The San Francisco call., 1907-03-23
ANT|sU|C|DE BUREAU
IS To Be OPENED HERE
Salvation Army Will Begin
Work of Aiding De-
spondent Persons
FIELD rs IMPORTANT
More Self-Destruction IN
This City Than in
Any Other
FIELD rs IMPORTANT
nv G. G. Carleton

by (s &>s $%dTACS
NEW YORK, March 22.-San Fran
cisco will soon have an antisuicide
bureau in full operation and similar
to the one now being conducted here
1t will be In charge Of Colonel George
French at Salvation Army headquar-
ters. 1871 Mission street. rms lnlor-
nation was given to the cars corIe-
snondant TODAY by Colonel Thomas
Holland. in charge of the bureau mere.
General Booth head OF the SalVation
ARMY originated the ant1sulcloe Du-
reau The first one was estapnsneo in
London. the second in New YORK the
third in Chicago. and others Will no"
be started in washington, san FRAN
cisco and other cities. According 10
statistics collected by the bureau from
official sources 1T appears that sulcloes
in the United States have increased
greatly in recent years. In 1899 there
were 5340 suicides, in 1905 1928. san
Francisco heads the list with 4S.S SUI
cides per 100000 OF population. no
boken, N. J., comes next with SS'z. 0e'
Louis is third and Oakland. Cal.'
fourth.
I visited the antisuicide bureau mere
today to inquire when the one In san
Francisco would be started.
"I cannot set the date exactly, SAID
one of the officials, but you may say
it will be almost Immediately. What
Is there In your glorious CalLorni@
climate that inspires the idea or SUI
eide? I have been there, and II Is
delight just to be permitted TO oreatne
the balmy atmosphere. New YORK CITY
has only about % suicides per 100000
of population, while San Francisco has
nearly so. Oakland has more per popu--
lation than either New York. Chicago
ures I give were for the year just end
ed it could be explained by the great
calamity of last April, but the STATISTICS
are taken from the census OF 1901.
CALLERS AT NEW YORK BUREAU
TT is easy for any one who has been
in Hoboken to understand why that city
should stand second in the list OF sui
cides. per population" said the official
with a laugh, for I have been In Ho-
boken. But there is no more delightful
city in the country than San Fran
cisco. Do you know why Milwaukee
stands up near the top of the suicide
list? It is the effect Of beer drinking
nothing less. 1t is a we'll known ract
that Germans are given to melancholy
and there is a greater proportion OF
suicides among the Germans than or
any other nationality The ancients
used to call the liver the melancholy
organ, because, as Is well known,
bilious temperament is usually a
gloomy temperament. In Germans this
biliousness is caused by excessive beer
drinking, which makes the liver slug
gish."
Colonel Holland took especial pains
to explain the working OF the anti
suicide bureau in this city, which is
on the eighth floor of the salvation
Army headquarters at 120 West
rvf. Hzo I<Hn4o ~ oF-a
do not have gloomy aspect, such as
you might naturally associate with an
antisuicide bureau The place is busy
and bustling. A corps Of clerks, stem
ographers and typewriters are con-
stantly at work. 1t is rule or the
bureau that everything connected with
IL shall be treated as strictly conf
Dental and all letters and kilograms
are handled with great care to insure
secrecy.
There is a great variety Of callers
at the bureau. Some OF them are i'm
posters who hope to proht oy their
tale of woe; but shrewd observers can
usually detect the difference between
assumed and genuine distress. The
sincere, would-be suicide has trouble
stamped all over his countenance and
his confession has the true ring of
despair.
In one day there were eight callers
at the bureau. The first was baker
out of a job-the bureau of1cials re-
lieved him OF his revolver. which was
fully loaded. and temporary employ
ment as an elevator man was obtained
for him. The second was an elevator
conductor who was threatened with
tuberculosis; the bureau Is trying to
send him to a dryer climate. The third
was q business man threatened with
bankruptcy; the monetary relief he re-
nlshed. but he went away with some
good advice.