The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-07-13
Continued from Third Pare. }

threatened to drown the voice of the
preacher.
"This was one of the strangest con
gregations in the whole world--some
without fingers, some with their stumps
of hands and feet done up in rags
There was not one who did
not in some way show the stamp Of the
loathsome malady,
"They were all dark skinned natives,
except one white man, who sat in a
front seat, the picture of hopeless de.
lection. Mr. Emerson spoke earnestly
in the Kanaka language, and his
audience listened eagerly. After he
had finished he requested me to address
the congregation, and | preached my
first and perhaps last sermon. One f
the lepers, with an obvious paucity Of
fingers, arose and thanked me. Among
other things, he said he hoped ! would
live long and never have Ieprosy,' as
though leprosy to him involved every
evil in the world, and if | escaped it |
could not fail to be happy
CATER the sermon we got some
horses and rode about the settlements.
The lepers live in white frame houses
about the size of am ordinary room, and
divided into several apartments. They
do not require much furniture, because
they prefer squattlng on a floor to sit
ting in char They have horses, cats,
dogs and other domestic animals, and
some Of them cultivate small gardens.
When kanaka gets leprosy he regards
it as a dispensation OF Providence,
buries his hopes and ambitions, and
goes to Molokai to die. TO be sure,
the disease is only feebly contagious,
but contagious it is, and the slovenly,
unhealthy lives led by many natives are
conducive to its spread. Huddled to-
gether in small damp huts, existing on
insufficient and improper food, eating
with their dirty fingers from a single
dish, smoking the same pipe, it Is no
wonder the Hawaians have been deCi.
mated by leprosy and afflicted with
other terrible diseases. One may live
with lepers for many years, how~ver,
without contracting leprosy 1t is said
that a native woman of Honolulu sent
three husbands to MoIokai with the
disease before she developed it herself.
There are several other churches in the
colony besides the Methodist, including
a Catholic church and a Mormon
church; but the Catholics seem to be
doing most of the real work-the others
take 1t out largely in talk. There are
nine Sisters OF Charity and two fathers,
all from Syracuse, n. y. The build
ings in which they live are neat and
clean, and are surrounded by gardens
and banana trees These noble women
are sacrificing their lives to a great and
loving work under the most discourage
ing circumstances. How sweet, good
and gentle they were TO the lepers!
Some have been in the colony five or
six years without having once left it.
But Sisters Of Charity are sometimes
peculiar, like the rest of u.s. Sister
Rose Gertrude was one of the peculiar
kind. 1t was heralded with a flourish
of trumpets that she had decided to
ConseCrate her life to the epers If
Molokai Donations poured in freely,
including considerable money and a
piano. When Sister Rose Gertrude
reached Honolulu she Pocketed the
money, sold the piano, married a doc
tor and returned to the United States
as rapidly as possible without having so
much as seen leper. We will here
correct the writer Miss Amy G. Fowler,
who assumed the name of Sister Rose
Gertrude, was never either Sister Of
Charity or a protested nun of any
order.
Il met on the island a gentleman
named Dutton, who had been an
officer in the United States army, and
had lived for a time in Cincinnati. He
was formerly wealthy, and stood high
in the social world Five or six years
ago he was converted to the Catholic
faith, disposed Of his fortune, gave up
his social position, and went to Molokai
to devote the remainder of his life to
the lepers. | found him a good look
ing and extremely intelligent man,
about As years of age, with black hair
and beard, and a pleasing address.
He lived in one-storied, three-roomed
cottage, surrounded by high stone
wall. The little rooms contained many
religious emblems, pictures of Christ
and the Virgin Mary, and were very
neat and clean for a bachelors apart
ments. A century plant grew in the
yard, mathematical, perhaps, Of the
monotonous life around it.
every morning this good Samaritan
puts on an old blue blouse and pair
of overalls and goes down to what he
calls his workshop, a small frame
house with a veranda, around which
are arranged a number of benches and
some dshpans filled with warm water.
Miserable, decrcpit lepers come hob
bling in until the benches are filled
and standing room is at premium.
Mr.. Dutton, with true religious cour-
age and sympathy, balhes the leprotic
sores in the pans of water, and applies
fresh save and bandages. A Cincin-
natl lady has presented him with a
large music box, and while he is attend.
ing to these poor people with great
Ulcers IN the SOleS of their feet, and