Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-07
Voluntary Life With Lepers
Earns Fame for Ira DuttOn

Countrywide tributes to Ira Dutton,
who gave his life to work among the
lepers of Molokai, are paid as death
ends his long career. Known as Brother
Joseph, he was the disciple and sue
ceSsor of Father Damien, and, although
devoted to his work, never contracted the
disease from those to whom he minis
tered He is declared, nevertheless, to
have received the worlds highest honors.
THAT he failed to contract the dread
disease does not detract from that rar-
lied his service" declares the Pitts
burgh PoSt-Gazette, while the Charles
ton IS. CO News and Courier says:
Among the afflicted he walked, at
their bedsides he ministered, at
their funerals he officiated He went
about them unafraid." The New Bed
ford Standard pays the tribute: such
self-sacrifice as his and Damien's are
not unique by any means, but they are
very rare. The church under whose
banner they forsook the world to aid
the most wretched of its creatures has
every reason to honor them, and their
example must be an inspiration to all
mankind"
Occasionally men and women so
completely abdicate the world" accord
ing to the Detroit Free Press, land imb
molate themselves in segvice to their
less fortunate fellow beings as to revive
admiration for the human race. At
tending upon lepers is limited field,
but there are other ways OF serving
those whose ability to help themselves
is restricted The inspiration OF Ira
buttons life lies in his recognition that
the years given to self we're of less
spiritual value than those given to
others
Prom this pestilential spot. least in
viting to happiness of any place upon
the worlds surface" recalls the Mem
phis Commercial Appeal, came back at
Intervals letters of hope and good cheer
from him who had made the great adj
venture in differentiation and self
sacrifice AS the Master Himself mad
dared to touch the leper and make him
whole again, so Brother Joseph dared To
minister to the many lepers of Molokat.
And, strangely enough, in the midst OF
the most dreaded disease he found bod
lily health and vigor that lasted him
until he was almost 80 years Of age.
Can any one doubt that he also found
right up to the moment when
death came as ministering angel to
relieve him of his labors? No one who
ever read one of Brother Joseph's letters
can even question the fact that he
gained by running away from 1t the
happiness that millions of others have
chased feverishly in vain"
He found happiness in his work, and
despite the gloom and depression Of his
surroundings was a man of rare humor,
states the Scranton Times, while the st.
Louis Post Dispatch concludes that such
outposts of misery as the Molokai set
Element soon will be no more, but the
work of such men as Brother Joseph
will remain landmarks in their forget
fulness of self, their sympathy with the
outcast and their ceaseless devotion"
The Danbury Evening News pays the
tribute to his services: HE gave every
thing. He gave his life. his all, lived
among the worlds most loathsome of
outcaSts, doing what he could to cheer
them, to help them to make their lives
less the living hell, to bring what he
could of Gods comfort to them. They
call this callous. a hard age. No age,
no era, of human living can be barren,
having produced a Brother Joseph"
Surely the angel who writes in the
book can put him down as one who
loved his fellow man." asserts the Chat
tanooga News, while the Columbus Ohio
all probability, will never be seen again
in the leper colony" The Dubuque
Catholic Daily Tribune holds that some
day Father Damien, the apostle, and
Brother Dutton, his successor. will be
venerated as saints" and that paper
offers the record: I'm 1929 the House
of Representatives of the Hawaii Legis-
,ature adopted the following resolution:
Resolved, That this House desires to
put on record its appreciation of the
great and inspiring service and influence
fnr oood for the snlendid and effective
service he has rendered in their behalf,
ard for the work done during the past
40 years BY Brother Dutton in the set
of Molokai - his ministrations
to the Afflicted in Kalawa and Kalauppa,
and that the thanks of tie House OF
Representatives be extended 70 him in |
this memorial.