Show i I I N VISITED THE CITY OF THE LIVING G DEAD I. I John Joh Slater C C. C Slater Tells of I a tD L Day r y at at ata a Leper Le Leper Ler r y Se Settle tieI tie tie- inert ment ht S Tragedy on on l. l Every y Hand In la the midst of th the Pacific Pacific oce ocean n cut off from the tho world at large largo by bythe bythe the sea on three sides and by a a lofty precipice on one on the tho other is isa I i a 3 tomb for the tho living dead Immolated Im- Im Immolated here waiting for forthe the heart to stop beating and for oblivion to end their sufferings as their frames are laid a away way forever beneath a coverlet a-coverlet of f earth are aro i me pers persons ns the tho living dead lead As in entering ng the tho gates of hell hell described ed by Dante all all hope is abandoned by one who is doomed I to this tomb Entrance is the first stage of death the final stage 1 l being eing perhaps delayed f for r years This the is the leper e er settlement of Mol Molokai kai Few persons in th the United States have ever visited this locality One of those few John is 0 Slater of the Lyon yon Sl Slater Slator ter company publishers publish publish- ers ers r and of Seattle Permission to visit the leper settlement is difficult to obtain rt Mr Slater Slater- was the tho twenty-fifth twenty resident of f the United States to enter the the- fO forbidden portals port a andi and i return return This This' was was was-in in 18 1899 9 Through a friend nd of of tho Hawaiian attorney y generals general's he be w was was allowed t to tot o t pa pay a a v visit isit with the health com commission com commission mission which inspects insects the settlement settlement settlement settle settle- ment annually After spending pending a aday ai i day on the on the island he changed chant ed hi his s clothes co completely ely destroying k those thos ho he o had worn there and then n t tooth toos three sep separate baths in different dif dif- different Ir ferent antiseptics ONE DAY ON THE TIlE ISLAND I 1 It was the most impressive experience experience ex ex- W I ever had or ever expect n to o have hive said Mr Slater in telling t t the e S story Iy of of his trip The island of Molokai l is some se seventy enty five miles from froll Oahu th the e the tho island on which Honolulu i is s situated and we made the trip b by byr y r steamer Leaving Honolulu at 9 g p. p m. m wo we reached Molokai the n next HJ morning morning It was a beautiful moonlight moon r light night and th sea calm Th Tho e surf at Molokai was not in bad-in fact filet thero ther was l less ss surf than han there had been for ye years rs We anchored u u. quarter of a milo mile from d made the lan landing ing in small boats 1 The superintendent superintendent superintendent-an an E English met man i us s at it the wharf and es es c u us to tJ his which which I were in in a pretty cotta cottage e surrounded surround ed cd by a picket fence The Tho lepers are are ure not a allowed lowed to pass that fence if f they wish anything they cum come e F o q the fence and call 1 7 QT A A. Q MIR I tt i t j X f. f f w c 0 tI t r I A A no noticeable f rl ble feature is is' is that I. I e everything i is absolutely bs cl clean an You Yeti cannot t find ev even even n a s speck k of dust st re in their various buildings There Thoro are meeting meetinghouses meetinghouses houses there hero of the different de nominations and when I was th that l e the proposition was WM up to establish establish lish a abran branch ho of the Y M. M C. C A A. on n the island V We saw the tho monument and andr grave grave r ve of Father Damien who do- do voted his life to lo the leper There Then 0 are many there who are giving givin up their Ii lives ves to these thes unfortunates Tho Thon ni nurses r es are nuns and if anybody anybody anybody any any- body deserves credit these noble noblewomen noblewomen wom women women n certainly do for the wa way y th they y have sacrificed ev everything f jm in n yn o order to help those who have ab absolutely ab aD- no hope in this life After seeing the different t parts pants of the main settlements w we Ye e took horses and went about four fou r miles mires over the hills to the boys boys' settlement I took something o oa of ofa i f fa a cht chance t ce then although h I did no not notre t re realize realize lize it until afterward M My horse horco was was loaned me by a leper w who o had just been riding it and I 1 r used the samo same saddle and the same sam reins loins There was danger dangel of i in- in n- n i l I e cap i W W AmED tED OF THE TilE DANGER f 1 t A A A per person does not become in inoculated inoculated in unless the microbes reach the blood through some abrasion abrasion n of the shin We Wo were warned t to o wear gloves while on the island i in n order order- to prevent infection Tho The boys' boys settlement is especially especially especially espe espe- interesting The youths ar are e taught to u use ue e their hands as well wel well as as their heads They raise b bananas bananas ba ba- a- a nanas pineapples cocoanuts another anc an and d other things There are also brass bands which we heard play The TLe bands furnish some remarkable remarkable remark remark- able sights Imagine a boy pla play ing a cornet whose face faco w was as swollen until fearfully distorted whose rig right oar was swollen an and d hanging by a IJ thread who was holding his instrument with t the stumps stump of fingers on one hand anc an nd fingering the keys koys with the stumps ps of tho the other hand The lepers are aio re practically a al all 11 Hawaiians There was one En Englishman Eng Eng- g lishman one ChIn Chinaman man and on one o ne negro