, 1860-04-20

Public sentiment in our Northern States is |
manly enough to fix mark Of odium on duel |
ing but such Is the 1Awless barbaEism Of the |
ruling caste in nearly the whole South, that no
nun can there with safety to his reputation or
his person decline the challenge Of any we'll
dressed blackguard who may choose to*pick
quarrel with him. Aud when men belonging 10
these Two distinct orders Of civilization ming!e
together and engage III hcated controversy, Us
they do ut Washington, the Southern rsprcsen.
tative, like the ovcrbearing ill.brcd man every
where, insists that The established usages Of his
section shall be- the recognized standard, and
be .ssaggers, and .bullies, and browbeats
and thyentens, nud challenges, and ap.
plies to the ant, dnelist' The epishet, eo,oard,
with as much assurance ID if lie were in Mis-
sissippi or Texas. The Northern man, Us he
passes along Pennsylvania avenue, meets on
the one hand the quiet and undemonstrative
nod Of approval; on the other, the averted
lock, tue circulating whisper, the helfsup-
pressed sneer. nc is disgraced man among
! ell who stand up for the misuamed "Code Of
Honor" AEains: this treatment we protest;
| ind for thus protesting, ne are met by the
sweeping insertion, that the bravess men in Ill
ages OF the world, from the days OF David down
to the present time, hare given the practice the
sanction Of their appreciation or Of their exam
pie. And my purpose in writing this article, is
to set before these bragga,ts some historical
facts with which they seem to be not familiar,
and to disabuse the minds Of ardent young men
! who have been accustomed to turn their faces
Southwark when they would snuff the odors OF
clivaIry.
Somewhat more thau two hundred years ago,
there reigned in Sweden a great king, named
Gustayus Adolphns-a wise, good, brave, hu-
name man, whose death WAS more universally
and more sincerely lamented than was the dearh
Of any other being whose name occurs in au-
thentic history. He was the shield and the
Protestant League in its first organization; aud
lie struck Popery blow at the very outset,
which stunned it during the whole Of the dread
ful Thirty Ycars' War, and from which it has
never recovered. He gave his country the best
code Of laE it had ever enjoyed. He establish
lie became the idol Of bis people before he had
reached his twentieth year. He hunbled Den
mark, and Russia, and Poland. lie secured the
good will Of Catholic Frunce through his mas.
terly asatesmanship. He collected the scattered
and disAea.teped teo,cstants Of Northern Ger.
| -AN %ANN %tt|AA AAh@ VFA 0AeoA4-
querabe spirit. ue rallied around his standard
the Stern Covenanter Of Scotland, and the Eng
lish Puritan; the Calrinist of Holland, and the
Swiss Lutheran; the Armnian Of Bohemia, and
the saxon baptist. When all was ready, he
rushed INTO the lists with two.thirds Of the "a:
pal world in arms; routed Generals who had
subducd States aud Kingdoms, and who com.
manded thrice bis numbers; struck down the
| oPpressor, aud delivered the oppressed from the
Iistula to the Rhine, and from the Baltic Sea te
the Danube; aud hnally sealed with bis blood
the principles Of civil aud religious freedom
| leaving name to be reTerepced by the brayt
| and good in all coming time. And this sam
Gustarus Adolphus-hero, scholar, statesman
warrior, gentleman, as he was, Of the highest
iank-was the lifelong and uncomprouiisins
! Toe Of ducliDg!
| During one of bis first campaigns be issued ,
rule ttat, under no circumstance should thcr.
be any dueing in his armies, among either off
GERS or soiliers. and in order to show hi
utter abhorreuce Of the barbarous practice, ant
to pluck it up By the very roots, le decreed tha
the survivor, whatever his rank or services
should forthwith suffer the punishment Of
common murderer. This penalty, historian
tell us, Eas vigorously enforced in every in
stance; and the good effects Of the regula.io,
Eopn became so manifest. tlat the high spirited
warriors who followed the great King in hi
career Of victory and glory, most heartily up
proved it, md afterwards carried with them II
~
, | code 1t is related that t1yu distinguishe,
4 generals begged permission to decide a ARE
: with the sword. Gustavus gave seeming cor
sent. and told them he would himself be wit
ness OF their yalor auu prowess, Lie appeare,
-, | On the sround accompanied by the public CT
eculicaer, who had orders to cut off the lea
: Of the conoueror. Thoroughly subduel bv th
Kings courtesy and frmness. the com bataut
asked his forgiyness. we're ordered to embrace
Hrd continued friends to the end Of their lives
And what effect did this anti. dueling ~ ster
have upon the soldiers Of Gustayus? Did the
BECOME mere machines Of destruction dresse
up in uniforms. caued in1o skill. into xicated int
4 ya1ors hid they hecome inferior ta The duelin
3 Austrians. or Spaniards. or Italianss Nothin
= | Of the sort. Oh the contrary. their adTersarr
could nowhere stand up against thc,n. Mere
before had Euruoe seen such a commander a
q such mrn. 4 cef1ain moral farce aCain6t wh:r
: nomerc n. vs;ral COURAGE ran rontan1 md a cor
!. cedyd inFi1cibil,ty. veat u|onc with them. The
t paiued s;,nnl victories over reteron nr,niea r
= br veteran caotains. and aeainst such odd
titat men asked one onofher whether such thinr
e could hce They stormed fnrtresses deemed ;n
b | nreprnh1e They fnrdpd lnror rivers in the fac
d ar sunerior nu,nhsrs and Commanded hy suc
e gencrals as TiIlr. And ther comm;tted n
l. Hauine-those anti. .duellinr fnl,owrrs of III
d nnti.duellinr conoucrnr. nor dss,rayed monr
l. ments nf ari. mr. h,rncd riti4a noT slrsr rnf
r mics who cried for quarter. In the hour Of ri<
|. tory thew did not retaIiae tlc bsIbarities {
It tlei. Polish encu,ies. Could thev have bee