The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-04-13

regular guard of honor from s o'clock
in the morning till 6 at night; the leper
girls and women constantly relieve
each other. During their hour they are
wrapped in a large red cloak. What
consoling spectacle! What a complete
change from the horros of that life
which these unfortunate people lead
before dear Father Damien came
among them!
In the Bishops Home the Sisters do
all that lies i'll their power to make life
less unbearable to their afflicted chorr-
cs, even teaching music to the girls
and showing them how to play with
thelr crippled fingers, which is a great
pleasure to these very musical island
ers. When the semi-unnual visit is
PAID by members of the board of
health concert is given in the large
hlll OF the Bishops home that is a rea,
source OF enjoyment to the lepcrs. The
Islands are very neatly kept, and also
the leper village of Kalapapa, with
storehouses and other buildings all in
excellent condition. In 1895 Father
Damien's brother, Father Pamphile
Devenster, left Europe with the vicar
apostolic Of the Sandwich Islands,
Mgr. Ropert, and number of other
missionaries, and four Sisters of Homo
lulu. Then Father Pamphile and four
brothers of the order were escorted by
the bishop to Molokai, where warm
reception awaited them all, especially
Father Pamphile, brother of the much
beloved Father Damien.
Thirty-two years had elapsed since
the day when illness having Frustrated
him, his place as missionary to the
Sandwich Islands had been taken by
his younger brother. Now no longer
young, he quietly and humbly, at the
call Of his speriors, started for Molo-
kai to continue his dead brothers. Ia
bors among the lepers. 1t was a great
change in the life Of a learned studious
man in his Goth year, to put aside the
books and studies among which had
been passed the best years Of his exist
ence; but true religious, he never
hesltated in obeying the call, merely
telling his friends that it was his duty
to obey, and that he was depart
ing with the desire to do all the good
lie could to the poor lepers. Father
Pamphile had the advantage of being
more learned than Father Damien. He
knew Hebrew, Greek and Latin: spoke
English extremely WE'LL also some 9th
or modern languages, and with his fa-
cllity for acquiring languages he was
not long at NIolokai before he was
able to preach in the KanalSa tongue
to his people.
SO far has been the result of Father
Damien's work on the island of AIolo-
kal, showing to the world the great
charity of the Catholic church, who
never has the least difficulty in finding
among her children Jealous apostolic
laborers only too willing to bring the
blessings of our holy religion to their
most afflicted brethren.
In Europe, while great meetings are
being held and statues erected, and
speeches made, and newspaper arti-
clrS written in favor of Father Da
mien, the Catholic church, by means
OF Il former colleague of the holy
priest. commemOrated him in their own
silent and practical. and, one might
say, almost obscure fashion, by the
erection ut Aerschot, near his native
village. Of an apostolic school now
known as the Damien Institute, where
boys are trained for the missions
1t was begun in great poverty and
simplicity. and there were many to
prophecy it's failure, but, like the grain
of mustard seed and under the protcc-
ton of st. Joseph, it throye in y very
quiet, unobtrusivc manner and now
there are six branches of the Institute
comprising four apostolic schools. wifi,
~ pupils. II not more, and two novi
tlates. There is also Il scholasticatc ot
the central house ut Louvain, and in
England branch has been established
Shlcc 1901, which is doing good work
III training apostolic students, though
!t mas to struggle with poverty and
other difficulties in it's efforts to SEQ
ond the houses OF the institute that is
answering the appeal uttered by the
noble missionary whose name it bears.
Induce others to come and ioin us in
the work, but train them for mis-
sionary life"
N