The banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1844-1847, 1846-04-01

sion from Office What then will be the
motive prompting them to the fatal rem
counter? Not considerations of hon.
or, for an act that would debar man
from every honorable station, cannot be
viewed as an honorable act, and it
would never do for those noble and mag
unanimous souls who resort to the duel,
to engage in it from sheer malice; the
most despicable villain can be moved
to murder by the same unhallowed emo
ton. Ifthc idea of honor is taken away
from the duel las it is in Texas by the
consttution.) could such a custom be
perpetuated2 ALI the niceties connec-
ted with the duel are scrupulously OBJ
served, under the notion that honor. re-
qulres attention to such pucrile puncli-
lios. l, is the idea of honor that leads
to the interchange Of those ominous notes
which are prelude to the coming con-
test. a delicate sense of honor requires
that such letters should be polite. 1t is
honor that prompts 10 all the poli,cness,
and hypocritical civilties that pass be-
tween the parties and their seconds. 1t
is honor that measures OF five, ten or
twenty PAGES as il decent and gentleman
ly distance to be shot at 1t is honor
that prompts the parties to reserve their
fire until some one counts one, two, three
1t would be horribly vulgar and MUIR
derous for one Of the parties in combat
to retain his fire, and then aim coclly
and deiiberatel y at the life of one VINO
had sho, at him in haste. and under the
influence of n cowardIy dread. 1t would
be exceedingly indecorous for one of the
parties 10 rush on the other, when they
were required to stand five or ten PAGES
apart. All these are nice points, and
high tone of honor runs Though the
whole. Fie on the man who would be
so ill-bred as TO violate any of the pro.i.
sions Of this precious code Now why.
we ask, do grown up men, men Of sense
and soIidity, loose themselves, and their
moral heroism, and cow, and truckie,
and submit with double refined hvpo-
crisy 10 all the little niceties of the
blood code? 1t is the notion that ho1-
or requires such things. The comba-
,ants prepare 10 kill each other vely po-
litely, not that they have any love or re-
spect for each other, Tut (not to speak
now of malice and reveng &c which ran
kle in their noble souis) they engage in
the duel, and try to act the Chesterfield
through the scene, with the hope that
should they survive, they will be es-
teemed and honored, and the way pre-
pared for their promotion to offices Of
honor. profit or trust. But suppose that
the euel woul'l exclude man from all
honorable Office, as in Texas, would
men in quest of honor engage in it2
Would those whose hearts were full of
malice, and who were ready 10 fly on
each other Like tigers, submit, to the code
of honor, if no honor was to accrue?
Verify no.
Keep then the notion Of honor out Of
the question, and the duel is at end and
the way to accomplish this is to adopt
the course of Texas, and deprive the par
ties in duel, both the combatants, Sc
conds, surgeons, and advising friends, of
all honorable or profitable office, and
these " affairs of honor" will be "feX
and far between"
1t would be almost impossible to get
UP duel now in Texas, for although
two men might be so full Of wrath and
revenge as to resolve on each others de-
'struc,ion regardless of the above sections
of the constitution, yet it would be diff
:salkto obtain two gentlemen to act as
tseconds-two TO act as surgeons, and
TWO OF three more to act as friends and
ddyisefsas Not only the persons who
fight but all who have any. part in q
hasehare deprived of all office Of profit or
! ltTgpat ih Texas. We say that the pros
pet of getting up duel there, must be
Very discouraging. Lack-a-dayl what
would the young heroes in South Caro-
lima, or the old fools about Washington
city DO il they were in Texas2 They
couldn't show off their courage; they
couldn't act on the "code Of honor"
there, for that code is nullified, dead
and buried.
q Some Of our men of fire and fame, i.
1