The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-05-08


law. The mob belongs to an age OF bar.
barism and falls under the prohibition OF
this law forbidding to kill. It Is evidently
the duty Of every good citizen TO do all
In his power TO prevent crime either by the
Individual or the community.
There Is another class OF murder known
as suicide, in which the individual destroys
his own life. in most civilized countries
self murder has been ever held as a crime
to be condemned. In England, until In
recent years, the suicide has been denied
the rights of civil burial. and his goods
have been conhscated by the State, In
America. he docs not forfeit his wealth.
even life insurance unless it can be shown
to that suicide was premeditated In order
TO beat an insurance company. Roman
Catholics do not allow such persons burial
IN their consecrated grounds, or the right
OF clergy" OF course. all thinking people
can see the folly and unchristlan spirit
shown In such behavior.
1t is pretty well settled among mental
specialists now that no absolutely sane
person Will deliberately commit suicide,
unless II be to rid ones self of the shame
OF public execution for crime. Most insane
persons attempt the destruction OF their
own lives.
II Is rather remarkable that suicide
sometimes assumes the role Of an epl-
demic. This is accounted for on the
committed this puts the loose twisted
minds TO medtating in this direction, ana
their brains become crazed, and they per-
form the act because some one did so.
The greatest reason for suicide Is found
In the drink and opium habit of todas-
No man, while under the influence of
alcohol or opium or cocaine, Is himself
The natural effect OF these habits IS TO
destroy the sense of reason and caution
I at us do Al ufft an
cause, in many Instances Is removed to
his father or grandfather,
There Is another form of murder which
can not afford TO Observation-Disclosures
OF all classes Of murder this is possibly
the most common, as much as the average
mind may be surprised to learn It. Among
the Spartans, in their palmiest days, IL
was thought no crime for the father or
mother to destroy the lives of weak,
decrepit children. Perfect physical do
velopment was counted the chief good
among the Greeks hence the weak and
hcmely were put TO death for the common
good In Rome the same habit prevailed,
The father had power 10 put to death his
female children or feeble male offspring
at Will,
In parts OF China, india and in the
South Sea Islands such practices exist to-
day but thanks 10 Christian civilization,
whore the glorious gospel Of Christ Hour
ishes, this crime Is condemned and the
perpetrator punished, But there Is
form OF infantlcde in highly Chrisranized
communities exceedingly common, |
make no apology for making free mention
Of his crime. Feticlde is as certainly
murder as etrangling The infant is after il
has been born There have been many
debates touching the question Of when the
unborn infant reaches an age at which
men are justified IN pronouncing IL
human being But the general verdict now
seems to be that there is real human life
from the very beginning Of human or
ganism, hence the destruction OF human
life, though In its FIRST months is real
murder. Gods word anys no murderer
shall be allowed to become q citizen Of
Heaven. II this be true, there arc many
among us who think themselves cultured.
ladies. and exemplary church people, who,
II the law against murder were carried
into tlll effect would he wearing the
stripes by day and passing their nights IN
felon'B cell The startling thing about
Il 10 hat niue-teuths Of these murdorers
are women, and moving in the highest
social and religious circles at that The
medical journals all over Chrlstendom are
constantly numbering against the crime
OF infantc,de. ALLOW me 10 say that the
woman who Is unwilling to assume the
responsibility of motherhood ought, by
law, To be prohibited from entering into
the state OF wlfehood
lnfanucido Is crime In which the
American women probably outstrip those
&C any other nation.
There is another way IN which murder
Is performed in a semi respectable way,
II not semi-respeotable Il is done by the
authority Of law. mean murder by
hurful business The man whose business
Is thai of destroying the health aud
ultimately the life of his fellow is as
much guilty OF murder as though he vera
guilty of using a knife or gun The iquor
business ~ licensed murder There Is no
way Of lodging The question The medical
world is aFncst unit that alcohol Is not
food bur slow poison 10 he human
syetem, which mus, inevitably destroy
him who thus INDUCES
The man who becomes euslaved to his
appetite until he destroys his health and
hastens a near approach az death is no
less a suicide than he who puts a pistol 10
his head and blows himself into eternity
Likewise the man who fnr money deals
oui regularly to his unfortunate fellows
that which must in the end result in
death, is no less guilty OF murder than
he who puts poison In his neighhors food
~ his well, Ii is blot on our Chris
tan civilization that the State license
this form OF murder Tor the money there
uon people learn to be consistent? When
viii we rise so high in the scale Of un-
alleged Christian manhood that we viii
spurn to sell our brother for gold whose
very blood cries TO Heaven for redressT
The average man thinks when he has
kept the letter he has done all the law
requires. forgetting that tho spirit ia above
thu letter Most men suppose that II
they have not actually crimsoned their
hands IN their fellows blood they are in
no sense guilty Of murder. bu, Jesus, the
prophet OF Nazareth, the Goldman In His
Interpretation OF the law concerning mur.
der. says the desire which is father to the
act Is In itself murder. In Matthew Y. H.
he says; Whose is angry with his broth
en- without cause, IS in danger Of the iudg-
ment In great danger because whilo
angry he Is temporarily insane and while
IN this state he is in imminent danger OF
doing that which will put him In the rolo
OF criminals. solomon says that Anger
belongs TO fools.' II Is 10 be observed
that we have the same English word to
designate both anger and insanity. EN-
treme anger IS essentially manacy The
angry man Is for the time without reason
so is the maniac,
Jehn, IN his hrst letter, III. 10, SAYS;
"WhoSoever hateth his brother is a mnr.
derer and you know that no murderer has
eternal life abiding in him" Anger on
genders hate and when hate has brought
agrtff