The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-07-04

migrants directly from Ireland ana
Scotland. and unconsciousiy absorbed
more liberal views religiously. Even
George Washington during the en-
campment at Morristown so express
ed himself. He visited Rev. Doctor
Jones, the pastor Of the Presbyterian
church at that place and asked if Il
was permissible for communicates OF
other churches to commune with his
church, as he desired to partake Of
the communion Of the Lords Supper
on the following Sunday.
The Presbyterian minister inform
ed him that the communion was open
to ali who desired to partake Of 1t
without regard to church affiliation.
That is as it ought to be- replied
Washington, though l am member
of the Church Of England l have no
exclusive partiahties.
Nv contention, therefore, IS that
we may Justly expect to find hng!sh
ideals and customs among people who
are Of pure English descent and that
this fact is modified by the class OF
Ecglishmen who dominate in social,
religious and political affairs. The
sact. therefore. that more due!s were
fought in the South was due TO the
fact that larger percentage OF SCI
ons of the English gentry settled IN
the South shan in New England.
Therefore, More duels took place IN
South Carolina in a month than took
place in the rest OF the country in
year
The appalling practice Of dueling'
however, had its origin in a wrong
conception Of bravery which still
prevailed in some measure and
therefore, faulty appreciation OF
personal honor Brute courage was
esteemed to be necessary to the
highest type of manhood. 1t was.
therefore, the product of an errone-
Gus conception of what constituted
the essential attribute of a man OF
honor.
Three causes, which led to these SO
called affairs of honor, were often
trivial and the men who engaged IN
them were reputable citizens. not bad
men, but men who were usually high
" esteemed by their fellow men, but
alasl men who stained their hands
with human blood because they had
a radically wrong conception Of what
constituted a real gentleman. They
thought it was dishonor not to hold
malice in the heart and that to cult
vate the passion of revenge for what
thew esteemed to be an insult, how
ever trihing, was virtue, and popu-
lar sentiment too often sustained
them in their position, for the duel
ist was frequently lionized when ne
ought to have been frowned out OF
society. Many good man fell, IN
the awful practice, who really IN his
1eart must have felt the evil OF the
debasing code and was, therefore,
the victim of public sentiment. 1t IS
said that Alexander Hamilton fought
Burr in 1904 because he knew that
if he refused public sentiment would
consider him disgraced and that,
therefore, his career as public man
would be at an end. 1t is humiliating
to realize that up to less than one
hundred years ago public sentiment
endorsed such barbarous ppractlces.
However, there is one redeeming fact
connected with the practice of the
code of honor; the women who op-
posed it were in overwhelming ma
iority and duelists slipped away from
Cn6lr wives W lIlS pIaSS VI SoAiAi-~S
like truant children. 1t is suggestive
fact that there is always some be-
lifting and humiliating thing like
that connected with every departure
from the real standard Of true gen
tility. 1t is evidence of the lack of
genuine gentility in the heart of the
victim of error. There were a num-
ber of good women, however, who al
lowed their husbands to go forth to
what they esteemed to be the field OF
honor in very much the same spirit
they let them 60 out to battle in their
country's defense. 1t seems to have
taken the world a long time to come
to a proper appreciation of the true
standard of honor and of what con-
stitutes a real gentleman. It is a de-
5atable question as to whether it has
yet arrived at such a conception OF
morality, equity and justice. How
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