Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-05-16
SELF.MURDER.

population. In Berlin hardly n day
passes without one or more. With us
in the United States popular attention
is not so much directed to the subject,
largely, no doubt, because owing to
the incompleteness of our methods of
gathering and tabulating vital statis-
tics, the subject is not brought before
us with such startling distinctness.
But it may well be asked whether
suicide is not increasing here, too, in a
way to justify the most secret appre-
hensiOn.
The New York Chronicle, for two
gears past, has kept record of suicides
In the United States compiled from
the columns of the newspapers. These
data are necessarily very imperfect,
but they serve to give an idea of the
extent to which self-murder is resort
ed to in this country and of the rapidi-
ty of its increase. For the year end
ing March, 1882, Sl7 suicides are re-
corded, while for the eleven months
ending with February, 1888, there are
1906, an increase of nearly one hundred
per cent. The greatest number took
place in the summer months, 5l4 the
smallest in the winter, $50. This ac-
cords with the view of Dr. John G.
Lee, coroner's physician of Philadel-
phia, who explains the frequency of
suicide in the spring and summer
months, by reference to the huctua-
tions of the thermometer and barome-
ter AS between the sexes, nearly
four times as many men as women
committed suicide, the proportion
being l217 to 349.
In point of nationality the lead is
taken by Americans with COB, Ger
mans coming next with 4S2. then
English with l42 and Irish with 127.
As to occupations one is surprised to
find that farmers are largely in the ma
jority, no less than 20j of them having
of their own accord shunled off this
mortal coil, while the next greatest
number, that of merchants, foots up
only SO. OF journalists it is agreeable
to observe there are only four.
Married life seems to conduce to self
destruction, there being in the list 476
husbands and IFS wives as opposed to
296 bachelors and l21 maids. Ages
ranged from ten years to ninetythree,
the largest number, l65, coming
between twenty and thirty. Family
troubles head the list of causes, follow
ed by sickness, with l5S; insanity 1856,
dissipation l3l, and business troubles
127. Other reasons assigned are of the
most whimsical nature. a North
Carolinian committed suicide because
his mule died, and an Illnoisian
because he had lost his best boy and
his best COW, a susceptible youth
drowned himself because his sweet
heart Tilted him in poetry. But per-
haps the most inconsequent case of all
was that of the New Yorker who took
his life because he had mortal fear of
death.
The methods employed show no less
diversity, though shooting seems to
have had the preference, being employ
ed in 4S4 cases, poisoning in 372,
hanging in 267, and drowning in 15l.
The pistol was usually selected by
Americans and poison by Frenchmen
One man took his departure by jump
ing into furnace, and one cheerful
Californian blew himself to pieces
with giant powder. The largest pro-
portion of suicides is accredited to Col
orado, where the ratio is one in 5000,
and the smallest to Mississippi. where
it is one in 3S0,00Q The average of
suicides throughout the southern
states is small, owing, it is said, to the
large colored population with whom
self-murder is infrequent. In New
York one in every $4,000 committed
felo de Sc. The rate for the entire
country is 80 per 100000, according
to the figures here cited, though in all
probability, it is really far greater
At all events it is great enough to
cause serious concern to the philan-
thropist and the legislator.