The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-11-10

associate with those only in whom the
malady had pronounced itself COnse-
quently the idea of home for such I'M
fortunates seemed an appropriate sugges-
ton. When spoken of, it at once engaged
the warm sympathies and interest of Her
Majesty the Queen. Such an establish
ment seemed to be both feasible and advan-
tageous, and 1 had the honor myself to
propose in the Legislative body of 1884 the
advisability OF founding refuge to be
styled the 'Kapiolani Home. and to adj
wise a vote for the appropriation of SIS 900
for its establishment. In view of the action
of the Legislative body and OF the great in
terest to the people in the establishment of
such an institution, IL was thought proper
to lay the matter before the community to
enable the generous and charitable to par
ticipate in the benevolent enterprise.
ready response was made, characteristic of
an eVer-generous public, and the liberal
sum of $6,575 has been subscribed for the
Home by Their Majesties and the foreign
residents of Honolulu. With the means in
hand l, with the sanction of my colleagues
of the Board of Health, was enabled to
enter upon the construction of this building
Il.
to-day is hereby, by the presence and wish
of Their Majesties the King and Queen, to
| be dedicated to the care and training of
young girls not confirmed lepers but who
are suspected of the faint of the disease.
Many persons have regretted, and some
what naturally, that such a home could not
| have been established in some choicer loca-
| ton, more remote from those who are UNI
! happily suffering under the worst forms of
| the incurable malady. But under the sur
rounding circumstances this could not be-
| however much the fact may be regretted
| The Government were well assured that
! for the the proper and beneficial admins
tration of such a home it was necessary
| that it should be cared for by women who,
with all the knowledge, and experience and
| apprehensiOns connected with such fear
| full malady would be willing to take charge
! of the home. Ladies of this noble and self
| denying type-of whom l have already
| SpOken-were already in charge within
! these hospital grounds. As with their aid
! alone it was possible to carry out the idea
! of such home, and as their number was
not sufficient for a division of forces, it was
| found to be absolutely necessary to place
| the home here within this enclosure, where
| it is possible for the Sisters of Charity to
| give their attention to it along with the
| care of the other lepers. And here the
Home has been erected, and of its details
you can judge. The building has been well
constructed, and fitted to lodge convenient
| ly with view to their health and comfort
about fifty girls. Here, although tabued
from the general society of other children,
they may enjoy all the advantages that
may be obtained by healthy girls in a well
| ordered boarding school establishment.
With my experience of the past two years
of the labOrs of the Sisters in this Hospital
[ entertain bright hopes of a result the
most satisfactory to the most exacting
philanthrOphist's mind and desires.
In the establishing of benevolent insti-
tutiOns for the sick and infirm of all kind,
it should be remembered that they are not
so established on the promise or assurance
the belief that the infirm will be cured
or restored to society; but it is ever the
~ '--0 .l.s-tFG their condition be
amelforated and human suffering relieved;
and that those who have left their homes
and friends under such sad and distressing
conditions, and almost weighed down with
despair, may, with kind and considerable
treatment, be led to enjoy life to the ex-
treme degree permitted by their Affections
without the possibility of their being in
furious to their fellow beings. Thus, then,
we have not founded our Leper Institu-
tiOns-any more than we have founded
this Home-with any assurance of cure
and restoration to home and family; but
as we have seen within this Hospital en-
closure those who, but a while ago
showed too visible marks of this loath-
some disease, and were dragging out a
most miserable, horrible and gloomy ex-
istence under the most unfavorable cir
cumstances, very much improved in per
sonal appearance, and not merely con-
tented but cheerful, and 1 might almost
say happy-if it were permitted to any in
such condition to be happy-and so we
have reason to hope for a greatly improved
condition of the girls placed in this Home
under the care of the Sisters.
The physicians forbid us to hope for
cures here; but fortunately their adverse
opinions do not for one moment deter the
faithful workers engaged in their labor of
IoNS, HlSplIeu ny I1uu WIZ H0dIeu the
lepers, from pursuing their kindly minis
trations, their self-allotted work being
largely to serve those who are without
hope and without friends.
My task is ended, but let me add few
words. Hawaii has taken her stand among
the nations We are hOnored by the Sow
ereign Powers of the earth. Our size is not
regarded 80 much as our spirit-Our spirit |
of enterprise and justice. We are invited |
to- the councils of nations to consider ques-
tons of international interest. We are
guided and inspired by sentiment of ma
tional independence in the promotion of
all public measures whether of agricul-
ture, of immigration, or of commerce, and |
i'll all our diplomatic relations And the !
nations of the earth honor our King and !
this Kingdom for the attitude we take. |
But there is one thing in our course and |
action for which, appreciate, the enlight- |
ened powers and philanthropic thinkers of
the world viii honor US beyond anything |
else, and that will be the care and interest |
We take in sufferers among our people; /
and that King Kalakaua and the Govern
ment of His Majesty make it a chief fea
ture OF their public action and policy to |
provide for, to comfort and nOurish the |