Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-12-10
An Attack on Duclling by southern NM

The following argument against the practice
of dueling is taken from the THANKSGIVING SER
mon of Rev. S. Gilman, ID. D., OF the Unitarian
Church. delivered in Charleston, ). T., on 'iie
Doth ut:
And further. is there nothing to mourn over
in the continued practice to do, orf you choose
TO call it so, the continued necessity OF ducillhg'
which in q single half hour throws whole COM
munity into panic of exceeding great horror,
and harrows their souls as with red hot iron
i-multipiies agonized widows and orphans as II
in very sport perpetuates an old barbarous me-
dieyol custom. which by the way it utterly ms
takes, since it was originally an appeal to God
to vindicate suspected innocence, whereas now
there is no appeal or reference to God at all
converts two men virtually into two murderers
and suicides at one and the same instant-llost
generally makes one of the parties q wretched
man for life-and after all is over, leaves the
noint of honor and the subject OF dispute just
where they were before, with nothing explained
nothing justified nothing vindicated, nothing
settled, nothing really wiped away, since 1t Is
ridiculous to suppose that the firing through a
hollow tube of two material bullets, maze OF
very heavy lead. can convert the truth into
lie or lie into the truth or wash an aspersed
character clean. For whoever now lmaslnes
that success in duelling encounter Is q proof OF
innocence on the part Of the successful combat
ant As for the practice OF restraining men
within the limits of decency and civility, it Is
well known that the overbearlng, the rude, the
reckless of life. the aspirer to reputation for
gallantry, can at any time drag into a duel the
modest and refined citizen, husband, father, and
friend In fact. when the advocate OF duelling
descends from the ground of vague feeling OF
chivalry, fashion and honor, and attempts to de-
fend it by the good it may possibly do. or the
evils it may obviate, he takes suicidal stand,
for infinitely greater evils, nustces and contra
dictions may fairly be alleged against the prac-
tce. And to allow the utmost possible efficacy
to the mere argument in favor Of duelling as an
intimidating preventive, it never can amount to
mere than balance of considerations at most,
because the innocent party is always just as
much exposed to punishment as the guilty and
offending. Thus it violates the broadest maxim
of the common rs well as of the moral law,
which would rather set the guilty free than OK
pose the innocent to suffering
Yes. so long as society is wrapped up in this
entangled Hercules shirt of paradoxes and abb
surdities which puts all obvious and natural
moral ideas to flight and plays with life and
death, as children play with marbles-so long
as grave and good old men, and noble and gen
erous young men entertain this thing as neces-
sty, and devise for it rules, and laws,and codes,
and nice observauces, right in the face and in
the midst OF Christianity all around them, just
as if Christianity and itself were not at deadly
swords points with each other, aud just as if it
were not the case, that if one of them is true,
the other must be a lief one is blessing, the
other must be curse from the evil one-if one
is right, the other must be wrong; so long,
say, as this strange and unaccountable state of
things prevails in Christian community, and
among men Christianity educated, and profess
ing to believe in aud reverence Christianity, so
long must feel not little staggered and dis
tressed in celebrating my annual thanksgiving
and singing my rejoicing psalm.