The Herald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder. — 1884-08-23 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

SITICIDES IM 9W.LNSEA. A lew rather remarkable suicides and attwpted suicides have lately happened in Swansea. That of the old man named David Gear, who was tired of life, as he said, haring carefully tied his legs to_gether with a ref, jumped into the canal at Morrieton, prenu a picture of utter despair or wickedness— is whichever aspect one chooses to survey it. &could have got admission into the Workhouse, bathe wanted out-door relief, and not having got that, he sought relef in death. Hia reasons we concise—he was tired of life, had no money, ed was too old or too feeble to work. Yet, with all due formality, this penniless creature, eke betore the magistrates, went through the erkery or mummery of binding himself over in hewn recognir.ances in a sum of £IO, to be pid to her Majesty the Queen, if he tries we to shuffle off this mortal coil before it idles him off. If he breaks his bond, the tosue of the count] y will aseuredly never gain le farthings by the event. Yet such is the sum usuagy adopted, and some way or other %Might the prop:: thing, to go on with it Elite public conscience realises that the real 11.14 is to give the unfortunate one a good am, and a little suitable enjoyment. If the pem people who worry themselves. and others getting up deputations and petitions to prevent persona who can take good care of themeless, from hearing the Sunday bands, would sly get hold of poor creatures like that and help them out of the rut, what real blessings tkay might confer on the objects most palpably i seed! But than, that sort of thing, though !jig in the heart's core of true religion, does at afford such opportunities to show the world li, good we are. There are still men who, as do Pharisee of old, like to ring a bell in the greet whenever they give anything away. It is fateful, however, if the case of David George i worse than that of George Gillespie, who triad it drown himself in the North Dock, and who, m being rescued and brought home to the Fattier of his joys and sorrows (the latter branch lithe partnership being much the most extenin), was refused dry clothing by the said partite, who took the opportunity of expressing her reference to see him brought in dead than alive. It is to be presumed that Gillespie has done some work in his time to support that woman, unless he is one of that wotthless—though sometimes genteel class—who are quite content to go on living Eponsfle; on the industry of their wives, him to be an average specimen of the uring °lase—and it does not appear that he has been • very wicked man—then the con. elision is inevitable that his wife must be a very extraordinary and unlovable specimen ot lew sex. The real evplanation may be that the marriage was originally one of those ill-assorted ems that permanently add to the ills of society. Who can wonder that mutant weariness tbsild arise when we swain read the Swamies Police Court proceedings hew a labourer named Cornelius Williams, aged 19, married a prostitute, and was so delighted, *doubt, at his selection, that he got drunk, ead broke people's windows. When such a ram and life-long conatrct is thus thought. hay entered into in so many instances, who as wonder that marital unhappiness should swage so much of the attention ot magistrates F lager ha e been called a short madness. Surely the is also • short madness, only that it leads to aaadified and intermittent sort of fever, in *eh the principal symptoms are broken sows ad broken windows, interspersed with endless termination, which is not silent even when one tithe unfortunate wretches is brought into his kee, after being rescued from a suicide's ersth.  THR NTOPPAOE 01 MUM IC THE PARKS The Sabbatarian enthusiasts have had their kik triumph. By • majority of one (what a natal victory for our moral friends) the Town Cited] has excluded, so far ea they have the mrer to exclude, the Sunday band from the Plek to the disgust, if not the inconvenience of wee 30,000 of what one of the members ot the il.at deputation without much if any eiaggeraIke, described as the cream of the population of imam The band was silent at Cwrodonkin •Senday last, though many went there exleat/11K 10 hear it as usual, thinking no doubt, the such an oppressive bye-law would never be sdotted if the band presented thermaelves as wad. The miserable majority by which the ataires of a vast number of the most intelligent edvorthy eitizene of Swanseahave been act at *sight, is quite in keeping with the whole akibby opposition from first to last. The Saltation Army band paraded the streets as usual •Sunday ; doubtless the Church Army was not hekeard in the matter of drums and files; but akile the noisy eccentricities of such individuals Wield inviolable, no impact is ahown for the laical propensities of the more cultivated dimes and of the large proportion of workers sale and female, who, wearied with long bourn toil on Saturday night, could really enjoy tell a treat on Sunday, and feel all the better /stowed to grind the wheel of the next week's med of labour. But these things and a great rieil more have been said over and over again. 4are notorious and indisputable, but pig-1 prejudice haa just managed to pull off a Inctory. And tivr,r whom? Over the working Mule. Let there be no mistake about this, for trell-to-do, though liking the "al fresco" eatertainnient, have many other enjoyments to , ttria to indoor or outdoor. How strangely conIltyited must be the minds that can extract reinfection out of such a result. They are certainly not to be envied. Now that they have imeeded in inflicting as much annoyance as I retitle on some thousands of the citizens of !inissea, they must feel that the new Jerusalem I s sot far off.  A