Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-03-01
&. DAV|D'S DAY
OBSERVED MARCH |.
Time When Welchlnen Comment
crate Memory Of Patron
Saint.
A SKETCH OF HIS CAREER.
,,,ercstlng Address Delivered a Year
Ago In London by Rev. Robert
GrlfIiths.

u.,,aps not many Salt Lakers, with
-, .Yception Of Welshmen, are aware
the fact that today Is st. David's
sav" the day loyal Welshmen COM
.,srorate the memory Of their patron
saint,
considerable can be learned about
,bs day by the following address de-
uyered A year ago in London by Rev.
Robert Grifliths;
81 have been asked to say a few
words tonight about that famous per-
sonage to do honor to whom we have
,oreea,hered together here this evening,
81 pavld, the Patron. Saint Of Wales,
I would much rather speak about Devil
SAINT In Welsh. In fact, II is somewhat
difficult task to speak about him and
Sls work in any other language but
am told that there are present here to-
o,sht persons who are IN the unfortu-
nae position of not being able to un-
aerstand the Welsh language, conse-
ouelly | have been requested to say a
fsy words IN English, though | am
afraid were II possible for the old saint
10 hear me speak OF him In such an
alien tongue. It would be enough to
make him turn in his grave. Let me
make one fact perfectly clear at the
beginning, and that IL, Devil SAINT Is
mo- myth. | am not sure whether this
much could be said of the patron saints
OF some other countries. | do not wish
10 wouni the susceptibilities OF anyone
present here tonight, but | will say
This, that the question OF the existence
Of some OF them appears TO me to be,
At least, problematical. But as regards
DeNi SAINT, he certainly did exist in
This country at one time though un-
doubtedly there Is mass of fables
gathered around his personality; but
This is only what we are to expect, es-
pccially in the case OF a person so loved
and reyered as Devil SAINT was.
SKETCH OF HIS CAREER.
my aim tonight is to try and place
before you brief sketch Of his career.
| shall not try to discriminate between
fact and fiction in this narrative; | will
leave the task for each individual TO do
for himself; but the whole make up to-
gether a portraiture which Is both real
and poetIcal Dew SAINT, we are told
BY Gerallt, was born at Ty Ddewi (St.
Dayld's) In 462. This remote period, 600
years before the Norman conquest was
a period OF time at which practically
the whole OF this country was inha bted
BY the Celtic race. He was descended
on his fathers side from Cunedda
Wledig, q noted Welsh prince; and on
bis mothers side from Gynyr of Gaer
GawCh. another rich Welsh prince, He
hu hp kIkaaS nkGhnn nf
Munster, Ireland. who happened to be
IN this country at that time. AS was
only natural TO expect, we are informed
that his birth was foretold by many
persons, to some at time considerably
before his birth. His father we are
told, went out hunting one day. and
when he came to certain spot was
systematically warned off, as he was
poaching on the preserves OF a son not
ye, born st. Patrick also was told 10
abandon Wales to greater man than
he. who was yet to come and was sent
over TO labor In Ireland. presume that
there are some Irishmen listening 10
me tonight; II so, they can take It from
me that their patron saint was at first
a Welsh monk, and that they are in.
debted 10 Wales for the Introduction OF
Christianity into their beloved lslanl
home. Other instances of this character
could be given, but | think these will
suffice. 'Dewi SAINT received his sluca-
ton at Henllan (Vitus Rebus). Bangor
Illtyd and he also spent 10 years study
ing the Scripture at a place called Ty
Gwyn ar Do, under man named Pau
linus, where he had for fellow student
St. Teilo. second bishop Of Landau.
After completing Its training, he wan
dered about the country for many years
preaching. one Of the places visited by
him was Glastonbury, noted for It's
famous abbey. and 1t Is said that II was
Devil who built the first church there.
When he returned 10 his own country
he settled down with his disciples at n
place called Roslia. When Devil and
his followers arrived there, we are told
that they lii fire, and that the smoke
from IL covered the whole country for
miles around, which was a sign to them
that the land was TO be theirs, The
king Of that district, named Boya, was
go incensed at this that he set out to
destroy Devil and his followers, but
when he arrived at their encampment
he and his men were seized by an i'll
ness which made them powerless II
harm Devil When Boya returned TO
his home he found all his animals dead
he understood the portent and returned
and made peace with Devil and gave
him the land on his arrival home the
second time he found that all his anil
mails had been restored to life. His re-
moyal TO St. Davids came about in
this way. the bishopric OF ST. David's
was vacant. and the princes, noblemeu.
and people gathered together to select
a new bishop, stipulated that the new
bishop must be able TO preach so that
everyone In that vast crowd, which
numbered tens Of thousands, would be
able TO hear.
ONLY "DEWI" QUALIFIED.
What a pity that such a task is not
sun In force at the selection Of bishops.
clergy and ministersl 1t appeared,
however, that not one OF the candI-
dates with the exception of Devil"
were able to qualify for the post, and
consequently Devil WAS selected. One
~ the early Incidents OF his stay at St.
David was the calling together Of a
general council of all the churches In
the land The purpose for which this
council was called together was to COM
bat and destroy the Pelagian heresy.
which was beginning 20 take root In the
land, BY way OF depression allow me
10 say that I found very interesting
remark about this man Pelaglus In my
Schof's History OF the Church. Pc
laglus was simple monk. born In
Britain about the middle Of the fourth