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Decorations Taken from Other Sources: Patrick

The humble little clover-leaf, or shamrock, of Ireland, for which the Celtic heart has such a deep-seated love, is another of the plants beloved of heralds. Its adoption by Ireland as a badge is connected with that blessed saint of the "ould country," St. Patrick. The shamrock, or trefoil, is an old symbol, greatly used by the Druids in ancient days, and the old Christian monks tell a pious legend in connection with it. They say that after St. Patrick had succeeded in reaching Ireland, he strove diligently to sow the good seed of the new religion in the hearts of the Irish pagans. He prayed and exhorted, wept and sang, out in the open fields; but his hearers would none of it - they utterly refused to believe in that first of all doctrines the Trinity. In his distress, his eye happened to fall upon the shamrock, so sacred to them, and, holding it high above his head, showed them how easy Nature found it to make one perfect leaf out of three. This unexpected use of Ireland's favorite symbol so astonished and convinced the sceptical Celts that poor St. Patrick could scarce find water or agility sufficient to baptize the thronging converts. A