The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-13
HIS HONOR AND HIS SHIRT.
a NoVEL QUESTION Hr UP
~ A DUEL Nv PARIS.

e.-n,er. nna Vet Ri- Adversary Is Ne,
Rntisned-DIaeur-ian or tho 1nctdent by
SIep OF Poaitiou-A Case In roint.
PARIS. Feb. A-Thc French duel. in contradis.
t~inction to the real duel. Is mostly kept alive by
the newspapers that employ the duellists. It'll 10
looked upon rs an advertisement for the paper,
md they keep duellists on their STATS Just as
some American papers keep circulation lara
For the man himself IL Is also an advertise
ment. not often can he write any better than he
can fight, 30 he calls In the duel as a last resoro
when he feels that he is falling ont Of public
vicw-much the Same rs an American actress,
fearful of cclipse. lowers her corsage an inch or
two. loses diamonds. or takes the Kncipp cure
on the wet grass of Central Park.
Al the end of every year the Paris journals
have n little self.glorincation in the way Of a
detailed account of the great things they have
done during the tw~elvomonth. In this always
appears n list OF their coHaboratcurs and report.
ers, each labelled with the exploits that have
distinguished him. 1t would scem from an ex.
animation of this list that there are at least
three things required annually OF every Paris
newspaper man: that he write and publish q
romance moro or less reprehensible. that he
have produced upon tho boards of a minor
theatre a play Of the same character. and that
he fight n duel. In any event he must fight the
duel; that is earnest for the tenure Of his Job.
These duels. although innocuous things. arc
regarded very seriously by the French, of course,
Before the duel, while it is being arranged, tho
duellist holds himself very dignihed and i'm.
portant; during 1t he is not less dignifed, and
often ferocious; after It is over-sans rEsultot.
with hardly an exception-he falls on the neck
of his adversary with tears and kisses. and has
q bootmafer tack another inch to his bootheela
before appearing again in the boulevards to 70.
ceive the congratulations of his friends,
Nearly all French duels arse from disrespectfui
things said in the newspapers. Often, It may DO
urmised. they are said by generalization. II moi
arrangement, in order to provoke the opportun,
| ity for getting of the one annual duel required
by the hard-hearted editor. Sometimes. though.
It is n real fight eneendered by a public discussion
| like the Dreyfus case at present, when writers
| call one another names through their respective
| sheets, meaning, at least for the moment, every,
thing they say. The crop Of duels started by
this Dreyfus business already has reached such
proportions that one might look for q rapid do.
| cline in the population Of Franco, were IL not
| clearly understood that everything concerned
with them Is purely Pickwickian
A good many Of these duels took place last
week. and. although the newspapers gave them
the usual Importance as matters Of news, no one
has yet been heard from whose physical well.
being was jeoparded by them to any degreS
greater than would have come from a wettinp
by q summer shower. The nearest thing to real
tragedy happened in q pair Of encounters in
each Of which M. Andre vervoort, director Of
the Jour, was a principal. This gentleman In
known az the hero of a score of duelsL ont Of
every one Of which he has como without n
scratch; 80, for that matter. have his ops
ponents. He is bloodthirsty in theory, gentle
as a lamb in practice. and a poor fight.
er. In these two recent Affairs he was
almost scratched. In the first his shirt was
punctured twice, and in the second no fewer
than ave times; fortunately he escaped without
an abrasion OF the skin. Neither OF his oppo-
men menu s,s 9 s' NJ % y Vmuen Ina mat d.. Inc nfs ", ~ep'
ron.,r tho. -. hono. ~ to- 49, Fr.,ohmar
was vindicated-of course, BY the pair of holes
in the shirt. the seoond said that he was f.r
from satisaed and demandss that III. Ins, he
renewed. NJ. vervoort's seconds were aghast.
t mn .r 10 n Inc man tsav ant. ,so Sarsn -. tma Er leas,,
duellins phrase is more polished. They declined
to let M. vervoort fight any longer. Certainly
mans demand for satisfseaon4
This latter duel has caused q great deal Of
talk. consequently. among the gentlemen to
whom the field Of honor is familiar ground.
MOS mos' Oh 'nem uphola M. .ervoor.s seconds
t ins s oopte wn'I therefore, r %ra M IT Is a 01 nops Of 70 him. hmm.
Having punctured M. vervoort's shirt. y. Yer,
voort's opponent punctured M. Vervoort- They
base this contention upon any number of precos
aehIs. one. ior instance, ID that whioh Afsene
Houssaye used to like to recount as happening
to himself:
uorssoy. .,d ID. rI,. o,,. u.,. .. ~. ,.n
houssa'o anu his WIG once went 70 Inc oalt
OF the Hotel dc Vile with Victor Hugo and
Nine. Hugo. When they entered tho dancing
hall there were yerv few vacant oh.,rs TTnon
n1A '"' !" VACANT oh0hS' opoH
one that Houssaye noticed there was merely .
mans hat. He took up the hat and gave the
oh.;r 20 Mno u,no. .ha, -. ,r,.h,,. =. 80
~ T. -. " - ~ - III k huo
Soor Jts nwner soon noma a u
nernht-,ts SmaIGis, so . moO Oame ~ SaSk. ne van
WaiEaS streieht nn 70 ~ Ia u soae NJ 70. nS
tha AGO. and ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ :. ~ ~ na' w
u" ~" is IT. yom sir ubo hs1 1seIs W y -
he aaid' 'u''N VIZ H"'' e"o'ou "' n"'
y y i" .,;d uo,,.
me- %, ~, !, - o..u
w = u On ny nooL
INV head esd i" you MN ought 10 nave puthoA