New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-28
QUESTIONS OF "HONOR."
WHAT A GENTLEMAN MAY DO.

TING SUICIDE BECAUSE OF INABILITY
TO PAY DEBTS OF HONOR"
While, broadly speaking. man of honor will
roce,ye consideration as such the world over
honor being a quality :hat is not restricted TO the
members OF any one race creed, yet ii cannot
ba denied that in different countries different
standards of honor prevail. striking illustra-
ton thereof is furnished by the controversy now
IN nrogress between the German and the French
newspapers in connection with hitherto uhpuo-
Iishcd incident in the military career OF the tate
Due de BeauffremOnt. After the capltuiauon OF
Sedan in 1870 he was one or NUMBER or
French officers who were permitted TO reside in
and around Bonn. having given their paroie' or
word Of honor that they would make no attempt
90 escane That is 10 say, the liberty enjoyed by
then, was conditional upon their observance of
This pledge In the neighboring districts many
thousands OF men belonging to the rank and file
If the French army were kept closely confined
I, great prison camps, common soldiers and nom
commissioned officers being regarded as incapable
IF appreciating the importance Of word OF
honor and therefore being debarred from the
privilege Of liberty on parole. Toward the latter
end Of the year the Due de Beauffremont-he
was only colonel at the time-suddenly became
aware that a movement was in progress among
the men imprisoned in the camp to rise on Christ
mas Eve against their guards and. after effect
ing their escape to cross the Rhine to rejoin the
French army. He was likewise informed that
several Of his fellow officers on parole were con-
cerned in the movement: and overtures were
oven made to himself to join in the enterprise
Instead of yielding TO the suggestion he at once
placed himself in communication with General
Won Bttenfeld the military governor Of the dis
tr,ct 10 whom he disclosed the project, esteemng
that his own honor as we'll as that Of every other
French officer at liberty on parole was at stake
General Won Bittenfeld immediately adopted
such measures prevented the rising. the
officers implicated in the affair being relieved of
their parole. and informed until the end of the
war in the fortresses that line the eastern from
tier Of Germany. While the German press is loud
,n It's praise Of the conduct of the Duke in the
matter. laudng II as splendid instance of Gallo
chivalry and high sense OF honor. the Partisan
newspapers show a disposition to adopt d.
recty opposite view. Indeed, the SFigaro" goes
50 far al TO assert that the story, far from being
10 the honor of the gallant cavalry general, is
calculated 10 tarnish grievousy his reputation
and good name. Which is the correct view of the
matter the French or the German? BY warning
The German general. the Due de Beauffremont
undoubtedly prevented a rising which would not
only have resulted in the shedding OF much
French blood. but in an increase OF the severity
and Of the rigorous treatment 10 which those Of
his countrymen who were unfortunate enough
10 be prisoners of war in Germany were sub
iec.e5 Moreover had the revolt taken place and
any paroled French officers been found to have
participated therein. the German authorities
would in all likelihood have refused to continue
10 concede conditional freedom to any commits
stoned French officers whatsoever on the ground
that their sense Of honor OF too elastic
and unreliable a nature. The Due de Beauirre-
mont therefore. considered that there was at
stake not only the welfare Of his countrymen In
Germany, but also the reputation or French ON
GERS and gentlemen as men OF honor Under 'he
circumstances he felt It to be his duty to COM
,nunicate the conspiracy to the German COM
,nander, even at the risk OF mourning the re-
proach Of having betrayed those Of his comrades
Implicated in the affair
This is not the only question Of honor under
discussion at present in Europe. Some two
months ago Berlin society considerably
startled by the announcement that Lieutenant
General Won Kirchoff had forced his way into
4he horse of the managing editor Of the Der
lin Tagblatt" and fred a revolver point blank
at him, fortunately without infiicting any injury
although owing to the journalist having tottered
for moment the General left under the I'M
preston that he had MORALLY wounded his man.
a year previously the Berlin Tagblatt had
republished from a Potsdam paper paragraph
TO the effect that the daughter OF one OF the
officers stationed at Brandenburg had disap- |
peared from his house simultaneously with his
soldier servant. The "Tagblatt' and the POTS
dam paper which had first published the
item were prosecuted by the Government for
naligning the army and were each sentenced
to pay fine OF 1000 marks No names were
mentioned either in the paragraph or during
Lieutenant-General Won Kirchoff got hold OF the
idea that the Islander was levelled at his family |
and gradually became more and more convinced
that such was the case and that the honor OF his
name and uniform was at stake Shortly |
after this he was placed on the retired |
list solely because he had attained the
age limit. although he felt assured mat
II in connection with the Tagoiatt
paragraph. Accordingly. In October last iuli
twelve months after the lawsuit he INVADED
the domicile OF Editor Harrch. and while the |
latter with his wife and children. was seated
at dinner demanded at the point OF his pistol |
that the utterly defenceless man should wnte |
himself a liar and a low cad. and fired before
the editor had even time to make reply HAD
the General been ordinary citizen. instead
Of an "excellency" and general he would at !
once have been placed in Jail and then sentenced
by the criminal courts TO a long term Of i'm
prisonnent. But he happened TO be an |
officer although retired. he was exempted from
the jurisdiction Of the criminal courts ana
liberated on parole pending his appearance be-
fore a court-martal composed Of eight OF his
brother generals, noblemen like himself. VINO
merely inflicted upon him the sentence OF
eight davs' IMPRISONMENT which Emperor Will
lam has Just RENTED on the ground. approved
by the aristocratic "Kreuzzeitung" that the
Generals act had been prompted by an acute
sense Of honor. for which sympathy alone can
be felt"
In this case honor impelled the General 10
commit what practically amounted TO heinous
crime and brutal outrage. just in the same way
that similar considerations induce German and
Austrian officers to hew down with their sabres
In the public street any unarmed civilian whom