The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-16
WHERE BIGGEST ROSES BLOOM.
In the Grounds of the Great Lepcr
Hospital ON the Island of Trinidad.

In the Grounds of the Great Lepcr
Hospital ON the Island of Trinidad.
one of the most interesting and Won
derfully conducted institutions in the
world is the great leper hospital of the
Island Of Trinidad. where lepers from all
the Windward Islands come for treatment
went to this institution in company with
the surgeon general of the colony, and it
is mainly from him these facts are de
rived. He had studied leprosy in India
ana IN half dozen English colonies.
The hospital consists.of some half dozen
uelachcd, one-story, succeed buildings set
IN the form OF a square about several
acres of srass-covered, Tee-shaded lawn.
ore building is reserved entirely for the
sisters of Charity, who form the nursing
corps OF the hospital, and this is backed
by a garden which they work themselves
and which is famous for its roses and
poisoning vines
The roses, more especially, are noted for
their size. perfume and loneliness even in
the tropics, where splendid orchids grow
The flowers are as big as poonies and
either pure white or blush color, and The
bushes bloom SO profusely ana continu-
ously that it Is necessary now and then
to take them roots and all out of the
ground to prevent complete exhaustion of
their powers.
This garden and their musical instru-
ments are their refuge and relaxation, for
the sights they daily witness are so dis
tresstng, so wearing to the nerves. that
the superior frequently requires them to
abandon their work for a few days and
give themselves up to music and garden
ing until they recover their tone Every
few years they are sent away to some
other duty for several months for the same
reason Many of the nurses have been
more than ten years at the work in the
hospital and there has never been The
slightest sign of contagion In one of them
They observe the usual exquisite cleanli-
ness demanded by their religious VOWS
and the superior takes care that their
physical condition Is carefully watched,
but no other precautions are observed and
they do not seciude themselves from the
world.
AT the time of my visit there were but
two white men in the hospital, all the 9TH
ers being negroes, Hiudus and Chinese
The woman's pavilion was far from fun
one patient being a victim to that horrible
grotesque form of the complaint known as
eiephanliass which made her like some
nightmare, or delusion Of fever, yet she
seemed perfectly cheerful and happy, and
talked quite gaily to the sister who was
apparently a great fayorite In oil the
wards.
Some leper children were in the same
ward most of them as yet so slightly af-
fected that casual observer would lot
see evidences of the disease till pointed
out, but they We're languid, solemn little
creatures as If the shade of their dreaded
inheritance had already blotted out all the
sunshine from their morning. The women
who were least affected helped with the
IL
patton seemed an eagerly sought pleasure
the worst of the disease being the long
years of helpless inactivity 1t entails
A half-breed Hindu in one of the wards
whose disease had disfgured him less than
most had evolved in his long leisure
most ingenious tower some five feet high,
built of old cigar boxes, half used peu-
els. cast off bits of wire, nails etc, thou
sand odds and ends, including a broken
clock case, some of which he had begged
from visitors, more of which he had res
cued from the refuse tins. This contain
ed some thirty little rooms and a winding
stair, and was inhabited by a pet gray rat,
who at a signal froIn his master would
mount the stairs and visit every room,
ringing a bell in one turning a wheel In
another pulling string which loosened
tiny shower of water in a third and dis
playing all the triumphs of ten years pa
tience and SKIN, to the Infinite pride and
delight of his afflicted owner.
Most of the patients had no such re-
source. and sat in brooding Indifference
and silence, the hopeless prisoners of des-
pair. The most terrible sight of all was
the ward of the dying. Here, after years
of slow dislntegration, were brought the
wrecks Of time; their bodies the filthy
rags" of flesh once new and fair and clean.
Faces here were indistnguishable blurs;
features were raZed away as by fire. bodies
bent and distorted, bones gnawed away.
Their misfortunes were so overwhelming
that there seemed no place for ordinary
sorrow or rebellion against their black des-
tiny. but the patience and pity of the beau
tiful young woman in a white cap (who
had given up wealth and youth and high
place to soothe these so unhappy VINO
bent over them, was like the infinite gem
tleness Of an angel bending over the In
finite horror of hell. Il. w. b.