The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-04-21
Humble Heroes of
Molokai
The Catholic Herald.

|
In that most interesting book, "Ths
Lepers of Molokais (tAve Maria
| Press, Charles Warren Stoddard has
| the following little-known passage re
lating to the share taken by an Irish
Australian family in the early at
tempts to comfort the forsaken lepel
of the Pacific The author says:
There was little sleep that night.
was thinking of my first visit to the
settlement in 1868, when the keeper
and his family did what they could te
make DIR. Lee, the then visiting physl
clan, and myself comfortable.
The Walsh family had a history, and
sad one it was. Failing health com
PEELED the retirement of Mr.. Waist
from the British army some years pre-
vious to my acquaintance with him
With his wife and children he sought
home in the colonies-that first hope
of the young and enthusiastic, the last
resort of the despairing. Misfortune
and death pursued him from shore to
shore Discouraged by Improbable
speculations in Australia and New
Zealand, he sailed, for the far-distant
Hawaiian Islands.
Seven children had been taken from
them by death; but one renamed
good lad, though, alas in delicate
health, subject to physical disorders,
and therefore a constant source OF
anxiety.
Upon the arrival of the Washes IN
Honolulu. it was announced that a
keeper was needed at the new leper
settlement-one who would make his
home with the lepers and devote ms
entire attention to them. Mr.. Walsh
offered his own and his wife s services
and they were accepted. Inc httle
family at once removed to Molokal,
and took up their residence at kala-
wac.
Upon my visit at that time, the doe
tor and L sought shelter under their
roof. the only refuge available. The
house was extremely small; L THINK
there were but two rooms IN 1t; put
the son was absent for few days
away in the mountains with some COM
panions-and the living room, IN
which we sat by day, where we ate,
and which was also a dispensary on
small scale, was our sleeping room at
night. The doctor found his bed in
little alcove, while | slept on the lounge.
lounge.
remember the charity, the loving
kindness and the deep poverty OF
those gracious people. ! remember
their modest apologies for the table,
upon which were spread only the bar
est necessaries of life. (Sea-b biscuit
sopped in milk was staple IN that
humble home.) j remember their eff
forts at merriment: how they tried
10 make light of their sorrowful strait ;
but their very mirth was pathetic,
With what tenderness they spoke of
their absent boy and his infrmities;
with what fearful hope they pictured
his future and their owni
One of the half-dozen volumes that
constituted the family library was
Father Faber's All for Jesus. 1t was
the mainstay of the house; it was
taken down at odd moments during
.he day; put into my hands again and
again, that | might read this or that
favorite passage-and read it aloud
for Mr.. Walsh was rapidly losing his
sight. and his eyes were then shielded
by double green glasses.
Husband and wife worked as one in
that vineyard Many d time was Mrs.
Walsh called TO the bedside of the
dying. 20 lend the aid of her fearful
sympathy to some fainting soul in its
last agony. Fifty. yea, hundred,
times a day were these gentle people