The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-07-14
THE SUICIDE
CONSIDERED
Some Statistics Dealing With a Crew.
some Subject.
CAUSES OF SELF DESTRUCTION
Love, and the Despondent Principally
Males Under Thirty Years of Age
General Philosophy of Suicide.

''nhe philosophy of suicide rough
ly putting it, is what DR.. W. B. Bailey |
of Yale has been attempting to eluci- |
date in lengthy paper to which he
has recently given publicity, says an
Ann Arbor correspondent.
DR.. Bailey admits that his work is
only tentative. Curiously enough,
governments do not keep statistics
of suicides. DR.. Bailey, therefore, has
had to get his data from the news
papers, and from these he has been
able to get fairly decent summary of
conditions. His statistics have refer
ence only to the United States. They
are the first attempt to a general
collection of data from all the states
known to the writer, information on
the subject hitherto having been linn
tied to the reports of the various bu-
reaus of vital statistics, irregularly
published and not easy of access to
everyone.
AS might be expected, more males
than females commit suicide, the pro-
portion being about three to one.
Another notable point is that more
men committed suicide at between 80
and 40 years than at any other time.
This is when the burden of sup
porting the family became the hard
est and is direct slap at President
ROOsevelt's injunction against race
suicide. The multiplication of bur
dens, especially in this day of ex-
pensive living, and uncertain employ
ment, proves too heavy for paterfam-
lias, and stumbling under the load he
seeks nepenthe in what he hopes is
oblivion.
Continuing, DR.. Bailey says: when
we consider the percentage of males
and females with respect to different
gle, widowed and divorced women
commit suicide more than do men in
like situations. But the married
men are slightly higher in the scale
than the wives. This is probably due
to the fact that the struggle for ex-
istence bears most heavily upon the
women who are trying to support
themselves.
Among the single the maximum
number Of cases occurs between the
age of 20 and 80, among the married
between 80 and 40, the widowed be-
tween 60 and 70, while those of con-
jugal condition was unknown, the age
was also unknown. Leaving out OF
consideration those whose conjugal
condition was unknown, we find that
in every case the shape of the curve
Tin a statistical table, is regular, ex-
cept that in the record of the widow
ed there is a second maximum be-
tween the ages of 40 and so.
"Despondency is the leading mo
tive, claiming about 20 per cent. Of
the victims. Business loss, i'll health
and insanity follow in order, witt
about Is per cent each. Then follow
disappointment in love, with the re
manning motives far in the rear.
among the females, despondenc!
is also in the lead but is closely fol
lowed by insanity and i'll health
Business loss, is on the contrary
near the bottom of the list. Wher
ever the affections are wounded, as il
grief, disappointed love and domes
tic troubles, we find that the rat
among women is higher than among
men. Ill health, too, weighs NOR
heavily upon them, possibly upo1
their more frequent sickness and tn
encouragement resulting therefrom
Chagrin, also, affects their more sen
sitive natures. It is easy to see VIII,
their rate from alcoholism is below
and the worries of business are also
as a rule, removed from them. Larg
numbers OF men who have committee
murder, and who have disgrace, i'm
prisonment and possibly an ignobl
death staring them in the face. pre-
fer to take their own lives on tn
spot. That is the reason why tn
iproportionate suicides, who, to avod
disgrace, is SO high among males.
Under the twentieth year NOR
commit suicide from unhappy love a
fairs than any other reason. Tn
same holds true of the age group b.
tween 80 and 40, although in bot
cases dependency is good secont
In these early age groups, bushes
loss is rather unimIportant. Unde
the twentieth year nearly one-fourt
of the total cases are caused trol
disappointment in love, and this pc
centage gradually diminishes unit
after the SEVENTEEN year there al
no more cases. I'll health, on the COZ
tnary, is very small at the start, b'
after the SEVENTEEN year it furnish<
exactly one-fourth OF the cases. d
spondency never furnishes less tina
II per cent of the cases.
with males, the favorite metht
is shooting. and the one least used
humping, while most women take pe
son and fewest end their lives by Gu
ting.