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Show Self-Depreciation. "Here goes another fool," shouted a man as he Jumped rrom the deck or a New Yoik feiryboat. By the time his body was recovered he was dead, and his body was can led unrecognized to the morgue. It is a most depressing depress-ing fact that there were betwen 8,000 and 0,000 or such fools last year a marked Increase upon any previous twelve months. Tills prevalence of suicide Indicates that a grave national danger confronts us. In the multiplication multi-plication of our wants, in the increase of what we call the "necessities" of life, we arc losing sight or the value or lire Itself. Men measure themselves by what they own, and a sudden loss of propci ty therefore brings the value or existence down to zero. Others aie overwhelmed by the vastness and sticnuous llfoora great city, and a senso or their own insignificance and helplessness drives them to seir destruction. de-struction. In ail these cases the underlying un-derlying cause Is a lack or seir valuation. valua-tion. A man or woman becomes discouraged dis-couraged and says: "Nobody values me therefore I amount to nothing and might bctterbcout of the world." It Is peculiarly tragic that there should be so many suicides at the present pres-ent time, when all great world movement move-ment have become so rapid and Interesting. Inter-esting. Almost every morning we lead or a new triumph or science. Travel has become safe and comfortable com-fortable In nearly every country. Inventions In-ventions and discovers such as the past never dreamed or are today com-momplacc com-momplacc facts. This is an age when the lines of Wordswortli should bo true: "TIs bliss to be alive and glorious to be joung." Tlio terrible Tact that over 8,000 a year think otherwise other-wise shows that there must be something some-thing out or gear In our social machinery. |