OCR Text |
Show SUICIDE AMONG HEN OF BRITAIN Englishwomen Say They Scorn American Theories on Sex Problems ( Dy International News Service) LONDON, Aug. 28. Is suicide among women en the ipore.se in ,re,u Britain as it is in the United States? 1 Medical experts in the United States are of the oplnionthat marriage In Its altered conditions Is one of the causes of the rise, it being necessary for 1 woman to retain hnr husband's affection affec-tion by something morehan love. Marriage, they say, Is becoming a business; and if, In addition to having hav-ing to solve many problems in order to preserve happy marital relations, 'a woman goes in foi a business career herself, she suffers a further strain on her resources and breaks down under It In many cases. The latest available statistics as to suicide In Great Britain are for the year 1918 when there was an increase for both sexeg, but especially among women, over the unusually low figures fig-ures for the preceding year. Strangely enough the riso was most marked In the fourth quarter during the time of general rejoicing over the termination of the war. This wai opposed to the experience Of the pas decade, the fourth quarter of the year having heen the lightest In each case; WIVES DISTURBED As a reason for this Increase of suicide among women II was suRgest-j Cd that about that time many wives vvre greatly disturbed at the prospect pros-pect of their husbands returning and! discovering that they had been un-l faithful In their absence. ' 'no of our most eminent women' physicians who was consulted by a1 Globe representative on the subject! laugheel the American theories as to marriage to 9corn. She doubted very much If suicide were on the increase among English women, but even lf there should be a rise In the figures, it would be attributable, she believed to the strain Imposed by the war. Verv often the reaction after an event may be delayed for two years. A woman makes up her mind not to. give wa.v and i be stronger her charac- ter, the longer she Is before she breaks down "But the statements put down to the American experts about m rr!;.ge are all bosh," added this lady. "Mar-lage "Mar-lage is a finer thing now than it ha ever been before, and It Is going to be finer still. "It Is going to le an equal partnership part-nership of two people w ho mutually I care for each other s Interests and has nothing to do with Milton s fooling nonsense. Me for God, and she for God in him ' si l IDE MONTH "Generally speaking. It is some little lit-tle thing that sends women off the rails and makes them commit suicide.' and not worry. The cutting down of , the rice diet during the war was all 1 to WOmans' advantage. "I see no cause whatever whv (hero; should be any Increase of cases of self-destruction among my own sex." The Interesting fact was mentioned by this lady, that contrary to general; liellef. June is the suicide month, and not November Dr.'Joslah llfieid, the well known physician, had some interesting com ments to make on the subject in an Interview today. ' The statistics of suicide from America,' he said, "are onlv for last 1 year, and aro therefore of little value I ! for the purpose of building up sex ' theories. "It Is stated thut because last year I ;the ratio of suicides as between women wom-en and men had risen from the prevl-j J ous average of one woman to three 1 men to an average of one woman sul-1 clde to everv two men that therefore' modern married life Is to be blame.) "We must not forget, however, that last ear was the year of American men returning from the war and therefore among men there would not be so many left who would want to I commit suicide. st K im s INORE iSE "Again, in the last Quarter of 1 9 1 S l women's auielrles jumped up tremen-Idously tremen-Idously that Is, the suicides of worn-: !en of marriageable age and the sail pity of It was that while the world' was rnad with rejoicing over the armistice arm-istice and the end of the ghastly night-Imare night-Imare of war, many women went mad through the- pangs of guilty conscience vNhen they knew that their husbands were returning and their own infidelity infidel-ity Would lie iliseiiV el ed. " But." went on Dr. QldflOld, 'if there be any value in tho American, statistics they emphasize tho points of my recent lecture -that every woman needs a man to lean upon. That until she is safely anchored In wedlock i i woman Is an unstable v essel and liable jto capsize That her security and peace and j I happiness lies In wifehood, mother-! hood s nd homehood "That whereas a few of ihe sex may be better fitted to be public rather, than private women, yet for the ma-1 Joritv the calls of husbands and children chil-dren and home are the truest calln of fitness, duty and happiness" |