1958-12-12 — Page 4

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THE CHINA MAIL, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1968.

A FUNNY

LITTLE

THING

THIS GIRL JOAN

By ROBERT ROBINSON

London.

JOAN COLLINS swept out of her

father's house, and seemed to glisten all over, like a wet scal.

"How long have you had this fog. And why?"

She spoke accusingly, for she took it personally. mumbled an inadequate apology, and she fluttered her eyelashes,

They were so long that, had been wearing # hat, it would infallibly have been knocked off.

the

She forgave me the fog, and we climbed inta

"And so," sald 1, as we set off for London Air- port (she was lying to Manchester), "you are think-

g of becoming an American citizen?"

Her grent eyes shone like doorknobs us she roll-

ed them in my direction and said: "You can think

about things, can't you?

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NOUT SE

I've

often thought about killing people, but I've never actually

dene it."

The witly logic of this par-

alysed me for an instant, but i could sense a rebuke.

"What attracts mc about America? Well, the weather.

And the Ile-It's so relaxed. And I work there too. I couldn't live here and work there could

I?"

Again the devastating logic, the ice-cold mind behind the hair-do,

"And over there one has one's car."

she said, scattering italles like a lady novelist, "and one can always pork it. It's all so much easier."

FAMILY

Indeed These were

poten! reusons for a change of citizen- ship, and I nodded gravely.

family. And I miss the Royal Family, too, I cannot associate myself with President Elsenhower quile the same way. I cannot feel I have a share in the Prest- dent, as feel I have a share

in them.

In

"But against this one has to set the awful weather, and the weether docs depress uno."

One felt one understood. *You BCC, they only makc pictures about policemen and vtears over here. We haven't had a big woman star since Jean Simmons, Bunnh Shaw, Joan Rice whatever happened to them? So I think it is bet ter to stay in America.”

Something had been coming near and going away again, like sound blown on the wind. realised il was Mio Collins' American accent. Sometimes it was with us, and sometimes

wasn't

MONEY

it

"You can't just go out to the States and expect everything to fall into your lop from the bene- volent hands af Spyros T Skouras,

"What you've got to do is get them to pay you a lot, spend money on you.

"When they spend money on you, they're apt to want to get their investment back. So they | bulid you up and give you pic-

turc

"It they aren't paying you much, they don't bother.

I asked. respectfully, about SUDCER.

"Success to relative. I thought I was successful when I was earning £100 a week back F

Miss sald 1990. But sUKTUSY," Collins in classic pools-winner style, "doesn't make any differ-

ence,...

"I'm working to my own rules, brother-no more 'oola 'oops upstairs or down."

'Hopeless ones'

ones' in a suicide black-spot baffle the doctors

The Girl Who Lives On

SHE was as witty, as

any

35

charming, intelligent a girl as you could meet at

cocktail party.

Her friendliness attracted the women as much

as her sophisticated gaiety captivated the men.

Yet

A Razor's Edge

As she circulated, glass in hand, starry-eyed and By smiling, she looked the happiest girl alive. she was perched perilously on the razor's edge of suicide.

Already she has made six attempts to kill herself. Six times the hospital doctors have fought to keep life in her body, and later to force into her mind the will to live.

suicides

do not come from any of these

But her own doctor told me: But the strange fact remains "There's little hope for her. that the majority of One of these days we'll be too late, and all I will be able to do for her is write her death certificate."

Στοτιμή

tycoon con-

Generally, the tents himself with an ulcer, the

steam in artist blows off controversial club or pub, und the ullen is too taken up with the positive business of integral-

The into

communlty

She is one of the "living-dead" cases in Hampstead, the district with the highest suicide rate in Britain Twice as many as the rational average. alone Gud

there were three favour the negative solution suicide, within three days.

Last week.

10

ut

STILL WHY? What is there about YET HAMPSTEAD

SUICIDE LIST. llampstead-or the people who TOPS THE

WHO,

ARE live there--that results

THE THEN, many overdoses of tablets, gas- PEOPLE WHO TAKE THEIR

OWN LIVES? sings, drownings, hangings?

נז!

NO

WHY should so many young men and women, ceemingly on the threshold of their lives, act suddenly on the impulse that leads to oblivion?

Or 39 suicides tabulated in the Grea, 27 were housewives, widows or spinsters, none were typlats, four were painters and decorators, three were school

ERIC SEWELL

ac-

which took 10 servants to run, have been converted into commodation for single people coming to London to work,

"Living alone leads to tone acas, and a single room with no friends isn't the best place to try and resolve your worries." "Very true," said the town hall official. "There are thou- sands who use Hampstend es place for bod and breakfast The borough isn't so much their home as their dormitory."

Exceptional

make

ness isa't the answer. There are more opportunities to friends socially in Hampstead than any other area of London, '

Depressed

Alter talking Lo nil these concerned with Peopic vitally the problem, it seemed that the reason fur 5Q recary suicides could only be found by examin- ing individual cases.

What, for instance, lay under the vivacious exterior of the Rirt mentioned at the start?

"She is an educated, person- able young woman," her docter told me. "But if her story was made into a flim-an X-aim, of course-people would decry if we unbelievable."

Secondly. It offers suitable shelter to middle-aged men and wonen crearzing from the wreckage of broken marriages to start life all over again...alone.

Ideal Retreat

Thirdly: It is an ideal retreat for the depressive.

"Somewhere uniong these categories lies the answer," sald Dr Hopkins. "But whereas it is possible sometimes to sway the emotionally unstable, përson away from his impulses to com- mit suicide, the depressives usually make up their mind to kill themselves and dó so."

