The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-08-20
Code of Honor as It Is Enforced
in Sardinia, Corsica and
Elsewhere
DIFFICULT TO STAMP OUT
Most Persistent Disciples, Are Among
the Most MiId-Mannered and Most
Hospitable People In the World
Ceremony Of Reconcile
alton.

New York.-vendetta still 1ourishes
IN many parts Of the old world, Dut
In no place is it more firmly estab-
lished than in the Island Of Sardinia.
Why 1t fourishes there Is mys-
terry still unsolved, for the SaI DIM
ans themselves are probably among
the mildest hammered men In the
world. Travel all over their island
and you will be received with the
greatest hospitality.
There are few inns, except In the
two or three chief towns, but inns are
not needed, for every door Is open
to the stranger, the best of fare Is Of
fered-nay, lavished with open hands
the fatted calf is instantly slain, the
cellars are ransacked for the Oldest
wine. Indeed, you might almost start
q vendetta by refusing hospitality or
wanting to hurry away too sooni
So long as you do not smile at the
women folk you are an h0nored guest
for q much longer time than you wish
to remain. But the etiquette about
women is as strict as in any harem
land in the East, and no intercourse
II allowed with strangers.
Next to Sardinia In the vendetta
business comes Corsica. where the PEG
ple. after all, are not very different.
There is plenty Of bloOdshed In Sicily.
but 1t is organized by secret so
ciety and has nothing to do with ven
detta-
Albania runs the blood-feud on very
similar lines and Albania's hereditary
enemy, Montenegro. oddly enough,
cherishes almost the same traditions
whereas the Serbians, the cousins d
the Montenegrins, are blo0dthirsty In
quite a different way. 1t is probably
not an accident that feuds and feudal.
lam have the same derivation, and
clannish traditions must have some.
thing to do with the custom. writes
Herbert Vivian.
Past u Their Code o. Honor.
The great diffieulty that govern.
ments find in suppressing vendetta Il
tnat IT. disciples regard 1t as part o.
Their code OF honor. Men who 60 t.
~hnrch regularly and observe all the
religious feasts- black-coated gentle.
men Of Infinite responsibility. who
~ould be trusted anywhere with. nm
told gold and frivolous females nev
erfheIess consider It their shcred duty
g elay the second cousin twice re
moved OF some one who has killed Z
r,ember Of their family In legitimate
.eIf-defense. Indeed. there Is q stigma
E, their whole clan II blood has mol
heen wiped out with blood. Il many
.rnIsrs have not repaid single tooth
= ceases to belt never IL, IN fact
rerronal affair. 1t II just primitive
eayage Justice.
a sardinia church and state havs
,..en frantically at work for genera
tiors trying to suppress the vendetta
mt il Is very slow work
rom time to time, however. rec
.,~,,iations do take place. Sixfy-nve
v.ers ago there was solemn cere
...crv 81 forgiveness between two tam
,,,es that had been 1t war for two cen
e,,rles. killing one another and de
ss-crinr one another's cattle ant
~--s,eteads. It made an enormous
.-se.tion. and marked an epoch ~ tn
s.s-torv az the island. Only the 0tnel
- there was a similar event. 80
.vn,cb the parish priest and the mayo
) . 's rsempio. amid the savage rocklan'
Angina. are jointly responsible.
a1rrnst endless negotiations proceed