Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-02-17
AaBB66 BOUT ST. PATRICK.
A FEW or HIS STRANGE AnsEN-
TuREs AND ACHIEVEMENTS.

The Ua.mbsiii.hea story ef she Irish
saint. Life--rsw Historical Perssn
ages Are shreaasa In - Much Myth
aad Interesting Legendary Lore.
"st. Patrick. - one freshman was heard
10 any to another the other day. "was the
greatest man that ever lived"
..Hc wss," the other replied, ''the great
eft man that ever lived OF died either"
Certain Il IL that In this time and eoun
try the festival OF no other saint Ii 40 hon.
ored a. that OF st. Patrick on the nth Of
March. Nor could any saint be chosen
whose life popular tradition has surrounded
with a more picturesque variety OF Incl
dents. The people whose patron he Is are
ons OF the most Accordingly and roman.
tically interesting nations Of the world.
They have never been, for reasons that are
we'll understood. rich or q cultivated peo-
pie. They are rough and simple In their
character, but they have warm hearts. ten
der, poetic and often grotesque imagina-
tions. and a rich, peculiar and inexhausti-
BILE humor.
AL these qualities are strangely mixed
In their national traditions and especially
In the stories OF St. Patrick. Sometimes
the result seems to have a SAVIOR OF irrev-
erence, but II may be surely trusted tina:
there In no such intention and that no
saint receives more genuine veneration
from his people than does the patron saint
Of Ireland.
The unembellished history Of 81. Pat
rick Ii not long. The information about
his life is meager and confused. Wales.
Scotland and France all claim hts birth,
with the weight OF probability In favor oI
Wales. The date was about S73. When
he was about sixteen years old he was
stolen by pirates or maraudegs from the
north and sold as slave In Ireland.
For seven years he tended swine on a
mountain In County Antrim. and then he
escaped to the Continent, where be became
deacon, priest and bishop. He came Of
good family and the ecclesiastical name Of
Patricius was given him by Pope Celes
tine, who sent him back TO Ireland to con
vert the people. The accounts differ abou
his age at this time. Some OF the date
given indicate that he was about thirty
others that he was nearer sixty. Befor'
he returned to Ireland he bad visions
Among them was one Of "A man namet
Victorious, who brought him letters II
one OF these were the words. The voice o
the IRISH" and ms he read them he heard
voice say, I'VE pray thee. holy youth. Z,
come and henceforward walk amongst US.
| After this he spent his life in preaching
baptixing and working miracles and &C
complished the practical con, ersion OF TIN
people OF the island. He died at the age o
about 40 and was buried at Downpatrick
Even In this plain account IL may he seel
that there Is something which approache
the border line between history and legend
Is no end to the variety and ingenuity Q
the tales that are told. Some OF them ar
no generally known and trusted that the
amount 10 history In the eyes Of the peopl
of the country, while there are others whic
It is hardly possible to suppose were eve
believed by anybody.
When st. Patrick first began to talk {
| the Irish OF the Trinity they did not b,
lisvs him, till he picked shamrock an
illustrated the doctrine by the three leave
growing ON one stem. and then they wer
converted and the shamrock becam
sacred to St. Patrick. IL is said by OIL
ers that the shamrock worn on st. Pa
rick's Day represents the cross. But Oh
shamrock was held sacred by the Druid
In Ireland before St. patrick's time, q
was also the mistletoe. whose leaves, q
well rs berries. were likewise arranged
threes, three being sacred number.
St. Patrick's followers once suffere
from cold, when he commanded them |
gather ice and snow. When they ha
made large pile he breathed upon IL an
it became n bright fire. Two of these 81.
ries are also told in q different form
When the saint was a child be gathers
some bits OF ice, and his nurse told hill
that he would be better employed In gatl
ering firewood, whereupon he breathed O
the ice and IL took Ere. When he was sol
rs a slave Il IL said that the price was
kettle, but Il was at once found that Il
hotter the fire was made under the kett
the colder the kettle became, till IL was 4
turned In disgust, and Sc. Patrick was y
stored to his former master, when the Ike
tie again boiled properly.
OF course the saints most famol
achievement was Kidding ireland
snakes. IL has been related that he cails
the serpents together to the top Of n mou
tain and compelled them 10 swallow OF
another till there was none left. but th
seems improbable. A more authentic =
count Is that he drove them out by bea
ing a drum. and that In his enthusiasm
knocked hole In Il, which an angel
once came and mended. One hugh snal
he chained Ia Tough Dilveen, telling II
stay till Monday, and even to this da
every Monday morning. the snake cal
! out In good Irish, Its a long Monda
| Patrick
IL is interesting TO note here that PHI
says that srrpants are never seen on trefo
and that the leaf prevails against the bit
Of snakes and scorpions. Not only did
Patrick drive out the snakes, but. as even
. 4 n. A 4. -. ii.