The Winslow mail., 1913-01-25
SUICIDAL.
INSANITY

" hdC Is Tue cause OF the terrible in
crease in the crop of suicides?" was
the psychological problem propounded
by one of Pittszurgs notable scientific
men IN the presence OF a reporter for
the Pittsburg Dispatch. 81 do not re-
fer especially to Pittsburg. he con-
tinued, for this species Of insanity
seems to be general in America. and
n all other countries. 1t is CHASTITY
record, this self-destruction by bullet.
by deadly drugs, by the knife, the
rope, by gas, by drowning, by almost
every means conceivable, and some
nearly inconceiyable."
MANY of the suicides are traceable
to causes that are really trivial. but
those are mostly confined to women
and for the most part. l think the rec
ords will show, to young women of the
shalioWer sort, who have been disaD-
pointed in what they imagine love.
Sometimes it is domestic difficulty.
and l dare say that nine-tenths of the
cases of this sort are really due to
the impossibility of the family to
make the social show they desire.
This affects the wife and mother
poignantly, probably because of the
presence of daughters who wish il
dress more showily than the purse Ct
the father will permit The father
also is fond Of his children and in al
tempting to give them all that his
purse will allow he often gives more.
gets deeper and deeper into pecuniary
1lihcuity, and concludes that the easi.
est way out is the way that will end
all for him, not stopping to consider
That the sensible way would be to live
we'll within his means no matter what
the demands on his income.
Nearly always this is the result of
wishing to live like other people live
whose incomes are larger. It is
wrong, silly view of life, and to some
extent it is peculiarly an American
view. The show that mere money will
give induces a sort Of craze to make
the same sort of show that somebody
else's money gives, and where there
Is much more money l have here a
clipping Of an interview with Frederic
Harrison of worldwide reputation as
a publicist, and it is so much to the
point that hope it can be reproduced
IN the Dispatch. The comment Of
Mr.. Harrison was called out by the
suicide OF young stockbroker, Mr..
Coleman, whose incoHe %as abouty
F.! $4,000, but who livegSto the fi&lit Of
about $4,000. He BECAME involved in
debt and paid his debts by putting
bullet in his brain. Here is the com
ment:
However terrible the cost, peop,e
must be in the swim. Each man to.
day in England copies the senselesa
extrayagance Of his richer neignbor
They follow like sheep one after the
other, and no one has the courage Of
his convictions
"The case Of Mr.. Coleman is fin
ger post on the road along which We
are travelling today.
"The taste for luxury has increased
beyond all bounds, spreading from tho
upper classes, who started it, to the
middle classes, who were free from it
20 years ago.
People cannot keep quiet now.
! They cans be alone, they can't read,
they can't stay at home Formerly
people went to the theater to enjoy
the play. Now. the play is not enough.
They must have supper at an expen-
siye re1tuarant after the theater.
"And it is not because they really
desire these luxuries that they indulge
in them. 1t is something even more
poisonous to public life than mere idle
extravaganza.
ut is want of mental balance. The
middle-class family has lost the power
of estimating things on their own mer
it's. They do things now because they
fear to be 'out Of it, It is sufficient
for man or woman to see their neigh
bors in enjoyment Of some luxury to
want it themselves. 1t is lunacy of
imitation.
In Germany people go to the thea
ter simply dressed, because they love
| the theater. And if a man goes in the
stalls it is because he finds them more
comfortable than the pit-not because
| he is ashamed to be seen in a cheaper
part of the house than his neighbors
'sBut We are losing our sense of pro-
| portion and our equanimity. And
when those are gone there will be no
! delight left in life
There are many causes. I would as
/ sign for this. The young people have
too much to say. They have not suf-
fcient mental balance to be a sound
influence, though the enthusiasm may
be theirs. But enthusiasm must be
/ pruned, or it will run wild
"The prudent and steady people
have been pushed into the background,
and they are beginning to think it
must be their proper place We want
them back again in the van.
Then, English society, wkicn 20
years ago was imperYious to foreign
influences, has let the restless Ameri-
can spirit peryade it Of late. Money
must be spent. And the more you can
spend the nobler is the work you viii