EXCURSIONS OF AN EVOLUTIONIST 



most backward countries of Christendom, such 

 as Spain and Sicily, or else in localities where 

 civilization comes into geographical contact with 

 barbarism, as in Thessaly and Albania, or on the 

 extreme western frontiers of our own country. 

 Duelling has become nearly obsolete, and is 

 dealt with as a crime, while the so-called code 

 of honour upon which it thrived has become 

 an object of general derision. The sword is no 

 longer a part of a gentleman's wardrobe, and 

 laws are framed to prevent the carrying of 

 daggers and pistols. Only soldiers on parade 

 and sportsmen nowadays carry deadly weapons 

 openly. While the sportsmanship, moreover, 

 which simply inflicts death on bird or beast is 

 still held in esteem, emphatic protests are made 

 against the sportsmanship which wantonly in- 

 flicts pain, as we have seen in the controversy 

 about fox-hunting between Mr. Freeman and 

 Mr. Trollope. Organized societies exist for the 

 protection of domestic animals against cruel 

 treatment. Even where it is necessary to inflict 

 pain for the purpose of preserving life, as in the 

 profession of the surgeon, we do all in our power, 

 by the use of anaesthetics, to reduce the pain to 

 a minimum. And even where it is necessary to 

 inflict death as a means of protection to life, as 

 in the execution of murderers, the dreadful work 

 is done as gently as possible, and is kept hidden 

 from the gaze of the public. 

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