Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-05-20
The Stutp Teller.
BANISHED.

the west, or rather southwest, of San Fran
cisco, almost as far indeed as London is from
Boston, liesthe strangest, the most perfectly
beautiful, yet saddest little kingdom in all
the circuit of the earth.
Almost in the centre of the boundless
Balboa Seas, eight little islands start up
suddenly out of the vast world OF waters,
and reach in some cases above the clouds.
The mountains are covered in everlasting
snow. The valleys are paradise of flow
ers, of fruits, of beautiful birds, cool, sweet
waters, and tall refreshing palms.
You can stand in the snow on the summit
of Mauna Loa and see the bread-fruit grow
far below, yet almost at your feet. AS your
ship glides over the peaceful waters far away
at sea, you can sometimes read by the mid
night fire of a great volcano.
What world of waters! How far away
from all trouble and tumult of the busy
world lies this little kingdom of less than
one hundred thousand souls! 1t is more
than two thousand miles to the nearest
neighbor.
Yet at one time more than three hundred
whalers touched here every year. Mission
aries came from distant nations, and the is
lands were populous and full of promise.
Now the whale-shfps come no more. Steam
ers touch here monthly on their way further
around the globe, and the islands have be-
come Christianized and cultivated.
These islands, called the Sandwich ISL
ands, or more properly, the Hawaiian ISL
ands, are to-day in some respects in advance
of other civilized countries, and wish to
emphasize the fact. I assert that there is
hardly among the natives, a man, woman
or child, of sufficient age, in all these islands
that cannot read and write, at least in the
native tongue. In no other part of this
globe can you find people who are so uni
versally educated.
And yet this little kingdom in the sea,
with all its beauty, its seeming prosperity,
it's peace, and the gentleness of its patient
people, is slowly, but certainly, passing
away.
The natives are very cleanly, and not at
all indolent when compared to natives of
their latitude in other lands. They are not
Il poor people by any means. This little
government of less than one hundred thou
sand people, pays its king almost as much
money as we pay our president. Indeed,
with the revenues from the royal lands, he
receives almost twice as much.
And now I come to speak of the awful
blight that hovers, shadow-like, over this
mildly beautiful little world in the sea.
This is the leprosy, or as they call it in their
native tongue, IUai Puke-lterally trans
lated-"the Chinese Sickness"
About the year 1868 leprosy began to be
so prevalent that the authorities of Homo
lulu became alarmed, and steps were taken
to prevent, if possible, the spread of the
lOathsome disease.
The west portion of the Island of MolOkia
was set apart for lepers, and all who had the
disease were ordered to surrender them
selves to the authorities, that they might be
taken to this district, there to pass the re-
mainder of their lives.
This portion of the island is cut off from
the other portion by impossible mountains,
and as it can only be reached by the sea, it
is impossible for any one to ever reach them
or escape from them, except by vessel. The
government ship touches there three times
every week, and brings rations of beef, etc.,
for the dwellers there.
There are now about two thousand of
these hopeless and heart broken people there,
waiting slow but certain death. Some of
them are mere babies taken from their
mothers arms; and some are newly mar
ried brides; some are brave and cultivated
men, only last year full of heart and of
hope.
The first governor of the leper settlement,
Mr.. William Ragsdale, was at one time
reckoned the most brilliant young man in
all these islands. He was most accom-
plished scholar, good lawyer and an elo-
ouent debater. He stood very near the
head of the, Government and was univer-
sally respected.
One day he found finger had grown
numb. Then another finger lost its sense
of feeling, and the awful truth burst upon
him that he was leper. His fingers be-
gan to decay. He wore gloves for a time
and tried to conceal the hideous truth. But
at last heart-broken and hopeless, he went
to the authorities and confessed himself a
leper. He was appointed Governor of the
unhappy settlement, and sent forever from
the scene of his achievements to die.
He was of English descent and was loved
and looked up to in his melancholy little
kingdom of exiles, as much as he was at
home.
Two more names I will mention before
proceeding with my story. The first is
that of Catholic Priest, Father Damiens.
This good man seeing there was no priest
or spiritual adviser of any kind among the
two thousand lepers, voluntarily chose to
90 there and live and die with the poor,