Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1877-03-16
ST. PATRICK.

s&S@
makes up for our lack in this
respect. Every nationality which comes
10 our shores brings with II its patron
saint and transplant IL 70 this sod.
whore Il seems 10 flourish. II possible,
even better than in the land OF its birth.
So il il that here in America, although
Ne can claim no saint Of our own. VI
celebrate. OF some portion Of us cole
brais. the day cot apart for the honor
Of nearly every saint in the calendar.
We are. indeed. . cosmopolitan people,
cosmopolitan in nationalitiss. cosmo-
In manners, and cosmopolitan
in religion.
OF al the Saints whose nams and
fame are celebrated In these United
States Of America. none il more worthy
Of honor ~ . man. and reverence - .
Christian. than he whose memory will
b celebrated by eur Irish isllow-citizsns
to-morrov-Saint Patrick. While the
vondsriul miracles which we're formerly
accredited TO him. and which are still
firmly believed in by many dsvout
Catholic Irishmsn. must 30 set down as
mere actions. the fact still remains that
Saint Patrick did more than any other
nan 70 ChristiAaizs the Irish. and pre-
pare . virtually barbarous people for the
better performance Of their dutiss ~
men. and . realization OF heavenly
bsahtads In the future beyond the grave.
Il IL not necessary to invest this man
with divine or supernatural powers in
order 10 admire him. II 10 enough TO
know what authentic history undouLt-
edly teaches-that . poor. despissd
slave. torn from His friends by the Q
mics Of his country. turned his ssrvituds
10 20 good account that he became the
spiritual master Of his earthly masters.
and IL to-day worshipped by the land in
which be served rs . bondsmau. The
man who can do this makes q very near
approach 10 the divinity for which the
human race was ordained. aud Is amply
worthy OF all the honors which q CRATE
full people redeemed from the bondage
Of ignorance can heap upon his
memory.
The sisry Of 81. Patrick. as told by
the Irish peasant to his wondering
children and grandchildren. IL mixed up
with numerous legends impuiins to hin,
miraculous deeds. which. although they
make very pleasant reading. are Of
course nero fiction. Among others Is
the famous tale Of his banishing all yer.
min from Ireland by . Of his rod.
OF course. this IL sheer nonsense. anil
yet in . hgurstivs sense 1t has . lofty
and noble meaning. The Patron Saint
Of Ireland did not devote himself to
curing the worldly ills Of the country
his work was higher than that. II
aimed directly at the soul Of man. II
strovs to raise q degraded people to
spiritual excellence. II IL did not ban.
ish crawling things from the soil Of the
land. IL did wipe out the serpent Of
hsaihsn superstition whose emo was
keeping the people in spiritual dark.
meas ; IL banishsd the vsrmin from the
soul Of mau. and opened the eyes Of the
Irish 10 the salvation which IL provided
in Christ Jesus. This man conquered
q nation for the Lord. Surely his deed
entitled him TO the canonization which
the Catholic Church has accorded him.
But little authentic can he told Of the
life and labors Of the Saint whose
memory Irishmen everywhere will csle.
brsis tomorrow. Probably the best
Of his work Is the latest. that Of
DR.. Todd. . Fellow Of Trinity College.
Dublin. The New York Ldyr. com-
msnting Gu the book says:
According 10 the history Patricius. tho
Latin name Of sueeath. Was . farmer.
son, either on the coast Of France, or Of
At sixteen he was carried cap.
tive into ireland. and WA In slavery for
six years. While serving a. . herd In
loneliness. In woods n
the Christian truth Of his early
days came 70 his mind. Feprayed. medi-
tated. believed; and when liberated. re-
turned 70 his home what would now be
called . converted. actively religious man.
He remembered with pity the heather
among whom no lived. and returned to
them a. . Christian teacher. The stories
Of his miracles arc mere inventions Of
supeutitisus successors. Here arc his
own words rendered into English from the
stif Latin. tinged with Celtic. In which his
"a Confessions are written:
81 an greatly . debtor TO God. who has
bestowed His gracs 80 largely upon me,
that multitudes should be born again 30
God through me /; and that Of these, clergy
should BE- everywhere ordained for people
lately coming 70 the faith. whom the Lord
took from tho sxtrsmities of the earth.
. The Irish, who never had the
knouledgs Of God. and hitherto wor.
shiped only idols and unciean things. have
are called the sons Of Gods"