Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1908-07-18
sLIFR TOO STRENUOUS
} FOR THE YOUNG

Dy hanging.
Five young girls OF Bristol, Va. at.
tempted suicide by poison.
Frank w. Miller, twenty. student at
University of Pennsylvania. hang.
ed himself.
Frank Wieszmerzki, twenty-one. Chi.
cago, suicide because he didn't
have money to buy sweetheart
candy.
Stella Dartzell, sixteen years, OF Pitts
burg. by shooting.
George Coriell, Morristown. N. j.,
cut throat because her illness
caused mother worry.
Freddie Ross. Passaic. N. j., sixteen,
shot himself because he couldn't
skate.
Mary Murphy, twenty. Of Worcester,
Mass. hanged herself.
Charles Rebel, Tamaqua, Pa. seven.
teen. hanged himself because rep.
rimanded.
Clifford Vernola, ten, Mount Yer.
non, O., hanged himself because
young cousin had committed
suicide.
The fact that suicide by boys and
girls between the ages OF ten and
nineteen increased nearly 10 per cent.
between 1900 and 1907 In thirty.seven
cities in America OF over 100000 popu.
lation was no surprise to Brigadier
Alexander Lamb, In charge OF the
Salvation Army Anti-Suicide Bureau
Il otv vyh
given the figures compiled by the
Chicago Bureau OF Statistics.
II think that It Is quite possible
he said. II have noticed in the dali!
press and in our own work quite an
increase OF suicides AMI attempted
suicides, or intentions Of suicide, In
the last seven years-and especially
among youthful persons.
Since Major Nice, who was IN
charge OF our bureau here has been
IN the hospital rs the result OF the
strain OF his work, have been ten.
porarily In charge. and destitute cases
are sent to me. OF course ! do not
ask a man or q woman, or q young
child, II they have reached the point
Of desperation where they mediate
suicide, but by their manner they
make It more than certain and IN
some cases even declare definitely
that At Is their intention. ! have IN
mind q young boy-an artist-who
came to me after ne had bought the
poison to end his life with. We
helped him and recently me came In
here and showed me letter from
very prominent woman for whom ne
had painted n beautiful miniature
recommending his work to friend.
That boy Is on his feet and saved.
NJ think that perhaps the increase
Of suicide among children-of which
New York has not recently had an
endemic though there appears to be
an increase-is due to the fast life
that we live. do not mean OF neces'
sity q wicked life, hut We live at tre'
mendous tension. We are nerved like
the strings OF a violin. and the won
der to me Is that there are not moro
broken strings.
'"This tension reaches to every de-
partment OF life and pathetically, to
the children on our streets, in our
homes, in the shops and the schools
They live at the same tension as
their parents; they study too hard, too
concentratedly, and after the hours OF
study their sports are all keyed to
the same tone. We eat highly spiced
foods, even among the most common
place. The rush and the roar OF the
city, the hum and hustle OF life take
hold of childhood even as OF maturity
Brigadier Lamb pulled open draw
er in his desk and showed a loaded
revolver. ut was left with me by
a young fellow who came to me In
desperation, out OF work and out o.
patience with waiting for work." nc
said. "The greatest trouble we have
Is to keep them cOntented while they
wait for an opportunity. Another
cause OF suicide among people OF ma
ture and youthful years Is the drue
habit. There are so many people
walking about In an insane condition
az the result OF drugs 1t Is wonder
that there are not more suicides.
"But Thank that the strain OF mod
ern life causes most OF them. This
was brought forcibly 10 me the othel
day when reading the Sterry tragedy
"A week ago Sunday preached
at the Presbyterian Church at Orange
In the audience ! noticed one swee
faced old man who seemed great!
moved by what ! said. Tears were
in his eyes most Of the time while
talked. That man was the eide
Sterry, soon to die at the hands o
bis son, who then killed himself
"Mora sanity, more repose IN tn
; lives of our young people and our
selves seems to be the cure. Their
J are hundreds of cases that come Il
J me every month that could be class
ed as persons who have reached tn
J last turn OF desperation--and remem
ber but one aged man among them.
Al police headquarters 1t was sail
} that OF the many suicides amoni
youthful people-many OF them unde
ase-in the last few years. almos