The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1889-02-16

ence of dusky red or livid tubercles Of
different sizes upon the face. lips, nose,
eyebrows, ears and extremitles Of the
body. The skin of the differentiated
face is at the same time thickened,
wrinkled and shining. and the features
are verv greatly distorted. The hair of
the eyebrows, eyelashes and beard falls
off; the eyes are often injected and the
conjunctlva swelled; the pupil Of tie
eve contracts giving the organ a wierd.
cat-like expression; the voice becomes
hoarse and nasal; the sense Of smell is
impaired or lost, and that OF touch or
common sensation is strangely altered.
The differentiated parts, which are, in
the first instance, sometimes super
sensitive latterly, III the course OF the
disease, become paralyzed or aDees-
thetic. As the Malady progresses the
tudercles soften and open. alterations
of similar mucous tubercles appear in
the nose and throat, rendering the
breath extremely offensive; tubercuar
masses or leprOus tuberclas, as shown
by dissection, begin to form internally
upon various mucous membranes, and
on the surface of the kidneys. lungs,
etc; cracks, assures, and circular ul-
GERS appear on the fingers. toes and ex-
tremities. and joint after Joint drops off
bv a kind Of spontaneous gaDgrene."
Here IS death bed picture: IA cor
ner of the blanket was raised cautious.
ly; a human face was turned slowly TO-
wards us--a face in which scarcely a
trace of ANYTHING human remained.
The dark skin was putfed out and
blackened; a kind of moss or mould.
gummy and g1istening, covered it; the
muscles of the mouth having contract
ed laid bare the grinning teeth; the
thickened tongue lay like fig between
them; the eyelida, curled tightly back.
exposed the inner surface. and the pro.
trud7ng eyeha1ls, now shameless and
broken, looked not unlike bursted
grapes. It WAS & leprous child. who
within the last few days had assumed
that horrible visage. Surely the grave
knows nothing more frlghtful than
this!'' Amid scenes Of this sort. and
among men and women, every one OF
whom is destined to this kind Of death.
we should hardly have expected that
there would he marrying and giving in
marriage. Yet even here the marriage
rite is celebrated. and marriage feasts
are held--the ehast!y imprint of leprosy
on everv member Of the bridal party.
And they are CAV the while, and laugh
and wish one another long life. as do
those whose cheeks ara not tlnged with
poisoned blood. We have stated that
we can with difficulty conceive ang
pressure of temporal hardship 50 great
that man would purchase relief from it
bv voluntarily exiling himself to Kala-
wac. There is no limit to the heroism
man will attain when urged by the
s'charity of Christi In the year 1854.
a young priest. Father Damien, of the
Society of Picpus. arrived from Bel
gium to JOIN the Catholic m1sslooners OF
Hawaii. He was but "a years ot age at
the time. After nine years of labor IN
his appointed mission he one day heard
the bishop of these Pacific islands ex'
press wish that he had priest whom
he could send to Molokia At once he
offered himself for the dreary ministry
of the church Of the lepers. His offer
island and left to provide for himself as
best he could. His ministratiCns by the
bedside of the diving took up so much
Of his time that he was not for long
time able to bui]d himself hut, and he
had to sleep at nights under tree. The
government. too. behaved somewhat
sternly towards him. He was forbid
den to cross to any of the neigh'oring
islands to meet brother priest for
confession, and the sheriff of Molnkai
had orders to arrest him if he quilted
the reef to which the lepers are confined.
But in time even the government Off
cials came to look more appreciatlvely
upon his heroism. They relaxed the
stringent rules of segregation in his fa-
vor. putting him upon the same footing
as the medical inspector who visits the
leper colony at s. ated times. He has
made but sparing use Of the privileges
thus conferred upon him. He is the
sole guardian of the colony of outcas s,
physician OF the soul and body, mag
istrate, school teacher, carpenter. join
er. painter, housekeeper. cook, and in
some cases. undertaken and grave dig
g-r.'' The king Of Hawaii has come to
measure the spirit Of this man at it's
true worth. He has made him knight
commander of the order of Kalakaua [.
The poor minister has never hung the
qlitterine cross of the order round his
neck to shame his patched and worn
out cassock. But what honor there is
in the distinction he has deserved it.
And he has deserved, too. the marks OF
admiration and reverence that have
reached him from distant lands, and
from those who are strangers 20 his
faith and his church, Ell 600, for in
stance, as gift of a CLERGYMAN of the
Church of England. The disease.
whose pangs he had for thirteen years
labored to alleviate for others. at last
seized upon yhimself. Impossible for
me to go any more to Honolulu he
wrote two years ago. ION account OF the
leprosy breaking out on me. Those mi
crobes' have finally settled themselves
in my left leg and ear, and one eyebrow
begins to fall.'' Another priest has
gone to take up the task which is fall
Ing from his hands. The end cannot
now be far off. We might, perhaps,
have thought that a spirit so noble de-
served fate less dismal. But that IS
our way Of judging things. Inc DOOM
looking at the incidents Of his fate, and
We are forced reverendly to confess
that his is the juster as well as the no.
bier way Of regarding it.