Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. III.djvu/232

Rh work of the young Intendent. Each unfortunate, whether black or white, who is afflicted with any one of these incurable maladies, has here his own separate convenient abode. Among those whom I visited was an old negro, who, from his very youth, had been afflicted with la maladie de St. Antoine. His hands were now merely finger-ends, and his feet knobs, upon which nevertheless he managed to move about by help of sticks, and contrived even with his poor finger-ends to perform his little household duties. His dwelling consisted of one little sitting-room, ditto chamber, a little kitchen, and a little garden besides, in which he cultivated bananas and various roots; everything was small but comfortable and neat. He looked good and contented. The other sick persons had all similar dwellings: nothing was wanting which might in any way alleviate their slowly-dying life. Christian love laboured here for the most suffering of the children of men. The hopeless might here live for the most beautiful hope.

Another noble institution of mercy at Havannah is La Casa de Beneficenza. This receives many hundreds of motherless children. Here they are educated, and each one, on leaving the establishment, receives a dowry of five hundred pesos with which to commence his own career in life.

From l'Infirmerie de St. Lazare, Mr. S. conducted me to the great cemetery, Campo Santo. It is a large structure of white marble, in the lofty walls of which, within an immense sort of castle-court, each family has its little niche or ledge, that is to say, if the family is able to pay for it. Each such little niche was furnished with an inscription in gilt letters. The width and height of the walls made these grave-niches appear very small, but each is nevertheless capable of holding many coffins.

I had in the hospital beheld the spirit of Christianity, in the Campo Santo I again found that of heathenism. The