FRENCH DUELLING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1785, 25 June 1913, Page 9

FRENCH DUELLING.

A FARCICAL PRACTICE. PUBLICITY THAT PAYS. Now and again, .when things are particularly, slack, a Bill to prohibit duelling is introduced in the Chamber ot Uc-. puties—but no sooner is it mentioned ihan there's laughter and shrugging of shoulders, and somebody cries: "Let us pass on to something serious," and somebody else calls out mockingly, "The way to stop duelling is to stop the newspaper reports. Very true. The duet of to-dav is most often a sheer Advertising device; - and, even if it lx; not. fought for the purpose of reclame, still the coinbihuits aiid their seconds obligingly supply the boulevard journals, with their photographs and autobiographies, and commit another indiscretion" by disclosing the whereabbnts of the place of encounter. For, according'to etiquette, a duel should be kept, secret. Not a word to « soul until blood has boon drawii or 'two halls have been i exchanged without result"—but what a newspaper commotion was made- of the recent duel between, MM. Berger and Breitlneyef, probably the most expert swordsman in Prance! Before us—in print—the history of their, lives. They told us where they were born, and what they read, and what they thought .about Montenegro, mid why they themselves were fighting, and -how tall they were, and what they are whilst in training, and the precise hour when they would drive from their respective homes ti the duelling ground.. A host of journalists, photographers, kiiiematograph operators, friends, curious spectators—but not much of a contest. M. Berger pinked iu the chest: a shaking of hands; the 'whole affair over and done with in three minutes. | Thus can a short three minutes' duel bring due infinite notoriety; and so, very properly, has tlie Due Decazes— a leading French" sportsman and 'President of the exclusive and elegant Cfercle Hoclie—ap : pwiled. to all future, duellists to arrange and settle their "affairs of honour" in silence and with dignity. Pleads the Duke—"No interviews. No photographs. Not a v;ord lintil the' dubl has actually taken place. And then only a curl, official report."

Scratched I It 19 safe to assume that in ultra-elegant circlas the Duke's manifesto will meet witli approval. But Paris treats it disrespectfully, Paris is tremendously rimused, Paris winks aiid chuckles and exclaims—'"Ths poor dear Duke is a poet, a (lr«amer. Or else lie is an ironist, a. 'humorist, and is pulling our leg. A duel without the support of tlio press—jnais e'est inoui, e'est' fou!" Nor does Paris exaggerate. A duel, supported and reported by the boulevard journals, is an excellent tiling. Take, for instance, the case of Jl. Emile Bertriuul, who was a Radical-Socialist candidate at the last general election. His chances li'orc unfavourable, so—as the day of the election approached—so said a . friend, "Jlou vieux. you must have » duel. Also, .joii should get slightly wounded. It's the only thing to save you ; Aiul there's not a moment to lose." Next night Jl. : Bertram! picked a quarrel—an encounter whs arranged—the press was .informed—Jl. liertraiid was scratclicd, and appeared at his meetings with hi.s arm iii'a sling. He begged the indulgence of the meetingr-he had just left his bed and ftas feeling feverish and faint. As he spoke ho winced as though iii pain; then lie staggered, then ho revived himself with the chairman's glass . of. water—"ln spite of my wound, I will ' continue/ he shouted, amidst emotion, admiration, and cheers. Aiii a day or two later M. Einile Bertrand took his arm out of tho sling atid necanio entitled as a Deputy to <£600 a year.

In Heliotrope. Then Eene Millefleurs, a . promising .young journalist and tiro pride of his uncle, a hardeiied-okl boulevardiev. In my owiv hearing Uncle said to his nephew, whilst discussing the lotter's prospects-j----"Mon petit, il te faut un bou petit duel. There aiid then It was arranged that young Millefleurs should quarrel and, fight with a confrere attached to ah opposition paper. "Tour confrere will te delighted," continued Uncle. "Both you and he must get well-known men as your seconds. Make yourself look chic on the duelling ground. Et te.'voila lance." Very "chic;' on the field of honour looked Keno Jlillefjeirrs, in white trousers and a heliotrope shirt. His own editor was one of his seconds, and the other—yes, positively—was M. Itouzier-Dorcieres. A crossing of swords, and the elegant heliotrope shirt stained. But as Keue's worldly old uncle says contentedly to-day, "A nice little (lnol, artistically arranged, leads to ■ everyI have mentioned the name—the great I lianie—of M. Roir/.ier-Doreicrcs. • And it is great for the reason that this gentleliian has "assisted" as second at no fewer than 1 112" duels, and that—in a word— what he doesn't know about duels isn't worth knowing. He has written the standard book on the subject, he is for ever delivering lectures on the duellist s art—mercy, the shoals of swords and pistols he has examined and the number Of times lie has cried, "Allez Messieurs!" Tet, a short, thick-sst, amiable, and humorous little man, with the vivacity Mill gesticulations of the Southerner—it is only on the duelling-ground that he becomes peremptory, frigid, and severe. Assuredly the proudest day in his life was when 'ill's 1000 th appearance as second oil the field of honour was celebrated by a banquet at which almost as many duellists were assembled. Nothing l>ut dudlists and seconds-and journalists. . Emotionally; M. Kouzier-Dorcieres addressed them as "mes enfants. Later in tho evening, we gossipped together. "■\Vhat terrifies me in duelling are tho novices. I mean those who have never taken a fencing lesson or gone in . for pistol practice." said the Eternal Second, reflectively. "As they know no h,„s abrwt it. tliev might hurt one another. —John F. Macdoimld, in the "Daily News."