The aegis & intelligencer., 1899-03-17

ST. PATRICE'S DAY.
This day. the 18th of March, lis sacred
to Irishmen, the world over, as the
anniversary Of the birthday of St.
Patrick. the good and great Apostle
to the Irish. As in the case of Homer,
many lands claim the honor of being
the place of his birth, but there is no
difference of opinion as to the value
of his labors in overthrowing the
Druidical worship, with its human
sacrifices and other horrors, and con-
verting the Celts to Christianity.
All accounts agree that st. Patrick
was born about the year 372 and his
name implies that he was of noble
birth-.the name Patrick being derived
from the word pdtrician. One account
states that when Is years of age with
many others he was carried off from
the coast of Scotland. AS a youth he
was known as Succat, but in later
years he called himself Patrick. Like
the Prodigal Son, his master employed
him in herding swine on Slemish
Mountain, in the county ofAntrim. In
this hard and degrading employment
he spent seven years, which would
have been dreary if they had not been
devoted to prayer and meditation and
to acquiring knowledge of the Irish
language as we'll as of the manners
and customs of the Irish people,
Weary of captivity he found an op
portunity to escape, and after many
perils and adventures made his way
to France. His sympathies had been
aroused by the condition of the peo-
pie of Ireland and he resolved to de-
vote his life to missionary work among
them. After some years spent in pre-
paration he went to Rome, where he
received mission from Pope Celestine
and was ordained a priest. Under
authority of the Pope he returned to
Ireland. The island was under the
domination of the Druids, and it is
stated that all of his sanity and al
legged miraculous powers were needed
to cope with the powerful superstition
that held sway in the land. Nothing
daunted. he began to preach the
gospel and crowds flocked to hear
him. Many converts were made and
the power of performing miracles is
said to have been possessed by him.
One legend is that the saint and his
followers found themselves. one cold
morning, on a mountain, without the
means of making a fire. Directing
his companions to collect pile OF
snow balls and ice he breathed upon
the mass which Immediately became
a pleasant fire, at which they warmed
themselves and cooked their break
fast.
His most famous miracle was driv-
ing snakes and venomous reptiles out
of Ireland and rendering the Irish
soil forever so obnoxious to the SER
pent race that they Immediately
die upon touching it. Certain it is
that even now the Emerald Isle is free
from serpents. 1t is seriously related
that st. Patrick accomplished this
feat by beating drum. He pounded
it so vigorously tat he made hole in
it, thereby endangering the success OF
his miracle. At this jucture, how
ever, an angel appeared and patched
the hole, and the patched drum is
said to have been exhibited and view
ed with veneration for many years
afterwards.
In banishing reptiles from Ireland
st. Patrick is said to have chained a
monster serpent in Loch Dilveen, tell
ing him to remain there until Mon
day. The serpent, it is believed,
every Monday morning calls out, 'It's
a long Monday, Patrick"
A more beautiful story is related of
him. When baptizine::4n Irish Chief
tain st. Patrick, then Bishop, leaned
he avily upon his crozier. Unwittingly
he had placed it upon the great toe of
the converted heather. The pious
chief, imagining this to be an
essential part of the christian cere-
mony, bore the pain unflinchiDgly,
while the steel point of the crosier
pinned him to the ground. The blood
flowed freely from the wound, and the
place where this scene occurred was
named Struth fhuil, or stream of
blood, now pronounced Struill.
The firm hold st. Patrick obtained
on the inhabitants of Ireland is recog-
nized to this day by the large num-
Der of places in Ireland and Scotland
called after him, the whole forming a
fairly good itinerary of the travels of
the Saint.
Poteen, favorite beverage in Ire
land, is said to have derived its name
from st. Patrick, who first taught the
Irish the art of distillation. The most
authentic historians, however, repre-
sent him as a promoter of temperance.
Having commanded his disciples to
abstain from drink in the daytime,
one of them, with perhaps more zeal
than discretion, obeyed the command
so literally, that not drop of water
or other fluid Was permitted to pass
his lips throughout an entire day
spent in labors in the harvest field.
When the day ended aud the vesper
bell rang he dropped dead-a martyr
to his obedience.
A sketch of st. Patrick would be in
complete without a areference to the
shamrock or small white clover, uni
versally worn by Irishmen on st.
Patrick's day. This well-known little
plant is said to have been used by the
saint in illustrating the doctrine of
the Trinity. The plant thus became
a symbol of faith, and in later days
the wearing of the green" is token
of loyalty to Old Ireland.
Mingled as the excellent Saints his
tory is with legend and tradition,
enough is known to give him a ven
Grated place among those who have
consecrated their lives to the benefit
of their fellow men.
BISHOP POTTER ON THE SALOON
QUESTION.
The following correspondence is
self-explanatory:
My Dear Bishop Potter:
AS you know, The Outlook has been
and actiYalY intarestad in