Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-21
ASTUDY OF SUICIDE.
How Civilization Fosters the Ten
dency Toward Felo de Sc.
ITS FIRST FORM SACRIFICIAL.
The Causes Underlying Suicide Substan-
TALLY the Same at All Times,
INFLUENCES THAT FAVOR THE CRIME
rwRrTrEN FOR THE DIsPATcH.l

The increase OF SUICIDE WIN Ine pTOSEess
of civilization is matter of grave and In
significant import. That there is such an
increase, statistics abundantly prove. Com
mon to all parts of the globe, and practiced
by all nations and peoples whether civilized
or not, it is nowhere so common or universal
as in the more advanced and progressive
centers of the world. The mere proximity
of such a center increases the suicidal rate
throughout the territory around. Is the
fact eondemnatory of civilization. itself? ?
Sav rather that it is, like those other facts
of murder and insanity, the evolutionary re-
suit of natural and spiritual law. Civiliza-
ton is the evolution-the evolution of man,
meaning the gradual and logical unfold
ment of all his powers, latent or acquired.
That evil is thus developed as well as good,
but proves the moral duplexity of human
nature.
Apart from its moral aspect. however, the
act OF self-destruction is but the extreme ex-
preston Of mans inherent freedom of will
as applied to the choice of life or death
But setting all this aside, it is absolutely
certain that the very influences that do most
toward fostering mental culture and devel-
opment, have also a fostering influence on
lar causes leading to such result will be
considered further on. Considered per Sc it
is more than propable that suicide is, in its
waY but one effect of the law of natural Sc
lection, the weaker going to the wall and
perishing in order to make way for the
stronger and capable. The Italian author,
Morselli, moreover, advances the idea that
the instinct of self-preservation is naturally
counterbalanced by that of self-destruction.
d. osA 4ha de 1F ao1e c17v,
port of his theory, and opines, that
to the primitive mind, the natural
solution to an unbearable life is
to put an end to it. As matter OF fact, the
question, ITO be, .or not to be, " is the nat
ural resultant of that other SIS lie worth
living?" and the suicidal impulse is the
logical outcome of the individuals en-
phatic "Nor' Under stress of the mega
tive, he proceeds ''to take arms against a
sea of troubles, and by opposing ends
them" The dread of something after
death" does not seem to trouble him;
having decided that life is not worth the
living, he is more than willing to take his
chances with death. The growing skep-
ticism and doubt regarding the Immortality
of the soul and the nature of the life to
come, has without doubt much to do with
this Indifference to what "comes after" and
this, too, is generally true, whether the deed
AbsS4A uG puASlNG VI NG4lD6EdlG. 4uS SUI
eide of insanity even, is also, in many
cases, undoubtedly influenced by similar
causes
SUICIDE HISTORICALLY SKETCHED.
But before entering more fully upon the
field of causes, an historical sketch of sui
eide will not be amiss Anciertly, suicide had
its rise in the universally accepted doctrine
of continuity, i. e., that of the immortality
of the soul. Its first form was sacrifcial.
Widows, slaves officers and friends sacri-
feed themselves upon the funeral pyre of
lord and master, or were buried with them
in the belief and expectancy of continuing
to serve them in the other world. Compul-
sorry in the beginning time, usage and re-
hgious training gradually made of it vol
untary and merltorlous act. The suicide of
widows was especially regarded eficacious,
even to the redemption OF the souls of their
husbands from torment-for even the
heather had his ideas of purgatorial justice.
Nor was this custom confined TO any one ma
ton or race; East Africa, Asia, and
the Americas, all anciently prac-
ticed it to a greater or less ex-
tent The suttee of widows and the
suicide of friends is even now carried on in
some parts of the world, notably China and
Japan. Against suicide, per Sc, paganism
had and has no law. The right to take zones
own life seems to have been universally al
lowed. The question of sin was not in
volved. As natural result, suicide from
other motives and causes than the sacrifcial
gradually crept in, and gave rise to series
of restrictions, mostly civil, Distinguishing
between honorable and dishonorable suicide
The laws of the Chinese on this subject are
illustrative in a general way of all: honor
able suicides were sacrifcial, those caused
by defeat in battle, insult to the sovereign,
insolvency, fear of capital punishment or
of public disgrace-public disgrace mean
ing to an oriental anything from an unin-
territorial breach of etiquette to discovered
theft or murder. Dishonorable suicides
were those caused by gambling, quarreling,
revenge and vice.
The Eastern doctrines of transmigration,
reincarnation, etc., has also a most import
ant influence favoring suicide wherever gen.
orally accepted. The hope of bettering
ones condition, or a too impatient desire
for heavenly beatitude in the ascetie the
subjective tendency of oriental mysticism
which looked on life and more especially
earthly existence as but a passing change
and show, and upon mind and spirit as the
only and substantial reality, all this led to
an increasing Indifference toward life itself
and contempt for the earthly barriers su-
perimposed by the flesh. That the Eastern
crop of murders should keep pace with that
of suicides is not much to be wondered at
SUICIDAL. INFLUENCES.
Turning westward we find ancient Greeks
and Romans an eminently cheerful, life
loving people, regarding death with the
natural distaste of the healthy and sensuous
minded. But with the invasion of eastern
ideas, brought about by csnquest and travel,
there arose a melancholy change. The
Greek, indeed, grew more spiritually minded
and mentally cultured, and Grecian civili-
zation took on a transcendent degree of
polish and refinement. But even as in our
later days such influences foster the sui
cidal tendency, so also was it with the Greek.
Life took on the aspect of On accident,
of which he wearied; death took on that of
q friend, whom he sought. Suicide, to the
Greek philosopher, became not only rea-
sonable act, 'but was the noblest expression
of moral freedom, the Stoics especially as
serting the Unborn right to sever the con-
nection between soul and body when con-
WINGED that ones true usefulness and oppor-
tunity to live happily and well is over"
The condition implied within the conclud-
ing words illustrates the TACT that the
Greeks also distinguished between honor
able and dishonorable suicide, and this
very much after the fashion of the Chinese
Impulsive suicide the Stoics regarded as
vulgar. The Epicreans, however, inter-
preted the right to self-destruction in far
more lax and sweeping way, fear of pain
being in itself an all sufficient cause
In practically unsuccessful opposition to
all this, rose the Pythagorean doctrine that
''No man shall abandon his post in life,
without the orders of the Great Commander