The Washington herald., 1909-04-11

a licensed luxury. restricted. however. 20
the patricians and great dignitaries Of the
state.
To-day. for some curious reason or
other, the kingdom Of Saxony leads the
world in its number Of suicides. the an
nual proportion averaging 4es IN 100000
as compared with "a to I.o00e00 I'm ireland.
In Portugal, where the misery and destl-
tuition is immeasurably greater than in
Ireland the proportion IS cnly Is to the
100000, while among the EskimOs. curl
ously enough. self-destruction is entirely
unknown.
Here IN the United States. it would ap-
pear from the figures within my reach
that suicide is more prevalent in New
England and shows a greater tendency
TO increase there than IN any other part
OF the country. which II is difficult 10
explain save by the fact that there is
probably a greater amount Of general cul-
ture and intellectually I'm New England
than elsewhere. and that. as In Europe.
the tendency to suicide is always most
pronounced among the most highly edu-
Gated.
It has always been thus. ever since the
reign Of the Roman Emperor Trajan. 10
which ! have alluded above. Suicide has
ever been more prevalent among the
rich than among the poor: more common
among the intellectual than among the
ignorant. and more frequent among peO-
pie OF rank than among the masses.
During the late war in Manchuria. the
japanese soldiers. recruited from the mer-
chant class. from the artisans, and from
tho peasantry, were content to become
prisoners OF war when further resistance
10 the Russian foe had become impOssl-
hlC. But in almost every instance. when
tho soldier, no matter whether officer or
private, happened 10 be Of noble blood
and 10 have Daimic or Sumural blood IN
his veins. he would XIII himself rather
than surrender.
In China, princes. great mobiles. and
mandarins OF the highest rank. il they
are considering as meriting death. are
permitted 10 put an end TO their lives
by means Of strangulatiOn or poison.
thus escaping the infamy OF decapita-
ton. and il is reported that the late
Emperor Kwang Su himself was COM
PEELED 90 take poison. under the threat
of stransulaion. IN obedience 20 the or
ders Of his aunt. the terrible old En-
press Dowager. who was firmly deter
mined that he should not survive her
death
In Turkey and other Mohammedan
countries. dignitaries whose death is de-
sized by their rulers were until recently
accustomed 10 receive from the latter.
with much ceremony. the gift OF a silken
bowstTing. TO be used by them for the
purpose OF strangulatiOn. and even on
tho continent OF Europe the officer or
noble who is struck or otherwise insulted
by his sovereign. or by a prince OF the
blood. and who Is debarred by the rank
OF his assailant from seeking the Gus
tcmary satisfaction by means Of duel,
is required by unwritten law 20 blow out
his brains as the only way Of preserving
his honor intact.
For a blow or an insult unavenged is
considered among the higher classes IN
most Of the continental countries Of Eu-
rope as disqualifying a man from any
further association with the people Of
his caste and as entailing the most cruel
species Of ostracism.
Even here in the United states. when
man Is confronted by death as the only
alternative 10 dishonor-and there are
F., many cases in which a predicament Of
this kind is apt TO arise-his fellow-citi-
zens viii always deal more gently with
his memory If he selects suicide.
For this reasOn-that Is to say, because
the world Is disposed TO look less harshly
than il did lOG years ago upon those who
have been driven by one circumstance
or another TO take their own Hves-the
action OF the Church Of England in max
ing provision for the Christian burial OF
those guilty Of felo de So may be de-
scrIoed rs N keeping with the spirit OF
the times. and as IN sympathy with the
present state Of popular sentiment
The times are now happily past when
the mode Of burial of the suicide was 10
thrust him at midnight without prayer.
in a hole dug at the center Of the cross
ing Of two higl roads with q stone upon
the face ard sharp stake driven through
the body TO prevent, il is said, his ghost
from walking
A man Of the name Of Williams.
murderer who had cheated the gallows
by killing himself. was disposed of in
this fashion on January Z. 1872 in Lon
don at the spot where the new road
crosses Ratcliffe highway. the scene be-
! ing described at length In the London
/ Times on the following day: while at