New-York tribune., 1922-03-06
10000 Suicides
Inn Il. S. i'm 1921:
$40 Listed Here
Gain 23 p. c. i'll Year; War
Reaction, Crime Increase,
Divorce, Women's Mode
of Dress Called Causes
Germany High, Erin Low
858 Children Are Reported;
stricter Curb Urged on
Sale of Drugs, Firearms

The report Of the Save Life League,
which was made public yesterday, ind-
Gates that about 10000 persons COM
mittcd suicide in this country last
year. Twelve thousand suicides were
reported to the league. Ths city had
$40, an increase of 1903 over 1920 At
tention is called in the report to ar
estimate made by an important insur-
nnco company that suicide was more
prevalent by about % per cent in 1921
than in 1920.
"The great crime wave of 1921" it is
SAID IN the report, "lncludcS what has
been called an epidemic of wife murder
and suicide. There were 200 mon and
women who, before killing themselves,
murdered more than 1000 other per-
sons, one mau having first killed ten.
Sclf-Control Weakening
Reaction sftey the war, disturbed
economic conditions, the completely
Of modern life. general unrest, in
creasing crime, divorces and womcn's
mode of dress arc somo OF the con
trbutory cause Of the increase in
suicide, the league believes These
and other conditions OF life to-day
tend to destroy solf-control and bal
ance IN the individual, it is said, and
encourage him to regard suicide as a
rational method Of ending his worries
lhc oldest person whose suicide was
reported to tho league was 100 years
old and the Youngest was five. Five
hundred and nine of those who took
report as "soldicr boys Ten were
editors, ten we're widely known writer's,
forty wero college students. ffty-one
worc school teachers. thirty-nine
were brokers, tfty-seven were Judges
or lawyers. cighty-siX were physicians,
eighty-eight were at the head Of largo
business houses, ninety three were
bankers, seven were mayors and seven
were legislators.
"A husband took his life" It is said,
"because he told lie to his wife. A
spinster took poison and left this mes
sage: No man in the world is good
enough for me- One man took his life
because he WAS denied divorce. while
another shot himself because he could
not find his wife. Another man was
found with bullet in his brain and
beside him note saying, Beware Of
grass widows.'
S58 Children Listed
Eight hundred and fifty-cight Of the
10000 suicides reported to the league
were children. Three hundred and sew
enty-three were boys. The average
age of the boys was sixteen years and
that of the girls fifteen. Most of the
girls took poison; most of the bows
shot them selves.
Uniform and strictly enforced laws
regarding the purchase of drugs and
firearms arc recommended by the
league, as we'll as moro interest by the
churches in saving people from self
dcstruction
1t is pointed out that the report Of
the Federal Council of Churches of
Nhrlst in America shows An increase
OF moro than 100000 in church mem
befship in 1921 and that tho d6. coo 600
church members contributed $500, 600
OVu to the churches, of which 5000 600
ooU was used for foreign missions.
'" tn one-half of one per cent of
what IS given to foreign mssions.D il
IS SAID in the league report. "thou-
sands Of men, women and children
could be saved for time and oiernitv
Ireland had the fowest suicides
HeTmany led the world, particularly in
cnlid suicide, so far as figures Obtain
able by the Save -a-Life League show
An incomplete report from Russia
shows that 500 women in one villace
burned themselves to death. An en-
demic of suicides in Cuba is attributed
10 hard times and love affairE