The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-22
LEPER coLoNY's EASTER MORN.
How Day Is Celebrated Among In
fortunates.

| Myriads of stars move along in their
| silent course. Also in the cottages OF
Bethesda, the leper village. all is still
Only from one of these cottages is heard
a cry Of distress. the cry of an unfortun-
ate inmate approaching his dissolution.
| $3.50 a. m.-Dull burn the few lamps in
the chapel of the lepers, in which. during
the last weeks. they have so often gath
cred in order, in spirit TO follow their
| suffering Savior on his dolorious road to
| Golgatha's cross.
| Quietly the congregation awaits the ar
rival Of the missionary. Now he enters
J with the joyful Easter greeting: 1.-The
Lord is risenr' The lepers arise, respond
| ing with the words. He is risen indeed
| and triumphantly the words sound forth
| in the Easter night:
! Hail, all hail. victorious Lord and Savior.
Thou hast burst the bonds OF death:
Grant us, as TO Mary, that great favor.
To embrace thy feet in faith
Thou hast in our stead the curse endured.
And for us eternal life procured.
Joyful, we with one accord,
Hail thee as our risen Lord.
The lepers now all pass out. in mute
procession. into the starlit night. to the
last resting place of the dead. Silently
they move along. each one absorbed in
his own thoughts.
On the edge of the forest, in dark out
line. rises a cross from among the tall
grass They have now reached the peace
full graveyard of the leper colony. No
high monuments of brass or stone adorn
this resting place of the dead. No kneel-
ing angels guard the graves OF the sleep
ers. In vain would you seek even the
simplest gravestone. The giant trees OF
the primeval forest stand here like a
death watch. The waves of the Surinam
River murmur a funeral dirge TO the de-
parted.
~ am the resurrection and the life
Whosoever believeth in me shall live
though he were dead,'' Thus sound the
words Of life and hope over the lowly
mounds of earth.
Now rises, on the opposite shore. above
the woods, the fiery orb of day. His
beams tremble through the thick foliage
of the primeval forest. they plunge into
the cottages where pain and suffering
dwell, they surround with fleeting lustre
the cross on the field of death.
Struck by the wind. the tall grass
surges up and down-like a crystal sea-
and the lowlands far and wide glisten and
sparkle with the heavy dew in the bright
Easter morning light.
The company of cripples. men. women
and children. all clad in spotless white.
surround the graves OF their former COM
panions and friends whose long path Of
suffering has ended here. Not far from
these Christian iepers a large number OF
heather Coolies listen to their Easter
hymn of rejoicing:
Jesus iivesi henceforth is death
But the gate of life immortal:
This shall calm my trembling breath,
When / pass it's gloomy portal;
Faith shall cry. as fails each sense.
Lord, thou art my confidence.
The hymn has perceptibly moved the
swarthy sons from India's pearly strand
as the expression on their faces would In
dictate. Leaning on his staff. bent for
ward. Buddha priest looks down 20 the
earth. He seems. at this moment. 20 feel
something like Il longing for heaven. and
he is conscious that one who IS invisible
to the human eye. yet omnipresent. Is
here passing through the groups of Chri-
tan iepers. and that ne is mightier than
Buddha-
The hvnn has died away. The Chris
tan congregation unites IN prayer 10 the
risen Prince of Life.
Those among the lepers whose hands
still remain reverentIy folded behind
them. The others cross their crippled
members. while the Coolies place
their arms over their breasts. The mis-
sionary in HIS prayer remembers the de-
parted he commends the living Of this
village OF exiies from home and kindred.
to the heart OF the AllcOmpassionate Saw
iour. He asks that an Easter blessing
NAV descend upon the heather people
who stfli dwell in darkness and the sha-
dow Of death-far from the Easter light
and hope when the amen has been pro-
nounced the lepers extend 20 each other
over the graves Of the departed. their
crippled hands. during the singing Of the
well known hymn:
We who here together are assembled.
Jogaing hearts and hands IN one.
Bind ourselves with love that's undis-
semblee.
Christ TO love and serve alone;
Oh may our imperfect songs and praises
Be weIi-pieasing unto thee, Lord Jesus:
Saw. Ny peace / leave with you"
Amen. amen. be II So
Vow they return 10 their cottages. the
homeless exiles who. under Goigatha =
cross. have fou-d the way 20 their Pa
Tiers home or high and peace On earth
Across their SCARED and disSF1red Wis
ages passes a beam q Easter 10y They
know that Ciod-s messenger viii some DAY
approach their couch q sHre-5nE ard
gently bear then away from this valley
Q, corruption into the land % the re-
deemed from many nations where dTeu
the saints in Light
Ia your Easter toy. kird reader. VII
Won not alao remember the poor. Grip
pied Ispers Of Beths~iz7 YOur helping
hand ard sympathy is needed n order
10 extend TIE work Thsrs ara SIN fhos-
Sands q ierers n SST5nan who ezrnot
turn - BstheEdz fer shsiter h@csuss.
there IS 10 rroru for then May fhsrs
sre zho are anxious 20 corne ard - fe--
derly cared for. 70 6nd res; ksre under ~
shadow % the cross % Calvary r. The
Iepersr farewell Ietfsr 20 - ihsy vrote.
As = IS oniy lcTs .e7 Is that prompts
you 70 cross TIE SEA. - vfii ero~u yorr
tas-o-s With Success fer Ehere Iqve =
,ns compelling raxeT Ire LORD rili eoz-
rnzzd hieszs-s