Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-03-15

The persisten, serpent
legend has shrodded and
distorted one of the most beautiful
characters in human history-''a
flashing fire with the fervor of the
warmth and healing of the sons of
life for kindling and for infiaming
charity"
Those who would know a finer st.
Patrick must journey into "A very
mystical world indeed. 1t was in the
miracle jeweled age when Celtic
Britain still worshiped by Druid
affairs, when clouds of black magic
lay low over Irish hills, and when
fre-breathing dragons still prowled
IN the misty forests. that this man
energies into history. over this world
Lgendry throws dim, weird. beau
tiful light
The true Patrick was no snake
charmer with bagful of tricks but
a knight of Christ in mystical
wilderness, beset with novel tempta-
ton, who left a fra grant path behind
him. 1t is to the unsophisticated
pages of MuirChus life of Patrick.
written in 500 AID. about 200 years
after the saints death. and to his
own fragmentary writings that one
must turn to get the real picture.
Muirchu, the Celtic monk. writing
when the memory of the Irish hero
still was fresh among the people, GER
tainly has produced one of the most
poetical works in church literature
almost every page illuminated and
lyrical with the reflected character of
the man himself.
1t is a record of miracles Muirchu
dismisses the snakes with a brief
mention. He devotes his manuscript
to the more substantial wonderwork-
ing of this man. But always he pre-
sents very human character, a man
who loved his fellows, one not with
out his weaknesses, and to whom tri-
umph was not always an easy thing
to accomplish. Out of these pages
Patrick energies as a sort of latter
day st. John-alwayS a youthful fig
ure with shining light about him.
, The customary picture of the saint
as a white-bearded old man seems al
most caricatu re after reading Muir
chu. 1t is true that he is soIemnly
pronounced to have lived to the adj
ranced age Of 1O6-but 1 think he
must always have remained in his
twentieS all those decades. 1t would
have been no more of a miracle than
some others the monk relates, and it
makes Patrick stand truer to form.
For he was never the venerable coun
selor, but always the young war
rfog of Christ.
IT is as hard to imagine st. Patrick
an old man as to conjure up a picture
of an old King Arthur or an old Sir
Galahad. There can be no true old
age in Celtic legend, for Celts never
grow old. Ireland, Scotland, Wales, |
Brittany-they are youthful enthus- |
ed figures in the procession of
peoples.
NIE will turn then to Muirchu's,
Nv miracles, always keeping in
mind the picture of a young man..
These started very shortly after |
his birth, of Christian parents, prob |
ably somewhere on the banks of the /
Clyde in Scotland. 1t was determined |!
80 baptiZe the future patron saint of
Erin. But unfortunately there was no
priest or holy man in the vicinity
capable of performing the ceremony.
One, indeed, there was. But he was
stone blind and had been from his
birth. He certainly couldn't read the
baptismal office. Moreover. it was a
time of great drought and there was
no water to be had for baptismal
purposes.
Nevertheless, to this holy man the I
infant Patrick was taken. He took in |
his own the little hand OF the baby |
and made with 1t the sign of the cross |
on the ground. At once a stream |
of water gushed forth. Then, with |
his moistened fingers, he rubbed his
face, and his sight was instantly |
restored.
The poor man, of course, couldn't |
read because his eyes had never
known the light. But simultaneously |
with the restoration of his sight came |
a perfect knowledge of letters. So |
he was enabled to perform the bap-
tismal ceremony in proper form
Practical minded folks sometimes |
have questioned this legend, but it
is pointed out that a clear stream of
water still flows from the site of
an ancient church near Dumbarton.
Certainly this is enough to substan-
tiate the unsophisticated Muirchu.
Shortly after his birth Patrick's
family fell upon evil days. His
mother was dead-but he dearly loved |
his foster mother. A flood came and
Quenched her fire. She was in despair.
That was before the days of matches.
When fire went out in wet weather,
it was a weeks work to build an
other. But the young st. Patrick
merely dipped his fingers in the flood
waters and the drops fell on the |
wood as sparks of fire sufficient to
Gindle the wet fagots. But the sup
ply of fuel was low.
The foster mother asked the boy |
70 go out in the wet woods and try
to find some sticks. He went and |
returned in a few minutes with a
handful of-icicles.
You are a worthless wretch" said |
the poor woman, believing that her
precious fire was doomed again, and |
forgetting the lads previous service. |
But he calmly laid the ice on the fire
and it turned into wood, bursting
into a hot flame.
Such simple miracles as bringing |
neighborhood cows to life and turning |
water into honey We're easy for the |
boy Patrick, and Muirchu relates |
1umber of them. Ali Cluade, the |
Sriton king of South Scotland, used |