The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-05-01
.GULSTAN SENDS
HIS ANSWER
TELLS THE BOARD OF HEALTH
HE WILL NOT REMOVE
FATHER wENDELIN.
SAYS THE FATHER>HAs A RIGHT
TO STAY.
Lives in His Own Residence at the
Settlement-Lepers Resolve About
DR.. French

DR.. French.
Bishop Gulstan has written to the
Board Of Health giving his answer to
the request for the removal of Father
Wendelin from the Leper Settlement.
The answer is a positive refusal and is
said to be cOuched in very strong
terms. The Bishop not only decides
that the Father ought not to be remov-
ed but that he has the right to remain
whether the Board of Health wants to
exclude him from the settlement or
not.
Bishop Gulstan arrived yesterday on
the Mkahala, and the Molokai matter
was one of the first things to which he
gave his attention. 1t had already
been sent to him by mail, and he was
familiar to a certain extent with the
proposition. Last night he wrote the
letter informing the Board of Health
that he would not aCcede to the
Boards request for the removal of
Father Wendelin. The letter is a quite
lengthy one. The Board of Health is
informed, incidentally, that Father
Wendelin is living at the settlement in
his own residence, on mission property,
and has a right, which will be defend
ed if necessary, to continue to occupy
the place.
The letter is as follows:
Honolulu, Hawaii April 3Oth, 1902.
&C. Charlock, Esq, Secretary Board of
Health, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Dear Sir:-I have your letter OF the
18th inst, informing me, that at a
meeting of the Board of Health, held
April IA, 1902, the following resolution
was unanimously passed:
That har111DnV and
interests of the Leper Settlement will
be promoted by the removal of Father
Wendolin, and, that the Rt. Rev. Ru-
pert Gulstan, Bishop of Panopolis, be
requested to remove him forthwith
and appoint some other priest to fiQ
vacancy made thereby
Il have this day returned from WIS.,
I, to the Island of Kauai. Your letter
was forwarded to me there with the
explanation, that the President of the
Board of Health had promised Father
Valentine to withhold publication of
the matter, until my return to the city
l am greatly surprised to find that 1t
became public property soon after such
understanding was given.
"A few days before l left the city for
the Island of Kauai, and before the
Board of Health took the action, of
which you inform me, the President OF
course of a brief interview, suggested
that the peace of the Settlement would
be promoted by the removal of Father
WendOlin. / asked if there We're any
charges against him. The President of
the Board answered that there We're
none ] then said to him, If you were
il. my place, could you remove one, to
whom you owe love and care, without
a single charge against him? The
President of the Board answered, no;
he could not and added well, there is
nothing for us to do but to exercise pa
tience.
with these facts in mind you can
imagine how great a surprise your let
ter was to me. | am surprised at the
conclusion reached by the Board with
out a single charge before it, and with
out investigation of any kind so far as
Father Wendelin is concerned; and |
am more surprised at the peremptory
character of the demand made upon me
to wit: that l remove him Forthwith
and appoint some other priest to fill va
cancy made thereby" In the public re-
ports of the action of the Board in the
case of the persons, who We're found
guilty of Offenses of the graVest char
acter, the Board did not order them re-
moved forthwith, but fixed May LIST as
the time for them to retire, giving them
leave the settlement; and, yet, l am
asked to remove forthwith priest Of
God who for fifteen of the best years
Of his life has labOred among an out
east people, giving them sympathy and
comfort, and pointing them to the Di-
vine Son of God, who, when others
shrunk away, touched the leper, and
spoke TO him words of healing and Of
cheer; a priest, who is dearly beloved
Co.
has served in a spirit of self-sacrifice
all these years
For over a quarter Of a century the
Leper Settlement has been included in
my diocese. The government, having
permitted me to establish a mission
there, to erect church, school, and re-
sidence buildings, has never before
sought to supervise my work, to order
me 10 remove and to appoint at it's will;
and | can not now become a party to
this new departure by consenting to
carry out the order of the Board for the
removal of priest, against whom there
is no charge True, the board has con-
troll over the matter of issuing permits
to persons to visit and to remain at the
settlement. But I believe that this
power Is given it mainly for the pro-
lection of the public health. | do not
believe that it was intended that this
power should be used to suppress the
freedom of any one in the Church of
God, who has the authority and the
duty to select, and, who for over gene
ration has had permission from the
government to send teachers and
preachers of righteousness into the set
tlement.
while believing that have right,
under the original entry and permis-
sion to remain untrammeled in my ap-
pointments to the Leper Settlement