The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-04
INCREASE OF SUICIDE.
As the World Grows Happier Self
Killing Multiplies.


Goldwin Smith In the Sun.
Statistics just published show that
suicide is on the increase. It might
be hastily inferred that the world Is
becoming less happy. But the infer
ence would be unfounded. Father 1t
might be said that the means of en-
p!oymeDt having been greatly increas-
ed and the standard Of it generally
raised, deprivation Is more keenly
felt and more productive of despair.
The leading cause, however, probably
is sensibility intensified by civilza-
ton. 1t seems to be an admitted fact
that the rate of suicide increases with
national education; not that national
education produces suicide. but 1t rro-
| duces sensibility. Some investigators
| tell us that suicide Is common also
among savages. II it Is, the cause
may be assumed TO be very different
| from that which operates among the
civilized. The savage yields without
reflection to any impulse, like the
| horse in the New Forest, which, mad
| dened by the sting Of the forest fly,
dashes out its life against a tree.
! 1t does not appear from the classi-
| fication that any particular calling Is
especially suicidal, unless it be that
of soldier. 1t would have been easy
to understand why a British or Prus-
sian soldier of former days, subjected
to an iron discipline, deprived of every
comfort in life and mercilessly f1ogged
or caned, should be ready to bolt
through the only door OF escape, es.
pecially If he had been, like many of
Frederick's soldiers crimped, or, like
many of those in the British army, de-
coyed when he was drunk by re-
cruiting sergeant into service which
! in those days was for life. But under
the present military system, ii is diff
cult to see why soldiers should be
| given to suicide.
! OF the races, one is rather surprised
! at first to be told the Teutonic, in
which you would have expected mos.
| fortitude, are more suicidal than the
| Celtic, in which you would have. eX-
pected less. The gloom of the norlh-
ern climate my be partly the cause,
! but it probably may be said also that
the deeper character is the more MEL
ancholic. The Roman Catholic Celt in
Ireland will hear with complacency
that the rate of suicide among the
! Saxon Presbyterian of Ulster is double
that among the Irish of his own race
| and religion.
One is rather surprised also to learn
that May, June and July are the sui
cidal months. 1t might have been sup
posed rather that they We're the season
of cheerfulness and hope. The expla-
nation given is that with revival Of
vitalityall the feelings and impressions
become more lively, those which lead
to suicide among the rest. This is the
| season when a young mans fancy
lightly turns to thoughts of love and
when perhaps disappointments in love
are common.
Marriage, 1t appears, Is an antidote
to suicide which on the other hand pre-
walls among the divorced. The fact
is that nine marriages out of ten are
happy, not so happy perhaps as, in
spite of all disillusionment, evenness
Of temper and determination to make
the best of the union would render
| them, yet happier than a lonely life.
| The tendency to domestic strife and
divorce would naturally prevail most
among the rich and idle, who have no
daily need of each others help and are
| tempted to fill the vacancy in their
lives with irregular love.
| That suicide would be far less COM
mon among women than among men
statistics were hardly needed to as
sure us. Women are more patient as
we'll as less resolute than men. They
are also less exposed TO the stress of
life. Among Spanish women, however,
it seems there Is a special prevalence
OF suicide, of which the intensity OF
Spanish passion is no doubt the cause.
II is rather disappointing to be told
that neither drunkenness nor sexual
immortality is among the principal di-
dect causes of suicide. Their suicidal
effect seems to be felt more by the
children of the sinners than by the sim
ners.