The Washington times., 1906-08-12

b again Move on
a That has been the
greeting "a C @ O d e
George ROssett. or
Rashid. as they would call him al
home. wherever he has attempted 10
leave the railway car In which he was
traveling. Rossett is not the orig
inal wandering Jew. He is a Syrian
and peddler. ready and able 20 earn
his own Iiviug-but he IS leper-
That is why ne has been taken
around from pillar 20 post, why panic
has preceded and relief followed him.
why the railway has been obliged 10
give him a private car. and 49, 'veA
Obliged To take him from town 70
town and from state 10 State. unable
10 leave him anywhere. That is why
health boards have reused local au-
thorities 20 prevent his being allowed
10 leave his car. That is why he. mas
finally been taken back 20 West VIZ
gInIa. whence ne came more than
month ago. and unceremonI"uslE
dumped i'm the uuiuhahted wllds OF
West Virginia mountain side 10 i've
or die as Inc sees NJ and as the fates
prescribe
Ii Is useless for scientists 20 say
that leprosy is not particularly con
tagious They do say il. and the world
accepts the proposition cooliy ana
calmly and reasonably, SO long as lt
is an abstract one But the moment
A. haecmes concrete. the moment a
human being afflicted with leprosy APP
pears on the horizon, science reason
humanity all give way To the mad
5est of panic. The world knows that
leprosy rs not particularly contagious.
71r none the less IL shrieks loudly.
s.Don'r let him come near in ltN
head 1t knows. in it's heart II dorsn
believe. And the medical fraternity
seems to be no whit more reasonable
chan the lavmen i'm this particular
The gentlemen AZ the heads or the
health deuarrments of the various
towns where ,Rossett has attempted
~ aIeht from his car have said "Ot
course leprosv is not particularly con-
tagious: but You can't get of here
So for weeks poor George Rossett
has been a human shuttlecock- He has
been a leper for mouths-ayi ioF
vears-for leprOsy does not develop
over night. But leprosy Is not com
mon I'm this country, and the. nature
of his amiction was not recognized
He knew. but he kept his knowledge
- himself Can YOU blame him? He
is only twenty-ouc, he may prob
ahlv viii. live for years. lie has not
the millions of Senior BrinEas. the
Mexican leper. whose sunerings In
hopeless quest for health were de-
scrfbed a week or two ago. He knew
that when his secret was known ne
would be "a pari7h. an outcast from
the habitations of men. that human
fellowship would be denied him. that
he. living. might well envy the dead
who had won their rest. What Won
der that ne put of the evil day as
long as possible?
He came 10 America about four
years ago. Even then the poison
must have been working in his blood
but II had certainly not come To the
surface OF he would never have been
allowed 20 land. He was a peddler
Tor a while, travelling with his pack
through the villages Of Maine. Then
when he had learned something Of
the customs and language of the new
land 10 which he had come he Wenc
10 work in one OF the cotton mills AT
Waterville. His name. Rashid. became
corrupted into Rossett. but he didn't
care. One name was as good as an
other. The only thinr that matrered
was his wife-the dark-eyed Syrian
girl ne had married before he lefc
home, and who would join him as
soon ass he could send her money to
20 pay her passage.
He worked hard. He was steady and
Industrious In eighteen months he
had saved enough TO bring her over.
and when he welcomed her TO his
home i'm the little Maine manufactur-
Ing town. he thought his troubles were
about over. He was prepared. poor
lad. 20 live happy evr after.
just for a few months his poor little
dream OF happiness was left MIN. II
was not much that he asked of fate
Just 10 be allowed 10 live on, 10 work
hard for small wages. 10 keep mis-
humble home with his smiling dark
eyed wife, and in time, perhaps,
dark-eyed child waiting for him with
outstretched arms and a crow OF wei
come when ne came home from the
factory. Such n modest dream of hap
piness. such n little wherewlth to build
a great content Poor ladl Poor nine
tceu-year-oId mani