The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-08-09

hP2uTuSu DIS IL uSIO ny
Roosevelt and looked upon by the
world wherever his fame has gone as
a martyr in the cause of humanity and
Christianity, Brother Dutton has Ia
bored for twenty years 1T the settle
ment of Kalawao, Island of Molokai,
ia behalf of the lepers segregated
there. Not once in that whole period
has the devoted lnan left the settle
n ent, ana but once has he cooked back
over the read by which he went there
from the landing place at Kalaupapet.
Brother buttons career, at least that
little known to the people of the Aa-
allan Islands, has been one of long
devotion in the cause of stricken hu-
1nauity. But much of his life seems
the reasons assigned for his heroic de-
termination to >se"lude himself from all
intercourse with the world in the Leper
Sc ttIemenr. Some of the reasons ai&
heart in his youth had something RI
do with it, but whatever the cause,
Brother buttons labors have been ia
valuable not only to those who are re-
quired to live in the settlement, but to
the medical world at large. To few
persons has Brother DuttOn spoken Of
his past Governor Carter has had
some interesting talks with him ana
these have all served to reveal the
splendid nobility of the mans charac~
ter.
That one time when Brother Dutton
looked back toward Kalaupapa forms
IL mysterious incident III his life at Ka-
lawao. According to close friend of
Brother Dutton, this occurred when he
had been at Kalawao seventeen years.
Late one afternoon, when the sun was
slanting it's beams upon the hillsides
and bathing them in tropical splendor,
Bro. Dutton walked slowly out of ka-
lawao, and, mounting the slopes, ar
rived at place from which he could
look back to Kalaupapa several miles
away. At Kalaupapa the steamer
makes its landings and all who come
to the settlement disembark there. Be
tween Kalaupapa and kalawao is
connecting road, and it was over that
road that Brother Dutton travelled
when he first arrived at the settle
lncnt. He remained on the hillside
uf,til the sun went down and return
ed to Kalawao after dark, neVermore
to leave his beaten track.
What was in that long look back
over the road to Kalaupapa? Was it |
regret. was it longing, or was it the
desire to once more gaze upon the way
ri
and the underworld, and then to shut |
it out of his life forever? a thousand
ccnjectures arise based upon this Incl |
dent, but it is not to be thought that
Brother Dutton for one moment fal-
tered in his determination to remain |
to the end of his days ministering to |
the wants of the afflicted ones for
whom he cares day and night.
It may not be generally known that |
Brother Dutton had short career in
the army, or, at least, that he was con-
Eected with the United States army
after the Civil War. His work then
and now form a strange contrast. vet
they are peculiarly linked. for then he
was in the corps to which was assign
ed the CHASTITY task of retaining the
dead soldiers from the Southern bat
tiefields and conveying them to the ma
ti0nal cemeteries set aside for their in
terment where they would be honored
by all future generations. Then, his
work was TO care for the heroic dead
of the battlefield. Now. it is 20 care
for the living dead, those afflicted with
the dread disease of lerrosy
1t is little wonder, then, that one
Gay when Governor Carter entered
Brother buttons little house in which
he has his laboratory. treatment room
library and living quarters. he found
in the sitting room an American flag
draped across one end. The Governor
had not noticed it on Il former visi, AMI
asked why it happened 10 be so dis
played.
Il was in the army after the Civil!
War" said Brother Dutton. "an1 my
work of removing dead soldiers to the
national cemeteries gives me strong
reason for displaying the flag on Dec
Grafton Day. To me it has a real sig
nifcance. On Memorial Day I have my
solitary little service here
Some time ago Brother D-ltton sat
for picture and copies OF it were