Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-03-17
RELAND'S PATRON SAINT.
4 BRIEF SKETCH OF HIS BIRTH,
HIS lIfE AND HIS WORKS.

0oyo0 CftfeS Cla1rneO 10 pe vne Dirtnpi1ce
Of Homer. Nearly that many nations lay
claim to tho honor Of giving St Patrick to
the world. England, Scotland, Wales and
France all present an abundance Of legendary
ovidence to substantiate their claims, and
0ne ancient writer even ascribes his origin to
the Jewish exiles, driven from the Holy City
b the Roman conquerers, who settled in
Asmoric Gaui Some historians have even
gune 20 far a. to point out the very spot
where he was born. The years OF his birth
and death are also points Of wide difference
among the historians-the former ranging
from S72 to 3Ss; the latter is quite generally
conceded to be 49a
Coglan's writings, which are based upon
wen authenticated traditions OF Armoric
0aul, are probably the most truthful and re-
liablo He states positively that st. Patrick
was born at Holy Tours, in Armoric Gaul, in
S7S. There he spent his early youth until the
arrival Of the heets 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,
tho Celts proceeded to ravage the country.
The wise monarch Mall was assassinated by
m Irish vassal on the bank Of the Loire
His naval armament returned to ireland in
$50. Among the spoils taken back with
them werc 200 children for slaves, among
them the boy Patrick. Thus, while the loss
Of Mall wos q great one to ireland, she re-
ceived an inestimable blessing in this holy
parsonage, who wns then 16 years of age.
His fathers namc was Calphurnius and his
mothers Conceisa, which indicates that
they were Of Roman extraction. They wero
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 the petty prince,
Milcho Human, md his three brothers IN the
province of Dalaradia, N 9Th Of Ire
land, and served -s.Ie. clasone no This was
tho occasion Of his name being changed to
Cotteraig, because no served four masters.
Milcho, observing how careful and diligent
hc was, purchased tie shares Of his three
brothers, and thus became solo proprietor Of
the boy. Hc cent him 10 feed tho hogs on
Eliev.nur's, and St Patrick himself describes
this part Of his life as follows:
4 my constant business was 20 feed the
hogs was frequent in prayer; the love
and fear Of God more and more infiamed my
heart; my faith was enlarged; my spirit
augmented; so that said an hundred pray
ers by day and almost as mnny by night. !
arose before day to my prayers, in the snow,
in tho frost, in the rain; nor was i affected
by slothfulness, for then tho spirit Of God
was warm within me-"
II was hero 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. Ho tells us he was then warned in
q dream to prepare to return to his native
land. Upon arriving there he was again
seized and taken into captivity, but regained
his freedom again in two months-history
does not say how. :,
Then he enjoyed two years with his rela-
tivcs, 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.
verting Ireland. To fit himself for this work
he spent many years in travel and study
Then, having been clothed with authority
from tho pope, he sailed for Ireland with
twenty colaborers, oil men Of great piety
and wisdom. He landed first In Britain and
preached for several days with great sue
cess. Hero he 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, a great man in that country, and hc
soon added tho king, queen and many Of tho
nobility.
His innovation was strongly opposed by
the Druidical priests, who naturally wished
to preserve the great power they held over
the people through their supposed magical
and mystifying acts. But legend says that
st. Patrick's miraculous powers soon put the
magicians to shame. The antagonism Of the
A. tbot I,n 80 III
bcnevolencc and gentleness, st. Patrick was
compelled to curse their fertile lands SO that
they became dreary bogs; to curse their
rivers SO that they produced no fish, and
their kettles so that no firo could make 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 the
setting on fire, by blowing upon it, of q pile
of snowballs 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 10 St. Patrick is
ascribed the credit Of the freedom Of Ireland
from snakes. Colgan solemnly states that st.
Patrick accomplished the feat Of banishing
the reptiles through the instrumentality Of a
drum, which he beat with such fervor that
he burst the head, and that an angel at once
came to the rescue and mended it.
srho york ~ 81 Potr,ck in Jreland ,vil, live
-, =. 49, ,sia,,a .n,,innas ~ la a.,
Is long as une .sn.nu ..nr' ooh'inues " no,a ,'s
veronnt neios ano Valleys, ihevery part are
dourishing churches and grand cathedrals
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
iii, tbo Master he 50 earnestly and ef,ic;ently
,..aa ~n .n0 'A''0'
serveu 40, q.