The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-07-15
DUELLING.

Father Janvier, the distinguished
preacher of the Lenten discourses at
The Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris,
dealt with the question of duelling
In the eyes of the Church, he said
promoters of duelling are undoubted-
ly homicides and deserve to be pun
ished. All who fight duel are under
an accommodation, which applies
not only to the principles and to
friends who participate on the spot,
not only to those who wish to carry
on the fight until death, but also to
those who decide to lay down their
arms either after the first blood is
drawn or after determined number
of attacks. One does not escape this
anathema when one obeys civil or
military chiefs who give the order to
cross swords, for no one either in the
State or in the army has the right
to subject his interiors to such
trial Nor does one escape the
anathema when one fights through
respect for the rules laid down by
certain associations of which one is
a member.
In the German universities there
exists stupid regulation. To secure
the right of residence there one must
lose an eye or prove that one has
braved death without trembling. 1t
would be difficult to show greater
stupidity. The Bishop of Breslau hav-
ing consulted the Congregation of
the Council on those fights which the
people beyond the Rhine call AGA
demic duels, the Congregation re-
piled on the 9Th August, 1890, that
the students who were simple enough
to observe the rules of their societies
in this matter came under the cen
duelling. The Church pronounces
against the champions of the duel;
she goes further. Her anathema is
directed against the accomplices in
duelling, against those who cooper
ate in it in any way whatever. For
this course Christian society has it's
reasons which are easily given. In
the first place, it is forbidden to ex-
pose ones life to the peril of death
without necessity; secondly, it is for
hidden to shed the blood of our
brethren except in legitimate defence
or in a just war; thirdly, the duelling
custom upsets social order. By
avenging his own grievances the in
dividual profoundly disturbs social
order. He disturbs it because he sub
stitutes himself for the magistrates
and the tribunals charged with the
duty of deciding between citizens.
Those magistrates and tribunals, in
virtue of the power which they have
received from God, have the right
to condemn to death. On the 18th
December, 1908, great Pope, Inno-
cent III, dictated a profession of
faith which Obliged the Vaudois to
recognize that secular princes had the
right to shed the blood of certain
malefactors. This teaching, which
appears to me incontestable, has, as
you know, been called in question.
Some years ago our Parliament al
most erased the penalty of death
from our Code. Many speakers con-
tended that the judges transgressed
the natural law when they sent a
bandit to the scaffold. am far from
sharing the opinion of those men,
whose agitation failed; but their
arguments prove, at least, that power
attains it's utmost limits when it de-
prives a citizen of existence, that it
alone is placed high enough to pro-
nounce and execute such sentence.
These arguments prove that pri-
: vate person is doing away with the
life of another, without having re-
ceived any mission, arbitrarily as
,sumes the supreme function of the
social authority. Now, in the duel
that is what is done; the Office OF
judge and executioner is usurped.
The duel is one of the sanguinary
customs that come down from the
past. Amongst our contemporaries
many who combat errors and preju
dices with logic worthy of all praise
make an exception in favor of the
duel They consider the right oil
the sword as intangible and sacred
can only deplore and condemn Their
doctrine and their conduct. l car
only beg Christians to oppose this
practice with all their might. Arms
are not the only means of settling
differences, of deciding quarrels be
tween individuals. Even outside the
legal tribunals it is easy to choose
arbitrators whose discretion and i'm
partial judgment will protect our in
terest better than the duel. In an!
case, it is the duty eof the socia
authority To interfere, and either b!