Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-16
ST. PATRICK FOUND IRISH
WERE PROSPEROUS PEOPLE
Phoenicians and Ancient Greeks Knew
of Emerald Isle Centuries Before
Christ, Historians Find.

were also eleCCeQ Dy their respective
heads of their clans, but held once only
as long as they were capable Of per-
forming such Offices. They had to be
men Of good character, we'll educated
in all the learning of the time, good
swordsmen and military leaders, good
horsemen and swimmers. Any serious
physical or mental defect was q reason
for depoSing him at once; hence, as
Wells says in his "Genealogy Of Amer
lean Families" the Irish system was
splendid one and one not surpassed
anywhere in the choosing of competent
leaders.
Druids Wise Men.
While the ard-righ held supreme
power, yet a great amount Of liberty
was demanded by the subrighS and
from this fact there is no doubt that
many internal wars arose, yet such was
Europe up to and after the signing OF
That St. Patrick had 10 contend
against the pagan philosophers who
were men of no small merit, Is adj
mitted. The druidS were the learned
men and, through the grace Of God,
very evidently men of open minds, and
so we find that after his disputations
with the chief 6=',I5 at the court Of
the spot. ~ ....s-- s -.
It is not to be understood that the
word druid simply stands for q pagan
priest, for in ancient Irish manuscripts
the druid is simply wise man. The
three wise men who visited the Child
Savior are mentioned in early Irish
manuscripts as druids.
Then Prosperous Country.
Ireland in those days had the repu-
tation of being fruitful and prosperous
country Indeed, there is no record Of
that poverty which had been the lot
of the Irish people since the time Of
Queen Elizabeth and existing I'D to the
time when the Irish Parliamentary
party in the British House of Commons
swept the cause OF such poverty out Of
existence.
OCurry from whom all writers on
the subject have drawn extensively,
gives descriptions of private residences
in the pagan and early Christian times,
which show high degree of excellence
and civilization. It may surprise many
to hear that the Brehon Cor civiD laws
Of the country contained rules for the
tuition of cooks apprentices, and cook
ing subsequently developed into q me
art.
In the time of the saint, and long
before and after, chess was known in
ireland and houses of hospitality, which
were seen at Intervals all over the coun-
try, were obliged to have sets of chess
men for the travellers. (See Walkers
Anecdotes Of ChesS".) The hosts were
mobiles and no doubt the travellers must
have been of the same class. That royal
featS were INDUCED in on those occa-
sions Is well known.
Close Bond Between Clan and Chief.
From most ancient times Up to the
time of Queen Elizabeth, the Irish
mobiles wore gorgeouSly colored nnantleS
and never were seen abroad without
their swords by their side. The chiefs
were always elected by their clan and
there Is no case on record where the
clan deposed him. In fact, q strong
bond of affection existed between them
at all times.
Doubtless this affection existing be-
tween the chief and the clan (both
being more or less Of the same blood
was one reason so easily converted the
clan when the chief was convinced Of
the truth.
Dresses of women of the higher
classes were often of silk and satin
and sometimes, according to all au-
thors, took about 80 yards, pleated and
matched. Many ornaments of gold and
silver are mentioned as existing in Ire
land, even in the pagan times, and
in the Dublin museums today. They
are of most beautiful workmanship.
That gold was mined in the country
is acknowledged. So was iron, copper
and tin.
st. Patrick Demolished Gold Idol.
We find that st. Patrick Travelled in
a oh tot ~ I'D d.
Ireland. The hero Cuhullain was killed
while leaping from his chariot on the
field of battle in the first century. 3
We find In The Lives Of the Saint"
that he warned the people against the
evil of sun worship. That they had
idols is also clear from the fact that
st. Patrick smote the idol, Crom
Cruach, which was covered with gold,
and demolished it completely.
Commerce was carried on between
Ireland and the continent from an
early age. We find eccentric writers
reporting that the Irish knew nothing
about ships. that all they used for sea
travel was the coracle. Now it is true
they had the coracle, but that they
also had fleets of large ships no fair
minded student of the question viii
deny. The ship that carried the saint
to his home in France was loaded with
the merchandise which the Irish at
that time usually sent abroad.
Nation Of Sailors.
That there we're foreign and donaes-
tic ships engaged in the trade there is
no doubt. We have many records Of
large Irish fleets, mostly used In battle.
Inc case OF King Malls invading Brit.
ian and the continent in ST. Patrick's
Tune and ravaging those places he
visited Is clear enough to show the
use OF ships of large size by ancient
lumbus'D tells us that Ancient me-
land was sailor nation" and who will
deny it when it is recognized that It
is an island, far out in the Atlantic.
and the original colonists as well as ali
other colonists must have been seamen
Of no ordinary merit?
ST. Patrick found a very good road
system in Ireland-that Is, good for
those times. Five great highways led
from Tara to as many different direc-
tons through ireland, and many other
roads were also to be seen there. The
Brehon laws devoted much attention
to the care of roads and these laws
existed long before the time of the
saint. The laws, too, regulated mining
and the remains Of these ancient mines
are seen today.
Known to PtOIemy Of Egypt.
OF course, it will be interesting to
know what cities or towns were in
existence in Ireland at the time of st.
Patrick. We know that In two places
he speaks of Dublin, in one place rather
and in another referring
to it as a noble CITY," Quoted BY
Jocelin in his Life of the Sanity
This means much, for st. Patrick had
seen the greatest city in the world IN
his day.
We read in Irish history of many
towns or cities existing In Ireland.
Ptolemy of Egypt, who wrote about 250
wears before the time of ST. Patrick