The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-03-12

Knew No Foreign Potentate.
ST. Patrick was Presbyterian. At
least, so Rev. DR.. James Mcleod de-
clared in an extremely interesting lee
ture last night, in the Providence
Presbyterian church, before the Mems
society, of North Scranton.
The Mems society conducts an as
sembly every fourth meeting night, at
which some noted speaker delivers an
address DR.. McLeods acceptance of
the society's invitation, coming just in
advance of st. Patrick's Day, coupled
with the fact that he is such an ardent
Irishman, suggested the subject of st.
Patrick and the result was last nights
| entertaining, edifying and instructive
lecture.
DR.. Mcleod began by paying a
glowing tribute to st. Patrick, charac-
terizing him as real manly, Christly
saint. zone of the nobest sons of
whom Christianity can boast" was one
of his allusions to the patron of Erin.
He was saint and great saint, the
speaker declared. If he had lived be-
| fore the scriptural canon closed he
doubtless would have Deen enumerated
| among the Biblical saints. However,
| he would not be hurt by a comparison
with some saints in the Bible.
A WORKING SAINT.
st. Patrick, the reverend speaker
said, was not one of those saints whom
| tradition tells us We're wont to in
| crease their saintlness by torturing
| hn
He was a practical, working saint He
was not one of those lamb-like, dove
! like, good natured ones, who never did
| a wrong or even so much as lost his
| temper. He had some faults, but these
only went to prove his humanity, and
made it possible for us to regard him
as one of us, and possible of emula-
| ton.
Referring to stories of st. Patricll's
| miraculous performances, as related by
| Jocelyn and told in folk lore, DR.. Nc
Leod said they We're so ridiculous he
would, out of justice to st. Patrick,
preface their narration with the state
| ment that st. Patrick was in no wise
responsible for them. After enumerat-
ing a few of them. he said that if he
did not believe the narrators We're
sincere, he would think they were
prompted in their narratives by a de-
sire to make ST. Patrick ridiculous. At
all events, he said, they We're in no
wise an evidence of Patricks saintli-
| ness, but only of their authors silli-
ness. Ignorance and superstition, the
| doctor declared, when combined with
a thirst for glory, have ever been a
source of mischief.
France, Spain, England, Wales and
| Scotland the speaker went on to say,
each claimed st. Patrick. The best au-
| thoritieS, however, give his birthplace
| as Scotland. He was kidnapped from
| his home on the Clyde. sold into slavery
| in Ireland, worked as a shepherd boy
for Druid chief, became converted to
! Christianity, escaped from bondage af-
ter six years, returned to his home in
| Scotland, and later went back into Ire
land to convert its heathens to Chris
tianity. He was an Irshman first by
compulsion and then by adoption.
CHRIsTIANIzED IRELAND.
He did not introduce Christianity into
Ireland but it was he who Christian
lied Ireland. 1t is said that Christian
ity was preached in Ireland as early as
the first century, but it did not take
root there until the fourth century
when it was planted by Patrick.
Only three writings of st. Patrick, his
confession, his hymn and his epistle, are
of record and from these three must his
religion be discovered. So thoroughly
evangelical is the doctrine of these
writings that all churches claim them
The Baptists endorse his every tene
except as to some few details as tc
baptism. Methodists insist that he wa:
their original circuit rider. Episcopal
ians will tell you he was a bishop o
their church. 81 tell YOU" declared the
doctor, che was Presbyterian" One
thing sure the Roman Catholics can
not have him. He was Scotchman
= But as an irish Catholic friend of mine
once said when we argued this point
Doctor, he was good enough TO belong
to any church and lave it at that"
At all events st. Patrick believed II
home rule. 1t is singular he does no
in any of his writings acllnowledg,
any foreign prince or potentate. Rev
DR.. Lannigan, an eminent Roman
Catholic historian, admits there is III
authority for the claim that st. Pat
rick was commissioned from Rome. l
is also remarkable that in no utteranc
OF ST. Patrick is there any differentia
tion of those matters which divide tn
Roman Catholic and Protestan
churches.