CORRESPONDENCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 269, 27 March 1873, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE MEANING OF ST. PATRICK'S DAY. (To the Editor.) Sir, — Would j*ou allow me a corner in your valuable paper to state the meaning of St Patrick's Day to the universe. St Patrick was our Patron Saint ; he arrived in Ireland in the year of our Lord 400 ; he was of Scottish birth and traded between Ireland and Scotland ; his merchandise wus pigs and other wares. At that time the people of Ireland were in tho belief of Paganism, and St. Patrick was appointed by the Lord to teach them. He built the first church there, and the people believed in him, and in five years he had 25,000 people subject to the Pope, and the blessing of God was with them. Ireland was full of vermin at the time, and with the switch of tho hazel he drove them right to sea and drowned them all, and cured the lame and the blind, and. done many other miracles. And the people came to him from the East and West, and from the black North, and the glorious South, and believed in him ; and he built churches without number, and consecrated priests to fill tho Hnly_ offices of God, and the blessing of God was with us until the curse of Cromwell came amongst v.<*. Then, like a thunder bolt, came the Prince of Orange, so the hand of persecution has been on us ever since, but we bowed before it. Our leading men has been hung and quartered for thoir political oppinions. Still we bowed brfore it ; our priests have become martyrs under the tyranical hand of England; still wo yielded to thu will of God. We have Priests in this southern hemisphere of Otago that hfis been martyrs even in America. That was condemned by the strong hand of Heresy for the religious and political oppinions even to the gallows but it pleased the Lord to open a path for their escape and it Pleasnd thn Lord to direct them to the west coast of this Southern Island and the strong hand of persecution was on them thore again for their religious and political opinions They were cast into nris< >n, even unto fel< >tt cell* still it pleased the Lord to deliver them, and glory be t<i God in spite of persecution or Hereby they are not ashamed to celebrate Patrick day. On that day the heart of every true Irish Catholic doth beat with joy, and sinij the praises of God and of the blesse-l Virgin the mother of god in a religious and becoming manner, and thank* to our I'rotestant nebo\irs, who patronised our anneversry and tooke an active part in our 3ports. Eventhe most prejudised wer« well pleased. We look forward to St Patrick's day as a motive to awake the sons of Erin Isle'from their slumber, shake off the fettery of tyrany that has so long bound them, an! claim their rights from the hand of tke oppressor, which has .been wrested from us for 172 years, then we shall live in hrjmony and perform our religious duties to God. — I am yours, Mr. Editor, , Freedom. T-uapeka Flat, March 23,