Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-03-20

| it to the Association. It would beproper,
| to remark that it was stated by the Mayor,
| that the Association was strictly benevolent
in its character, politics and religion being
| entirely unknown in it's deliberations and
| operations.
After the address of the Mayor, the pro-
cession marched to ST. Thomas Church,
where, on its arrival, services were held,
after which an address was delivered by
Rev. DIR. Corcoran. This Reverend gentle
man, by his simplicity and purity of style
and choice selection of words, charmed all
who heard his discourse. Ii was of char
acter which could not fail to attract and
excite admiration. Beginning with st.
Patrick, like true Irishman, he warmed
as he proceeded, and described Ireland as
she was and as she is. Painting her
| glories in a warm, feeling manner, he end
ell with detail Of her m;series and the
wrongs inflicted by the oppressor. He
| believed that the signs of the times were
good and indicated a return of her
prosperity. but counselled her children not
to be rash, and rather seek first to attain
to that state of unity the want of which
/ has been Ireland's bane.
At the close of services the Hibernians
again formed in procession and marched
through the principal streets. At night the
celebration was wound up by ball, where
we learn Il good time was experienced.
IT may not prove uninteresting to our
readers to give a few facts relative to st.
Patrick, for whom the Irish exhibit such
reverence : "Usher fixes the date of his
decease on the 18th OF March, A. d., 1872
but Tilemour altered it to 455, and Moore
to 4c5. st. Patrick was born, according to
Usher and Tillimour, in 372; but Moore, in
his History OF Ireland, states it at 387.
Ills birth took place, the MAJ GRITTY of his bio
graphers ST., in the present town of Kill
patrick, at the month of the Clyde, between
DumbTton and Glasgow; but Moore insists
that he was born nehr Boulogne, and that
NAL one Of the Nine Hostages captured
him, carried him to ireland and sold him
to person TO tond sheep. He escaped,
returned TO France, became a monk, re-
OuIAtu W ittIdutl aux COllFcIJ5A TIC
tives to christianity. He used the Sham
rock, with its three leaves, to illustrate the
Trinity; hence its consecration TO ST. Pat
rick"
The lines of the following old song,
learned 10y many Irishmen in their boy
hood, doubtless still rings in their ears, al
though not of very elegant diction:
"Afig for st. Dennis OF France,
He's q trif1ing fellow to hrag on,
A fig for st George and his lance,
Which spltted the heathenISl dragon;
And the saints Of tho WEIGH and Scots
Are a couple of pittiful pipers
Both of whom may travel to pot,
Compared to the patrons OF 'SWipers!'"
The following synopsis of the Rev
Doctors address viii be read with interest:
The text chosen was from llccli Xiv, /:
"Let us praise the men of renown, and
our fathers, in their generation" The
discourse began by alIusion to the general
practice of commemorAting by anniversa-
ries and festivals the iIlustriOu5 dead. To
st. Patrick, as spiritual Father and Toun-
der Of their race, on this day the hearts Of
all the children Of Erin iustinctiveiy turn.
L ne IGGiiItItCt1 OF ti1t 1tStIFdt5 tiIS very
sound Of his name, of itself wildly recalls
the cherished sc&nes the fond memories,
the halloWed associations Of early days in
the green Isle OF their birth. And this
yearly happens (for the Irish race is every
where( on the banks Of the Ganges, the
Mississippi, at the foot of the Cordilleras,
on the edge OF the Pacific, amid the virgin
forests of New Zealand.
The birth place Of the Saint is uncertain;
Britain, Scotland and Gaul, as we'll as Ire
land, contending for the honor. But even
should Ireland's claim be void, she has
the higher distinction of calling him
father in the nob1est sense OF the word, hay
ing been by him ''begotten through the
Gospel in Christ" as st. Paul phrases it.
The appearance of the Saint before the as
sembled princes and sages of Tarah, gave
occasion for a few remarks on the early
civilization of Ireland. This has been
doubted; but the first doubters (strange to
say y were her spoilers, who, worse than
Hun Or Vandal, or pagan Northman, laid
waste her schools, monasteries and other
repositories of learning, committed her II
braries, archives and other literary mOnu-
ments to the f1ames-and then with I'M
blushing impudence, or rather bitter mock
cry, said to her: Produce proofs and docu-
ment of your early civilization =
Yet sufficient proofs exists, partly
preserved by tradition, partly saved
from the grasp of the spoiler. One re-
markable fact in the history of Ireland, I'M
paralleled elsewhere, is that she was con-
verted without shedding drop of blood.
Ireland has many Saints, but no Martyrs
in her domestic calendar. The speaker
then treated at some length of the laborS of
the Irish clergy on behalf of religious truth,
letters and science. That their island was
regarded as the fountain-heal Of lnowl-
edge, appears from the innumerable schol-
ars who foc]led from all parts of Europe,
especially from England, to the world-re-
noWned schools Of Denchor and Tissmore.