San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-03-17
MARCH nth.
a Short Chapter About st. Patricks Day
and Its Observance.

Editor San Antonio Light.
The observance of this day is the sac
red duty Of every son Of Erin in whose
heart beats the true love for the Mother
Church" and love for dear old, perse-
cuted Ireland. In the year i32 the
blessed st. Patrick entered Ireland as
the successor of st. Palladius to implant
the true religion" among the sons OF
Erin. How successful he was can be
seen to-day by the generation paid to
his name and the widespread power
and influence of the Catholic religion.
During the ministration Of st.
Patrick, Ireland was renowned for
the piety of its children. SO
much so, that ii was called Ursula
Sanctorum, or Isle of Saints through
all the changing years. amid bitter per-
seCutiOns, eviCtions, ''rackrenting, I"
and all those delightful and progressive
improvements OF "Merrie England" for
the welfare of the "fractiOus Irish" the
sons OF the Emerald Isle, have held to
their religion, and though the average
American who seldom reads history. or
is willfully blind, thinks there's nothing
in Ireland save Turf and bog water"
they get badly fooled once In a while in
their endeavOrs to Out-wIt some OF those
same turf eaters" they despise so much.
Show me n heart that can love or hate
like the Irish, and you'll show me some
thing new and strange. Even the old
rhymers knew that when they sang:
Love is the sOwl of n nate Irshman,
He loves all that II lovely loves all that he can,
With his sprig of shillalc and shamrock so
green"
Orion Moore, when he sweetly sang /:
'Oh, there's nothing in life half so sweet
As loves young dream
The beauty of Ireland and its pic
turesque scenery has been the theme OF
poets since its earliest days, and many
volumes have been written..O n thG.views
OF Killarny, its famous lakes and echoes
and dear old Slough Neaghs" banks,
where the fisherman strays when the
cool, clear ewes declining. He sees the
round towers OF other days in the wave
beneath him shine. The shamrock be.
came the emblem and associated with
St. Patrick by the Saints taking one OF
these three-leaved cloyers to Illustrate
sons represented in one by the God
head. 1t would take too much time and
valuable space to enumerate all the
stories told Of st. Patrick and
his piety, but his birthday will
always possess tender charm
for me, as it is the anniversary Of the
birth of my dear dead father, man
whose equal have never known since
the Gods of the valley hid him from
sight, now 20 years ago. Many have
been the endearing names bestowed up
on Ireland by her loving children; Sweet
Innisfail, Hibernia, Juyerna, are among
the most ancient names bestowed upon
this Isle of the Sea, while the ancient
name of Dublin was Eblards, after the
lapse of 100 years. St. Patrick died on
March l7th. 403, according to the date OF
history. While honor the name Of ST.
Patrick for his goodness, yet Ireland has
produced other sons who were equally
noble; who can forget Daniel O'COnnell,
Curran, Gratten and Emmett, and hosts
of noble men like Patrick Henry, whose
names are dear TO every Irish heart, and
during the late civil war, what would
America have done without Logan,
Sheridan, the brave and unfortunate
Nulligan, and lesser lights whose native
Irish blood made them true men and
fearless fighters. Let us never forget to
properly observe the 18th of March, or
the honor due our patron saint, around
whose name fingers such halo of good
ness and who is indissolubly linked with
the religion, poetry and romance Of Ire
land. MAGNOLIA.