, 1877-08-20

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STATE SUICIDE.
There nro individuals Will, chronic In
ward tendency to suicide. Whcrt this will
nnuifest itself oannot always be predicted.
Ar 1t seems to turn not 40 much OF outward
circumstances rs on tho condition Of tho
brain. When thero ia no special occurrence
to tleprcss tho spirits, there comcs n sudden
temptation upon the man 10 take his life
It Is B,lbtlc i,,sanity or unbalatco Of rea-
son, which, instead Of prompting, like klep-
tonania, or like i,on,icidnl impulses, to tho
injury Of others, inclinet QUO to sclf.injury.
Wo havo loug beon Of the opinion TINT Soutll
Cnrotiun In afflicted with this insane ten-
dency; only tho disease las t1le further
complication in its case that tho patient does
not know that his acts are suicidal. It Is rs
II a mailman drinking tho corscnss Of a vinl
plninly latelcd "Poisou should insist that
1t was tho long-desired article, The Elixir
Of Life" or, M II cnrious1y installing him.
SELF for another man, supposed to be an
enemy, ho should stab OF hhoot himself.
South Cnrolna In tho o1dcn time has
even been pronounced beside itself by tho
other Southern States; which was Ike
Tint remaining CLEAN Of reason In tho
inmates Of lunatio asylum, that
enab1es them to aoe tho madness Of a par-
tioularly frenzied member Of tEeir co,n-
pany. They used sometimes to wisl, that
South Carolina could DO towed ont into the
middle OF tho Atlantic Oeoan, and there
anchored Tor sunk) oil BY itself, to enjoy it's
fancied rights In solitude happy for tho
rest of tho world. Aud 1t tlat feeling crept
over thom occasionally before the War Of
Secession, wo may imagine how ofton 1t
must havo been secretly indu1gal, oven il
not openly expressed, since that calamitous
experience.
Tho latest suicidal freak in which South
Carolina haa indulged is In the serious
wound inflicted by tho Legislature ut ita ro-
cent session upon the educational interests
of the State. At tho North, for 1nnny gen.
orations, we havo been SO accustomed to ar-
rangemcuts for the education of tho people
TINT VIC consider them to DO a matter Of
course; TO 10 fundamentally necessary pro-
visions for tho public welfare, to DO classed
with other things for which the reoplo tar
themselves, such "a the administration Of
Justice md tho repair Of roads. Tho
ronson why We have considered this n mattor
Of fundamental importance has been, TINT
all tho other interests Of society doponded
upon 1t, and TINT tho money thus expended
saved at least corresponding amount in the
punish,nont Of crime and tho support Of pnu-
pera. Such idcns arc considered in this re-
gion to belong to tho alphabet OF civilization.
Hence, II any ciass in tho community Is c.
pecially Ignorant aud degraded, and is, per-
lars, tl'sinclined by pressure Of poverty, OF
lack OF appreciation Of education, to sonl
thoir children to school, not only are Tho
needed schools provided at tho public cx-
ponse, but often compulsory Inv Is passed.
requiring parents 10 use tho schools. But
commonly parents are 30 eager to have their
children becomo Intelligent that nothing
would more fortaiuly create first a political,
and then, II necessary, ,nartial revolution,
than for the Government to deprive tho peo.
1'lo Of tlis precious right Of universal c.luca-
tiou.
With such riows, how nre we to regard
tho action Of tho Legislature Of soutl, Caro-
linn, reported o few daya since In cur uows
col,lnua2 1t appears that two-afths Of tho
population {tho whitoa) have such Jealous fears
OF tho othor throo-Gftl,s (the blachs) tlat
thoy havo used a present majority in the
Legislature to strike deadly blow at tho
arrangements for popular education, which
hayc happily existed since tho War undor
Republican nuspices. Tho first experiences
Of q professelly Democratic Government ia
the lenial OF this Fundamental popular
right. For tho Legislature refused 10 mako
provision for tho customary aud necessary
enumeration Of tho children Of school ago !;
1t reduced the pay Of School Commissioners
to 5000 q year,-a sum far below a neces-
sary support; 1t broke up tha Normal School
for tho iruiuiug Of tcaclors, the supply Of
which In that region ia gsuall and Of poor
quality; It abolished special State taxes for
education, aud also took away tho power Of
local school taxation from tho districts. 30
that tho people conld not tax themselves for