The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-08-29

abolish duelling in the most civilized ma
lions. In point of fact the duello is more
| rigid in its laws in the most refined and
civilized nations than it is in ruder ma
tions. 1t sprung from a chivalry that yet
| throws a glamour of romance around the
| crusader and was practiced at time
when personal courage was a necessary
| virtue. II is a relic of the Middle ages
\ engrafted by false sentiment of honor
upon modern civilization, and it has out
| In sted every yestige of excuse for its Gus
| tom.
Stringent laws against duellng, with Sc
| rere PENALTIES for their violation, have
been enacted by all the States of this
Union. but they have been evaded in some
way or another by men who think Their
honor compels them in cold blood to take
the life of fellow being. In the dark ages
if may have had some excuse when bat
ties depended upon individual valor and
prowess of the warrior, but in a state OF
Christian civilization it has no excuse for
its barbarity and purpose of murder.
II was at one time resorted to in the
Southern States more frequently than IN
the Northern or Eastern States of this.
country, but since the civil war, happily,
it has almost entirely fallen into disuse.
Men whose courage was attested on hun
dred battleiields have no need TO stand
in such abject fear of public opinion that
would compel them to resent every IAN
cied insult by challenge to deadly combat.
With the younger generation the correct
idea obtains that it requires more cour-
age to refuse to fight a duel than it does
TO fight one, but public opinion on this
subject has materially changed in later
years. Public opinion requires no man
TO accept q challenge to fight duel IN
order to maintain his reputation for per-
sonal courage. Again, the idea of per-
sonal courage has changed very much.
Reckless disregard for ones life used to
be considered the highest evidence of per-
sonal courage, but a higher and nobler
idea of courage distinguishes modern
civilization. The best evidence of the
highest and noblest kind of courage is
where a man does his duty although 1t
may involve the sacrifice of life. Some
men are naturally timid, but such men
are often endowed with a sense OF duty
so great and binding upon their con-
science that they would not hesitate to
rush into the very jaws of death to per-
form that. duty. That is the kind of
courage that "a refined social system
ought to encourage and applaud.
We, the people Of a great and intelli-
gently progressive country, will never
arrive at the highest acme Of Chris
tian civilization until the temple in which
the mind and soul have their temporary
abiding place, the human body, is so
honored that no man will dare
to mar it's symmetry or de-
face its beauty-until the body of
every man, woman and child in the land
is assured by public sentiment immunity
from rude touch or violent assault by
any other human being. Corporal pun
ishment is just as much relic of bar
barism as the duello. We have no right
to inflict pain on any human being and
less right, if there could be such n thing,
on defense.ess child. Corporal punish
ment may have been necessary in q ruder
age but in this age if a parent or teacher
cannot control child through moral
suasion and by example, both are un-
worthy of that control.
If, then, we have no right to mar the
image Of God, how much greater in enOr-
nifty is the crime of destroying that tenn
PIE and depriving it Of vitality, and es
pecially upon the pretext of our wounded
honor(D. Is wounded honor healed by
Mexico has gone n step in ad-
vance of this country in making the
murderer of a man responsible for the
of his family. All honor
to Mexico. That republic has set us an
example in this respect that we trust
will be followed in this country, with the
effect of enacting laws in all the States
the murderer to maintain the
helpless family of the murdered man.