The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-22
Suicide.

n:ent and observance of discipline.
=---s----=---:s Sssaass e .3.
Suicide.
| Mayor Tom Johnson's plan to restrict
| suicide by means of sort OF advisory
board before whom prospective self-dc-
| stroyers are invited to lay their troubles,
is. though unquestionably prompted by
the kindliest motives. unfortunately, fam
tastic and largely visionary. The prime
| dief1luty Is Of course, in locating the
persons whom it Is designed to. benefit.
| II is highly doubtful II any man who
had really determined to take his own
life would think of waving the project
| in order 10 write and apply for the SER
vices OF Mayor Johnsons board, In the
| first place. he would probably not be In
! frame OF mind to do anything 50 bust
ness-like and rational and, In the second
he would almost certainly feel that his
case was beyond the reach OF any chance
aid from without. The very dependency
| which has created the desire to make
way with himself would naturally
rather knock the hopefulness out OF such
an institution as the Suicide Board. Men
OF the character and frame of mind TO
tell their troubles to the board are, con-
yerscly. In all likelihood men who at the
final pinch, would never kill themselves.
Hence the board It would seem Is likely
to have difficulty in distinguishing itself
from a charity subcommittee on relief. <
The proposition Of the mayor Is, how
ever. mono the less interesting. because
II seems very largely impracticao.e.
Moreover, 1t has stimulated some of our
contemporaries to dig up suicide stats
ties and make interesting concentrations
from them. According TO these. married
men and single women, We read, are con-
siderably more likely to take their own
lives than men and women In reverse
conditions OF life. married women whose
husbands hang around the house all day
| appear to tal1o moro naturally to suicide
| than those whose good men stay away.
| l.OSS OI IIlOllGy pS1iS W NAA 49, SS''1''N'
est motive, 1t develops that Saturday
being pay day, has few suicides chalked
| up against 1t, while Monday when busl-
ness perplexitles must again be faced,
has a great many. For women, how
ever. it is shown that Sunday, especially
between tho hours of and u evening,
is the most depressing day Of the week
The proportion Of suicides to popula-
ton naturally, though sometimes mex
! plicably, varies largely. France, with a
| population OF somo 100000, has about
e,opo suicides per year. The proportion
in the United States, which has about
the Same number. out of population
twice as larg?, Is 10 0per cent better
than that Of France. Dresden has the
unpleasant distinction of leading the
cities OF Europe In this regard. with fifty.
seven suicides each year for every 1oO
coo Inhabitants. On the same scale
Taris has AZ, Berlin So, Vienna %, Stock
holm n, London %. st. Petersburg 7
Madrid but 8. The Mllnnese can per
haps explain why their city has onl,
G, against Genoa's 81, In this country
I!oboken appears to be the city mos
sucda,ly inclined, with IL annual self
killings per 10000 population ST. Louis
follows with 25, Chicago %, New York q
and Milwaukee 20, Why people are NOR
likely 10 Kill themselves in IIoboken thar
Chicago, Hobokeners win doubtless con
slider us much Of mystly as anybod
else.
Tho ethics of suicide Is an even NOR
interesting consideration than its stats
tics. The law terms 1t crime, whlc
obviously makes little difference to tn
man who has tried 1t successfully; an
We believe it Is a fact that the unsuc
4 cessfu endeavor has never yet lee
i punished by the law. II has become tn
suicide that he or she was the victim
[ Il temporary mental arrangement, an
/ hence irresponsible, Such verdict. how
ever, Is very frequently based on II
Q deeper logic than the axiom that no ma
/ would kill himself unless actually OF
T. of his mind, and there is reason for su
y pectIng that this axiom is less math
y matcally accurate than some other
d Another stock comment is that suici'
/; is The act Of q coward, and in the va
j. majority of cases this is no doubt abs
"a lut.ly true But however this may
" in fact, 1t is quite possible for the imae
native 10 devise a network Of circuI
lie stance IN which suicide would be an a
II OF the loftiest and purest altrus