Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1817-12-30

bound to take the consequence of your
own folly and subject yourselves to
tho charge of my maintenance, and ]
now renonncc YOU forever. Might
not his parents reply. ungrateful mon
ster it is true we gave you birth
but we might have abandoned you to
hunger, 10 perjury, and to want-we
have fostcred serpent in our bosoms
to sting his benefactors-go from your
parental roof, thou paragon of ingra-
titude! But, we will now suppose
that man whose family was large
and expensive, and his means of sub
sistence small, should address ono of
his youngest and most helpless chill.
drem in language like this: my dear
child am unable to provide for
your support and education as ] oeght
You will. by continuance in my
family, lose many important advan-
tages which you might reasonably
anticipate by residence elsewhere
have not not been unmindful of your
welfare in this painful separation that
is now about to take place. A rich
neighbor of mine is, by the affective
dispcnsation of Divine Providence,
rendered destitute of nheir. He wish
rs to take you into his family, to give
you an education as his own SON,
and for you to adopt his name. In
depriring you of one parent, ] only
send YOU to another better qualified
TO advance your praspcctsin the world.
We will now suppose, for the sake
Of argument. that this opulent neigh
Dor. who had so kindly adopted the
child of this poor man as his own heir,
was unfortunately involved in suit
at law with the parent of his adopt
cd child,-what part is this child
bound to take in this controversy :
On the one hard he is bound Ivy the
ties of naturc-on the other hand by
those of recent obligation. Admit
ting that as he is now member of a.
mother family, that he is bound to es.
pouse the cause of his adopted father.
must he not look upon such contro-
versy with peculiar pain that brings
about all opposition so unnatural -
We are quite willing however, to state
this imaginary case in another point
of view. We will suppose then that
the natural parent is an harsh and
cruel parent-that he acts the part Of a
domestic tyrant, instead of that Of
kind and tender father that his child
without his consent flies from the sevc-
rity of his native roof, and implores
protection from the family of an all
joining neighbor !; that he enters the
family of this neighbor, and is admit
ted to tree participation Of all the
rights Of the family. we grant al!
this and more, does it become the duty
of this child, who has thus flown from
the parental roof and accepts Of an
asylum elsewhere, constantly to be
disturbing the peace of the family to
which he has resortcd for protec-
ton. by proclaiming that his natural
parents arc monsters in human shape
constantly to embroil this family in
all his quarre!s with his parents. con-
stantly to be telling tales to their dis
honor! Is it mt enough for tic mas
ter of this family (cali him the prcsi-
dent Of the family if you wiH) to say,
| have nothing to do with your do
nestle feuds--you are welcome TO my
house and welcome to my table but
as you have now renuunced all aI!cSi-
auce to your native parent and be-
come a member Of my family, | have
nothing to do with your private quar-
rels--it is enough for me that my
neishbor dives me no injury. and ifhe
DIES, the law is open for redress. This
is we believe, on familiar scale, The
doctrine of native allegiance as well
as Of repatriation. A sense of per-
sonai respect should induce us to tell
no tales to cur parents dishonor,
however true they might be ; but it
is surely the perfection Of basenes, for
child to tell falsehood to his pa.
rents dishonnr What shall we say
of a man who discloses in the public
journals that of all mankind he hates
his parents the worst: Is not this
complete proof that the child is worse
than the parent /?
In a work lately published by Mr..