The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-04

Eszu g1wss wre1g 20 sazszk 81 seaT-1esfyzr-
fS0n- OFhesSo. Romeo. Hx-ass< AzFe TIE serD-
permanent thai suffers. rus kscs1se CT crimes,
k1t teczzse Of tAzs excessive Spiritual
serastEss4y and tenderness taza1 sometimes
sweeps 81 oths-wIse sss0ng and sEsss MAJ
surs FROM iss moorSngs and ruas On .-tne
d2shsax ROCKS their sezssek. weary bark .
Nor does Is seem entirely just 20 snses ii
. susesds "a conse-nysl5se because IL died
q grad Tor . woman A great many 1sn
lose hear, drink hzrd, break dawn End
commit II least moral szses5s beczzss shey
have loss their mooney, bat 20 na27 d
ao-zi rs6nemsnt and brz5ns, While de-
CENT. honest, soaer fellow. who died BE-
eznss he had Lost lis gi-l, would not see7
hero since the real hrro IL the nza Who
nsEer loses his grip Cntsa death breaks his
clutch CO his battle axe, nevertheless there
woz1 be large. tenderness for Lis memory
than Tor fellow who took hs life be-
cz1se he had Lost his 6aez4s- The
lower had l1ss . so1l thas be
could not replace, while the beEiSfered
zniser had only lost his money. The rOugh
world can't afford 10 snser zs nA1 who
weakly dies for 10 inpslpsb3ez thing - the
Loaf lore Ct . woman. and thinks him Of
better stuff than the NAN who takes his
LIE because he has lost his 6urs.s.
Il l. EASY fDr commonplace men and
women 10 whom nature has denied either
the capacity 20 charm OF the sensl5alisy 10
Ihe charms Ct Others, 20 s1ser At suicide
for wonzn's sake, but history shows
that greater and better men have persisted
for lore than had sFsr disd rnisersoly By
their oEn hand becz1ss they had Lost their
money.
WOuid Napoleon. Rad Is be was. stand
worse today had he taken poison the week
after Waterloo rz1her than consent 80
EEe . Gagged eagle on the barren
rock Of s. Helena slowly dying Of cancer
OF the stomach and scirrhosis Of the sonl.
Temperament seems 20 decide the matter.
Nari1s rose higher than Antony and had
= more terrible fall, but even when sitting
in gloom In the ruins Of Czrthsgs he does
no. seem 10 hsTe thought Of ssoop:rg to
suicide: nor DO ne ever think CT Juli1s
Cesar "a man prone 10 suicide; he had
something Of the rercurial Temperament
Of Alcf1izdes mixed with his greatness,
and be would have died sword In hand or
endured exile with forfitGds instead Of
embracing suicide. No amount of sgony.
or shame, or calamity, VIII persuade some
men 10 suicide. while better men seem
often 70 accept il ss the honorable way Of
escape from q biunder that has become 20
inioleraole IS 20 extingzish the instinct Of
self-prese-Tasion.
Whole communities have destroyed them
selves with their wives and children rather
than accept slavery under the co1que-or
and ali il implied. Sane soldiers have
taken their lives 70 escape torture at the
hands Of szvsge enemy; sane women.
rather than suffer shame; but they are no
more 20 be identified with ordinary cases Of
suicide than falsehood told by man TO
saTe his innocent wife and children from q
shameful, cruel death would be identified
with falsehood told In order 70 rob his
neighbor Of his property. Shakespeare al
ways speaks Of suicide Is sin, q trans
erosion OF divine Law. The only famous
writer Of Shakspeare's day who defended
suicide was Montaigne, who argued that
since no man was responsible for being
born into this world it was not fair to con-
denim him for dropping burden which
became his 70 carry through no
fault o. his own The obligation
10 make the best Of him.
self within the possibilities Of moral
conquest. endurance and accretion we
call character is felt by all men Of con.
science, and suicide Is the violation of this
obligation by the evasion Of the burdens,
discipline and responsibilities Of life
through unmanly fight. Suicide there
fore Is sin. since IL is in violation Of the
teachings Of the divine Law within rs ne
call conscience. Socrates and Shaks-
peare both felt this, while the cheerful but
comparatively shallow old Gascoa philos-
opher, Mon.aigne. either could not see
that his defense for suicide was spiritual
fallacy or pretended TO be blind TO the
weakness of his argument.
Socrates taught that the position Of
human being on earth Is analogous TO that
of soldier on duty, when desertion would
be gross Reputation OF duty and honor.
and Shakespeare makes Brutas say Of
suicide:
know not how.
But DO find II eovsrdly ana vile,
For fear Of what nigh; fall, thus 70 prevent
= ne Term Of life; a-Taing myself with Patience
To await the providence OF those high powers
That govern rs below.