New-York tribune., 1907-07-24
CHILD SUICIDES.
DIRE of Foreign Parentage tn This
Country, Says Coroner Hamburger.

The other day a boy of sixteen. one Hugo Loeb
killed himself here in New York. suicide IKE
that is rather startling. Men and women commit
suicide some thousands of them every year, but
that a chid-and a boy of sixteen is a child-can
be sad enough bad enough or mad enough 10
want Gle and take steps 10 die Is disquetlNe
Yet IN one country, France this has happened
frequently enough 10 member OF the PaT1s
bar II. Louis Proal. 10 write book about It lie
calls child suicide one Of the menaces or France
and gives serious discussion to its causes and It's
prevention. According the statistics. out or the
s7l6 suicides IN France in 1902. hfty-nine were OF
children under sixteen years Of age In other
years the proportion has been about the same the
number Of child suicides increasing as the totaI
number increased. In 1884 France had only twenty
child suicides but then there were only zoe III az az,
M Proal points out that these figures do not give
all the youthful deaths from suicide because not
al OF them become known
America has a better record While France ana
parts Of Germany and Switzerland and spain nave
enough child suicides to give them cause loE WI
the census Of the United States says that the eNl
Is not very prevalent here Coroner HaFpuFSeE, Oh
New York civ. told q Tribune reporter that our
ing his experience as coroner not more than two
I7ir, and IN tbcsa cases the children of for
eign birth. NO native born American child ne
said The American temperament has more oAt-
ance perhaps. Life IN this country too Is u14-
fereor from life in Paris for example.
F3lr The causes NJ Proal names as among those
Of child suicide might and do exist in this country
The causes are generally emotional he says anu
jealousy is the chief one tie points out uiS eN-I
OF favorit.sm the part OF parents ana sNaroials;
The child wishes TO be loved as his orotheIS anu
sisters are because he has the same right to pa
rental affection as they have. All injustice
particularly that which proceeds from parents puts
him into rebellion, exasperates and discourases
him
among country children. NJ Proal says City chill
areu live under greater strain. they nave less
chance heathful play they are more lalllll4dr
5zed with acts OF violence. and rule they are
under more pressure at school NJ ProaI points out
the wrong and the foolishness of rigorous exam
7uh n q
healthy child nervous and nervous chnd "Feck; reg
Disputes among pares are another cause or chl4o
suicide, and poverty Is another but alssust VIZ
lite ir old young is almost always me sign OF
sickIv temperament, ". Proal says, and If child
has been so unfortunate as 10 inherit such tenn
1arar.ert The parents should try TO make the child
healthy and only good food and exercise and quiet
and plenty Of sleep VIII do that
N ProaIs book has message for u.s. re-
marked a New York woman who has been an edu-
Gator for many years There are Few chlId sui
cides In the United States, for ours is not the Gallo
temperament there IS plenty Of child unhappi-
ness. The unhapplness or child IS tragic the
more so because te delusion is that child
hood means happiness. Children can suffer, but
they can seldom explain their suffering. They are
so in2rticulate Stephen Crane pointed out in
one Of his short stories about a small boy who was
silently helplessly writhing under some intus-
iice on the part Of parents or teachers.
a cntlds sorrow may not last long, but 1t may
be bitter while il lasts. I think il was George
Eliot VINO said that chllds grief may be worse
than q grown persons while It endures. because
the child has no background Of experience. he
cannot look back and say: Other troubles have
passed this viii pass
Few people comprehend what misery senst-
tive child may suffer from quarrel between its
parents. The whole foundations Of its world are
shaken: its whole horizon Is overcast Few people
know how a sensitive child may brood over the
conviction that il IS plain and honely, stupid
7 can never forgive my mother said clever
woman 10 once, for telling me, when was a
child, that ! was unattTactive. She did II for my
good. but h. how il hurt ne how ! shrank and
hid from people. believing was ugly!
I can remember how I, . child suffered over
the money troubles Of my parents. / was too
ignorant know that frequently they worried
without reason. and used TO lie in bed and wonder
what We could 30 when the house was sold over
our heads heard my father say IL would be.
It never was. by the way.
Have YOU ever the faces Of the children
who work ln the factories Of the South? Have you
ever seen the id. old look Of some small boy
whose mother has been left with no money, only
children. and who feels himself the man Of the
family? Yes. children suffer, not enough in
this country commit suicide perhaps, but their
capabilities for pain are large enough Let US be
tender win them"