The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1855-06-12
The Lepers i'm Jerusalem.

In nv rambIes about Jerusalem, passed
through the quarter Of the Lepers. Apart
from the interest attached to this unfortunate
class of beings, (arising from the frequent al
lusicn made to them in the Scripture,) there is
much in their appearance and mode of lite to
attract attention, and enlist the sympathy Of
the stranger. Dirt and disease 60 revoltingly
together here: gaunt famine stalks through. the
streets; constant cry Of suffering swells upon
the dead air. and sin broods darkly over the
ruin it has wrought in that gloomy aud illfatcd
spot Wasted forms sit in the duorways; faces
covered with white scales, and sightless eyes
are turned upwards skeleton arms, distorted
and fetid with the ravages of leprosy, are out.
stretched from the foul, moving mass; and
low howl is heard, the howl Of the stricken for
aims. Aims, oh, stranger, for the love Of God
aims to feed The inexorabe destroyer; aims to
prolong this dreary and hopeless misery =
Look upon it, stranger, 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
40 thing unclean aud accursed; you who
deem yourselves unblessed with all the bless.
ings that God has givelr you'upon earth; look
upon it, and learn that there.is misery beyond
all that you have conceived in your loomiest
hours-a misery that can be endured. Learn
that even the leper. with death gnawing at his.
vitals, and unceasing tortures in his blood, cast
out from the society Of his feow.man; forbid
den to touch, in friendship or affection, the
hand of the untainted, still struggles for life,
and deems each hour precious that keeps him
from the grave. The quarter of the Lepers is
a sad and impressive place. By the laws Of
the land, which have existed from Scriptural
times, they are isolated 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 road
side Near the gate of Zion, OIL the way to
Bethlehem. saw many of them sitting on
the r,cks, their hideous faces uncovered, thrust.
ing forth their scaly hands for aims. Their
huts are rudely constructed of earth and stones,
seldom with more than one apartment, and
this so filthy and loatlIsome that it seemed an-
fit to be occupied by swine. Here they live
and propagate, whole families together, with
out distinction of sex; aud their dreadful mala-
dy is perpetuated from generation to genera
ton; the groans Of the aged and dying being
ming led with the feeble wall Of the young that
are brought forth branded for life of misery.
Strange and mournful thoug hts arise in the
contemplation Of the sad condiHon and proba.
bic destiny of these ill-fated beings. Among
so many, t. ere must be some in whose breasts
the power of true love is implanted; love for
woman in its purest sense, Tor offspring, for all
the endearments of domestic life which the un.
tainted are capable of feeling. Yet they are
doomed never to exercise the affections with.
out perpetuating the curse. There must be
some, too, in whom there are hidden powers of
mind, unknown save to themselves, ambition
that corrodes with unavailing aspirations; a
thirst for action that burns within increasingly,
yet never can be assuaged; all the ruling pas
sons that cal. be implanted in man for great
and noble purposcs-never, never 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
through this den Of sickening sights, vision Of
humun misery was impressed upon my mind
that time cannot ehace. | passed when the
rays Of the sun were cold and the light was
dim; and there came out from the rcekiug
novels leprous men, gaunt with famine, and
they barred their hideous bodies, and howled
like beasts; women held out their loatilsome
and accursed babies, .und tore away the rags
that covered them, and pointing to the shape
less mass, shrieked for aims. All was disease,
and sin, aud sorrow, wherever went; and as
passed on, unable to relieve thousandth part
Of the misery, means of despair, and ho@fing
curses followed me, aud the lepers crawled
back into their novels to rot in their filth, and
die when God willed.-From the Diary Of an
american Trareller. -