, 1885-11-12
Lgegag -osPrrAL Al souraaL
neIng. who-- siind. Dwen gu . Dcsprra
TrcSrat and = Hopeless rufnr-.

tgon tihalr1~ Cor Journal do, pco4i-i
There are now few of these establish
mcnts hospitals for lepersl left and 1t j.
not too much TO say that in tho Que | have
.ust vs ted human misery seems TO have
attained It's highest pitch. | saw NUM- jers
OF lcings .ightiess. their faces distorted
ont OF MI shape. their hands and toes
hay NJ dropped off, their voice gone.
hreA hing with desperate @ fort, their skin
feeling o and black as that Of a mummy.
inscnsible TO pain when pricked in Ger
tain parts OF the body. Their feet and
Hanks are covered with horrible sores.
through which what Is left TO them of
lie Gibbs away. Their attitude is one of
pro uuud apathy and exhaustion. and |
could not help being reminded OF the
saying OF the leper of Aosta; Endless
seem The nights when the mind IS dwell
ing upon Il desperate present and n hope
less future -
And yet amid all these horrible scenes
there lived married couples and children.
the latter OF whom. free from disease as
yet, play about like other children. re
gard 'ess Of the spectacle which they have
before them. One of these wretched men
not more than 20, but among the most
II icted. has u very pretty wife and n
child who is fresh and rosy like a young
Cupid II Il said that the disease is not
NFf ~h@ ~ 80 otN'A ~ $500 AA' R1t-s
Their forty years, has a wife and six chill
dre1. who en- ioy the best OF health The
brother Of one OF the lepers. who is u sol
der in a ncighboring barracks. comes to
SEQ him whenever he gets lea, c. aud he
has not caught the disease. while DR..
lhmhaco comes twice a week and handles
the lepcrs with impunity. DIR. ambaco,
who IS Que Of the leading Greek physi-
clans al Onstantinople. Is of opinion that
u &. mt at oil pnnfaUtnna md that IhanUl
occasionally inherited. it Is more often
acquired. the main cause being rriyation
aud want
But in the east the conviction that
lcprnsy Is contagious still has very fhrm
root. and for this reason at Mecca. while
tie lei err are given food and clothing.
they never receive any money. the belief
being that it would spread the disease
when put into circulation again. SO at
Scuiari the lepers are literally inclosed
within n living tomb. as the Miskin tIane
Is the center OF the vast cemetery In which
so many millions OF dead nave been in
TERED since Constnnt!nople was first huilt,
and is surrounded by the splendid cypress
trees. the dark green of which contrasts
so well with the blue outline OF the sea OF
Marmora and the shores Of Asia Minor in
the distance. The hospital itself is quad.
r%ilaleral. about i20 feet long. and with
bull pAt NAOIl IL lnt IlRut VI Nut ell
trance is a small mosque. in which the
lepers recite their five pray ers a day. this
being their only distraction.
In the center Is the courtyard. upon
which open twenty rooms and il is in
these that twenty seven sn erers drag on
a miserable existence Their rooms are
lighted with n small window. with wooden
bars. while in the way Of furniture there
is nothing but a mattress thrownupon the
ground and a few common utensils
More abject misery it is impossible u con.
ceive and it Is made all the more poignant
b, the presence in the courtyard Of a
tomb erected to a leper who wa sad to
be a saint, This tomb is covered with
knots OF ribbon placed there By persons
who have come 10 be cured of some dis
ease Behind another lattice In the court
yard is a small grinding stone. and the
local tradition is that an person who has
the courage 10 join hands with a female
lerer and set the grinding stone in motion
without looking at the water as 1t runs 0
will have his wish granted. always pro
vided that he has first deposited q coin on
the stone.