How can the suicide rate be cut down? Theoretically, by improved psychiatric melifties.

Overworked

According to doctors in the area, Hempstead has riot enough Psychiatrists

there are groenly overworked.

An extreme case. But anony uutwardly normal people have emotional back- complicated But this alone cannot explain grounds. Hera goes a long way the suicide rate. Thousands of to explaining repeated attempts people all over Britain ore un- a suicide. But there are mani Happy or lonely. But they don't

and women suleides, with simur kill themselves. Does emotional problem backgrounds, all over instability come into the prob- the country. Why should there lem?

be more of them in Hampstead?

Again, theoretically, the GP. Mrs Williams, secretary of the

TWO doctors, currently, can often help by allowing the Hampstead Council of Social tabuleting suicide case histories patient to talk his troubles-and Service, told me: "We have

in Hampstead, believe that most is suleidal resolves-out of his Those Art the questions 1 teachers And three were rather exceptional community of

of those who kill themselves are system. But what busy G.P. has went to Hampsted We try to labourers,

writers, artists and musicians depressives, aid one of the the time to do this? answer-quæstions sparked of

Among the others was Д people who are probably very doctors, police surgeon Philip by four reports from there hospital orderly, a domestic, sensitive, and more easily dis- Hopkins-a Hampstead G.P.—- While not pessimistic of

(1) Girl, aged 34, with a £5- grocer, tallor, chauffeur, couraged and depressed ft they told me:

solution oventually 'being found, a-wook flat. Good-looking, in- foolmaker, a plumber, a dentist and their art not appreciated.' "It isn't so much that people Dr Hopkins told me: "The tm- telligent, hard-working, interest and a barman.

"Perhaps they sink to a slage living in single rooms become mediate object is to try and shed ed in politics, popular with In other words, they were or- when they feel life is not worth depressed, 3 that depressed some light on the problem of friends and colleagues. Her dinary people

the same as

living."

people seek to withdraw from suleides, by letting the public ambition was to be a successful you would get in ony CTOSS- That may be so," countered society by living single know the appalling number of writer, She was found gassed section of the community. They a Hampstead doctor. "But rooms."

people who kill themselves, and after publishers rejected her didn't come from any particular statistics show that the

Now Hampstead's room set-up trying to show them why. manuscripts. She took her own income group and they didn't tonally unstable person is more becomes a vital factor.

"From there it is a short step have any particular type of job. likely to bc the attempted

Firstly: It is a natural choice to impressing on parents tho Police Superintendent Henry suicide. They make the gesture for thousands of restless men importance of giving children a Price told me: "I think the as a cry for help.

and women who leave their pro- good family background at reason for the high suicide rate Sald Hampstead's Medical vincial homes to battle for exist stable happy home life. is the number of single-room Officer of Health frankly: "All crice in London. Often their "Making children happy to- lodgings in Hampstead. Many the accepted theories don't at restlessness bas an emotional day automatically reduces the of the old rambling houses, the facts in Hampstead. Lonell- brckground.

suicide rate of futuro.”-

lite.

(2) Man, aged 42. Founal dend in his flat. Overdose ut tablets. He took his own life.

(3) Man, aged 23, unmorried, lived alone. Found gassed. He toolt his own te.

(4) Women, aged 40, iving in one-roomed lodgings. Found gassed. She took her own life.

Many Aliens

one

of There is an average Fulcido every ten days in Homp- stead, and two attempted suleides each week. This means: that, in the borough six times as many people commit auleide DB are killed in road accidents.

Outside Well, I haven't Iked the sefiple, the parts or the director Did I tell them

"I love working, but most of the films I have done I taven't liked. What haven't I liked nbout them?

elera.

I

didn't. co them? Dear me, no. there's much a thing os tact."

Rebuked again! I screwed my courage up and aoked Miss Col- ling If she enjoyed the recogni- tion generally accorded alm "Recognition!" she exclaimed, recolling like an anti-aircraft DUT."I loathe recognition. I'm sure nabody likes being looker1 at. I just like to go around in- cognito. 1 dare say there are thousands of people who do re- cognise me. But I like it when they don't show it."

We awept out of the car at London Airport. The official Grector (there's a contemporary word for you) stopped forward and greeted Miss Collins (there was a kind of amphorous gled nows spread by the anonymosa personage. Who was he boing lad for, on whose behalf, and why?).

Miss Collina awept forward, aleaming Hes. oboníte, and die appeared from view.

Her mother gazed fondly after tier. "She la a funny little thing," she said.

Hampstead, this phenomenon is shrugged of glibly: "Oh-Hampstead. Well, what can you expect in a place with such an artycrafty colony? These duffle-coated bearded- typer-painters, writers, imusi- clans are all a bit unbalanced. They must be, or they wouldn't; drens like they do."

Or; "Hampeload?

Ah, yes- but Hampstood has a huge allen population. They're all refugees from Hiller, or Stalin, or con- centration camps and things No wonder they go a bit round the bend with thai sort of buck- ground."

Nine Typists

Or "Hampstead? Isn't that where all the wealthy Industrial tycoons Uve? So what can you expect? Men who work nt that preasure must have a breaking point. Musin't they?"

Hampaload ion a very wealthy Income group. It has an artists' colony second only to Chelsea. 1t has probably the biggest ellen population in Britain. And all these have their own peculiar alreases in sheir way of 1160,

a

emo-

SOVIET ECONOMIC PROGRESS

YOU KNOW THAT

11

"AW, LET'S KEEP OUR EYES ON THE BALL, BOY

SOCIALIST PLANNING DOESN'T WORK...

11

a

: