Year: 1875

Fear, guilt, despair and moon-struck frenzy,


rush


On voluntary death; the wise the brave,


When the fierce storms of fortune round EN-


roar


Combat the bill lows with redoubled force;


Then If they perish ere the port is gained,
They sink with decent pride: and from the


deep,


Honor retrievss them bright rising stars


t-Fenters Masizine.


II is but few days since Capt. w.
H. Brown, of the Fifth United
States Cavalry, is reported to have
committed suicide because the young
lady who became the wife of Gen.
p. Sheridan had proved faithless to
her plighted VOWS to young Brown.
If this be true, her honeymoon will
not be without a shadow. Night be-
fore last n young man in Oakland
took his life because the young lady
whom he loved had concluded that
her life would be spent more agree
ably to herself with another. A
few days ago man in San Fran
cisco ceased to live for similar rea
sou. Love sick suicide seems to be
becoming almost mania. And
silly as it may seem it is rather too
serious to be altogether sentimental.
For probably next to sea-sickness
there is nothing so distressing as
love sick ness. In the former condi-
lion one has but little choice between
life and death; and in the latter state
of mind and heart his choice is rath-
er in favor of state of non xistence
than Of continued effort to replace
what he has lost. Those who have
tried both probably prefer neither.


And it is just possible while we
condemn suicide as coward and
guilty self.murderer, a felo dc Sc,
that, terrible as the act may be,
whatever the cause that lead to 1t,
he does not always receive the sym
pathy which he deserves. When a
young man destroys his life, or a
young woman hers, on account Of
lost love, we can hardly believe that
they did SO because they fear to
live and contend with the difficulties
Of future of trials; nor that life is
taken to crafty any selfish spite to-
ward the faithless survivor whose
life must be more or less wretcbed
for having caused death, however
unintentionally. 1t seems alto
gether more probable that the
suicide destroys his life be
cause in the acute agony and
distress OF disappointed love, or
sudden losses and misfortunes, life
appears to have been made entirely
worthless to him by his calamities.
lie 1eels as if he had nothing now
Tor which to live, and that he, at
least, would be better off out of than
IN the world. OF course such
thoughts must spring from sudden
'and overwhelming distress, or from
a morbid state of mind. But in
either case they are opposed to the
theory that suicide is the result of
malice or murderous feelings.
Therefore, the suicide seems worthy
'of our pity, dreadful as his crime
may be. Formerly he was treated
in England as the worst of human
existences. His body was thrown
out on the highway, and pierced
through with stake. Afterwards
this law was repealed in a more
humane age, and while the suicide
was permitted burial in consecrated
ground, 1t must be done at night |
and without Christian rites. In this |
country we have no such law. But
Whatever the cause of suicide, and |
as much as the self-destroyer may
Deserve our sympathy and pity, his
Is dreadful deed which should be
summed by every sane individual,
not knowing how terrible must be
the future Of the self-destroyer.-
Oakland Transcript.