The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-09-14

rounding verdure. Its apartments
are ranged around wide central
patio, open to every breeze-male pa
tients on one side: females on the
other, offices in front, kitchens and
storerooms in the rear. A surprising
number of lepers are here, almost as
many as in the big San Lazaro Hos
pital at Havana. The majority of
these are negros, and, as always, the
worst cases are Chinese. Why is it,
l wonder, that the loathsome disease
finds its most congenial ground in
Oriental bodies? One smiling old fell
low, who, in spite of his infirmity,
retains a scanty remnant of precious
pigtail, eked out with braided shoe
string, lost his eyelids long ago, to-
gether with most of his features. The
curious thing about the case is that
kindly Mother Nature hastened to
supply a substitute for the missing
eyelids in the shape of thick film,
which shades the tender orbs, some
thing as an owls eyes are protected.
Others have lost hands and feet, ears,
lips, noses, suffering no more pain
when the scaly members dropped off
than a snake does in shedding its skin.
| was particularly interested in a
young mulatto woman, tall, slender
and apparently in perfect health.
She sat in a darkened corner, with
eyes dOwncast and hands hidden in
the folds of her gown, oblivious OF
present surroundings as if wrapped
in a cloud of memories. Its her
hands, said the brusque attendant.
The fingers are falling off. Come,
show them, Isabel | refused the
heartless invitation to look, but drop
ped my bunch of roses in her lap and
turned away. At sight of the flowers
her slumbering soul seemed to sud-
denly wake up and look through its
darkened window Sits. She instant
ly arose, made an obeisance worthy
of the first lady of the land and muir
INJURED, Mil gracias Senorita. Vaya
con Dios" CA thousand thanks. lady.
God go with you'D. So rich in Span
ish courtesy are the poorest of these
creoles.
The doctor says that twenty years
is the limit of a leper's life, and that
they suffer little physical pain, beyond
slight burning sensation. at first.
Meanwhile, disease in any other form
passes them by. No matter how vel
low fever, cholera, smallpox, or any
other scourge may be raging, these
wretches who long for death are ex-
empt. At the beginning they are
always extremely sensitive and try to
hide from human sight. After a time
they usually become resigned to their
affiiction, and even happy; and,
strange to say, as they grow more and
more hideous, they seem actually
proud of that which makes them dis
gusting, and delight to show them
selves off to strangers. Such queer
streaks has our poor human nature -
akin to that which leads men and
women in higher circles to regard
their age, when nearing the fifty
mark as something to be ashamed of
and concealed; yet when it approaches
the unusual century milestone they
are proud of it and inclined to deceive
in the other direction.
They trailed after us to the gate as
we left the place, deadful process
sion, worthy of Dante's Inferno, ex-
cept that these mutilated shades were
cheerful even to chumminess. "Adois!
Adois - they cried, the familiar
words often coming from lipless jaws,
and the smiling Chinaman, with owls
eyelids, piped in voice shrill as a
southeaster Good bly,, Mclean
leddies; good bly,"
How sweet the sunshine, the odor
of flowers, butterflies zigzagging in
the summer breeze and trees touching
finger tips across the road after that
awful place of Gods mysterious dis
pensations The United States army
hospital at the opposite end of the
town fresh, clean and orderly, looked
like small Heaven in contrast to the
places we had visited. Not one of our
soldiers is now seriously ill in Santa
Clara and the hospital is almost
empty.
The great city hospital called San
Juan de Dios Saint John of God). is
in woefully bad condition. A green
cesspool in the middle of the house
vents its deadly gases unhindered,
and dirt reigns supreme. The doctor
complained that there is no division
between the wards of men and women
and no privacy for either, insufficient
medicines for the sick and no food
suited to convalescents. In one cor
ner of the patio, exposed to view, the
wan house of freed soul lay unten-
anted; ; and in another corner, covered
from head to foot with a sheet. as If