Yukon Valley News
Issued every Wednesday.
S. R. IlEK K .Proprietor
Sam J. Callahan.Manager
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S. M. T. W. T F. S.
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WEDNESDAY, APRII. 19, I905.
A CHAPTER ON SUICIDE.
A few years before his death the
late Robert G. Ir.gersoll adminis
tered a shock to the religious world
by justifying suicide. Iu brief, bis
contention was that conditions often
arise in the lives of men when it is
not only pardonable, but absolutely
right, reasonable, desirable and in
accordance with the bightst tnoial
principles that they' should end
their physical existence. Mr. In
gersoll often spoke truly and always
seemed to speak from the heart.
When a man has reached a stage
where he can never hope to be 1
other than a burden on those he
loves; when the world can no
tonger compensate him for his suf
fering and he can confer no benefit
upon the world; when it is utterly]
itnpossible that his life should Ire
made other than an inconvenience
to himselt and to his fellows: these
are some of the times Mr. Ingersoll
pointed out as appropriate for sui
cide. And the ground taken by
that good man. whose philosophy
sought no deeper reason than the
impulses of his own tender heart,
was shared by not a few.
But let us consider this matter a
little further. Let us imitate Mr.
Ingersoll so far as leaving out all
religious precept goes let us leave
Cod out. Then how many of the
actual suicides could lie declared
we will say— just* Self-destruction
is a grim subject and is little talked
of; Mil it is so common in the north
that evidently it is thought much
.»!amt bv many
Many of the suicides are young,
none ot them are extremely old,
ami few of them have undergone
any kind of misfortune that pre
cludes them from attaining or dts
seminating happiness. If the truth
could be known, most of them re
s rt t > self destruction through the
very basest of motive-, and all of
them, probably, through perverted
ideas of right and wrong.
A sad case is that of a young
newspaper man who went to Sew
ard peninsula during the early ex
citement there. He was caught in
a storm and so badly fiozen that he
lost both feet and both hands. No
selfishness induced that man to
quit the world: an over sensitive,
generous nature sought to relieve
his friends of a burden, and he
swallowed poison. It was a mis
take! His friends would have been
made happier and better in caring
for him; and had they failed, as a
matter of principle he ought to
have demanded that the world yield
him his due. He had a brain and
heart better than most; and he
ought to have considered brain and
heart without hands and feet supe
rior to hands and feet without brain
and heart.
It he made a mistake, what ex
cuse is there for the whole and
strong who slink out into the dark
ness and hide themselves away be
cause the world does not yield them
treasures they never earned? No
unselfish love or high moral resolve
urges them hence; no duty calls
them. They are shirks—deserters
from the ranks because the war is
not waged for their especial glory.
They go off" and lie down and leave
others with all the work to do.
They are dishonest, because they
rej udiate their obligations to the
world; and cowardly, because they
will not fight the world for their
due.
Above and beyond all this is an
other thing—the underlying princi
ple of it all. A man’s life is not
literally his own: he never earned
it; he has no lasting title to it; and
consequently, in all justice, he has
no right to retain it so long as it is
prolific of pleasures and then lay it
down when it becomes irksome.
If not Cod, then bis fellow men
should consent l>efore he car. fairly
relinquish it.
Thr Dawson New* of March 17 notes
the arrival in that city of Sum W Wall,
an old-time Ihtwoiti newspaper man.
who has gone on to Fairluinks. During
the Boer war as editor of the Dawson
News Mr Wall was ergagrd in a pro
tracted newspaper fight which held thr
public interest till the end. In those
days Dawson had no telegraphic connec
tion with the outside, and thr News kept
a representative at Skagway to cull the
papers on the arrival of each ship and
telegraph the important happenings to
it at Ihiwsnn Aimaltancouslv with the
arrival of the wrwmgtr with the pte
t'ous dispatches at the N* ws nirv the
cry a# F.stra' All about the aar "* auald
nag awt. and the rager populace would
gel Its laforwtatioa from the News's rival,
whteh. IU more than awe sense waa nest
N. V. HENDRICKS
ESTABLISHED 1904
Alaska Commission Baying Agency
SEATTLE, WASH.
We Buy and Ship for you. Only on Commission
Call on our Agent or write to us
K reighter
and Packer
Orders for Wood Solicited
All orders left at the Miners Store will
receive attention.
to the government telegraph office. Ev
erybody knew what was the matter, and
wondered what the News would do about
it. The News uttered no complaint. One
lay the "Extra-all-about-the-war” con
tained a lot of war news that had never
happened. In fact it had originated in
the News office, had been copied and
duly witnessed, and had been sent to
Ska gw ay by mail. Armed with this
proof of his rival’s theft, Mr. Wall de
livered some of the most chaste and
dignified rebukes it is one’s good fortune
to read in a lifetime. If they die the
history of the Klondike will forever re
main incomplete.
'l'otfil Eclipse
of tlie Sun Aug. 3
1
The Canadian government has;
arranged to send an expedition in
charge of Mr. F. V. King, chief'
astronomer of the Dominion, to
watch the total eclipse of the sun on
Aug. 3 on the Labrador coast. The
expedition will go 100 miles north
of the straits of Belle Isle.
The Royal Observatory of Cali
fornia will send three expeditions—
one to Labrador, a second to Fgypt
and a third to Spain.
The different scientific bodies ex
pect to obtain some very valuable
knowledge of the movementof heav
enly bodies through this eclipse.
It will be visible in Alaska.
'I*<> Vi»it the Home
of Hiss I toy I too< I
Kristian Falkenlierg has deter
mined to remain in the jewelry
business in Rampart for a couple of
months, alter which he will take a
trip abroad. This is the announce
ment made since his recent arrival
from Tanana.
Mr. Palkcnherg expects to go
to Chicago, where he will s|>end
* short time visiting old friend*;
will then proceed to Liverpool and
make a tour of Scotland with a
C. H. GIBBONS, M. I>.
Physician and Surgeon.
Office Hours: i to 3 p. ra. and when not other
wise engaged.
Office and Residence. Second avenue.
GKORGK A. SALISBURY,
Attorney and Counsellor,
Rampart, Alaska
J. L1NULKY GREEN,
Lawyer.
Office at the Courthouse.
OFFICE OF
Commissioner and Recorder
Rooms 1 and 2. Courthouse
THE
HEETER
TANANA, ALASKA
S. E. HEETER, ED FERGUSON,
PROPRIETOR MANAGER
FIRST-CLASS
Wines, Liquors and Cigars
Heeter’s Pack Train
Leaves for Glen Every
Five Days.
Freighting and Packing
To nnd From All
the Creeks.
Good Teams. Good Service
companion who mushed with him
on the Edmonton trail; and then
will proceed to his old home a few
miles north of Christiana, Norway.
His plans are not laid further than
that; hut it will be surprising if the
Yukon does not attract him hither
again after bis craving for a change
has been satisfied.
Many friends will wish Mr Falk
enlierg happiness wherever his tot
may he cast
following srv the new .V B. officers nl
Fairbanks Charles K. Clay pool, arctic
chief; Frank H Halt, rice arctic chief;
A. M. Ilnlm secretary, Alvin tides,
keeper of nnxirli. B t> Mills, Mohert
t»nt*e. It M hnl|er. K, tV Staler ami It
J. McChesnev esecwtwe ImmoI.