The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-15

year. besides which much Is done by
private charity Food is issued in regular
rations for each leper The amount
week is seven pounds of beef or fresh
fish, or five pounds of salt Columbia river
salmon, with two pounds of pai-ai, or
eight and one half pounds of bread. with
one pound of sugar, or twelve and one-half
pounds of bread, with one pound of sugar,
or nine pounds of rice, with one pound
of sugar. or Twelve and one-fourth
pounds of -four with one pound of sugar.
Besides these soap, salt, matches and
kerosene oil are issued monthly, also a
ration bill of $40 a year for which the
holder can draw any goods he wishes from
the store which the board main tains al
Kalaupapa. Milk Is supplied from herd
of cows owned by the board. which range
over the peninsula and fresh vegetables
and fruits can now be had all the year
round by those who will take the trou-
bic to grow them There has heretofore
been insufficient water for irrigating gar
dens, but last year the board had new
and larger main laid, at an expense OF
900. and there is now an abundance Of
good water for all purposes. The "pai-ai"
mentioned in the rations is preparat ion
of the taro root and from 1t is made
poi" the national food of the Hawaiians.
They eat 1t in the form of q paste, and
! to them it Is the staff of life, as bread Is
to the Europeans.
The board maintains at the settlement
skilful resident physician, who does all
in his power for the relief of the sufferers.
The Goto treatment Japanese) has also
been thoroughly tested and Is still used
to a considerable extent, the lepers be-
lieving that it gives them more relief than
anything else. But no cure has been dis
covered "Once a leper always a leper.
The disease does not appear to be heredi-
tary The majority of the children born
at the settlement of leprous parents are
not lepers, and home has been establish
ed in Honolulu to which they may be
brought and reared. so that they may not
contract the disease from their parents.
1t Is said to be custom among Hawaiians
parents to chew the food and then place
it in the mouths of their children, and
many little ones are supposed to have con-
tracted the disease in this way.
As race they seem to have no fear of
disease and it Is reported THAI i'm taking
| leave of leprous friends about to be
moved to Molokai they have followed an
| old custom of passing the same pipe from
mouth to mouth, lepers and all smoking
| it. 1t has been the custom, where a leper
needed special care, TO allow friend to
go with him to the settlement as a "ko-
lkua." or nurse Years ago a healthy man
went as a kokua to care for his leorous
wife. She afterward died. According 90
| the rules OF the DOdTu he was required TO
| leave within two weeks after his wife's
death. He avoided this by marrying an
other leprous woman, and when she also
died married a third leper with whom he
| is now living, and he has as yet shown
no symptoms of leprosy.
II is a noticeable fact that among the
| twelve hundred depers al the settlement
| there are only about a dozen white people,
| and ii seems TO indicate that there is hit
| tie danger of contracting the disease If
| ordinary care Is used G. b. Reynolds
by birth an Englishman. and for years
| executive officer of the board of heaGth
| visits the settlement every months, and
| quite frequently remains a week at a time
| planning and overseeing necessary i'm
| prvements. For years he has been doing
| this and he has no fear of contracting the
| disease. The Sisters of St. Francis, of
| whom there are seven al Mojol1ai, wash
| and dress the sores of those in their
| charge, as does Brother Dutton, and not
| one of them has been affected. Father
| Damiens case was an exception, but those
| who were well acquainted with, him, and
! frequently visited him at his work, say
| that he took absolutely no care 20 guard
against the disease, exposing himself in
| phe most reckless manner. His grave at
Motokai is covered with blooming plants
| always, ana the reco. .ec;don of his good
works will not die.
The steamers whistle sgnaled her ap-
| proac hing departure. Then came the sad
dest scene Of an. The visitors who had
joyously d. sembarked in the morning
burdened with deicacies and mementoes
for their afflicted friends, slowly and with
| inexpressib be sadness returned toward the
| landing, Their leper friends with Them,
anxious to postpone TO the last moment
what might be their final earthly farewell.
II was an infinitely pathetic scene. In that
trying moment the warmth and tenderness
Of human affection banished an Thought
| or fear of contag1on. The afflicted bodies
were held closely embraced. Loving
kisses were pressed on lips and cheeks
dlsfgured by the dread disease, while
above the sound of the murmuring breeze
and the low wash OF the waves on the
rocky shore rose the pathetic Hawaiian
wall such as is heard over the bodies of
their dead II reached out 10 the ship
rocking at anchor, and It's echoes yet live
in the hearts OF some who were touched
by MS sound of hopeless woe.