The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1863-09-02


1t was De Quincy, We believe, who de.
veloped an interesting theory Of murder
considered as Zine art" The history Of
list week opened wide field for the theo.
,ist and cssayist to discourse, learned,y or
tancifully, upon the kindred crime of sui.
die. What charming excursions might be
made into the gloomicst wilderness Of hu.
man folly; what reconditc researches into
the morbid anatomy of the human SOUL
And all ending in a supreme act of COW.
ard'ce and unreason All the poor wretch.
cs crying out, with Romeo,
"Thou desperate pilot now at once run on
The dashing rocks my sea-sick weary bark
all wo,ldwe:ricd, and overt tried, notable to
bear the ILLS they have" yet flying to
those they "know not Of" and rushing
wildly, rccklessly "on the thick bosses OF
Jehovah's buckler," afraid longer to endure
the evil men can do them, yet daring to
meet God face to face? Can there be a
more stupendous madness, a more ineffa.
bic folly?
And yet, look how wide the fearful mad
ness re'gns, and how many victims follow
in its train. A daily paper last week re-
self murder. Twenty six men and women
own lives Six are said to have been caus
ed by nsani,y-as if such an &C; were not
always one Of madness. Rum maddened
two--vcry bad rum. One mans wife
made arsenic or ropes end pleasing to
his mind, and he used his night key for the
last time and opened deaths door with it.
Considering the kind of wives with whom
cne-third OF the male community are sad
lnA NV thoir Ia Ill - :.
rather astonishing that instead Of two, the
whole twenty six suicides were not of that
prosecuted class Than there was another
man whose wife wouldn't lay quiet even
in her grave but because hv was a naughty
man, aud made love TO another young
woman, came and stood every night at the
foot of bis bed and gave him the nightmare
which was exceedingly unhandsome, and
to get rid of the ghost Of his wife, made
humbngs, and. being the biggest kind Of
humbug himself-in fact. that paltricst O.
humbugs. a cowardly, used up fellow, with
world, without sense Of duty in himself or
the great world Of his fellowmcn--he put
AiiHSeli Out VI tHc way, WINCH WAS per
haps the wiscst and most useful thing he
could do.
One man died Of want of money, and one
because another man slandcrcd him
Neither Of these, it is clear, ever served an
apprenticeship as editor of newspaper, or
had been disnterested patriots of the ward.
politician class. If they had, SANDER and
an empty pocket would have been, instead
Of causes of suicide, the chief delight and
honor Of long, useful and happy life
Only two Of these suicides were rich men
md three were women. That rich men
should attempt this sudden way of getting
through the eye Of the needle is surprising.
That woman should so end, with desperate !.
hand, her worldly sorrows is not. She
knows what man never knows-the insult
,rable WEAKNESS Of the heart. For women
suicides, therefore, we have great pity: for
men great scorn. Yet this sudden access
If suicidal delirium, this epidemic of self.
murder, gives food for much thinking n
Where are the wise men and philosophers !.
With their diagnosis Of the Diseases and ex
,!anation Of its latent causes? Is there c
omething wrong in our social system? Is .
american life WEAKNESS Of work and
oil, from which men are willing to escape
even by passing through the valley Of tie
shadow of death Is there wanting to it
hat element of happiness, in spite of all its
,ustle and progress, which endears the
laily sunlight? We are moral people:
! slightly Pharisaic people rich people;
IN industrial people-but do We live? That
s the question. r "