Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-03-20
Wilmington, Thursday, Mar. 20. 1884,


Why 1t generally storms on st.
PatrIck's day is vexed question why
the skies have remained propitious up to
this writing on this particular anniver-
ssry OF the saints natal day is not so
hard to expisin-sll the winters stock
of bad weather wss, we hope, exhausted
week before last.
To-day Is regarded as nearly the
fifteenth hundredth anniversary OF the
birth OF st. Patrick. Both the year and
the day Of that event, as we'll as the
place OF Its occurrence, are somewhat
uncertain. Some writers assign his rth-
place to farm in the vicinity OF the
present city OF Boulogne-sur- Mer, France;
others say that he was born at or near
the town OF Dumtsrton, In Seotlsnd
The year Of his birth is varionsly assigned
to the years 977 and 3s7. AS to the nm
certainty regarding the day, the poet
says
On the eighth day of March it was, some
That st. Patrick at midnight, he first saw the
day;
While others affirm twas the ninth he was
And twas all a mistake betwixt midnight and
morn
The first faction fight in old ireland, they say,
Was all on account of st. Patricks birthday
Some fought for the eighth-for tbs ninth
more would die,
And VIII wouldn't see right, sure they black
ened his eye.
laa b,tA 4t,,,
That each kept birthday, so the saint then
had two,
TIL Father Mulcahey, .who showed them
Said mo one has two birthdays unless he
was twins
for nine;
Don't be always dividing, but sometimes com
Combine eight with nine-seyenteen is tile
mark,
So let that be his birthday Amen !" says
the clark.
"For. II he WASH twins sure all history wlll
show
That he's worth at the least, any two saints
we know"
ALI chroniclers agree, however, that
the saints original name was succath,
and that the name OF Patricius, the Latin
for Patrick, WAS conferred upon him after
he became a monk. In his 18th year,
while at work on his fathers farm, be
was seized by band OF pirates and
with number OF others, was carried tC
Ireland and sold to petty chief, il
whose service he remained for six years
after which he succeeded in etfscting hi
escape, aud, probably after a second cap
tivity, went to France, where hs BEGAN,
monk, frat at Tours and afterwards il
the celebrated monastery at Lsrins. In th
year 43l he went to Rome, whence lie wa
sent by Pope Celestine as missionary :
Ireland. His mission was eminently sue
csssful. According to the accounts G
Irish biographers, he founded Sd
churches and baptized with his owl
hands $4,000 persons. He ia also said t
have ordained vast number of priest
and to have blessed very many monk
and nuns. After he had been about 2
years engaged in his missionary enter
prise, he is said to have fixed his see q
Armagh about the year Asa and, hsvin
procured two Of his disciples to be oil
dsined bishops, he held probsbl
more than one synod, the DEGREES
which have been subject
much controversy. He died al a plac
called Saul, near Downpatrick, at a gret
age placed by some OF his biogrAphsl
at l26 years. Amid al the uucertaint
attending the dates of his birth an
death, the one great fact remains clear
established that it was chiefly throus
his fundamentally that Ireland was col
verted to Christianity and that the r
ligous work OF his life was one OF ii
greatest in the worlds history, Justly 81
titling him to be called the patron sail
OF Ireland.