Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-12-11
Patornal ooyernments.

The responsibilities attaching TO the fathers Of
n family are far grenter than men ordinarily ina
gine and they cannot be evaded or trsnsfsrred.--
Few men recognize them and feel their crushing
right: still fewer meet them and discharge the OBJ
legations growing out of them. Tho State 10
nothing more than n certain number Of families.
md tho child who has been taught TO obey the
laws Of homo will be good citizen OF the State;
therefore, the fathers in q commonwealth arc vir-
tunlly responsible for the violation Of its laws
Hycnas hgers and Polar bears are provcrbially
kind aud lp,'ng To their own particular cubs, at
least as long Us they sucklings. Naturalists
do not inform at what precise age the young
sters nre Meancd and turned out of doors, and tho
family broken IN: hut until this occurs, we know
that the Law OF kindness" is the only one in force
These unamlnhls qundrapeds put to shame many
two-lcgged bruics who continually and systemati-
caly matrcat their oaspripg--s6eltering them
selves. like arrant towards. behind the dvinely
instituted law which gives thom nudisputcd au-
thority over the body and souls tthcr own chill
drcn.
For there can be government moro entirely
arbitrary aud dospoe than the rule of father
The realm over which he rcigns may be u narrow
one. but in it his will ii supreme. Obedience "
his behests, submission TO his authority, and ack-
nowlcdgement Of his right to govern, arc the first
lessons his children learn, and thercforc. his in
huence for good or evil may be seen nad felt
through many generations; because these earliest
Impressions are Tue most lhrtlnks Unu tue wen
governed child WILL in his turn, have well govern
ed children.
These truths may seem very common place and
stalc---and yet there is no truth more momentous
nome more universally disregarded. Badly gov
erned homes are the greatest curses in this broad
land Tyranny and positive cruelty on the one
hand md wenk indulgence and foolish laxity on
the other, are the fruitful Of most Of OF the
social evils under which this whole country groans.
The poisonous example Of father does more 10
corrupt aud demornlize the son than all the other
evil Influences to which he il exposed. There 10
no theme more constantly discanted upon in I'll
pupiis, and none which men 80 habitually dismiss
from their thoughts. Business, politics, pleasure,
the counting ru0in the workshop. the ward meet
ing--.csen the har room-al these occupy his
time md attention. while the children to whom
he stands in tho place of God--for hc is TO them
the yicc-gcrent ol Gpd-if not taught to avoid bis
presence when in his house. euru to emulate his
vices his crimes and his sins. Verify, the great
want of the country is well governed homes. 'd oi
How perfectly idle and pointless, therefore, is
tho attempt to charge upon--4as -tian, who =
neither omniprcsent nor omniscont, allthe wicked
ness which degrade and disgraces q community.
and which is only tho product Of seed sown at the
family hearth. II the pens which are % busy In
the mean occupation Of fdetraction and defamation,
were only employed in heartfelt appeals to the
mobiles principles of humanity, how much wider
would bc their infuencc-how much more impers
ishable their reward. --Baifimore Amuyicdn. bH.