The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-01-19

taro in their patches, or in the caves and
covers, and forests and fields, wherever
refuge from the law.officcrs may be Oh.
tanned. Near Waiohinu, on Hawaii, a
native missionary, who is leper, has
managed by means Of bribery to stay at
home for several years and whether he
will ever 60 to Molskai is questionable.
While was IN Honolulu, one day one of
the lepers got away and the officers had
a long chase before they again got posses.
sion of his person. And one day thew
got after one on horseback, but it is hard
even to lasso native in the saddle, and
finally he escaped OH his tieet.lootcd ami
NAL. While necessary for the welfare of
the community, it nevertheless seems
hard to chase the poor victims down
who are only contending for their liberty;
at the same time they are worse afflicted
than others. found that the disease
was considered syphilitic, contagious, and
lncurable; and ten years ago the govern.
ment first determined to separate the
lepers from the rest of the community.
The island Of Molokai or Molokui alma
Pati 1.-THE land of precipices). between
Oahu and Maui, was chosen as the lcpers'
home. The island is not large; but its
volcanic walls rise out Of the sea to o yer.
teal height Of from 1000 to $500 feet.
These rocky and lichen-covered walls and
pinacles of
THE ISLAND OF EXILE
are gashed with gulches, forming natural
inlets, and openingon lawns of Ellmited
extent, yet attractive beauty. The land
ing is Kalaupapa, on the windward side
of the island, and miseable place it is,
too. Three miles from the landing is the
leper village of Kaluwao, on the yer e of
a most singular twenty-thousand.acr
plain, beautiful as the Garden of Eden.
This plain is environed by the sea on one
side, and by a precipice on the other
1900 feet high, which may be assembled
by zig.zag bridle.path flung over the
face of it, but which is so steep that cat
tie cannot come down it, and all the meat
supplies have to come by water to the
landing. Within this charming area
lives the isolated leprous community.
They have all the forms ola well.regulat-
ed state government, and though almost
a law unto themselves by reason of their
isolation from the central government,
they are nevertheless not without law.
and are entirely in the hands of
their leprous brethren. The govern
or is leper. and so arc all the subordi-
nate officials, and the usual routine Of
duty enables the more intelligent of them
to while away the time which might
otherwise hang oppressively on their
hands till their true governor and law.
giver, death, comes to their release.
Near the landing is small Catholic
church, and there is one in the village of
Kolawao, as we'll as Protestant chapel,
ministered to by native leper pastor.
The Catholic church is in charge Of Father
Damiens, priest, who with promising
youthful outlook, intelligent, cultivated,
refined, sacrificed all this with com.
mendaole zeal for his Master, and devotes
himself cheerfully to the welfare of
the poor creatures with whom
he has voluntarily exi,ed himself from
the society of his more fortunate fellow
men. There are II hospital buildings. a
store, postof6ce, school.house, and gov
eminent Offices, besides few neat wood
en,whitewashed cottages belongin gto few
LEPERs OF RANK,
among whom are Mrs. Napela and the
Hon. z. Y. Kaco, Queen Emma's cousin.
These persons are Of course supplied with
everything that money can procure for
their comfort. And their presence may
add some measure of consolation to the
poorer and more wretchcd portion of the
community to know that the awful disease
with which their system is ravished is no
respecter of persons. Gov. Ragsdale was
native lawyer of some note in Hilo. who
voluntarily came to the island of exile.
The leper community numbers about 900,
in all stages of the disease. Those who