The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-25
PAGES 8 TO II.
SUICIDE AMONG ANcIENTs.
How Self-Murder was Regarded in
the Days of Old.
From the Chicago Tribune.

From the Chicago Tribune.
There is no passion in the mind of man,
says Lord Bacon, $50 weak but it mates and
masters the fear Of death" Realizing this.
q man must put inside first of all the idea of
anything noble in suicide. He is not facing
his enemy in dying; he Is flying to what he
supDoses TO be a refuge. The truth enun-
ciated by the philosopher also explains how
suicide is looked upon with such apparent
indifference by the Orientais. In them the
fear of death is apparently mastered by
every other passion.
For many centuries suicide has been a
fine art in China and Japan. A mandarin
in China, il guilty Of misconduct. is politely
requested 10 dispatch himself. IL lie be of
a rank which entities him to the peacock
father he Is privileged to choke himself to
death with gold leaf. This is supposed in
those parts to be a particular luxurious form
of death. IL the mandarin be entitled to wear
only the red button he must be contented
with strangling himself with silken cord.
This is hard, but the regulations Of caste
are memorable.
laSimilar processes existed in Japan from
time immemorial, but that country Is to-
day genuinely pr gressive aud frowns down
the notions that are not in harmony with
western civilization.
The Orientals take TO death like ducks to
water. They seem to be as sure Of paradise
as our own repentant murderers. There is
historical truth in the conception of Moores
"Veiled Prophet who could command his
followers TO dash themselves to death and
find them only too delighted to obey.
Far different was the temper of the
Roman soldiers, who when hemmed in
would die on their own swords-whose gen.
erals always chose death in preference to
grazing an enemy's triumph. They died in
grim despair.
During the reign Of Tiberius law was
passed permitting criminals who committed
suicide to dispose Of their property. IL the
state was put to the expense Of killing them
it seized their possessions. This was GER
tainly putting premium on self-destruc-
tion.
The Athenians at the hight Of their civil
ization discouraged suicide, although not
severely. The offending hand was buried
apart from the body.
What said the great thinkers of Athens
and Rome on the subjectl
Zeno, the founder Of the Stoics, set his
followers precious example. At the age
of IS he fell and put his thumb out of joint.
This was a hint to him that he bad lived
long enough, so he went home and hanged
himself
Aristotle, Epictetus, and Zoroaster are
great names ranged against suicide. The
first finely said: Courage is the mean
between fear and rashness; suicide Is the
sum of BOTH" Epictetus: "Act we'll your
part; 1t is not for you to choose it." Zoroas-
ter: "The soldier must not desert his post.
Life Is the post of man."
Piny thought that pains in the head and
stomach should excuse suicide.
Homer is said to have hanged himself be-
cause he could not solve the "fisherman's
riddle" Cato and Lucretius stabbed them
selves Terence drowned himself because
he lost 108 translated comedies. The
writings Of Labienus we're burned and
Labienus took the fire route for his own
exit from the earth. The wife of Brutus,
the well-beloved Portia, swallowed burn
ing Goals. Herennius, the Siciliau, beat
out his brains, and lived long enough
to salute them. il his biographers tell the
truth Empedocles plunged into a crater.
Tie had an imitator in this century, by the
way, in the person of an English nooleman.)
Nero cut his throat. Petronius Arbiter
opened his veins because he had displeased
Nero. Damocles scalded himself to death.
Two Romans killed themselves &c escape the
eloquent invective of Cicero.
There are those who claim and appar-
emily with justice, that the essence of
ancient thought on this subject lies in this
saying of Seneca, himself suicide: 1.-THE
wise man lives as long as he ought, not az
long as he can"