LEPERS' FRIEND..
FR. CONRARDY'S BODY EXHUMED.
DYING WISH RESPECTED.
A most unusual cerimony was witnessed at the Roman Catholic Cathedral at 8.30 this morning, when the remains of the late Rev. Father L. L. Conrurdy, formerly
was
HOPE.
THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH,
SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 1926.
BAND
Wm.
Powell
Telephone C. 4578
Records
[BY THE REV. GEO, IL ARROWŚMITH, M.A.)
"Wo are "saved by, lopa" stains that, at bosmirch our na- Christian virtues. "hope" is the (Romans 8.24) Perhaps of all
one we value least: it seems un- necessary surely a Christian can be a good Christian without being an optirnist?. We regard it as a
Or is it the inherent sinfulness
within us. "The Church, and all tional life; and our hearts sink.
that.It stands for, is making very feeble progress," we say gloomily. Yes, but, thank God, there is some progress, Christianity is not at a founder and head of the leper nonessential-a good enough won-standstill, the Church is raising settlement at Sheklung, wore ex-pon to have in the warrior's equip her volec, and that voice is not humed. This was' in accordancement but not indispensable. How entirely unheeded-as, for in- with the last wish of the deceased many of us think of "hope" as a starce, the acceptance by the duty? We pray Lord increase miners of the equitable scheme Father, who desired that his our faith," "Lord, increase our put forward by the Bishop for the final resting place should be love," but do we ever put up the settlement of the coal strike. The amongst those for whom he had in Thee?" "Very pretty, but not national life may be but a slow petition, "Lord, Increase my hope advance to a better and a higher worked and died. The remains really necessary," we say of a man and wearied crawl, but at any rate are therefore being removed to who has received a medal for there is motion, and where there Sheklung for re-interment.
bravery; we mean that the decorn-is motion there is life, and while tion does not affect his heroisma one there is life we have every reason This morning's ceremony, which whit-It is "murely a symbol that
to hope. The more wo hope the carried out with due sol- has no influence upon his charac-it is hope that inspires action.
quicker will be the progress, for menity, was performed in the ter a pleasing token to possess, presonce of Bishop Valtorta, the ue doubt, but he could get on just of human nature that fills our Rev. Father Deswazieres (the as well without it. Is it not in hearts with gloom? Does wicked- present hand of the Shekling that way that mbat of us regard leper settlement) and the Fathers "hope"? St. Paul made no such despair of his final salvation? nuys of carnal man make 19 of various Missions.
mistake. There are thyce graces There is someone for whose moral A wonderful work of mercy has that abideth, he writes, and he reformation we have been ardent- been carried on at the Sheklung names "hope" as the second fly praying, but. without seeming Rettlement for many years past, the trio. To the Romans he says, effect, he falls lower and lower. and the late Father Conrardy. "We are saved by hope."
why pray more?" we ask, "His who died in 1914, laid the founda
strong statement tri make, but ease is hopeless, he fears not, God, tions of the success of this leper not too strong, and many a man neither does he regard man. No- colony. On our Picture Page to- can corroborate it from his own thing can now save him." day will be found some illustrn-experience. "There is no word tions bearing on that work. more beautifule. than hope,'
In the Tate Gallery there is an writes Stephen Clark. "It is alight
other wonderful picture called with the radiance of futurity: in Hope," in which the artist has It was in June, 1907, that there it murmurs a prophetic musfe of and sitting on the circumference of depicted a woman, blindfolded, landed in Hongkong from the good times coming. Ia influence United States, a little, old man, upon mankind is impossible. All the strings are broken except a globe, with a harp In her hands. with a long white heart-this prer-estimate. As it has waxed and seemingly frail, but still or waned soclety has risen or deplaying, with Head bent down to one, but on this one she is still possessed of great energy in spite elined." In these days of social catch the faint but beautiful note. of his advanced years. He came and trade upheaval, with their re- Someone has well said, "If there here to serve others, his fixed sulting strikes and boycotts, we
is a devil in man, there is an purposed being to give the lepers need more than ever before angel too," and so as we sadly of Canton and neighbourhood the spirit of calm and confident hope-gaze at the human wrecks around benefit of his.scientific knowledge, fulness in the ultimate triumph of us, we should remember that his love and his life.. To these
each, and so we may well hope there is a spark of the Divine in
on. God's master-hand can touch
ARRIVES IN EAST,
good over evil.
