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Show ST. PATJICK'S LIFE Early Days Obscure, But Glorious Deeds Will Live Forever. , TTT T IIKKEVnil an Irishman yy mnkes'lds home, thcro tin T T ullar to St 1'iUrlck Is estnb-llshcd, estnb-llshcd, nnd on tho seventeenth of Mnrch n trail of green enriches the globe. Tho shnmrock from tho old sod reaches fnrawny places and decorates thousands of gallant Irishmen who by thu symbol proclaim their devotion to St. I'ntrick. Historians tell us with unfailing zest that St. Patrick was horn of pious and Godfearing pnrcnts In thu year ,172 Df tho Christian era. Tho little that Is known of his youth has been sadly jar bled by chroniclers who, being am-sltlous am-sltlous to product something now, iccm to hnvo forged somo points of tho history. Of theso chroniclers some aro, no doubt, correct, but which? On this account somo painstaking writer has given us tho facts ns far as truly known, nnd with theso wo must bo content. In 387 ho wns sold as a slnvo to n chieftain of Ulster. To tho youthful slnvo Ireland seemed flndforsnken and overrun by fiends of evil power. There was no church, no sacraments. He could find no priest nor nny one who pnld any attention to religion. Ills life of prayer nnd sclf-sncrltlco continued during tho long years of his term of slavery, which wero three'. Finally freed from his bondngo ho entered en-tered tho priesthood ns ho had so long desired. After ho had llnlshed his studies, ho wns ordained nnd the zenl of his soul beciuno n conflagration. As tunny devout souls hnvo prayed to do, ho wished to convert tho whole world, nnd ns all desire, ho prayed pathetically pathet-ically to wear tho martyr's crown. France know of him nnd there ho labored la-bored for a time, ns he did In Italy and tho Thyrrhcnton sen Islands. Hut It was to Ireland his heart turned most engcrly nnd ho wns permitted n vision In which ho saw tho people of Krln stretch forth their nrms to him In supplication, nnd this vision determined deter-mined him to undertake tho dllllcult task of the conversion of Ireland. Ho traveled to Homo to get tho permission permis-sion of tho popo nnd submitted his labor la-bor nnd himself to that high dignitary. Ho .was consecrated bishop and, hnv-Ing hnv-Ing received his Instructions anil having hav-ing been blessed, ho beguu his Jour-uoy Jour-uoy to his now mission. Tho Inhabitants of Krln wero considered con-sidered In nn advanced state of civilization, civ-ilization, nnd St Patrick began his la-tors la-tors by denouncing Druldlsm, nston- Ishlng Its followers by ttio wonderful deeds he accomplished In tho nnmo of (lod, nnd llttlu by llttlo they believed nnd accepted tho mysteries of tho true religion. He explained to them tho mysteries of tho Trinity by picking pick-ing from tho sod n shnmrock nnd discoursing dis-coursing un Its trefoil lenf on ono stem; then on tho crucldx ho explained ex-plained tho birth of thu Christ and tho purpose of his death and tho beginning begin-ning of thu church. Tho religious fervor fer-vor of St. Patrick nppcalcd to tie warm hearts of his listeners and Ids j Pilgrims at St. Patrick's Cross, Saint's I Island, Lough Derg. teachings swept Ireland llko a conflagration. confla-gration. God's churches nroso out of Druldlcnl ruins nnd tho houses of tho Druids becamo monasteries. Hearing ' aloft tho banner of his Master, St. Patrick's Pat-rick's travels over Krln wero triumphantly tri-umphantly successful. It Is not given to mnny workers to sea tho fruits of their labors, hut under un-der St. Patrick's teaching, In his life, Ireland beenmo known as tho Island of Saints, Ho lived to ho ono hundred hun-dred nnd twenty years old. Another saint of Ireland said of him : "A Just man with a purity of naturo llko a patriarch's; p truo pilgrim llko Abraham; Abra-ham; gentlo nnd forgiving llko Mosos; n praiseworthy psalmist llko Dnvd; In wisdom llko Solomon; a chosen vessel of God llko tho Apostlo Paul, nnd full of graco and knowledgo llko I John, tho beloved disciple of Christ" |