Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1897-01-14

death by means Of a gas tube in this
city, and hardly a week passes that
we do not hear Of somewhat similar
and generally successful attempts else
where. The latest attempt in Paris
was that Of young man who tried to
blow out his brains with a revolver.
Fortunately his hand trembled and he
missed his aim True, he did wound
himself badly, but the physicians say
that he will recover.
disappointment in love, we are told,
was the reason why this foolish young
man wanted to quit life so abruptly.
In this respect there is nothing
peculiar about his case. Many men
before him have killed themselves on
account Of women and doubtless many
men after him will follow his example.
What Is peculiar Is the fact that at
his age he should already have grown
weary of life. For he is not man, but
a boy. Nay, in the eyes of the law he
is still an infant
On this subject French writer says,
when we investigate such tragedies
we find almost always that woman is
the cause, some destructive and mer-
cenary creature whose lust for money
is abnormal, though her own value
may be very little. How many of these
foolish women have we known and
how, when men have killed themselves
for love OF them, they have not scrupled
to use this fact as an advertisement!
Only a short time ago a son of one of
the most honorable families in Paris
committed suicide on account OF
woman Of this kind, and before that
the little son of woman Of this class
hanged himself in the bedroom be-
cause he could not endure the humllia-
ton of hearing his schoolfellows
taunts that his mother was dis
reputable woman.
But 1t would be absurd to hold wom-
en- accountable for the deaths of all
young men who commit suicide. Any
one who reads the papers knows that
boys and girls have killed themselves
for the most trivial causes. To such
oversensitlve souls a parents repri-
mand has more than once proved a
death sentence, while in other cases
want of pocket money or an unhappy
home life Or willful temper has been
the cause Of sudden and lamentable
death.
AT no time has there been an utter
dearth Of suicides, but at no time, we
are told, have there been so many
suicides Of young persons as there have
been during the last few years. More
over, at no time have so many very
young men killed themselves on ac-
count of disappointment in love.
The exact causes of this epidemic Of
suicides among Juveniles no one has
attempted to explain. Some think that
the stress of modern civilization is to
blame. Our children become nervous
and discontinued, they claim, because
too many of them find the enjoyments
Of life are not for them and that the
world has nothing for them but many
years Of hard labor and a loveless old
age, Competition, they insist, Is so
keen that many parents cannot give
their children the ordinary pleasures
Of life, the result being that the chill
dren, seeing their parents poor lot,
resolve to remove themselves swiftly
out of world which has so little hap
piness in store for them.
Children in former days, it is argued,
did not commit suicide, because they
were taught to be content with their
lot and hence were generally stolid and
unambitious, whereas the children of
to-day have the benefits Of education
and, naturally, know much more about
the world than could possibly be known
by the children of half century ago.
Hence, it is argued the imagination
of many young persons has been over
stimulated, and the sudden knowledge
that the real world falls far short of
their ideal has proved death blow to
many Of them.
Somewhat similar reasons are as
signed For the suicides of so many
young men, though disappointment in
love is generally admitted to be the
main cause, The young men of to-day,
say these persons, begin to live fast
life while they are still in their boy
hood, and the shock of finding them
selves deceived by heartless, mercen-
airy women is too much for them. In
stead Of pursuing their studies and
looking forward to a happy married
life they fling themselves into disslpa-
ton at an early age and, after running
themselves pecuniarily and physically,
find that nothing is left for them but
death