It is
חתי
unfortunate outcasts of humanity There is a wonderful picture in he brought a ray of hope. This the Tate Gallery which shows the
man was the Rev. L. L. Conrardy, interior of a fisherman's cottage.that one string and make the who was born in Liege, Belgium, Through the window the first grey whole life resound with heavenly on July, 1841. He was the well-light of dawn is creeping: the se known companion
and assistant without is a masa of foaming
Thusic.
of the Rev. Father Damien, who breakers: within, young wife. But most of all perhaps, des- through his devotion to duty and weary with watching for her sail-pondency assails us as we think his self-sacrifice, died a leperator-husband, has fallen on the of our own spiritual, stato: we Molokai, in the Hawaiin Islands.por, and with her head buried think of the small progress we Leaving the islands as soon as
in her old mother's lap is sobbing have made Godward, of the many the leper asylum there came under broken-heartedly: a candle stuck defeats we have experienced, of the direct control of the United into the nock of a bottle is gutter-the firm hold that bad habit has States Government, Father Con- ing out: it has been sending its gained, and our hearts sink with- rardy turned his eyes to the Far feeble rays into the darkness of in us, "I am a weak sinner, O Lord, East, where he learned that there the night-a beacon of hope to the I am evil through and through!”” were over 20,000 lepers in the storm-tossed mariner: but, alas, so we cry, But there is only one province of Kwangtung alone, he has not returned hence the unpardonable sin and it is called with no-one to care for them or young wife's grief. The picture "Despair," for it is despair that to treat them in their sickness. is entitled "The Hopeless Dawn." throttles every good impulse at Sq, without hesitation he decided It is a purable of the despair that its birth. to brave all. obstacles. Imbuod nawe at the heart of many a with high confidence, he took on
man and woman.. the work at Shexlung, and during) hia stay in China he succeeded in obtaining the financial Assis- "tance required for the task.
1119 FIRST WORK,
Perhaps we despair.as we look
J
Let "Hope" rekindle it's cheery ray within take the wonderous promises of God, and with them on the world around us; so much wage against Giant Despondency to accomplish, but so little pro-Though your sins be as scar- Kress made! We see cruel antalet, they small bo white as snow," gonism, with all it's attendant "When I am weak, then am misery, Still, flourishing between strong," "My grace is suficient ing itself in high places with all ing'in your cars pray on, fight on, class and class; we see evil flaunt for thee:", with these words ring- it's old impudence: we see ugly hope on.
I
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I
GROUND THAT MUMMIFIES.
PECULIAR PROPERTIES OF
ITALIAN CEMETERY,
The peasants of the Italian vil-
On coming to the East, although Ignorant of the Chinese language, he walked through the arrow streets and lanes of Canton, dressing wounds wherever he found victims, distributing alms pleted, settled there with a few Chan King-wan, and the Roman and baptizing the dying. It was dozen lepers, to whom he was Catholic Mission of Canton. The a novel sight and all eyes were henceforth father, doctor, commission was to receive and take turned on him in admiration and forter, all..
care of all lepers sent by the wonder. Every day, after Mass He never thought of, himself. Bureau of Hygiene of Canton to and a frugal breakfast, he started Like the poorest of the poor, he the Asylum; the Government was out, with a plece of bread and a kept no servant, cooked and re-to build all the structures neces- hard-boiled egg in his pocket, for cooked his own muss of porridge, sary to harbour the lepers only, the Leper Asylum where he wash- and kept his house clean. His and agreed to pay ten cents a day ed and dressed the lepers' wounds, brother missionaries, anxious for for each leper: the Mission re- served them with his own priestly his health, urged him to a more served to itself the control of the hands, cleared away the filth in prudent mode of life, but he turn-Asylum with Father Contrdy as which they were living, anded a deaf ear to their entreaties.Superior. buried the dead. He often forgot His clothes were shabby and ill- Work began at once.
