The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1888-12-07
THE ETHICS OF SUICIDE,
q mysterious Inconsistency--Tho Anil
Kingdom-oIoral Cowardice.

q mysterious Inconsistency--Tho Anifm
Kingdom-oIoral Cowardice.
A very mysterious inconsistency 4
human nature lies in the contrast b
tween life which makes self preservsJtio
Its first love, and that utter contempi} an
intolerance of it which induces sefff - =
struction. BY all human Laws. the ma,
who takes another's life in defendinp hi
own is held guiltless Of murder; his dec
is accounted justifable In RECOGNITION o
tho self saving instinct with which tn,
creator mas accompanied the gift of Life
to all his creatures. With the ear,ies,
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, q
wounded thing will exert its last strength
70 escape having its existence, ,blotted out.
a As ior inc human species, We have It on
scripture authority that call that O 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
ana ending all! What a surprising vio-
lation OF this innate principle it seems,
when Tor this or that cause, and often
ior no cause that Is evident, some choose
death rather than life!
suicide Is not entirely confined to the
human species. There are numerous
wen authenticated instances Of different
animals deliberately killing themselves
when circumstances rendered life no
longer desirable. A recent traveller in
tno tropics tells Of coming at various
tlmes upon tho skeleton of n species of
poisonous serpent within q 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 singing its own body and dying at
once. 1t Is commonly reported that the
same thing happens when q poisonous
snake Is hemmed in by fire. in O spasm
OF desperation at finding no chance of es-
cape, 1t turns its means Of self defense
into means of self destruction.
The animal kingdom is a law unto
itself. Not so with man. He is subject
to the higher law Of duty and accounta-
plhtl '~aad no environment can be called |
hopeless to ore who believes in O iera-
cloUs overruling power and the better
hle TO come. A portion of the alarzsjIyy Min, yyffsns
numoer nor OF current suicidGs-sstt rsmust be
o;tIi oGniesSeu, only tho sincerest
boort &c cog susceptible and benevolent
,,nro @ O. az" ,;r u probably there are very many
Vonr! .ases Of this kind, were the secret
! causes that have actuated tho victims
brought to light. Yet wherever human
law is founded on the divine law, sell
destruction must necessarily be regarded
as crime. a mans buildings are not
his own in the sense that he 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 20 end il
by violence in an hour Of discourage
ment OF disgust.
Tho yearly list of suicides in some of
the countries of Europe is appalling to
contemplate. Tho waters Of the Seine
give up their dead daily, and drowning
Is but one among the common methods
se2 @h"fHinG nff tlis mortal coil. Pas
sion, impetuosity and, above all, fnfidel-
ity, are prominent factors in recruiting
tho army Of suicides. Statistics of ali
nations show that occasionally there oc-
ours what has been called an epidemic
of suicide '~~thensh whether this is an
illustrate prce of example, or
the result y general impelling
force, SUCH temperature during the
exhausting heat Of summer, remains an
unsettled question. That the month of
July has long been noted for the large
number Of its suicides favors the latter
conclusion. Of direct causes among
young people, affairs Of tho heart, love
matters that have taken ON unfortunate
turn, must be reckoned the leading one.
Very often, too, tho circumstances at
tending these cases are unspeakably pa
thetic. Next como losses Of money and
business, friends and health. OF Grim
inals who havo recourse to dagger, bull
let or rope to evade just penalty, it is
unnecessary to speak.
There is q moral cowardice 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 crow OF the Jean
nettc i'll their frozen Businesses, and of
Capt. DeLong 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 q city, with its
views of pinched and haggard faces and
toiling decrepitude, for heroes and hero
ines that shall be forever nameless2--
Lavinia S. Goodwin in Boston Globe.