Democratic messenger., 1894-08-18
atality have sunshine in ,hdr coun.

fatality nave sunshine III th, ir coun-
tcnancc and talk:
The mercy of the UavaiianS has made
this colony of doomed inhabitants more
tolerable ;han in most lands have
seen i'll the suburbs of Jerusalem and
Damascus scores of those cast out for this
disease and inhabiting cavcrns and
tombs-bcatcn Of the clements living
on the coin which p:->cr>hy may fling
To them. while day by day they are rot
ting alive Let Us thank God that those
smittcn with incurablr sores in the
Sandwich Islands have homes and
schools and churches and food and
nurses and aileviations and parterres Of
sweetest flowers under arches of bluest
skies
The story of William Eags,iaIe. Leper.
M rcSpecter OF persons Is this phys
ical calamity. William RagSdalc, u pop
ular lawyer, was sent there. He was elo-
quent. both III Hawaiian and English,
and could make his audiences weep and
laugh ard shiver and resolve. He had
the satire of Junius and the impas-
stoned abandon of an O'Conncll No
one suspected he was lcpcr before the
day when he sent letter To- the au
thorities surrendering himself and say
ing that on the morrow he would 20
aboard the steamer for MolOkai. He
spent the morning of the day of his de
parture in riding around 10 say goodby
to his friends. and just before the hour
of sailing came down To the boat, his
neck adorned with gardenia. and turned
around and made II farewell address,
closing with the words, Aloha. may
God bless you. my brothers" Hundreds
of the people and a glce club accom-
panied him TO the boat. and they rent
the air with lamentations rs the boat
swung off from its moorings. He took
q Bible and some lawbooks with him
into his dreadful exile. and the prayers
of churches We're offered that he might
have courage and peace i'll TIE remain
ing days of his earthly tarrying. Queen
Emma cousin, Hon. Mr.. kaco. was alSc
sent to Molokai. and there was no pow
er i'll his royal connection to keep him
outside of that island. Mrs. Napcla,
of high social circle. had her cottage of
enforced exile on that island of sepul-
chers A legislator of the Hawaiian Is
lands is there closing his life He was
probably good legislator i'll the day
of his health. but cannot help think
ing what Il good thing it would he if all
the leprous Legislators of the earth could
be put IL some island by themselves
Such u punishment would I've mighty
thinning ont ut Albany. Harrisburg and
Washington legislatures, state and ma
tional.
The United States government could
afford to provide such Mo'okai, and
the moral lcpcrs sent there could have
their legislature and congress and board
of aldermen and army and navy all Of
the same blotch But while the Hawai-
ian legislator could he found out and
sent to the so called isle of precipices"
the moral leper is not so easily desig-
mated, because he has the blotch not SC
much on his forehead as on his heart.
What every state and nation now needs
is Molol:ai, or isle of lcpers.
Lepro.y Diagnosed.
Conversation about lcprosy with n
former member of the board of health
for the Hawaiian Islands revealed 10 me
the following facts:
Question-ln what part Of tho system
does lcprosy begin its work:
Answer-It attacks the nerve centers.
Q.-I thought il was "a disease of the
blood?
A.-No. 1t begins with the nerves.
and just rs the girdling of the trunk of
tree first shows its withering results
in the tip end of the long branch of the
tree so leprosy is first apt To show itself
in the paralysis or doubling up Of the
little finger, or in the toe, or in the lobe
of the ear. Sometimes there appears up
on the body shining surface. and it is
unimpressible. Prick it with a pin. and
there is no sting All the rest of the
patients body may bc in perspiration,
but that spot remains dry. Sometimes
all the signs of physical disorder disap-
pear, and the disease seems gone. Then
there will come "a leprous fever, and that
will throw out Il blush or efiiorescence
that more emphatically announces the
progress of the disease. Then all signs
vi sktil ulSstDltstis 1itNA
the following leprous fever the case IL
worse than before. So each retreat of
the disease is followed hy more de-
cided advance.
Q-Is it painful:
A.-No. That is one of the mercies.
From the first assault of the plague to
| the hour of death there is an absence of
physical suffering.
Q-But is there no mental depres-
sion:
A.-Oh, yes! At the first acquaint-
ancc of the fact that the disease is on
him hoirid gloom settles upon the
patient. but after awhile slight hope
Of recovery is born. and the incipicnt
leper tries all forms of cure, and no
form is so absurd that will not recon-
mend Itself rs worthy of experiment.
And then all the time the patient thinks
il is something besides leprosy.
Q-When victim of the disease Is
first charged with having the plague. |
should think he would resent it:
A.-Yes. and the English law makes
it libelous case for the courts if man
is unjustly charged with being u lepcr.
Boards of health have To he very care
ful in the work of segregation.
NoCure Now Known For the Plague.
Q.-Arc there any cases of cure:
A.-Thc only cases recall are those
mentioned III the Bible-Naaman, the
Syrian hero. and the 10 eases that Christ
cured, nine of them too mean to ac-
know ledge the divine medicament.
Q-What i'll ordinary cases is the
velocity of the disease and how long
before 1t completes its work:
A.-Well. have known one case to
last l6 years. think the usual durancc
is five or six years.
Q-Has the leprosy different modes