The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-08-08
SUICIDE.
SALT LAKE CRY, Aug-7, 80

part upon several works on the sub
ject, Published in different pls ces il
continental Europe. The subject il
treated in this way: Suicide is 10
simply sin. IL is also a phenome
non, an inevitable malady in civilized
countries, G matter OF automatic
average within Certain limits. l, has
to happen, it is q social resultant
rather than an individual act. Il il
as inevitable as forgers, or whoopine
cough, or hunger. 1t is imminent IN
cur nature. 1t is idle to turn away
from il with dread and call il shock.
ing. II would be wise TO count il as
a form OF disease rather than as q
shape OF guilt, to regard it with pity
rather Ihan with horror, to cease TO
seek the remedy for it III any
remedy there bel in either punish
ment or public scorn. For, in the
face OF all our feelings of repulsion,
1t has been increasing all over Europe,
during the last 100 years, with
strangely augmented speed. The
reason why it il difficult to stop it is
because it is q social resultant" q
chronic need, one of the forms OF the
pursuit OF happiness. though the
most profoundly selfish. 10 many
countries OF Europe it has lost the
character Cf cir, and in several it
has ceased to be crime.
Suicide WAS not always considered
wrong. 10 old times nobody objected
seriously to it. On the contrary it
was regarded as an honorable resort,
the natural remedy for the annoy
ances o! existence. In some eastern
countries it is still respected, and
even imposed as a religious act. The
Bible says nothing about it distinctly,
and the impression that it is wicked
is relatively modern. Ancient legis-
laiors made no clear sign against it.
Our notions upon it are compare.
lively young notions. Obje ctions 10
suicide did not take public form till
Christianity had acquired strength,
and even now they are scarcely re-
cogn;zed except by Christians and
Mohammedsus. The church gradu-
ally assumed for suicide, for the first
time in history, q mixed character
Of mutiny. stupidity and hor-
ror. Suicide was not canoni-
cally pronounced a mortal sin
until the Council OF Aries in 452.
A hundred years later the Council of
Brsgues and Auxerre declared that
Christisn sepulture should be refused
to the bodies of persons who killed
themselves. Civil legislation upon
the subject sas in no hurry to follow.
1t was not till after the burial OF
Oharlsmagne that the codes, under
the influence of the church, began
to confirm the refusal of prayers in
cases of suicide. Thenceforward the
adverse feeling grew until it became
intensely bitter, and self killing was
regarded as a hideously criminal
ofiense. punishable with all the
feEocities that the inventive cruelty
of the middle ages could devise,
including the confscstion OF the pro-
perty, the trial and dishonoring of the
corpses, and the punishment of the
families of self-kiIers. In the four
teenth century the nations competed
with each ether in conlriviug new
barbarities and the fresh contumelies
for this offence.
The philosophers of the eighteenth
century attacked this fierce and out.
rsgeous legislation, which, however,
was not suppressed in France till the
Revolution, almost all the rest OF
Europe gradually following her
example, until, as already remarked,
in several European countries 1t Ia no
longer a civil crime.
The average rate Of suicide in
Europe has more than quintupled
since the middle OF the last century,
which is g startling statement.
Europeans now kill themselves at the
average annual rate of one in 5, 600,
so that 10000 persons die by their
own hands yearly in that quarter OF
the globe. OF these, one-iourth, in
round figures, are mad. The remain
ing three-fouIths act Knowingly, in
view of some supposed advantage.
These numbers include only those
suicides which are successful and are
officially known, the concealed and
the unsuccessful attempts not being
counted. These numbers too are
supposed to increase the above rate
one-half, the Intellectual ventures
being far more abundant than Is
commonly imagined.
The rates vary in different countries
and localities, generally being much
higher in the north than in the south
Russia only excepted) and in towns
than in the country. The Danish
kill Themselves the most, and the
Portuguese the least, these two
extremes being as thirty-fye to one.
After Denmark come. il descending
order, Saxory, Prussia, France. Nor
way, Bavaria, England, Belgium.
Austria. Russia. Italy, and Spain. the
rate diminishing with the latitude,
With few exceptions.
1t is positively known that climate
has nothing. to do with this noncon-
formity. The causes OF the preva-
lence OF suicides in towns as COM
pared with the country are clearer.
It is known exactly why one Partisan
in 800 kills himself annually. Five
sixths of the suicides are OF poor
people. Poverty and misery, rather
than crime, impel to suicide. Neither
convicts nor prostitutes kill them
selves In any sppreciable proportion,
those classes generally living in cal
lous calm. In thick condensations o
people, than in sparse communities
there is always greater inclination &c
rebellion, bad examples are more
abundant and good counsels more
rare, the action of public opinion or
each individual is less direct; th'
strange solitude found in crowds
exerts peculiarly saddening and en-
feebling influences, there is NOR
, misery and dependency, with les
I encouragement and restraint. Thes'
D things cause the rate of suicide in thI
richest and most viriuous of lsrgl
towns and cities to be nsver less thai
five times larger than in villages. AM
in the denser and more immoral cap
itals thirty times the average of rura
n districts. The rate of suicide in tn
!, country increases in almost reguls
degree as the capital ia approached
s The tendency to put an end 10 lii
1 A 4 =