if I remember when I 1 was there The Tho disease is practically painless A person perso n who has contracted it simply y wastes slowly away and waits for forthe forthe f or the death which is fissure sure fure to come conic although perhaps although perhaps not for tor years MUSIC BY LEPER BAND After eating dinner at tho the Cot Cottage co t tage laie during which b. b a. a leper band 9 t t V f t fI 1 fJ i y tC 77 7 played for us we visited tho the summit summit summit sum sum- mit of an extinct volcano Looking Look Look- Looking ing down into the crater could bes be's be s 's seen en Q feet below a clear rak lake which w is bottomless so 80 i far ar as as c can l be determined s Nobody No ody who visits the the island can can fail fail to be impressed d' d with tho the t tragedy ot of f it till all T These ese lepers are doomed forever to this iso isolaTed isola isola- 1 a Ted l pt place ce Th There is no e escape c pe ex- ex dept ept d death ath On OD three thre sides side of th then hem J l is the the ocean ocean The nearest eare t land and is s so far r away there is n no no chance of reaching it On the theo f burth o rth side id is js a p pall pah h or or steep stoop precipice 2 2000 feet high There is only one trail leading down this pr precipice n and aud the mail carrier carrir earner dec de- de c this this' regularly rIy If any tiny leper should go up up this trail and get geter over over er into the other otheL part of the island which is fertile and well wells s settled he ho would be shot H Ho e would mould lose loso his hib life if it ca caught anywhere any anywhere any any- where else except within t the e narrow narrow narrow nar nar- row confines of tho the place set apart for tor the unclean LOVE AND LOYALTY Here is where you see Bee sublime sub sub- lime examples of love and loyalty It Itis is not ot uncommon for men t to follow their wives to this livin living g death or for wives to contract the disease so that they may spend th the e rest of their life lifo with their hus hus- bands There are many instance instances s of such devotion which extends extend s to sweethearts and to various vari m re relatives relatives relatives re besides husbands anc an and d wives Nobody who has not k see heen n this l or t is settlement can can ap tip p pr predate what sacrifice me met means h Children al' al are borne there Some Som of them develop the disease e and nev never r know any other ta tanco If the boys and girls live girls liv to the a age o of 16 years without t Vin showing any symptoms of th the e disease they thoy are allowed to g go away from the the island island as it is then the n sate af B But not not all relatives can sacrifice aflee fice flee their their lives t to follow their loved lov lov ed ones to the leper settlements and then there is a separation a terrible terrible separation Once a y year yea ar relatives are aro allowed to visit th the settlements Only one is permitted permit permit- ted to come at a time so so that th the rotation makes makos the tho visits visits' fa far apart When I was there one man who was on the boat with with us armed ar ar- rived rind to pay a visit to his brother whom be he had not been permitted to see for twel twelve vo years I 1 believe now the visits are permitted six months apart but by the rule at atI I that time they were not allowed so soI j I frequently and these two two brothers brothers' who had been devoted to each other had not seen each other for all all' this twelve years MEETING OJ 1 c Y V tion the small small- boat di drew drew- ew d. d lit up I. I V J 1 f I I 0 y It C 7 Yi r 6 they tiey caught sight of each other and nd the they rushed into into- each others other's arms They had no thought of the be disease but they stood there thero 1 hugging lugging and kitisin kissing each other otlie t and nd c crying ying for tor some time Th There re were vere other s like tha that which nobody could view without bei being g gI I moved 7 I When we were leaving the lepers congregated t d at at the wharf to o bid bal us farewell Then thor there w were vere re some he heat l' l trending scones scenes Mothers Mothers and sons husbands and wives brothers and r sisters sisters- clung to o each other regardless of the danger dangel of infection tion seemingly unable unable un un- able tc to part But But ut the time timo came when all visitors wore were forced to leave eave They it t seemed as if if- nearly all of of the lepers threw themselves on on this the ground groveling groy-eling in the dust in i. i their heir anguish and gi giving ving forth wails that were h heartrending g As As- we pulled away in t the le small boats boats- th the he lepers sang the Hawaiian song song the music to which was compose d dv d. bp Queen ex-Queen AI Alu ia Oe Love Oo Love to Thee TERRIBLE ISOLATION I have heard that song many times since ince and whenever whenever- I do r think of the time timo when when- we e were were pulling out in the tho small small- boats t lo to lothe the steamer and I 1 looked buck back at that b high precipice that shut those people on in on one ono side and at the sea ea which hemmed hommed them in elsewhere else else- f. f where As I gazed g at the scene with th the group Of f p people t o otho tho l 1 z some some prostrate and wailing and 11 others sending out over the water water- J x the tho notes of tb that t song made so so- I mournful the situation I by was e overwhelmed with the sense sense Iene of qt J the terrible isolation If I I livE Beep Il for that will al always always al- al a century y s song n ways bring back ack that scene scene to to me m mas as vividly as if I 1 were living it o over er again I i |