Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-03-19

ST. Patrick was of aristocratie ey
traction, and WAS born either IN Eng
land, Scotland, France or Wales
about the year 572. When only fv,
years old ne was captured by pirates
doubtless the Danes or the Morse
men, who roved in plundering expe
dItions along the coast of Breton
and who sold him into slavery to al
Irish trader, by whom he was resoll
to an Irish trader, by whom he wa,
resold to an Irish farmer, who reduc
ed HIM to the toll of swineherd il
the MOUNTAINS of Steamish, in th,
county Antrim. He passed sever
years at this menial service, but tn,
spirit and inspiration of the MAJ
moved him to study even then. am
to the observation which gave him {
deep insight of IIish character ant
its needs, Escaping from his mas
ter. he wandered over the countr,
and along the coast, until at last he
was taken up by fishermen, who con
veyei HIM to the continent, where be
was ordained priest and bishop. and
once more returned to Ireland, where
with the authority of Pope Celestine,
he preached the Gospel to the wild
Irish tribes, then heather, and per
haps the most turbulent people in the
world, the descendants of those
other tribes whom Cesar, in his in
cursion into Breton, could never
reach for conquest.
The opponents with which st. Pat
rick was forced to meet were the
Druids. The priests of The Druid
ical faith were men of immense force,
accustomed to severe personal hard
ships. always with the people, and
therefore much revered by them. St.
Patrick did all in his power to mollify
the Druids, who in return refused to
accept his counsels. spat upon his
teaching, and despised his kindness
Outraged at this, St Patrick cursed
the fertile lands of the Druids, their
fair fields, their sylvan groves, and
their verdant meadows, by which
they were converted into barren and
dreary bcgs; cursed their rivers so
that tLey produced no fish; cursed
tLeir very kettles so that with no
amount of fire could they be made to
boil; and as last resort of all, he
cursed the Druids, so that tine earth
opened and swallowed them up. Ore
OF the Saints first miracles was per
formed while with a number of his
followers IN the mountains. All were
suffering from the intense cold and
hunger. st. Patrick directed them
to gather a quantity of snow and ice,
and pile them up, when he breathed
upon the mass, and 1t became a bright
and brisk fire, at which al found com
fort. St Patrick's great feat, and
which endears him TO Ireland, was
the ridding of the Emerald Isle of
all venomous reptiles, toads and
snakes. In the course of this mira
Gle he seized a drum to lure the rep
tiles into the sea, and while thus en-
gagged. beat the drum so hard that
he knocked hole in its head, which
an angel perceiving, it flew to his aid,
instantly repaired the rent and en-
abled the drummer saint to proceed
with his mighty mastering out of all
snakes from Ireland
1t would be impossible to trace the
progress Of the Saint through Ire
land. but the evidence of his presence
is felt and seen even to this day In
the titles of places, mountains,
streams and cognomen of people, as
the Kilpatricks S, Kirkpatrick S, and St.
Patricks Purgatory, st. Patrick S
rock. St. Patrick's well, at which the
Saint quenched his thirst, rested his
limbs, or reposed at night, may be
counted IN scores all over the island
He died at Saul, on the 18th OF
March, 493, aged 121 years.
The SAINT was the first to instruct
the Irish IN the secret of distilling
poteen but he forbade his followers
to drink in daytime, the signal for
the enjoyment of the favorite potesn
being when the vesper bell rang.