The Washington times., 1905-07-16
Suicide.

classifications of the sane and the in
sane. Concerning its contemplation,
its attempt, or its commission by per-
sons under the disabilities of insanity,
only alienists are competent to speak;
but 1t may be safely. asserted that
neither its contemplation. its attempt,
nor its commission is an indication
of insanity unless taken in connection
with other circumstances.
Suicide among the sane is an act
of judgment whereby a finite being
denounces irrevocably the conditions
of existence as applied to himself.
The presumptuousness of the act can
be seen when we consider that an
act so irrevocably final should only
be based upon absolute and complete
knowledge of what life is. and of the
individuals position in the universe
This no man ever has. On the COL
trary, suicide is invariably the result
of perverted ideas and incomplete cor
ceptions.
These thoughts are suggested by
the news accounts Of the suicide of
q young man who was apparently
ed for his act was the loss of his po-
sition as clerk to a company doing
large business; the real reasons,
however. were selfishness, abnormal
sensitiveness, lack of moral tough
ness, and an undue magnifying OF he
difficulties of his lack of work. Sui
eide, like all other crimes, arises from
that perversion of thought and feel
ing which considers the ego as the
center Of the universe. 1t is the su-
preme expression of egotism, by rea-
son of its irreyocabilfty
We are all selfish in varying de-
grees: we all have our reveTses, dis
appointments, chagrins, and pains;
and it is reasonably safe TO assert
that the majority of men do. at one
time or another, consider the ques-
tion of suicide. For the most part
we are restrained from taking that
dreadfully final step by our innate
love of life and the considerations
which weighed with Hamlet:
The dread of something after death
The undiscovered country, from whose
bourn
No traveller returns-puzzies the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we
have.
Than fly to others that we know not
Of
But, while these restraining in
fluences are good, in SO far as they do
restrain, there is a much higher atti-
tude of mind TO which we must bring
ourselves.
Life, mere intellectual existence, is.
in man, a great blessing and pro-
found wonder. We do not know how
far it reaches back into the pas. and
we cannot tell how far it may extend
into the future. Neither do we IN
derstand the conditions upon which Il
is based. There is one point. how
ever. upon which all observation, al
experience, all deduction. all philoso-
phies, and all religions agree. and tha,
is that no matter whence and whittier
the life, the main object and only
END of living is the attainment
OF the highest and most perfect devel
opment OF the thinking portion of thc
individual-call it soul, mind, q
what you like. The development @
character and the training of III,
mind and heart are undoubtedly II.
objects of our lives, unless the rant
ing of Macbeth be the supreme eX
preston of all wisdom, and life i
merely "a tale told by an idiot, fuI
OF sound and fury, signifying noth
Ing"
Bearing in mind this main fac
that in man life has for its object tn
development of character, it will b
seen that the most adverse circunl
stances can be converted into Ri
friendliest, n that they afford op
portunify for the ira ming OF our for
titude, our will, our mentality, an
our consideration and love for others
The contemplatiye suicide who iwoul
flee the conditions that for the nc
ment seem to overwhelm him. ca
gain more by remaining here 10 Oh
pose these conditions than he can b
a cowardly retreat, leaving his fanil
TO struggle along without his help.
Shakespeare considered suicide, TO
his plays are full of discussions c
it; and the result OF his thought o
the matter is contained In that awfr
sixth scene TO the fourth act of kin
Lear" We must be patient: Hence
forth I'll bear affiiction, till it d
cry out itself, Enough, enough an
de-, are the words of Gloster afte
he had attempted suicide and failed.
Goethe not only seriously consjl
cred suicide but went far toward 1t
attempt, for we have his own state
ment to this effect IT is not neces
sary to multiply instances of men c
the greatest powers meeting thi
temptation and defeating II. Th
cases Of Shakespeare and Goethe ar