Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1896-12-24
sErrLe wiz rHe SWORD.
student. at ne Heidelberg cling TO the Duor'


Students at Heidelberg Cling to the Dueilo
to vindicate Their Honor.
The duels of Heidelberg are very
famous There Is perhaps no univer-
sity In Germany at which dueling Is
not practiced, but here IL Is regarded
almost as a religious duty. The sons
Of the rich congregate at Heidelberg,
and they are the people who are
especially addicted to this form Of
student pastime in Germany. IL is not
an exaRgeration to say that between
20 and 80 duels take place here
every week during the semester,
and these nearly all at the Hirsch-
gasse, little tavern across the river
from Heidelberg, which is known and
advertised everywhere as the place Of
resort for such encounters. II has
served in this capacity for a great
many years The signboards point to
It. II is mentioned in the guide books
and everyone knows of IL except the
university officials and the police. II
is not a ten-minute walk from the CEN
ter OF the town, though II is outside OF
the city jurisdiction. This, however,
seems to be a matter of no moment,
for some of the clubs for period last
year fought IN the town itself, at a
tavern directly In the shadow of the
old castle. There are duels here some
three or four mornings every week by
the members of the various fighting
clubs, Of which Heidelberg has an
enormous number The most aristo-
cratic Of them all is the Saxo- Borussia.
This club bears cartel relations with
the Borussia of Bonn, to which the
Hohenzollerns belong. Five or six
duels between various combatants are
usually fought on the same morning.
This is all curious commentary on
law and order as they are supposed to
exist in Germany. Such machinery
for the enforcement of law as is to be
found here fourishes in no other land
In the world, and yet, for one reason
or another, the duel goes on unhin-
dered. BY the laws of the empire,
without taking into account the PEN
alties prescribed by the lower jurisdic-
tions, there Is the most severe punish
ment for dueling and challenging to
duel In spite of various attempts to
make other interpretations, the stu
dent duels have, by the supreme court
of the empire, been decided to be duels
in the sense of the law. Yet publicly
in the reichstag, no longer ago than
last winter, an esteemed member of
the kaiser's ministry declared himself
and his government at issue, not only
with the laws and the supreme court,
but with whatever moral feeling there
may be IN the land against this ma
levolent form of evil.
That there is strong feeling against
the systematic mutilation of the hui
man face in the universities there can
be no doubt, although II is sometimes
difficult TO discern. Those who are
opposed to IL, however, are so far re-
moved from the throne of authority
that they cannot make their influence
felt 1t is one Of those denominations,
of which there are several in Germany,
that there will be no way 10 uproot
until there is established a govern
ment which can rest in some way upon
free and responsible public opinion.
Whatever the government Of Germany
is to-day, II is not this. Dueling is so
common at Heidelberg that IL is said
sometimes by those who do not know
their subject that all students fight
This Is, of course, not true, though
there is relatively a larger proportion
engaged at II here than at some other
universities There are surely not
more than 300 fighters out of a whole
attendance OF /. 200 This figure, how
ever, may be slightly below the mark.
Philadelphia Telegraph.