Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-09-18

Apropos Of the suicide mania. Louis
vile, Ky, gentleman calls attention to
the TACT that negroes hardly ever take
their own lives. Although great many
OF them are hard up from the day Of
their birth to the day of their
death, they seldom become melan-
choly, and it is only among courtesans
that suicides occur Notwithstanding
their complaints of hard times, the gim'-
me-a-nickle expression on their connte-
nances and generally hungry appear
ance, they hang on to life with the fe-
nacify OF a mud-tuIfIe. They are not
prompted to do so through hope of being
struck by political lightning or of rich
relative dying, but hang on simply for
the fun they will have, The higher we
advance IN civilization the less we seem
to value our opportunities for fun, and
give our mind whasly to serious and
mighty matters. AS the jovial and con-
vlvlal elements Of our nature die out they
are replaced by melancholy and ennui,
the tendencies of which are to death.
According to the New York Herald
this is the blue mist year" The vapor
that early in the day obscures the view
across the valleys, ordinarily gray. is now
distinctly blue IN color: and the air has n
quality IN virtue Of which it gives to OBJ
Jects comparatively near by the azure hue
ordinarily motto ed as the effect of distance.
At one time there was an opinion that
this atmospheric phenomenon went with
the cholera, as it was several times OBJ
served in cholera years; but the sounder
opinion is that it is oray an evidence that
the atmosphere is charged to an unusual
degree with vegetable spores. In such a
year the cholera, if started, would be
more likely to spread than in another
year, but the condition has no necessary
relation to the presence of that malady.
But diseases dependent in any degree
upon atmospheric causes are worse in
such year; wherefore this may aggra-
vate our ordinary maladies and give rise
to exaggerated reports Of epidemics here
and there, against alik which reports the
pubic should be apon its guard and
keep its head level.
An interesting series of maps showing
the cholera routes il the different cpl
denies beginning in 1917 is printed in
the Chicago Tribune. The epidemic of
1917 did not reach this country, but
beginning near Calcutta it travelled
about the Eastern hemisphere for six
years, disappearing in 1923. The cpl.
demic of 1926 started in India, and even
tually reached this country, appearing al
most simultaneously ia New York and
Quebec; followed the water routes
westward to Buffalo, Detroit and Chica-
go; went down the Mississippi, and did
not disappear until 1882. The epidemic
of 1912 reached this country by New Or
leans, and did not disappear until 1849.
The epidemics of 1886 and 1871 were
of shorter duration. Both reached this
country, the former appearing in New
York and the latter in New Orleans
There has seldom been a visitation of
cholera in any city that did not leave
large number of victims. Many citizens
do not record the deaths, and statements
of the number cannot he made. Doc
tor John G. Peters, of New York, makes
this statements In 1882 there were 1866
deaths from cholera IN New York, 500
in Albany and 5000 in New Orleans
In 1S49 67S persons died of cholera in
Chicago, 953 in St. Louis. 1,400 in Gin
cinnati. In 1866 1900 died in New
York, 900 in Chicago, e, 500 in St Louis,
1, 100 in Cincinnati, 600 in Nashville.
These figures are small, however, when
compared with the ravages of the dis
ease in India. In Calcutta, during one
season of cholera, the lowest number of
death per day was 2,301, and the high
est number GAIT War has never made
such havoc as this frightful scourge.