Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-08-14

~ men had the courage they would
,,rror in prisons, in alms-houues.
ns ,oanltals. they would not bear The
nss Of incurable disease, the stains
dtsbonor. they would not live in
am and want. in poverty and hunger
.snhor would they wear the chain OF
s,.very. An this can be accounted for
.s,v-by The fear Of death or "of
,s,blng after" writes Colonel Bob
5.rsrsoll TO the New York World
ssneen. knowing that Nero intended
i ankle his lie, had 10 fear. lie knew
,,ot he could defeat the emperor TIC
knew that lat the bottom Of every
AVER. in the coll OF every rope, on the
r,lnt Of every dagger iihorly sat and
sr,iod" He knew that 1t was his own
nult II h, allowed himself 10 be tors
,nrsd to death by his enemy. lie said;
arbere is this blessing. that while lie
4 MI hut one entrance, It has exits in
Vulnerable, and as l choose the house
IN which ! live. the snip in which
viii sail. so Will | choose the time and
r.nner Of my death"
10 me this is not cowardly, but man
~ and noble.
Under the Roman law persons found
entity OF certain offerses We're not only
destroved. but their blood wes polluted
and their children became outcasts.
n bnwever they died before conVic-
ION. their children We're saved. Many
commltted suicide to save their babes.
rerlaluly they We're not towards AL
m6urh guilty OF great crimes, they
had enough Of honor, Of manhood left
ID save their Innocent children. This
vas not cowardice.
without doubt many suicides are
caused by insanity. Men lose their
property. The fear OF the future over
movers them. Things lose proportion.
they lose polse and balance and in
~ lash. q CLEAN OF frenzy Kill them
selves The disappointed in love. bro
F. Ken in heart-the light fading from
M thelr ltvas--seek the refuge OF death.
Those who take their lives In painful.
ri harbarnus ways-who manEle their
WI throats with broken glass, dash thcm-
selves from towers and roofs, take poi
sons that torture like the rack-such
PERSONS must be insane. But those
n who take the facts into accc'int, who
W weigh the arguments for and against,
and who decide that death Is best
81 he only good-and then resort TO rem
sonable means, may be, so far MS I can
zee In full possession OF their minds.
Life Is not the same TO alto some a
81 Blessing. TO some n curse. TO some not
81 much In any way. Some leave u with
IN unsnenkable regret some with the
keenest Joy and some with indiffer-
ence.
Religion, or the decadence Of religion,
has bearing upon the number OF sui
rides, The fear of God" of judgment,
q eternal pain, will stay the hand, and
people so believing will suffer here I'M
an Iii. I4s 4 hnlfaf
IN eternal agony beyond the grave will
q cause such believers to suffer the pangs
Of this life. When there is no fear of
the future when death is believed to
be dreamless sleep men have less
hesitation about ending their lives ON
the other hand, orthodox religion has
driven millions to insanity. If has
caused parents TO murder their children
and many thousands to destroy them
sfves and others
II seems probable that all real, genu-
me orthodox; believers who XIII them
ielyes must be insane, and TO such n
dagree that their belief is forgotten.
God" and hell are out of their minds.
u am satisfied that many who commit
faicide are insane many are In the
/, twilight or dusk of insanity, and many
X tie perfectly sune,
J. The law We have IN this state maxi
~ Ing II crime to attempt suicide Is
. e'"Ni hAAh tAhHhAht anu NtAiNhA1A'h W ~
rease the number Of successful sui
dies. When a man has suffered so
E1nueh, when lie has been 80 prosecuted
- and pursued by disaster that he seeks
De rest and sleep Of death. why should
ne state add to the sufferings OF that
nan? A man seeking death, knowing
U MAT he will be punished II he falls, Will
ii axe extra plains and precautions to
make death certain.
This law was born OF superstition
Il passed by thoughtlesness and enforced
uy ignorance and cruelty.
n Mhen the house OF life becomes n
PRISON, when the horizon has shrunlS
/, and narrowed to a cell, and when the
= convict longs for the liberty of death.
III Why should the effort to escape be re-
~ satded as crime?
~ course, / regard life from n natu-
~ point Of view. l do not take gods.
neayens and hells into account, MY
U sstzon is the known. and my estimate
HE Is based upon what I know OF
NV W mere In this world. People. should
: KY suffer for the sake of supernatural
, sngs or for other worlds or the
Wnopes and fears Of some future state
W are here.
nj me law Of Now York about the at.
e'npt 10 commit suicide and the law as
"a v, viYoree are about equal. Both are
~r'ouc Law cannot prevent suicide
(. suSe who have lost all fear Of death
" NC nothing for law and It's penalties
Nm MN IS liberty, absolute and eternal
ltH me should remember that nothing
rppens but the natural. Back Of
me- 49, suicide and every attempt q
limit suicide is the natural and ell
pl ~" cause, Nothing happens by
v sanee. In this world the facts touch
I'M trn other. There is no space be
y" no room FOR chance. Given {
r31 ons heart and brain. certain condi
nj. H' and suicide Is the necessary re
III " VIC wish Ia prevent suicide
n must change conditions. We Eius
,l,,, y,liueatlon by intention. by art by
q avs.a aauon. add to the value Of thu
mas ne. We must cultivate tn
NJ fsss pris n anu heart-do away with falls.
= ears aln raise modesty. We must be
X. III iors srnsrous enough to helm our fel
Y nuS without degrading them. w
Wiind. make industry-useful work Of al
Entns honorable. We must mlngle
XIV XIV affection with our chnrity-a lItti
M Emp We should allow thos
VI thsn,s We sinned To really reform. w
Sissela not not think only OF what tn
= X q NV S nave done. but we should thini
~ AZ We have wanted 10 do. Pfo
I. w not hufa e..