The San Francisco call., 1897-12-06
HlWiIIlNS, CHINESE IND WHITES.
Wretohedly Poor Provision for
Housing the Unelean
Incurables.
ROMANCE MIDST MISERY.
a Hawaiian Boy Here for Many
Years and Leper Girl at Molo-
kai Keep Up Old Ties,

California contains one-sixth OF III the
lepers in the United States. And San
Francisco lacks just six cases at the
present time out OF the States quarter oi
a hundred. These SIX may come to b,
counted against us in time, Tor the country
folk have way OF getting rid of lepers.
Up in Mendocino County there vas a
small ranch and The daughter of its owner
was the victim of that horrible disease
which sears Ike acid, which chars and
deadens Ike flame, which makes sodden
and bloated like water. If a human being
might survive three deaths in one by
drowning and by vitriol-pOlsoning and by
burning till sensation no longer re mained
he would look like the lepers lock.
The people in Mendocino County didn't
approve of lepers. They didn't wish
either TO be burdened with the care oi
them. They are rather old ashioned up
in MendOcino. Perhaps they consider
leprosy a visitation of God and think it
sacrllege to succor one whom he has
cursed. at any rate the simple country
folk didn't waste much time on the logic
- t-4~ oAtNeAAOi' L nc SOb tue NbIuId II
knot of their difficulties and response
biIiJies. They drove the afflicted family
away from their home and provided
against their return. For they burned
the house that had harbored the "un-
clean" to the ground.
The girl leper was brought to San Fran
cisco, of course. Just now she is out at
the Pesthouse.
When | arrived at the gate of the Pes =
house l discovered that Mr.. Keating, the
steward, was not in. So l waited, and a
young man, who stood at the gate, his
hands IN his pockets. waited with me.
lie was such a gracious young fellow,
this. Not good looking. His face was
rather pale, his body trife ungainly and
his clothes rough, that he might do por-
ters work. But there j. spirit OF the
most exquisite courtesy about the porter
OF the Pesthouse. He's natures eentie
man, pure and simple. lie waits upon
one; he is helpful and obliging merely be-
cause he would have 10 hesitate and tc
think compiexly before it would occur tC
him to do or be otherwise.
so the porter and l stood at the gate
and talked-of the churches and asylums
lar of on the other side of the marsh, ot
chickens scratching in front of the
lTishman's place little below, of the bov
who passed u going in, two poor, sinai
dead meadow arks In his hand and a gun
over his shoulder. And then OF the lepers.
They re mostly Chinese" the porter
said, folding his arms across his breas
aad leaning up against his post, while ]
remained at mine. But there is a white
girl, a Chinese woman and six white
men,"
Il had heard, " said 1, THAT there were
two Hawaiian boys here"
NO" be SAID little abruptly there 5
not"
There was a pause and we both eyed the
dismal landscape before us.
There's no kanakas here" he rep atcd
after pause. II face looked grim Per.
haps II was because the sun was going
down and everything about the drear y
place suddenly lost color and life.
NO? l suppose l was mistaken"
But, the porter went on determinedly
thrusting his arms behind him now,
There are two white boys from Hawai-
here and I'm one"
He sal it simply, but with a smile thai
wa / ke construction of the muscles o.
the face when one is IN pain.
i couldn't say any thIns to him. Whar
does sorry" mean to one whose body
rots away as though it We're buried, whl.t
ones mind, ones Individuality is stirring
still alive?
And that boy who went in with ,he
gun is my broihar," he went on after a
silence.
Two of you! Both OF your ex
claimed.
Yes"
How long is 1t since you left the
islands?' l asked.
Eleven years." he answered.
And do you know anything about the
settlement at Molokai?''
Most of the wnite people who have
Iep:o go away from the islands rather
than be sent TO Molokai. But l uave 4
iiiend there, a woman, q leper, with
whom l cores pond.
Imagine il Think of what these two
ran have TO say TO each other-,he woman
who must live and die on Molokai, the
aecursed, and this young man whose
home Tor all the lime his wretched BODY
remains above ground is the Pesthouse
that deous VII t. scar on beauii.nl san
FrancIsco's bosom!
Have you been at the islands? ?" tht
repor e: went on. Yes? Waen? Area'
lney beau. ifu.? was born and raised on
hau l. You know they call it the Gar
den Island"
Born and raised on Kauai Kauai. the
kohlnoor of that neck ace of gems thai
We call Hawaii. Aud here was Frank
Elndt standing at the VIII htewashed gate
% III" ItslnouSe LOOKING out ufon the
marsh below, from which rose camp ex-
haiations 10 mix with the odor from the
t1nneries and the smoke that drifted over
from the Potrero!
To have been boy rioting in that glory
OF sunshine and summer sea, OF emera ID
bills and silver waterfalls, OF cocoanut
palms and pomegranate trees, OF pale
yellow ginger ttowers and scarlet hibiscus
And all that luxury Of sensuous beauty 8
preparation for what? For the squa.or O.
city's back yard. for the horror of 8
leper's asylum!
The steward arrived and followed him
uo the steps and into the PesthoEse.
Oh. how niggardly San Francisco has
provided for these wretched ones, whose
very lack of capacity ior feeling should
make provision for what wants they have
ana are conscious of obligatory.
a tail Chinaman. straight and with ar
intelligent, sharp face, came to meet US in