The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-05-08
From the Friend of Youth.
THE DUEL.
BY DIR. WILLIAM ELDER.

From the commencement Of our Revolution
till the year 1915, period OF forty years. Eng
land was engaged in war without any in'ef-
mission. These wars were with the thirteen
colonies, or United States, France, SPAN, Hol,
land, the French Republic, Bonaparte, ana
again with the United States; sometimes SIN
gly, sometimes with several of these nations at
once.
The battle of Waterloo was fought on the
18th June, 1915. That year the army OF Eng
land amounted to three hundred thousand men
and in 1916, although she had enjoyed thirty
years of peace, her standing army was still one
hundred thousand strong.
In time of peace one would think that such
a host Of soldiers could not be required Tor any
purpose and they probably are not, but 1t Is
the policy of such Governments as That OF
England to keep as many men IN the puDlc
service as possible. To say nothing OF other
purposes, il is easy, in an army OF hundred
thousand soldiers, TO have four or hive thou
sand commissioned officers, who generally be-
long TO the class of gentlemen-a class that IS
found to furnish the most useful and the most
submissive slaves to those who feed them. The
most useful, because, being wellborn, we'll
educated, and well-connected, they are very
capable in themselves, and very influential
with others and most submissive, because they
are so well paid, and have no other service
than public Office which II suits them to accept.
The army of England is crowded with 9th
GERS who enter.is merely as q Trade, or proies-
sion, by which they may get living. A nor
rid business it is, indeed, TO undertake TO do
any killing Of men anywhere that the Gov
eminent may command, without asking any
questions, or knowing or caring whether II is
right or wrong But so it is, when rightly
understood and yet we must not be surprised
if we find, once in a while, man too good for
such trade engaged in it, for it is generally
thought honorable, even che most honorable OF
all professions, and but few stop 10 inquire if
it is also right.
My story will introduce the sort of man that
is an exception to the rule.
To be perfectly candid with my readers,
must inform them that | have forgotten the
names of the persons that am to tell about.
The precise place where 1t happened has also
escaped me, but | am sure that it was some
where in Ireland; and the exact date is gone,
too-but know that ii was after the year 1915,
and before the year 1885, for that was the time
when heard it,
The general peace of Europe, which fol-
lowed the fall Of Napoleon, released the army
of England from foreign service, and after re-
duction to about one-third of its former num-
Der, ii was distributed among the military sta
tons within the kingdom and provinces. A
large number Of the surviving officers of the
field of Waterloo were garrisoned in Ireland.
They were generally men who had seen hard
service, and had earned their honors and offices
in the battle field but a considerable number
of new men received appointments through ia
vor Of their wealthy and powerful friends, and
came among the veterans with commissions in
their pockets which gave them high rank in
the army. The old soldiers, naturally enough.
looked upon these raw recruits as mere upstairs
and ntruders. They despised them for their
inexperlence, and hated them for the injustice
suffered by their promotion. In profession
where honor is gained by killing the country's
enemies. it will scarcely be thought immoral
to hate the individuals rivals and suppanters.
The Apostle John says that murder and hat
ing ones brother go together. And taking the
military sentiment for the standard of Judgment,
it is mean to beg or buy promotion, where
other people have to fight for it. But this is
done elsewhere, as well as in the British army !;
for the offices which are thought the most hon
orable are often obtained by means the most
diShonorable.
The hero OF my story was In this situation ;
and whether he deserved the judgment we
have passed upon his class, or not, he certainly
suffered it in full measure. He had obtained,
by patronage, the appointment of Ensign, after
the establishment of peace, and was quartered,
nfH Of al
llngton's army, in one of the cities Of Ireland.
An Ensign is the lowest commissioned officer,
and the salary, or pay, is so small that il is
saying, if an Ensign has wine for dinner, he
must go without supper" Our Ensign was
very poor-he was trlendlesS, very young, and
consttutionally shy.
On the other hand, the officers of the station
were generally well supplied with money, and
had nothing to do but spend it; they lived fast
and high, and were, by all their habits and
tastes, unpleasant companions for such as he.
Besides his retiring manners, there was some
thing else in him which disinclned him to
their society, and exposed him to their dislike
this was certain air of self-respect, showing
refinement and culture, and a strict propriety
OF language and manners, which quietly, but
all the more severely, rebuked their general
looseness and rudenesS of conduct. They hated
him for the manner he entered the army. and
still worse for his personal character and de-
meanor among them. All this had its effect
upon him also, and so the breach between
them widened every day.
A certain amount and kind of courtesy he
was entitled to, by the rules of the service !;
this they gave him, but so sharply measured
hot col,
look an insult, and he might have had cause Of
quarrel at any moment that he pleased. II
was, in fact, the settled purpose Of several Of
these men to drive him out Of the army by
their incivilities, or. to drive him into duel,
and so dispose Of him finally.
This grew worse continually. The contempt
of the older officers for the young Ensign, and
his repugnance TO them, increased with every
meeting. until they paid no kind Of respect to
his feelings, and he avoided them with ca
ton that looked like an antipathy. The -.orst
of all was the evident conviction in ~ minds
of the whole garrison that he was coward
a character most shameful in a soldier, and, IN
any man, weakness that renders every other
virtue worthless.
Poor fellow! he was alone. frieDdless, and
without dollar in the world but his monthly
pay. With these beggarly circumstances he
was scholar and a gentleman, with feelings
rendered over-sensitive by high culture and
recent misiortunes. But his chief impediment
was conscience--a religious sense of right,
which left him no liberty to relieve himself or
mend his prospects by any means which the
highest morality forbade. He suffered much
every way, and most of it all he endured for
a" righteousness sake" OF course he had the
strength and nobleness which such sentiment
bestows but il is easier TO do great things than
to bear little ones. There are more heroes than
saints in the world. ST. Peter was not afraid
of the soldiers in the garden, but he was
ashamed of his master in the Judgment Hall.
To bear disgrace, and shame, and scom, to
stand quiet under suspicious that drive one out
of society, for the sake Of principle which no