Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-05-27

Nothing more preposterous Is conceiv-
able: and il was this silly theory of
honor that so long perplexed, and, TO
certain degree, still perplexes, civ
ilization. This theory of honor said:
"If man q pulls your nose, hei has
mortally insulted you, and nothing
but blood can atone. Ho! for the field
of honoro Common-sense says =" If
man pulls your nose, he breaks the
peace. Call a policeman, and-HO
for the station-house ~
OF course, If you don't choose to
call a policeman, but instinctiveIy do
your best TO thrash the bully, nobody
will complain. But you are not dis
honored by him, even though he pulled
your nose off, and, when you tried to
punish him, doubled you up and left
you senseless in the gutter. Could
drunken bully, or n sober bully, dis
honor Sir Isaac Newton 10y pulling his
nose q? Would Mr.. Bryant be dishon-
ored, If somebody gave him the lie?
1t is by lying that he would be dishon-
ored not by somebody's saying that
he lied. If, therefore, every man be
the guardian of his own honor, and
that honor can be touched only by
himself, It is idle to speak of some
body else dishonoring him. Somebody
else may exasprate him-may madden
| him by exciting his jealousy, rs Iago
maddened Othello-but somebody else
cannot dishonor him; and, in such
| cases as we are consideridg, honor Is
always invoked, and the injury to hon
or elaborately alleged, because it is
universally felt that If jealousy is to
| be allowed to shoot at discretion, there
will he good deal more shooting than
society can safely tolerate.
| All Intelligent people will agree that
the honor of the marriage tie must, III
| reason. be equal on both sides but
every body knows that it is not consid-
cred so in fact. Take any average
Jury that would acquit u husband for
shooting man who had injured his
honor,n and it would wink at the
same husband injuring his wiie's hon
or in precisely the same way. There
are subjects not to be easily mention
cd; but they are well understood, and
it il not for men, as ella Is, to vociterate
too loudly about matrimonial honor.
} Gibbon caustically says of the goddess
who preceded over the peace of mar.
riages "The epithet of Viriplaca, the
appeaser of husbands, too clearly indi'
Gates on which side submission and re-
pentance were always expected" And
was the offense supposed to come usu'
, ally from the same side?
The honor of marriage Is mutual
Husband and wife are alike boud by IT.
, But the detection of either dishonor'
, that one only, and not the other. The
other may be sorely grieved and hu
z miliated-may be even excited by pas
sion to what Is called frenzy. Blu
that is the possible effect of all stronl
. excitement, and it is not changed II
: character because it is called the mad
I J ness of outraged honor. 1t is yer,
1 possible that one man, under the sam'
D circumstances, would do what anothe
does. A man of Othello's tempera
: ment would be effected as Othello was
n But when public opinion authorize
persons laboring under strong extite
: ment to shoot other people, it ia onl
= necessary to establish strong excite
G ment to justify shooting.-EDIToR'
g EASY CHAIR, in Horper's Mdgdzi"
d for June.