Milford chronicle., 1906-01-12

IS well as the sins OF fIlse creeds. AnC
n when l speak thus I could roam over {
( very wide territory if I would, for vol
d have no more right to judge a man Of
d the fifteenth or sixteenth century by
d the moral Standards of the twentieth
n century than you have a right to con
e denim the Puritans because they eXiled
f Roger Williams from Massachusetts in
: 1885 or because, under the leadership
/ Of Cotton Mather, they burned the sup
' posed witches of Salem in 1851.
The Abolished Code of Honor.
1t was only few years ago that
mans moral code of honor compelled
z man to fight man in the duello. One Of
) the bravest acts of that brave man.
George d. Prentice, was exhibited not
/ in his willingness to fight a duel, but
, in his being willing to defy public opin-
ion and refuse to fight one. When one
of the subscribers of his paper chal-
lenged him, as Aaron Burr challenged
Alexander Hamilton, he wrote a letter
which ended thus: 1T takes only one
fool 10 send challenge, but two fools
to fight. ] am not one Of them" And
again, to show to what a low state the
mind of man was in reference to the
savage customs of duellng Afing the
/ last generation, NJ. de Girardiu, the IA
/ ther oE>the present French statesman
/ and author of that name, was one day
with party Of gentlemen admiring the
precision with which a friend was
shooting at a target Yes" said NJ. de /
Girardin, "he shoots very well, but it is /
quite a different thing to hit man in /
a duel from hitting a bit of pasteboard. |
The most skillful marksman, who could .
hit a coin at twenty-five PAGES, might |
easily miss a man at the same dis
tance." at once this gentleman chal-
legged VI. de Grardin to a duel claim
ing that. he had called him a coward.
The two men faced each other at twen-
ty-fve PAGES. The pistols were raised.
The gentleman shot at De Girardin and
missed. NJ de Girardin refused to fire.
"Why do you not shOOt?" called his
seconds. "FOr what should l shoot?
have no bitterness against my friend.
/ wanted 70 prove to him that a good
marksman might miss his man at
twenty-five PAGES. and he has done so.
I am satisfied if my friend Is" Yet
such was the foolish demands Of the
duellO that many a noble man had to
uselessly lay down his life on account
Of such trivial remarks as NJ. de Girar- 4
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 licentious !
Il they so willed. The words of Paul. l
IF meat make thy brother to offend I :
will eat no meat while the world stand. l
eth, lest 1 make my brother to Offend" l.
AVE far different Interpretation now o
rom that Of few years ago No :.
me would dream of erecting a college Il
'uilding now by lottery, as one of the p
irst buildings was erected upon the =
'rineetOn campus. No one would II
ream Of a party of ministers adjourn u
ng from presbytery and then sitting Ol
own to dinner, each with a glass of =
QuOr hanking his plate, as the minis m
ers used to do. No one would dream &c
our present president Of the United b'
tates playing a game of cards with al
is minister, as George Washington hi
-as accustomed to do with his Epsco- DI
allan rector. These men Of the past m
enerations should not be judged by tv
lr moral standards Every year the of
loral criterions of the human race are ha
fted higher and higher. But, my hu
lends we know to day what we in
lght to do in d moral sense. We nj
now whether dancing and drinking tn
nd going to vile shows and having an
wd conversations and playing games an
chance are depicting to our spiritual wi
fe. 1t is no excuse for US to say we
e excused from condemnation be-
luse we live on the fashionable bOule.
ards. Where could be found more snt
eautiful palaces and temples than in to
d Athens? And where was the NOR. wi
tone of a people lower than therel va
lul is speaking to us the same as he tv
'oke to the Athenians of old: IRE. fa,
mt Repentl Except We repent Of tb,
'ur moral sins ye shall all likewise tbi
irish" 40.
- - ez~ ant
Our brothers. Keepers.
But I find God bearing with the So pei
Il sins of our fathers, as well as their tn
and moral faults. find the
M ba oornos 20 Nc ~. bo al - f,. VIII