Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-05-06
ABOUT SUICIDE.
Curious Facts and Statistics causes
OF Suicide-Where and Whem 10 Pre-
walls MOss-Suicidal Manias-Suicidc
In the Sexes,


In the Sexes.
DIR. James J. 0'Dea. in recent work on
Suicide" says that during the sixteen years
ending in 1859 there were SO 1876 suicides in
France of which 73S happened during drunken
debauehes and 2, 464 resulted from habitual
drinking. In Denmark 20 per cent Of the sui
cides result from the of alcoholic drink, while
In Italy, where there is little intemperance, only
six suicides in thousand can be assigned to
that cause About twelve per cent of suicides
result from financial embarrassments and loss of
property. In this connection the author repeats
the story told by Theodore Hook of the unfortu-
nate man IN whose hands everything turned out
badly. He bought lottery ticket, but imme-
diately repented of the folly, and disposed of it
to friend But it drew prize of ESQ, 600.
Hook exclaimed that he should have cut his
throat had it happened to him. Yes" said the
man. ''of course you would. and so did L. and
barring his neck he exposed a freshly healed
wound that reached from ear to ear.
MOST SUICIDES
occur between the ages OF - and IS. with
slight increase of the rate at Is. Suicides
among women occur mainly between 20 and 40
and at 50. Hereditary influence and insanity
are prolific causes of suicide. About 80 per
cent of the insane are melancholcs, and of the
latter about 35 per cent take their own lives.
Example is one cause. and there have been q
NUMBER OF SUICIDAL EPIDEMICs,
the most noted being at Etampes, Lyons and
Versailles, in 1793 when 800 people took their
own lives. Climatic influence has its effect.
Suicides are more numerous i'm hot weather
than in cold In Italy in 1877 the smallest num-
Der occurred in December and the largest in
June; 1SS happened in the winter and 316 in the
summer.
The author shows how certain temperaments
Qra uro ficnn foc ,ioiI
HOW TO PREVENT SUICIDE.
He lays stress en- its prevention by sound
physical, moral, and religious training, and by
intoxicating cheerful views of life. He thinks
that attempts at suicide should be severely pun
ished by law, and that when there is physical
predisposition to such step, medical advice
should be sought
In treating of the history of the subject he
says that in early ages throughout southern and
eastern Asia the custom of suicide had full
swing. The Brahmin aud Buddhist religions
served as fuel to the fame. The self-immola-
ton of widows after the death of their husbands
became an established custom i'm India among
the Tartar tribes. the ScYthians, Scandinavians,
and even the North American Indians. In
Greece. Rome, China, and Japan, suicide to
avoid trouble. dishonor, or even pain was con-
sidered justifable. Many famous Romans died
by their own hand and Horace tells of how peo-
pie OF all ages and classes DESTROYED themselves
by Icdplng from the fdDricdn bridge into the
Ilber. In the earlier ages the Jews were quite
free from suicide, and the tendency of Chris
ttanty was directly against it. 1t entailed dis
grace. not only on the person. but the family.
buring the reign Of st. Louis in France in 1870.
the first secular laws We're enacted to prevent
1t, by subjecting the bodies of suicides to the
most revolving treatment.
In work on the same subject By Professor
Morelli recently translated from the Italian, the
author holds that in Europe, where statistics
have been taken,
SUICIDE Is BECOMING MORE FREQUENT
in each quinquennium, Since 1865 suicides
have been more frequent in the kingdom Of
SaxOny than in any other state; for the ten
years ls66-75) they numbered 29S per 10000
yearly. At the other extreme of the scale stand
Italy and the slays OF the south with So and 20
suicides per 600, 600 respectively. In England
the ratio has long been steady from 1886 to
1873 it rose only from 63 to c. per 600 600. The
north OF Europe from the time of Tacitus ''has
been acknowledged as the classic ground of sui
eide" and from south to north the suicides in
crease as rule with the latitude. Italy Spain
and Portugal give the minimum proportions.the
maximum occurs at so degrees north latitude
Suicides are most frequent
WHERE THE COUNTRY - LOW;
In the region Of the great rivers and in alluvial
countries OF the more recent epOchs (Denmark,
the Germanie plain, the lie de France,) June is
the favorite month: and in December suicide is
least frequent 1t is probable that the moon
exercises influence on suicides as it does on
madness and epilepsy, which are generally
aggravated at the time of the waning moon
In France suicides are most frequent during the
first ten days of the month"; and on Tuesday,
Thursday, and Monday. Saturday is the favorite
day OF the laborng man, when he receives his
pay, and his content of mind lasts over Sunday
on which day the gluttinous, dissipated man
wastes the money earned during the week The
new week begins with safety, remorse and in
tolerance of work.
WOMEN COMMIT SUICIDE
most frequently on Sunday-an unexplained
fact. Suicide fayors the active part of the day.
and this is the reason why the months in which
daylight is longest-June. May, and July
show the largest number Of suicides The purer
the German race, the greater the propensity to
selt-deStructiOn. Sfavism tends to lower the
average of suicides as Germansm elevates it,
Religion has noticeable influence on sui
cides. Protestant states show them most fire.
quent, while Greek states the least, but here
comes in the great influence Of slavisIn. As to
Intelligence, 1t is those countries which have
the highest standards of general culture that
manifest the strongest suicidal tendency.
The Germanic people are more cultivated than all
the other European nations. Prussia stands first,
both as to education and suicides, France comes
next and last Italy and Hungary. There Is direct
relation between the number of suicides and the
school attendance and the number of newspa-
pers. The states which have the most railways.
as well as the most newspapers. have generally
the most suicides, and city life favors them
In every country the proportion of suicides is
THREE MEN TO ONE WOMAN.
The strong suicidal tendency of the Spanish
women. however, is perhaps attributable to the
force Of their passions-Italian women, in SIM
ilar climate, manifest no such tendency. In each
sex suicide inc reases In direct ratio with the age,
until about the 65th year. In Italy the married
men and the unmarried women commit suicide
least frequently, the widowers and widows the
oftenest. In France the married. with children
of either sex, are least prone to suicide Each
country has its own predictions as to means of
suicide, but in all the rope Is chosen most fire.
quently, and drowning next; then firearms then
weapons which cut or stab. and then all other
means.
TIIIRTI-SIx HOURS AT PLAY.
How Kentucky's Lawmakers Take
to Poker as a Duck Does to Water.
Frankfort Letter iii the Louisville Courier Journal