The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-11-18
PHENlX.

The sad tragedy of Joel Cady's death by
suicide was the topic Of conversation here
on Monday and Tuesday.
Mr.. Cady was born it is said, in Natick,
so that his whole life has been spent in this
vicinity. He was hard-working man,
who by day labor at his trade as a car
penter, earned enough to build him COM
Portable home. He was for many years
employed at S. III. Greene e. Sons works at
Clyde, and was valued and respected by
his employers and his fellow workmen.
In recent years he has lived at home
being too advanced in age to engage in
steady labor
His suicide is looked upon as wholly
out Of keeping with his sterling, indepen-
dent spirit and it is the remark that Mr..
Cady was the last man from whom such a
tragic act could have been looked for.
Looking back over the history of these
valley villages, IL seems that there has
been more unaccountable suicides from
hanging than the number of the popula-
tion would possibly allow if we conjec-
tured regarding it, taking usual aver
ages.
hanging of Cruff, Thomas Rachel, Miss
Westcott, Joseph Atwood, Albert Matte
son, Stephen Briggs, man named Con-
ley, and added TO them, the last, that of
Mr. Cady. All of these lived in this i'm
mediate vicinity, many of them had been
known 10 speak NtntInenUly dRdlusb tDe
utter folly of cutting short ones own ex-
istence.
The death of each one, was source of
wonder, by reason of the apparent lack of
motive for such an act. These deaths of
violence call up the thought, that, how to
certain sections, suicides take different
methods of ending life. Ii is very seldom,
in cities, that hanging occurs. In isolated
places, or in country towns, 1t seems to be
the preferred mode of going.
Your suicide of the great Cities like
New York, London, Paris, are in posses
sion of the knowledge of how to suicide
scientifically, with drug or deadly gas
Women, 1t is said, lack courage to invite
death by any but such an agent, as when
once bargained with leaves no avenue of
escape ; so they, to a great extent, choose
drowning by night when rescue is i'm
probable, or the use OF the revolver, which
asks but the slight movement of one hand
to obliterate known misery for unknown
hereafter
A student recently returned from Ger
many relates the teachings of one of his
professors at Wiesbaden. His eccentric
tutor averred that the brain of a human
being was capable of absorbing and re-
tanning influences given It by the read
ing of and listening to different themes.
He would have the publishing of
accounts of suicides in the daily papers
a crime. for, by his belief, too much peru
sal of them so worked upon the mental
faculties as to give rise to Irresistible sui
cidal mania in certain temperaments.
While this does not commend itself to
practical thinkers, it is at least unique in
its conception.
Once going through the asylum for the
insane of the State of Pennsylvania, the
writer asked il there was any difference in
the percentage of mental maladies from
any distinct classes.
"A very heavy percentage of our in
sane come from farming districts" was
the reply. The monotonous lives, the
hard work and uncertainty from season
to season, of financial success, make these
people easy victims to violent death of
their own seeking.
1t may be said that outside of the Ro-
man Catholic religion of to-day, there are
few people who think the suicide response
BILE for his act. And it may be affirmed
that there are many now living, and pros
porous, who can look back upon times of
sorrow and trouble, when weary with a
burden too heavy for longer carrying, have
themselver been in the terrible shadow of
their own desire to cut short further suf-
fering. They know the strength which
held them back was not of earthly minis
tration, but in answer to agonized appeal
to that aid which never fails with heart
sick children.