer of the Mines and inspector-General of the Pyrenean warm-baths, and a great number of eminent Catholics happened to be in the district at the time. All of them had studied the extraordinary events which form the subject of our history; all of them had visited and interrogated Bernadette, and all of them had either believed or were inclined to believe in the truth of her story. One of the most revered of our Bishops was said to have been unable to restrain his emotion on hearing the youthful Seer repeat her tale, so purely simple and bearing so strongly the impress of truth. On contemplating this little girl, on whose brow the gaze of the ineffable Mother of God had rested, the Prelate had not been able to resist the first impulse of his melted heart. He, a prince of the Church, had prostrated himself before the majesty of this lowly peasant-girl.
“Pray for me, bless me and my flock,” said he to her with a voice choking with emotion, and so agitated that his knees almost refused to perform their office.
“Rise, Monseigneur. It is for you to bless this child,” exclaimed the Curé of Lourdes, who was present at the scene, seizing the Bishop eagerly by the hand to assist him in rising.
However suddenly and rapid was the movement of the Priest, Bernadette had anticipated it; and full of confusion in her humility she bowed her head low beneath the Prelate’s hand. The Bishop blessed her, but not without shedding tears.
