New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-04
FEIO DE Sc

With the exercise of ordinary prudence III
the economy of life human being ought
never to find himself utterly bankrupt OF
comfort and hope and yet this must be the
condition of one who makes mp his mind that
the only thing left for him to do IN this
world is to get himself out of il ut once by
the short cut of self-murder. Perhaps the
Judgment that a man has no excuse for occu-
pying position where the thought Of suicide
can be entertained was one of the consider
atoms which made the Anglo-SaXon race III
earlier times 50 intolerant of this crime That
coarse and repulsive ndigniles We're visited
upon the bodies which self-murdereis were
compelled to leave behind. And in later
times, when these bodies were no LONGER
buried under the highway with a stake driven
through them, the denial of all Christian GER
emory and the burial in the night bore wit
ness still to the popular detestation Of 30 I'M
natural n felony.
OF course a crime like this admits, both IN
law and morals, of accessories before the Tact.
It is quite as possible to aid and abet one IN
the act OF numbering himself as 1t Is TO be an
accomplish of one who murders another and
It may be that the milder Judgment passed
upon suicide by modern society arises from
the fact that Society is conscious now and
then of some responsibility in the premises
some oppression or exacton which may seem
to have aided in driving the criminal into
committing the crime. But none the less Is
il a crime, although this view of the case IS
rarely dwelt upon. Indeed. il has come 10 be
so universally ignored that the very state
ment sounds like the formulation OF some
novelty in ethics. Every morning brings IT'S
record of self-murder, aud with It comes the
0utgush OF sympathy or commiscration ior
the victim, unmxed with Indignation or re-
bike for the crime.
Ii was something Of q refreshment when
the world was informed, the other day. that
husbands sense Of bereavement was so
oyermastered 10y his rage that he refused to
bury the body OF his wife, who killed herself.
Without commenting the mans conduct, in this
particular case, il is in order TO bear in mind
the fact that the surviving friends Of suicides
90 well to be angry at the outrage inflicted
mon them. For not only is it true, rs Black
stone puts it, that "tle suicide is guilty OF a
double oiicncc-one spiritual, IN invading
"the prerogatvc Of the Almighty, the other
temporal, against the King, who hath an IN
terest IN the preservation OF an his SUD
"jccts,n bat in a special way does he bring
disgrace and distress upon his friends. he
does more than murder himself; be fortunes
cthers and no sophsiry can attempt to JUS
THY the suicide in affecting his friends and
neighbors, even if it excuses the fatal blow
dealt upon himself.
Society has q right to be protected against
the shock Of these loa.hsome and startling
exhibitions and If it is considered inhunan
10 treat the criminals body with ignOmiuy and
subject MS goods to forfeiture, it certainly Is
high time t. dwell upon the diSgraceiul
nature of the deed. The cheap post-mortem
Qualification which has latterIy been assured
to the man who murders himself In pccu-
liarly disgusting fashion has probably been a
powerful motive when brought TO bear upon
a morbid fancy. 1t Is time that suicide, as
well as some other crimes, WAS made odlous
by a vigorous expression Of public opinion.