Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-06-04

ev ent.
| 4 LEPERs' VILLAGE.-In William r.
| Bliss's new book of travel in the Sandwich
Islands he describes, as follows, " Leper' s
| Village:
g There is leprosy in the Hawaiian blood,
but none of it is to be seen in Honolulu, as
| those who are afflicted with it are sent to the
lepers village, on the island of Molokai
'' To visit the settlement on Molokai,
which is about thirty miles east of Honolulu,
We embarked on clipper-sch0oner bound to
windward to bring down q cargo of sugar
from Laha ina-a town on the island of Maui,
where lepers may be seen in its one broad
street.
"After rolling to starboard and rolling to
larboard all night long, the schooner 'heaves
to at sunrise off the southern coast of the
island, and we are set ashore from small
boat in the little harbor of Kaunakaki.
:" The island is green with vegetation, but
is nearly deserted. There are less than ff-
teen hundred persons on 1t, although it con-
tains one hundred and seventy square miles.
AS we ride on horseback away from the
shore, up the ascending plains, in north
eastern direction, we pass deserted ..ar3en
patches, fallen walls and ruins OF native
huts, on which knots OF long grass are wav-
ing like signals of distress.
!" Crossing succession of green hills, we
come suddenly to the brink of the preoipice
of KaIaupapa,, which looks north to the
ocean and is two thousand feet high. Be-
low, from the foot of the precipice, stretches
plain, diversified with hills and wales, and
reaching to the distant shore, where it
tbn iF3tn bo
a white swarth against the trade wind The
plain is covered with luxuriant vegetation; :;
but we can see no life on it, Here and there
a few brown huts catch the eye. Far on
the right are dots of white houses That is
the .leper village. A steep bridIe-pa.h zig
zags down the front of the precipice, and We
must descend it, Under wreathing vines,
white blossoms and swinging trailers, which
adorn and obstruct the descent into this val
ley of death, the horses step carefully and
tediously. In an hour they reach the plain,
when gallop of two miles brings US to the
settlement. 1t consists of detached houses,
enclosed by low walls or picket fences, stand
ing in open pasture lands and sweet potato
fields. Papara, puhala, banana trees and
winding brook give a picturesque ap-
pearance to the village. Its horizon is
bounded on one side by the fower-covered
precpice, which shuts off the world, and on
the other side by the ocean.
Every prospect plcases, and only man is vie.'
Every person in this country is leper.
Of those who nave not sore hands or feet, the
men till the ground and the woman braid
mats Those who cannot take care of them
selves are nursed in hospitals by leper nurses.
The boys and girls go to schools to leper
teachers, learning the branches of a simple
education which none of them can probably
live long enough to appreciate. They leave
the se.,J,l with frolicsome shouts; they romp
across the green fields, enjoying the air and
sunshine llks children in other lands, uncon
scious of their misfortune.
"In grassy field near the sea-shore
stands little church, visited all day by the
sun and sea-breeze Here native minister,
leper, leads religious services on Sunday
for his miserable fellows.
These poor people seem to be contented.
A ration OF five pounds of fresh meat and
twenty pounds of vegetables is issued week
ly, in addition to what each one cultivates
with his own labor. This support is SO
much better than any Hawaiian ever has at
home, that natives living on other parts of
the island have desired to make themselves
lepers in order to be taken care of in this
village of death. As we turn away for our
homeward journey. it is natural to wish for
the sake of humanity, that there might be in
this beautiful valley river Jordan into
which these miserable people could dip and
be c!eansed But the curse of Elisha upon
his corrupt servant seems to be irrevocably
fixed upon them
The 1eprosy of Naaman shall cleaye unto thee
and unto thy seed forever }"