Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-17
ST. PArRICK,s DAY.
me FestlyaI Of IreIand,s Patron So

ST. PATRICK's DAY.
The Festival of IreIand's Patron Saint.
An Irishman carries his heart In his hand
1t flows like the water that circles his land:
1t beams in his eye, andthere'snought 50 sincere,
AS an Irishman's smile, OF an IrishInan's tear.
Letthe Spaniard exult In his mines OF Peru,
The soil where his gold and his miseries grew,
Far nobler the mines Of an Irishnan's breast;
The coin OF the soul, with Gods image imPrest.
To his God and his country he nobly adheres,
Though he eombats in shackles, and wOrships In
tears,
And nations rely in the night of alarm,
On the Irishman's faith, and the Irishman's arm.
Oppression in vain would his spirit subdue.
'Tiselastic as air and as piety true
From the tomb OF her Emmett shall freedom as
cend,
And his dirge with the pean of victory blend.
Though genius emblazon the yoke that It wears,
As bright as the belt of the heavenly spheres
! That yoke will be burst, as the lion his toll,
| And vanquish the tyrants, and rescue the spoll.
| Till liberty welcome the wanderer home,
| HIBERNIA! thy children in exile NAV roam;
Still the light OF their path be the star of the West
To reveal the asylum Of virtue opprest.
To-day, from a thousand affairs are as
cending praises to the Most High. and the
solL mn chants that resound from SIS many
choirs, are taken up by millions of voices
around the extended circumference, until
the choruses of religious music are blended
! with the melody of national song. To-day
the SONS of Erin meet and rejoice in every
| land; to-day they hunt the shamrock be-
4 paofh hn Of ovv1
| the sands Of the Equator; to-day they
| faunt their immortal Green, which
proudly waves in every land and upon
every sea, beside the colors Of every power.
| tbs day, in fact, Is commemorated and re-
vered by the Irish people all over the habit
able globe, wherever few of them or their
descendants are gathered together. In the
far off Islands Of Oceanica, in the pampas
of South America, on the slopes of the Pa
cific, on the plains Of the West, In the cities
of the East and North, In the Canadas, and
in our own sunny land of the South, from
the rising of the sun to the going down
| thereof, there are exiled hears to-day which
feel and lips which exclaim with fervor and
devotion, God bless and God save our Ire
! land.
The recurrence of this day calls to mind
the historic interest of that beautiful island,
literally, as it is iguatively called, the
brightest gem Of the ocean," and
surely no intelligent man or woman will al
low it to pass without casting a respectful
glance at the fair page which Ireland occu-
pies in earlier history as foster bed of art
and science, when they were unknown or
almost obs ured in the nations o. the old
world. ireland had a literature, and a
good one, when the Anglo-Saxons were
still in the darkness of heathenisn,
and the museums Of England exhibit album
dant evidences Of her proficiency in handi-
craft when other Northern European coun-
tries had nothing to show but the rudest
implements.
On this day, TOO, memory carries back
the Irish heart to the old land-the matched
roof in the lane, the chapel on the hill, the
babbling brooks me3ndering to the sea,
the green, sweet-scented meadows of long
ago, where the lark caroiied his matin songs
in the deep blue sky of Erin-the ruins of
abbeys, castles and round towers, which
tell the story of Ireland's faith, Ireland's
civilization, and her proves as nation.
See, the banners are floating, and music is sound
And the harp on its green field shows bright in
the light,
Recalling past hours by the seashOre and deep
glen,
Ere cares cast their shadlngs, or partings their
blight;
But distance nor time can efface the affection,
Which loved Ireland claims from her wander
ers so gay,
And wide spreading waves tipped with foam like
the sun cloud,
But unite souls in thought on st. Patrick's Day.
MavOurneen-each child sings-from thee We are
parted,
. Butour love calls thee mother sweet land of our
birth,
Fairest spot, beauteous island, our childhood's
protector,
To-day we return 10 the homestead and hearth.
We visit the graves where the loved ones are rest
ing,
The groves where the blue bell hides fairy and
lay,
And we search for the "four-leaved," while
laughter resoundeth,
And we sing dear old tunes, on st. Patrick's
Day.
We visit thy round towers, and ruined cid abbeys,
MementOes, though sad, Of thy past glor'ys
sheen,
Scoop the water from springs in the meadows
To the chant of the wild birds 'mong ivy 50
green.
Yet while our thoughts bring to our eyes the salt
We wilfuiiy dash the intruders away,
And I'LL up the wine cup, and pledge with aztec
Old Ireland, Our Girls, and St. PatrIck's Day.
Our readers, or most of them, are fami-
liar with the traditions of St. Patrick. He
is recognized as the Patton Saint of Ireland,
aud was born according TO the best authori-
ties near the site Of Fitzpatrick at the mouth
of the CT yde in Scotland in 3T2, and died
in Ulster in the year 464. At the age of 16
he was carried captive to Ireland by band
of marauders, but made his escape after six
months and reached Scotland. Carried eff
a second time and again escaping, he re-
solved to become missionary 10 the Irish,
and after long preparation was ordained q
Bishop. He passed over to his chosen field
of labor about 1872, and preached with such
extraordinary effect that, although not alb
solutely the first who introduced christiani-
" into that country, he always received the
credit for its general conversion. He bap-
tized the Kings of Dublin and Munster,
and the seven sons of the King of Con-
naught, with the greater part of their sub
iects, and before his death had converted
almost the whole Island to the faith.
St. Patrick's Day falling on Sunday this
year, tomorrow has been set apart as the
most appropriate for its observance as fes-
.ival, and the different Irish Societies have
made extensive preparations for the cele-
bration. The procession will be formed on
the Public Square at fifteen minutes before
0 o'clock and march through the principal
streets of the city. NJ. McKeon is Grand
Marshal, with Philip Olwill, NJ. McCor-
mack, Hugh Heveran, NJ. Egan, Philip
Brien, W. Davis, John Hanley and j. D.
Duffy as Aids.
At night the festivities will terminate with
two balls, one at the Skating Rink, and the
other at Concordia Hall. 1t will be real
gala day, and may the best of good cheer
prevail.
EVERY now and then a scientific opinion,