The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-01
THE FRIEND OF THE JEHU

Probably very few cabmen are aware of the fact that they have patron saint of their own. but 1t IS likely that most of them, confronted with the ruinous competition or the taxicab and the "jitney", will admit that they need one.
 The jehus not only have patron, St. Fiacne, but royal one, for the anchorot and confessor of that name was a prince of the House Of Le1n- ster, in Ireland. He lived in the sev- enth century, and his festival is ob- served today, the thirtieth of August. The vanishing tribe of Jehu might do we'll to seek his intercession to-day, but it is doubted if even the good St. Fiacre possesses the power to save them Indeed, some of them chauf- feurs of Branch have calmly claimed Fiacre as their own patron. It if pointed out that originally St. Fiacre was the patron of the drivers of all wheeled vehicles, and, since a taxicah certainly has wheels, there is no req son why the chauffeurs should not | appropriate him.
 St. Fiacre-whose name was given to the French hackney-coach, has two shrines. One of them is in Ireland the land of his birth and the other in France, where he spent his mature life
 ministering to the sick. The Irish shrine is a little well on the banks of the Nore, not far from Kilkenny. l Born a prince of Leinster, Fiacre
 early renounced all his worldly ad- vantages in order to lead a religious life. This course, was not favored by his royal relatives, and to escape their importunities Fiacre sailed away tC France, in search of solitude where
 he might devote himself to fasting
 prayer, and acts of charity. On reach | ing Meaux he appealed to St. Faro
 the bishop of the diocese, who as- signed to the Hibernian prince a
 dwelling in the forest of Breuil, in the
 province of Erie. At this place Fiacre built a cell for himself, and, a short
 distance away, a rude hospital for the
 reception of the pilgrims and the sick
 and crippled who soon flocked tc
 him, attracted by the fame of his aus
 terity and healing powers.
 l It is said that the i'll and the lame
 who were unable to walk were taken
 to St. Fiacre in rude boxes fitted or
 wheels This circumstance gave rise
 to Fiacre's fame as the patron ot
 drivers, and explains the origin of
 the application of "facro" to the | four-wheeler coach.
 l While in France St. Fiacre was wis
 ited by some of his relatives, who urg-
 ed him to return to Ireland and the
 royal palace. According to tradition
 Fiacre prayed that he might. be re-
 lieved of this duty, and soon after
 wards he became leper. His rela-
 tives fled in fear, and they had nc
 sooner gone than Fiacre was restored | to health.
 The Irish believe that the well of Fiji acre, near Kilkenny, contains waters
 of great healing power, and every
 year, on the thirtieth of August, a
 great assemblage partakes of the heal ing water. The "jarveys" or cabmen of Ireland are always prominent at
 these observances, inasmuch as they
 have a special proprietorial interest
 in the good saint whose name and fame are commemorated.
 | Incidentally, it may be mentioned
 that the name of jehu. applied to a driver or cabmen, is an illusion to
 Jehu, the son of Nimshi, mentioned in ? Kings ix. 20.