Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-03-17
|R|SHMEN TO CELEBRATE
FEAST DAY OF ST. PATRICK
Religious Services VIII Re Held in
Nearly All Roman Catholic
Churches.
MANY SOCIAL EVENTS PLANNED
life OF Ireland's Patron Saint
Shrouded in Mystery and Legend,
nut Records Show Wonderful
Work lie Accomplished.

lrishmen and the sons and grandsons
oil natives OF the Emerald Isle. the
world over, will celebrate to-day the
I ieast day of st. Patrick, tho patron
saint Of Erin.
me observance OF the day in Rich
mona Will be confined largely to re-
nsio"s services in most of the Roman
| Chtnolic churches, where during tho
celebration of the masses the affairs VIII
DC draped with the green altar cloths
uSea only on st. Patrick's Day The
| ."ie! lestat feature Of the day will
ne inc banquet to be given tonight at
the Masonic Temple by ST. patricIs's
social and Beneficial Society.
social affairs will take an important
part In the proper celebration OF the
daE. Many social functions have been
Planned In honor of the patron saint
| of the Emerald Isle" among which is
,he Speciai cabaret and dinner that will
ne conducted by Miss Mar and Mr. Lin
coin in tho rcd room of tho Hotel Rich
mond.
ROSETTES OF GREEN
WILL. HE WORN TODAY
Inc shamrock. rosettcs Of green and
othcr emblcmatic decorations will he
worn on many coat lapel and fcmi-
hine corSaEe on the streets TO-DAY
The history OF ST. Patrick is. for a
great part Of his life. buried in OBJ
security. The birthplace OF tho saint
has been disputed by historians. b,t
the most commonly accepted version of
ms story is that st. Patrick was born
In France. then called Gaul which was
one of the Roman provinces. and while
III MS early youth was captured by
invading Scots, who carried him to
ireland. where he was sold ms a slave.
81. fatrick was Il born arlstocrat. his
father. Calphumius. being OF patrician
hood. and his mother Conchcssa. is
said by chroniclers to have been a rcla
tive of st. Martin Of Tours
After serving six years ms the slave
OF chief named Milcho. Of Antrim
young Patrick made his escape. and
reaching the seaport town of BenuIn
he induced the captain of "a vessel TO
carry him to his kinsman. st. Martin
~ Marinontel. The spot where he
crossed the River Loire on that journey
Is stili marked with sign. and is
held in great reverence by the people
Of the vicinity.
WONDERFUL. MISSIONARY
WORK IN IRELAND
For thirty years after this Patrick
studied, worked and preached. fitting
himself for great work he had
mapped out-the conversion OF idola-
trous ireland to Christianity. His
wonderful missionary work was rec
oSnlHcu DE rope CcleStine, who dele
gated him to carry Christianity to the
people OF Ireland st. Patrick landed
in ireland on this mission in the year
49,. The island was peoplcd at that
time by warlilie race Of sun and
idol worshiperS. whose priests were the
Druids. SO successful was St Patrick
IN winning the people OF the country
to Christ that in the year AS, eleven
years after he had begun his great
work. he was a member OF the council
appointed to revise the laws OF the
land on a basis that gave full rccog-
milton TO tho Christian faith. For near
- SIXTY years st. Patrick continued his
work among the Irish people. firmly es-
tablishinE the Christian religion I'm that
country.
Many legends concerning miracles
performed by the saint in the course
at his missionary career still live pop
ular among which is the story Of his
hanishment of snakes from the Emerald
ISLE but the effect on these legends
has been to cnvclop in a cloud OF doubt
many interesting points concerning his
history. The time and place OF his
death never have been definitely set
tied by the disputing historians IT Is
generally accepted. however, that when
he arrived I'm Ireland he found 5000,
600 pagans there and that at tho end
OF sixty years there was not an idol
left in the land Some historians give
the date of his death as March IL 4a@
and the place as Saul