Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-07-01
TUESDAY MORNING, July 1, 1856.
THE FAMILY.

pulsiou of james the Second, ceases 10 hedge roun
the throne of England. But it still has its fo
it has been transferred from the head of the nation
prerogatvs Of the petty despots, who govern wives
children and servants, has been increased lust in pro
portion AS that Of Kings has been diminished. Th,
unrestricted liberty to oppress, and govern right o
wrong, caprice, self-interest, passion may die
tate IL the most valued and glorious privilege Of tn,
true born American Of the North aud the South
No"Ceusor Morum," no Catholic priest, no establish
cd church, no iutermeddng landlord, presumes tt
question the nfalibility and right divine" Of the pa
rent aud the husband in America. He is the frees
of uleu, and the most despo,ic Of rulers His sub
ec,. the most abjeot dependent and unprotected in
theory yet, in the South the happest, most content
cd and best governed in practice. The un!ysersa
isffielsnc isffielsncs g With the affairs Of the family circle noo
riousy proceeds from the fact that family govern
nent is so we'll conducted to need No such interer
.uce. Wives aud children quite as we'll content.
ed with the existing social relations as parents and
husbands. Self.iuterest and domestic affection seem
10 impose sufficient checks aud limitations to the pow
.rs of the head of the family. In truth, there are
other cirCEmStances tuat euTrouuu duu
even more efficient than these. These latter crcun
stances do not exist at the North and for this
many u the North would break up the family entire
w. whilst the South respects loves and venerates ii
daily more aud more.
Iu ancient times, respect and veneration for the
family, aud its parental or patrarchal head were
even greater than now, at the South. Then parents
aD6 hall in ban ha of nd
DEATH aud We read of no complaints Of the frequent
abuse of that power No laws wers enacted to limit
restrict their authority because like laws to pun
sh psreuticide, they considered unnecessarily
No one, it was presumed, would wantonly slay wife
children, because nature aud affection forbade it.
No one would maliciously kill his slave, BECAUSE in
the language Of Scripture he is property" aud self
interest furbsds it. The whole history and Legislation
Of the jews evucss the highest regard for the family
circle, family affections aud domestic duties. To
preserve concord purity and affection in the domestic
relations of the chief objects of the laws Of
Moses. And we'll have those laws answered the pur
poses for which they were intended for the jews to
this day. are distinguished for their domestic virtues
and family affections.
Among the Greeks, the family was far less pure
than with the Hebrew, or Romans. Hence, Grecau
glory power aud prosperity very short.lived.-
A sound whole cannot be made up ol rotten parts
That empire toters to ts fall, whose families have
become corrupt. Aristotle the greatest and best of all
ancient profane writers government, was fully iu-
pressed with the political importance of we'll regala.
ted families. In hs treatise on Politics and Econo.
MICS" he irs, discusses and enforces family duties
nd
inence to the Of the domestic circle
Well governed families 20 far to constitute we'll
governed State; yet politicians Of the present day
disdain 20 look down SD low "a the domestic hearth
We would not have legal interference, sumptuary
laws, censorship or an inqusition We would not
have the ws, the child the servant or apprentice,
the peace against the husband, the parent,
The master. But We would 10 frame aud constitute
society to secure the purity aud good govern
rnent Of the family. and render legal Interference
unnecessary.
In the early and purer days Of the republic, Rome
was distinguished for her virtuous, industrious and
well.ordsred family circles. Many causes combined
to produce this result. First and most potent Of all
no doubt, was her religion. The religion of the more
ancient Italians and of the early Romans, was exceed
and domestic diviuities and offered as sacrifices and
liba,ions, milk and wine and fruits-not the blood
uf victims Their household gods, the Lures and
Pvnates, presided, guarded and watched over the
inutest actions of the family, and had their atars
and their images in every hall, aud Oh every heart
The Romau in those days. felt himself always in the
presence of the "DI Minores," the god who enforced
The performance Of domestic duties, ty Furnishing
their neglect or violation. The family cannot eris
without religion. When the goddess Of Reason
usurps the sceptre and the temple Of Deity il ia tint
Tor the Founding Hospital, the Fourierite Phalan
steries and the Saloons Of Free Loves to supply the
places Of the family dwellings. When the father and
the mother have become infdels, We agree with the
Socialists that .h.yare the last people in the world tc
rear, guide and train their o.pring Rousseau placed
seau wa. right. The family should cease, and will
cease, when religion expires.
Their frequent conquests put tue Romans in pos
session of numerous and refractory slaves. This in.
duced the necessity Of careful vigilance and ciroum.
speotion of conduct in all free oitizens 10 the gov
srnmeut of their household The highly priced righ
Of citizenship made the Roman a privileged and a
proud character. There did not exist at Rome that
degraded class Of Proletarats, lazzaroni, beggars
aud leperos, who oppress and naltreat women and
children. The slaves represented that class which
under various names infss,s modern free society with
crime, ignorance aud paupersn and the slaves were
we'll governed. kept g, work. and sufficiently provided
for Rome was then small in numbers and was threat
sued or engaged in continual wars This was another
potent cause of purity Of life with the early Romans
Outside pressure inside necessity induced by slavery
religion and pride Of citizenship all exertcd heathful
and conservative influences on the Roman family
Add TO theee the censorship which inspected aud gu
psrvised the minutest details Of domestic economy
and domestic morals, and we discover the causes oil
that purity of domestic life that shines forth so con-
spicuously in the early aud palny days OF the Re'
public.
Extended conquests introduced wealth and luxury
and tended to corrupt morals. Sumptuary laws De-
gan to be felt unjust and oppressive aud the visits
Of the censora mperlnent nterferences But those
conquests also brought iu that which was mIcf
worss-ths sensual, bloody aud wicked mythoogles
of Egypt, Asia and Greece. Iu6delity becams rife,
cefbacy fashionable, aud marriage rare Soon the
masters sunk in luxury and Incidence, quised the
supervision Of their slaves, and the management OF
their FARMS and hurried to the metropolis to indulge
in every kind Of vice and luxury.
The family was now broken up, and Rome dis
graced and lingering to her fall. The husband and
master aud the parent had given up greatly relaxed
their rule; but wives, children and slaves had lost
much more in protection, guardianship, affection,
aud even supervision aud control than they had gain
I'D by the larger liberty in which they permitted
to indulge. The Colon or rural tenantry the slaves
under the Empire endured all the burdens Of slavery,
without its ordinary rights and advan,ages-for the
masters had abdicatod, fed to Rome, and ceased &c
perform the labors and duties Of masters. The un'
protected Cooni had undergo all the cares aud anx
ises of life, which should deyolve solely on the mas
,sr n, ,vsIi as IN nsrf,rm the lsbors Of slaves