Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1805-07-15
any obyioas cause Of chagrin, Determined

any ODvTOnS cause OF CAaSlib, d0tSIu iiHSo
to destroy himself.
Having passed some hoursswith his mo.
liher, most valuable woman. and with his.
wife and child, he left them IN apparent
good humor, went into anotheEroom, app
piled the, n,uzzle Of musket to his FORE
bead, thrust back the triggerwlth his toe.
! and blew out his brains, in the hearing OF
the uusaspecsing company ne had just
laui.ted. !. -:
The second instance, is that OF a black
smith who, taking the same. fatal resolu,-
ltien, and not having any convenient tnstru.
ment at hand, charged an old gun barrel
with 4we>brace of bullets, and putting one
end Into the FIRE of his forge, tied string
to the handle OF the bellows, by pulling
off which he could make them play, while
he wa: at a congeniens distance. Knecl--
ing down, he then placed his head near the
mouth Of the barrel, and moving the bel.
lows by Means of the string, they blew up
the ERE, he keeping his head with asto.
nishing 6rmness, and horrible deilberatIon,
in that position, tia the farther OF, the
barrel was so heated as to kindle the pow
der, whose explosion instantly drove the
bullets through his brains. *
{ Though know that this happened lite.
rally as / have related, yet there is some.
thing so extraordinary, and almost incredI-.
Die, in the circumstances, that perhaps l
should not have mentioned it, had it not
been at,..sted and known,to the Inhabitants
of Geneva, and all the Englishwho are at
present here.
I Why suicide is more frequent in Great
| Britain and Geneva than elsewhere, would
! be matter OF curious investigation. For
1T appears very extraordinary, that men
{ should be most inclined TO kill themselves
, in countries where the blessings Of life are
/ best secured. There must be some strong
and peculiar cause for an effect SO Prepos.
ferrous.
| Before coming here, I was of opinion,
thar the frequency of suicide in England,
twas occasioned in great measure by the
stormy and unequal climate, which, while
| it clouds the sky, throws also gloom over
the minds of the natives. To this cause
foreigners generally add, that ofthe use of
coal, instead of wood, for fuel.
Irested satisfied with some vague the
DRY. bull! on these taken together: But
neither can account for the same effect
at Geneva, where coal is not used, and
| where the climate is the same with that in
Switzerland, Savoy, and the neighbourirg
| parts of France, where Instances ofsaicide
are certainly much more rare.
Without presuming to decide. what are
the remote causes Of this fatal propensity,
it APPEARS evident to me. that no reasoning
can have the smallest force in preventing
it, but wha, is founded upon the souls i'm
| mortality and future state. What effect
can the common arguments have ona man
who does not believe that necessary aud
importan. doctrine lie may be told, ,ha,
he did not give himself life, therefore he
has no right to take it away: that he is a
centinel on apost and ough. to remain IN
| til he is relieved: what is all this 10 the
man who thinks he is never to be question
| ed fol his violence and desertion?
Ifyou attempt to .pique this mans pride
by asserting, that II is a greater proof OF
courage to bear the ills of life, thante Ace
from them he will answer you from the
Roman history, and ask whether Cato,
| Cassius, and Marcus Brutus, were COW.
! ards? @
The great legislator Of the Jews seems
to have been convinced, that no law or ar.
gument agains, suicide could have any in.
auence on the minds of people who were
ignorant Of the souls immortality and
therefore, as he did not think il necessary
to instruct them in the one Tor reasons
which the Bishop OF Gloucester has unfold.
/ ed IN his treatise on the divine legation. o.
Moses, he also shought it supyrauous &c
! give them any express law agains. the eIker
i Those philosophers, therefore, who
have cndeavoured to shake this great ant
| imnortaDt conviction from the minds o.