New to eat and frequently gave away fitting and invariably the gifts of building, simple as the first ones, his own meagre meal, returning the ladies of the European colony but much larrer, were raised nent exhausted at night to the Mission, who were devoted to him in spite those alrendy on the grounds; appears, guined a considerable Nothing could moderate his zeal of his too-frank manner of ex-dams were built as a protection sum. in caring for his "brothers." One pressing his ideas. Once when against periodic inundation; a dny a severe fall dislocated his remarks were made about his neighbouring island WRB shoulder, but no sooner was the appearance, he replied laughingly, chased for the women. Their cost to set the work going; that gone, bone set than, with his arm in a "Don't worry about me! I am us was $20,000. On September 20th, 1 shall die without seeing the Westminster Abbey of the Bon-. aling, he set to work, joking about thin as a rail and small as a dwarf, 1913, the asylum received its first the mishap.
and my benefactor's clothes are Government assignment. of lepers," too big for me." COLONY STARTED.
and by the end of October the For six years most rigid colony began its normal life with Once familiar with the condi- economy cnabled Father Conrardy 700 lepers, men and women. tions of the lepers in Canton, to harbour sixty tepers annually, Father Conrardy succeeded in without touching the capital ho buying part of a small island in had secured for the great work the East (Tunk Kiang) not far he hoped to do. from the great market of Shek Lung and close to the railway
יי
WORK GROWS..
pur-
NEARLY 4,000 LEPERS. Since that time, the work of the settlement has steadily grown, so that from Soptember 30th, 1913, to August 1st, 1926, no fewer than connecting Canton and Hongkong. The good name and fine work of 1,926 mon and 2,490 women, or Here he built a ward for men and the Shek Lung Leper Asylum a total of 3,370 lepers, have been one for women, a house for Sisters attracted the attention of the Pro-admitted. And the work of mercy whom he expected to assist later, vincial Government, who offered still continues, having grown in a little shelter for himself, and in to Father Contardy ofcially the a manner evon beyond the possi- the centre of the compound, a care of a large asylum. Negotin- bilities seen by the late Father temporary, oratory. The ground tions were opened and a contract Conrardy, and buildings cost about $7,500
of Paris has a tremendous fas-lage of Venzope can enjoy the cination for people interested in luxury of mummification on a par with the richest of Egyptian kings. A large crowd gathered on a recent day to watch a youth of 18 The earth of the local cemetery seale the Ironwork of the first contains special mummifying stage of the tower.
qualities, and was once suggested Of course, the cinema way there, and pictures were taken of as the burial place of the Bon- the lad climbing over girders and apartes. Permission to inter hanging on to bolts and rivets. bodies in the cathedral graveyard, The caretakers of the tower and in the cathedral itself, is be- "sent for the police; while the lad
continued his climb.
ing sought by the municipal au- He reached the first platform,thorities of Venzone. The mum- about 200 feet high, just as the mies in the cathedral are well police arrived there. They had known, and the chief object of in- come up by way of the lift..
Then the climb was stopped, and terest in the little sub-Alpine town. the lad, named Rene Lassau, re- Napoleon visited the tombs of primanded.
Venzone in 1807, and at that time He was quite happy-having, it
nominated a commission to report. on the advisability of making Ven- zone the Imperial sepulchre. But for the fall of the Empire, it is probable that the cathedral of Venzone would have become tha
crowning,"
truly. apartes. Experiments have shown" He spoke Spent with toil, he was unable to that a little over a year in the resist an attack of pneumonia, ground of the church suffices to although he was taken to. Hong-mummify a corpse completely. kong for treatment. There he There are more than twenty died, at the home. of the Slaters mummies In the state of preser- of St. Paul de Chartres, on August vatión. Several explanations of 24, 1914, after an illness of eight the phenomenon have been ad- days. Atfer receiving the last vanced, but the most credible is Sacraments, Father Conrardy that put forward by Professors P. blessed Father Doswazieres, his V. Zecchini and A. U. Parl, of faithful auxillary, and bequeathed Padua,, in 1861. According to the work to him. The only regret them, the earth of the tomba lends of the holy old priest was that he itself to the generation of a hypro- must die away from those whom gen-carbonate gas, which, affect he served, and his last requesting the bodies, envelope them in was that he might be buried as a parastic mould called Nipha loper between two lepers. It la Bombicina" that - absorbe tho
He himself directed the whole made and signed by the Provincial Father Conrardy did not live to in accordance with this dying re humors of the body and produces work, and, as soon as it was com-authorities, represented by the see his work perfected. He had quest that to-day's exhumation mummification. British United
Superintendant of Police, Mr. often said: "I have come to China I took place.
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