The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1855-08-22

sainst than SHINING" and that as society is
now constituted, he could not we'll get out
pf accepting the challenge Of Dir. billiard,
without having more moral courage than most
lhea POSSESS. Nevertheless, we must take
the liberty Of turning all duels into ridicule,
as we believe that is the only way the evil
can be put down; and we believe duellng 10
be one OF the greatest evils OF the present
century, and remnant Of the dark ages,
when might constituted right, and when law,
us we understand it, was yet unknown. or at
most in its infancy.
In the middle ages there was some shadow
Of excuse for the duel-now there is abso-
lutely none. Then every man was pretty
much claw unto himself ;'--now the law OF
the land throws its broad mantle over even
the humblest member of society.
What end is attained BY fighting a duels
You conceive man insults you, and YOU
send him a challenge. lie being the chal-
lensed party, according to the duelling code,
has the privilege Of choosing the weapons
with which YOU are 10 murder each other
and as prudent man, your opponent will be
very apt TO choose those weapons with the
use of which he thinks himself more expert
than YOU. Thus, you see that you, though
the injured party, are more likely to get sent
into Kingdom come than your opponent.
Now, this is what we call rather poor salts.
faction for an insult; and for our own part
we would hate to give man who had insun.
ed our honor chance TO assault our body ny
popping ball or piece Of s,arpened steeiinto
il, thereby depriving society Of one Of its or-
naments, our children Of parent, our better
half Of husband, and last, though by no
means least, that very useful and highly re-
spectacle paper called the Argus d M ed.
tor
And IL we did cuntriye TO make our oppd-
nent subject meet for the hands Of the collin
maker and the grave digger, what then!
/ Would il mend our wounded feelings any
to reflect that we had sent fellow being into
eternity, for what, on reflection, We might
consider to be merely an imaginary wrong.
Look al ,luelling in any point uf view, aud
1 il is not only very criminal, but also We
~ ridiculous custom; and we hope that such
a respectable gentleman as Mr.. lyman will
never be engaged in like affair again.
IL people must fght--if injured honor
should boil in their breast 80 bolstcrously that
il must have an outlet, let them double up
their fists Ia Tom liver, and thnmp i out
To their hearts content. Such Mtapnns,
though they often put the eyes IN mourning.
disest the mouth Of tooth or two. and turn
the nose into snsut, seldom break any bones
or deprive the heroes Of that life ihry owe
the community and. to our thinking. are just
as likely to heal ones honor As the wound OF
i pistol Of rusty rapirr."
Mr.. Hyman, in his letter to Us, complains
that we stated that that gentleman aud nr.
lIlliard challenged each other. when Dc.
billiard WAS the man whn sent the challenge.
Well, ne suppose that in writing Tie c,iita.
rial We perhaps did not conform as closely Ia
Webster as We ought To have dune. Onr
meaning was that thc gentlemen met with
The intention Of fighting and, ~ laci. ~ a
moral sense 81 view. thcy were both ehallcng.
ers because, the uI,e sends challenge, and
virtual, .a,s 10 The other Will tou fight
I me - The other virtually saws, Come on :
/ will fgLt ,nu = thus becoming ~ 4 sense
also one o. Tie challyngers. But tits makes
,ery litile difference with regard 10 the l4ets
ul the crime.
We close this BY saving. that we wish ne :
yer 10 bcar tell again u am q oar lrieads
accepting a challenge. The practice u abo-
minable IN itself, aud ought 10 br iroMned
down by alI good citizens. 4 gnod member
4. II society Ia. no right 70 thruM has lie away
III ans such manner. II belongs % his iansi-
~ ifhe have one; II not 10 lie community.
But We hope our friend. Mr.. Lyman, vii
, accept uur apology We had no intention
whatever Of duins him wrong. lie acted
M worse III tie situation III which hr va,
placed Than most men would have done. u
!. mi against individual, We arr writing. Y
!, against tie bafbaruns practice u duelinS.