The Cotton Factory Times. — 1908-03-13 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

LESS FAMILIAR LEGENDS.  There is no saint whose life is surrounded SC thickly with varied, curious and interesting legends as is that of St. Patrick. The stories of the Middle Ages tell as that Patrick was baptised by a blinc' pricat who obtained water for the purpose by taut ing the infant to make the sign of the cross over the earth, out of which issued at Oiler a well of water which cured the priest of his blindness and enabled him to read in a book the order or ritual of baptism without knowing until then the letters. Tradition also says that Patrick pasted through shut doom: that a dead man in his grave spoke to him, and that when he had his head shorn, and the tonsure marked him as one of the lower clergy, he grew wise in church discipline. and learned to convert flesh into fish. There is a legend, too, that when water once flooded his mother's floor. fire dropped from his fingers and dried up every drop. Just how the fire was then put out is not explained. A tooth which dropped out of his mouth shone like the sun in the ford. Under his miraculous power, a goat bleated out of the stomachs of the wicked men who had devoured it: other of the legend recounters say the goat came alive out of their mouths. The footeteps of St. Patrick can be traced by the names of places and relics all over the Emerald Isle. At Ardmore. in County Waterford, Ireland. is the Rely Stone of Ireland. This much venerated stone, so the legend runs, floated across the sea from Rome TO St. Patrick, bringing to hirn his sacred veettnents. ! a bell for his ehurch and a lighted candle for the I mass. The stone, which is very large, ie upon the seashore. It is a Mecca for pilgrims who encircle it several times on their knees. and finally lying flat, creep through a hollow of sand that has been made under it. No doubt you are well aware of the fact that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ire. land. Do you know how it was done? Tradition ex. plains it fully. It seems that St. Patrick, wherever he went, was always preceded by a drum. The noise the drum made attracted the people. Semetinies, to it would appear. St. Patrick played the drum himself At all events, just before going up the to preach the sermon that was to finish the snakes. the drum was beaten so vigorously that it burst. Now the people had assembled in great multitude, for the theme and the object of the discourse had been announced. As they had an idea that a coed deal of Patrick's power lay in his drum, they wore sadly disappointed by the accident, especially as a big black snake was seen gliding down the hill with his jaws distended, a leer in his ugly eyes. and a tremor in his whole body as if it vrere oonvidsed with laughter. But hal an angel appeared and mended the drum, the sermon proceeded said the reptiles vanished. Since then, no says the old Irish poem: There's not a mile in Ireland's isle where the dirty vermin musters; Where'er he put. his dear forefoot he murdered them i clusters. The toads went hop. the frogs went floP, 'lop dash into the water, And the besets committed suicide to save themselie, f ram slaughter. St. Patrick is frequently depicted with his foot upon serpents, while others flee before him. peri,hing the sea. In the Galtee or Gamble mountains situated between the counties of Cork and Tipperary 000 seven lakes. Inane. called Lough Dilveen, it is said Saint Patrick, when banishing the snakes and tends from Ireland chained a monstre eerpent, telling him te remain there till Monday. The serpent. every Monday morning, calLs out in Irish, 'lt is a 104 Monday, Patrick."