The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1906-03-17

| I"o eAlieIlle anu opposite views
aave been held as to the scope and
dimensions Of st. Patricks work in
Ireland. There is the old view that
ne first introduced the Christian
religion and converted the whole
island, and. there is the view, pro.
pounded by Prof. thinner, that the
sphere of his activity was merely 4
small district in Leinster The second
opinion is refuted by critical exami-
nation of the sources, and by it's own
lncapacity to explain the facts. while
the first cannot be sustained because
clear evidence exists that there were
| Christian communities in Ireland be-
fore Patrick arrived.
But the fact that foundations had
| been laid here and there does not de-
| prlVe st. Patrick Of his eminent sig
rificahce. He did three things. He
organized the Christianity which al
| ready existed, he converted kingdoms
| which were still pagan, especially in
| the west, and he brought Ireland into
connection with the church of the en-
, pire, and made it formally part of uni
versal Christendom.
| These three aspects of St. Patrick
work are illustrated by J. B. Bury, for
merly fellow Of Trinity College, Dub
lin, and now regius professor in the
University of Cambridge in a volume
OF 400 pages. (''The Life of st. Patrick
and His Place in History issued by
the Macmillan company The sub
1ect attracted the eminent scholars
attention not as an important crisis in
the history of Ireland, but, in the first
place, as an appendix of the Roman
empire illustrating the emanations OF
it's influence beyond it's own frontiers,
and, in the second place, as a notable
episode in the series of conversions
which spread over northern Europe
the religion which prevails to-day
Doubts of the very existence of st.
| Patrick had been entertained, and
other views almost amounted to the
thesis that if he did exist he was not
himself but namesakc. It was at
once evident to Prof Bury that the
material had never been critically sift-
ed. and that it would be necessary to
! tjegln at the beginning. almost as If
nothing had been done, in a field
where much had been written.
Concerning the work of Todd on the
subject, he acknowledged that in
learning and critical acumen it stands
J out pre-eminent from the mass of the
historical literature which has gath
cred round st. Patrick, yet it left him
doubtful about every fact connected
with Patrick's life
Sought the Original Sources.
Prof. Bury's justification of the pres
ent biography is that it rests upon a
methodical examination of the sources,
and that the conclusions, whether
right or wrong, We're reached without
any prepOsSessiOn. His conclusions
tend to show that the Roman Catholic
| conception Of st. Patrick's work is
generally nearer to historical fact
than the views Of some anti-papa!
| divines.
The conversion of ireland to Chris
tianity has, as Prof. Bury points out
Its modest place among those mani
fold changes by which a new Europe
was being formed in the fifth century
The beginnings of the work had been
nO1scless and dateless, due to the play
| OF accident and the obscure zeal of
nameless pioneers; but it was organ
lied and established, so that it could
never be undone, mainly by the efforts
| oft re- D,,;l
ain, who devoted his life TO the task.
"The child who was destined to play
! this part in the shaping Of new Eu-
! rope was born before the close of the
fourth century, perhaps in the year
SS9 A. D. His father. Calpurnius, was
o Brton, like all free subjects of the
empire. he was a Roman citizen; and
! like his father Potitus before him, he
| bore a Roman name.
"Ca1purnius called his son Patricius.
But il Patricius talked as 4 child with
his father and mother the Brythouic
! tongue of his forefathers, he bore the
name of Sucat. He was thus double.
named, like the Apostle Paul. who
bore a Roman as we'll as n Jewish
name from his youth up. But another
Roman name, Magonus, is also ascrib-
ed to Patrick; and possibly his full
j style-as it would appear in the town
| registry when he should come of age
| to exercise the rights Of citizen
was Patricius Magonus Sucatus.''
Partick Became Slave,
! AS the son OF deacon, Patrick was
educated in the Christian faith. and
was taught the Christian scriptures.
When he was in his 18th year A
feet of Irish freebooters came to the
coasts or riyer-banks in the neighbor-
hood seeking plumber and loading
their vessels with captives. Patrick
was at his fathers farmstead, and was
one OF the victims. Man-servants and
| maid-servants were taken, but his par
-snts escaped. He was carried Ito the
ultimate places of the EARTH" as he
/, says himself, as if ireland were
severed by half the globe from Britain.