The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-17
ST. PATRICK'S DAY LORE.
OLD LEGENDS OF TEE nth OF
MARCH RECALLED.

lands Patron Saint Was Born on
This Dsy-An Old Priests ExpIena-
tion-Noah Made the Seventeenth
Famous Before Patrick Was Born.
Who Was st. Patrick? - England,
scotland and Ireland Each Claim
Him as Son.
From the Chicago Times
There lis no illustrious character Of
whom we have any knowledge whose entire
personal history is shrouded in deeper mys-
tery than that of st. Patrick, whose birth
day is so generally celebrated March IL,
though it is wholly matter Of conjecture
that be was born on that date. A witty
Irish clergyman has written on this subject
IS follows:
On the Sth day OF March 1t was, some people
That St. Patrick at midnight he first saw the
While others declared twas the 9th he was
born,
And twas all a mistake between midnight and
morn,
/ For mistakes will occur in a hurry and shock;
And some Blamed the baby, while some blamed
Till with ali their disputing sure no one could
If the child was too fast or the clock was too
slow,
But both of these factions so positive grew
That each kept a birthday, and Pat then had
TIL Father Mulcahey, who showed them their
Said: mo one could have two but iue pair Of
Don't always be fighting for eight or for nine;
Don't always be lighting, but sometimes COM
bne.
Eight and nine add together-seventeen is the
mark,
So let that be his birthday" Amen, ;" said the
clerk.
This ancient lyric account OF how the
nth of March has come TO be celebrated as
the birthday of Ireland's patron saint is
quite as authentic as any other information
we possess concerning him.
But it is not alone the honor of being the
natal daY of St. Patrick which entities the
18th Of March to most respectful considera-
ton. All the early English calendars
name this day as that on which Noah en-
tered the ark for the purpose OF escaping
the food.
NoAH's HARD TIME.
1t would be as difficult to tell why the
nth Of March was selected for the date of
that event as it would be to divine why, in
all the religious plays or mysteries of the
middle ages, Noah aud his wife were always
the low-comedy characters. Noah was
invariably represented Us an eccentric
old man and his wife as a most voluble
BhreR
In the play of Noah" in the "Townley
Mysteries one Of the earliest OF these very
rare and quaint collections, there is an
amusing scene between Noah and his better
half, where he tells the latter of the ap-
preaching food, which has just been an
nounced to him by the Creator. Mrs. Noah
calls her lord credulous fool and an habit
ual bearer of i'll news, and bitterly COM
plains of the miserable life he leads her.
Noah retorts in kind and finally bids his
spouse to hold her tongue. But she only
becomes more abusive, till at length they
fall fighting after the manner Of our mod
ern Punch and Judy, Noah getting decidedly
the worst OF it, ana finally running away to
resume his ark building. When the vessel
is completed and the waters have COM
menced to rise Mrs. Noah persistently re-
fuses, with the characterize perversity Of her
sex, TO enter it. She ridicules its appearance
and method of construction in most ludi-
orous terms, saying:
L faith, cannot find
Which is before, which is behind,
and goes on to remark, IN effect, that the
neighbors will be unable to tell whether
they are going away or Just coming home.
The danger at length becomes so imminent,
however, that she jumps into the ark Of her
own free WILL but no sooner is she aboard
than she picks a quarrel with her husband.
Good old Noah, resolved to teach her a les
son, gives her severe drubbing, and she
complains OF being beaten "black and
blue" while the three sons Of the unhappy
pair lament over the family discords. Many
husbands Of the present day will heartily
join with Noah 10 exclatming, rs he does
after this rencontre:
A Lord, that women be Grabbed aye,
And none are meek, dare well say.
All these events are supposed to take
place March II, and if that date is the corr
rect one it should certainly be celebr ted
not only by the admirers of St. Patrick, but
by the whole world, for il Father and
Mother Noah had not sought refuge in the
ark none of US would now be here to cele-
brate anything.
WHERE WAS PATRICK BORN?
England, Scotland. Wales and France
have each claimed ths honor of having
given birth to Ireland's patron saint, but
the bulk of Evolutionary evidence, which is
all we have, seems to be in favor OF Scot
land. His native place seems to have been
Nemthur, now Dumbarton. then a Roman
province, and the date of his birth is gen
orally thought to have been about A. D.
6J5. His original name was Succath, Pat
Ficus being the Roman appeliative by
which he was known. Indicating that he
came of patrician family.
Captured by pirates and taken to Ireland
In his 10Th year, he was sold to q petty
chief, whom he served as a swineherd for
Elk years, during which time he claims to
have been miraculousy converted while
tending his locGs. Effect1ng his escape, he
went to France, according TO some Of his
blographers-to England, according 20 9th
ers-and prepared himself for the priest.
hood. OF the writings Of st. Patrick but
Two Latin manuscripts have been preserved
his Confession" and letter addressed TO
Coroticus, a Welsh chieftain, who had capt
ured several of Patrlck's Irish converts.
In his Confession" be tells US that he was
mireculously called of God in a dream TO
the sacred mission of converting the Irish,
q mission in which he was confirmed by
rope Celestine
returning to Ireland, be devoted his life
TO the evangelization Of her people, and is
said to have founded 365 churches and TO
nave personally baptized $4,000 converts.
Inc date Of his death is assigned to various
widely suudered years, some writer's
placing it as early as ass and others as late
as 493
The miracles, legends, traditions, super
sutlons and quaint customs and o0servances
associated with the name OF st. Patrick
would fill many large volumes. One Of the
pest known Of his alleged miracles, to which
~ IS only necessary to allude, as IL has been
made universally familiar, through the
medium OF picture. song and story, is his