The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-03-16
SOME FACTS ABOUT
RELAND'S SAINT
st. Patrick was Not Mythical
Character Who Drove the
Snakes, out of Erin

/ pcOpic hHOW IluCii TSSdIuiLS Iuc OD'
servance of the day other than that
they wear Shamrocks in their button
holes in honor of mythical somebody
who chased all the snakes out of Ire
land. An interesting bit of history
regarding the life of st. Patrick has
been brought to this Office by John G.
Barratt. 1t is a yellow and worn clip
ping from one of the early newspapers
of New Jersey. 1t is reproduced in
part as follows:
"Of the Saint whose memory will
tomorrow be specially cherished, many
of our readers perhaps do not know
the history. 1t is, to be sure, wrapped
in some obscurity, and of the early
life of st. Patrick the historians them
selves give diverse accounts-in no
point however more than in regard to
the place of his birth. That he is a
native Irishman, genuine Celt, it is
natural that most of us would suppose.
But such we incline to believe is not
the case.
Like him whose birthplace was
claimed by Smyrna, Colophon, Chios.
Argos, Athens, Rhodes and Salamis-
Homer, of old, the birthplace of St.
Patrick has been claimed by Scotland.
Ireland, England, Wales, France, nay
even remote Palestine, but the weight
Of biography seems to point to France
-O'Sullivan, reliable biographer of
the Saint, declaring that he was born
at Bretagne.
ellis fathers name was Calphurnius
a Deacon, and his mothers was Con-
chessa, sister of st. Martin, the re-
nowned Archbishop of Tours. He was
born in the year 373 and died in the
year 432. His christian name, that is,
the name he received at baptism, was
not Patrick, but Souchet, word of
the old French language meaning "a
little stock
"The little we know of st. Patrick's
early life is to be gathered only from
his own narration, and he says that
when he was sixteen years old, he was
ignorant of God, that is he possessed
no true knowledge of Him. At this
age he was made captive by barbar-
ians who brought him to Ireland, and
treated him with great cruelty, setting
him to tending cattle. After six years
of this slavery, in which he had learn
ed the points of christianity, his per
secutors let him go, and he returned
to his family, with whom he remained
two years. Just before leaving them
he had remarkable dream, in which
an Irish nm a n, named Victorious,
brought him letter in which he read
'vox Hiberni generum'-the voice of
the Irish people. He resolved i'm
mediately to go to Ireland to convert
the unchristianized Irish, and COM
menced his studies with st. Martin, the
Archbishop of Tours, his uncle.
"He was ordained Deacon by st.
Martin, and, soon after, Priest, by st.
German, Bishop of Auxerre. His con-
secration to the highest order of the
ministry took place in Ireland-by st.
German and st. Lapus, it is thought,
who went with him into Ireland. This
was in the fifth century.
"The beautiful and holy character
of st. Patrick is seen from the con-
GLIDING portion of the hymn called
st. Patrick's Breast Plate composed
by him while on his way to Tara to
preach before the king. After avow-
ing his faith in the doctrines of the
Trinity incarnation, crucifixion, res
direction and ascension Of our blessed
Lord, he says: Christ be with me
Christ after me, Christ under me
Christ over me, Christ at my right
hand, Christ at my left, Christ at this
side, Christ at that side, salvation is
the Lords, salvation is Christ's, may
Thy salvation, o Lord, be always with
u.s.
"And Joceline, monk and historian
says, st. Patrick used to read the bible
to the people days and nights togeth-
err
"Such in brief was the life of st.
Patrick whose anniversary falls on to-
morrow. It has been too often the
case that persons have spoken in terms
of derision of the Saint, perhaps
fhou &1occ1x, h,,% n xu;11 ho coon FROM
his history, thus briefly given, that St.
Patrick was an holy man, whose life
was spent in doing good, and who
served his God, his Savior and the
Grandchildren all of whom Won will