The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-18
THE CREED OF DESPAIR.

From the Chicago Times-Herald.
From time to time there is what Is
called an epidemic of suicide. We ap-
pear to have reached once more one OF
these frightful cycles. Whatever be true
of the generic descent Of the human
species, the tendency to imitation is 50
strong in 1t that monkeys themselves, to
say nothing of sheep. are not more liable
If fatuous and evil Let a poor maniac
extirpate his family and extinguish him
self, and Immediately in various parts of
the country men will be found, not ma
Macs as the law uses the word, to at
tempt the same monstrous undertaking.
some proportion OF the number succeed
ing. Among the causes Of suicide none is
more active or prolific. however, than
the creed whose preachment has pro-
| ceeded in recent years with. extraordi-
articles. This is Its catchism: /. Who
made you? Ans. Nobody. ! am spon-
taneous generation from matter. q
What motive have you for living? Ans.
whatever pleasure l can. When l cease
to get pleasure out Of it have right to
| destroy 1t.
To this .catechism there Is now an APP
pendix of widespread popularity. 1t Is
the dogma Of degeneracy. Lombroso,
himself convicted thief, arises and pro-
claims that, with whatever defects or de-
basing tendencies human being Is born,
by those shall he be predominated. A Ber-
tape and, by the turn Of his toe, the di.
mensions Of his nose and the curve Of his
eyebrow, decides that he was born to be
a criminal. IT, in addition to these, an
plete creed of despair. Man is no more
than a dog or a bird in his origin. no more
in his destiny; human beings are no bet
ter than diseased dogs or carrion birds;
and the sooner they do away with them
selves the better for them and for society.
Suicide Is the inevitable fruit Of this
creed of despair The Greeks, "who knew
not God" Us a Hebraic and a Christian era
has believed 1t knows and in that belief
1t fate, not rlbald and vulgar degeneracy.
Even the Brahman finds In the absorp-
tion Of the individual soul after death
into the soul of the world, like the alb:
sorption of wave by the sea, a powerful
incentive to a life of self-denial and vir-
tue. The creed Of despair aims its pois-
oned shaft directly at the helpful doctrine
of hope and where the latter would arouse
individual will to exert Its freedom and
increase Its strength to overcome inherit
ed tendencies that weaken or degrade the
creed Of despair whispers cynically. what
fool you are. Since there be no respon-
sibility in your origin. and none awaits
your taking off. why. as Lord Hamlet
SAYS, SHOulu you IaruelS DeaT, Wnen you
can your quietus make with bare bod
kin?
The modern gospel Of despair, more
squalid as we'll as more blasphemous
than that Of fatality, which the Greeks
and Romans held is largely responsible
for the epidemics Of voluntary life-tak-
ing. Eliminate from the human heart
sense of responsibility and capacity for
hopefulness and little Indictment to re.
sist temptation or to realize duty of any
nature in relation to life survives. LON.
broso, Bertillonism carried to excess. and
/ Il sparkftng UyntCattsM Intoxicating the
superficial and the shallow, only to de.
press afterward into disbelief in anything
but animality. have combined to form
the current creed whose fruit Is ashes.
II
The spectacle OF a blatant and bizarre
| iniidel preaching in a Christian church
| in Chicago marks peculiarly dilapi.
dated epoch in the progress of this de-
| moralizing gospel. Religion. whose other
name ought to te hope and helpfulness
| has been reduced, In this instance. to
| the schedule of a dime museum. whose
| interest is contingent on the number and
variety of its freaks and the rapidity
with which dislocations. perversions and
lusus naturae can be presented to the au.
| diance. who are expected to be the more
| delighted In proportion to the monstrosity
| or pcturesqueness Of the attractions.