The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-03
TIE SUICIDE Ep1D rMIC


with n serious question TO which sufficient ut.
tention has not been given. 1t is tho fearful in.
crease OF suicides In Paris and In all other capi-
tai cities. This Is a n,alady Of civilization, wc
might almost say a contagious mnlady. In ad.
dition to physical epidcmics. there are also mon.
tai epidemics. Both commence in the game way,
Mt first by isolated cases and afterwaId by i'm.
mediate contagion. The epidemic subsidies and
then suddenly bursts out again with eXtraor.
binary energy under some influence, often that
OF temperature; for 1t has been noticed that in
certain months of the summer suicides are most
numerous, They are climatic.
The existence Of cpidcmic5 OF ideas is undo.
ninble. That has been proved, for example,
during the bomb-throwing craze. 1t was u Eu.
ropcan epidemic which: burst out at the same
umo and appeared in several places. In an.
archy there nro also centres of infection. In
France the cOntagion was evident. The cases
succeeded each other rapidly. Ravachol was
the first victim OF tho disease, and he contains.
mated all the others, valiant, Henri, &c.
Nitriol throwing was one OF the symptoms OF
a mental epidemic. Tho beautiful and for.
saxon Marie Biere was the first to bring the
thing into notoricty. After her for q long time
many women who believed that they had rca-
son to complain Of the conduct of their lovers
had resource to vitriol. Tho craze became con-
tagious, like the cholera or the plague. Now
1t has almost entirely passed away.
Suicide is the epidemic at the present time.
1t is increasing and making numerous victims,
and tho press unintentionally helps to increase
the evil. The journals arc the centres of its
propagation. They accustom people to the idea
of voluntary death, almost Justify II and extol
II. In the country districts il Is customary to
DO silent in regard to q suicide. 1t is considered
a 'culpable desertion OF life. something that is
almost shameful. In the cemeteries there Is "a
special corner for the suicides. But our news.
papers give publicity to the suicides, throw a
certain amount Of sentimentality around them,
and cover their collins with flowers.
Imagine an unfortunate man, broken down by
poverty and mourning, reading a detailed &C.
count of a suicide. 1t puts temptation in his
way. points to q refuge. Why did he not think
of that simple remcdyf And another figure Is
added to the statistics of suicides.
We are far from tho days when La Fontaine
could write the story of Death and the Wood
Gathercr." in which tho former is dismissed by
the latter, who. in a moment of encouragement,
had called for him. To-day death has no ter.
rors for the broken-hearted. They receive him
gladly, speak to him calmly, make their ar.
rangements with him, and sign. so to say, to.
gether the declaration of voluntary departure
upon the white paper which the ink puts in
mourning. Unlike the wood gatherer of La
Fontainc. the suicides of the present time are
drcadfuliy in earnest.
But the gravest symptom OF the malady Is
shown in what we call suicide in common. We
have all read the horrible account OF the recent
suicide OF the four young women in the Eau
bours Poissonniere. They worked togethe: in
asphyxiated each one. In this case, also, the
journals were pernicious vehicles. The &C,
counts Of the case were multiplied. You could
see in the illustrations colored prints of the four
dead bodies lying side. by:side, and even the
little dog. also included in the dark adventure.
| NO doubt the case was BlDRularly pathetic.
Each one had a real grief. One had seen her
another was abandoned by her husband, and the
third abandoned by her lover and %encei,tc.
Tears are contagious. They are attracted to
they OF course become larger. Each one OF
these unfortunate young, women might have
the weight was increased BY the SORROWS OF the
others. That is why the idea OF suicide, having
the others. What a scene for n playwright was
that last evening, the evening when they told
ing tears in common! Then they took their last
supper. at which they laughed and sang. Peo-
RElei;ars joEoSs when iSTpt they become decided q cid They
r en- as ibsen says; and IN this this c ass
each one was fortified by the determination Of
This kind Of Suicide in common is certainly
tragic, and it is a grave SYMPTOM Of the progress
opher Hartmann, a disciple Of schopenhauer.
and also an apostle of pessimism, gives as the
evitable end Of the world IAN immense COS.
micGl suicide to be committed by humanity"
Certainly pessimism; philosophical denial; and
death Of Rolla, blamed voltaire. ~proelaimins
his death The want, Of faith is one Of the
have the example of suicides bequeathing all
the money that they possessed for masses for
the repose of their souls.
But there are other causes. In the first place,
we arc no longer able to suffer, not even physi.
caliy. We send for cocaine and chloroform in
cases of simple suffering, even the dra wing OF
a tooth, Where is the endurance OF other times
before the discovery of these marvellous drugs
which seem almost necessary for our too sensi.
itys incapable of bearing physical paint Moral
on the condition that it must be without bitter:
ness; In other words, we want the impossible:
NJ. Becque, there is one profound phrase. When
the lovers become cold and a sort of sadness
comes fSn gs SveT them N # and ID. when 6enw one as asks .r the o'hs e
s shsie meSSn'TfEE That Or is IT the 1ee vs SnS~ soul 's Of the lnf peli ode
it Is the malady Of people too much civilized
shades and die on account of shades. How
many suicides have had no other causci At the
have had enough." Suicide is there. The iovo
Of life is absent; i Is the strong, and Young
TnSs n snaa S s%ons 70 the liss' sa rhas IS VIZ TSo suicide isaa Of II
death which ic. presented in the accounts of
the abyss, One should never go near the brink.
We should conceal this idea OF death. throw a
veil over the example Of the suicide. NJ. Xola
in one of his novels speaks OF a knife that had
already served one. suicide eagerly ~snatchcd up
stricken, isolation becomes necessary in this
peculiar malady, the isolation of concealment.
The newspapers are the centres OF its propaga-
ton. That ia why It is desirable that tho en-
tire press should refrain "a much as possible
from publishing detailed accounts OF suicides.
The Dialady is increasing and becoming n social
eyi which people do not look upon with sufti-
cient seriousness.
Al the theatre ,vhep n nicca hocopos tircson,a
one spectator rises and leaves. He ia soon fol-
Lowell by an~othcr.hhen by three or four more,
and so on until pretty soon the whole audience
leaves en- masse. In thc'theatre OF life we have
not yet reached the point where all go out to.
gcther. But are we approaching the period OF
pher Hartmann spcaksl
GEN. CLING NAN, ONCE FAMOUS,