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do we know that some natural force of which we &rc still ignorant doea not openite the marvellous cures which are attributed directly to GodT" How do we knon'? In the firat place, if a law of thia nature did ex- . ist, the pilgrima of Lourdes would not be coKniiant of it any more than the rest of mankind; neither would the}' know anv better than others how to set it in mo- tion. Why Bhouid this law operate for them and not tor others? la it because they deny ita existence and the others beUeve in it? Moreover, not only there does not exist, but there cannot exist, and conse- quently will never exist, a natural law producing in- stantaneously the regeneration oF tissues affected with iMion, tjiat ia to say, the cure of an oi^anic disease. Why soT Because any growth and consequently any

restoration of the tissues of the organism

plishcd— and thia is a scientific fact— by tli

and growth of the protoplasms and cells which

]Miae every living body. Every existing protoplasm comes from some former protoplasm, ana that m)m a previous one and so on, back to the very banning; Ihese generations (the fact is self-evident) are neoce- Karily successive, that is, they require the co-operation of tune. Therefore, in order that a natural force should be able to operate a sudden cure in an organic disease, the cssentiul basis of life aa it ia in the present creation would liave to be overthrown: nature as we Imaw it would have to be destroyed and another created on a. different plan. Therefore, the hypothe- sis of unknown forces of nature cannot be brought for- ward to explain the instantaneous cures of tjourdes. It ia logically untenable. Aa a matter of fact, no nat- ural cause, known or uiiknown, is sufficient to ac- count for the marvelloits cures witnessed at the foot of the celebrated rock where the Virgin Immaculate deigucd to appear. They can only be from the inter- vention of God.

IfjJWEHRE. tfatrt-Dame de Lourdts: Bouwahie, L'teuvn dt Lmtfrte^i Bertiuh, Ui/doir* critigut dta ivfnfm^nU da Lourdet. appanliont rf auMmu (Pnria. 1900), tr. (liBin; Idsh, Un mi- nuUd-avjiiunr/iuiaiteuiuj-idiovr'iilne tPaiB, 190B).

UEORoes Bektrin.

II LOUVAZV

Louth. See Clooher, Diocese of.

Lonvain, Univehsitv of. — In order to restore the splendour of Louvain, capital of bis Duchy of Brabant, Llohn IV of the Hou.se of Burgundy petitioned the papal authority for the estabhsbment of an educa- tional institution called at the time sludium generaU. The Bull of Martin V, dated 9 December, 1425, waB the result, Thia Bull, in founding the university, pre- scril>ed also that the prince should give it advantages and privileges. In its early days, however, the uni- versity wa.s incomplete. It was only in 1'131 that Eu- gene IV created the faculty of theology. Louvain had the character of a sludium generaie, i. c., it bad the right to receive students from all parts of the world, and the degree of doctor which it conferred gave the right to (4^ach anywhere. Popes and princes vied with one another in granting the university imiw)rt.aut priv- ileges and estalilishing endowments to provide for ita needs and development. The organization of the uni- versity and its history have been recorded by many aiiiialista. TheMSS. preserved in the archives amply complete the hterary sources, although the entire his- tory of the university has not yet been written. From any ptunt of view tlut may bo token, the history and description of the university admit of an important division, the H^iime from 142S to 1797 being quite dif- ferent from that adopted at the time of the restoration

Firii Period (I4«5-/7ff7).— The ancient university constituted a juridical body enjoying a large measure of autonomy. The arrangement of the programme of studies ana the conferring of degrees were among its prerogatdves; it had jurisoiction and disciplinary pow- ers over ita merobere. Ita constitution was elective; the authority of the rector was conferred for three months, then for six, by delegates of the faculties, each one h<dding in turn the rectoral office. The facul- ties organised after the foundation of the theologi- cal faculty oomprised those of law (civil and canon), medicine, and arts. The scope of the latter was very broad, including the physical and mathematical sdences, jwiloeopby, literature, and history. It cov- ered everything contained in the trivium and quadri- vium of the Middle Ages; it was an encyclopedic faculty. The university profited by the increasing power of the sovereigns of Brabant, dukes of Bur-

fimdy, afterwards princea of Habsburg, Austria, and pain. TTie imperial splendour of Charles V contrib- uted greatly to its prosperity, owing to the important position of the Netherlanda among the nations of Eu- rope. Doubtless, too, it felt the effects of the civiland foreign wars, which devastated these provinces; its material and scientific intereals suffered considerably, but for ail that, during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it was one of the strongcat intellectual cen- tres of the West. The princes had contributed to tie influence exerted by Louvain liy giving it a imiveraity monopoly; for, fearing the influence of the doctrines taught in other coimtrics, the FuniCHO Government forbade yoiuig Helgiaim to study in foreign uiiii-ersi- tiea, as manv of them had lieen iloiiig until th.it time. It ia true tnat this rule permitted exceptions for worthy motivea. On the other hand, to provide for the southern provinces, Philip II hod brought about the establishment of an affiliated university at Douai, which was soon to rival the parent institution and share its privileges. The faculties of Ixiuvain did not confine themselves to oral teaching in optional courses. Various institutions sprang up about the university. -More tlian forty colleges received Ktiidents of various groups provided with spci'iul means, flpecial chairs were created, for instance, in the Mixf«enth century, the celebrated "College of the Tlircc Languages' founded by Busleiden. In these colleges (I-ya, Pore, (Tifiloau, Faucon) courses were given and a very keen competition fi)r ncademic lioriours sprang up among them. The students were also grouped according to