The Hawaiian gazette., 1889-01-22
THAT Molokai Excursion"


above heading "kuaaina enquiries
IN to-day's ADVERTISER the reason
why certain persons were allowed to
60 to Molokai about a week ago. to
which inquiry you reply that upon
enquiry at headquarters we are in
formed that the motives of having a
steamer excursion was to have friends
OF lepers visit them at one specified
time. instead of having such vista
tons distributed right along by
means of individual permits for
which there has always been an i'm
Fortunate demand. 1t is held to be
out Of the question to altogether pre-
vent friends of the unfortunate peo-
pie from occasionally seeing and
talking with them
For the information of the public
1 think 1t proper to state the reasons
for the action taken by the Board, as
without such explanation it may be
considered a departure from the
principle of segregation.
For the past sixteen months por-
ton of the native press has devoted
itself day after day and week after
week. column after column and page
after page. to vilihcation OF the
Board of Health, and the most in
cendiary appeals to the native Ha-
waiians to resist the segregation of
lepers. The stock designation of the
Board of Health Is the Board OF
Death" The settlement at Molokai
Is constantly referred to as the
Grave" Qua kupapau). The most
malicious falsehoods concerning the
management. the accommodations
and the treatment of lepers at the
settlement and elsewhere are system
atically displayed under sensational
headlines, interlarded with more or
less open innuendoes and editorial
suggestions that the death of the
members of the Board is the proper
remedy.
s lie well stuck to will frequently
make more Of an impression than the
truth.
The number Of lepers sent to Molo-
kai during the last few months has
been very large, owing to the thor
ough work which has been done by |
the police and district physicians. !
AL are forwarded from Honolulu |
after final examination here The |
result has been that an unusually |
large number Of the friends and re
latives Of lepers have come TO town |
to bid them a final farewell.
Hswaiians have Dis warm u love of
kindred as their white brethren. II
any one doubts it, and wishes TO wit
ness d heart-rending scene, let him
visit a steamer about TO leave with.
lepers for Molokai; let him 60 to the
Office Of the Board and see how some
poor kanaka viii hang round for
months at q time begging for per
NIT to visit a friend, pleading with
members of the Board at their
houses, at their offices. on the street.
1t Is useless TO refer them to reports
OF Legislative committees, showing
that their friends are well taken care
Of; the answer is II we could only
see with our own eyes-just once
we would be satisfied; we hear so
much said that We do not know what
the truth Is; if We could but know OF
our own knowledge we could rest"
The average Hawaiian does not
fear leprosy and IS opposed 10 segre-
CATION. With very few exceptions,
they have never seen the settlement
and have but little knowledge of ]
what there Is there. nor how it IS
conducted On such as these. with
the agony Of freshly parting forever
from friends and relatives. to go TO a
place which they have never seen. 5
md concerning which they have {
heard 50 much that is evil. the effect
Of detailed, systematic misrepreseu-
tation Of the horrors Of the settle l
neut, accompanied with frenzied APP
Deals for vengeance on the oppressor
and resistance unto death. can better /
be imagined than described. |
The effect Of all this has been to
double the opposition to segregation. {
Il caused the shooting atfrays at /
Naimea and Eva, and now prevents
he completion Of the segregation of ]
III Iepers known to be at large, which !
he Board had hoped to have accom- !
1lished ere this time. c
Where definite. correct knowledge S
Df the settlement has been obtained !
oy the lepers or their friends, the 5
ierce opposition has been removed, /
md others from the same vicinity
nave come forward voluntarily, or Y
nave offered no opposition to re 0
noval to the settlement. 4 notable o
Example of this has been at Waimea. n
Kauai. Since the first lepers were r
ent there, and the visit of their s
legislative representative to the set C
lement. there has been but little a
opposition to segregation IN that IL
district. W
The object of the excursion was Il
therefore, to allow the immediate tt
riends and relatives of the lepers to L
ee the locality and how the inmates d
rere cared for, IN order, by this OBJ c.
ect lesson, tc LET those most inter Il
sted see and report upon the actual b
ondition of the settlement and its G
inmates. and so far as possible re- lc
move the friction and opposition to b.
/ 10