ST. GEORGE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 94, 22 April 1931, Page 7

ST. GEORGE

AND HIS DRAGOtf

ENGLAND'S PATRON SAINT

. It is curious, though none the less a.fact,.'that the people of England pay;" far'less attention ttf the patron ■ saint X of their country—St. George ("Georga >1 that slew Ye horrible Worme,''; a's'^du* old MS. has it), than the (Scotch, "Welsh, or Irish, do to theirs, : St. George was probably quite as estimable :a, gentle* ■' man as St, Andrew, St. David, or' Sty Patrick, but his day, 23rd ■ April,-; tomorrow, .-.■ receives ■ comparatively scant notice. It'is a Bank Holiday in. . New ■ Zealand and flags will be : flown oil ■ prominent buildings. In England,-!al-. though the flags will fly there1 too, it 'is inno'sense a holiday. , , , : •:......: ' Edward,-the Confessor.':.used" to bo ■:'-.' Eiiglancl'B patron; saint, but, St. Geprga \ from -verynearly days was adopted "as : ': a soldier.saint:to lead his votaries, .to battle. : He was the. especiar.patro.n of . chivalry, '. too,, and; in- 1222 the Council , b£ Oxford;,ordered his feast to be kept ', in England as a national' festival \ but eye.n'then St. George1-was. not.England's patron- saint.. In 1344. the Order of tha Garter wasinstituted. arid in 1348 Ed« ■Hfard lII.' founded St., George's- Chapel,; st Windsor.;,ln. the. following.-year, V ivheii; the- same king-was besieginjt' \ Calais,"moved' by a sudden impulse,'says Thomas of "Walsinghamy'fhe drew1 . his sword with the exclamation,;'Ha! St., Edward! Ha! St. George!" • with ■ suet effect that, the 'soldiers were spirited.and captured 200 of the French.* y- Prom .then onwards St. George, replac- . c.d- Edward the^Confessor as ,-Bngiand ; 'a- ,_ patron- saint. In 1415 St. George's Day, .. 23rd;April, .was "constituted a major <■-■ double feast comparable to Christmas iiv • that no", work was to be done .on that , day." His cross, a red one upon- a; whito , ground r :.was'.worn as a badge,over-tha ■/'■' armour of'every English soldier in ith«- ,; fourteenth and subsequent/centuries..'.. : ...d?wo other countries,-Aragon and Pqi- ■ tugal,- also adopted St. George as their patron -saint.■:■■... . ; ■;. - In'the: history, of St. George,1 as,, ia . the case of many another saint, it i« exceedingly difficult to; separate .fact ,froui- legend. Very .little is ; known, for . certaini.about; St. George. -He-; is/supposed to have been, born of noble-Christ-ian:;.parents in. -Cappadoeia, >to have ; been!' a. distinguished soldier, and /to have-suffered for his faith: at the;hands ' of Diocletian.^ To : slay: a dragon was . a;common exploit for saints and heroes of 'Christendom/ as well 'as' for heroes , ■-, of. other; -faiths, this , being ; " symbolical. : of Light overcoming the Powers of Darkness.' St. ■ George * has . gathered ; round-himself many, a legend romaiitico; ; ally told-in old-MSS.,,'but\they are stor- : ies which can 'hardly' be a!ccept€<l as literaliy tr : ue. ;.;': : /.- -. \.: --; ; y Jn the days when.-the sovereign -,was not the uncommon, and rare "object, it is now,, the Britisher had .a symbolical . . representation of St.. George and,, the dragon, which, if heweTO, lucky, . lie .- might-sometimes ,see;. Small matter is . it: that• the .traditional .St. George,; as,: represented;qn.the reverse of the coin, has. gone forth to fight the dragon. : , with singularly inadequate equipment and on•': an', anatomically, impossiblo ; charger. .The equipment ''consists - ,: o£ - a"helmet,;a;-cloak :(his only t garment); which 'would obviously impede ;his arms, especially in the' gale that , i? apparently blowing, and a;dagger mpro useful'for robbing; apple . trees than. : fighting a:reeumbent dragon. He flourishes it bravely in -his right hand, but the dragon seem's-tobe onhis.left. But still,--thatis the.St. George, and;.- thedragon;bf tradition, a symbolical s figura which the Englishman-has been brought up to revere, and ou 23rd April it should be a special inspiration to hinU