St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-04
RIVER AT SEA. NJ.
THE INCREASE OF SUICIDE.

The more study there is given to
the statistics of suicide, the more ap-
palling do the figures become. Either
the restraints that once held men
back from the desperate extremity
of self-destruction are weakening, or
the stress and pain of life are be-
coming too strong for average hui
mainly. Whatever be the cause,
there is no installing the significance
of the tables, or the drift of ten
dency which they signify. In 1889
there were 1924 persons who died
by their own hand in the United
States. In 1890 the number rose to
2,640. Since that the upward pro-
gression has been rapid and decided.
The record shows 1881 suicides in
1891, $3.50 in 1892, 4,460 in 1893, and
1912 in 1894 Thus in the last five
years the number of suicides had
more than doubled, which is out of
all proportion to the gain in popula-
ton.
This tendency, we believe, is uni
versal. 1t is not conditioned upon
climatic changes. Business reverses
or successes may accelerate or retard
it, but it lies deeper than them and
beyond them. The people of our
own state and of these cities, who are
startled so often by some shocking
story of self destruction in the morn
ing's news, are not the victims of a
delusion when they say that it seems
to them that these tragedies happen
more frequently than they were
wont to in other days. Their i'm
preston is the mental record of
fact. In 1887 the number of sui
cides in Minnesota was but 53; while
by 1890 it had risen to los, and last
year it was 124. An increase of
over 100 per cent between the ex-
tremes, and Of Is per cent in the
last five years is a marked one In
st. Paul there were but 6 suicides
% in 1894. In Minneapolis the num-
Der rose from 10 in 1891 to "a in
1894. Every community will tell the
same story; and the aggregate of all
these local increases in the suicide
list makes the tremendous total of
thousands who now dare annually
70 fan h. f1,@ Il
'fiat 'gainst self-slaughter." What
does it mean, and what is it's point
ing for the future?
1t seems to US that the increase of
suicide, apart from the temporary
stimulus given by periods of bust
ness reverse, is a natural accom-
paniment and consequence of the
modern life, mental and spiritual.
OF course every one sees readily
the increase of tension, the constant
access Of pressure and speed, the
greater demand on brain-stuff to
meet the strenuous competition of
our times. 1t demands the best
that is in a man, and asks it I'M
sparingly. To those who fall be-
hind in the race, to those who are
unequal to it, to those who feel
themselves losing gradually, there
may with some reason seem to be
no more dignified exit than that
which they decree with their own
act But, indeed, we need not
search on the side Of active induce
ments to suicide for an explanation
of it's prevalence. To the weak and
the desperate it has always appealed
1t is the lessening of restraints thai
needs rather to be explored For
given weakening of the motives
the hopes or fears that have held
men back from self-immolation, the
remainder Of the phenomenon is not
too unnatural to explain itself.
That weakening may be found
readily in the general decline of the
prevalence of a strong and fixed
religious belief. The conduct of So
ciety has been fixed for ages to 6
large extent by it's faith in a sys
tenn of future rewards and punish
ments, apportioned to individuals il
the next world according to theil
conduct in this. To the vast mass
Of people IT was a vital and terrible
truth. Even to those who doubted
IL was possibility with which il