The New York herald., 1921-01-31
KNOWN SUICIDES IN
1920 EXCEED 5000
1867 Men, 1904 Women Make
Up List Covering Reports
of Entire Country.

Inc lSZU report Oh LHo save a Lile
League. always q mine OF information
about persons who kill themselves and
why. was made public yesterday. For
the year there were more than 5000 sui
cides In the United States. more than
1000 In excess Of the number for 1919.
Many more men than women wearied Of
life to the point Of settling the problem
In their own way. for there were 1867
men who destroyed themselves and only
1904 women. In the report DR.. II. NJ.
Warren, president of the league, l0S
West Seventy-seventh street, says the
real facts might show that 1900 per-
sons committed suicide. because In many
instances the truth is concealed. He
places the economic loss to the country
In 1920 at $10,000.000. The report makes
this comment:
"The youngest suicide was 5, the old
est l03. Divorce figured prominently In
self-destruction last year. more than 100
couples killing themselves for this rea-
son. The great number of farmers who
have given way to despair has been no.
ticeable, also farmers wives. Possibly
the many splendid boys lost in the war
may have been the cause. Nothing could
be more regretted than the 400 soldiers
who have destroyed their own lives since
returning from the war. many having
also been guilty Of homicide. Conditions
brought about by the enactment of the
Eighteenth Amendment have been the
cause OF not few suicides; also the
drug addict has supplied considerable
number.
Last year there were in the United
States seventy-five presidents and man.
ayers OF large business concerns. thirty
six men in the millionaire class and twen-
ty-three rich women who became weary
OF life and finally terminated their
mortal existence. In 1919 editors OF
newspapers seemed to be immune, but
this last year dozen or more writer's.
including two or three editors, help to
make up the list. The lawyers number
twenty-four. with eight judges. Doc
tors supply the greatest number among
the prof ssions. There were fifty-one
reported to us. Probably the unusual
demands made upon them during the
war and the influenza epidemic were the
cause. Next to the physician was tho
actor and the actress. forty reported
There were thirty-four teachers and COL
lege professors and twenty-seven col
lege students. Brokers numbered
twenty-four and bankers ffty-nine. in
Guiding fourteen bank presidents
clergymen twelve, also two evangelists
and Y. NJ G. A. secretary.
"Self-destruction among children has
reached an alarming situation in this
country. In 1919 there were Az chill
dren who ended their. lives in the
United States. In 1920 the number in
creased to 707--boys 223 aid girls 4s4.
The average age OF the boys was Is, the
girls 16. Boys most frequently use a
pistol, girls resort to poison. About zoo
OF these children obtained poison in some
way and 150 had recourse to a revolver.
The causes include fear OF punish
mcnt. school troubles. unhappy home
environment. cruelty. revenge and love
affairs. We believe many OF these
promising lives could have easily been
spared IL parents and friends had been
little moro humane and had often
shown little moro kindly interest In
their welfare"