The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-09-22
THEIsLEo OF LEPERs.
The Fate OF Brave Father Damien on
MoIakaI Island.

line IdDlet.l
Father Conrardy, who recently went out
from America to join Father Damien in his
work among the lepers of Hawaii stationed
in the Island Of Molakai, gives q terrible
account of his surroundings. He says;
"The portion Of Molakai the lepers occupy
is about three miles long and half or three
quarters Of mile wide; perfect place of
seclusion, for II the poor lepers thought of
escaping very few Of them could do so, as
very high cliffs separate us from the other
part of the island-so high that most of the
time clouds cover their tops. As for leprosy
l don't think it can be avoided if it is con
tagious by contact or by inhalation. for any
one who lives among them comes in contact
with them in thousand ways. believe
there is no more possibility of remaining I'M
contaminated than for a man to live in a
fire without being burned We have now
some eighty boys. l am most of the time
with them, and besides live in the same house
with Father Damien, who, as you know, Is
affected with the disease. The disease has a
peculiar smell, very offensive. In the be-
ginning the sight Of poor. Father Damien,
whose ears, face, neck and hands are quite
bad, was enough to take my appetite away,
and was troubled with continual headache
but now feel l am used to these little incon-
yeniences. Everything here Is done and
handled by lepers; cattle are killed, meat
cut and distributed and brought by lepers;
bread baked by them; but eggs are clean
yes. only the hens eat rotten flesh thrown to
them by the lepers. Poor Father Damien
sometimes will speak TO me in a confidential
way, approaching, very near. Many things
that he aud other lepers handle have also to
be hasdled by me, but it seems to me that
the smell is more injurious than the simple
contact. How TO live in the midst of them
and not become one day leper myself /
don't see; leave that to God, happen what
may"
Since Father Conrardy's arrival about 90
lepers have died on the island. The week
before he wrote as many as eleven died in
one day.
'Some very bad cases are among them,
Some arc without lips and noses, having but
a portion Of their hands and feet, and the
balance of their wretched bodies in a very
bad condition. 1t Is sad to see young boys
with crippled and mangled hands, some un-
der ten years of age, washing their clothes or
trying to mend them. heard some Of them
saying at the sight Of so many deaths, 1--WE
will die if we stay here; were we home we
would not die" not thinking they had been
brought to Molakai to die, and that they will
never see their home again nor any Of those
once dear to them-father, mother,
brothers, and sistersl But, by a divine and
merciful Providence, We, Father Damien,
Brother Dutt0n Ia convert from Episcopali-
dulSIill, anu ldSb Oh all myself, nave Deen
chosen to replace them. here below till the
day of their reunion in the next world comes.
Leprosy does not work or appear on all in
the same way. In each Of its victims one
part Is particularly affected; generally the
ears, nose, lips, eyes, cheeks, neck, throat,
hands and feet are affected, but in different
ways. Some are blind because their eyes rot
away, or because they double--the sock
cts Of the eyes come out as if they
had their eyes, outside; Father. Damien's
and hands "O are covered with s 6 6eis
and swellings; one knee is particularly af-
feeted, but in spite of all that he is very
active. always working at something. Be
sides providing for the whole household,
about one hundred strong food and some
clothing, also matches and soap, are fur
nished by the government, and attending to
the dying. he is now busy putting an addi-
ton to our little chapel go IT. by 40 it,. the
work being done by lepers. A new dormi-
tory go #. by 60 ft.) is also in the course of
construction, for which lumber is furnished
and other expenses paid by the government,
bnt the work is done by some lepers."
The Board Of Health Father Conrardy
continues Is very anxious TO procure the ser
vices of men and women as nurses for the
lepers. and the gentlemen Of the Board are
fully convinced that II is entirely useless to
look for them in any other religion than the
Catholic one.
81 heard myself, one of them, member OF
the committee appointed by the Legislature
to visit the leper settlement. say: CUES
tons Of religion apart Ii Is useless 10 look for
nurses outside the Catholic church, but he
added, i pity those who are coming to live
in such place and with such people,
Already the services of Sisters Of st. Francis,
| Of Syracuse, New York, have been secured
| by the Hawaiian government. Those Sis
| tiers are actually in charge of the branch hos
| pital near Honolulu, where lepers are previ-
| ously kept before being sent to Molakai for
| life. The good Sisters have decided TO cast
| their lot for life with the poor lepers of
| Molakai, to soften and alleviate their suffer-
| ings; as for cure, there is none. / am also
| informed that the Hawaiian government,
| willing to do all that is in its power for the
poor wretched creatures, Is on the point of
| securing the services of an eminent German
| physician. In addition to the above, the
| government of the Sandwich Islands is able
| to get lay brothers as nurses for the male
| leper, and some steps have already been
| taken toward it. Then Molakai, or leper
| settlement, will be like an earthly paradise
| TO the poor lepers, for all that skill and de-
| votion can accomplish for their relief will
| have been done. The lepers were telling an
| honorable member of the Legislature that
| they need not only care and nursing, but
| also good examples for as you know, by the
| present system, family ties are broken, a
| mother, father, a son, a daughter are taken
| from their families and sent here where
| they are perfect strangers. This state Of
| affairs could be remedied by allowing hus-
band, If willing, to follow his wife to Mola-
| kai, or vice versa. Young girls without a
| protector will be taken in charge by the
Sisters, as is now done for boys by Father