Herbert Ward wrote: > I've read that the suicide rate has quadrupled in the past 60 years for > young adult males, (and doubled for females).
> From this, it is reasonable to assume that modern lutenists operate in a > profound general society-wide emotional deficit, compared to the period of > their literature's production. I think the only assumptions, reasonable or otherwise, that stem from the numbers is that more young Americans commit suicide now than half a century ago. We don't know what the suicide rate in Europe in 1600 was. Nor do I think you can conclude that there is a "profound general society-wide emotional deficit" simply because 99.99% of Americans in the higher-risk categories do not commit suicide now, as opposed to 99.995% sixty years ago. HP To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
