The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-10-24
CAUSES OF THE INCREASE OF
SUICIDES

The vast increase of suicides in the
United States since the war has begun
to excite attention and Investigation of
the causes. These are various: First.
the war itself, with the elevation Of poor
men to rank and einoluments to which
they had neither claim nor expectations
These ceasing at the restoration Of
peace, plugged them into a situation
far worse than that from which they
h I'd risen, with intellect developed and
dispositions changed, ideas In fact
developed which made the plunge
back into insignifcance unbearable,
realizing the word Of the poet that
"Quiet to quick bosoms is a hell"
Second, the American people were
noted for their patience. A gentleman
Of a philosophical mind, who visited
England about sixteen years since, said
what struck him most during his So
Iourn there was the contrast between
the brutality of the English and the
patience Of the American people. I'm
migration aud constant mixture of
blood, luxury, the ease with which for
tunes were made during the war, and
lost during the several crashes which
succeeded it, and many other similar
causes have changed our people from a
patient Into. In many respects, an im-
patient one. This Is prolific Of sui
eide.
Enthusiastically. We were a law
abiding and a religious nation. We
are q reading people. The world has
been flooded In the last ten years with
II class Of works which have undertake
en- from scientific standpoints, to shake
the public faith In the Bible and its
vital element revelation in regard to
the resurrection of the dead and the
judgment to come. The Teutonic ele-
meut vas always too much and unhap-
PLY infected with u poison which has
affected even the superstitious Celt.
or all the races In the world the Anglo.
Saxon Is the only one which compre-
bends and obeys the stern laws of duty.
As soon as the restraints Of religion
abandon their hold, or tn. abuse OF
liberty, which is license, influences the
souls Of men, they become reckless.
Disabuse the mind Of the dread Of retri-
button beyond the grave, and substi-
tute the informal doctrine that death
is rest, and mai at once, desperate, en-
braces suicide as release; accepts the
postulate Of infidel revolutionary
France that death is eternal sleep, and
sleeps self-slain. Better the old Bible
Of King James with its trans
l%ations, il such In vital points there be,
than the revised Scriptures which con-
verts the Israelite into a 'philosophi-
cal jew" and the nominal Christian
Into an unhappy wretch, worse than
the most hopeless heather.
Fourth, the injustness in the existing
state of things in this country and the
recognition by the masses of successful
unrighteousness or crimes as preferable
to virtue without money. In the old
world the laws are made against crime.
In this country the laws are so loosely
drawn az to enable crime to battle pun
islIment. Beyond the Atlantic crime
has got to be decent to escape punish
ment. Here, IL it is united with Gun
ming and political a~daptability, it ele-
Yates a wretch, grimy with the filth of
the very slums, foul to body and infa-
nous Of soul to tyrannize over the re-
spectacle classes. As a rule our sue.
cessful politicians belong not to the
best, but to the worst classes. Fallen
humanity co%mprehends this too soon.
1t applies the worst insinuation OF
Hamlet's soliloquy, not the best, and
desperately respondent takes the
dread leap In the dark"
Fifth, we have become q nation of
gamblers. Not at the faro table or
with cards or dice alone, but in every
thing, and experience teaches that the
fate Of the unsuccessful cleaned out
gambler is self destruction.
Many other reasons mightbe adduced.
A French writer Of eminence said
that this country prospered and was
moral as long as the body polite could
eliminate the poison of immigration
and assimilate what was good In it.
WHAT was said Of Imperial Rome is
true of this land, but especially metro
polItam New York. We have become
the cess-pool of the world. The poison
has permeated every fibre, the body pol
itic u no longer ttrowi IL on. The
hr t result is the multiplication of sui
.ides. In the near future stand tile