Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-10-17

History Of suicide.
Nr.. b orb sul. ,th.l
Al tae last meeting OF the ModicO- |
Legal society, Mr.. r. ;. GGernsey's !
Taper on "The Penal Lave Relating 10
Suicide IN Ancient snd Modern Times"
wac read by d. Miller. AfteT defining
the differences between the two CLASSES
OF suicides recognized by the law, the
author took up the history Of suicide and
the laws bearing upon il in different
ages and different countries. The
Mosaic law contains no penalty for Jeto
ds se The fist suicides mentioned In
the Old Testament were those OF saul
aud his sTmoT-beaTer. SRmson's death
can hardly be called 3 suicide. JOsephus
rays that Ia Judea the body Of the man
who had taken his own life was not
buried till after sunset. In some parts
OF India suicide WAS once considered
meritoriOus, but the self-immOlation Of
widows on the funeral pyres OF their
husbands is no longer permitted. In
China suicide is by no meaDs uncon-
mon. aud no disgrace attaches 10 the
victim Of his own violence, or to his
family. 10 Japan suicides are frequent,
and the taking OF ones life is often
looked upon as meTItOr1ous. when an
of1icia! has failed ia the performance Of
his duty he has the privilege Of perform"
ing bari-kari, or disembOweiin HIM
self 10 save him toe disgrace OF dying
by the baad Of the eXecutioner. III he
avsils himself Of tine privilege hls prop
erty il saved from forfeiture and his fam
ily from dishODOr. In some countries the
set OF suicide j. looked upon as heroic,
and irequsutly the sons OF the seIt-mur-
derer are rewarded for the courage of
their father with important appoint
ments aud promotions. The Stoics, the
disciples Of Zeno, taught that suicide,
under tain circumstances, was right;
that A. man had nothing to fear after
death, he was ST liberty to take his OVID
life whenever it became irksome to him,
PythagOTas held that no man had the |
right TO leave his seat without an order |
from his commander, but other phlloso-
pliers reasoned that as mans life was his |
own ne could dispose OF il as he pleased. |
EgesiUs was said to be so eloquent IN |
praise OF death that hundreds who heard |
him made away with themselves, and |
suicide became epidemic. Ptolemy, |
alarmed at the spread of the infa!uatiOn,
ordered Egesius away from Alexandra,
and the people st once came to their
seuses. At one time in France poison |
was furnished to all who could give sat- |
isiactory proof that it was better for |
them 70 die than to live. A cobbler |
who had determined TO Kill himself |
thought he would do it with ecL0tj so, |
having prepared his poison, he began a !
letter which was to be read after his |
death, AID to be talked Of throughout |
the province. He started off with a
quotation, and continued, "thus says
8ioliere;" but fearing that he had erred |
in attributing the remark to Moliere, he |
took down his fsyOrite author and began |
TO read. After an hours pleasant COM |
munion with the great writer, he put |
the POISON away and went to work at |
his last The Milesian virgins once be- |
came afflicted with the insane notion |
that they should commit suicide, |
and many Of them Obeyed the |
impulse. A law was passed ordRin- |
ing that the body of the suicide |
should be dragged naked through |
the streets, and this effectually dis |
PEELED the illusion. Some of the Roman |
jUJists said that suicide was felony un-
less permitted by the emperor. Under
one emperor the soldiers were set to /
diuching and making sewers. Mortified /
at what they looked upon as an igno-
miOy, many Of them committed suicide.
O1ucI dlOtI6Ig SOlutci dLbCDI pl4bS
suicide wBs treated as deserter. D0mi-
tian decreed that the suicide Of an &C
c1sed person should entail upon him
the dishonOT that would have attached |
TO him had his crime been proved.
Among the early christians there was
an ardent longing for martyTdom, and
under the influence of Tertullian's say
ings, "Tbe blood of the martyrs is the
seed of the church." numbers of
them fell victims to their re-
ligious fanaticlsm. A bishops council
IL the fifth century decreed that sui
eide was the effect of diabolical
influence AfteFward the churches
treated it as a sin, aud the body of the
self-murdeler was buried without the
sacred rites. Ia the time Of Louis TX
OF France the body Of the suicide was
subjected to the crosses ST indignities. 1t
was taken from the house through an
opening made Tor the purpose, was bor-
Ti5ly mutilated and buried at night. No
mass was allowed for the soul OF the
dead man, but the charitably disposed
were kindly permitted 70 pray for
its repcse IL they felt inclined.
Mahomet expressly foIbids suicide in
the Koran, and the crime is extremely
rare among Mahommedsns. The
Roman Catholics, the Greeks and
Protestant Episcopal churches prohibit
the reading If the burial service
over the body of the suicide, except
in the case OF one who died while
insane The statute law in England
prohibits it in al eases At the time Of
the reformation in England, the sui
cide's property was confiscated to COM
peusa'e the State for the loss of sub.
jet, his body was buried at the cross
roads, and S stake was driven through
il to mark the detestation of the law,
aud t. deter Others from the crime.
This very ancient rule fell into general,
il not entire disuse mary years ago, but
it was not repealed until the fourth year
of George IV's reign, and even then, to
manifest the horror Of the law at the act
of suicide, it was ordered that the body,
which might be placed in ehurchyard,
or other coBsecrsted ground, should be
buried at night, and without the per-
fOrmsnce OF religious rites. The H.
d'aDs Of South America, when OPP
pressed beyond endurance by their
Spanish c1nquerOrs, made away with
in great NUMBER. They
were checked only by being told that
il they did not desist from the practice,
their mas ers would commit suicide too,
and follow them into the next world,
where their tolls and tOTmelts should be
increased tenfOid This threat had the
desired effect. There is little suicide
among the North American Indians.
i is only the squaws who kill them.
selves They always do this by hanging
10 a tree, and Invariably select the small
est Tree that will answer the purpose,
believing that in the next world they
will be obliged 10 drag the tree about
with them forever.