The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-07-25
STEPPING DOWN AND OUT OF
LIFE!
MiII,onaires and Mcndicants -
A Motley Multitude OF Self
MurdeFerS!

Have YOU noticed that each week OF
re past six months has had from two
o four cases of suicides in North Caro-
iinas Last week we noted three cases.
and TWO attempts-which fortunately
failed of fulfillment.
Recent official reports show that there
las been an alarming increase of suicide
n all parts OF the world. The exact
crurn, from certain countries IN Europe
.ox that sixty thousand Europeans
AXE t!.eir own lives each year. which Is
.l average annual rate of one suicide IN
i've thousand OF population. 1t Is said
lat the average rate OF sulcl'e IS hVe
times greater now than it was a century
ago. and that this sad phase OF clviliza-
..tinu ! governed by general laws.
operating. i'll certain limits, rigidly and
universally
M one has vet discovered the cllmat-
1 and geographical distribution OF SUI
ode. but il il stated that more people
resort To methods of selt-destructlon III
lortilcrn than in southern latltudes.
that more suicides are committed i'll
summed ,lan in winner. among the ed
ucaled than among the illiterate, among
Tie working peopie than among probes
-ioual people. aud that the rate of sui
eide is greater in city than in country
districts.
1t also appears that most people pre-
fer to take themselves of i'll fair wealth
er. The or at majority Of suicides oc-
eur in spring AMI summer. July has
the most victims. November the fewest.
Women make up but a fourth OF the
fatal list. There are comparatively but
few criminals who die by their own
hands. AS regards age, suicides are as
frequent above three-scOre and ten as
between 20 and 40. A large number OF
id men Over 20 destroy themselves
every year. Middle life appears to be
most exempt from the suicidal mania ;
but the early age at which it manltests
tself is astonishing. Over two thous-
and Children says Mr.. Ellery Elmer
,on. voluntarily put an end to their
existence every year. There like
wise seem t. be fixed laws governing
the choice of means. Poison and the
knife are fast 2olng out Of tashlon, aud
only about fifteen per cent. ot those
tired OF lie seek to escape It by the
bullet. The tavorite methods are hang
inc and drowning, which are preferred
by about seventy per cent. OF suicides.
The same writer also says:
The most surprising fact Is that the
spread OF education serves To increase
rather than diminish it. Suicides are
most common where every II is taught
to read. During the last hundred years
it has been observed that the greatest
increase of suicide has been in tries
which rank highest in intellectual cul-
ture and civilization. To saw that 1t
chiefly springs from insanity is >a,ing
far more than is warrented by recorded
facts. 1t would seem to be a species OF
insanity following a highly-developed
phase of civilization, and endetnical To
particular provinces. Maybe the over
excitement and sharp competition, the
furry and fret of modern life, have
much to do with this seif-murder MANIA
Money is of course the main cause.
The poor kill themselves to escape suf-
teriug aud the very rich kill them
selves because their wealth finally pals
upon them. VIM. Gr0esbeck, VIM. {.
Ralston, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Amassa
Stone, James Latfiin, and others were
m~illionaires.