Editing Father Damien (section)

== Commentary after his death ==

Father Damien had become internationally known before his death, because he was seen as a symbolic Christian figure who spent his life caring for the afflicted natives. His superiors thought that Damien lacked education and finesse but they considered him to be "an earnest peasant hard at work in his own way for God."<ref>Daws (1984), ''Holy Man: Father Damien'', p. 89</ref> News of his death on 15 April was quickly carried across the globe by the modern communications of the time, by steamship to Honolulu and California, telegraph to the East Coast of the United States, and cable to England, reaching London on 11 May.<ref>Daws (1984), ''Holy Man: Father Damien'', p. 9</ref> Following an outpouring of praise for his work, other voices began to be heard in Hawai{{okina}}i.

Representatives of the [[Congregational church|Congregational]] and [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] churches in Hawaii criticized his approach. Reverend [[Charles McEwen Hyde]], a Presbyterian minister in Honolulu, wrote to his fellow pastor Reverend H. B. Gage of San Francisco in August. Hyde referred to Father Damien as "a coarse, dirty man," who contracted leprosy due to "carelessness."<ref name="letter"/><ref>Moblo, "Blessed Damien of Molokai" (1997). Note: At that time, "Carelessness" was a reference to the association of leprosy with [[syphilis]], both of which were considered [[Sexually transmitted infection|sexually transmitted diseases]].</ref> Hyde said that Damien was mistakenly being given credit for reforms which had actually been implemented by the Board of Health. Without consulting Hyde, Gage had the letter published in a San Francisco newspaper, generating comment and controversy in the US and Hawai{{okina}}i.<ref>Daws (1984), ''Holy Man: Father Damien'', p. 12</ref>

Later in 1889, the [[Scottish people|Scottish]] author [[Robert Louis Stevenson]] and his family arrived in Hawaii for an extended stay. He had [[tuberculosis]], a disease which was also considered incurable, and he was seeking some relief for it. Moved by Damien's story, he became interested in the priest's controversy and went to Moloka{{okina}}i for eight days and seven nights.<ref name="letter"/> Stevenson wanted to learn more about Damien at the place where he had worked. He spoke with residents of various religious backgrounds in order to learn more about Damien's work. Based on his conversations and observations, he wrote an [[open letter]] to Hyde in which he addressed the minister's criticisms and he had it printed at his own expense. Stevenson's letter became the most famous account of Damien, featuring him in the role of a European who was aiding the native people.<ref name="letter">{{Cite book | last = Stevenson| first = Robert Lewis|chapter = Father Damien – An Open Letter to the Reverend Dr. Hyde of Honolulu|title= The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume 15| publisher = W. Heinemann in association with Chatto and Windus, Cassell and Longmans, Green | year = 1922| pages = 479–501| isbn = 9780598632739| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iWY4AAAAIAAJ }}</ref><ref name="Daws 1984 p. 14">Daws (1984), ''Holy Man: Father Damien'', p. 14</ref>

In his "6,000-word polemic,"<ref name="Daws 1984 p. 14"/> Stevenson praised Damien extensively, writing to Hyde:

{{blockquote|If that world at all remember you, on the day when Damien of Molokai shall be named a Saint, it will be in virtue of one work: your letter to the Reverend H. B. Gage.<ref name="letter"/>}}

Stevenson referred to his journal entries in his letter:

{{blockquote|...I have set down these private passages, as you perceive, without correction; thanks to you, the public has them in their bluntness. They are almost a list of the man's faults, for it is rather these that I was seeking: with his virtues, with the heroic profile of his life, I and the world were already sufficiently acquainted. I was besides a little suspicious of Catholic testimony, in no ill sense, but merely because Damien's admirers and disciples were the least likely to be critical. I know you will be more suspicious still, and the facts set down above were one and all collected from the lips of Protestants who had opposed the father in his life. Yet I am strangely deceived, or they build up the image of a man, with all his weakness, essentially heroic, and alive with rugged honesty, generosity, and mirth.<ref name="letter"/>}}

[[Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi|Mahatma Gandhi]] said that Father Damien's work had inspired his social campaigns in India, leading to the independence of his people and the securing of aid for needy Indians. Gandhi was quoted in T.N. Jagadisan's 1965 publication ''Mahatma Gandhi Answers the Challenge of Leprosy'':

{{blockquote|The political and journalistic world can boast of very few heroes who compare with Father Damien of Molokai. The Catholic Church, on the contrary, counts by the thousands those who, after the example of Fr. Damien, have devoted themselves to the victims of leprosy. It is worthwhile to look for the sources of such heroism.<ref>[[Jan De Volder]], ''The Spirit of Father Damien'' (San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2010) p.167</ref>}}