The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-11
SUICIDE AMONG WOMEN.
The Tendency 20 End Life Is Rarer
Than on the Part of Men.
From the New Review.

From the New Review.
It is beyond question that the tendency
toward suicide is. much rarer among
women than men; the proportion of fe-
male suicides to male is, in fact, all
over the world about one in five. But
genarl statistics are of little use for n
full and profound analysis of this psy-
Geological and social phenomenon, be-
cause they do not show the special fields
and sundry forms Of female suicide with
which the student of woman and her
psychological characteristics must deal.
As it is consequently necessary to di-
vide the suicides into classes. according
to their motives, and to study those classes
separately, the first task would seem to
be to find the best and most natural
classification of the motives for suicide.
Destitution does not lead so frequently
to suicide among women as among men.
The financial ruin of a man involves
almost always the ruin of his relatives,
and, therefore, of several women, such
as his wife, his daughters and sisters.
Indeed, while the man generally causes
and is responsible for the disaster the
consequences of the calamity strike the
female members Of the family with
no less NluiNlltts H. NllcAs the external
influences that bring ABOUT suicide are
the same both for men and for women
the cause of the difference must be looked
for internally-in the psychological char
acter of the woman.
The first cause of this difference is ply
steal and moral sensibllity, which, as Prof.
Lombroso and the writer of this
article have shown, is not so keen in wo-
men as in men. All physical and moral
pains land, therefore, also those of des-
titution) are felt less keenly by the wo-
men. Want of comfort, the less generous
food with which it is necessary to be sat
isfied, loss of public esteem and social
power, that feeling of personal debase-
ment which attends the passage from
wealthiness to a state of poverty, are
affections which q woman bears more
lightly, for she feels them less. More
over, the psychological character of the
woman is more pliable and plastic than
the mans and adapts itself with less diff
Guilty to all the different vicissitudes of
life. A woman, indeed, belonging to eths
upper classes of society, who has been
ruined financially, condesoends to be-
come a ladys companion, teacher or a
governess, and, although she will not in
her new condition forget her former
splendor Of life, yet she will not be alto
gether unhappy But a man who fails
from high social position often prefers to
die rather than live in lower sphere
which would be Il continual, painful
wound to his pride.
Man is much prouder of high social posi-
ton than woman. because the principal
aim Of his work and his struggles is to
claim such high social standing, and, as
financial ruin means defeat, it causes him
the sharpest anguish. Just as the loss of a
great battle is TO a general. Contrariwise.
the woman, who does not generally take
an active part in that gigantic fight for
wealth and social power which constitutes
the history of human society, and only
indirectly enjoys the victories and con
quests. suffers but Indirectly for the de-
feat. and is not wounded by them so cru
ely I'm that most sensitive part of her ma
ture-iu those feelings of personal pride
which are. we may say, the heart Of mans
moral personality.
Another strong obstacle to suicide Is
often for women. the condition OF ma
ternity for es the great characteristics
OF maternal sentiment are those OF pro-
tecting the Offspring when they are weak
mother may think OF destroying herself,