A PROPOSED LEPERS' HOME.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 22, 21 September 1883, Page 5

A PROPOSED LEPERS' HOME.

(Times of India.) It is gratifying to find Ibat the Roman Catholic organization, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, is actively concerning itself in the establishment of a home for lepers. The following resolution was passed at a recent meeting of the Society :—" That a temporary building be erected on a portion of an oart belonging to his Lordship (Bishop Meurin) at Bandora, the use of which he kindly conceded for the purpose. The proposed building was to accommodate about 20 male lepers, and to be constructed so as to admit of extension on either side. All the conferences were invited to take an interest in this work, the supervision of which, however, and the care and management of the lepers, was especially entrusted to the members of the three conferences in Bandora, who, it was thought, would not refuse to undertake this work. The presidents of the three conferences in Bandora were asked to hold a special meeting among their members for the purpose of electing an executive committee having a president, a vice-president, a 'secretary, and a treasurer, for carrying out this work in direct communication, if necessary, with the Town and Provincial Council." Of all classes of the indigent poor of th 8 great city, the wretched lepers who infest our streets are undoubtedly most entitled to our consideration and sympathy. Condemned from no fault of their own to .pass their lives under the weight ot a loathsome and incurable, disease, their appearance in the public streets of the city never fails to excite pity for their deplorable condition, whilst at the same time one cannot help shuddering to think of the fearful evils which may result from their unres-

trained movements. The Government builds hospitals for the sick, and asylums for the insane ; enormous sums of money are raised annually with the humane object of preventing the ill-treatment of animals, and for the purpjse of providing for them when old and decrepit ; charitable persons vie with each other in contributing their wealth to the relief of the population of a flooded district ; medical attendance and medicines are gratuitously provided to cholera patients from the public funds in times of necessity ; and while all this is being done the miserable lepers are dragging out the weary span of their existence unregarded and uncared for by their more fortunate fellow-creatures. The philanthropic persons who have taken upon themselves to attempt to remove this reproach upon our civilisation deserve the warm support and encouragement of every inhabitant of the city, and though their scheme is a small one, it is something to have made a beginning towards grappling with an evil which sooner or later must be faced.