Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-12-24
ASATURlAY
NIGHT
/ SERMONS
By
&@SpmaWPuRsEM
IS SUICIDE A slNl

AK. Is DO myself no harm."-Acts xvi.
-.
There's thu crack of u revolver. the
surgie OF a bottle. the tightening OF
moose. the splash IN the water--.'one
more unfortunate records the morn
Ing paper. And the number Is legion,
grim and CHASTITY 1900 last year.
More than one every hour. In six
wears as many fiInginy their lives back
In the face of the Creator ~ the entire
Union and Confederate losses az Get
tysburg. Five men to one woman.
age from nine 10 ninety three. For
tue hrsf time native Americans lend
lug the list. Its IA fearful army
bleeding. bloated. burnt llpped. stag
gering fixed eyed and dlshevelcd un.
hidden into the silent halls Of death.
Mans the only animal that takes his
life. Is suicide n sin or Is Il a weapon
outraged nature gives US To- escape the
unbearable: Is lie but a tent where.
In one takes days rest? May he
take II down AT viii? There's but one
avenue or birth aud many OF death
III he had no voice IN the entrance
may he choose the exit. II h. cannot
fix the day Of coming may H. select
that of goingI The canon OF ;le Al
mighty saya. "Thou shalt not" You
neither gave u nor may you take n
away. The law Of Gcd the Law Of the
state, the law OF society forbid you.
"how Came t1o pcadT"
In the barbarous days OF Rome there
Mas no suicide; II came with ci, liza
ton. This complex tweniiotl century
existence Is u predisposlng cause. Our
fast lives, living at high pressure.
trouble. failure. sin and despair drive
men aud women TO death. In civilized
life there Is great struggle, great
competition, and many fail. There
are more kinds of hell in great city
than Dante over imagined. To fall IN
great city Is like being wrecked at
sea. In the country q man has friends
lie can get some help aud credit, the
church is closer 20 the people, but In a
city things are different. The man Is
lost In the multitude. In the roar OF
the crowd his cry is not heard Death
seems his only friend Physically the
stock degenerates and the individual
decays. Mode Of living. alcoholic slim
ulants. patent medicines with power
ful drugs. premature development. sex
ual excesses, glutiony and worry help
swell the figures. Fashion claims her
quota, too-danccs. dress. thin slippers
slim waists bare arms and neck, pneu-
monih. Who hath sinned, this girl or
her mother. that she was sacrificed TO
this popular idol? Mentally q cram
ming school system. yellow newspa-
pers, wrong conceptions of life through
melodramatic theaters aud moving pic
ture shows. InHdellty-if anywhere
In the world to come Is safe landing
place why not jump offi OF the FIVE
Bible characters who committed sui
eide not one was good man Cyni-
cism says: "Nothng's so cheap az hui
man life. If you don't like this world
get out" No future means no hone
That spells despair. There is only
one thing In the universe stronger
than love OF life and fear OF dentb,
and that Is despair. Suicide is tie last
resort of despair There's something
mighty wrong In the psychic world Of
the suicide. Things have lost their
proper proportion. Humanity's first
law Is not self destruction, but self
preservation. Ever see people fight for
lifef I have. Makes me thrill with
horror. They'll fight hunger, thirst,
BURNING building, deck of ferryboat,
anywhere. Don't let a drowning man
get his arms around you. A fellows
hard driven when he forgcts that prI-
NAL law. Suicide while temporarily
insane" says the coroner's jury. Some
times correct. On their white faces
our tears should fall They had ended
their lives by their own hands. but
those hands were not directed by their
proper selves. One OF the saintllest
men I've ever known. great Presbyte-
rion clergyman OF Baltimore. closed
his llfc's book that way
Stop Look Listen!
Nearly every man who has lived
1ccplr and Intensely. who has loved
and hated. tried aud failed. has been
tempted To- cast himself from the pin
nacI0of LIES temple at some time or
other. Have yOu. friend? Tired OF
life? IT, lof the fight Of q shut
tie. ~ -: It's darker i'm the grave.
Poor So was Christ and millions OF
others. Faie1f WHO told you sue
cess meant happiness Feel lost7
Don't try find your way out through
tlic gate of death Don't do IT, It's
leap iu the dark The trap door or
hollis Oh tic other side Brace up.
The suicides deseiter in life's bat
tie. He drops his gun aud runs stand
at your post till you're relieved. Path
fun Of tborns? You're not alone. Most
Of US have planted few thorn bushes
ourselves. Bind ~ your heel. Try
nos 90 limp. Folks only grin. Not