There is a little corner of Wales which is very dear to all true Welsh
folk. It is very close to the sea, near St. David's Head, and its
interest gathers round an ancient cathedral of red stone and the holy
man who is buried in this cathedral. This old building, with others,
stands beside a little stream called the Alan, and here also is the city
of St. David's, now a small village. It is all very lonely nowadays,
this peaceful shrine near the restless sea, but in the Middle Ages it
was a busy place. There were the comings and goings of great Kings and
Queens with their followers, and many pilgrims of lesser name visited
this shrine to do homage to the memory of the Welsh Saint. There are
still many people who visit St. David's, the ancient Menevia, and the
cathedral founded by the patron saint of Wales.
A great number of legends--stories of marvel and miracle--have been told
about St. David. An angel is said to have been his constant attendant
in his youth, and to have ministered to all his wants. In later years he
began to preach, making long journeys through Wales and England, and
visiting Jerusalem. When he preached to the people, so the old legends
tell us, a snow-white dove sat upon the shoulder of the saint. The power
to work miracles also was ascribed to St. David; he is said to have
healed all diseases, and even raised up the dead. Many other strange and
marvellous things are set down in the old chronicles as having been
accomplished by the saint.
It is impossible to believe all these tales, and what we actually know
to be true regarding St. David can be told in a few words. What is
certain is that he was a great preacher and organiser in the early
church, and his powers were so much approved that he was made Archbishop
of Wales, taking up his residence at St. David's. We have also been told
by the old chroniclers that he was a very good man, and this we can well
believe. One of his biographers says of him that he was a guide to the
religious, a life to the poor, a support to orphans, a protection to
widows, a father to the fatherless. He is said to have died in A.D.
601.
Having been such a noble and good man the Welsh people have chosen to
make St. David their patron saint. On the first day of March, in every
year, they hold in remembrance the old preacher and teacher who lived so
long ago beside the little stream in Menevia. They also keep in
remembrance, by so doing, all that is good and noble in the history of
the Welsh race. That is surely a right thing to do. For although Wales
is now a part of Great Britain it has a history of its own, a language
of its own, and a literature of its own. It is well that these things
should be held in remembrance, both by the Welsh folk at home and those
who have travelled into far lands, and they set apart St. David's Day as
a special day for doing honour to all that is best in the ancient
history of their country. It is a happy custom, alike for old and
young.