Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1901-06-26
ARP ON SUICIDES
Barlow Philosopher Finds Unhealthy
Condition of Minds.
CH0PPING WOOD is A SURE CURE
Relations BetweenPhys sicaI and Mem
tai Labor Are Discussed By the
Well Known Writer.

Inc increasing prevalence Of sui
cildes indicates an unhealthy condition
OF mind and body and | have thoueh.
that If the man would quit thinking
about his troubles and go to chopp:ngi
wood or digging in the garden. or even
go hunting and get up a good cricu,a-
ton he would feel better and conclude
TO live on while longer. The BODY
anects the mind and when the blood in
the veins gets thick and sluggish and
the secretionS become stagnant the
mind gets diseased and morbid. the
emotions are out of tune and the man
actually believes he would find res. aad
peace In death. 1t is strange that any
man OF education or refinement would
entertain such an unreasonable hone.
What did the schoolteacher of Dothan
accomplish by killing DR.. Mcneil aad
himseif?8 Where is the schoolteacher
now? When two enemies fight duel
and both are killed. how do their spir
It's meet in the other world? Do they
Shake hands or renew the fight. for OF
course, they are not in heaven What
does the young man accomplish by
killing his sweetheart and then him
self? Are they not then forever separ-
ated? What does anybody gain by sui
eide? AS Hamlet says: rs Il not better
to bear the ills we have than fly II
others that we know not OF" Why not
run away from yourself? Run to the
woods-keep on running-jump the
brances. swim the ifvers. get wet, get
tired-work in the garden. dig. hoe.
chop wood, mount horse and ride fu-
riously-anything to divert the d.s-I
eased mind from its train of thought.
My good old father was afflicted with
rheumatism and when he felt the acute.
agonizing pains coming on he would
rouse up and limp away and make
for the farm. and would walk faster
and faster as the pains increased, and
would actually make them ashamed
and they would leave him for a day or
TWO. 10 keep the mind in a good, nor
mai condition the body must be reXer-
clsed Sedentary occupations are not
healthy for men. and even women ,
should fly around the houseE with al
broom or wash the windows oeeasi on.
ally, or dig among the flowers. 1t will
not do for them to sit and sew all the
time. | am sorry for these unmarried
girls who have to run the machine all
the day long and get no healthy exer-
else except for the ankle bones When
they get married and the babies come
along they are pretty safe. for little
children give mother diversion
enough. a mother with q babe in her
arms never thinks of suicide. Even if
her husband is cruel to her or is al
drunkard, she will live on and on for
the sake of the child. We note that
most of the suicides occur among the
young men and are caused from intem-
perance or disappointed love or failure
" make money fast, or being caught inl
embeZZlement taliaS Stealing). Othelloi
killed himself because he found out
that he had wrongfully killed his wife |
and Shakespeare says "he was great oil
heart" ! reckon he was, considering |
that he was a Moor and did not believe
in a hereafter. Ii was the best thing |
and the most heroic thing that he
could do. II was the very intensity OF
grief and repentance and has no paral- |
lei in modern suicides. for most all OF
them are selfish or revengeful. IL was
like the Harikiri Of Saul. or of the an
Cient generals when defeated in battle |
The most alarming feature about
these suicides of our young men is the |
indication that they are not believers
in the Christian religion. No slne man
will take his own life il he believes In
heaven and hell and future state oil
rewards and punishments. He will be
afraid TO. The influence of modern fc-
tiOn on the youthful mind has much to
do with it. for a great deal of il isI
tainted with atheism and inidelity.
Even some of the standard writer's
such as Hume and Disraeli had left
their bad impression. The latter threw
dark shadow over life and says that
youth is q blunder. manhood a s.rug- !
gle and old age a regret
Is it not far better to take a more
hopeful view of life and say like til.
poet, Horace Smith:
The world is very lovely! Oh, my Goa,
thank thee that ! live"
Or to say like Longfellow--
Life is real-life is earnest.
And the grave is not its goal"
1t is easy to diagnose a poets tam
perament Of a philosophers by his
writings-some are gloomy and soms
are bright and cheerful. | was rGm.-
mating about these young men who
have just graduated at my alma mater |
and the otker home colleges. and won
dering how many of them would prsve
a success in life and twenty yearg
hence exclaim with the poet, "oh, my