The young peasant woman of Monin.

One of our correspondents of Oloron (Basses-Pyrénées) sent us the account of the following fact, which is within his personal knowledge:

“Toward the end of the month of December 1866, not far from the hamlet of Monein (Basses-Pyrénées), a peasant woman of twenty-four years, named Marianne Coubert, was occupied in gathering leaves in a meadow, near the house where she lives with her father, sixty-four years old, and a sister of twenty-nine. For some moments, an old man of medium stature, dressed in peasant fashion, had been standing at the corner of the gate that gives passage to the meadow. Suddenly, he called to the young woman, who soon approaches, and asks whether she could give him alms. “ — But what could I give you? she asked. I have nothing; unless you would like to accept a piece of bread.

“ — Whatever you wish, replied the old man. Besides, you may rest easy, it will not be lacking to you.

“And the peasant woman hastened to go fetch the piece of bread. On returning, the old man said to her:

“ — It is a long time since you already answered me.

“ — How, answered the peasant woman astonished, could I have answered you? You had not yet called me.

“ — I had not called you, it is true, but my Spirit had transported itself to you, had penetrated your spirit and it was thus that I knew your intentions beforehand. I also stopped before another house, down there; my Spirit entered and I knew the little charitable dispositions of those who dwell there. For this reason I thought it would be useless to ask anything there. If those persons do not change, if they continue not to practice charity, they will have much to lament. As for you, never refuse to give alms, and God will take into account your sentiments and will give you much beyond what you have given to the unfortunate… Are you ill in the eyes? “ — Ah! yes, answered the peasant woman, most of the time my sight is so weak that I cannot devote myself to the labors of the field.

“ — Well then! continued the old man, here is a pair of spectacles with which you will see perfectly. You have a sister whom you loved very much and who died eight years and four months ago.

“ — It is true, answered the peasant woman, more and more astonished.

“ — Your mother died a year ago.

“ — It is true, she continued, even more astonished.

“ — Well then! you shall go say five Pater and five Ave at her tomb. Besides, both are found in a place where they are happy and where you will see them again one day. Before leaving you, I have something to recommend to you: go to the house of such a person (a girl of bad conduct, who had several children) and ask her to let you take one of her children, whom you will raise until the time of his first communion.

“Finally, here is a missal that you must keep preciously, and to which is attached a grace for all who touch it. The persons who come to see you must, on arriving and on leaving, say two Pater and two Ave, for the souls of purgatory. Among those persons, whose number will increase from day to day considerably, there are those who will laugh, who will mock; to these tell nothing. Do not fail to recommend to the person, at whose house you are to take the boy, that she convert herself, for I do not believe that she will live much longer. “I warn you that you will have a grave malady toward the end of the month of March; do not send for a doctor, for it will be useless; it is a trial to which you must submit yourself with resignation. Besides, I will come to see you again.

“And the old man drew away. Arriving at a small bridge very near, he disappeared suddenly.

“Naturally, the young peasant woman hastened to go recount the fact to the curate, to whom she showed the book of prayers. The curate told her that he thought there was something extraordinary in this and advised her to keep the missal carefully. She hastened to do all that the old man had recommended to her, and afterward she was always seen with the spectacles and the boy of whom she had taken charge. She was visited by a considerable multitude and, on the last Sunday, her house was so full that the curate had to sing the vespers almost alone. I cannot forget an important circumstance: it is that, according to the prediction of the old man, the peasant woman had been bedridden for eight days. Now it must be said that in Monein, as in Oloron, opinions are very divided concerning the fact in question. Some believe, others remain incredulous. The curate of Monein, who at first had found the thing very extraordinary, preached several times to dissuade his parishioners from going to visit the peasant woman. According to her, the personage who presented himself to her told her his name and confided to her several things that she was not to reveal, at least for now. In all this, what would make me reflect a little, is that he manifested the desire that a statue be erected to represent him, in the place where he appeared. “The general opinion, among the believers, is that it must be Saint Joseph. For me, if the fact is true, I can see therein only a Spiritist manifestation, having as its aim to call attention to our philosophy, in a region dominated by contrary influences.”