The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-08-26

Jack the Giant Killer.
Shakespeare's King Lear is famous
folklore king. Old King Cole, he of
nursery fame, is another. King Ar
thur is the most famous of these Brit
ism folklore kings, and although Ar
thur was real parsonage, his charac-
ter has been so distorted by exagger-
ated fables that he is of more impor-
tance as person in romance than in
history.
The influence of the Saxon invaders
upon the folklore of Britain is very
marked, introducing the most horrible
monsters imaginable, and these are not
found in the folklore of Britain until
after the invasion of the Saxon.
Ireland has vast fund of folklore
to draw from, both ancient and mod
ern; and even at this late day thou
sands of unwritten tales are told and
sung IN all parts of the island. Fairies
and saints are the chief features of all
the legends.
St. Patrick being as great person
in Ireland as King Arthur is in Brit
ain, he of course holds first place in
Irish folklore. The chief tales told of
St. Patrick center around the driving
of snakes from Irish soil. And one
very pertinent question often asked
is where did the snakes that St. Patrick
drove from Ireland 60 to? AS an an.
swer to the above question, offer you
the following theory for your own con-
sideration. A Frenchman being ha.
bitual drinker of champagne, having
imbibed enough to reach the stage
known as delirium tremens, sees in.
Vulnerable little blue devils. Why he
should see blue devils in preference to
anything else, l do not know, unless
it is that having politeness as high
ideal, his disordered brain conjures up
that persOnification of politeness, the
prince of darkness.
A German, a habitual beer drinker
having buried enough stienes to reach
delirium tremens, sees myriads OF
frogs. We can easily understand why
a German suffering from delirium tre-
mems should see frogs, as we all know
that chops" form one of the chief in
gradients of beer.
An Irishman being habitual
whisky drinker and having polluted
himself sufficiently to bring him into
delirium tremens, sees snakes, hence
we very naturally conclude that when
ST. Patrick banished snakes from Irish
soil that they took up their abode in
the Irish whisky and have remained
there ever since.
American folklore is very scant; but
what we do find reaches a greater
height spiritually than any coming
from the British Isles.
The Indian is the source from which
almost all of our folklore is drawn
, and nearly all the tales transmitted tC
, us by the Indians are woven around
the Great Spirit Manitou. The work
ing of the Indian mind in connection
with the Great Spirit is we'll illustrated
, by Pope in his Essay on Man.
"Lo, the poor Indian. whose untutored mind
Sees God in the clouds, or hears Him in tn,
wind.''
Longfellow's Song of Hiawatha
Whittier's Bride of Pennacook treat
exhaustively of Indian folklore. Amer
lean folklore we find in tales about thu
? Pilgrim fathers and in Mother Goose
. tales. Modern, up.to date folklore O1
America is very limited. Yet some
uncrowned poet has dared to stand for
ward as champion of the common
, people, and gives us muse on th'
dreamy and fascinating waltz, from
the standpoint of the lower five. Yol
can Judge for yourselves from the fol
, lowing verse, taken from the Song O.
the Stable Gang" what kind of a crown
he will get if the public at large eve
, find the man that wrote it.
r "A duck can't spiel wot has two left feet!
!. Come cinch wild me, are yeh ready?
All the hayseeds scull demselveS to a seat
When do de glide wild me steady"
i F. r. r.