The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-11
WOMEN CHM IN DEATH.
As Rule the Weaker Sex Shuttle Off
the Mortal Coil Easier
Than Men.
New Lork Americana

NanCed TWO tnaL SJlrreQ WOfl0-Wlde
discussion within a short time-one
that men over so should be ChlOrO-
formed, and the other his attack on
"deathbed visiOns''-is again in Amer
lea. He landed from the CaTonia the
other day with Mrs. Osler and young
L. r. Osler. They took a train for
Boston hurTiedly, and DR.. Osler re
fused to talk except to say his trip
had been pleasant Otherwise he
might have advanced some more novel
ideas for public consumption.
The return Of DR.. Osler revives in
terest in the remarkable views he
holds.
DR.. Osler's idea that deathbed visions
never occur had a surprising supple
ment the other day in the statement of
Dr.. 5. T. Armstrong, superintendent Of
Bellevue hospital, that women are
vastly more courag eous in meeting
death than men. Also he agrees with
beasts Of the field" that is, without
special consciousness, and certainly
without seeing visions. His testimonial
to the deathbed courage of women is
absolute.
Woman is decidedly emotional, -
said DR.. Armstrong, yet when the
hour of death approaches she is fire.
QUently the most Unconditional Of crea-
lures Women seem to realize that ii
is something that has to be. that they
can't get away from it, and they sub
nit with a placidity that is truly won
derful.
Il have in mind now the case of a
woman who was dying and leaving be-
hind her several children. Yet, while
absolutely conscious, she displayed no
sense of grief or fear, either as to her
own spiritual welfare or the material
welfare OF her children, and she died
like one falling asleep.
IF emotional women can die so
placidly. then we can look for nothing
else from men. I should say that the
senses are dulled In the final thrOes of
death, and I don't put much faith In
deathbed visions and revelations"
DR.. Armstrong. in talking about this
subject, also admitted that there was
something in human nature, an ele-
ment Of grit, which steeled a con-
demned man, all religious questions
aside, to meet his death like man
The soldier who has received a death
wound in battle meets death with his
teeth cIenched, perhaps biting into a
cartridge because he doesn't want to
iniure his professional standing by a
show of fear at the last minute. The
criminal. from a sense Of instructive
pride, goes to MS death reSOluIely, LoI
titled by Christian faith, but with all
the fatalism Of a Mohammedan-
What DR. Osler had said in his book
on the subject of deathbed scenes was
as follows:
LAS a rule, man dies as he has lived
uninhuenced practically by thought OF
a future life. Bunyan could not I'M
derstand the quiet, easy death of Mr..
Badman, and took 1t as an incontest-
ibIe sign of his damnation. The ideal
death of Cornelius, so, beautifully de-
scribed by Erasmus, is rarely seen, In
our modern life the educated man dies
usually as did Mr.. Denner in Margaret
Deland's story-wondering, but uncer-
tain. generally unconscious and uncOn-
cerned. I have careful records of about
500 deathbeds, studied particularly
with reference to the modes Of death
and the sensations Of the dying. The
latter alone concern US here. Ninety
suffered bodily pain and distress OF