The Washington times., 1907-03-17
Legends Stripped Away,
But Missionary Is Left
Noble Figure.
Scotland Settled Upon as
Most Probable Place
of Birth.
Churches All Over the
World Named in Priests
Honor.
By MARGARET B. DOWNING.


The higher criticism is raging around
the hallowed head of Erin's patron saint
and in the hands OF the savants hard
~ trace is left of the good old man
with his staff and his human virtues
as well as superhuman greatness. 1t is
true that the biographers still admit the
genuineness of the writings OF St Pat
rick. which are necessarily trustworthy
and derived from the most ancient and
authoritative sources. The confession
has been always highly regarded and
priced by learned critics. but the folk
lore, the legends by which st. Patrick
Is known TO the world, are receiving
their death blow.
The latest and most erudite Of 81.
Patrick's biCgraphers, Most Rev. John
Healey. Archbishop Of Tuam, ruthlessly
casts aside the story of the shamrock.
so dear TO the Irish. The old tale was
that the saint, explaining the mystery
of the Trinity for the incredulous Laog-
hair stopped down and plUcked the iit-
tie clover leaf to simplify his meaning.
The scholarly DR.. Hea,ey calmly says
without a qualifying word, NO trace OF
this story can be found In the ancient
lives OF the saint, still il has caught me
popular imagination and made St. Pat
ricks shamrock the immortal SYM
boil Of Ireland's faith and nationality.
Snake Story Denied.
The expulsion of the snakes is almost
synonymous with the fame and godli-
ness of the SAINT, yet Archbishop Healey,
Stokes. and all the recognized authori-
ties conspire TO rob him of this glory.
DR.. Healey remarks that Jocelyn, the
most fabulous of the early writer's, is
the voucher for this story, and he goes
on to relate shat Joseph. of Arimathea,
is credited with that performance. san
more narrowing. this learned critic says
that Solinus. who wrote 200 years before
St Patrick $ arrival as a missionary in
Ireland. describes the island as enjoying
a natural freedom from venomous rep
tiles
But the knowledge of these latter day
historians will not disturb the supreme
belief Of the Irishman and his descend
ants the world over in St. Patrick Not
the grand parsonage, who looms so
large in ecclesiastical annals. but the
dear old SAINT as he is known 10 the
people. II is well that the late biograph-
ers stopped short at placing St Pat
ricIx's birthplace within the confines OF
England The accepted authorities now
call him eilher Scotch or Welsh. His
birth town row. and in this DR.. Healcy
lends the weight OF his authority. is the
town Of Nemthor, or Ali Cande, in the
Roman province Of Valencia. The River
Clvde is now identified as the stream OF
which the captive dreamed during the
six years OF his captivity in Ireland
Legends Stripped Away.
But every detail of the Saints life
has been studied, torn to pieces, and
finally discarded by the late biographeTs.
An entirely new Saint is now put Tor
ward with all the moot questions OF
his birth. the place Of exile in Ireland
the port from which he set forth aiter
his miraculous escape from Milcho, the
scenes Of his first missionary labors IN
ireland. and ali the circumstance OF
his death. as scientifically demonstrated
as a problem IN calculus. None Of the
heroic quality Of the Saint is lost. but
he is stripped of the legendary interest
According to DR.. Douglas Hyde, St
Patrick Is as alive today among the peO-
ule of ireland as when he walked IN the
fiesh. In particular is this true of the
mountain peasants, VINO are among lne
most poetic and imaginative Inhabitants
OF the globe. No higher criticism or
historic obstacles daunt their faith in
the legends.
Shamrock and Eels.
St. Patrick's Day. according TO the
earliest martyrologies. has been kept on
March Il, the accepted date Of his
death. The custom Of wearing the
shamrock on the day seems of so an
cient origin that the most expert de-
cipherer Of half-effaced manuscripts has
not established the exact century when
il became universal In Ireland. young
girls are more partial TO wearing St
Patrick's cross, made Of gay green rlh-
bon on discs Of white silk or paper
In some Of the counties Of Ireland. eels
are eaten on the feast. and are as essen
Iial 10 the banquet as the turkey 10 the
American Thanksgiving dinner.
1T is claimed. and with some reason,
That ST. Patrick is the most popular
found in every land. Even IN the ceep,
mysterious mountain Businesses of Asia
and East India. one OF the finest
churches in Rouen. France, is dedicated
10 St Patrick. II the number Of
churches erected to his honor in the
United States furnish a proof, then St.
I'atrick is its hero. as well as that OF
Ireland. More than four hundred
churches bear his name. and there are
over three hundred schools, converts,
and missions under hts protection. The
magnificent Cathedral Of St Patrick
in New York city, the most costly and
artistic religious structure I'm this coun-
try. is the. grandest memorial vet
erected TO the Saint Besides the Ca
thedral. an older church in New York
city. st. Patrick's. on the corner Df
Prince and Mott streets. shows his
popularity I'm the empire city of Amer
lea. The cathedrals of Rochester. y. Y.
and Of Newark. n. J., are also dedi-
Gated to st. Patrick. In the State Of
New York there are seventy churches
bearing the Saints name. and about
thiTty-eight religious houses. Harris
burg, Pa. has consecrated the new ca
thedral to the Apostle of Ireland. and
one of the finest churches in Philadel-
phia bears his name Boston. St. Louis
Cincinnati, Detroit. Chicago. in fact
every city of appreciable Irish popula-
tion In the country, has built a shrine
TO honor the heroic missionary.