West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1896-02-13
HAWAII, THE PEARL OF
THE PACIFIC"
The Fifth or Series OF Letters by
John X. Musiek.
a Visit 70 Molokai. the Home Of the
Lepers.-How these unfortunates
Live.
copyright, isOs, by FuSK wAsSALLs Cox
rANr New York;

special Contribution for Tax ARoUs
Molokai Is the curse or the Ha-
waiian islands. 1t Is the skeleton
in the closet. There dwells the
dread disease of leprosy. the oldest
known aud perhaps the most fatal Of
maladies, There is no we'll authen-
ticsted cure for it. For somo rea-
son Hawaii has become the land
of lepers, vet one might live en- the
islands lifetime and never see or
even hear of one.
On the north side of Molokai
there is strip of land which forms
sort of a tongue, projecting out in
to the sea some ten miles. This
tongue of land is about two miles
wide at the south side, where there
is precipice of over two thousand
feet, extending across the island.
cutting of all communication with
the main leland. There IS but one
place at which 1t is possible for a
human being to scale this cliff, and
that is narrow winding path
known as the "Pali."
This portion Of the island, nat :
urslly isolated from the rest ot the
world, was wisely selected by the
Hawaiian government as a proper
place for segregating those unfor-
tunate people, the lepers. Here
they live, some to good old age.
They have houses, small fields,
gardens, horses. cattle, poultry and
pigs. Some marry and children
are born to them. If the child
born of leper parents shows no signs
Of the disease at certain age, it is
taken from the island and kept in
confinement for certain number
ot years. Then, il found "clean, :"
is so declared by the "board Of
bealth," and permitted to go about
freely everywhere. 1t is educated
at the expense of the government,
and may never be afflicted by the
disease. Leprosy, moreover, is not
very contagious. One of the best
authorities on the subject declares
that leprosy can be contracted only
by inocculation, and that il is not
more contagious than consumption.
1t is not all easy matter to visit
the leper settlement. One can only
90 as a guest of the board of health,
and these officials make but two
trips a year. was very fortunate
in being in Honolulu when the
board made one of its semi-auBual
visits. On the afternoon of No
vember 29th, Mr.. j. II. Water.
house, the president Of the board of
health told me over the wires Of
the telephone to be at the dock Of
the Inter-Island Steamship Com
pany at $3.50 sharp. / reported on
time, and found the steamer, Ke.
an-hon, living at the dock with
steam up and Kissing from every
valve.
Going on board the little craft
we found Bishop Robert with
Father Pamphile and the young
priests who we're going to work as
missionaries among the lepers.
There we're many prominent visitors
in our party, among them Mrs. II.
Lewellyn jenkins, deaconess of the
Methodist Church, and a mem Der
Of the Washington Square NJ. Il.
Church, Of New York, Miss Kate
Field, Senator Waterhouso, Judge
Wilcox, DR.. Day aud Others.
Shortly after nine o'clock the
whistle sounded, aud our craft
pushed out from the dock and
steamed down the bay. 1t was too
dark for Us to note the tropical
beauties along the shore. Night
in the tropics comes quickly. There
IS no aftergloW, no twilight. The
sun sets and IT is dark. If the SKY
Is clear, the stars shine wondrously
bright, and II there happens to be
= moon it is almost rs light as day.
No poet ought TO sing Of moon
light beauties until be has seen the
moonlight Of the tropics.
Shortly after passing Diamond
Head the shIp began to roll, and
some members Of onr party com
planned Of headache and began to
"turniu" as rapidly rs they could.
1--WE are crowded for room, !" the
president Of the board OF health