PHILOSOPHY OF SUICIDE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11658, 13 June 1912, Page 2

PHILOSOPHY OF SUICIDE.

SORROWS OF A GEISHA. A popular geisha in Japan occupies an important position in the public imagination. It- may be imagined, therefore, that .it-tie short of a sensation was created in Tokio by the recent attempt at suicide of oils of the most famous of the Shimibashi geishas, who are, iu th-eeir turn, the mostfamous of all the thousands of geishas in Tokio-. The first reports stated that the unfortunate lady had been driven to her attempted death by mountains of debt-, contracted as the result of a passionate' attachment- t-o a certain popular actor. The Tokio "Asahi," indeed, considered the matter of such importance that after the recovery of the would-be suicide the editor induced her to write the hostory of the incident, and her own feelings during-the attempt, for the benefit of its readers. Here it is : "The mere- idea of a c ; ebt of one or two thousand yen could never drive me to suicide. 1 am subject to fits of melancholy, and when in the grip of one of these I want to get out the world. Why? Simply and solely because I am tired of life, iKs monotony, and quietness. A geisha's life contains no- ■excitement. It is always thn same, day in and da}' out. Publicans sell drink, cats catch mice, dogs watch burglars, and men have their constant varying selfish pastimes and occupations. But the geisha has nothing to do but to continue always in the, same tiresome groove, dancing and singing, sinking and dancing. <T thought if I died that I might one day be reborn in the shape of one of those creatures, men, mice, ov dogs. Therefore I resolved to die.. Tour years ago I secreted a bottle of sulphuric acid, burying it under the floor. When- I had made up my mind to die, I stole upstairs and dug it up. I tested it- on a piece of cloth, and found that it had lost none of its strength. ! Then I changed my dress to the ceremonial white mourning, and armed myself with a digger in case the poison failed. I sat in front of the family shrine, and took one, two, three gulps from the bottle. It wis burning and horribly astringent. My stomach Tefused to assimilate it. I finished the bottle in one wild S ul P-. "Ihen the pa-m began, in my chest, and at once the utter stupidity and madness of my wish to die caine upon me. All wish of dying vanished. I coughed and coughed, and here I aai. quite well again. If i get another fit of melancholy I "may want to die again, and I may commit suicide at any time ; but I do.u't want to at present, but, in case, I always carry'my will about with me in my dress." The geisha in question is still plying her old "monotonous" occupation, and certainly looked none the worse for the i poison.

Incidentally the affair is declared to lie the Lest advertisement this geisha- lias ever had.