The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1884-07-12

4
| Curlns'4'---- :. 1888 affords
me record of suicidfes ,4O9 self-mur-
interesting ae,Gause, condition, means,
dera laIity, occupation, sex, locality
/ (day or ght), and the day of the
month. The fact that, as compared
with similar previous records, the rela-
tons between the seasons of the year
and their suicidal statistics maintain
certain degree of regularity, appear to
demonstrate the further fact, noticed
by scientists, that violence and crime
depend largely on temperature. Sum-
mer seems to be pre- eminently the sui
cidal ason, and, although the mania
of selfmurder in 1888 showed decrease
as compared with the previous year,
the summer months of each year fur
nished the largest proportionate crop
of suicides. As to the ages and impell-
ing motives, there are some interesting
illustrations. For example: The earliest
age at which the desire for self-destruc-
ton manifested itself in the past twelve
months was six years. The oldest per-
son committing self-murder was ninety
four years OF age. AS usual, the
greatest number at ages. after
twenty y, ars were at intervals
of five years. That is to say, the
greatest number, relatively, occurred at
the ages of 70, 80, 80, 40, As, so, and SO
on to the age of 60. The greatest num-
Der occurring at any specific period OF
life was 81 at the age of SO years.
There appears 10 be little change in the
suicide climacterics, so to speak. In
childhood the suicidal act generally
seems to be impelled by chagrin at pa
rental discipline. An illustration oc-
Cured in Utah last December. when
young and sensitive lad swallowed
poison because an hour before his
father had spoken GROSSLY to him and
threatened to punish him. In the next
period, love troubles chiefly lead to self
destruction; next family troubles and
business cares precipitate suicidal rash
ness, and later on causes vary from dis
sipation to disgust at life, and not infre-
queutly in old age suicides occur from
halluclnations resulting from second
childhood. For example, q well do
Kansas farmer hung himself because he
had conceived the wholly unwarranted
idea that he and his wife were coming
to want and would die in the poor
house. The aggregates as to known
causes or motives of more than one
thousand of these suicides are as fol-
lows: Business troubles, Ill; chagrin
at parental discipline, ID; des-
titution, As; dissipation, LII; family
trouble, 40; grief, 80; home sickness,
l; insanity, 276; love trouble,
"a; pimple on nose, L; sickness, l49; to
avoid assassination, 2; undergoing OF
threatened with punishment, 40. Some
of these impelling motives were both
curious and absurd. We are told that
an Indian young woman suicided in
May because her sweetheart took an
other young woman on an excursion. A
Pennsylvania school teacher swallowed
laudanum on account of an incurable
pimple on her nose, which made her
morbidly sensitive. An Ohio politician,
a candidate for Office, committed sui
eide because he suffered defeat. An In
diana candidate for Mayor took his own
life for the same reason. A Colorado
millionaire, who squaDdered his money
in riotous living, shot himself in fit of
desperation and dissipation. A New
York German believed himself be-
witched and that all his money troubles
were due to witches, and for this rea-
son destroyed himself A Missouri
criminal committed suicide from regret
that, while he had killed three men and
one woman, he had not killed Two
more. A Tennessee studentdied by his
own hand because an examination of
the thought of the ancients convinced
him that man life was his own prop
erty, and no discredit attached to sui
eide; and so on.
AS to the occupations of these sui
cides, it appears that farmers led the
list, no fewer than POI such being re-
corded Merchants come next, to the
number of eighty-seven. OF laborers
there We're sixty-two, and of saloon
keepers the number was forty-one. Ct
some other occupations the record speci-
fies: Physicians, twenty-seven; politi-
clans, twentytwO; commercial travel
ers and courtesans, twenty one each :.
lawyers, seventeen; engineers, fifteen;
shoemakers, fourteen; butchers, SER
wants and tailors, eleven each; jewellers
and miners, ten each; tramps, masons,
machinists and journalists, eight each;
school teachers and spectators, nine
each; BARRIERS carpenters, gardeners
and printers, seven each. By an odd
coincidence, an equal number of judges,
gamblers, cigar-makers, drug clerks,
postmasters and walters Give eaeh)
took their own lives. And, sad to say,
four ministers find place in the doleful
record. AS to sexes, the men are ahead
by large majority, there being 1888
males and 326 females in the list.-In-
surance Chronicle.
q
What Is Known About Insanity.