The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-16
one-Act Farce,
Characters.


Mr.. Alex. Dabbieton.. ;. Daniel Brennan
Mrs. Alex. Dabbleton.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Miss Mary Tucker
Mr.. Bird Plover.. Mr.. Jas, Tul!y
Mrs. Bird Plover,. Miss Mamie Lavelle
Doctor. .............,..Mr Mr.. Leo La FIan7
Maggie. Miss Kate Norton
St. Patrlck's day is the anniversary
Of either the birth or death, no one
knows which, OF the saint who is alleged
to have rid Ireland OF snakes and YER
min and who converted the pagan Irish
to the religion Of the Roman Catholic
church, which universally observes the
day.
The land Of ireland abounds in myths
to nearly as great extent as the land Of
the ancient Greeks. There IS no doubt
but that such man as st. Patrick
lived in the fourth or fifth centuries,
but the legends about his personality
and work are so many and the facts SO
remote, that to elaborate to any great
extent in writing of him is mere specu-
lation.
The date of his'birth is given by some
authorities as the year A. D. $40, by
others as 1856. and still others as S72.
His birthplace is said by some to have
been Pembrokenshire, Wales; by others
Nemhltum. England; by others Tiber-
MIA, Scotland, and yet again, Tours,
France. According to an autoblogra-
ply, which 1t is claimed st. Patrick left,
he is Of mixed extraction, claiming him
self to be both Roman and Briton.
One authority gives his original Celtic
name as "succat"
The date Of his death Is also a matter
Of great difference Of opinion. Differ
ent authorities give his age US IS, 11s
and 1871 years respectively. st. Patrick
died at a place called Saul. which place
is still revered by the natives.
From the different accounts 1t may be
gathered that his father was a farmer;
that his mother was a sister of st. Mar
tin; that "succat" was stolen from
home by pirates and sold to q slave
master in Wales, where he served him
several years and then escaped and
went to France, at which place he was
later ordained by an unknown bishop
and sent to ireland at an advanced age
as missionary. When he arrived at
Wicklow and talked with the chiefs Of
the pagan Irish, the people were angry
and ready to fall upon him, but he final
ly won them to his teachings. One Of
his strongest arguments, and one which
really caused their conversion, was his
illustration of the principle Of the Trim
ity, or three in ono, by using a shrub
or small stem on which three branches
grow adm therefore the embtemattc
shamrock Of to-day.
One legend says that while pagan
fires burned on one hill, he started a
IRE on another hill. and that the people
were overwhelmingly impressed.
No legend is more common than that
Of his Kidding the snakes and vermtn
from ireland. One legend says that he
did 1t by beating q drum, another that
he used his stan. Although he was
probably not the first missionary to go
to Ireland, on account Of the magnitude
Of the work he accomplished, the con-
version Of Ireland is credited to this
noted saint. During his stay on the is
land, which covered q period ranging
from some thirty to sixty years, he es-
tnblIshed Ss5 churches and many schools
ana colleges. He baptised kings and
their subjects alike. in all more than
10000 people. Before his death, 1t Is
said, he became blind with age and long
service. One account states that previ-
Gus to his beginning his missionary
work in Ireland he was a monk.
Like all great people whose lives live
after them, It was his benevoience and
goodness which has made his memory
perpetual. Even myths concerning a
great mau, II they live long after him.
viii hinge on the noble traits of his
life. |