Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1857-02-14
Who is Truly independent .

ia one of the statutes passed in the
reign Of Henry VIII, idieness is charac-
terizcd, in good Saxon English, as being
"the mother Of all SIM II was the ply
Iosophy ofthose medieval times in fact, TO
regard il as man's duty first to serve
and honor his Creator, and next to be
skilled in some craft or business, so as to
avoid coming on the commonwealth for
support. The acquisition even Of learn
ing was regarded as but of secondary inn
p0rtance. 4 citizen, twas held, might
lie good citizen even though he could
nor read Homer III the original, but not
if he wanted the ability To maintain him
self The lasl was absolutely essential;
the first, as general rule, was moi. If,
through thrift, energy and industry, the
ordinary citizen acquired competence
then The study Of the liberal arts might be
properly undertaken. But, till then, the
first duty of every one who was not heir
To large estate, was to learn some bnsi-
ness. 1t was in Ibis way, to quote again
the words of the old statute, that our fore
fathers took care that their children, when
grown up, should not be driven, from want
oriucapacity, ''to dishonest courses"
We have made great advances in many
things since that lime, but we doubt if III
this particular, we have not gone back
Not that our generation attaches too
much importance 70 schools and school
masters. Il Is impossible to have books,
readers or teachers, in excess. But those
old times certainly surpassed our own in
the dignity they impaired to labor, and in
the public opinion which expected every
man to have some craft or profession by
which to earn his bread. Education was
then considered to include something
more than book learning, and was fegar-
ded, in its true sense, as the forming OF
the entire character. The first requisite
for the respectable citizen was, that he
should be able to maintain himself, be-
cause, without tIlisability, lie could notbe
really independent and was liable, through
idleness, to fall into evil courses. Hence
the child, from earliest infancy. was
fought to look forward to q life Of active
work as the highest dignity of manhood.
Hence every citizen, whatever bis rank,
upuiled at the laboring oar" each in his
own sphere, il is true, but not the less in
dustriously for that From the King on
histhroneto the peasant in his hut, all
worked and worked hard. There were
no drones in those days. The class of
men with which modern society abounds,
the class that lives only for show, luxury
or pleasure, was utterly unknown. The
rich did not considerthat their wealth en-
titled them to spend their lives in selfish
idIeness. The poor were not tempted to
look on labor as disgraceful, and to pre-
fer comparative starvation to comfort and
independence.
AT present it is different. At present a
false notion extensively prevails that fla |
Dor Is not absolutely disgraceful, il is At
least mark of gentility to have nothing
10 do. Under the influence of this absurd
idea hundreds Of parents who have ac-
auired but moderate fortunes are bring
ing up theirchildren in elegant idleness.
forgetting that that estate which supports
one household win not sustain those Of a |
dozen descendents, and that even if it
would. wealth may take wings and fly
away. Then great cities, in consequence
are crowded with men educated to great
expectations, but now literally penniless,
and who live, in consequence. from hand
10 mouth, the honest of them starving for
- II -. IL.