THE CHOLERA.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 5477, 7 February 1885, Page 5

THE CHOLERA.

By as Es<:m*» I-vdy

Soenoß in n Naples Hospital,

TIIB municipality of Naples has romo to an end of U. resource. subscribed through bavin* to provide for .such a large imml.cr ,f orphans whoec parent, dial nf cholera, to pay doctors and establish special hospitals, to give 10,000 dinners daily to Uio poor, to renew bedding and covers where anyone haß died, Wd to dWiifoct so huge a city. There aro over-100 orphans yet unprovided ' or Tlio Annunciuta. w« there were many babies with ophKm end showed mo ft child with a beauHllll with indignant contempt, " ciue^tn, c ™k into 1.0 folds of her ample white ] inhin" and ■' '"I""" 1,0 took me round is quite another type, with an taqnWtko, unhappy''';"»''»'"•■ r,™, Uoing into the chapel, .-lie nskeil H 1 5-Ctholie. I replied -No: heretic of the Anglican Church." Sue showed mo the F hr Awed figure of (ho Madonna, mul aCt«^T.oVir,i,,,andU,,tshehud STedhd Jesus Chrirt. who when ho the linen press; such a linen press! It fetched the entire length 01 a gh.ssed-iii s. Thoiirr u,irrhfHh,o, auFac cii tvpejonesoos .she lives for hor 11 non. bach Mopartnwnt (ho opened was like a mosaic froniioor to roof, the white shoots arranged in beautiful crosses and patterns with tlio coloured aprons, &c. lor gla/.eii, wol • fconed sheets arc to her lice father, mother, .ister, and brother. She hod become transformrf into the likeness 01 hor cold, pure linen lovos-swootly stiff, innocent, and colourless. Such unresponsive loves poor dear! Then I saw hundreds of girls at work; ono room full of glovo stitchers. Youn" men oomo sometimos to ask the nuns for a"wife from among these. A certain number are then called up find asked who has the vocation to marry. Sorao say thoy will never leavo the convene (and i saw cany grey, apathetic old girls): others find they have a decided vocation that way. Tbon the youn? man is shown a dozen to chooso from. They mako good wives, they are w meek and well-disciplined, and if it phases their masters to boat them they have b» parents to go and cry to. . . . . . Weuafsedthrough tholnmds of sub director, diroetor, and direotress, signed papers, and got att baby. i-tii>Ho Dinners to tlio Poor. Jgo daily to the soup kitchen provided by the municipality in the cloister of'the old convent of Sanf Affostino. V, o havo one side barricaded oil1, into which the kitchen opons. with our long tablos, and tenches for pinto-washing. The soup iettlee arslarge enough fora person to tako abstain. Thomentisboiledand then taken out, and plenty of maenroni ov rice put in. When it is ready the caldrons are earned by men with beams of wood on their shoulders, and set down behind our table. In the middle of the centre garden there is an avenue of orange trees, with s\ small iron g&ta at eitlier oifd, and benches up each side. One hundred persons are admitted ititotWs avonuo at a time, at tlio far cud, and come out one by one at f.ho little gate olosfl to oar table. They have so little idea of order that wo are really obligecito puss them on from hand to hand, holding ti.om by the shoulders. We luivo somo very helpId men : one. 13 a portly old major, with a large hooked noso, round prominent eyes, and a regular fistful of twisted grizzled moustache sticking out at each sido of hi? held, who stands guard at our littlo iron eiltgate. Bvory now and then there rises amongtho hundred in tlio avenue a murmur | which Bwells into ft huse hubbub, with ! fighting and oaths, ar.u pries of women who »re hurt. There ia no need for them to hurry, for thoy have nothing in the world to do, poor eouls, when they lea vs. and might as well p&33 tho timo in genteel conversation as at a reception, especially aa the able-bodied joung men, of whom there are furtoo many, claim the soup because they art oat of work. No doubt they are ; but they might behavo properly. We hnvo nothing to clo with the giving of the tickets. It is done by tho Vice-Syndic, and there is donbtleu aome abuse. A bullying young fellow will come through with three or four tiekflts, and we mußt give him a correspond - inn number of rations in his earthenware pot j indthen perhaps a r°" r widow, with throe or four littlo palo tots dragging after her, present* only ono ticket. Then I tako the littlo ones to the stone bench of the «loiiters, and feed them mysolf on the spot, while the poor mother oats her rations. How they do ehout1! arul such ehindies break out. When Miss A.iv taking tho tictata, I do a good deal of police work., Oa Friday there was a tremendous free fif,'ht taking place on the opposite Bide of tho debtor, and as the room in which S. is cutting ont clothes, for giving out the work, loolu out on that side, I knew sho would not l» »hls to give hor orders (sho has some nice school ralitresses to help hor, as the municlJulichonUare all broken up); so I dived and wit it on her tongue, but in a moment it nought on retching, and tho sister shook herhaad and said it was tho hardest part of thsir duty to resist the entreaties of tho toakdes for a drop of water ■; they are bo hurned up internally and so icy-cold sutside. I«ttyed with Sister Antoinette to let tho «ttwi go to chaptsi. SUter Elisabetta is considered tho. most successful teacher of we deaf and dumb. I got her to tell mo wont it. She makes them lay their hands Woahercbeßt and watch her mouth. She w«n begins in aloud, clear voice "Testa," pouting to hor head, and so on. Sho must ™«tin order to make them feel the vibra- *•>■ She has a beautiful mouth and teoth, •"»» fine, clear, Parisian enunciation. I The Haddalena Hospital.

