refused to give it was branded
as a coward. And such was the tyranny of this fashion which Satan had
imposed upon thinking and immortal men, that rarely indeed was a man
found who had the true moral courage to refuse to fight a duel when
challenged to do so."

"Ah then, auntie," said her nephew, "you would give the laurels for
moral courage to the man who declined to fight."

"Certainly I would. Yes, I should have called him a truly noble and
morally courageous man who, in those sad duelling days, should have
declined a challenge on the ground that he feared God rather than man--
that he was willing to brave any earthly scorn and loss rather than be a
cold-blooded murderer and do violence to his own conscience, and break
the laws of his Creator and Redeemer. Such courage as this would be
worth, in my eyes, a thousandfold more than all the `pluck' in the
world."

"Indeed, dear Aunt Kate," said Walter seriously, "I believe you are
right; but can you give me any example of such moral courage?"

"Yes, dear boy, I think I can. I call to mind the case of an excellent
Christian man; I rather think he was an officer in the army, and that
made his position more trying, because in the days when duelling was the
fashion, for an officer to refuse a challenge would have raised up the
whole of the service against him. However, whether he was a military
man or not, he was at any rate a true soldier of the Cross. By
something he had done, or left undone, he had grievously offended a
companion, and this friend or acquaintance of his called on him one
morning, and, being a hot-tempered man, charged him with the supposed
offence or affront, and working himself up into a violent passion,
declared that they must fight it out, and that he should send him a
formal challenge. The other listened very quietly to this outburst of
wrath, and then said calmly and deliberately, `Fight you, must it be?
certainly, I must not decline your challenge. Yes, we will fight, and
it shall be now; here, on this very spot, and with swords. I have my
weapon close at hand.' Saying which, the good man pulled a small Bible
out of his pocket, and holding it up before his companion, whose face
had turned deadly pale, said, `Here is my sword, the sword of the
Spirit, the only weapon I intend to fight you with.' Telling a friend
about it afterwards, the Christian man remarked, `Never did poor
creature look upon a Bible with more satisfaction and relief