Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-03-18
Some of the Miracles.

ponents of good st. Patrick in his great
work of Christianizing Ireland. Their
priests were powerful and malignant
magicans, and in order to prevail
against their wicked works St. patricb
| had need of all his miracle working
power. In spite of his benevolence he
had to curse their fertile lands and
cause them to become cold and barren
bcgs, their rivers were made uninhabit-
able to fish, and their very kettles were
cursed so that no matter how hot a
fire was klndled under them water
would not boil within them. At last
all these things failing to prevail against
the Druids, st. Patrick ordered the earth
to open and swallow them.
According to the legends, ST. Patrick s
power over fire was not confined to rem
dering 1t imperative when placed under
the kettles of his enemies. He was
quite able to use snow and ice for fuel
and there are several versions of the
manner in which he did this. Accord
ing to one story, he and Il number OF
his followers found themselves one cold
morning on the top Of a mountain with
out fagot to cook their breakfast or
warm their stiffened limbs. There was
much complaining, to which the saint
paid no heed. Gather II pile of ice
and snowballs," he commanded, and
when this was done he breathed upon
the frigid mass, and 1t instantly became
| n nj nj ErA I al ibic ~
was put in rhyme by lovelorn versitler
as follows:
st. Patrick, as in legends told,
The morning being very cold,
In order to assuage the weather,
Collected bits of ice together,
Then gently breathed upon the pyre,
! When every fragment blazed on fire.
Oh! il the saint had been so kind
| AS to have left the gift behind
| TO such lovelorn wretch as me,
Who daily struggles to be free,
I'd be content-content with part.
| I'd only ask to thaw the heart,
The frozen heart Of Polly Roe.
| mother form of the same story has
1t that when a child he busted himself
one day In gathering bits of Ice and
snow, to the dispeasure of his nurse,
and when she told him he would be
better employed II he gathered fagots
he breathed on the ice, and 1t took fire.
Once, when st. Patrick met an old
uan who refused to believe the teach
lngs of Christianity, the saint asked him
II he would be convinced by the per-
Torrance of miracle. The answer
being in the affirmative, the saint re-
stored him to his youth, and OF course
the man became at once a convert.
On another occasion. when In England,
St Patrick met Il leper who desired to
take passage on a certain ship but the
captain would not receive him. The
saint threw stone altar that had been
blessed by the pope into the water.
| The leper was hidden to seat himself
on the altar, which aoated alongside
the ship, bearing its single passenger
| during the entire voyage,
The greatest of the miracles performed
| by st, Patrick was. OF course, riddine
'''nd VI snakes and blessing the soil
SO that it would ever afterward be OBJ
noNious to all reptiles. One legend
goes that the saint called all the serpents
to the top OF a Hill and compelled then
to swallow one another till none was
left, Another account is to the effect
that Patrick drove them out by beating
a drum and that he struck 1t so hare
40 to knock a hole in 1t, whereupor
m angel lest the accident should frus,
trate the saints object, appeared aut
mcnded the rent In the instrument
which, patch and all, was shown al
q holy relic as late rs 50 or Go years
ago, 1t Is stated that one huge serpen
was chained in Tough Dilveen, where /
was hidden to remain till Monday. Tn
word OF release has never been spoken
aid 1t Is said that II your ears ar,
properly quickened you may to thi.
day at Tough Dilveen hear the snak,
call out on Monday mornings in goo,
Irish Its long Monday Patrick"
The Irish Abroad
There were indeed Irish Roman