The herald., 1897-01-17
ADVOCATES OF SUICIDE

The tragic death OF Editor MoCul-
fagh is made the occasion of much dis
cussion of the question of suicide, al
though there Is not the slightest reason
for believing that the great editor pur-
posely sought death by flinging himself
from the window of his room. But
somehow the average man and woman
of Intelligence finds in the so-calIed phi
losophy of suicide a most bewitching
theme for discussion, and no doubt not
few are influenced to try the realities
of it by letting their minds dwell upon
the subject too much. That there is
certain fascination in the problem of
life and death no one will deny, but the
thoughtful person would not seek it's
solution in self-destruction.
AT the last meeting of the American
medico-legal congress it was held by
several members that not only was sui
eide justifiable in cases where there ap-
peared to be no other way to relieve in
dividual misery, but that a physician
would be justified in ending the life of
his patient under certain circumstances.
The medical profession generally does
not hold such views, and it is safe to say
that it never will. On the contrary there
never was time In the history of the
race when medical science was so anx-
ious to discover ways to prolong life as
now. nor was there ever time when
human life was held so sacred. More
over there are fewer who would excuse
suicide than in any former period.
The better man understands the law
of being the clearer he sees that in ratio
to his obedience to natural law Is he In
harmonious relation with all things. and
that when in harmony existence in the
body is altogether desirable He real
lies that when man assumes to be a law
unto himself he is certain to come In
contact with forces which will sweep
him out of the current Of the river of in
dividual progress into the whirls and
eddies which agltate but do not move
onward. He realizes, too, that God and
the universe and man are one stupend-
Gus whole-a bsolutely inseparable-and
that when man quits any sphere of ex-
istence by his own act in violation of the
law of his being, he is still a necessary
part of the whole, and that any attempt
to sever the cord which binds him to the
universal whole must not only fail of
purpose, but that he himself will feel the
jar more severely than any other entity
in all the universe; and not only so, but
he shall continue to live amid distract
ing discord, so to speak, until he volun-
tarily readjusts himself to the system of
law and harmony from which he unlaw-
fully broke away. Surely he will find
pain and sorrow in returning, but not to
return is to be without rest eternally.
Therefore, he who advocates suicide as
means of escape from individual mis-
cry advises the committing of crime
against the highest law of being, and
the Law Of compensation will hold him
N like manner with his victim to ac-
count
There are advocates of suicide as a
proper means Of escape from tiresome
environment who deny that any un-
pleasant consequences could follow be-
cause there is no conscious sneas after
death, but it is incumbent upon them to
prove that there is such state as
death" in the sense they speak of 1t.
IT would seArn that IL thsre is no con-