The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-12-14
TIE LEpER SETTLEMENT.

EDITOR BULLETIN:-
In Saturdays issue of your paper
is a reply to Bishop Willis in relation
to the protection afforded to girls at
the Bishop Home at Kalaupapa.
About the first of last September
| went to the settlement to do some
work for the Board of Health, and
arrived there just as the judge, con
stables and witnesses were leaving
the enclosure of the Superintendent
residence. was informed that they
had held court there to try the case
of several boys who had been coin
mitted for trial on the charge of
entering the premises of the Bishop
Home and enticing away young girls
for immoral purposes. At the trial
the culprits were acquitted on ac-
count of some informality in the pro-
ceedings, although the Superintend-
ent and others acquainted with the
facts admitted to me that the persons
arrested had really committed the act
Cudl Scu W IHclu.
Before leaving the settlement |
visited the Bishop Home and while
there Sister Marianne complained
bitterly of the way the efforts of the
Sisters were being counteracted by
influences from outside the Home,
ana of the indifference of those in
charge at the settlement as evidenced
by the result of the trial above
mentioned. She also stated to me
that the Sisters were powerless to
resist this influence from without, as
under present regulations the girls
can come to or leave the Home at
their own discretion. Her desire
was that the girls on entering the
Home should do so with the explicit
understanding that they were not to
leave it until they had attained their
majority. With such an arrange
ment and with the co operation of
the officer in charge OF the settlement
she was sure of being able to do
work worthy of the sacrifice they are
making III attempting to educate the
unfOrtunates who come into their
charge.
The girls at the Home do not have
the protection that Equality
Gains for them and he is misin-
formed when he argues that such is
the case. Yelled charges as to
failure to afford such protection are
unnecessary: the facts above related
prove this. The remedy lies within
the province OF the Board of Health.
The Sisters are doing noble work
among those in their charge. The
girls have practical lessons in the
duties and accomplishments which
would 60 to making home life pleas
ant, and the moral support of the
whole community should be with
these self-sacriticing women 10 their
efforts to guide the youth at the set
Element in ways of industry and NOR
atty.
Having knowledge of the above
facts | felt it my duty to publish the
same. AS to newspaper agitation for
reforms and effecting tne same on
the "quiet" | prefer the former
method every time. If "Equaity'
expects to build and equip a hospital
near Homo ulu for the treatment OF
incipient cases of leprosy by work
ing for it "quietly," the chances are
that all the incipient cases at present
existing will have developed into the
real malady and carried off the vic
Tins before the hospital would come
into existence. On the other hand a
simple newspaper statement of what
was intended to be don and having
the sanction of the proper authorities
to do it would bring sufficient funds
to the hands Of committee who had
the confidence of the community, to
build and furnish just such an insti-
tuition inside of three months.
| hope to see more newspaper
wrangling" with the subject of lep-
rosy. 1t is disease that has defied
everything else and will stand some
more printers ink before its vitality
is exhausted.
j. EMMELUTH.
December Ia, 1891.