Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1853-04-20
THE LEPERS IN JERUSALEM.


Lepers. Apart from the interest attached to
this unfortunate class of beings (arising from
the frequent illusions made to them in the
Scriptures), there is much in their appearance
and mode of life to attract attention and enlist
the sympathy OF the stranger. Dirt and disease
60 revoltngly together here; gaunt famine
stalks through the streets; constant moan OF
suffering swells upon the dead air, and sin
broods darkly over the ruin it has wrought in
that gloomy and ill-fated spot. Wasted forms
sit in the door-ways; faces covered with white
scales and sightless eyes are turned upward;
skeleton arms, distorted and fetid with the rava-
ges of leprosy, are outstretched from the foul
moving mass; and low howl is heard, the
howl of the stricken for aims aims, oh stran-
ger for the love of God aims to feed the in
exotable destroyer! aims to prolong this dread
full and hopeless misery Look upon it, stran-
ger, you who walk forth in all your pride and
strength and breathe the fresh air of heaven;
you who have never known what it is to be
Stunned by your fellow man as thing unclean
and accursed; you who deem yourself unblest
with all the blessings that God has given you
upon the earth, look upon it and learn that there
is misery above all that you have conceived in
gloomiest hours-a misery that can still be en-
dured; learn that even the Leper, with death
his blood cast out from the society of his fel-
low man, forbidden to touch in friendship or af-
fection, the hand of the untainted, still strug-
giles for life, and deems each hour precious that
keeps him from the grave.
The quarter of the Lepers is sad and i'm
pressive place. BY the laws Of the land, which
have existed from scriptural times, they are iso-
lated from all actual contact with their fellow
men; yet there seems to be no prohibition to
their going out beyond the walls of Jerusalem,
and. begging by the roadside. Near the gate of
Zion, on the way to Bethlehem saw many of
them sitting on the rocks, their hideous faces
uncovered, thrusting forth their scaly hands for
aims. Their huts are rudely constructed of
earth and stones, seldom with more than one
apartment, and this is so filthy and loathsome
that it seemed unfit to be occupied by swine
Here they love and propagate, whole families
! together, without distinction of SEX and their
dreadful malady is perpetuated from generation
| to generation, and the groans of the aged and
the dying are mingled with the feeble wall of
the young that are brought forth branded for a
life of misery. Strange and mournful thoughts
arise, 10 the contemplation of the sad condition
and probable destiny Of these il-fatAd beings.
Among so many, there must be some in whose
breasts the power of true love is implanted /;
love for women in its purest sense, for offspring,
| for all the endearments of domestic life which
the untainted are incapable of feeling; yet
doomed never to exercise the affections without
perpetuating the curse some too in whom there
are hidden powers of mind unknown, save to
themselves; ambition that corrodes with una
vailing aspirations a thirst for action that burns
increasingly within, yet never can be assuaged :;
all the ruling passions that are implanted in
| 60 nd
to give one moments pleasure, unmixed with
the perpetual gloom of that curse which dwells
in their blood
As plodded my way for the last time thro'
this den of sickening sights, vision of human
misery was impressed upon my mind that time
cannot efface | passed when the rays of the
sun were cold and the sun was dim; and there
came out from the reeking novels leprous men,
gaunt with famine, and they barred their hideous
bodies, and howled like beasts; and women held
out their loathsome and accursed babes, and re-
moved the rags that covered them, and pointing
to the shapeless mass, shreked for aims. All
was disease and sin, and sorrow, wherever
went, and as passed on, unable TO relieve a
thousandth part of the misery, bowling curses
followed me, and the Lepers crawled back into
their novels to rot in their filth, and die when
God willed. Letters from Palestine
! RAILROADS AND IRoN.-From the best inform
alton accessible to the public, it appears to be
quite certain that there are now in progress, and
actual course of construction, in Europe and
America at least twenty thousand miles of iron
railroad, besides vast amount of projected rail
roads not vet begun, which we do not take into
account OF this amount Of railroad in progress
5000 belong to Europe, and $4,000 at least to
this country, exclusive of more than 900 miles
more now constructing in Canada. We have
seen list made out of the railroads now under
way in each State, which amounts in the aggre-
gate to more than $4,000 miles, and which list
has understated, rather than overstated the truth
for in this State alone, it omts 60 miles of rail
road in actual construction, and has made sim
lar omissions as to other States. However in.
credible the aggregate may appear at first sight
it is impossible for the most careful scrutiny to
make any deduction from it.
Hartford Times.
It has often been asserted and by some it has
doubtless been believed, that the Australian
gold mines were yielding far more gold thar
those of California This opinion probably may
have had its origin on the fact that the supple:
received in England were frequently stated in
,ons of tho ~, ,at,l insfead of beinO piven i'm mon