Crittenden record-press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1909-191?, 1918-03-14
!" LEGENDS
or ST. PATRICK
uresgue Variety Of Incidents
Crowded Into Life of the
. Great Apostle.
POSITION OF THE TRINITY
sthlnu That the Druids Could Un.
rstand-His Kidding Ireland OF
Snakes 10 Of Course More
or Less Mythical.

our OCULAR tradition hns surround
{ ~ ed the life of st. Patrick, whose
d \ festival all loyal Irish celebrate,
n with more picturesque variety
y incidents than has been the tate of
Nv other saint. Whether they are
hue or not Is a matter of little impor-
!, Nance IL the stories are good. They
rhaye to be good, for the Irish are the
mSuthors.
M One of the most famous Of the myths
xonnected with st. Patrick, perhaps
y ~ most famous after the traditional
kexpulsion of snakes from Ireland, Is
1.-THE story of how the saint became con-
ected with the shamrock. When st.
q 6tsick first began to talk to the hea'
ehen Irish iof the Trinity they did not
Selieve him till he picked shamrock
and Illus tated The doctrine by three
leaves Agfowing on one stem. This con-
LCek6 analogy appealed to the druids
and most of them became Christians.
These druids were st. Patricks
worst enemies, and he was forced by
their hostility to act in manner some
what inappropriate for saint. He
cursed their lands for them, so thai
! they became waste and drear boys; he
cursed their rivers, so that no FISH
could live in them; he cursed theil
kettles, so that they would not boil
and finally he cursed the earth, 81
that Il opened and swallowed them up
HE Most Famous Act
The saints most famous achieve
ment was the Kidding Ireland o
snakes. The method he employed wa
novel at least. He simply called all tn
serpents together to the top Of mour
I tain and compelled them to swallo'
each other until there was none lef
'~Tfut, as the Englishman said, thi
seems improbable.
A more authentic account Is that /
\ drove the snakes out by beating
drum, and that, In his enthusiasm, !
knocked a hole in It, which an ang
at once came and mended. Sne hui
snake he Is said to have chained
Lough Dilveen, and even to this da
every Monday morning, the snake cal
out In good Irish:
'It's long Monday, Patrickw
st. Patrick seems to have taken
great delight in performing miracle
Once when he was In England he 50
q leper who wanted to make voya
In certain ship. but the captain won
not let him. st. Patrick took sto
altar which had been consecrated
the pope ard threw 1t into the wat
He then made the leper sit on
altar, which floated and kept up wi
~ the ship for the whole voyage.
Put Cross Over Right Grave.
He had O hnbit Of setting crt
at the grave Of Christian whene'
he could. In his travels one day
came upon two newly made graves
tho head Of one Of which was Gro
st. Patrick stopped and asked the m
in this grave what his religion W
The man replied he was a pagan.
"why. then. is this cross placed
your hend?" st. Patrick asked.
The man replied that his companl
had become Christian and that
mistake had been made In placing
cross. st. Patrick then corrected
error and went his way.
But even st. Patrick made mistak
lie was once tempted to eat meat WI
It was not proper to do so. He
some pork, but hid 1t for time d
before he found an opportunity TO
Il he met man with n poir OF eyes
the back of his head In addition 10
usual ones In front. st. Patrick w
the meaning of this and the man
plicd that with the eyes In his face
saw such things as other men 81