The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-07-01

meet. However much sympathy he
may have the good manners to show
for an unfortunate freshman in his
presence, he will unwittingly he sure
to pass on him some significant cog
nomen by which he will ever after
wards be known. Several, both
native and foreign, have told me that
they were happy and contented, and
the Gazette man himself admits that
he was informed by Father Damien
that the people were fairly contented.
| am aware of the very general
impression that people in Honolulu
have of kalaupapa and the island of
Molokai, that they are the very la
zaretto of creation. 1t is about the
same view rs the boy in the States
had of the Sandwich Islands, when,
writing to another boy, he hoped we
were not all lepers down here. A
gentleman once asked me, "Can
they cultivate taro in the settle
mcnt?" And another, in surprise,
says, what! do you have butter
from Molokai?" And it is no Won
der that well-dsposed people be-
come impressed and speak in this
way of one of the healthicst spots on
these islands, inhabited with perhaps
two-thirds lepers, and the other third
as free from the disease as any per-
son out of it, when newspaper wri-
tiers speak of elmer and outer laza-
rus houses" and ''life prisoners,
guarded by precipices, confined in
the tombs of the living" The
healthy portion of the inhabitants
cannot be moved by the authorities
to leave it with their families. The
locality is naturally healthy, as it is
situated on q fiat point of land maxi
ing out from the base of high bluffs,
about one and half miles into the
sea. Behind these bluffs are two
valleys where about two-thirds Of
the taro used in the settlement is
cultivated, and the land is capable
of producing as much more, together
with as many other vegetables as the
people wish to raise. On the wea-
Their side and close under the bluffs
is Kalawao, and on the lee side is
the pretty village of Kalaupapa, off
which the vessels come to an anchor.
The settlement is thus exposed from
one side to the other, to the salt
laden blasts of the northeast trades,
so much so that no tree and scarcely
a shrub will grow, unless protected
by wall or cottage. 1t is not stu
ated on "a bay-like entrance of the
coast line,' whatever that may
mean, as stated by the writer al
ready referred to, nor do the preci-
pieces perform guard duty over "the
tomb of the living SO far from
being prison, there is cattle trail
over the mountain, by which sup
plies are brought to the people, and
up and down which Mr.. Myers, now
sixty years of age, and after a severe
illness, recently travelled in one day,
and, in former years, considered it
his duty to travel the same route
every second week, for the purpose
of informing himself of the condi-
ton of the settlement and acting the
part of mail courier. These feats
are now rendered almost unneces-
sary 'by the telephone. 1 have as
cended the bluffs, and got on the
road that was commenced down to
the settlement, but was destroyed
by an earthquake.
When looking on at the sales of
green mangoes, which cannot be
grown on this bleak and barren spot,
the thought came to me, how many
bushels of this fruit is lying rotting
about the yards of Honolulu, which,
if picked up in time and packed off
to some of these groups of resigned
people, would be real godsends to
them. And how it would cheer
their lonely hours by making them
feel that, in their exile, they were
not forgotten. A little gift of fruit
that they cannot grow themselves
would thus be of double value. The
citizens of Honolulu and of other
parts of the islands should not leave
it necessary for these people to look
wistfully into the fruit vendors bas-'
kets, and especially those who by
disease are unable to work for it, or
by poverty are unable to buy it.
TO the box of fruit might be added
the coat or pants that has long been
out Of use. A small paper parcel
or little box of useful articles of
either food or clothing, may ensure
for the donor the blessing promised
to him who giveth cup of cold
water to one of the Masters servants.
Let us think no more of this
island settlement and people as a
lazaretto of miserable, diseased pris-
oners, but as a righteous Fathers
afflicted people, placed there as
warning to us of the consequences
of sin and examples of resignation