Evening star., 1923-03-11

preserving fluid. and no snake from
ireland in the lot.
And yet-with all this weight Of
scientific testimony and OF bottled
snakes to the contrary--probably the
most popular Of Irish legends, r,valed
only by the story Of the shamrock,
is that which gives st. Patrick credit
for banishing all the snakes Sue
ccssive generations OF inlmitable
story-tellers and Incompatible bards
have popuiarized this tale. Listen
TO one Irish minstrel:
There's not 4 mile in IreIsnd's isle where the
dirty vermin musters:
Whcre'er he put bis dear forefoot he mur-
dered them in clusters.
The toAds went hop. the frogs went flop.
splash dash into the water.
And the beasts committed suicide to save
themselves from slaughter.
Nine hundred thousand vjpers blue he charmed
with sweet dscourses.
And dned on them at kilIsioo in SOUPS and
second courses.
When hindworms. crawling on the grass. dis
gusted all the nation,
He gave them q rise and opened their eyes
to q sense Of the situation.
The wicklow bills are very high. and SO the
Hill Of Houth. sir:
But there's a hill much higher s,ill-ay, high
than them both, sir:
Twas On the top Of this high hill st. Pat
rick preached his sarmint
That drove the frogs into the boss and both
cred all the yarmint.
4 y = x
4 CCORDING to the popular fantasy
"A ST. Patrick, the patron saint Of
Erin, was preceded by drum
wherever he went-and maybe it was
in imitation OF this that the Saliva
ton Army started its modern method
Of attracting attention. Whether he
had q drummer or pounded away on
that instrument himself the bards
fail to make clear. but, according to
the legend. on that particular occa-
sion when he was about to climb
the high hill and preach the sermon
which was to send all the snakes and
other "vermin" skeedaddling. the
drumhead gave way to the enthus-
iasm OF the drummer.
The banishing OF the snakes seems
to have been we'll press agented. for
cled the hill. The bursting Of the
drum caused CONSERVATION. because
it was thought that q great deal Of
St. Patrick's potency came through
the drum. Then, tits related, an angel
came, patched up the drum. the SER
mon was preached and the snakes
disappeared miraculously and have
never been seen since by any Irish
man in his sober senses.
But we have still more reputable
bibliography on this subject. Consult
Boswell's Life of Johnson" and you
will read how the doctor and his
biographer made merry over the
natural history of Iceland by Nicholas
Horrebow, one chapter Of which is
about snakes and says: "No snakes of
any kind are to be met with through
out the whole Of the island" II is
said that a printers error first led
to the application OF this phrase to
ireland. about 1888.
venomous reptiles are unknown
even by name throughout our
blessed Erin according to John
O'Keefe in his "Recollections!"
Sir Thomas Browne contributes
this: ireland hath this wonderful
quality, that 1t nourisheth no
venomous creatures, and Irish wood
kills them. 1t is said they die by the
touch Of a native, and that any wood
stroaked by a native doth the same.
But Of this want to be further sat
ishad."
Back We 90 again to Uncle Sans
snake expert, DR.. Stejneger, ana he
says that according to the best OF
his reading and recollection. the story
goes that some English lord who had
estates in Ireland. in order to spite
his Irish tenants, Transported some
grass snakes from England and
planted them in his grounds. But
curiously enough, they do not seem
to have taken foothold-probably be-
cause tho good Irish peasants killed
them on.
In an old English publication. dated
177S, is found an attack on the