El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-03-17
THE SHAMROCK OF IRELAND,

| THE SHAMROCK OF IRELAND.
The white clover is thought by some
| to be the true shamrock of ireland.
Others believe that it is either the
| nonesuch, or the oX4lis. However,
the oxalis is more generally thought to
| be the true shamrock. All these
plants have trifoliate, or three-part-
[ ed leaf.
| Wherever the shamrock is carved on
| buildings, 0, used in jewelry, or on
coins, it looks more like the clover
leaf. In Dublin both the clover and
the nOnesuch are sold as the true
shamrock. Whichever it may be,
however, the shamrock is as dear to
the Irish heart as the thistle to the
Scotch, or the rose to the English.
The little wood sorrel is the memb Der
of the oxaiis family which is supposed
to be the Irish shamrock. 1t was call
ed by an old herbdlist-those who
know about herb5-the shamrog.
An old writer who visited ireland
three hundred years ago, said the peo-
Dle ate the shamrock, and it was sour.
Most boys and girls who are familiar
with the woods, know the wood sorrel
and have eaten IL.
In olden times the Irish wore
sprigs of shamrock to charm away all
SSll Spii l'S anu " 'CuSS. uSllSNe.
too, that serpents never stung any one
who wore bit of shamrock.
Perhaps some of you may have read
or recited the sweet poem ent tiled,
"Graudma's Shamrock" The old
grandma has come ID live In America,
and has become blind.
Here Gran ma, here's a present, it has
come distance, too,
IT'S g little pot of shamrock, and it
comes addressed to you,
Yes, all the way from Ireland, and the
card here mentions more
They We're gashered at your birthp e
On the banks Of AvOnmore.
Kitty is the name of the little grand
daughter who brings them. The dear
old grandma can't see them, of course,
but she sees something else. Hear what
she says:
"These blessed little shamrocks. can't
see them, yet | know
They bring me back the eyesi mt of the
happy long ago.
And rushing through the darkness
comes the picture that l love,
The dear green fields of Ireland and. the
sunny sky above
Gland here comes tie last verse:
"And though IN truly thankful for the
blessing that COD s hand
Has brought around me, K,ty, in this
great and happy land,
| can't forget the old home, midst the
comforts of the new:
My heart is three parts buried where
these little shamrOcks grew"
l have read that at one of the recep
tions or '.drawing-rooms" given by the
queen Of England, the princess of
nf
over petticoat of lovely Irish lace.
The dress was Topped on one side with
a bouquet of shamrock leaves and forr
get=me-nQts. Selected.
The miracles, legends, traditions,
SuperStltlonS and quaint customs and
obSerVanceS associated with the name
of st PATRICK would fill many large
volumes. One of the best known of his
alleged miracles to whioh it is only nee
esSary to ulude, as it has been made
universally familiar through the med
ium OF picture, song and story, is his
expulsion of snakes and all other rep
tiles from Ireland, which he is said to
have accomplished by beating drum
and driving them before him into the
sea. This strange procession had not
gone far before Patrick beat his drum
with so much vigOr as to break a hole
in il. but an angel instantaneously ap-
pearing and miraculonsly Needing it,
the march proceeded without further
interruption.
ST. Ps lex may be said however, to
have bee the means of introducing in
to Ireland snake of apocher and more
deadly kind THAI any that had existed
there prior TO his arrival, for tradition
assigns to him the credit of having in.
structed the irish il the art OF distil!- |
ing whiskey, from which alleged fact
it is said to have been called poteen in |
his honor. But Father Mathew and |
other Irish advocates of temperance |
have claimed ST. Patrick as a strict |
prohibitionist, and tell how IN a. D. !