I lUyed some time there to-day with ltKMd French Sistor Elisabotta, seeing ™t could bo done to supply little com- °™ to the patients. Ono room, with six ""to on either side, made me think of those "oil!in Some and elsowhero, whero tho *™ or the air dries up the bodies of the ""h who a-o set up round, all tumbling "pucw. Those twelve poor faces ! either 'Wen or avk loathor-eoloured, with "tenng, hollow eyes, and gleaming rows "•tobetweenahrunkon, black lips; but were conscious, and seemed pleased to *M something for. Some had strength in JJP and beckon tome, like skelotons (lW* story. When they have passed Cm a ffe' Vß *10UrS t'iei'° '3 a c'ianco ior -71 ™ug!" they may Bink oftor a fow >'■ Xfelt no horror, only great pity. If ft. i..can 8° to tllora> Huroly it; ia L "JW the sight following the Ischia earth■««.lbavonothing now to learn; and, *™g paid such a woeful tax to this cruel "£%«, I fool as if I had tho right to do LS 00' "ttle boat to heal some of tho £7 wounds it inflicts. Dr. Malbranc in-eC-BBwlthabeamir-K face to go to his Pwment room on the great flat roof to we tame microbcß lie keeps in little „ ,3'.eelatine. I was rather afraid they -Z J*°?lP out at mo '> but ono lorks n.L," 10creature magnified through n ittl«. i COPe- but at something like a tan/a Of mouUl wll!ch »8 *° liomo o£ «oi thousands of them, and in told thnt ,"„. WWlowing thousand?, and that it »ff °" th 6 6t;ito °* the stomach ™»<*wo kill them or they kill as, one « tiT "^ not mind' I looked at them otS", Dr> Millb ™c; but I was more nildin x?,st^¥ tho plan of tho huge dttl o gl-.Wlth/llit3 wartyardas it is liko CL y v Onr International Hospital is SS^ When I reached ho.no; »«*♦ af V—'8 wifo tad cholera. CLfcu he^; llor b="ut.ful face was C «'?• tOredl ttnd hw frightened eyes W my hand, stared in ray fcce, and OBewnn, "I goin S to d'o'<" I directed '«rt toT? vb hor with campnor from ittle t^oT if* Bo X took a number of lrowtl'nEintotr' 8 and fiirls who wore' '« *ttm .v i ioora antj measured them •com V. tol &c- from 8 work--86 scene soon becamo animated,

and Madame V smiled in her aoft, f-'ow, graceful way. She is like a duchess. I think sho will recover. Neapolitan Children. To-day Uonato. the shoeblack, who has become a pilliir of our house, und goes on nil .sorts of confidential messages, brought ;i littlo orphan boy ami girl of eight and live, the children nf his partner shoeblack, who, with his wife, had retired to bed all right, and were dead before tho morning. Thoy were two such littlo bundles of rag? us you never suv, from the I'endina, that very bad quarter behind tho port, whore (here used to be such piles of coilins during the worst time. It was pouring with rain, so f took them in (ho carriage to tlie Toriin.'i Orphanage. It is high up that steep street going from the left of Toledo. The ladies wore very kind, but said 1 must bring them a week later, as cholera had broken out iimnng the two hundred children, and the municipality has forbidden any more admissions at present. 1 had sent tho carriage empty to (ho foot of the street, as it is so steep, and when wo came out you should have seen the lofty gesturo of. surprise ami inquiry of the two children :—" Hut the carriage ! whero is i!'.' Aro we not going in the c.irriago?" —

like a lord and lady who had never gono on fool in their lives. Their littlo dirty faces were well winoarod with raspberry jam, for I had comforted their souls with large hniiliH of bread and jam on tho way, and the poor baby kept slipping and falling iv her dead mother's large old ihoos on tho wot stones. Deimto had dressed her in thorn t\i make her smart. 1 had to hold her up by both arms. Soon they espied tho uquippauu at tho foot of the street, and were rejoiced. 1 ;;ave Ilium back to Donulii, paid their keep for a week, promising (hem soon another J'ido iv tho car-

riage. (The Torsina has been kept at municipal expense, but now is failing for want of funds.)