Omaha daily bee., 1921-06-12

ncdtlOn IOr MS conclusion IN CnrlStldn history
ITO this will return. For the moment 1t
is necessary to show how what possessed, in the
first place, more than abstract and aca-
demic interest for Henry Slanning rose to be-
a personal problem and personal temp
taton. He had tasted what life could offer and
had, apparently, reached to the summit of his
own ambitions, when there came into his life
a new and tremendous experience. He fell in
love for the first time. His brother, who was
absent from him, assures that he had not
before declared or revealed any affection for a
woman, and though we have absolute proof
of this, since in the Of his known attach
ment, Mr.. Amos Slannng was entirely ignorant
of 1t until after his death-though therefore,
cannot say with conviction that Henry never
loved before, it is reasonable to assume that no
mastel-passon overwhelmed him until he found
himself in love with Miss May Warrender.
"It is certain that he was deeply attached
TO her, though his reserved and sensitive ma
ture concealed the fact from all but the young
lady herself. He paid his devotions with such
delicacy, such humility, and such refinement as
might be expected from such man; and we
may assume he sanguine, for his life had
moved easily and successfully. He had much
to offer and the object of his affections,
know, inexperienced and declares that for
long time she did not appreciate the signif-
cance of his friendship. Few girls, who did not
yet know the meaning Of love- would have re-
fused him; and she had in all innocence well
coined his advances, so that we may assume
he felt little doubt of acceptance.
Il labor thus in order to dwell the
tent Of Mr.. Slanning's disappointment when he
heard that his hope was vain; and l believe that
violent and complete the shock of the
news, that a man who never appears to have
loved life for itself, was thrown into a very
furnace of disillusionment and for the time be-
ing, at least, found existence tyranny no long
err to be endured With his mental en-
dowments it is reasonable to suppose that given
Lox,1 hi,
perierce and recovered from his disappoint-
ment in the maner of a normal man; but he
permitted himself no time. He turned to the
subject Of his phiosophic meditations and
search, and under this hard blow Of fate-a fate
that hau always used him kindly until the pres
ent-he found in that theme no longer a pre-
occupation for thought, but an invitation to ac-
tion
THAT theme, the ever recurring obession of
his mental activity, was suicide. And the fact
appears in his own handwriting a thousand
times. Again and again he opens on some other
subject, yet, like phantom in the MONDAY of
intelligent considerations upon love, hope, faith,
honor, duty and other subjects worthy of
high-minded and altruistic spirit there creeps
into the argument self-destruucton. He cannot
evade it.; there is for him fascination in the
topic that brings him back again and again. It
vitates his thinking; it is blood-rcd thread
woven through the fabric of his thoughts. He
exhausts literature in his search for every high
example and significant reference to self-de-
structon.
"He held with the great pagans that to live
in want, dishonor suffering was folly. He
echoed Cato, Pomponius, Attcus, Epicurus. We
find him quoting Seneca: NAHUM est in neces-
state Vivere; necessitas nua est that it is
miserable to live in need, but there is no need
to do. He agrees with Marcus Aurelus, that
If the cabin smokes, wise takes leave of
it. He says with Quntilian: Memo nis
culpa diu dolet-no man endures suffering save
through his fault. But he is not content
to justify the practice of suicide from the
pagans alone; it is not enough that the Medes
and Pcrsians, the Greeks and Romans are with
him and that all nations Of antiquity furnish
admirable and laudable examples of what in
Christian eyes Is generally regarded as sin.
He seeks instances through the sacred Jewish
writings and finds in the Apocrypha
thentic instance, when Rails, of the elders
OF Jerusalem, says himself (in ii. Maccabees)
and is appauded by the historian for doing.
We find him also concerned with lights of the
Christian church-Pelagia and Sophronia,
onized tor their sanity self-desruction; and of
men, especially jacques du Chastel that bishop
of scissors who charged army single handed
and gi0riously committed felo-de-se for his
faith
"Then, having concluded with Cicero, that
it is agreeable to nature in a wise man to take
leave of life at its height of prosperity, he writes
learned essay a saying from Josephus, that
he who dies or lives longer than he
ought, is equally a coward. SO he goes about
it and about but cannot leave the question for
any time. but it draws him forcibly again.
With respect to Henry Slanning, then, 1
affirm That after his disappointment in love.