The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-09-14
PIGIIISAI.

That the police Gazette" and Sport
ing Life" should favor laws encouraging
nugilism is to BE- expected. But we
could hardly anticipate that that stald
and conservative journal, the Baltimore
Sun. would become an advocate OF legal
lied prize.fghting. Such, however, Is
the case In an editorial Il day OF TWO
back il reasons thus: That an instinct III
man causes him to admire power ana
force: that this instinct was strongly j.
Illustrated recently in the interest That all
classes of society manifested IN the New
Orleans prize-hghts; that it Is so strong
it is manfestly impossible to eradicate
il from the human mind. and that recog-
nizing this fact true policy dictates thaI
we should take hold of the subject, legal
izc puglism and regulate it within proper
limits. We might apply every one OF the
Suns propositions to faro playing. There
is an instinct for gambling in all men,
and it will always exist. Therefore, ac-
cording 10 the Suns theory, we should
legalize faro playing and regulate it with
in proper limits.
We differ with the Sun in toto. In our
judgment pugilism is vicious in all It's
influences and tendencies, and where this
is the case of a practice the law should
forbid it absolutely, without regard 10
the fact that an instinct in our nature
causes it to interest us. Legalize the
IL IG
and developed. But when the law sets
its face directly against it the instinct Is
controlled and finally suppressed. Inc
potencv of the instinct for evil is deter
mined inst M this point. 1t is harmless
and will die out if condemned by 'he
law. for the law is the expression cl the
best thought and aspirations OF Il peo-
ple. 1t will grow and develop II the law
nermits if. for that is taken as evidence
that orr best thought and aspirations
approve of it. If the law permits thlng
il can be wrong in no man TO 90 that
thing and so mankind reasons, for no
man need be better or wiser than the law.
Everv mans instinct teaches him that
nucilism is degrading and debasing but
pure reason suggests arguments that are
all-sufficient against it. TO educate the
youth of a country to pugillsm is to
educate them in a school whose doctrine
is the settlement of differences by fight
ing. Such creed is no part of our civil
lization or religion. Both of them are
striving every day TO end the idea of
combat as the arbitcr of controversies
and to substitute in all Quarrels the laws
of reason and of judgment. Combat is
an order Of things in which the strongest
and not the fttest survives. To educate
TO pugilism, therefore. is TO educate TO
war, when all our aims should be for
peace.
1t is true that we educate young men
as soldiers and bring them up to the pro-
fession of arms. But this is an affair of
State. The professional soldier is sepa-
rated in his character of soldier from the
rest of society. In his character of citi-
zen we teach him the lessons of peace.
In his character of soldier we teach him
that he must hold his life always at the
command of the State TO save the people
from harm. He is taught that if he
fights it must be on command of the
State, and only on command of the State,
which, it is supposed, will never com
mand him TO fight except for the public
| defense.
1t il argued that the gentleman should
be instructed in the noble art of self-de
Tense that he may thrash a bully who
imposes upon him, which is the same
thing as to say in different language that
we should bring the entire population up
as pugilists because in the course of Il
dozen years some gentleman may be run
over by a vulgar brute. We do not APP
| preciate the force of the argument. Such
incidents are too rare TO be made the
basis of general theory of education
especially when that education is in the
direction of an accomplishment that leads
TO everything vicious aud degrading.