The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-02-02
WHY IS THERE sUlcIDE7
4 Deep MysteFy That Physicians and
Scientists Have as Yet Failed
to- Solve.

4 Deep Mystery That Physicians and !
Scientists Have AZ Yet Failed
to Solve.
Why does q man commit suicide?
Why does handsome woman take
rat poison or carbolic acid-those liq-
uid fires that condense the agony of
lifetime into deaths half hour, end
ing in convulsions and humiliation 20
far as life is concerned?
A straight, sober man, who has been
a good husband, indulgent to his chill
dren, Just to all dealing with him,
sincere and useful member of society,
honorable in business and purifying
influence in politics, comes home some
afternoon, unusually jolly. He makes
the children presents, tells his wife to
buy a new bonnet at the French mil
liners, then saunters around the cor
ner and hangs himself to beam in the
barn.
Who can explain these twisted prob
lens of life? 1t is said that there are
some things in love and politics that no
man with or without an almanac) can
understand. The most conservative be-
come freaks when they suddenly want
to die without assistance from law or
physician.
A famous Nantucket sailor allowed
himself three jumps from church
tower head first down on an iron picket
fence, but, missing the spike each time,
he gave it up as bad Job after the
second dive, and turned into.a useful
citizen to the end of his days.
In England and Scotland, where they
eat oatmeal in the fog for breakfast
and read Carlyle and the heavy re-
views when they need recreation, the
suicide mania was said to have reached
alarming proportions. But the recent
increase in the circulation of the Lon.
don newspapers through the rural dis
tricts it is claimed has really reduced
the number of annual suicides.
DIR. Sibbald, commissioner of lunacy
for Scotland, recently read paper
before the British Medical association.
showing that statistics had overesti-
mated the number Of persons declared
to have committed suicide. He says
it is impossible to discover all the
cases Of suicide that actually occur.
The proportion of those who die by
hanging is much larger than that Of
those who leave the world by poison
ing.
Many persons are constantly report.
ed to have disappeared, and no one
knows whether they have gone to Aus
tralia or made away with themselves
in some secluded swamp.
| Often suicides object to leaving evi-
dence behind for their friends to grieve
over, and SO they board a channel
steamer and leap into the sea in the
night, never to be heard of. DR.. Sib.
bald, in calling attention to several
sources of error in published statistics,
says that the number of deaths by sui
eide reported nowadays as due to nat.
ural causes is falling off.
OF all methods of self-destruction
hanging, he said, is the one that can
be least concealed or laid to accident
or homicide. It will come to light
l sooner OT ldlcT.
About Is persons in every 1,O00, ,0O0
of population commit suicide in Eng
land. In Scotland the number is con.
siderably less-l7 suicides to the mil
lion. Suicide by poisoning and drown
ing shows the greatest increase.
| 1t is a singular fact that during the
period covered by the statistics tcci
dental deaths by firearms, cutting in
struments, poisoning and drowning
have decreased.
| In taking leave of this somewhat
mournful subject 1t is cheering to re
call the definite information impaired
by an American humorist. He quoted
statistics at length, showing that yer.
few people-none to speak OF, in fact
! ever committed suicide on board fas
express trains. He therefore inferre'
that trunk line railroads with moderl
, equipments were humanity's bes
7 friends. When a man feels like leav
ing his mother-in-law unprotected t
, battle with cold, merciless world h
should buy ticket for Buffalo or th
Blue Grass regions as sure tonic 10
! morbidness-a sure preventive froI
leaping into the other world unintrt
. duced and uninvited.-N. Y. Herald.
Forest Preservation In Bohemia.
After many centuries, during whic
the forests of Bohemia have furnishe
fuel and building material for dens
: population, it is said that they retail
!, nearly their primeval area. This
. : due to the forethought of the govern
ment in ordaining that as trees are CT
!, down others shall be planted to fl
. the vacancy. The wood is mostly pin
: Trees are constantly being cut, bt
wherever clearing is made small tree
! are planted the next spring. These ne
. trees are raised from seed in small il
closures scattered in the mountains an
! are thence transplanted. - Chicae
Chronicle.
!. Carried Too Far.
y "Timmins, you don't seem to be ma
4 ing as much love to the landlady as ye