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The Campus Mirror
7
Saint Patrick
Sylvia Johnson, ’33
Saint Patrick’s Day means no more to
many of ns than a day on which more green
appears than is provided by Nature. The
things this display of green mean to the
Irish all over tho world cannot he put into
words. It is a day which they have dedi
cated to give praise to the Emerald Isle and
honor to their patron saint.
Saint Patrick was born on the western
coast of Scotland toward the end of the
Third Century A.D. When he was about
1(5 years old he was taken prisoner by a
band of Irish pirates, who carried him to
Ireland, where he was made a slave to a
chieftain named Mileher. Although life as
a slave was in many ways a handicap, he
learned much about the manners, customs,
and language of the Irish.
After six years of this life, Patrick re
turned, with great difficulty, to Scotland at
the suggestion of an angel, Avho came to him
in a dream. The boat landed at a port many
miles from Patrick’s home. While traveling
overland with the crew in order to get home,
all the food was eaten. Patrick, who had
been earfully instruetd in the Christian faith
while a child, prayed for food, and a herd
of wild boar fled past. Some were killed by
the sailors so that they had food for the
rest of the journey.
Shortly after returning home he dreamed
that he saw an angel carrying a bundle of
letters, on one of which was written ‘‘The
Voice of the Irish”, and in this letter he
found many pleas, saying, ‘ We pray thee,
holy youth, walk among us as before”. From
this, Patrick deduced that he should spend
his life among them teaching Christianity.
Accordingly, after spending many years of
study in France and Italy, he returned to
Ireland, taking with him a group of clergy
and helpers.
Patrick returned to Ireland in the spring,
the season of I he year in whose honor the
Druids (priests) held a festival, to worship
the sun at Tara, the home of the fierce King
Taoghaire. All the fires were put out the
day before and anyone who kindled one be
fore the king's festal beacon was lighted on
the hill of Tara, would he killed.
Patrick enraged the king by lighting a fire
on a distant hill, but when the king and
his army approached to kill him, a violent
storm arose. In the ensuing turmoil caused
by it the fleeing soldiers slew one another.
Finally all had fled except the king, one
of his followers, and Patrick, who was in
vited to visit Taoghaire’s court the next day.
After the king had given him permission
to teach the Christian religion in his domin
ion.-', his travels formed a cross over Ireland
which extended from south to north and
east to west.
The poorer people of Ireland worshiped
snakes. No one dared kill them and the
country was being overrun with them. An
old story has it that Patrick traveled over
the land accompanied by a man who was
beating a drum with all his might. The power
of the Saint, together with the noise, fright
ened the snakes so that they ran and jumped
into the sea. In the whole of Ireland today
there is not a single snake to be found,
they say.
It became customary for converted chiefs
to give Patrick plots of land on which he
built churches and schools which became
centers of learning of Western Europe.
Druids, poets, and musicians attended the
schools. The music they played on their
harps was so beautiful that the angels
stooped down to listen. That’s why the harp
became the badge of Ireland.
Patrick used the shamrock, three leaves
growing from one stem, to make clear to
their minds the idea of the Trinity.
After many years of work among the
Irish, Patrick died. Some people said he
died on the eighth of March, others said it
was the ninth. It was finally decided to add
the two dates together and have St. Patrick’s
day on the seventeenth.
Beulah Cloud
The death of Beulah Cloud, at her home
in Rockville, South Carolina, December 26,
1930, brings sorrow to her classmates and
friends at Spelman. She entered with the
class of 1930, continuing two years, was
compelled to stay out of college a year and
re-entered in the fall of 1929 with the class
of 1931. As a student, classmate and friend,
Beulah was a rare girl for her willingness
to do things well and to take her share of
any responsibility and carry it.
Her housemother, Miss Ruttkay, says ot
her: “She Avas one of the finest girls Ave
had, bright, active, an excellent student and
had one of the best dispositions I have ever
knoAvn. 'Whenever any extra help Avas need
ed Beulah AA'as one of the first girls to
volunteer.”
