The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-15
GRIFFITH ON s.SUICIDE.3
self-Destruction rs Viewed From n
TheoSophical Standpoint.

DR. Allen Griffith. the Pacific coast
lecturer of the Philosophical Society, lee
tllrei last eycEfsng before the Theosophi-
cal Society. Hits subject was entitled
'iSutssie." The speaker said: '"I'he pre-
vatlrg conception that suicide ends all
by ann5hilaitirg individual consciousness,
or that II 3ssthe exit Of the soul from this
world and entrance to another, Is wrong.
Suicide * n crime from the correspond
ing punishment OF which there Is no es-
cape. The crime consists in impeding
the souls evolution by csTtzlng short i.s
present opportunities for that evolution.
"a suicide Is as much alive after the
act as before. He is for time as fully
conscious of earthly affairs and the action
Of his former associates as ever, but
because he has destroyed his physical
body which was the instrument used for
functionlng on the physical plaintiffs
earth-his power of action on that plane
IS nil He awakens after the first shock
Of his violent act TO as full conscious
ness OF earthly events as before, but
finds himself unable TO take part In them.
or 20 make his presence and wishes known
to his former friends AZ first he does
not realize his impotence. hut gradually
and surely II dawns upon him, and then
be is tortured by regret. remorse and
unsa tisfied lengings. which surpass the
power OF language to depict Ha will
Iinger about his former friends and
haunts and exhaust time and energy I'm
fruitfeSs attempts 20 attract attention
and engage in former persuiis. until he
realizes the utter futifity of such
course. whereupon eusUss a state of alb
feci aud horrible despair. II he suicides
at - years OF age and the trim OF his
natural life would have been - years.
he viii remain in this terrible mental
state for ~ years. In other words by
Violently taking himself out az his holy
he not only does not escape the Ills which
flesh Is heir 10. bat takes all these with
him and flies 20 others a thousand fold
worse and more numerous. from which
there IS absolutely no escape until q. fun
term 81 hiS natural elrf8 iffe - passed.
The gF~aest Judicial crjIle a. modern
civilization IS capital punA siarnent When
a murderer 81 hangeSi he Is n@ithega Killed
nor his criminal career cat short. The re-
verse is true. Were he kept alive and
confined IN prison his sphere Of activity
womb thus be confined 70 PRISM limits
AMI his eva towers and propensisies re
rs.ss r-sstei 70 the naTrowest environment.
Reside. he would have opportunity IN re-
form Buf when ne = hanged decaui-
tAseA or ele>st roca1ted his s>pfiy alone -
fs.sr~ovssa while his evil and fercs-4oas
mind Is liberated frcsra the p1ysscal ami
coes forth IN Ehe astral body 90 seek and
md the haunts az the vicious and crtrz1in-
Al minded % influence and tTnpel ti1s~n 20
crime Furthermore. capstai punishment
s4c-ss not lessen crime nor deter the erin
tr,al class fruxn commission % criTnc. but
rather trrrrsas So tne eTa Statistics Prov
rs.s~ che sssass o. stssaae - usually iTnTne-
ssfate3v ssux>~es2sd ey Others, Yen have
ehss demonstrated IN yos2r ow-n city asSt
vicinity where a naGsber % susrsciss have
rr..a1tIv occurred, and TIE end - not yes-
TIE xsxsssosl IS chat zne sous az The SUI
rsssass arr eArshhossrsi and AtTracts7s 10
a. q n
tar.ssr faS4aeszry wAkca Is aroused and eul-
inmates n 1ske as1-
FsTSssre ~ another and stti more sig
~lHe~azst rssszse % s8tctfe. That ALREADY
saasssgerHa 81 Hfnor. Th3s t7c second