The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-04-05
why ST.. Patrick succeedcd


The following is from Charles de HAYS
illustrated article on Christian Ireland In
the March Century: 1T is an old error to
count st. Patrick among the emissaries.
missionaries, or nunclos from the see Of
ST. Peter. His conversion OF Ireland was
an i~ndependent act, which may be com
cared with similar Independent CONVEX.
sIons of the Bulgarians and other nations
10 the orthodox or Eastern church by s..
Cyril and st. M%ethodius 400 years later
The terms of his confession Of faith and
his letter to a Welsh brigand who carried
III his converts into slavery, two authen.
tic documents, forbid any other view
Rome was indeed in the field to convert
ireland, but failed because the situation
was not understood. A few years before
she arrival of st. Patrick "a. d. 43O) thu
then pope, Celestinus l., sent Bishor
Paladius. Though there is no record q,
BARN done to him by the paeans. but, Oh
the contrary, he was permitted to build
churches and leave pastora, yet his re.
ception was so chilling that he left. He
aever reached Rome, death overtaliin,
nim in Pictland, what is now Scotland
North Britain having received that an
oellation since his day when overrun and
conquered by q Kettle return wave out of
Scotia or Ireland.
1t has been suggested that Patrick
never existed and that his legend was
founded on these meagre achievement
of Paladius; but the hypothesis has too
many documentary, historical and le-
gendary evidences against it. There was
every reason for the want of success OF a
bishop coming from Rome where ortho.
ioxy had been discarded for a more en-
terprising and ambitious form of Chris
tianity. Paladius must have found the
upper classes freethinkers, addicted to
DEuidical and other heather vices, to hu
man sacrifices and the black art. TO
%polygamy certainly, and more than prob
ably to occasional acts of cannabalism.
such as drinking human blood and tear.
ing the human heart with the teeth.
Such things have often co.existed with q
nigh grade of civilization. That Pala,
dius was allowed 10 build churches shows
two important ~things-one, that the up
per classes were contemptuous of the
new religion, the other, that Christians
were present in Ireland. But they nus
have been humble folk and of the ortho.
dOx eastern sect. The record of Palalius
and his mission reported by the four
masters has internal evidence of genuine.
ness in its trait of moderation. The
churches are wooden. We know thai
architecture in Ireland was late in affect.
ing stone as a material; but if this record
had been forged after the twelfth century
national vanity would surely have made
out the material to be stone.
The success of st. Patrick where
Rome had failed could hardly have been
palatablc. The hatred and contempt fell
by he Italian ecclesiastics cona out in
st. Jerome's reference to Celestius the
Pelagian as an eater of Irish porridge,
Sccticis pu|tibus p~rngravatus (gorged
with an Irish mush') and by other re
marks in the polemics of the day. Two
years later another missionary, not ac-
credited from Rome-an lrish-Scot bv
residence if not a scot by birth. a stu
dent in Gaul, and a man who distinctly
denied that he was learned,-arrivcd in
ireland and did that which Paladius
could not do; so that today the Irisb
Catholics in all parts of the world turn
out In procession once g year 10 honor
bis memory.
How came it that Patricius succeeded
where Paladius failed? Primarily be
cause he had nothing to do with Rome or
iialy.. This preserved him from the &C.
tive Jealousy or the upper classes. tne
kings, chiefs and Druids, who had GOOD
reason TO perceive that Rome, having
retired her armies from Britain, was now
trying to extend her sway by religion
1t also conciliated the Christians scat.
cred along the borders of the island. who
must have resented the pretentiona OF the
Roman bishops with as much vigor as did
the orthodox of The east. But there was
another reason for Patrick success. He
addressed himself to the temporal and in
tcllectual leaders. the chiefs. Druids.
and files" or poets, because he was a
mar of genius and saw only in that wsy
could a community existing on the clan
system be converted.