The Arizona champion., 1885-03-21
ST. PATRICK's DAY.
A Sketch of Ireland,s Patron Saint.

St, Patrick, as is we'll known to al
 true and faithful Irishm and women was a distinguished missionary of thu
 fifth century, commonly known a
 the apostle of Ireland. There is some
 uncertainty as to the date and place
 of his birth, The year of his birth i'
 variously assigned to the years 377 1 and 3S7, of which the latter, if not
 even later date, IS more probable.
 Of the place, it is only known for cer,
 tain, from his own confession, that
 his father had small farm near Bon-
 avem Tabernie; and in one of the
 ancient lives he is said to have been
 born at Nemthur. Arguing on these
 data, connected with other collateral
 indications, some writers assign his
 birthplace to the present Boulogne-
 sur Mer; others to place in' the es-
 tuary of the Clyde-called for him
 Kilpatrick--at or near the modern
 Dumbarton. His father, he himself,
 tells, was a deacon named Calpur-
 mius; his mother, according to the ancient biographers, was named Con- ches or Conchessa, a sister of St..
 Martin of Tours. Patrick's original name is said to have been Succath, Patricius being the Roman appelative by which he was known. In his SIX teenth year he was seized, while at his fa:her's farm at Bonavem Tabernie, by band of pirates and with a number of others was carried to Ire land and sold to a petty chief, with whom he remained for six years; after which he succeeded in effecting his escape, and, probably after second captivity, went to France, where he became a monk, first at Tours and afterwards in the celebrated monastry of Lerins. In the year 43I he went to Rome whence he was sent by the pope of the day, Celestine, to preach Tn Ireland; Palladlus, who had been sent as missionary to that country short time before, having died. Such is the recieved account of his mission, but pr. Todd, his latest hiographer, regards this statement as erroneous, and fixes the date of his coming to Ireland eight years later. He was or dained in France and arrived in Ire land 432. His mission was eminently successful. He adopted the expcdicnt of addressing himself first to the chiefs, and of improving as far as possible, the spirit of clanship and other exist ing usages of the Irish, for the further ance of his preaching; nor can it be doubted that he had much success in Christianising the ancient Irish sys- tenn of belief and of practice. By degrees he visited a large portion of the kingdom, and baptised great numbers, as we'll of the chieftaIns as of the people. According to the ac- counts of his Irish biographers, he founded 365 churches and baptised with his own hands I2, 900 persons. He is said also to have ordained vast number of priests and to have blessed very many monks and nuns. After he had been twenty years en. gagged in his missionary enterprise, he is said to have fixed hls see at Armagh about the year 454, and having pro- cured two of his disciples to be or dained bishops, he held probably more than one synod, the decrees of which have been subject of much controversy. He died at Saul, near Downpatrlck, and his relics were pie- served at the latter place to the period of the Reformation.
 The citizens of Flagstaff celebrated the anniversary.of the good St. Pat rick in a becoming manner. There was no boisterous hurrah nor drunken | mobs, but the day passed off pleas antly and satisfactorily to all who participated.