Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1851-10-07

THE OLD DOMINION and her YOUNG mEs

1t is admitted by all that we stand upon the
threshold Of u new political dispensation
Our new Constitution viii introduce a new
order of things, ucw institutions new habits
Of thought and action, and they, in their turn
will work out new social Characteristics. We
al feel and know this to be true as a general
proposition, but we have not examined the
matter in detail, we have not considered that
all or nearly all Of the influences, which grow
out Of our political institutions, and which
must ever exercise a most important bearing
in the formations Of national character. are
soon to be exchanged for others which are
new and untried. We shall soon cease to be
Nireinians in most Of those respects Which
made us proudly distinctive and peculiar -
Aud what are to be The marks Which shall in
dividualizc coming generations is a problem
intensely interesting to every lover OF his ma
tive State, bat one which the wisess, and most
far-reaching prcseienec cannot solve; at least
with any degree of minuteness and accuracy
Vet we can, after analysing the influences ex-
erted by policies aud institutions hitherto ex-
tant amongst US, and comparing them with
those whose reign is soon to be ushercd into
existence BY the voice ofour people, approx,
innate the true solution.
We have placed at the head Of this article
a caption, which with these remarks sufficient
| " indicate our purpose. We wish to enquire
what has hitherto been the policy Of Virginia,
socially as well as politically with reference
to her young men? What care did the au-
thors Of our present organic Ia take, SO to
| shape our institutions as to eugende. and
educate in the minds Of our youth abiding
and generous devotion to the land Of their
nativity? Why has emigration 50 weakened,
nay paialysed our best and healthiest ener-
gies Why are so many, SO very many Of
the honored, justly honored sons Of sister
States exiles from Virginia homes:
! We may be rash, we may generalize hastily
when we ascrbe all these results to the fixed
and constitutional policy Of Virginia herself
but we have long been convinced that such
was the fact. We have become by word OF
ridicule with every other State. "Thc Old
/ Dominion is by her own citizens proudly
STYLED the mother Of States aud statesmen,
while with others she is synonyme Of I'M
profitable andAnprogressiye love for abstrac-
ton ;-par ercelience deeaying and dotard
/ Commonwealth.
But let us cease to be general
No one win deny that political institutions
exercise most weighty influence in the for
nation Of individual characters They be-
come premises from which we deauce conclu-
sions and ends in reference to which we act
I and think, We eutrust the discharge ofpub-
lta dnffnc 70 -, ba ltff.,allts
fide our private interests. And, rice rey$d,
We look upon those. who are unqualified for
Office, whether by sloth inexperienee or imbe-
cility-as unsafe repositories of every other
responsibility. Nowhere is the truth Of these
remarks mere fully illustrated than in tbs
history Of Virginia She was settled, cSpe-
cialy Eastern Virginia by most conscrva-
I tive race Of men In our Revolutionary strug-
: gle. they demonstrated as lorg as a hope Of
/ remedy remained, and when remonstrancC
4 failed, they mourued to exchange it for The
harsh voice Of rebellion just as soon as
they were called upon to form Constitution
and system Of laws for their government VIC
find them transplanting nearly all tho old
common. law Institutions, and proclaiming
that Coke and Hale and Bacon were then
/ law givers still Not only were their laws
thus moulded after those Of their trans attain
tic ancestry. but they cngratted upon thci.
organic law many of the leading feature Of
the English Constitution They made out
government deeply republican. it is true bui
\ they did so by taking every preeaution e
leave the representative badly On arstoeracy
Of age ami wealth, and, BY their restrictions
upon the right o. suffrage, to make the con-
stituency to all intcnts aud purposes, land
ed aiistocraey.
Time passed on; our State filed up will
other races, and another generation whose
conservative tendencies were not 50 strong
and in 1929 we see the body Of the people
rising up and calling together Convention
4 But these great men were for tho most part
treasured and venerable relics Of the "older
time, they were deeply imbned with thC
education, the prejudices. principles and l'ab-
its Of thought which obtained in the times o.
our revolution, and which had moulded al
the intitutions then established They were