The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-17
pay OF ST. PATRICK

There Is no more illustrious character
or whom We have any knowledge whose
entire personal history is shrouded in
deeper mystery than that OF st. Patrick.
whose birthday is SO generally celebrated
on the 18th of March. though 1t Is wholly
mater OF conjecture that he was born
on that day. A witty Irishrnan has writ
ten on this subject as follows:
'On the 9Th day Of March II Uas gonna
people say, ~
That st. Patrick at midnight ba a,st sovv,
the day 9~"
"hile others declared 1t was the 9th he
And twas all a mistake hetwee,, r,tdr,o.t,.
and morn,
shock, 1
And some blamed tha bshv ord co.,.
blamed the clock
could know 0 0'40
Ii the child was too fast or the clock was
But both of these factions so positive
That each kept q. birthday. and Pat tho,
had two Ut 'Ai0-i
III Father tSt Muloahey. who showed them
Said: No one could have two h,,t = a.,
pair of twins ~ 100
Don ni always be lighting for eight or for
Don't always be fighting b,,t ao,,o.,.,
combine.
Eight and nine add together-seventeen
Ia the mark
So let that be his birthday, sAr,a,, eta
the clerk U
Inis ancient lyric account Of how the
4fth or March has come to be celebrates
as the birthday Of Ireland's patron saint
as qulte as authentic as any other In
formation we possess concerning him says
the Cincinnati Enquirer, but It Is not
ddoae the honor of being the natal dav
Oh 81. Patrick which entities the 18th If
warren TO most respectful consideration
All the early English calendars name tbI.
DAY as that on which Noah entered the
flood. 'ie
England. Scotland, Wales and Franoa
have each claimed the honor If ba1,i,,o,
given birth to Ireland's patron saint
ana while the honor is accorded to
france by many. the bulk of
Evolutionary evidence, which Is all
we nave, seems to be in favor Of
Scotland His native place seems To hav,
peen Nemthur, now Dumbarton. then p
RofAan province, and the date Of his birth
Is generally thought to have been about
A. d. 1885,
ORIGINAL NAME WAS SUCCATH.
Ills original name was Succath, Patri
Gus being the Roman appelation by
which he was known, indicating that he
came of patrician family. Captured by
pirates and taken to Ireland In his six
teenth year, he was sold to a petty chief
"hom he served as a swineherder for six
years, during which time he claims 10
nave been miraculously converted while
tending MS f1ocks Effecting his escaDa.
ne went to France, according to some Of
his biographers. to England according to
Others and prepared himself for the
priesthood. OF the writing Of st. Patrick
but two Latin manuscripts have been pre-
served, his Confession" and a letter ad-
dressed to Coroticus, Welsh chieftaf1.
who had captured several of Patrlck's
converts. In his confession he tells us
that he was miraculously called by God
in dream to the sacred mission of con-
verting the Irish, a mission In which he
was confirmed by Pope CeIestine
returning to Ireland, he devoted his life
to the evangelization of her people, and is
said to have founded 965 churches and to
have personally baptized $4,000 converts.
The date of his death is assigned to vari-
Gus widely sundered years, some writer's
placing it as early as 45S and others as
late as 493
THE SNAKE STORY.
The miracles, legends traditions, su-