The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-08-15

they are turning religion out OF the
school in 80 many countries that they
have few competitors to contend
with. Let them try their hand and
show US what they can effect in this
useful and practical direction 10
'secnlarize virtue. as Mr. Jules Ferry
brags be is doing"
Notwithstanding that the essayist
declares that the power OF religion
after the old European fashion ia
gone, he still believes something pre-
7entiye can be done, for ne ssy,:
sit is evident that lettering causes
are still available, for they are con-
tinuing TO act upon women with
marked effect. Hope and fear
are still operating on our wives
and daughters, aud are holding them
back from too much suicide; and
however improbable it may appear
at this moment that working men
can be led to give much of their
thoughts to the study of self-restrGint,
il would still be folly to suppose that
hope and fear have ceased to be per.
manent institutions. affecting men as
we'll as women, or that the popula.
tons of Denmark. Saxony and Prus-
STA are irreirievably delivered up to
steadfast sslf-killing on tae largeHt
scale In Europe"
The essayist considers himself JUS
tilted in imagining this, tor the rea-
son that, notwithstanding the large
meas of their present practice OF sui
eide, nations do seem to be little
ashamed of it, for if thsy were not
so, they would all assuredly have
constituted a name of their own for
it, but they have done nothing Of the
sort. No nation has a name OF its
OVID for the deeu. No national
homegrown sppellation exists Tor IL
anywhere, Vooabularies are bashinI
about it, mother tongue ignores 1t.
The most vigorous OF all silences, the
silence Of language, indicates an I'M
conscious disaVowal Of the act. II II
an outcast from speech. 1t is 81
contrary 10 instinct even, that ami
mails can not be led to commit it
The word suicide, invented by thu
Able Desiontaines, is Manufactured
mixture. of foreign origin and recen
I fabrication. OF all the stigmas which
have attached t. self-killing, none
more real nor more expressive.
Tbs points in this essay deserving
, of very tncughtful and especial con
, sideration are that the education
. the day, popular education, and tn
undiTected extension OF freedom ant
= liberty, With the decline in religion
and moral restraint, and these ACTIN
upon poverty and other forms q
misery, are the great causes OF To
notabl, increase of suicide in Edrop
in the present century, this enllghi
ened century par excellence, as "
) have been taught to regard It. II
, know the causes is to have the cur
I indicated, which is that education
learning and liberty should TO. b
| all mentality, AMI do-h-you -derned
pleaseatiyeness, but should be health
| fully seasoned with religion an
morality, religious morality, whic
3 includes the idea Of accountability
, being the most efieotual an'idot
, known. Otherwise, it is evident tha
3 "a little learning is a daDgerou
I thing" and the same may he sal
> OF liberty. OF both, drink deep
, or taste not, with particular under
standing that dsp!h OF draught IL
: cudes expressly the taking OF quar
= tiIm su6icu of true morality and tru
religion, the latter, however, always
and in every csse covering the fUl
: mer.
may add in conclusion that | t.i
I to perceive the force Of the assertion
OF the essayist that the Bible doe
not condemn suicide. The decalogu
says, Thou shalt not kill" II
does rot condemn selI-murder speci
| fcally, neither does it condemn an
I other kind Of murder specifically, 3
regicide, parricide, mauicide, tra,ri
eide, or infsnticide. Yet no man il
his senses would contend that tn
prohibition in the decaloRus does NO
cover and comprehend these crimes
A man 10 as propeIly responsible 70
the use hs makes o: bis own life a
for his interference with anothe
mans life. To take away ones OWL
life is crime against nature, for al
creatures. but perverse humanity
hope and struggle for life. not 10
death. Nor is it any justification @
suicide to say that hope is gone. TO
while there is life there is hope, 0
should be, and finite man knows 81
little Of the infinite possibilities @
providential interposition that he ba
no right 10 say OF to think that the,
are or can be exhausted in regard t
his particular case. Asa.