New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-06-28
Duelling and Duellists.

ton in the Commercial Is entirely unfounded.
Dazzling and Duellists.
Homilies upon duellng at this late day. we mp
prehend, can be Of but little service. We do not
believe that the man lives who does not, at least IN
his moments of reflection, c early perceive its in
trinsic absurdity; who does not knop and who will
not acknowledge to his own heart at least, that ii
Is directly at war not only with every prccePt OF
morality, with every feeling Of humanity and OF
heightened seli-respcct but with the plaineSt, most
palpabe dictates of common sense. II there were
no such thing as law in the land in the world, it
conscience and the high prescripts of reason were
but creatures of the fancy, if man we're sent back
not barely to the childhood of socctyand the race,
but infinitely beyond-to the world OF irrational
brutcs, then the advocates of duelling might with
good reason support their favoritc dogmas. But
even in the most un,utored state OF the human race,
when law dwels only in each mans breast and
consists solely in those divine instincts of right
and of duty which are the ultimate ground OF all
law and all good, and apart from which all social
Legislation and all religious precept would be force
less and without meaning even in that state there
is no moral power IN mans nature which will for
an instant sanction the murdcrous code which the
man Of honor, in this enlightened age and in this
Christian land, chooses to make the rule of his
conduct. The most nyetcrate duellist-he who
will the most quickly resent an imagined insult
who in defence Of his honor deems il Unnecessary to
hazard his life and is willing TO receive upon biz
heart, stamped with the netlsceaLlc impress Of
Gods most solemn law, the brand Of a murdercr-
IT you ask him, when not ruled by icndish passion,
will comics. that the code by which he acts Is at
war with every feeling Of his hg Chez and better
ture. 1t finds its food only in teat passiou-whch
more than any other degrades man far below the
level Of brute to that of a hend-the passion OF
revenge. Our readers will all remember that, no,
many months since, oven Henry A. Wise-who, in
many respects, may be regarded as more perfectly
irsbued with the spirit of duellng than any other
man among us,-declared in Congress his solemn
condemnation of the practice and his most decided
conviction of its abhorren, immortality.
Now while ,h. is the general feeling argu-
men, or declamaiion tina, could be presented GER
tainly none that we could command would add in
the least to the weight Of condemnation which al
ready rests upon tins practice in the hearts and
whole world ha. stamped it with rcproach; it has
lost nearly all the life and power it ever possessed
asa custom ii lives no longer generally recog.
nized social form; it has reached Just that point
upon which the absurdit.es OF { Rivalry were poised
when Cervantc> found tnem and one romance
like Don Quixots. which in the same way should
turn i, into ridicue, would eXinguish il forever
We trust that this las; blow may ere long be given
it, for never did the Earth more need riddauce OF
an nfesting curse. Ii has drunk the best blood OF
her roblest sons it has hurled from their places
of power and of influence the highest and most
gifted minds; it has Withdrawn from the light Of
day TO the darkness of the tomb, talents created
to benefit and to bless the race; it has swept from
kind and loving hearts every trace OF human JOY
and earthl, hope; it has commended to the bps
OF beauty, Of innocence, of angel purity and of
iondes' affection the bi,terest poison in the cup OF
me- mas sent to their las, accounts, stained with
the blacklist guilt the souls of thousands il has
dareehe" the i"ir face of Earth with its gloomy
shadow, elasphemed the name and de6ed the
power OF Onnnipotent justice and dwell, ,mor, II.
the blacklist, fouesi fend that ever sougb, IN vol
its form in robes of light. Earnestly and with rood
hope do we pray that its terrible reign may soon
have end.
The only suggestion that we ever knew in sup
port OF duelliss at the present day is that public
opinion demands ii. In this section Of the coun-
try no other to this is necessary than Nat
DENIAL In other sections, TO the same extent it is
not 50. MIR. Wise, for instance-aiter declaring
as the most solemn conviction Of his conscience
and his judgement, tina, its practice is absurd and
wicked, regrets I'VE presume with a, least
ground OF TRUTH tina, the pubs feeling of his con-
sti,uen,s demands that he Should subscribe TO its
bloody creed This. beyond all doubt, is the case
with all. And in what light does this exhibit
their courage They dare no, do rish,-dare
NOT act like sincere, honorable men-dare not |
square their lives by their incirles-out of the
cowardly fear that some Of thsif neighbour. will |
not uphold them in it Ii there be cowardice Of |
a baser sort than ,his-which sinks the honor OF
IA manly soul to a lower decp--we have We, to see
Its manifestations. The man who dane not have
u conscience Of his own, who binds his sosl to do