Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-01-13

very wide territory If l would, for 20
have no more right to Judge man {
the fifteenth or sixteenth century b
the moral standards Of the twentiet
century than you have a right to col
demn the Purtans because they exile
Roger Williams from Massachusetts |
1886 or because, under the leadershi
Of Cotton Mather, they burned the sur
posed witches Of Salem in 1851.
The Abolished Code of Honor.
1t was only few years ago tina
mans moral code Of honor compelle
man to fight man In the duello. One O
the bravest acts of that brave mar
George d. Prentice, was exhibited no
In his willingness to fight a duel, bu
in his being willing to defy public opin
ion and refuse to fight one. When on
of the subscribers Of his paper cha
lenged him, as Aaron Burr challenges
Alexander Hamilton, he wrote a lette
which ended thus: 1T takes only on
fool to send a challenge, but two fool
to fight. am not one Of them" Ant
again, to show to what a low state tn
mind Of man was in reference to tn
savage customs of duelling during tn,
last generation, NJ. de Girardin, the IA
ther Of the present French Statesman
and author of that name, was one day
with party Of gentlemen admiring thu
precision with which a friend was
shooting at target. "Yes," said NJ. d.
Glrardin, "he shoots very well, but it IL
quite a different thing to hit man II
a duel from hitting bit of pasteboard
The most skilfui marksman, who could
hit coin at twenty-five PAGES, might
easily miss a man at the same dis
tance." At once this gentleman chal
ieged NJ. de Glrardin to a duel, claim.
ing that he had called him a coward
The two men faced each other at TWEEN.
ty-fye PAGES. The pistols were raised,
The gentleman shot at De Girardln and
missed. NJ. de Girardin refused to fire.
"Why do you not shoot?" called his
seconds. For what should | shoot
1 have no bitterness against my friend.
I wanted to prove to him that good
marksman might miss his man al
twenty-five PAGES, and he has done 80.
l am satisfied If my friend Is." Yet
such was the foolish demands Of the
duello that many noble man had to
lay down his life on account
Of such trivial remarks as NJ. de Girar
din made.
What was true Of the duello was also
true Of the gaming table and the drink.
Ing cup and the lascivious habits of the
past generations. In olden times al.
most all gentlemen were supposed to
gamble and get drunk and be llcentious
IL they SO willed. The words Of Paul,
IF meat make thy brother to offend
will eat no meat while the world stand.
eth, lest l make my brother to Offend"
have far different Interpretation now
from that Of a few years ago. No
One would dream of erecting a college
building now by lottery, as one Of the
first buildings was erected upon the
Princeton campus. No one would
1ream Of party Of ministers adjourn.
ng from presbytery and then sitting
1own to dinner, each with a glass of
liquor fanking his plate, as the minis.
-ers used to do. No one would dream
If our present president Of the United
States playing a game Of cards with
lis minister, as George Washington
vas accustomed to do with his Episco-
)alian rector. These men Of the past
should not be judged by |
'ur moral standards. Every year the
moral criterions of the human race are |
fitted higher and higher. But, my |
riends, we know to day what we
ught TO do in a moral sense We |
now whether dancing and drinking
nd going to vile shows and having
ewd conversations and playing games
f chance are depicting to our spiritual
fe. 1t is no excuse for US to say we
re excused from condemnation be.
ause we live on the fashionable boule.
ards. Where could be found more
eautiful palaces and temples than in
Id Athens? And where was the NOR.
| tone of a people lower than therel
aul is speaking to US the same as he
poke to the Athenians of old: IRE
ent! Repent! Except ye repent of
our moral sins ye shall all likewise
erish."
Our Brothers, Keepers.
But l find God bearing with the so
al sins of our fathers, as we'll as their
BIOLOGICAL and moral faults. l find
lat be comes to US, as he did to Cain
old, and says, Thou art thy broth
s keeper" And when God speaks
us he means even more than when
lrlst spake the parable Of the good
lmarltan to the Jews as well as to
e Greeks. You cannot Judge the
reeks who assembled about Mars
II to listen to the eloquent words of
lul by our social laws any more
an you can judge them by our theo-
yical or moral criterions.
In the first place, you must remem-
r that the Greeks for generations
d been slaveholding people. You
member how that matchless orator
Massachusetts,, Wendell Phillips, =
ed to make the Haitian martyr,
ussaint pOuverture, the acme Of all
tues and human perfections. In his
roration he used these words: II
'uld call him Napoleon, but Napoleon
lde his way to the empire over bro
n oaths and through sea Of blood. I
would call him Cromwell, but Crom- {
III was only a soldier, and the COM
'nwealth he founded went down I
tn him into his grave. l would call s
q Washington, but the great Vir- '
ian held slaves" Oh, Wendell Phil q
9, is that right? Is that honest? Is
It fair? Had Toussaint pOuverture
'wn up on the banks Of the Potomac
h a white skin, would he have done
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