The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-03-25
The Code of Honor.

1t seems that Georgia takes pre-eminence in
raising exctements over the code duello since
the war, but scarcely any combats ever take
place. Every now and then we have sensa-
ton from across the Savannah, intimating that
"pistols and coffee" are demanded to settle
difficulties between honorable citizens, and we
are kept on the alert for several days, momen-
tarily expecting dread results from the san
culinary field. Lately, there has been another
affair of honor, which was mysteriously hinted
at for several days, growing out of personal
controversy between Mayor Huff and Alder
man Hodgkins, of Macon-both prominent
and influential citizens, who sought to end
their unfortunate quarrel by resort to the
usual methods of plugging each other with
ugly bullets, for the benefit of surgery. These
gentlemen disappeared from their homes and
families, and for several days their whereabouts
was not apparent. During this interval of
anxious suspense to their friends, a gentleman
of Atlanta telegraphed to others in Macon,
proposing to settle the difficulty between the
belligerents, if they could be reached, and
added these words: "Duellng is heathenish
custom. 1t is condemned by Gods gospel and
the Christian world. Good men do not con-
slider it mark of physical courage. They are
business men, not duelists-both have wives
and children depending upon them. Your
city wants their services. Dispatch them at
once. Their friends require of them to stop
right now, and allow reason, common sense
and friends to decide" He had the satisfac-
ton of receiving reply that Huff and Hodg-
kins had settled their difficulty amicably, al
though it is not stated that his friendly iuter-
ference and strong words had been instrumental
at all in making the settlement.
1t is strange that sensible men will deliber-
ately agree to take each others lives after this
fashion, when there are better and more ration
al methods of adjusting quarrels and difficulties.
Under the heat of passion, we can understand
the sudden blow or quick resentment of real
or imaginary wrongs, which the frailty of hu-
man nature explains, and every man of true
courage will readily find the means of protec-
ton from insult, when an exhibition of his
courage is necessary. But this is widely differ
ent from the bravado of the duelist-often a
mere braggart, whose physical courage would
fail him on the battlefield. Indeed, the recent
war in which we were engaged punctured this
very bubble, and we know of more than one
instance where men noted for their duelling
propensities were sadly deficient in the neces-
sary courage to stand unfinchingly before the
enemy. Public sentiment has experienced a
slight revolution upon this subject, and al
though many conclude that it is highly proper
aud essential to vindicate their manhood by
resorting to the code of honor whenever their
sensibilities are wounded, the practice of duel
ling is under the ban of public opinion and
such persons as act from no higher motive than
to gauge their conduct by the judgment of their
fellow-men, need not resort to the arbitrament
of the pistol and sword, for more enlightened and
reasonable opinions prevail. The South espe-
cially has other employment for her brave and
generous sons than shooting at each other from
fixed distances for the entertainment of idle
curiosity mongers.