ANGRY FRENCHMEN

Taranaki Daily News, 3 June 1935, Page 6

ANGRY FRENCHMEN

THE DUEL STILL CHERISHED. STORY FROM A SWORDSMAN. ■ I . ■ ■ f \ ■ Mark Twain’s version of the French duel—an affair in which the greatest danger is in taking cold—does not describe the modem combat on the field of honour, says the New York Times. “It is about as accurate as the com-edy-stage Frenchman with baggy trousers and the little goatee,” said J. Joseph Renaud, French novelist and duelling master, recently. M. Renaud, a former champion swordsman, is called in to superintend almost every duel of importance -in the French capital. •. The: duels which are reported in the newspapers are hardly more representative of duelling, Mr. Renaud said. By far the greatest number fought in France to-day are held in secrecy, and often result in serious injury to combatants. While scarcely more than a half-dozen, duels are reported in the Paris Press, during a year, Mr. Renaud estimates the number which take place in secret to be not less than 100, with about 2000 challenges issued. ! Duels that receive publicity arise from disputes tEai are of common knowledge, such, as newspaper libels, or law court or Parliamentary libels. M. Renaud regards duels as a necessary evil in present-day France. The practice, he contends, has many merits, in a country in which people do not regard with favour the Anglo-Saxon fistfight. There is no law in France against duelling, as there is in England and the United States, and the police therefore cannot prevent one. Even if they knew of a contest beforehand they would riot be licensed to intervene until some one was injured, when the charge, against the duellist held would be assault and battery. PROFESSIONAL. SECRET. If a duellist is wounded he is treated by a subgeon,, who considers . the matter as a professional secret. Should the wound be serious enough to require hospital treatment, or should death occur, the injury is represented as the result of an accident, and a police inquiry can result only if there is a complaint. No duellist injured in an affair of honour would swear out a complaint for an injury received. « The fundamental justification for duelling, in the opinion of those whw favour it, lies in a deficiency of the French judicial code. ’ French laws are notably weak with regard to slander, defamation, and libel. There is practically no. redress for slander, and the French Law Courts, the Parliament, and the JPress permit a freedom of expression which would never be' tolerated in England or in America.

According to M. Renaud and others duelling is the only civilised method of dealing with personal quarrels. In the first place, the system, when properly managed, nearly always succeeds in satisfactorily settling a quarrel without recourse to arms.

A great many French duels are to-day fought over the honour of women. An outraged husband, son, or brother challenges a man who has done a woman serious wrong. There is no redress the challenged man can offer if he is guilty. An American would feel bound to “take it out of his hide.” The Frenchman prefers a duel. In an instance where a man feels that he has been insulted and issues a challenge he appoints two seconds, and the adversary does the same. The seconds meet and draw up a summary of the facts in the case. They then examine the possibilities of solution, and often they find that there has been a misunderstanding or tha 4 the offender itf willing to recognise that he exceeded the bounds of good conduct and is willing to retract or to apologise. In that event the apology is accepted and the parties are reconciled. Sometimes the seconds rule that there is no ground for complaint. If a duel is arranged the offended person has the choice f weapons and of fixing the regulations for the contest.