The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-10-25
THE ETHICS OF SUICIDE.
4 Mysterious Inconsistcncy-The Animal
Kingdom-Moral Cowardice.

Kingdom-Moral Cowardice.
A very mysterious inconsistency in
human nature lies in the contrast be-
tween life which makes self preservation
Its first love, and that utter contempt and
intolerance of it which induces self de-
struction. By all human laws, the man
who takes another's life in defending his
own is held guiltless of murder; his deed
is accounted justifable in recognition of
the self saving instinct with which the
creator has accompanied the gift of life.
to all Ills creatures. With the earliest
consciousness nf young animals this in
stinct appears ii timidity and shrinking
from danger, real or imaginary; and
down TO the .owest order of beings, a
wounded thing will exert its last strength
to escape having its existence blotted out.
As for the human species, we have it on
Scripture authority that "all that man
hath will he give for his life."
In view of this, who that is unaware
Of the facts would expect to so con-
stantly hear of men and women, and
even children. finding life unbearable
and ending all? What surprising yio-
lation of this innate principle it seems,
when for this or that cause, and often
for no cause that is evident, some choose
death rather than lifel
Suicide is not entirely confined to the
human species. There are numerous
well authenticated instances of different
animals deliberately killing themselves
when circumstances rendered life no
| longer desirable. A recent traveller in
the tropics tells of coming at various
! times upon the skeleton of species of
| poisonous serpent within a circle Of
leaves of the prickly cactus, and later the
riddle was solved by his seeing some
monkeys engaged in surrounding sleep
! ing reptile with the spinous vegetation.
Upon awaking and finding itself inn
prisoned and all its attempts to escape
futile, the serpent presently took refuge
in stinging its own body and dying at
| once. 1t is commonly repo.ted that the
same thing happens when poisonous
snake is hemmed in by fire, in spasm
of desperation at finding no chance of es-
cape, it turns its means of self defense
into means of self destruction.
The animal kingdom is q law unto
itself. Not SO with man. He is subject
to the higher law of duty and accounta-
bilitv; and no environment can be called
hopeless to one who believes in Gra-
cious overruling power and the better
life to come. A portion of the alarming
number of current suicides, it must be
confessed, awaken only the sincerest
pity in every susceptible and benevolent
heart and probably there are very many
more cases of this kind, were the secret
fhaf bax-n fa1 ia x,i,t.,,c
/ brought to light. Yet wherever human
law is founded on the divine law, self
! destruction must necessarily be regarded
as crime. A mans buildings are not
his own In the sense that lie can set them
on fire and burn them down with impu-
nifty; much less is his life--a possession
which cannot be restored--so exclusively
! personal that he has the right to end it
by violence in an hour OF discourage
ment or disgust.
The yearly list of suicides in some of
the countries of Europe is appalling to
contemplate. The waters of the Seine
| give up their dead daily, and drowning
is but one among the common methods
for shufiiing off this mortal coil Pas
sion, impetuosity and, above all, infidel-
ity, are prominent factors IN recruiting
the army of suicides, Statistics of all
nations show that occasionally there oc-
ours what has been called an epidemic
of. suicide; though whether this is an
illustration of the force Of example, or
the result of some general inpelling
force, such as temperature during the
exiiausting heat Of summer, remains an
unsettled question. That the month of
July has long been noted for tho large
number of its suicides fayors the latter
conclusion. OF direct causes among
young people, affairs of the heart, love
matters that have taken an unfortunate
turn, must be rcekoncd the leading one.
Very often, too, the circumstances at
tending these cases are unspeakably pa
thetlc. Next come losses of money and
| business friends and health. OF Grim
inals who have recourse to dagger, bul
let or rope to eyade just penalty, it is
unnecessary to speak.
There is q moral cowartiice in fleeing
from the battle of life, which strikingly
contrasts with the patient, heroic endur-
ance of multitudes of men and women
in every land and in all sorts Of hard
conditions. To the tempted it might
serve as tonic to read history on this
point, or better, TO recall events, Think,
for example, Of the crew of the jean
nette in their frozen businesses, and of
Capt, peLong and his men in the Lena
Delta, dying of slow starvation, yet
brave TO the last. But what need to go
beyond the streets of city, with its
views Of pinchcd and haggard faces and
toiling decrepitude, for heroes and hero
ines that shall be forever nameless?--
Lavinia s. Goodwin In Boston Globe.