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Show COMPANION OF FATHER DA-MIEN. DA-MIEN. That his old age may be s?ent in a leper colony, whose misery the world does not duplicate, is the ambition of Father L. L. Conrardy, one of the graduating grad-uating class of the University of Oregon, Ore-gon, medical department, - says the Portland Oregonian. Eight leng years on Molokai, where Father Da mien fe'.I a victim to his sacrificing spirit, did rot quench Father Conrardy's hope to !f?rve the wretched outcasts of all ages. He was relieved at Molokai bv the noble Damien's brother, and now isi about to plunge into the greatest leper colony of the world. His studies at the medical college of the university has been solely for the purpose of bettor equipping himself to alleviate the sufferings suf-ferings of lepers, and, although 60 yea's of age and worn by a life among mi-barbarians, mi-barbarians, savage and semi-civilized people, he will be the picneer white man in China's largest leper colony, situated in the province of Canton. This devout laborer for mankind is not a stranger in Oregon. He wa on the Umatilla reservation from 1R7-4 to 1SS8. being engaged with the Indian tribes so well known to this slate. In 1SS8 Father Conrardy went to Molokai in the Hawaiian group, where there arc 120 lepers confined. One year after he arrived there Father Damien. the world known spirit that devoted his life to this loathsome work, succumbed to leprosy, leaving Father Conrardy in full charge.. For eight years this dauntless priest challenged the fate his heroic predecessor had met, but he escaped es-caped the dreaded disease. Father Conrardy proved practically immune, and, although daily coming in contact with the disease that terrifies the world, never became infected. Thero was not an hour, except when -e was sleeping, that he was not expesed to 1 conditions popularly regarded as fatal. J As a result of his experience Fat he" ' Conrardy believes leprosv infection I rather than contagious. In 1896 he took a trip to japan and China, after being relieved at Molokai by Father Damien's brother, to aiudv the leprosy colonies of those countries, and through the influence of the Amer ican consul at Canton was permitted; to enter the great leper colony of the province of Canton, where no other White man had been. There are between 50,000 and 60,000 lepers in this colon-v. which is noted for being the most loathsome on earth. Canton's vast population is so dense that filth breeds this disease at a startling rate. In the city of Canton alone there are 1,800,000 people, ajid the streets are never more . than six feet wide, after .only three feet wide. j Each, leper is allowed by the government govern-ment only 1 cent a day for sustenance. Father Conrardy says the lepers of the colony are inclined to be industrious, and with the pittance from the government gov-ernment he hopes to enable them to provide for themselves quite plentifully, plenti-fully, compared with the wretched state they are now reduced to as a result of misguided efforts or lack of co-opera- ' tion. I Before going to his work Father Con-' Con-' rardy expects to canvass the east for assistance to place the leper colony in fair condition. If he secures enough money he will buy a tract of land, build houses on it which are no more than i verandas, and commence systematic I work to organize and develop the colony's col-ony's producing capacity. In their present pres-ent habitations the Cantonese have no soap, bandages, salve or chemicals of any kind to treat their affliction, which makes the pain much more intense than it otherwise would be. All of these articles the good priest hopes to provide, that the unending suffering of such a large part of humanity may be mitigated as far as possible. There is a Cantonese Chinaman here in Portland who wants to return to his native province with Father Conrardy, to lend whatever aid he may to the work. He ha:i the confidence of the people there, and will be quite useful. Father Conrardy goes as a Good Samaritan, Sa-maritan, in the interests of humanity. These unfortunates, in his eyes) are men and women whose welfare justifies justi-fies sacrifice of those more favorably born. Should he find thone desiring to embrace Christianity, he will adminis-ter adminis-ter to them spiritually. But his crowning crown-ing ambition is to illustrate practical Christianity. The aged priest's mission is one so forbidding to the ordinary mind that it seems difficult to grasp tha depth of its sacrifice. A much younger and more vigorous mind might stand appalled ap-palled before even the preliminary work of this undertaking. White men have had nothing to do there. All the difficulties cf racial isolation and Chinese Chi-nese stubbornness must be met. But to Father conrardy, whose life has been a struggle with strange, wild people, these impediments are not heeded. He feels confident that as soon as his work is indicated by first results there will be abundance of official aid to promote and further his plan. His age he thinks but a small handicap. His health is yet good, and he has no fears of leprosy. The simple element of climate cli-mate is what causes him mcs. apprehension, appre-hension, as the colony is in a damp, hot zone. Father Conrardy thinks that by the time he has spent five years in the colony it will be in such a state of progress that the eyes of men will be drawn, until a qualified suc-cesVor suc-cesVor may be found to take up the burden and relieve the pioneer, that he may spend his, few remaining feeble years in rest. , , Since commencing his medical course in Portland, Father Conrardy has net been idle in other respects. Various priests have been assisted in their churches, and any work of the diocese that he could attend to has found him ready and willing. It is novel for one of 56 to commence a medical course, which involves a cast amount of work, i often overtaxing young and more virgin vir-gin minds. His studies have been followed fol-lowed faithfully in every respect. Dr. Josephi, dean of the college, attests that the usual faulty memory of 60 was not evident in the examinations, even on the long list cf difficult terms found in anatomy. Now that he has received his degree of M. D., nothing interferes with Father Conrardy commencing immediately im-mediately plans for his great under taking' in Canton. |