Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-03
THE SAINTS.
How They Became Associated with Ger
tain Nations and Trades

How They Became Associated with Ger
tain Nations and Trades.
The eXaltatiOn of the piOus dead to the
privilege Of watching OYER human lives,
says the Sunday Magazine, has been
very agreeable custom. Whole nations
have been placed in the protecting shadow
of some special saint. st. George, who
transfxed the dragon with his lance, was
highly venerated in the East. When
Richard L. marched out his columns of
crusaders, the King named st. George as
their patron saint, and from that day 20
this, if Protestant England have a ma
tiOnal saint, it is st. George. 1t would
not be popular. at any rate, to formally
uncanOniZe the brave Eastern hero. With
Ireland, we associate st. Patrick; Wales
81. David; Scotland. st. Andrew; France,
81. Denis, and also St. Michael; Spain,
st. James; Italy, st. Anthony; Portugal,
st. sebastian. Some countries have had
SGHtOmGHiG, Russia and Germany
claiming several, st. Nicholas being
one item in Russia's pcs
session of sacred persOnages, and st. Mar
tin in that of Germany. Cities have been
ntl8med with this saint fever, Venice
claiming st. Mark; Vienna, st. Stephen;
Lisbon, st. Vincent; Paris, st. Genevieve;
Edinburgh, st. Giles; Rome, St. Peter and
st. Paul. Cologne showed a very grasp
ing spirit, apprOpTiating to itself The
Three Kings" ST. Ursula, and her mar
yel0us troop of 5000 virgins. But why
should not the trades and occupations of
men, the arts and the professions, be rep
resented in the bright circle of saints?
The centuries found 10 objection, so that
sbOemakers were allowed to look to st.
Crispin; fish-dealeTs, to st. Peter; schOl-
ars, to It. Gregory and st. Catherine; mu-
sicians, to st. Cecilia; pilgrims, to st. Ju-
liam; painters, to st. Luke; the theOlO-
gians, 10 ST. Thomas. We can certainly
see in the reputed lives of some of
the saints fitness for the office
to which, without consultation,
they had been elected. There
was st. Cecilia, who was the author OF
hymns which she sang so sweetly that the
angels flew down TO hear her. Naturally,
the musicians gave her their suffrages.
st. Crispin and a brother saint, going to
France TO preach, were furnished leather
by the angels, and SO could make shoes
for their support in this preaching tour.
What wonder at their supposed sympathy
with all knights of the lapstOne? st. Sc
basti Il, that brave martyr, was riddled
with arrows, and this was believed not
only to interest MIN in archeTS, but pin
makers. ST. Nicholas, to whom the sail
Ors turned their thoughts in a storm, is
said to have brought to life drowned
sailor while he was on voyage to Pales-
tine, and also by his prayers to have saved
the lives of all the crew in the ship which
a storm threatened to wreck. st.
FlOrian is one of Austria's patron
saints. Among the marYels attribu-
ted to him was the extinction of q serious
cOniiagratiOn with a pitcher of water.
In Austria and Bohemia, st. FlOrian is
the subject of many representations. He
is a popular figure for the decorations of
fountains and pumps. St. Agatha is cred
tied with this message to a prosecutor:
IF thou shOuldst kindle fire TO consume
me. the angels would quench it with their
dews from heaven.v She was thrown into
flames, but subsequently removed to
prison, dying there after much agony. 1t
is easy to understand, then, v ny st. Florian
and st. Agatha should appear as fire-sa-
viOrs in these lines of an old poem:
St. Agatha defends the house from fire and
fearful flame,
But when it burns in armOr all doth FlOrian
Quench the same.