The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-06-11


ocean. and on the remaining side by a
steep precipice about 1,5G0 feet in
height. The settlement can only be
approached by a small pathway. and
two policemen are always on guard
here to prevent anyone ON entering
ONLY A FEW WHITE LEPERS.
a bout 40 Lepers were sent here in
1865, and the number has increased
from time To time until there are now
about thousand persons in the com
| munity. Nine-tenths of the afflicted
inmates OF the place are either Chinese
or natives, white people being rarely
j susceptible to the disease. Little is
/ known Of this dreaded malady- 1t is a
| cureless but painless affIiction and the
| theory is that it can only be taken
| from contact. The first symptoms are
I generally little spots behind the ears.
| One of its strangest features is that
| children born of leprous parents are
! seldom afflicted. All children born at
| Molokai are carefully watched until
| they are seven years of age, and if at
| that time they are found to be nom
| lepers they are taken to Honolulu and
| placed in an institution provided for
| them. These children are carefully
| sheltered and nurtured and, almost in
variably grow up to be useful citizens.
1t seems horrible to be sent to an
! out-of-the way island for life, but it
| is said that few of those who have
| been committed to Molokai would
! care to leave. There are schools,
| churches, musical societies, and a good
band. There is even a race-track
| where those of the lepers who own
horses can indulge in speed contests.
| The lepers live in rows of pretty lit
tie houses and all may have their gar
dens and their little fields.
They are permitted to mingle with
each other socially and may marry
il they chose. The state pays for
all expenses of living. and charita bly,
inclined persons supply many comforts
such as books, magazines, music and
other luXuries. Once each year an en-
terta inment is given by the society
people of Honolulu and all the pro-
ceeds are devoted to providing COM
forts for the lepers. No Christmas or
holiday is allowed to pass without
sending gifts and goodies to the chill
dren on the island.
HEARTRENDING SCENES AT
PARTING.
To be committed to Molokai is really
not such a great hardship upon any
unmarried or unattached person, but
when a husband or wife becomes af-
f1icted the separation is, of course,
terrible ordeal. 1t is worse than if
they were sent to prison for life.
Worse because the prisoner may be
pardoned, but the leper has not the
slightest hope of cure. One of the sad
dest sights in the world is when
a steamer is departing with a new
lot of lepers for Molokai. Husband
and wife are often ruthlessly torn
from each other and in most all in
stances those who are not afflicted,
beg for permission to enter the col
ony with their loved ones. There have
been instances where a husband
would develop into a 1eper and be
sent to the island, leaving his wife
and children with no means of sup
port, and these cases are so pitiful
that it seems the government should
provide for all rather than see them
suffer.
At intervals a ship is sent to Molo-
kai upon which relatives and friends
of the lepers may have free passage
to pay a visit to the afflicted colo
nists. On the arrival of this boat at
the island the visitors are escorted
into an enclosure which is guarded on
every side by wire. They can talk
this fence, but there must be
no contact. These visits mean much
to the afflicted ones and their friends.
Another sad feature of the island
life is that all children born there
must be taken away at the age of
seven years, unless they have become
inoculated in the meantime Imagine
the anguish it must mean to a father
and mother to look upon their chill
dren when they are little and realize
that they will soon be taken away
from them, and that although they |
may return at intervals to talk to
them. that they will never be permit
ted to touch them again. This is
really the essence of tragedy.
TRAGIC END OF ONE CASE.
The sad case of one young wife who |
was sent to Molokai would cause the |
stoutest heart to bleed with pity. She |
had only been married a year and her |
first baby was about to be born, when |
it was discovered that she was in |
the first stage of leprosy. OF course
the husband did everything within his
power TO save her from the island,
but the law was stern and they took
her away. The case was so extremely |
pitiful that the authorities agreed to
break the rules for once and allow the
husband to remain with his wife until
after the birth of their child. The
baby did not live day. and the guard
n making his rounds found the unfor-
-unate couple entwined in each 9TH
er's arms both in the last long sleep
IF death. An empty morphine bottle
II the bedside told the silent story OF
despair. Surely merciful God will
leal gently with souls % terribly tried
IS these.
FREDERICK J. HASKIN.
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