The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-09-11

/ ~NAfNH
| teachers, laundresses-in short, the
whole hospital staff condensed, like the
| crew of the Nancy Jane
The dishevelled and slip-shod ma
| iron, though leaving very much to be
| desired in the way of that virtue which
F! Is said to be next to goodness" and
sorely troubled with the landladys GUS
| tomary loquacity concerning better
days. is undoubtedly a worthy soul;
| for the poor thing gets no pay what
| ever and is herself in need Of every
| thing How can one possibly keep clean
| in a house crammed with four times it's
| acknowledged capacity, with the work
of a dozen on the slender shoulders of
three, and water from five to ten cents
the bucketful? A child of three or four
years running about naked as the min
ute it was born, ELECTED the apologize
information that there were no changes
of clothes for the children, and when a
dress or pair of trousers must be
washed its owner had to stay in bed
until the garment was dried
That night through Jealous Quarter
master Bean, Miss Barton called a
meeting of the ladies' of Santa Clara to
devise ways and means of sustaining
the Beneficencia. The first idea of the
Santa Clara ladies was the common one
in Cuba-viz. that rich American
pigs might be graciously allowed the
privilege of squandering their surplus
millions in the island they had liberated,
and that the Red Cross of Geneva, with
unlimited means at its back, be conde-
scendingly permitted to carry on the
work in it's own way. When we run up
against such cases, which not iiffre
quently happens, Miss Bartons opin-
ions as to the true state of affairs are
never long shrouded in obscurity; and
during the next half hour those ladies'
received more wholesome enllghten-
ment than ever before in the course Of
their lives. The outcome was that the
Red Cross gave a little judicious help
to the Benefcencia, enough to place it
firmly on its feet, together with the
clear understanding that no more assis-
lance would be given and that it must
henceforth be locally maintained. And
then Miss Barton rented another house,
had it cleaned and disinfected, estab-
lished therein three of her nurses and
relieved the over-erowded Benefcencia
of half it's children.
Next we drove by winding road to
the edge of the town, to the Lepers
Home, opposite the cemetery, on top of
breezy hill. The long, one-storied
wooden building, painted sky blue,
with the legend Hospital de San Laz-
aro' in black letters over the wooden
arch of its gateway looks very bright
and clean amid the surrounding YER
dure.
Its apartments are ranged around a
wide central patio, open to every
breeze-male patients on one side, fe-
males on the other, offices In front,
kitchens and store-rooms in the rear. A
surprising number of lepers are here,
almost as many as in the big San Lag
arc hospital of Havana. The majirity
Of these are negroes. and, as always, the
worst cases are Chinese. Why Is It, I
wonder, that the loathsome disease
finds its most congenial ground in ORR
entail bodies? one smiling old fellow,
who, in spite of his inflrmity, retains a
scanty remnant of precious pig-tail,
eked out with braided slboe-string, lost
his eyelids long ago together with
most Of his features. The curious
thing about the case is that kindly
Mother Nature hastened to supply a
substitute for the missing eye-lids in
the shape of q thick film which shades
the tender orbs, something as an owls
eyes are protected. Others have lost
hands and feet, ears. lips. noses, suf-
fering no more pain when the sealy
members dropped off than a snake does
In shedding it's skin.
I was particularly interested in a
young mulatto woman, tall slender and
apparently in perfect health. She sat
N darkened corner, With eyes down
EAST and hands hidden in the folds of
Ter gown, oblivious of present sur
as If wrapped in a cloud of
cts her hands" said the
attendant THE fingers are
'alling off Come, show them, Isabel
refused the heartless Invitation to
ook, but dropped my bunch Of roses in
Ter lap and turned away. At sight of
he flowers her sumberng soul seemed |
% suddenly wake up and look through |
is darkened window Sits. She instant |
Y arose, made an obeIsance worthy the |
irst lady of the land and murmured |
Vii gracia, Senorita, Vaya con Dios--
"A thousand thanks, lady. God go |
With you" SO rich in Spanish courte- |
" are the poorest of these creoIes
The doctor says that twenty years is
he limit of a leper's life, and that they
uffer little physical pain beyond a
light burning sensation at first.
Meanwhile disease in any other form
asses them by. No matter how yell
NV fever. cholera, smallpox or any
ther scourge may be raging. these
vretches who long for death are ex-
mpt At the beginning they are al
vays extremely sensitive and try to
ide from human sight. After a time
hey usually become resigned to their
fliction and even happy; and, strange
D say, as they grow more and more
ideous, they seem actually proud of
hat which makes them disgusting and
eight to show themselves off to
trangers. Such queer streaks has our
cor human ma ture-akn to that which
lads men and women in higher circles
, regard their age, when nearing the
fly mark as something to be ashamed
and concealed; yet when it approach
> the unusual century milestone they
re proud of it and inclined to deceive
the other direction.