The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-11-25

4tufiafUVs met nU|H|Ialsl HN.N 'l''
y, tho tpet.,., T. nigh, b" hastily ini"ft"d
,,,, ,ho s,tri 10 rsconfos los hnpry Rr'
a., t,,.,.rgs would he un''ini"i Rn'h'' y
,ix,, h. said that the m.,ns ~ st'ovnsnt
h.ri,, h.,n greatly Inrtstssd and m. ''sndhrd
=, t. y.,ertlIy f,,ei. deprivation l. NOR"
-,ry f.lt and moro prod ic'lvs ~ despair
n. l.,drg cnuss, hpveyof. probably ia s"nsl'
,,L,v Intensified Nv civilization II s"cm- tn
D.. an adm tied fact that the rate NJ suioids IN
,,a,.e. with national education, not thHt
national 81 ion,ion produces suicide. but " pro
!tce- .snsiblI'y Soms Invest sators Toll rs
suicide 4. common al.o among savase-
- II. the cauaa NAV he assumed ~ he very
dtTerent from that which operates among ths
civilized The savage yields without rejection
10 any impulse. like thu horse IN the New
Forest. which. maidened by the sting OF the
forest ~. dashes ont ia life against n tree
I, doe. not appear from the classification
tina, any particular calling IL especially sui
oidaI unle-, u h. that ~ tho soldier. II would
have been easy 70 understand why a British
or pru.sian soldier Of former days, subjected
Z, an iron discipline. deprived NJ every COM
fort in lie and merciles-ly fogsed or csned.
should he ready ~ bolt through the only door
~ esaape. especially IL he had been like many
OF Ere ienck's soldiers. crinpei. or. like many or
those In the British army. dccoyed when he was
drunk bv a recruiting sergeant into a service
which In those DAYS WA for life. Bnt Under
the present military system IL Is dflcuit to
see why soldiers should Ia given - suicide.
OF the races one is rather surprised at arst to
ho told the T~eutoniC, in which YOU would nave
expected moat for'itldc. ara more suicidal
than the celtic. In which YOU would have ex-
pe-tei less. The gloom OF the northern
climate may be- partly tho cause but II pro-
II IL 49,. ,ka I~>nnr nkar
actor 4, the more melancholic. The Roman
Catholic Cclt in ireland will hear with com
rlaconcv that the ratio Of suicide among the
Saxon Presbvterians Of Ulstcr is doubls that
,n,rr tho Irs ~ his own race and religion
Oneisrather surprised also Ia learn that MAY.
June and July are the suicidal months II
might have been supposed rather thatthey we're
the se1son NJ cheerfulness and hope. This eH-
rlanation given ia that with revival OF vitality
all the feelings and impressions become more
lively. those which lead TO suicide among the
rast. This Is tho season when a young mans
fancy lightly turns to thoights Of love and when
r.rhlns dt.anp1intme1ts IN love ara common.
N,rrltge. Il appn1rs. is m 4r'idote to suicide
which on the other hand prevails among the
divorced The fact is that nine marriages out
of ten are happy: not so happy perhaps as. In
spite " all disil'usionmer' evenness of temper
ana fetarmlnl'l0n 70 nik"'ne De4'oi 'ne union
would render them, yet happier than a lonely
NE. The tendency to domestic strife and d.
vorce would naturally prevail most among tho
rich and lie. who have no daily need ~ each
Others help and are tempted Ia MI the va
cancv in their lives with irregular love.
That suicide would he far loss corr mon among
women than among men statistics we're hardly
needed to assure IA. Women are more patient
"a well "a less resolute than men, They are
also less exposed to the stress of life. Among
Spanish women. however. II seems there II a
special prevalence Of suicide. Of which the In
tensity ofSpanish passion Is no doubt the cause.
II j. rather disappointing TO be told that
neither Drunkenness nor sexual immortality
"a among tho principal direct causes Of suicide.
Their suicidal effect seems to be felt more by the
children u the sinners thln By the sinners
II We could scrutinize tho causes % suicide
we should probably find that the variety was
Infinite. Numberless are the things which may
in1kotm1n. especially II his liver il out Of order.
fancy that life IL not worth living, Mere sat
iety, II appears. may sometimes have a fatal
effect. The mysterious death Of the wicked
Lord Lytte ton. supcrnaturlliy predicted. seems
II hayrb"an merely acasc " suicide committed
by a -atei voluptIary and masked by a story
which he told his friends Of an APP arition warn
ing him that he was about 10 die. Within the
writer's notice n case has occurred OF suicide
committed by a wealthy sybarite without as
signable cause unless II were WEAKNESS Of life.
brought to a crisis perhaps by disorder of the
lye'pyingtpevtrens sultriness Of the weather.
on the other hand the writer has known a case
whore the character u tho man was excellent
and the only assiguab.e mot We was the pros
pet Of having a. oAice thrust upon him and
being : us compelled to play a public part.
The temperament. perhaps. was something like
that Of Cowpcr. though there was not. as In
the case OF Cowper, insane delusion.
We can hardly reckon among suicides cases
o. euthaptsit. a. II IL called, that is Of the more
shortening Of the pains Of death. There seems
to be no good reason why, when death is certain.
when moral and Intellectual life Is practically
extinct and nothing ia eft but the capacity OF
pain, a man should undergo lingering tortures
instead Of fleeing allowed to the relief OF all about
him as well "a his own 90 depart in peace. II
Providence has sent the pain. Providence has
also sent the remedy. II il is urged that You
ought to wait TIL God calls YOU, you may reply
that a mortal disease IL the call Of God. Tho
danger OF license, however. is obvious. at least
without strict medtcalregulation whichit would
he very diNicult TO provide. 1t seems hard that
science should he employed, a. so often 1t must
be. in keeping a maj stretched on the rack. and
u IA sometimes an unhappy pTlNlIege ul wealth
to have its tortures thus ~skilfully prolonged
when poverty would be allowed TO die, Yet II
IL. no doubt. tho duty Of the physician TO fGht
death 10 the last. Asa matter OF fact the merci-
ful nae Of anodynes. which no law Of the pro-
fcsSion forbidS. Is almost equivalent to eutha-
nasis. Sir Thomas More, a most devout man,
makes euthsnasta lawful In his Utopia.
OF sclr-dcStruction from insanity or lesion ~
the brain Il Is needless TO speak. This Ia to all
inte1ts and purposes natural death.
Someexpert maintain tn 1t all cases OF suicide
are cases " insanity: but II YOU ask them what
they mean nv insanity, they will say tendency
tn suicide; Just A. In the case of murder, when
they are called Ia support Of a defence on the
ground " insanity the only account OF insanity
which they can give Is tendency to murder.
lnsomnia appears To be on the increase,
whatever may be the cause. whether anything
In our diet or In the general restlessness Of an
age. in which nobody except the old Turk seems
TO keep the tradition OF rcpose. Sufferers from
thi. mtlady might he naturally tempted to
take refuge In the last long sleep. Only they
should remember when the tempt ition besets
them that IN sleep We continue to exist. and