The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-06-01

waiian Of the aboriginal race on this group. The
first ten pages of the Report are devoted 10 sta
t~istics of leprosy and an account of the two
establishments maintained by Government for
the reception and care of the unfortunate persons
afflicted with this terrible disease. The whole
number Of lepers sent 10 the Asylum at Molokai
from the date of It's establishment to March 3Ist,
1872, was 585 the deaths up to that date were
1873 remaining at the settlement, 1856. We
copy from the Report
As very few persons. native or foreign. are ac-
suainted with the locality aud surroundings OF this
leper settlement founded by the Governments aud
Legislature OF the Hawaiian Kingdom. ii may per-
haps be well to recall in a succinct form all that
has been said and reported to your Honorable body,
from time to time, in regard to its situation, sur
roundings and its actual condition at the present
moment. 70
Let US land on the southern side of Molokai. in
the little harboT Of kaunakakai. take horse, ride
over the gradually ascending plains in a north
easteTIy direction TO higI pasture lands, passing the
farm Of Mr.. Meyers. until we arrive at the edge of
the famous precipice of "kslaupapa," 1000 feet
above the sea level. This p~reoipice We shall have
To descend. for it is the only communicative by land
with .. kalaupapa,' tthe landing-p place of the settle
ment from sea- A ziGZag road has been cut down
this nearly perpendicular pail, which will certainly
take an old and accustomed mOuntaineer nearly
one hour to descend. Arrived at its foot. however.
and following the trail we soon arrive at the . Flat"
or landing-piace, where several native houses are
scattered about On an even, good road, the Leper
Settlement is soon arrived at it is large and ex-
+ tensive, surrounded by grand aud imposing scenery.
The papaia, puhala and banana plant give the vii
lage n cheerful appearance. Some Of the houses
are fenced in by stone walls, others are placed
amongst potato fields or pasture lands. The view
generally Is picturesque vegetation is hXuriant,
the scenery is beautiful, and its whole appearance.
apart from the lepers themselves, pleasant and
agreeable. The FIRST house We arrive az is the
dwelling of the Luna Makai it has = well furnished
room. with apartments for stores of various de-
sprinIinuG IN no 1iSfrtI1tnd vua.IIy IN tho Ionapg
under the niles.
A little further on. the house of the Keeper is
reached. He has Il neat commodious house with
twor rooms to himself, the other portions OF the house
being appropriated for stores of various descTip-
tions. out-Ofice for the supply OF medicine, books.
&c The buildings adjoining the principal keepers
house are two hospitals (male and femaie) for those
of the sick unable to attend 10 MISUNDERSTANDING
houses being provided for all those persons of the
lcper valley who require special attention in regard
to diet. accommodation and medical aid-in fact,
for all those too far advanced in the disease to take
acre of themselves.
In the quadrangle. of which the superintendent
house forms one side, are tn be found the separate
houses built for boys and girls, with a special
building for a schoOl-room an instructor for which
establishment is generally TO be obtained amongst
the lepers themselves. There are several other
buildings included here, useful or necessary for
general purposes and the special control of the
stock and material o, the establishment.
Care is taken that the patients received here have
suitable food. n number of mich cows furnish plenty
of milk, morning and evening, and the food is pre-
pared by a Chinese cook Ga leper) belonging to the
establishment.
The children are taught the ordinary school in
struction of the Misunderstanding, writing, arithme-
tic. geography and singing.
The scene presented to a stranger on visiting
these school-roOms must necessarily be n sad one,
yet he cannot but reflect that it is well for the
country and the whole race that these young peo-
I pfe,EpOisoned in their b~lood.--are taken away
from the community at large. The children. with
an exception or two. do not seem to feel their mis-
Z fprfunn when thpV leave Srhnnl they act a. othara
of the same age, running or playing their way home,
apparently unconscious OF the tate that awaits them.
y little distance from this central place, nearer
the seaside. a little church has been built, where
every Sunday Il native minister, a leper himself.
holds a service. 1t is situated on q spacious grassy
ground, the rays of the sun being tempered by the.
cool. refreshing n%ortherly breeZes. 1t is well at
tended by the poor people for whose benefit it has
been specially erected.
The houses of the lepers are scattered through
out the valley. There is a stream at the head of
the settlement. and a visitor will meet numbers of
lepers on an ordinary fine day. some leading horses,
carrying bundles OF clothes in the direction of the
stream others carrying calabashes of poi, sweet
potatoes. &c.-in fact. the ordinary life of a Haw-
allan village will be seen there in its usual routine
and manners.
The houses are generally well kept and clean,
(mnch to the credit of the lepers themselves and
the Lunas placed over then) Includedin the num-
Der of lepeTs are several half-castes, two or three
Cinnamon and one European. The females are ad-
mirably industrious, making mats and other ma
terial for the internal comfort and accommodation
of their cottages. The males who are able, and
/ l. to do something, work their potato fields,
raise sugar cane, bananas, DC. 4 great change for
the better has taken place amongst them during the
past two years. They now raise considerable guam
titles of food. which supplements the supplies
granted by the Board at the same time they still
claim equality for all. that is to say, that the able
bodied shall have the same supply issued TO them
as is granted to those who have lost hands. feet and
in every other respect are reduced to the necessity
of having others supply their wants or dying from
starvation. This evil however is gradually cor
rectiDg itself.
Fresh provisions only, are issued to the lepers-
five pounds of meat and twenty-one pounds of paiai
per week are the ordinary rations issued from the
Superintendcnts Department. The meat generally
is mutton. but this is varied at times by fresh beef
the product of the herd belonging to the Board.
which is gradually increasing, and may be expected
at no very distant day to reduce the sum now an
nually paid for sheep supplied to the Establishment.
The ration is a large one. and exceeds that issued
to the soldiers of the best supplied European and
American armies, nevertheless the complaint is
/ chronic at Molokai as well as at Kalihi that sufficient
food is not supplied to the patients. The Board.
however. can fairly assert that these people are
better supplied than they ever were in their own
homes--a proof of the assertion may be found In
the fact that many of the people living at the land
ing place of Kalaupapa have been anxious to make
themselves lepers, and probably the whole popula-
ton of that hamlet would not object TO be taken
under the supervision of the Board. Whoever has
had experience in travelling around these Islands
must know that there are places where the people
have nothing to eat but a little poi, or a sweet po-
tato, with Il little kukui nut and salt to make a
relish for the comparatively insipid food.
Whatever these people raise has been recognized
as their own, with liberty to dispose of it as they
like-and they have frequently sold Of their produce
quantities of sweet potatoes and numbers of pigs
1t is we'll TO put these facts on record for the better
information of those who have sometimes been mis-
led by story-tellers, occasionally tinctured with q
certain luminosity against the Institution.
Some marriages have taken place among the lep-
ers, but steriity is the almost universal resultant
it is fortunate that such is the case. Within the five
wears existence of the Institution, and in a popula-
ton of several hundred people, only two births have
been reported. The first case was born dead, the
other is living now, borne by a woman who shows no
signs of leprosy, but her husband, with whom she
lives, is q perfect leper. Some doubts have been ex-
pressed about the paternity of this child.
Leprosy is more common among males than
rmnoion Amn thirdS Of the lnnnrS in Kalannana Val