Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-10-01
Obedience.

a Discourse was recently preached in the Ci-
ty of Washington, by Rev. DIR. Dewey, enfor-
cling the principle Of obedience. sermon
has been published in New York and Boston by
Messrs. Francis and Co. The preacher devotes
a portion of his sermon to the subject of family
government, which he thinks is not arranged as
it should be in this country. We quote from
this part of the discourse:
Let lis 90 back then to the family discipline
and see if we can determine what it should be.
a parent is one, to whom is committed the
charge of training beings, utterly ignorant, inca
pable of rcasoning-incapable at first, Of know
ledge virtue and happiness To his care, to his
love and tenderness, to his guidance and control,
they are committed.-His very position implies
authority; divest it of that, and it loses all dig
r;ty, fitness and reasonablcness. 1t cannot have
been meant that his wisdom should be thwartcd,
and his life distracted by the passion, caprice
and wilfulness should be subject to his authority.
Could there be any such thing as compact, in
the case, we should say, it is but fair compact
between the two-"I will train" never meant,
in the ordinary course of things, that duties
should be martyrdoms And yet, half dozen
little, irrational beings, ungoverned or only half
governed -wilful-lreaking out constantly into
screams of passion, turning things into perpetual
disorder and disarray, doing this and that-run
ming this way and that way, without check, or
controlled only by momentary eXpedients to get
along make of the mothers life, or Of
some other persons life who has the charge Of
them a sort of living martyrdom. 1t is an alb
solute and enormous wrong in the nature of
things. 1t must be sad teaching Of right to
those young minds; for it is a wrong; it is 4
positive .uIrighteousness, enacted into the very
government, or rather mis-government Of tami
ly.
And there is no necessity for it. These chill
dren can be governed. Obedience, in some re-
spects is natural to them and they are trained,
by neglect or by a false system Of treatment, 10
a dsobcdience, that is unnatural and monstrous
A child disobeying its parents Gods law-na-
ture's law is against it. Let the rightful law be
laid upon from the very beginning. l am per-
suaded it is great mistake we make, in suppo.
sing that nothing in this wise can be done, till
the child is year old. 1t would be nearer the
truth to say, something can be done when it is
month old. Just as soon as it has a will, rising
above INSTINCT. c. a conscious and perssting
will-that will should, on proper occasions, be
gently and firmly restrained. And that disci-
plne continued, ever gentle but firm-eycr loving,
cousiderate and sympathising, but to its point,
irm-from its point, immovable-will secure a
patient and perfect obedience, If the child is
never permitted to disobey, it will soon cease to
think of it as possible. And it should never be
permitted. | say it is a sin before Heaven;
and is TO more to be tolerated than lying orstea-
ling is to be tolerated in the house. Such
law established, and the house would be bnilded
anew. Passionate seliwill-the most hateful
thing, believe, on earth-would be driven out
of it. The sweetness Of obedience would enter
in. 1t would be that peace, that family love,
which the PSalmist celebrates when he says
" How good and peasantit s.' 1t would be
like that perfume Of holy incense to which he
compares it. 1t would be like the dew Of Her.
mon'-likc "the dew that descended upon the
mountains of Zion where the Lord commanded
the blessing, even life for evcrnorc."
Yes, the children themselves would be ncom-
parably happier in obedience. We do them the
cruelest wrong, if we give them up to their own
self will. TO give them comfts and sweetmcatS,
that make them ILL., because they cry for them,
is but an illustration of the evil and wrong which
we do in this way, to their whole moral nature.
1t might seem at first sight that indulgence
would make them happier; and with many
kind hearted but mistaken parents, that is the
plea; but it is not true. Wilfuncss and after
wards, in child or man, is the unharpicst of all
states of being. Ever in such state are things
growing wone-the craving for qualification
more intense and more unreasonabe--the whole
life and being more distracted and miserable.
Only when living under law-only walking in
obedience, is child or man, family or State, hap
py and truly prosperous. Selfish passion every
where is anarchy, begctting injustice, and bring
only is calm. The reign of order is "peace and
quictncss and assurance forever"
Death Will Come.
d. l. /