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Show . ST. PATRICK AND 'THE IRISH. With this issue of The Intermountain and Colorado Catholic we cel ebrate the glorious anniversary of the Apostle of Ireland; glorious in that with each succeeding year the day is observed by Irishmen and their children with no apparent change of heart or ; lack of patriotic enthusiasm. Every-I Every-I where throughout the world, on land and sea, wherever the sons and daugh-ters daugh-ters of Erin are congregated, there, in I some fitting way, will be shown that I love and loyalty for the fatherland that ' is peculiarly in the Irish character. It ia indeed an innate, worthless Irishman in whose breast the occasion does not inspire in-spire the deep and splendid feeling of . kindred; pride of race and country and i tender memories of the old land. I It is fitting that the memory of St. Patrick should be kept alive. The name is often referred to with sneers 1 and derision by unknowing persons and not infrequently by a thoughtless and would-be funny class of Irishmen ) but nevertheless the great Apostle left the imprint of his character and his work on the people and the country, and his name will endure for all time. So sweeping and lasting was his civilizing civi-lizing and Christianizing influence that the chief characteristic of the Irish today to-day is their Faith; strong, deep-rooted, imperishable. Throughout all the years that have intervened since Patrick's time, years of famine, bloodshed and death, the seeds that he planted have continued to take root and spread. The story of Ireland's suffering for me itiuii ia juh ul sorrow ana painos; a story that is read with tears and emotion. Time and again has England thought to rob Ireland of this priceless heritage, heri-tage, and though she has stolen her. lands and fortunes, she has always failed in crushing out the faith of which Patrick was the father. Neither by bayonet, torture nor starvation, could this end be accomplished. The price upon the head of the priest or the village vil-lage schoolmaster was always forthcoming, forth-coming, but through rivers of blood waded the brave and fearless sons of the Apostle, carrying his banner on high and planting it on every hilltop. Even during the Reformation, so-called, so-called, England, neither by coercing or coaxing, could hoodwink Ireland into yielding up her faith, but, on the other hand, the harder the pressure the more tenaciously she clung to the teachings and doctrines of her Apostle. Ireland, keen of observation, could readily distinguish dis-tinguish between a Church built upon an immovable rock and a human establishment estab-lishment resting upon shifting sand Ireland's chief glory is indeed her faith. Before St. Patrick, came to Ireland she was an enlightened and Powerful nation. Her form of government bore the impress of superior genius, and in her civilization, she was fully a match for Greece and Rome in their palmy days. Paganism was the only stain upon her escutcheon, but as soon as her apostle appeared Christianity bloomed Tike a rose under the influence of a southern sun. His progress throughout the land was that of a conquering hero and the fire enkindled by him at Tara was never extinguished. He found Ireland Ire-land pagan, and he left her entirely Christian. Converts were made, priests ordained and bishops consecrated Churches, monasteries and schools covered cov-ered the land, and the whole nation presented pre-sented the spectacle of a vast hive of sanctity and learning. For S00 years the Irish schools were so famous that students flocked there in great num bers, ana Irish apostles went to many lands. . A curious fact that always comes to mind with the annual recurrence of the 17th of March is the legend of St. Patrick's Pat-rick's banishing the snakes from Ireland. Ire-land. Legendary this may be, but the fact is true. Reptile life can't exist in the Emeral Isle. Conditions of climate j and soil are put forth by moderns as explaining ex-plaining this strange phenomena. Yet early Irish history hands down the following account of the affair: St. Patrick had retired into a secluded seclud-ed mountain spot to spend the Lenten season in prayer and fasting. While In this solitude he was severely tempted tempt-ed by evil spirits, but imitating the Saviour, he persevered and conquered. I As a sicrn of his triumnb ov- or hatred for the old serpent, St. Patrick gathered gath-ered all the "reptile life of the island Into this one spot and banished them into the western ocean. . -t-. Representative Fitzgerald has introduced intro-duced a hill in Congress, looking to the protection of the lobster. In this connection con-nection the idea suggests itself that a prohibitary tariff should be passed against the lobster entering Congress. ; All the advertisers In these columns are in every way responsible, and we can recommend them to the consideration considera-tion of the Catholic people. We will not accept the advertisement of an ir- rpwnnihl firm. |