The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1870-01-29

the highest civilization for com
munities in which, by reason of
the tolerance and nurture given to
this system Of private armament,
good men may at any moment be
cut off in the prime of life, their
wives widowed, their children or
phaned, as incidents of drunken
fury or of transient anger. In re
ality they are perverting the least
benifcent of the arts of civiliza-
ton to perpetuate the lingering
elements Of barbarian nature.
Surely it is high time that society
in this country should rid itself
of this obstinate and organized
remnant Of barbarism-high time
that it should be truly civilized,
on the surface and under the sur
face; in its unwritten and in it's
written laws, in the realities as
well as in the localities of its va
rious institutions. sis H.s.
No right-mindIed citizen, in his
abstract view OF the practice in
question, does not condemn it +;
and let us hope that the hour has
come when this abstract view may
be converted into an active senti
ment SO general and so resoIute
as to crush out forever practice
which, in a period Of nominal
peace and Of boasted civilization
cOntradicts and tramples upon
the most precious presumDtions
Of both.
The Bee French side) very per-
tinently contrasts the coexisting
habits Of ntemperate drinking
and using in private quarrels con
cealed weapons, with tue re.ulaa-
ed duel according to the old Gre
ole code which, as our contempo-
rary alleges, the city journals
above Canal street have been ac-
customed to characterize as bar
barious.
We agree with the Bee that,
though dueling is deplorable
enough, it is much better to com
mence the reform of social morali-
ty by directing law and opinion
against intemperance and the car
rying OF secret arms, than by di-
rectng them against the punctili-
GUS duel. Yet every 1ight.mind-
ell citizen must in the abstract
regard this as also a remnant of
barbarism, though it comes mach
nearer to the requirements of a
true civilization in relation to the
sanctities OF human life and of
personal honor than that method
OF using, aud preparing to use,
deadly weapons which we have
been deploring and Ieprobatins.
lnordinate vanity eager to gain
repute for courage. or an unreIenL-
ing animoSity SO intent to kill as
TO disregard personal risk, as is
the bottom of most dueis with
deadly weapons. Does true cour-
age ever need such a vindication!
Does honor demand that one man
shall make himself a target to
crafty the mHrderous desire OF
another! The true gentleman is
always ready to make q volunta
~ aud peaceful reparatioh oI
wrong done il a word or deed
How, then, can a duel take place
between parties who are gentle.
men? In short, the truly cultiva-
ted, the truly chivalric circle, is
that in which the tone Of behavior
is too high and too delicate tc
conceive % want0n OlfenSe-in
which brave and generous men
il private combat were not sane
toned, would be more than eyel
incapable Of insulting one another
from the scorn that they woulC
feel for doing so with conscious
impunity.- N. o. Bulletin.
i There are some who write, talk
! and think, so much about vict
t and virtue, that they have no TIM
to practise, either the one or thu