She Avas a frequent contributor to the
Campus Mirror and spared no pains in
searching for material and working at her
composition until it became an expression
of herself. Her last article for the paper
Avas a careful history of means used for
making light, Avritten on the occasion of the
Golden Jubilee of Light.
Beauty Culture
Thelma Roberts, ’33
Did you eA'er stop to observe the cle\’er
way in which Character surrenders itselt
to an individual"? Character is sly and
bashful and therefore it must not be sought
openly and purposely.
The acquiring of character is like the
getting of beauty by Jane and her sister
Marie. Jane was not at all beautiful, but
it did not matter to her; for beauty, she
thought, was one of the minor essentials
for success. On the other hand, Marie
sought madly for beauty. She tried almost
every lotion, facial preparation, and beauty
rule known. Sin* slept very late every
morning in order to finish her beauty nap.
She avoided tin* common house-jobs, for
these would roughen her hands, she thought.
How she chased this poor Beauty.
Jane was up early every morning and
would skip to the market for her mother,
the biting wind painting her cheeks as she
went. After breakfast she helped her mother
Avitli the dishes, but did not notice how
beautiful her hands Avere becoming. In the
meantime, Marie sat before her mirror try
ing to make herself beautiful or pouting
about the appearance of Jane. Jane, in
stead of reading rules recommended for
beauty seekers, read good books; she also
kept her mind cheerful by doing golden
deeds for Marie and others.
Genuine character is acquired as simply
and unconsciously as Avas Jane s beauty.
An individual plunges headlong into her
English and History courses Avitli the mo
tive of mastering the material, passing the
course, and thus being nearer the goal of
her studies. Later Avhen she reflects upon
the results of such experiences, she finds
that she has gleaned inspiration, determina
tion, selectivity, and scores of other ele
ments of character. Her zeal and method
of attack have matured into fine qualities
such as responsibility, honesty and coopera
tion. With acute interest she studies the
course offered in Religion and is unable
to escape the striking elements in Christ s
personality.
By attending the meetings of the social
organizations on the campus, the student
soon develops habits of obedience, devoted
ness, toleration, and punctuality.
As Jane and Marie reach maturity, Marie
finds that her beauty culture has been prac
ticed in vain, for she is not beautiful. To
her surprise, Jane is said to be a very
beautiful and attractive Avoman.
Charm of character asserts itself in an
open-minded person as slyly as Jane’s
beauty stole upon her.
Freshman Valentine Party
Ester B. Thomas, ’34
The Valentine party given in HoAve Memo
rial Hall by the Freshman class on Febru
ary 14th Avas an unusually delightful affair,
the successful planning of Avhieh was due to
the class chairman, Christine Doyle, and her
helpers.
The program of the evening began with a
series of three dances. The first two were
solo dances, Suanee Hirer, and the Tap
Dance, Avhieh were skillfully done by Anne
Elizabeth Madison and Carolyn Dozier. I lie
last, Dolly Dim pies, Avas a piece of inter
pretative dancing by Ruby Earle, Carolyn
Dozier, Louise Mitehel, Hattie Tate, Ernes
tine Campbell, and Minnie Pinson. The
quartet—Mabel Hillman, Mary Louise Smith,
Mercedes Powell, and Lindie Lee Harris
sang Ejraethj Like You and When Your Lips
Met Mine. A solo, Charlemagne, Avas sung
bv Lindie Lee Harris. The program ended
with a grand march, with \ era Mae Holland
at the piano.
After the program the guests 4 ried to match
the little red hearts which had been given
them at the beginning of the affair.
As Theodis Weston played sottly Home
Street IItone the guests remarked that they
had spent a very pleasant evening.
Test It With a Fork
Boil one quart of water until tender.
From a recipe in the Wilkes-Barr Record.