The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-12-27
Suicide.

Most Of us would be astonishcl 10
know how many Of the people who are
walking about and catns and sleep
ing talking and working in every com
munity have committed sulcidc.
by Divine and human law and the
general verdict of socicty the same
man who takes his own physical life
has committed crime. The act is re-
gardcd as cowardly, for i, is flight
from the burdens and responsibilities
aud suffering which are thr common
lot Of man. Yet there is cowardicc
bascr than that Of the man who lays
violent hands on himself. arl suicide
even more criminal. This- the moral
suicide Of the man who Civ, up, sur
renders, abandons his hope aud pur-
pose.
The temptation to thi, icdc is
constant an:l -trong. 1t i, easy to
stop, 50 lard 70 20 on. rn,y - per
,uai!c our cl;r, hat I'll, Obstacles can
not be ,crcpnc, that the .pni, are be
y"n,i our strength. =, hard and painful
t. -iraeslc forward Wilon So have
struggled against u -!n or wcrhuc,-
aud layc fallen indcr it time after
time, ii i easy to tell ourselves that
wc have done all We could, that it is
n>elc~s IL rc-i-, futlirr, just rs it is
easy for ilc man bc-.t by troubles and
| disasters to seek to end hem all with
his own life. When We have fought
and ~trivcn for a purpose Oh an amhi
| tion. and have strained every nerve
aud found our plans come to nothing,
the tired soul and the discouraged
heart cry out for rest and join in tie
demand frr he in@lorinus slotll Of sur
render and suicide. Therefore lcg;ons
Of men yicll, and while yet rhy sca!ly
alive are morally dead because they
haze consented 10 Il slavery 10 sin to
abandon hope and To drift Wit. cir
cUn>t;nc"~.
y profound philosopher who wrnic
:. great npvc. said that The greatest
horor Of ~l,;c!,ic to him wa, that Tie
awfuily enlightened soul might, I'M
nc'.iatnly alter it>'rnf..ctd flight from
| the body, come TO know tha, the act
that drove it forth was unnecessary,
| that the moment next following wnu'I
have brought rescue and relief l
! that thought there is the wisdom Of an
eternal truth. No man can know what
is before him. The hours hurry to
us in al endless procession aud We q"
not know what that one next beyond
us may he bringing us. Because that
is true every suicide is folly, every
| surrender is premature and unncccs-
sary act Of cowardcc and weakness
The days of miracles are past, bat
the unexpected ard unforeseen con
tinuc to happen. There is always rea-
son to hope and to try because We do
not know what the future 80 fast be
coung the present may hold. When
we have given up and have committed
suicide by telling ourselves that struy-
Cling and effort are useless, and b.
ceasing from both the opportunity
that may come can not help us.
1t is our duty to hold to our faith
in ourselves, to keep to our purposes,
examine ourselves honestly, laying
bare our hearts and reviewing lives
with careful impartiality-which
many of us live to old age and die
without the courage to do even once.
We will usually find that we really
have not done the best we could, that
We have not used all our strength and
capacity. 1t is never too late to try
again, to 60 again at the obstacles, to
struggle again with the burden. The
first and the hardest fight is always, of
| course, with ourselves and our own
shortcomings and faults. We can al
ways fight them; and as we lop them
off or bsat them down the external
| obstacles will look easier, the loads
will tighten.
In no case has any man the right to
| abandon hope or to relinquish purpose
When he says that he can not be bet
ter than he is and ceases from trying
to be better he is moral suicide,
coward and wcakling. When he
abandons his purpose or hope or ambi-
ton he simply abandons the fight
! with himself and kills his higher in
stincts and qualities that MS bascr
| and weaker elements may revail over
him. GrccnriUc Nc,cS.