The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1855-02-07

ofits superstilions investiture severed
from piouS justice-a game of hazard,
in which the injured one may have
fearful odds against him, and the stake
the life Of one or both. The men ofthe
Dark ugcs, who believed that Heaven
presided over it and awarded Justice
by its result, should not be condemned
by those whose ignorance has been
enlightened: hut how can we pardon
ourselves? !? Do we believe that 10y it
wrong is punished and Right re.
dressed? No such pious superstition
sombres the mind of this age. Then
it had its foundation in the confessed
inability Of human tribunals to read
the secrets and detect the guilt Of the
heart and the Great arbter, to whom
all secret things were known, was
Invoked to make manifest the truth
by the issue of the comnat.
Now that reason does not support it.
The ducist of this day knows, if he
thinks at all, that God, uncnvokcd, is
there, but only to be insulted and an.
gered by the violation ofhis own com
mandment. The duel now is, confess
edIy, no Court Of Justice. The chances
are, perhaps most frequently, in his
favor who has spent q life in insulting
and iniuring, and has skilled himself
by practice in the art Of destroying
those who resented the wrongs done
them.
| But it is absurd to reason and dcs.
cant upon this subject. Common sense
rcvoits ut ii. One who really feels II
wrong or insult may be willing to
hazard his life for the chance of re-
vengc. 1t is but chance, he knows,
but life and its concerns then seem as
nothing compared with the qualification
of tho -.ihsn.hinY- passions And the
"rongdocr may meet him, either from
a wish to injure him more, or from
rccklessncss-or frequently from fear
of what tho world would say were he
to refuse satisfaction. And this yer,
tear is the cause Of many ducls. Men
fear to do right by making acknowl.
elSements and reparalion when they
have done wrong; the others fear to
do what God himself does constantly
towards man-show mercy and for
give; misunderstanding and dllicul
Ties are complicated and inllamcd until
they end in blood, because of fear ,ha,
the world will snecr ut their want of
courage und spirit A chivaIrous in
s''tutlon to be pr"pped up by .tear!-
Duclling is really the most ridiculous
absurdty Of the age-if,hnt could be
called ridiculous which has destroyed
SO many thousands, not only of repro
bates: but ofthe really high suulcd and
ncblc minded. To treat n man like
Il gentleman when you are about to
Kill him because YOU say he is not one:
to give man means and opportunity
to ntiIct an irreParablc injury upon
you, because he has already Injured
you to be calm and composed, when,
if your feelings at all consort with the
act you are about to commit, your
heart is boiling over with hot wrath ::
all this may be very fine and chival
rouS, but it is unnatural. An angry
man, when he acts naturally and with
ont afltctation, assaults his foe immcdi.
ately and with violence his feelings
force him to corresponding action-hc
uses no soft words, assumes no easy,
Indifferent manner, but looks and acts
the angry man. Yet for him there
are laws, that will he enforced too.-
Should he not be able to meet his in
jurcr then-should day, though it
may not abatc his wrath, yet delay his
ve"geance-then the law against mur.
dcrers would be enforced in his case,
Let him receive the same injury, de
lay his revenge Tor rs long q time,
avow his purpose; deliberate, malig.
nant, calm in his resolution from the
knowledge that quick eye, a steady
hand and superior expertncss will cna.
pie him to kill his adversary as safe.
ly to himself rs if he too we're not
armed-and the laws Of Honor will
shield him from the penalties of his
conntry's laws. Ought these things
to be SO? What justifies juries in
Distinguishing between these two cases
in favor Of the latter2 The one "mot