Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-11-08
TIE ETHICS OF SUICIDE.
q Mysterious Inconsistency-The Animal
kingdom-MoraI Cowsrdice.

hiuEuoh-NioiaA wv &AoAN'
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 If ii 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
h accounted justitiable in recognition Of
the self saving instinct with which the
creator has accompanied the gift of life
TO all his creatures. With the earliest
consciousness Of Young animals this in
stinct appears in timidity and shrinking
from danger, real or imaginary: and
down TO the lowest order Of beings, a
wounded thing will exert It's last strength
~ escape having lis existence blotted out.
As for the human species, we have II on
Scripture authority that ''all that a 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 unhearahle
and ending ali? What a surprising vio-
lation of this innate principle il SEEMS,
when for this or that cause, and often
for no cause that is evident, some choose
death rather than life!
Suicide is not entirely confined 10 the
human species. There are numerous
well authenticated instances of different
animals deliberately killiHr themselves
when circumstances rendered life no
longer desirable. \ recent traveller in
the tropics tells Of coming at various
times upon the skeleton of "A species of
poisonous serpent within Il circle of
leaves Of the prickly cactus, and later the
riddle was solved by his seeing some
monkeys engaged in surrounding a Sleep
ing reptile with the spinDus vegetation.
Upon awaking and finding itself i'm
prisoned and all its attempts 70 escape
futile, tie serpent presently took rrfu
in singing its own bDly aud diving a.,
once. Il iscommonly reported thai the
sauie thing happens when a poisonous
snake is hcmmeI in ly fir, in a snasm
Of desperation at finding no chance If IS,
cape. II turns il u ans Of self defense
into means Of self ,strnctiuH.
The animal kh raom is a law unto
itself. NJ 80 vii man. He J., subject
10 the higher law If duty and u~ccuuntl-
bilty; and no EN-, lrunment can be- called
hopeless to one who believe, in a gra-
cious overrulinE power and the better
life to ONE. \ portion Of the alarming
number of current suicides. it must lie
Confessed. awaken only the sinccrest
pity in every susceptible and benevolent
heart, and probably there are very many
more cases If this kind. were the secret
causes that have actuatei the victims
brought to light, Vet wherever human
law is founded on the divine law, self
destruction must necessarily be regarded
IS a crime. \ mans buildings are not
his own in the sense that he can set them
Oh lire and burn them down with impu.
nifty; much less is his hfe-a possession
which cannot be r~estored--so exclusively
personal that he has the right TO end il
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
I've up their dead daily. and drowning
Is but one among the common methods
for shutting off this mortal coil. Pas
sion. impetuosity and, above all. infidel-
ify, are prominent factors in recruiting
the army Of suicides. Statistics Of all
nations show that occasionally there &C.
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 impelling
force, such as temperature during the
~sxhausting heat of summer, remains an
unsettled question. That the month u
July has long been noted for the large
number of lis 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 reckoned the leading ON.
Very often, too, the circumstances al.
tending these cases are u~nspeakably pa
thetIc. Next come losses Of money and
business, friends and health. OF Grim.
inals who have ecours to dagger, bull
let or rope to evade just penalty, it is
unnecessary b. speak.
There is a moral cowardice in fleeing
from the hattie Of life, which strikingly
contrasts with the patient. heroic endur-
ance Of m%ulutudes If men and women
In every lund and in all sorts Of hard
conditions. To the tempted il might
serve as a tonic 10 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. belong aud his men in the Lena
Delta. dying Of slow starvation, vet
brave 90 the last. But what need to 20
beyond the streets Of a cts. with lis
views Of Pinched and lazgarl faces and
toiling decrcpitude, for heroes and hero
ines that shall he forever namclessg-
Layiuia S. Goodwin in Boston Globe.