The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-06-21

Driest we'll N he comes to their house.
but they have only done this since their
orejudices against our religion have
been removed. They never said any
speaks TO them OF religion they readily
admit that we are right. and they are
In error. but II Is the fear OF their min
lister which holds them back from the
church"
That the young priest had entered
upon his mission work with heart and
soul afiame may be implied from the
following passage. portion OF the let
Or above quoted:
while I am writing you this letter
some OF my neophytes have come to
speak TO me. They. in their turn. wish
TO express To- you in their own tongue
their love for the Catholic church. their
love for priests. even for those who live
five thousand leagues from them. Do
not turn n deaf ear. then. to their en-
treaty-they ask for rosaries to wear
around their necks- They ask for
priests-you who have the vocation to
be a missionary. do you ask and you
shall receive-incite others to come and
Join us and train themselves for the
work i want you, my dear
Father. 20 buy two bells for my two
new churches: they must be smaller
than the one at Louvain which Mgr
d'Abierie blessed. Towards this you
10
as well as Madame D, and other
charitable persons"
For nine years Father Damien was
stationed in Hawaii. His parish was
Il large one. Upon the back of a mule
he followed mountain trails. in rain or
shine. He said mass, in turn. at his
several widely scattered chapels. These
chapels he built with such help as he
could command. He painted them, he
decorated them. somewhat gaudily. To
suit the taste OF the natives; he kept j
them In repair. There were three thou I
sand natives In his district and OF these |
he said:
Well I certainly love my savages. |
who will soon be more civilized than |
They all here know how to |
read and write. and are quite we'll
dressed on Sundays"
The end wars not yet. The aspira-
tons OF that dauntless soul could not
permit it's pOssessor TO remain content
ed with the round of parish work in |
KohaIa. Hawaii. His hour approached.
Being present as guest, at the dedi-
cation OF a chapel at Wailuku. on the |
Island OF Maui. Bishop Maigret ex-
pressed his sorrow that he had not
enough so that he might
spare one for the care OF the suffering /
epers OF Molokai- Almost in the same
breath Father Damien appealed to the
bishop. reminding him that recent ar
rlNdlS lIOIIl belgium ilttu lilt N<ASt
clear enough II was providentiali 1t
was n voice from Heaven that called
him, "Monseigneur." said he. here
are your new missionaries; one OF them
can take my district. and IL. you will
be kind enough TO allow II, VIII go to
and labor for the poor lepers
whose wretched state OF bodily and
spiritual misfortune has often made
my heart bleed within me-"
No sooner said than done. That very
day. without one word OF farewell. Fa-
Their Damien embarked with the bishop
on a small vessel that had touched at
the Island Of Maui with n consignment |
Of fifty iepers bound for the settlement
of Molokai. Upon their arrival at the /
settlement the bishop called all the peo-
pie together and addressed them in /
voice quiverinG with emotion: so far.
my children" said ne. you have been
left alone and uncared for But you
shall be so no longer. Behold. i have /
brought you one who viii be n father /
TO you. and who loves you so much /
that for your welfare and for the sake /
u your immortal souls. he does not /
hesitate a. become one OF you. 10 live /
and die with youi''
Thus. I'm his thirty-third year. did |
Father Damien voluntarily enter upon /
his mission among the lepers. a mission |
that was at last crowned with glorious /
The Island of MoIokai. one OF the I
dozen that form the Hawaiian Archi- /
pelago. IS 40 miles I'm length and but /
seven miles wide I'm the widest part. |
From the superb cliffs that line its /
northern shore IL tapers TO n narrow |
desert in the south. One may pass in |
"A few hours ride from Gardens OF Eden /
walled In by fern-clad palisades and |
fed by slender waterfalls that seem TO |
leap from the very cloud and are treb- |
led In volume after every shower. TO a |
land that has never drank a drop of /
rain-for the trade-wind clouds are /
wrung dry before they cast their shad- /
ow on IL. and from shore To shore II is |
the abomfnation OF desolation.
Under those rain-fed windward cliffs 1
lies n plateau, about 5000 acres in eN-
tent. washed on three sides by the tu-
multuous sea, while the fourth side rs /
guarded by a precipitous mountain wall
1000 feet in height The land there is
grassy. unduIating. Scantily supplied /
with trees as one approaches the cliff
The rocky shore affords no landing.
save In fair weather. Nature seems To
have set this almost inaccessible
tongue OF land-it was once hot lava
hat flowed into the sea that cooled II
and claimed IL for it's own-nature
seems TO have set IL aside for n partic-
l:lar purpose. and grievous one IL is.
for this Is the site OF the leper settle
mentS on Moiokai. Nothing can be
more fOrnindDle tnan the Wits OF dua
mant that shut IL out from heights
md depths OF surprising beauty. The
very walls themselves are decked with
hanging gardens OF flowers and ferns.
and festooned with pendulous vines
hat are but a foretaste OF the peren-
liaI loneliness of the verdant wales be-
rond them.
I do not believe that Father Damien
.ver paused to contemplate the natural
beauty OF his environment. the sunp-
.uous adornments OF perpetual sum
ner. the spiendor OF the sea He had
10 time for the delights OF the eye: his
I've senses went hungry or were re-
fcited SO long as he survived his pain
ul exile
Note these extracts from Father Da-
n!sn'S official report 10 the Hawaiian
soard OF Health. The reader can see
hat his whole heart was in his work.
nat he had eyes and ears for nothing.
Use save the spiritual and temporal
Welfare OF his afflicted people: