Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-26
This is the Season When Duels Are
in Style in Paris.
JUST LIKE EARLY MORNING PICNICS
Invitations Are Issued and Often a
Breakfast is Served.
NO REAL HARM IS DONE
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
PARIS, May 10. 1900.
This is the dueling season in Paris. What
ever the reason may be, 1t is always in
the spring and early summer that the
Gallo propensity for finding deliberate in
suit in every chance word of disagreement
and avenging it with sword or pistol brings
most custom to the field of honor''-the
champ d'honneur.
The word custom may seem little
strange But it is the right word all the
same. The maintenance and letting out
on hire of dueling grounds is a regular
trade in Paris, or rather in the near neigh
borhood of the great city. Beyond the for
tifications. in the green suburbs. where the
bourgeoisie goes to amuse itself on Sunday.
there are many cafes and pleasure gardens,
whose proprietors look upon their share Of
the years dueling bouts as an important
element in their prosperity.
At the more famous of these places,
where really fashionable people meet to go
through the farcical pretense of trying to
kill each other. the hire of the field of
honor" Is rather expensive. according to
French views of moneys worth. About $50
is usually given to the proprietor for the
use of his grounds. and it is understood
that the incidental "consommations-
in American. drinks with incidentals-cost
walters get s. to divide among themselves
Not infrequently, also. when no accident
more grave than the usual wrist scratch
has marred the JOY of the proceedings, the
whole crowd-combatants, seconds, doctors
and invited guests-takes breakfast on the
ground, and the popping OF champagne
corks celebrates the reconciliation Of the
high contending parties. Then the pro-
prietor Is content; he reDays himself in
one mornings takings for all the expendi-
ture of time and labor and thought which
his ground has cost him.
The Duelfng Grounds.
For the due maintenance of dueling
ground is not so easy as 1t might seem at
first view. The Enclosure of turf Is laid out
and kept in order with the same minute
care that an English crcketing club ex-
ponds upon is Grease" The greatest
pains are taken to insure an absolute level.
The surface is watered and rolled regularly
all the year round, the grass kept thick.
but short, so that the surface shall be per-
fectly firm all the way along to give Sc
cure footing and enable each of the COM
batants in a sword duel to lunge and re-
treat with perfect ease and without danger
of slipping. Generally the ground is shell
tered from prying eyes by dense foliage.
and the trees are an endless source of trou
BILE and thought. Their growth has to be
kept in ,lue bounds SO that the shade is
not too heavy; neither must they stand in
such a way that either end of the fighting
line offers an undue advantage in point Of
light and shade.
The more favored duelng resorts such
as Moulin Tour. the Moulin of La Grande
Jatte and the Tour de Vilfebore, are laid
out like pleasure gardens. There are little
wooden summer houses of rustic aspect.
where the doctors store their medicine