The evening world. Newspaper, June 28, 1922, Page 20

one amas RgeT Tee EET ‘THE EVENING “WORLD, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 1922. A Washington BeauBrummel Who Turned Monk Spent 30 Years tem Lepers of Molokai i iu PI ee eM I eT AE Nn Ney We ‘YN wer Mt How Ira B. Dutton, Once a “‘Best Dresser, Changed Into ‘‘Brother Joseph’’ in a i Kentucky Monastery and Later Im- {WAN » Cee an hy Bae | ‘(hi mured Himself for Life on the Island }\. Neyesa : oy eae Nea of Molokai to Hide From the World pa and Serve Stricken Unfortunates. 3 By Ruth Snyder. Copyright, 1928 (New York Evening World), by Press Publishing Co. semmeey ROM the lonely prison of the rock-bo nd leper settlement of Kalawao, where the island of Molokai rises in its majestic solitude from ‘he lash and fury of the mighty waters which wash the Hawaiian Islands, Brother Joseph Dutton has sent greetings to the ‘‘world outside’’ on bis seventy-ninth birthday. For thirty-six years this man, vol- wntailly cutting hiniself off from the world, has labored lovingly among ‘the lepere—men and boys and women ‘whe have been forced to ostracize themselves from human contast. To-day he is tall, full-bearded, in- Gifferently and shabbily dressed. ‘Thirty-six years ago, before he en- tered this diseased colony, he was a capper, well groomed, pleasure loving Beau Brummel. His history reads like romance, Seventy-nine years ago, in the town of Stowe, Vt., there was born Ira B. Dutton, His boyhood was passed in the little village of Janesville, Wis. ‘When he was only nine years old he ‘was employed in the office of @ local newspaper. When the Civil War The Office veranda of’ Brother Joseph” and some of his patients at Molokai. (ight) “Brother Joseph DUTTON —- broke out Ira, then eighteen years old, enlisted in the 13th Wisconsin ae Infantry. At the close of the war he was mustered out with the rank of Captain. Then the young man, with visions of the horrors of war still ringing in his ears, probably felt that he must enjoy life. Life, with its pulsating, vibrating joys, He started in to dress elaborately—to flirt with the vagaries of Wife, to laugh and live. Capt. Dutton became an employee of the War Department. Here for eight years immediately following the war he adjusted claims against the Fed- eral Government. He became a wel- come visitor in the best homes in the South. He was reputed to be a care- ful and practical student of the sartorial art. Then something happened. A big something, which practically changed the whole tenure of his life. He lost all desire to dance life away. He be- ‘ came possessea of the desire to build a barrier between himself and the world. “I had a feeling,” he told some friends, “that I wanted to be in touch with human sufferings, to be active im the reiief of those of my fellow- beings who were afflicted, yet so us not to bring me in direct contact with the outside world.” ‘The actual causes that led to Capt. Dutton’s renunciation of the world will probably never be known. One ean merely conjecture. Some big force must have moved 4 man of his apparent type to make him change as he did. One account has it that do- mestic grief and a sudden conscious. ness that he was not leading a Chris- A Sis tian life were the impelling motives. 4 He journeyed to Gethsemane, Ky., and became a convert to the Catholic futh He found seclusion in the monastery for a year and a hal Here Ira B. Dutton was ei } , i to the strength of each one.” i Brother Joseph cmerged—to go to the i a id Brother Joseph is in charge of the Convent of the Redemptorist Fathers { : . _ Ni 4 J - Baldwin ee ce Later Men ani | . in New Orleans, where he passed eo . Z. Boys. He teaches the boys the ele- mony days in prayer. maton i mentary sciences. He encourages them One day in the recreation room he =e ; = Y Z in healthy exercises. At night he came across a magazine describing the Morena = 7 ~ - r : *% continues his study of leprosy, reads life of Pather Damien, the Belgian * Hawai! and offered himself to what the papers and writes to his friends, | ‘Peasant priest, who had gone into the he knew to be a living death. Unlike Father Damien, who fell a _ leaper colony amongst the Hawaiian victim to leprosy after years of ‘Islands to aid the stricken men and jived in a cabin and assisted Father faithful service to the unfortunates | + boys there. He became very much in- Damien in the numerous improve- on Moloka!, Brother Joseph atill ferested. He looked up authentic rec- ments he had undertaken. In his maintains his good heajth, fords of that priest's work and yead spare hours he made a study of “t expect to die op Metekal,’* them and reread them, The peace of leprosy, He was and still has the Brother Joseph declared on his sev- deep satisfaction came over him. He fond hope that there must be some euty-ninth birthday. “It 1s my home mp felt that he had found his life work, cure for this dreaded disease, He and Iam happy here—happy because He decided to go to the island of has made endicss experiments in this all hands who are able to be about and not especially employed with the sick, Cleaning the grounds; gangs of sweepers, some of us running lawn mowers, Pickers, hand-cart and dirt- box gang. I have elways taken the lead in this until lately. Am urged by the authorities and friends to save fuyself. All work an hour according In the beginning Brother Joseph again to nave Brother Joseph accept &@ pension. Lis has as steadfastly re- fused. “The United Staten Governmea,* he wrote to a friend, “has treated me so well that I would be eshamad to accept a pension. The Govern ment does not owe me anything, On more lepers living on the island, as Mother Alphonsa Lathrop, Haw- thorne’s daughter, has printed it In her magagine, “God's Poor.” y 2 . 1 can live for others, and especially, : the contrary, I feel so much indebted “You mentioned our day's duties &, e comfort Molokal. He settled his accounts hope, The United States oMclals have to my country that the giving of my I may say generally and chity: Mass Ste. igen ior Soke Whe 08 ars Sa stir _ ee World and in the summer of helped him in this enterprise. A life, if really needed in a Just cause, This always, of course. Some odd s, X \ priser desi. 7 oe “ seiled from Ban Francisco. leprosarium hes been built for the would requite only ina measure.” little matters first. The people are \ hh Arar Agesin ety a 4 On July 29th, he arrived & Molokai study and cure of it Here is his own description of his mostly Catholics, but not all. = bk Sa Nets: Wes F S0 Ae i tee nti! I came to Kalawaa” Wambly he knelt before the qiehop of The Government has tried time end work among the nine hundred and “Breakfast. Morning work. For 4 ee le , » ee ae ee eee wes be ee na at g rae Rei ne aemmcttine " — -