Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1873-11-28

the greatest amount of sympathy and
commisseration from large classes Of
the community. One may well con-
ceive the humanity which gives rise to
this sort of feeling; but is it legitimate
to suppose that an abnormal state of
society ensues in consequence, and that
the effects are not conducive to what
we are used to consider good govern
ment.
In appendices M and N, as well as
in my larger report, I have gone more
thoroughly into this discussion, and
endeavored to cite sufficient number
of cases to establish my position. Ap-
pendix o relates to suicides, the in
creasing frequency of which is mark
ed phenomenon of our modern socie-
ties, particularly in the New World.
It will be seen that in number of
cases I have been able to trace the act
of fezo de Sc to emotional insanity di-
rectly induced by ostreophagy. Ihave
given much thought to this subject,
and as the result of my reflections, am
strongly disposed to attribute the great
access Of madness which prevailed in
the first centuries Of the Roman EN-
pire, and manifested itself in the wild
est extravagances of luxury in untold
brutalities, murder and suicide, prin-
cipally to the great passion for oysters
which then seized upon that people.
Suicide, which we have come to regard
as the supremest act of heroism or of
desperation, became as much matter
Of course among the Romans of the
empire as it is among the japanese
whom, by the way I much regret my
inability to visit, for they are large
consumers of shell-fsh. It was one
of the most frequent occurrences under
the empire. The excellent M. Beute,
in his portraits of the age of Augustus,
has more graphically illustrated this
fact than l can hope to do. To des-
pise death, as he says, was daily les
son; to seek it by slticide regular
ending of careers; to expire smiling a
mark of good education. Hundreds
of Senators, thousands of the eques-
trian order opened their veins at the
slightest command of the Caesars; at a
sign gladitors slew themselves in the
amphitheatre, slaves flung themselves
from the walls, even sages hastened
their end to get away from the impe-
rial regime, and the step of centurian
over their thresholds suficed to pro-
woke the supreme act of enfranchise-
ment. Not only did the stoics brave
the risk with serenity, not only did
women and girls seek death with their
husbands and fathers, but the epicure-
ans also knew how to shorten their
lives with the same indifference and
ease that they would have plucked a
rose of Postum from it's stem. Two
or three signal examples may be men
toned. Under Claudius, the rich
Valerius Asiaticus killed himself in
order to yield to Messalina the magni-
fcent villa that had belonged to Lu-
cullus; when just ready to stab him
self he saw that the flames of his fune-
raj pyre would scorch his fine trees;
he had the pile taken down and built
up in another place, and then died.
Under Nero, Petronius, the most dis
solute and licentious parsonage of the
court, quilted life as was suitable in a
grand master of the pleasures. He
called together his dearest friends, the
loveliest women Of his acquaintance,
surrounded himself with flowers and
perfumes, took bath, opened his
veins, closed them again, discoursed
with spirituality, dined, slept, had him
self bled again, and again bandaged
four or five time, until a gentle enfeeb-
ling of his powers conducted him in
sensibly to eternal repose. Under Otho
the infamous Tigellinus succumbed,
crushed beneath the public indigna-
ton. He assembled his concubines
and associates in debauchery, and pre-
sided at last and gigantic orgie be-
fore taking the razor to cut his throat.
The learned Gibbon says that these
efforts to escape from tyrannous or
disrelished world were rendered fa-
miliar by the maxims of the stoics, the
examples of the bravest Romans, and
the legal encouragements of suicide"
But there is wide difference between
actions inspired by heroism, stoicism,
and simple effeminancy. These sui
cides, and notable Petronius and I'll
gellinus, relapsed from active life into
luxury and oysters. Moral insanity
speedily supervened,