Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-07-22
misffllare0ns.


Suicide" by DR.. James J. O'Dea. form
erly of Canada, but now residing at Staten
Island He holds that the causes of sui
eide naturally fall under Two main divi-
sions. the external, or socia. and the in
ternal or personal The general causes
exist everywhere and under all circum-
sauces. They have their source in ex-
trayagant religious and moral beliefs. The
special causes comprise all those various
circumstances and accidents which result
from the relations Of individu4l ais TO each
other in society, such az hereditary tend
ency, education. love- literature. financial
losses and other embarrassments. Ill
health. temperament and insanity are also
among the causes. During the Is years
ending in 1852 there were -. l26 suicides
in France, OF which 73S happened during
drunken debauches and Z,i6i resulted
from habitual drinking. Forty per cent of
the suicides 10 Denmark result from the
use Of alcoholic drink. But in Italy where
there is little intemperance. only six sui
cides IN thousand can be assigned to that
cause. and majority occurred in the least
thrifty provinces. The author thinks that
about 2 per cent. OF the suicides result
from financial embarrassments and loss of
properly. Spectators are particularly
liable to die in that way. as sudden re-
verses paralyze the mind and destroy its
equilibrium. Theodore Hook tells the
story Of AN unfortunate man in whose
hands everything turned out badly. He
bought lottery ticket. but Immediately
repenied Of his folly and disposed of it to
"A friend III save himself from disappoint-
ment But it drew prize of ESQ. 900.
Hook exclaimed that it was Incredible :;
he should have cut his throat had it hap
peneI to him. Yes" said the stranger
..of course you would. and so did ~ and
barring his neck he exposed to Hook
horror-stricken gaze freshly healed
wound that reached from ear to ear
Most suicides occur between the ages
Of - and 10, with slight increase of the
rate at 65. . The sexual instinct has some
thing to do with the tendency. Most
suicides among women occur between 20
and 30, and at 30. Hereditary influence
plays an important part, and insanity is a
prolific cause of suicide. The causes
which tend to produce the one also pro-
duce the other. About 30 per cent of
the insane are melancholics and of the lat
ter about 81 per cent. take their own lives
Example is one cause, and there have been
number of suicidal epdemcs. of which
the most noted and destructive was that
at Etampes. Lyons and Versailles. in 1898
during which 1900 people are known to
have taken their own lives. Education,
literature and domestic troubles figure
largely in the list of causes. Climatic
influence has lis effect. Ii is certain that
self inflicted deaths are more numerous i'm
hot weather than in cold. The researches
of NJ. Provost. in Geneva, showed the
greatest number in April. Nav. June.
July and August: the smallest in Decem-
her in Italy. in 1877, the largest number
occurred in June and the smallest in De-
ecmber; $40 happened in summer and
lS5 in winter The author devo,es
a very interesting portion of his
work In the special causes which at
feet individuals. growing out of conditions
of body or mind or belief and shows how
certain temperaments are peculiarly pre-
disposed to suicide. He laws great stress
on the prevention of suicide by sound
physical and moral and religious training
by mculcating cheerful views of life. BY
drawing out the heroic qualities of the
mind but still he thinks that attempts al
suicide should be severely punished by
law. and also that when there is a physi
cal predsposition to such a step medical
advice should be sought.
But quite the most interesting half o.
the volume relates to the history of the
painful subject. lie goes over the ground
very thoroughly for work Of this kind
and shows tn what comparatively narrow
dimensions the practice of voluntary life
taking has been reduced In early ages
throughout Southern and Eastern Asia
the custom had full swing. The grea
religions of Brahminism and Buddhism
served IA fuel to feed the flame The
self immolation of widows after the dealt
of their husbands became an established
custom in India. among the Tartar tribes
the Scythians. the Scandinavians. and ever
the North American Indians. Suicide to
avoid trouble and dishopor. and
even pain. was considered iustifiable in
Greece and Rome as well as in China
and Japan. 1t was the honorable thing
for men to do. and both Stoicism and
Epicurianism encouraged the practice ol
voluntary lte-taking. Many famous Ro-
mans died by their own hand. and Horace
tells how people OF all ages and classes
destroyed themselves by leaping from the
Fabrican Bridge into the Tiber. In the
earlier ages the Jews were quite free from
suicide. and it never gained much roc {
among them. The tendency of Christianity
was directly against it. 1t was forbidden
by the church, and held to entail disgrace
not only on the person but on the family.
During the reign of st. Louis in France.
ia 1870. the first secular laws were
enacted to prevent it by subiecting the
bodies of suicides to the most revolving
treatment. 1t seems very strange indeed
that one of the first modern apologists for
suicide was DIR. John Dome. who was
made Dean of st. Paul's in 1921. Then
for two centuries. there was an outgrowtb
of the sickly, melancholic. sentimental
literature. which eliminated in Byron s
'.Childe Harold" and Goethe "Werther"
whose tendency was checked by the tonic
stoicism of Carlyle. who struck the heroic
chords of human nature in representing
the sacredness of duty. and the superiority
of resolute endurance to selfish aud cow
-.lt,. sx,tf destination