The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1894-08-17
copyright, Louis Klopsch. lS94.l

BILE Work There.
copyright, Louis Klopsch, lS94.l
MIDoCEAN, Near Tasmania, June gu.
The most Of the worlds heroes and
heroines die unrecognized. They will
have to wait until the roll is called on
the other side of the Dead sea. have
seen no celebration of the courage and
fidelity of Rev. S. Waiwaiole, who died
two years ago in the leper settlement Of
the Sandwich Islands, nor Of the Rev.
NJ Pablo, who, himself struck with
leprosy, goes right on with his evangel-
ical labors, except when especial fever Of
his disease prostrates him, and will con-
tinue his work of love until he has
neither foot to walk nor tongue to speak
because of the dreadful disintegration.
But once in awhile there are circum-
stances which thrill the world with the
same story like that of the brilliant
Belgian Catholic priest, Joseph Damien,
who, after a weeks consideration of
whether he had better do SO, accepted
the appointment as missionary to Mo-
lokai, the isle of lepers, for 16 years
administering to the leprous and then
dying of the leprosy. When told by his
physician that he had the fell faint up
on him, he showed no alarm nor even
agitation, but said: GAS expected. l
am willing to die for those l came to
save" The king knighted him, and a
memorial slab designates his resting
place, but professionalism has joined
Catholicism in the qualification of this
self sacrificing ecclesiastic.
Tribute to Damien.
That moral hero completely trans
formed the isle of lepers. 1t was before
his work began pen of denominations.
No law No decency. All the tigers of
passion were let loose. Drunkenness
and blasphemy and libertinism and
cruelty dominated. The moral disease
eclipsed the physical. But Damien
dawned upon the darkness. He helped
them build cottages. He medicated |
their physical distresses. The plague
which he could not arrest he alleviated. |
He settled the controversies of the peo-
pie. He prepared the dead for burial
and digged for them Christian graves
and pronounced upon them benedic-
ton. He launched Christian civiliza-
ton upon the wretchedness. He gave
them the gospel of good cheer. He told
the poor victims concerning the land of
eternal health, where the inhabitant
never says, II am sick, " and the swol-
len faces took on the look of hope, and
the CLASSY eyes saw coming relief, and
the footless, and the limbless, and the
fngerless looked forward to a place
where they might walk with the King
'obed in white and everlasting songs
1pon their heads. "
Good and Christlike Joseph Damien
Let all religions honor his memory. Let
poetry and canvas and sculpture tell the
story of this man who lived and died
or others and from century to century
Keep him in bright remembrance long
after the last leper of all the earth shall
lave felt through all his recovering and
,evitalized nature the voice of the Son
If God saying: ST will Be thou clean. "
The Regime of Molokai.
The eternal pathos of Molokai has at
;racted the attention of all nations be-
,ause it is leper colony. 1t is small
sland, but it contains continent of
woe. 1t was established in mercy. Lep-
,osy was so rapidly advancing in the
Sandwich Islands that the entire popu-
alton was imperiled. To control and
sxtirpate the CHASTITY evil it was neces-
;ary to put it by itself ON an island not
easily accessible. But those bauished
here are made as comfortable as posi-
Die In one year this leper settlement
lost the Hawaiian government $50, 900.
Every week each patient is allowed four
pounds of salmon, nine pounds of rice,
,ne pound of sugar, or, if preferred,
rom five to six pounds of beef, and 81
pounds of ''paiai, which is near ap-
roach to bread. Leprosy reigns there.
The victims have bands of music, all
he players lepers They have churches,
III the worshipers lepers. They have
carriages, all the drivers and occupants
epers. They have hospitals, all the
nurses and patients lepers. They have
lrama, and all the actors lepers. They
lave schools, all the teachers and schol-
ITS lepers. Marriages are performed, |
md the contracting parties are lepers.
Children are born there, and they are s
Mostly lepers. Everything that pustule
md scarification and inflammation and Q
,angrene and designation can do is /
lone here Science, which has success I
ully fought back most of the worlds c
has here closed its pharmacy, /
nut back into the case its surgical in +
truments and come down to the gov L
boat and retreated from this 4
sland of death Thank God, this do i
ninion of death is being broken, and he
will have to dismount this sepulchral f
hronel Segregation of the victims will s
omplete the overthrow of the foul
lague, and in these islands leper will il
g as rare as in America, where most of Ii
be people never saw leper. Z
Cheerful, Though Doomed. +
What most strikes visitor at Molo-
al is the placidity and cheerfulness of
he victimized. One would think they
1uld never smile, never sing never get y
ut from under a sense of despair. But S