New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-13
ABOUT ST. PATRICK.
HIS LIFE FULL OF MIRACLES.

another the other day. was the grea'esI man INV
ever lived.'
" He was,' the other replied, the greatest man
that ever lived or died either.'
Certain 1t Is that I'm this time and country tho
festival Of other saint Is 50 honored as that Oh Sd
Patrick the 18th OF March. and Ms the day falls
this week passing thought for the good bishop 10
appropriate. Nor could any saint be chosen whose
life popular tradition has surrounded with moro
picturesque variety OF rcidcnts. The people whose
patron he is are one Of the most Accordingly and ro-
mantically interesting nations Of the world. They
have been for reasons TINT well UNDERSTOOD
n rich a cultivated people. They are rough ana
simple in their character, but they have warm hearts,
tender poetic and often grotesquc imagnations ana
q rich peculiar and inexhausable humor. All these
qualities are strangely mixed In their national ira
dons and especially in the stories OF 81. htrclk
Sometimes the result seems to have a SAVIOR OF IT.
reverence, but II may be surely trusted that there IL
no such intention and that saint receives moro
genuine vencmtion from his people than does the
patron OF Ireland.
The unembellIshed history OF ST. Patrick IS not long,
The information about his life Is mcagre and confused.
Wales, scotland and Franco all claim his birth, with
the weight OF probability IN favor OF Wales. The
date was about $40 When he was about sixteen
years old Tie stolen by pirates marauders nom
the North and sold slave IN Ireland. For seven
years he tended swine a mountain In County An
TRIM and then he escaped TO the continent.
where he became Deacon priest and bishop. lie
came of good family ard the ecclesiastical name o.
Patrcus was gwen him By Pope Celcsune, VINO sent
him back 20 ireland 70 convert the people. The nc
counts differ about his age at this time some OF tne
dates given indicate that he was about thirty others
that he was nearer sixty Before he returned to Ire
land bo bod Visions Among them one OF man
named Victorious who drought him letters. In ono
OF these were the words "The Voice OF the insn''
and As he read them he heard a voice say: we p'y
thee. holy youth, to come and henccforward walk
amongst u.s." ..
Aner this he spent his life In preaching, baptzins
and working miracles and accomplished the practcA
conversion Of the people Of the Island lie ded AZ 'no
ora ~ obout 100 and was buried at Downpatnck Even
In tbls plan account 1t may be seen That there u
something which approaches the border me '.'"eo'
history and legend. But when pure iesen" = ~.
,derpd there il no end TO the variety ana ingenuity
Of the tales that are told. some Oh 'hein a. -,
aIlv known and trusted that they amount 10 is"iI
n the eves Of the people of the country "hiie 'heio
aro others which It IS hardly possible to suppose "er'
ever believed by anybody. A., ,... =,
When St Patrick first began 10 tah W ",0
the Trinity they did not believe hifn' ',i' no -
a shamrock and illustrated the docttihc ny ''o
oocs growing on one stem. and then they We're con-
ycrtcd and the shamrock became sacred 10 o. ra'.n'
~ ,s said BIZ others that the shamrock worn on 81.
p,,dchs Day represents the cross. But the sharocs
r,s held sacred by the Druds in Ireland Deiore ."
p,tlcs time as was also the mstletoe, whose leaves
az well as berries. likewise aTrahgcn AZ ''o"''
three being sacred Number
Those Druds were 1t. Patricks worst enemies. ana
ho w,s forced 70 heap curses upon them. lie cursed
the,r lands so that they became waste ana dreary
hogs he cursed their rivers that no fish coaid hve
in Them he cursed their kettles, that they would
not boil and finally he cursed the Garth, SO that II
opened and swallowed them up. It. Patncks own
followers once suffered from cold when he commandeo
them 10 gather Ice and snow When they had made
large pile he brcathed upon it, and IL became bnghe
fire Two OF these stories also told in dihercns
FORM When the saint child lie gathered some
hits OF ice and his nurse told him that he would be
better employed in gathering frcwood whercupon ne
breathed on the ice and II took fire. When no was
sold ms a slave IL Is said that the price was KETTLE
but II was at once found that the hotter the fire was
made under the kettle the colder the kette become,
TIL 10 returned In disgust. and St. Pa1fck was
restored 10 his former master when the kettle again
boiled properly.
OF course the saints most famous achievement
Kidding Ireland OF snakes II has been related that
he called tho serpents together to the top Of noun
tain and compelled them N swallow one another till
there was mono left. but this seems improbable. A
more authentic account Is that he drove them out by
icatng drum. and that In his enthusiasm he knocked
a hole In IT, which angel at once came and mcnded
one hugh snake he chained I'm Tough Dveen, telling
10 stay TIL Monday and to this day. every Monday
morning. the snake calls out I'm good Irish: It's q
that Plny SAYS that scrpcnts seen on trcfo
and that the leaf prevails against the bites Of snakes
and scorpions. Not only did II. Patrick drive out
the snakes but rs everybody knows. lie made the soil
itself mical TO serpent lfe and even the wood that
grows on It has similar property. for II is said that
Kings College, at Cambridge. IS built Of Irish wood and
that spiders are never seen in it.
St Patrick seems to have taken positive delight
in performing miracles. once when old re-
fused believe his teaching he asked him II he would
be convinced By a miracle When the old
piled that he would the saint restored him his youth
and he was Of course converted. on one occasion
when he I'm England lie a leper who wanted
to make voyage In certain ship. but the people in
the ship would allow him to enter IT, St. Patrick
took IA stone altar which had been ooRsecmed by the
Pope and threw II in the water. lie then made tho
eper sit on the altar. which foated and kept beside
the ship for It's whole IL might be suggested
that the saint could well have cured this leper and
removed the objection to his going in the ship but
when two were open 10 him st. Patrick would
naturally choose the more surprising one.
lie had habt OF setting cross at tne grave Of
he upon two newly made graves. at the head OF
one Of which was q cross. It. Patrick stopped and
The man at replied that he was Pagan. why
then Is this cross placed at your head ~ asked 50.
become Christian and that a mistake had been
made in placing the cross. OF course St. Patrick then
But; ST. Patrick himself seems to have been capable
OF making slips; lie was once tempted TO eat meat
but hid IT for time and before he found oppor-
tnnity to eat II he mot man with pair Of eyes In
tho back his head in addition 10 the usual ones In
front. st. Patrick asked the meaning Of this and tho
man told him that with the eyes In his face he saw
such things otter men saw. but with those In
the back Of his head he secret things. and he
saw monk hiding some fresh meat, that he might eas
Icmorsc and prayed for forgiveness and for sign that
he forgiven. An angel then appeared and com.
mandcd him - put the pork into water. This he did
and Ii Immediately changed into fishes.
once also he denounced ~. Mel unjuSy. So. Mel
thought that the best TO prove himself In the right
was % perform n miracle So he ploughed certain
hill and turned numbers OF fishes from the earth
with his plough. 81. Patrick then saw his own error
and absOved him. but advised him thereafter to plough
on the land and fish in the water An even more sur.
prslng story than any Of these has been told OF S.
Pntrick's falling among thieves. who cut of his head
and threw II into q river. But st. Patrick not in tho
least dauned jumped In after II. caught the head In
his teeth and to the shore IL one De OF
suspicious disposition one NAV doubt this.
Everybody knows OF course, that ST Patrick dieA
on tho 18th Of March, but there may be some who DO