A. Donald Miller, an Inn Called Welcome. The

This book tells the story of forty-three years of compassionate service to leprosy sufferers. It begins in a drawing room in a Dublin suburb, and ends in places as far apart as India, China and Korea. Although the book covers only the years 1874-1917, it is published during the ninetieth anniversary year of The Mission to Lepers and, at a la ter date, it is hoped to continue the story from the end of the First World War to the middle of the twentieth century. Wellesley C. Bailey Honore Daumier's " The Good Samaritan" is reproduced with acknowledgement to The Burrell Collection, Glasgow Art Callery and Museum . PRICE 6/- AN INN CALLED WELCOME ' tj: r • • ' '!"' '· He ...... set liirn ori lzis own beast, and brouglzt lzi1,i to arz i1z1i, arzd took care of lzi11z. '' S't. Luke I o: 3 4 THE STORY OF THE MISSION TO LEPERS 1874-1~17 AN INN CALLED WELCOME by A. DONALD MILLER THE MISSION TO LEPERS 7 BLOOMSBURY SQUARE LONDON, W.C.l First published 1965 © The Mission to Lepers 1965 Printed in Great Britain by Billing and S011s Limited, Guil4ford and London CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PART ONE 1874-1899 l PART Two 1900-1909 95 PART THREE 1910-1917 173 INDEX ~33 V INTRODUCTION There are one or two observations to make in intro ducing this book to the reader. It records the first part of the history of The Mission to Lepers, covering the period during which its founder, Wellesley Cosby Bailey, led the work from 1874 until his retirement in 1917. Since his own per sonal service to leprosy sufferers began in 1869 the story really begins then. It is intended that the second part, from 1917 until the present time, should be the subject of another volume, probably to be prepared by another writer. The publication of the present book marks the completion of the ninetieth year of the Mission's activities. The situation of leprosy sufferers today has in many ways changed from the one in which the pioneers of missionary leprosy work in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries engaged in their task. They began in simple, uncalculating compassion to care for those who were the most sadly afflicted victims of the disease -physically, socially and spiritually. Theirs was in deed a mission to 'lepers'. The word carried then, as unhappily it still does, overtones of meaning beyond its literal one. All too often the sufferer was regarded by his neighbours with fear, treated with contempt or neglected by avoidance. The Mission to Lepers began as a work to counter and contradict this avoidance and contempt and fear. It met fear with love, contempt with compassion, and avoidance with involvement. It Vll An Inn Called Welcome was not a Society primarily concerned with the nature and treatment of the disease. Its concern was a total one, not only with the disease medically but also with its effects in social ostracism, physical want and spiritual distress. It did not make a hard division between the sacred and the secular, or between tem poral and eternal needs. The total man called for total help in his total need. As always, compassionate motive issued in construc tive action. The labours of the pioneers to supply simple hospitality provided a starting-point for ad vances in medical treatment and the awakening of more enlightened social attitudes. The hospice led to the hospital. Today leprosy is no longer an untreatable disease. That is why the title of the Mission, a natural choice when it was founded, is becoming anachronistic and capable of misinterpretation. And for that reason the Council is proposing to members of the Mission that, despite the obstacles involv.ed in altering the familiar and respected name 'The Mission to Lepers', it should be changed. For some years now the Mission has deliberately avoided the use of the word 'leper' except in its title · and when quoting the ipsissima verba of others. And in this book that practice has been followed, though because quotations are frequent, and are taken from the period when the word 'leper' was accepted uni versally, the word inevitably appears frequently. But it needs to be remembered that it was always used in a spirit of dedicated love by those who were serving leprosy sufferers and because they of all people were precisely the ones who knew what distress was involved in the leprosy victim's lot. In other quotations the viii Introduction exact words of the writers have also been strictly adhered to, even when they have used expressions which have now come to possess a rather derogatory flavour, such as 'heathen' and 'native'. Here again we may be sure that the writers tlJ_emselves intended no slight. Their language simply reflects the period itself; it may be a criticism of that period, but it is not one of themselves. The central figure during the years covered in this volume is, of course, Wellesley Bailey. His biography has never been written, and it is not written in this book. But the reader will find that again and again his humility of spirit, his never-failing tenderness and concern for others, and his profound Christian faith, appear as the dynamic power which enabled the Mis sion to go forward year by year to greater things. Just as Miss Charlotte Pim may be considered the mother of the Mission, so Wellesley Bailey was its father. And the family spirit was manifest in such a way that helpers and helped, sick and strong, East and West were knit together in bonds of love. The overwhelm ing impression I have gathered from my study of the Reports, articles, letters and Minutes which have pro vided the material for this book is of an enterprise of great simplicity, informality, catholicity and uncalcu lating friendship within a family that disregarded differences of race or nationality or denomination or religion. For this reason I have, while recording major events, endeavoured to present the people behind those events and to preserve a justly proportioned balance in telling of the parts played by the various essential participants--the missionaries, the contribu tors, the national workers, the co-operating Societies ix An Inn Called Welcome was not a Society primarily concerned with the nature and treatment of the disease. Its concern was a total one, not only with the disease medically but also with its effects in social ostracism, physical want and spiritual distress. It did not make a hard division between the sacred and the secular, or between tem poral and eternal needs. The total man called for total help in his total need. As always, compassionate motive issued in construc tive action. The labours of the pioneers to supply simple hospitality provided a starting-point for ad vances in medical treatment and the awakening of more enlightened social attitudes. The hospice led to the hospital. Today leprosy is no longer an untreatable disease. That is why the title of the Mission, a natural choice when it was founded, is becoming anachronistic and capable of misinterpretation. And for that reason the Council is proposing to members of the Mission that, despite the obstacles involv.ed in altering the familiar and respected name 'The Mission to Lepers', it should be changed. For some years now the Mission has deliberately avoided the use of the word 'leper' except in its title · and when quoting the ipsissima verba of others. And in this book that practice has been followed, ·though because quotations are frequent, and are taken from the period when the word 'leper' was accepted uni versally, the word inevitably appears frequently. But it needs to be remembered that it was always used in a spirit of dedicated love by those who were serving leprosy sufferers and because they of all peopl~ were precisely the ones who knew what distress was involved in the leprosy victim's lot. In ot'her quotations the viii Introduction exact words of the writers have also been strictly adhered to, even when they have used expressions which have now come to possess a rather derogatory flavour, such as 'heathen' and 'native'. Here again we may be sure that the writers t:4emselves intended no slight. Their language simply reflects the period itself; it may be a criticism of that period, but it is not one of themselves. The central figure during the years covered in this volume is, of course, Wellesley Bailey. His biography has never been written, and it is not written in this book. But the reader will find that again and again his humility of spirit, his never-failing tenderness and concern for others, and his profound Christian faith, appear as the dynamic power which enabled the Mis sion to go forward year by year to greater things. Just as Miss Charlotte Pim may be considered the mother of the Mission, so Wellesley Bailey was its father. And the family spirit was manifest in such a way that helpers and helped, sick and strong, East and West were knit together in bonds of love. The overwhelm ing impression I have gathered from my study of the Reports, articles, letters and Minutes which have pro vided the material for this book is of an enterprise of great simplicity, informality, catholicity and uncalcu lating friendship within a family that disregarded differences of race or nationality or denomination or religion. For this reason I have, while recording major events, endeavoured to present the people behind those events and to preserve a justly proportioned balance in telling of the parts played by the various essential participants--the missionaries, the contribu tors, the national workers, the co-operating Societies ix An Inn Called Welcome and Governments, the administrators, the patients, the helpers in prayer.

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