Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1888-03-15
IRELAND'S PATRON SAINT.
A BRIEF SKETCH OF HIS BIRTH,
HIS LIFE AND HIS WORKS.

Prayers-Return Home.
Seven cities claimed to he the birthplace
of Homer Nearly that many nations lay
claim to the honor of giving st. Patrick to
the world. England, Scotland, Wales and
France all present an abundance of legendary
evidence to substantiate their claims, and
one ancient writer even ascribes his origin to
the Jewish exiles, driven from the Holy City
by the Roman conquerers, who settled in
Armoric Gaul Some historians have even
gene SO far as to point out the very spot
where no was born. The years Of his birth
and death are also points of wide difference
among the historians-tile former ranging
from 372 to 3SS; the latter is quite generally
conceded to be 1913.
Coglan's writings, which are based upon
well authenticated traditions of Armoric
Gaul, are probably the most truthful and re-
liable. He states positively that st. Patrick
was born at Holy Tours, in Armoric Gaul, in
1913. There he spent his early youth until the
arrival Of the fleets and armies of Mall Mccall
ZACH in pursuit Of the Roman legions, which
had invaded Ireland and met with ignomin-
GUS defeat. Having disposed of the Romans,
the Celts proceeded to ravage the country.
The wise monarch Mall was assassinatcd by
an Irish vassal on tho bank of the Loire.
His naval armament returned to Ireland in
$50. Among the spoils taken back with
them wero 200 children for slaves, among
them the boy Patrick. Thus, while the loss
of Mall was great one to Ireland she re-
ceived an inestimable blessing in this holy
parsonage, who was then 16 years of age
His fathers name was Calphurnius and his
mothers COnceisa, which indicates that
they were of Roman extraction. They were
both killed by the Irish invaders. His bap-
tismal name was not Patrick, but Succath,
meaning valiant in war. None of the his
torians have attempted to record anything
Of his youthful history.
In $50 he was sold to tho petty prince,
Milcho Human, and lis three brothers, in the
province Of Dalaradia, in the north of Ire-
land, and served them six years. This was
the occasion of his name being changed to
Cotteraig, because he served four masters.
Milcho, observing how careful and diligent
he was, purchased the shares of his three
brothers, and thus became sole proprietor of
the boy. IIo sent him to feed the hogs on
Slew nur's, and st. Patrick himself describes
this part of his life as follows:
"My constant business was to feed the
hogs. l was frequent in prayer; tho love
| and fear Of God more and more inflamed my
| heart; my faith was enlarged; my spirit
| augmented; SO that said an hundred pray
ers by day and almost as many by night.
arose before day to my prayers, in the snow,
in the frost, in the rain; nor was l affected
by s.othfulness, for then the spirit Of God
was warm within me-"
| 1t was here that he perfected himself in the
Irish language. He completed his six years
of servitude, and then, according to the law
which seems to have been in force, he was
released. lie tolls US he was then warned in
Il dream to prepare to return to his native
land. Upon arriving there no was again
seized and taken into captivity, but regaiued
his freedom again il two Months-history
does not say how.
Then he enjoyed two years with his rela-
tives, after which he was warned through a
| vision That there was work for him to do in
| Ireland, and that he should return there
He resolved then to carry out his long
cherished wish to attempt the work of con
vertiag Ireland. To fit himself for this work
he spent many years in travel and study
| Thea, having been clothed with authority
from tho pope, he sailed for Ireland with
twc-tty co,.Jo-crs, all E:cl of great piety
and wisdom. He landed first in Britain and
preached for several days with great sue
cess. Here Lo increased his following to
thirty-four and proceeded to Ireland, land
ing on the coast of Wicklow, where he at
once began his labors. His first convert was
Smell, great man i'll that country, and no
soon added tho king, queen and many of the
| nobility.
His innovation YVES strongly opposed Ly
the Druidical priests, who naturally wished
to preserve tho great power they held over
the people through their supposed magical
and mystifyinG acts. But legend says that
St. Patrick miraculous powers soon put to
magcians to shame. The autaSo,.is-l Of tho
Druids was SO bitter that, in spite of his
benevolenco and gentleness, st. Patrick was
compelled to curse their fertile lands so that
they became dreary boys; to curse their
rivers SO that they produced no fish, and
their kettles SO that no fire could mako them
boil, and finally to curse the Druids them
selves so that the earth opened and swallowed
them up.
Many other miracles are ascribed to ST.
Patrick, prominent among which was tho
setting on fire, by blowing upon it, of n pile
of sno"ballS and chunks of ice, which he had
told his companions to gather when they
complained of the bitter cold one morning.
All the world knows that to st. Patrick is
ascribcd the credit of the freedom Of Ireland
from snakes Colgan solemnly states that st.
Patrick accomplished the feat of banishng
the reptiles through the instrumentality of q
| NIllCli DSdu Will SUCu IeTNOr VDaU
he burst the head, and that an angel at once
came to the rescue and niendcd it.
The work of ST. Patrick in ireland will live
as long rs the island continues to hold its
verdant fields and valleys In every part are
iourishing churches and grand cathcdrals
organized and established by him, monu-
ments to his fame in this world and gems for
his diadem in the Beautiful City, where he is
with the Master he SO earnestly and efficiently
| served
In the year 461 St. Patrick journeyed to
Rome, where he was received with Joy by the
pope, ntconiirned in his apostolatc of Ire
land. lie returned to Ireland in 463. sc
lived for thirty years after this, mostly in
retirement, although he did not neglect the
concerns of the church, but, through synods
and ecclesiastical councils, he exercised a
general supervision. The number of churches
said to have been established by him is 200.
These last thirty years Of his eventful and
holy life were spent, for the most part, be.
tween tho monastcries of Saballum and Ar
naSh. He concluded his ministry and his
life in the Abbey of Saul, on the 18th OF
March, ABB, in the i20th year of his nge, rs is
supposed. He was buried at Down. The
English invaded Ulster in 1lS5, and il llsG