The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-08-24

tomDS-Deaten OF the elements, living |
on the coin which passersby may fling |
to them, while day by day they are rot
ting alive. Let us thank God that those
smitten with incurable sores in the
Sandwich Islands have homes and |
schools and churches and food and |
nurses and allevlations and parterres of
sweetest flowers under arches of bluest
skies.
The story of William Ragsdale, Leper.
No respecter of persons is this phys
ical calamity. William Ragsdale, pop.
ular lawyer, was sent there He was elo- |
quent, both in Hawaiian and English,
and could make his audiences weep and
laugh and shiver and resolve. He had
the satire Of Junius and the impas-
stoned abandon of an O'Connell. No
one suspected he was leper before the
day when he sent letter to the au-
thorities surrendering himself and say
ing that ON the morrow no would go
aboard the steamer for Molokai. He
spent the morning of the day of his de-
parture in riding around to 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 farewell address,
closing with the words, "Aloha, may
God bless you, my brothers!" Hundreds
of the people and a glee club accom-
panied him to the boat, and they rent
the air with lamentations as the boat
swung off from its moorings, He took
Bible and some lawbooks with him
into his dreadful exile, and the prayers
of churches were offered that he might
have courage and peace in the remain
ing days of his earthly tarrying Queen
Emma cousin, Hon. Mr.. Kaco, was also
sent to Molokai, and there was no pow.
er in his royal connection to keep him
outside of that island. Mrs. Napela,
of high social circle, had her cottage of
enforced exile ON that island of sepul-
cheers. A legislator of the Hawaiian Is
lands is there closing his life. He was
probably good legislator in the day
of his health, but cannot help think
ing what good thing it would be if all
the leprous Legislators of the earth could
be put in some island by themselves.
Such a Punishment would be a mighty
thinning out at Albany, Harrisburg and
Washington legislatures, state and M
tional
The United States government could
afford to provide such Molokai, and
the moral lepers 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 be found out and
sent to the so called "isleof precipices"
the moral leper is not SO easily desig-
mated, because he has the blotch not SO
much on his forehead as on his heart.
| What every state and nation now needs
is Molokai, or isle of lepers.
Leprosy Diagnosed.
Conversation about leprosy with a
former member of the board of health
for the Hawaiian Islands revealed to me
the following facts:
Question-In what part Of the system
does leprosy begin its work?
Answer-It attacks the nerve centers
Q-I thought it was disease of the
| blood?
A.-No. 1t begins with the nerves,
and just as the girdling of the trunk Of
a tree first shows its whitening 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 tho ear. Sometimes there appears up
on the body shining surface, and it is
unimpressible. Prick it with pin, and
| there is no sting. All the rest of the
| patients body may be 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 blush or efflorescence
that more emphatically announces the
progress Of the disease. Then all signs
of skin disturbance disappear, but after
the following leprous fever the case is
worse than before So each retreat of
the disease is followed by 2 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-
ance of the fact that the disease is on
him a horrid gloom settles upon the
patient, but after awhile slight hope
of recovery is born, and the incipient
leper tries all forms of cure, and no
form is so absurd that will not recon-
mend itself as worthy of experiment.
| And then all the time the patient thinks
it 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 ibelous case for the courts if man
is unjustly charged with being leper.
Boards of health have to be very care
full in the work Of segregation.
No Cure Now known For the Plague.
Q.-Are there any cases of cure?
| A.-The only cases | recall are those
mentioned in tho Bible-Naaman, the
Syrian hero and the 10 cases that Christ
cured, nine of them too mean to ac
knowledge tho divine medicament.
Q.-What in ordinary cases is the
velocity Of the disease and how long
before 1t completes its work?
A.-Well, | have known one case 10
last l6 years. think the usual durance
( is five or SIX wears
Q.-flas the lcprosy different modes
in demonstrating itself?
Att hes. Tho tuberculous and the
anesthetic. Thu former is most repul
sive. 1t swells and bloats and distorts
the face. The last sign of humanity is
blotted from the countenance. There
are cases of this kind called "leonine,
for the reason that the face is so wild i
ened and enlarged and nia''e severe that
the coun.enance looks like lion. The
annsthetic form is whitening, thin
ming out, wasting away, depletion,
skeletonizing process.
Q.--Is it contagious?
A.-There are different opinions