The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-03-18

and he gazes in vision upon the crum-
bling walls of the ancient churches
of Ireland, which, even in their old
age. lift their hoary heads as faithful
witnesses of the past struggles of
Erins children In behalf of that faith
and still stand In their massive frame
work resisting the power of the de
spoiler and the last stroke of corrod-
ing time, but will breathe a prayer
TO the God of Nations the sweet in
cense of Thanksgiving for the blessing
brought by the SANITY Patrick upon
the Isle of his birth beyond the blue
waters of the Atlantic
with the pathetic story OF his
sanity life we are all familiar, but
none the less should 1t behoove ana
delight us to unite ourselves in spirit
with the children of Erin, scattered
as they are round and round the
globe, as they meet TO sing the songs
of the isle of their love to the stran-
ger and rerearse the story of their
patron saint.
The Story of st. Patrick.
"St. Patrick is said to have been
born in Gaul towards the close OF the
fourth century. Tenderly nurtured'
his early years passed away without
any forecast of the high purposes for
which he was to be destined by God
But soon there came change In his
life---a change that bid fair TO mar
the use and blight the promise OF his
dawning day. Not amongst the com
forts Of home was his Christian youth
to be nurtured---such an novttiate
might do for one who was to breast
the trials of earth. But an overshad-
owing Providence had its designs on
his life and saw fit to select rough
er school in which to train protege
who had not only to brave the storms
of life but was to sacrifice home and
all to win another kingdom to the
yoke of the gentle Jesus. sy
"In his sixteenth year dark and
sombre cloud gathered on. the hori-
zon of his earthly. happiness and der
scended with all its human woes upon
the scenes of his childhood; upon the
home where from earliest infancy he
was surrounded by all that could MAKE
| life enjoyable. and despoiled 1t OF it
| brightest ornament. He was worm
away from parents and home without
a friendly eye to look upon him with
compassion or heart to pity him in his
deep-seated anguish. II fu
| "He made his first entry into Ire
land, not as an apostle or herald 70
proclaim the evangelical truths but
as a poor slave TO herd cattle on the
rough mountainside in the far north
| of Ireland. Here in an alien land, q
stranger like another Daniel, he saw
through the vista of ages how this
'Insula Sacra" or holy isle of Druidic
Worship was to fade away before the
bright dawn of Christianity and the
waters of salvation flow in on this
desert land and make 1t fruitful SOIL
| whence should spring generation
OF children whose lives would be liV-
ing holocaust to the author OF crea-
ton.
Here for long days and nights did
he live forgotten and despised with
no other solace TO light up the gloom
of his soul than the Christian nope
and faith that burned within him.
Here on the lone hillside his soul
communed with God. There amongst
the rough crags on Erin's mountain
side he schooled himself in the knowl'
edge that would make the science OF
L SAVING tHt cOhlS VI thc9t -
children the subject of future antici-
lpations. There he learned the art oil
prayer, the whisper of the soul that
can move the arm OF the omnipoten'
Power"
Rev. Mr.. Denning told of the divine
call that came to Patrick and OF how
he gave up all and answered He re-
counted the fifty years of service as an
; apostle to the Irish people and of the
wonderful good which he accomplish
ed. The speakers account of the
death of this great man was one ol
the most beautiful word pictures
= imaginable and showed that at his
death, Patrick was rewarded with tho
divine assurance that his life of toi
had borne fruit,
Grateful 10 America.
? The speaker paid tribute to Amer
lea in the following words:
2 "Oh, America, how grateful are we
! the children of Ireland, to thee. 1
= is here upon your hospitable shores
that her wandering child finds a rest
e ing place. We worship the great liant
>. of liberty that has been an asylum
= and barrier in the storms of adversit
r that withered the homesteads in tn
: land OF our fathers. Would that W
c could show our deep-seated gratitud
y for a land that has opened its arm
to welcome the outcast OF the son o
G st. Patrick, bound the bruised hear
h Of an outraged nation, given he
n daughters protection and her son
n adoption. A nation where conscienc
a is free, liberty a reality and God
e gospel a profession of love-"
e "In conclusion may l let this even
r ing's remarks bring TO us a lesson,
+ lesson of deep gratitude to the grea
st. Patrick. We have received fror
g him the deposit of faith--let us trans
d NIT It to posterity. unpolluted and un
: tarnished And when the fight OF lit
o is over and the battle march is done
: when death gives the signal to strilS
4 the tents, may the influence OF n
i Patricks church be there,guilding a.
0 the clouds that hang about life's sun
set, with a light that pierces tn
( earths limits and mingles with tn
a radiance above. And as we pass fror
s the darkness of this vale of tears ma
= st. Patrick receive us as the fruit o
0 his mission on earth and make us. lik