| Show sulcy SUICIDE bru Dru AS AN ayr EPIDEMIC V tile tibe tiie tile number of suicides leide s in Californi avor alof laap b has hns as been unusually great we hawl scarcely 81 C 1 1 icely cely taken up a san ban francisco or oi sacramento paper without having our 1 attention attracted to the ghastly de ae dev det V tails of self murder theban the ban san francl Franci francisco 1 i tvr aites I 1 has had is its attention draw drawn n to th the subject A and it contains an able articie article lb headed suicide as an epidemic it says that the number of suicides of late has hai been unusually large and the rapidity with which examples of particular tyes of self destruction have been followed I 1 Justifies do the fear that ban san francisco cis 0 is suffering from an epidemic of those terrible crimes it gives a num bd ber of instances where suicide has seemed to ito become a mania in other lands among others citing the case of florence ena the mania for self destruction by precipitation from bridges became so strong there a few years ago that it was found necessary in order to suppress it to place sentinels sentinel 4 day and night on the most fashionable resorts of the intended self murderers we cannot imagine that it would be possible for the mania for suicide to pre prevail v aila alla niong among a people of correct moral ha habits bits one of the most fruitful causes of dulcide suicide is immorality it may be sometimes the case that haste chaste men or ori women will commit suicide but in nearly every instance of that kind the cause is insanity where the young are taught correct views of life the value of this existence which is given to them and to refrain from reading the love lole stories and other balderdash that are ard published in the columns of sensational illustrated papers with which the eastern press teems and by which a sickly condition of mind is enzen engen derea dereu and taught also to be chaste ehaste and pure the mania nannia for suicide has no material upon which to 0 operate the mind of man ia is as susceptible to disease as his bis body ifft be corrupted and ana and weakened by improper r reading or vicious practices it is hable habie to be seized by the epidemic of suicide whenever it is brought in contact with the examples or contagious influence of the crime crimes but there is vigorous health in the minds of men and women of chaste and ands correct habits where there is naught but gloom and despondency to be seen by the perceive a thousand charms and they battle with kith ith the evils with which they have to contend contending conten din sin lin life with a courage constancy filid and elasticity that insure to them thol thel the victory 1 disease may prostrate the body and I t derange the mind of virtu virtuous oas upright uprights 8 men and women and while in that thiet condition they may commit debut def I 1 but those are exceptional oases cases no sand sani sane bane man of pure morals morale who entertained correct views of and confidence in divine providence ever committed self murder it is incomprehensible that he should do so strong in III the con of his own rectitude and with un unshaken shaken shakea confidence that however difficult and adverse his stances may be god will overrule them for good he is full fall of courage and hope he can picture to himself a thousand cli cil in which he might be placed that woul woula be dl incomparably worse ian lan than those by y which he is surrounded g r and he is contented and ind cheerful the epidemic of suicide can only rase where crime flourishes its contagion could not spread in any other community |
