Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-02
A STUDY IN SUICIDES.

Those who have made study OF the
subject of suicides find that the mama
for self destruction Is becoming more
prevalent to an alarming degree. with
regard to France 1t has been proven
that in seventy years. from 1927 to 1871
the increase IL from of each lOo,ooe
inhabitants to 90. This proportion is
also said to be found in other countries.
Civilization develops, knowledge in
creases, and wealth is rapidly accumu-
lating; an ordinary workingman of to-
day is in some respects as well on as
Solomon in all his glory" while the
comforts and iuxuries within the reach
of the wealthy classes surpass the
dreams of antiquity; yet happiness is
evidently not on the Increase. If 1t
We're men and women would not seek
to end their own existence more fire.
quently than ever in the known history
of the race.
Some have found in this increase of
cases OF self destruction an evidence
that II Is q malady of n contagious ma
ture. A person of o melancholy in
clination hears of somebody to whom
fate has been cruel, apparently. killing
himself. He reads of all the details
and they are impressed on his mind.
He very soon finds that fate has been
equally cruel to him. The suicide now,
in the diseased imagination of the pes--
simist, becomes hero and the sugges-
ton to initiate him is irresistible. one
more case Is added to the list.
This view OF the matter, probably, is
correct as far az It goes, but 1t does not
touch on the chief cause, which is to
be found In the general tendency of our
age. 1t would be useless to deny that
the material interests of individuals,
and of nations. are threatening to be-
come predominant and exclude from the
domain of both heart and intellect the
higher interests. Even science has in
some notable instances undertaken to
remove the foundations of faith by dis
claiming the hope for life after this;
love of an eternal Being as the basis of
morality; reverence for divine authority
delegated to men and, generally speak
ing. the belief in responsibility for ac-
tons outside the reach OF human law
all OF which modern learning calls
mere superstitions, unworthy the age of
science. And what Is given instead of
these? on one hand the cold philoso-
ply that defes human nature with all
the abnorlnities and defects that are
but too visible to the observant eye. and
on the other hand the incomprehensible
mysticism revived from pagan systems
| l,.t lao,
ings enclosed between walls of doubt
and mysteries, without hope because
without communication with Heaven,
find existence n burden. Why should
people live in sorrow, in poverty. in a
continual struggle for life. u death ends
| all? why bear the burden, If 1t is not
an eternal truth that the very trials of
ton? But 1t is this truth that fades
| out OF sight more and more in our age.
| Alleged science puts its foggy concep-
tons between the word of God and the
public view, and one of the results il
the increasing despair that leads to
death without hope.
In proof of this assertion II can be
cited that statistics show that suicides
are most frequent in countries that
boast of the highest scientific attain
ments, In Protestant states the aver
age is 100 for each one million inhabit-
ants; in mixed states. &c; Roman Cath
Ollie states show only SO, and Greek
Catholic, 20. If it is true that a tree
may be Judged by its fruits, those fig
ures are n testimony against the boast
ed superiority Of modern progress. at
| least In some RESPECTS.