Part 4 (2/2)

[Footnote 1: See letter of Rev Ellis of Rangoon in _Ti was head oon, and her pupils were bathing in the sea when one of theator Alar carried away by the tide when her sister and the headhad succeeded in getting hold of her when she too was bitten and disappeared under the water The sister behind cried out for help, at the sa to keep her head above water In the end soed all three out, but Grace Darling and the favourite pupil whom she had endeavoured to save were both dead

A FRIEND OF LEPERS

THE STORY OF FATHER DAMIEN

Of all forms of disease leprosy is perhaps the most terrible The lepers of e read in the Bible were obliged to dwell alone outside the cahty ive up his throne and dwell by himself to the end of his days

In the far-off Sandwich (or Hawaiian) Islands in the Pacific Ocean there are many lepers; but the leprosy from which they suffer is of a more fatal kind than that which is spoken of in the Bible

So as to prevent the spread of the disease, the lepers are sent to one of the se, in which those who are afflicted remain until their death

When a shi+pload of these poor creatures leaves Honolulu for the little Isle of Molokai there is great wailing by the relatives of those sent away, for they know the parting is final

The disease is not slow in running its course After about four years it usually attacks soan, and the leper dies

Until the year 1873 the lot of the lepers on their help them, that all hearts were turned in love towards him

He first made the discovery when he had been at Molokai about ten years He happened to drop soave him no pain Then he knew he had the leprosy

Yet he was not cast dohen he became aware of the fact, for he had anticipated it

”People pity me and think me unfortunate,” he remarked; ”but I think myself the happiest ofat Molokai, Father Da his end, he wrote of the disease as a ”providential agent to detach the heart fro much the desire of a Christian soul to be united--the sooner the better--with Hi his last illness he suffered at tihtfulness for his people through it all, and looked forith fir Easter with his Maker He died on the 15th April, 1889 ”A happier death,” wrote the brother who nursed hist those for whoreat examples, whose name will ever be whispered with reverence, and who possessed to a wonderful extent ”the peace which the world cannot give”

A GREAT ARCTIC EXPLORER

THE STORY OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN

The passage to the North Pole is barred by ice fields and guarded by frost and snow dom of Pluto

For three centuries andof all nations have tried to pass these barriers Hundreds of men have been frozen to death, hundreds have died of starvation; and yet men continue to hazard their lives to find out this secret of Nature

One of the bravest arctic explorers was Sir John Franklin, who, after many wonderful adventures, finally died with his companions amid the frozen seas of the north

As a little boy, ”life on the ocean wave” was to John Franklin a delightful day-dreaht of the sea and a taste of the salt air; and such was his desire for a seafaring career that although his father was at first very ly Franklin had set his heart upon a sailor's life, he got him a place on a war-shi+p where John took part in the battle of Copenhagen

Then he was shi+pwrecked on the coast of Australia, did so in the Straits of Malacca, and was present at the great battle of Trafalgar