The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-06-05
The Code of Honor at Variance with the
Sentiments of the Day.

| Ine COue OI hOuOT dG Iuilahoc "AoAA sN-'
Sentiments of the Day.
The Wilmington Star comments as follows
upon the practice of duelling:
The duty of the Journalist is clear. Their!
is no justification of that "Code of Honor
whose arbitrary statutes are written in tht
blood of brave but misguided men, and mois
tened with the tears of widow, orphan ane
friends. What is intrinsically wrong car
never be made right by any subtlety OF argu
ment based upon supposed exigency.
The duel is handed down to us as the relics
of an unenlightened, savage age. Like every
thing else hostile to the spirit OF civilization
and Christianity, that remains of the far-away
past, it is losing its grasp upon the practical
sensible humane period in which we live
Soon, We trust, it will have no abiding place II
the land; and that, ultimately, even in those
countries in Continental Europe where it nov
has such strong foothold, it may be relegatec
with all its memories to the sixteenth century
Duelling now has few advocates. In tn:
general advancement in civilization the worlo
sweeps away the distractions in the path OF lts
progress. 1t remorselessly hacks down the olc
branchless sapless trunks that no longer afford
shade bat stand in the way of the growth Of
lustier trees. The age demands purer civil
cation than that which inculcates false sense
of honor, a false manlinesss, false courage
What we need is men with the moral courage
to seek Ehe right even to the end of the world
men who act Justly by their fellows; men with
a personal sense of what becomes gentleman
under all circumstances and in all places. II
is folly to say the duello creates or foster gen.
tlemanliuess In the South we have ever had
a noble race of gentlemen that would do honor
to any country or any age, not because the
Code aonrished here, for it was no more in use
with us than it was in nearly all countries in
Southern latitudes, but because the original
elements of true manhood are found in our
people The higher and nobler virtues are not
assisted by the so-called Code of Honor; these
flourish even in spite of the Code.
But while we unhesitatingly condemn duel
ling, we have no patience with that .pharisaic
spirit of certain Northern papers which prompts
them to read severe homilies to the whole
Southern people on Christian and citizen duty,
Just as ii the South were one vast duelling
ground and all our people lot of half-eman
cipated ,avages. The people of the South
discourage the barbarous code as much as any
people can, and in late years very few duels
have beea fought in this section. Therefore
the recent fatal encounter just outside the city
of Richmond strikes US all with horror, and
narrows the little circle of those who encourage
or apologize for the terrible lottery of blood.
We would speak tenderly of the actors in that
bloody drama. They were chivalrous gentle
men. But they erred most grievously, and
around the hearth stones of each of the princi-
pals-thst of the living as that of the dead
there is taggard sorrow. No word can call the
spirit back into the CORY form of the young
martyr to mistaken chivalry. Mordecai dying
in agony, surrounded by weeping friends-Mc-
Carly living to undergo trial for taking human
life, living to suffer if anything more poignant
ly in mental than his late foe suffered in phys
ical agonyl 1t is terrible We would fain be
SILENT but as we said above, the duty of the
Journalist is clear and we lift our voice in con-
denlnation of duelling. Without reference to
the parties in this sad case, We say the crime of
duelling should be stopped altogether. We re-
ioice that the sweet spirit of the age is so una-
terably opposed to the false Code, that it has
spent its force, that public opinion has been
emancipated from its thrall, and that the finer
and more elevated qualities of American man.
hood are no longer to be marred by fastidious
adherence to traditionary and altogether false
notion Of honor. But there are yet, unfortu-
nately, lingering in some bosoms traces of this
old feeling, and to this feeling over the grave
of the victim and in the shadow of the grief of
the surviving party in the tragedy We would
address these words of remonstrance, and in
culcate purer and higher code-the code of
duty, justice and moral courage This is in
consonance with the holier feelings in every
mans breast; the other is at war with the bet
ter part of his nature-at variance with the
teachings of Christianity-antago even to
those principles of personal honor and pride
which the duellist inyokes on the field of con-
fict at the point of pistol.