Omaha daily bee., 1896-01-02
THE YEARS RECORD.
A Review OF Some OF the Conspicuous
Features OF fSgS.

Chicago Tribune
II will be OF interest to glance briefly al
what the year 1895 has brought to this world
In the way Of misfortune, especially as COM
pared with its predecessor, 1894.
Fortunately 1895 has not been as prolino
In disasters as 1894 The record OF losses
OF life by ship wreck, for instance, asere-
gate only 1880, as compared with 6.SS1 in
1894. The railroads Of this country have
killed 5000 persons. as comparcd with S.64s
| In 1894 In the general record Of fatalities
| such as thosa by drowning, fire, mines, ex-
| plosions, cyclones, lightning etc, both at
| home and abroad, the aggregate Is 2S.09i,
as compared with 2STi9 in 1894. The loss
by fires in the United States for 1895 was
SlSI6'S,2O6. as compared with S1i5,590,-
Si2 In 1894 The loss Of life by epidemics
has fallen on nearly one-half. the total be-
ing 19,i6i, as compared with 1890 in
1894. the most Of this loss having been oc-
casionei by the cholera in Russia, Japan,
China and India. On the other hand the
loss Of life in battle has been nearly twice
that OF 1894 being 1896, as compared
with $3.50. The increase Is mainly ac-
counted for by the fatalities in the closing
weeks OF the war between Japan and China,
the uprising of the Cuban patriots, the
numerous revolutions In South America
and the horrible atrocities practiced upon the
helpless Armenians by the unspeakible Turks,
for which no indemnity has yet been made
European treaty powers.
Tho blacklist feature of the year Is the
alarming increase of suicides and murders
an increase out Of all proportion to the nat
ural Increase Of population In 1894 there
were 4,9l2 reported cases Of suicide in the
United States; In 1895 there were 75g an
increase OF Si7. For the last ten years sui
cides have increased at an average rate OF
nearly 1000 year. Murder is increasing
at still more rapid and alarming rate In
1894 there were $500 murders reported and
lo,6O0 in 1895, an increase of roo Ii is an
unusual coincidence that the same number of
criminals was hanged in 1895 and 1894 1872
in each year. The lynchings on the other
hand show a gratifying decrease there
having bsen III in 1895 as compared with
l9i in 1894. 1t goes without saying that the
great majority Of victims of Judge Lynch
were negroes in the southern states and II Is
an additional disgrace to that section that
there were several women among them Bu,
under the influences of healthier condi-
tion of public sentiment and the repressive
action Of several of the southern governors
and legislatures there is unquestionably de-
termination in many parts Of the south to sci
the wheels Of justice in better running order
and to minimize the dreadful evils of mob vio
lerce. Embezzlements and violations of fnan.
cial trusts may be classed in this general
category of crime, 1t is most gratifying
to observe, however, that this form of ras-
caty Is diminishing, the stealings of 1895
being less than half of those of 1894. The
record Tor 1879 shows loss from this source of
$40 423 2O5, as compared with S25,234,712 In
1894.
Turning from this black record of human
weakness and dishonesty 1t is gratifying
to contemplate the results of human gem
sroslty and philanthropy. The generous men
and women OF the United States, either by
oequsst or by gift outright, have given to
colleges in 1895 the large sum of $12,-
'79.S2O; to charities, S5,745,670: to churches,
2OS9150; to museums and art galleries
81 7245OO: to libraries, $532 433. and to other
Institutions $6,471 ,976-a total of $2S, S,934549
10 compared with $40 JIG in 1894. This
s the way good deed shines in this naughty
world.