Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1875-10-21
The History of suicide.
New York SUM-

Legal Society Mr.. Il. ,. Guernsey
paper on "The Penal Laws Relatin
to Suicide in Ancient and Moder
Times was read by DR.. Miller. Al
,r defining the difference betweel
the two classes of suicides recognize,
i by the law, the author took up tn
history Of suicide and the laws bear
ing upon it in different ages and diff
ferent countries.
The Mosaic law contains no penal
ty for .felo de Sc. The first suicide
mentioned in the Old Testament wer,
those of. Saul and his arrnor bearers
Samson's death can hardly be called
a suicide. sJosephus Gays thati in Ju
dea the body of the man who had
taken his own life was not buried til
after sunset. In some, parts of Indis
suicide was once considered merito
rious, but the self immolation of wild
ows on the funeral pyres of theii
husbands is no longer permitted. In
China.suicide is by no means uneom-
mon, and no disgrace attaches to the
victim of his own violence, or to his
family. In Japan suicides are fire.
quent, and the taking of ones life is
often looked upon as meritorious.
When an official has failed in the per-
formance of his duty he has the priv
ilege of performing hari kari, or dis
emboweling himself, to save the dis
grace of dying by the hand of the
eXecutioner. If he avails himself of
the privilege his property is saved
from forfeiture and his family from
dlshonor. In some countries the act
of suicide is looked upon as heroic,
and frequently the sons of the self
murderer are rewarded for the cour-
age of their father with important
appointments and promotions. The
StOics, the disciples of Zcno, taught
that suicide under certain circum-
stances was right; that as man had
nothing to fear after death, he was at
liberty to take his own life whenev-
er it became irksome to him. Pyth-
agoras held that no man had the
right to leave his post without an Or
der from his commander. but other
philosophers reasoned that as mans
life was his own he could dispose of
it as he pleased.
Egesius was said to be so eloquent
in praise of death that hundreds who
heard him made away with them
selves, and suicide became epidemic
Ptolemy, alarmed at the spread of
the infatuation, ordered Egesius away
from Alexandria, and the people at
once came to their senses.
AT one time in France poison was
furnished to all who could give satis-
factory proof that i vas better for
them to die than to live. A cobbler
who had determined to kill himself
thought he would do itwith ecldt:: so,
having prepared his poison, he be-
gan letter which was to be read af-
ter his death, and to be talked of
throughout the province. He started
off with a quotation, and continued,
"rhus says Moliere," but learning
that he had erred in attrihuting the
remark to Moliere, he took down his
favorite. author and began to read.
After an hours pleasant communion
with the great writer he put the poi
son away and went to work at his
last.
The Milisian virgins once became
18th |
that they should commit suicide,
and many of them obeyed the i'm
palsed. A law was passed ordaining
that the body of the snicide should |
be dragged naked through the streets,
and this effectually dispelled the IL
lusion. Some of the Roman jurists
said that suicide was felony unless
permitted by the Emperor. Under
one Emperor the soldiers were set to
and making sewers. Morti-
fed at what they looked upon as an
ignominy, many of them committed
Under another soldier at
suicide was treated as de-
serter. Domitian decreed that the
suicide of an accused person should
entail upon him the dishonor that
would have attached to him had his
crime been proved.
Among the early Christians there
was an ardent longing for martyr
dom, and under the influence of Ter
tulian's saying, "'The blood of the
martyr is the seed of the church,"
of them fell victims to their
religious fanaticism. A Bishops
Council in the fifth century decreed
that suicide was the effect OF diaboli-
cal influence. Afterward the Church
treated it as a sin, and the body of
the self-murderer was buried without
the sacret rites. In the time of
Louis *. of France the body of the
suicide was subjected to the grossest
indignities. 1t was taken from the
house through an opening made for
the purpose, was horribly mutilated.
and buried at night. No mass was
for the soul of the dead man,
but the charitably disposed were
kindly permitted to pray for its re-
pose if they felt inclined.
Mahomet expressly forbids suicide
in the Koran, and the crime is ex-
tremely rare among Mahommedans.
The Roman Catholics, the Greeks,
and Protestant Episcopal Churches
prohibit the reading of the burial
service over the body of the suicide,
except in. the case of one who died
insane. The statute law of England
prohibits it in all cases. At the
time of the Reformation in England,
the suicides property was cenfisca
ted to compensate the State for
the loss of a subject, his body was
buried at the cross roads, and a stake
was driven through it to mark the