Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-04-30
THE
SATURDAY MORNING. APRIL 20, /
DUTY OF PARENTS.

DUTY OF PARENTS.
An incident has taken place III this or
neighburing State within a longer"r shorter
period. that came to our notice, and about
which we will make a few remarks. The
daughter Of wealthy parents. consulting
those mysterious monitors that minister at
the sacred shrine of wUnian's interior heart.
saw fit and decided 10 unite herself to a pro-
tessional gentleman III the bonds of holy
matrim0ny: 10 accept him for her husband,
and 70 Weld herself "a he his wife. lie was
81 man of the highest responsibility IN every
social, Christian, and educational sense OF
the word. She was of age. had been always
q dutiful, noble-minded. self-sacriiicing and
loving daughter; the ornamen of the draw
ing-room, the pride Of the hearth stone, the
companion on all occasions, and the darling
delight Of home. The accepted suffer was
refined, but poor; dependent Tor support on
his daily earnings. but industrious and
frugal. To him she had deliberately given
her heart, and like Il true woman she did not
hesitate 10 give him also her hand. The
result was, that her parents not only disin-
herited her themselves, but also prevailed
Oh n relative TO cut her of from property
that would otherwise have become eventually
her own.
Such are the facts. Undoubtedly the
father had q legal. technical, and tyrannical
right to do az he did. His money was Of his
own making, he had gathered it together
dollar by dollar with his own hands; his own
Judgment and activity had probably inyes-
ted it; his own eyes had kept watchtul guard
over it: his own pen had writtcu it cor
rect; his own pocket held the key that vouch-
ell for its security. 1t was all honestly his
own, its every dollar, cent, and mill, He
had the sole and entire lega! and business
right to dispose of it in whatever way, To
whomsoever and for whatsoever purpose
might best suit himself; whether 70 keep up
an establishment. or found an asylum, OF
endow Il college, or sustain Il mission To the
heather. or fill the vaults of a hank. We will
90 ~ far as to admit that he hal the in
dividual right to drink it up. eat it up.
gamble it away, spend it on the race-courSe.
or hoard it in chests. But that he had
the parental right so to do we distinctly deny.
As q parent he had parental duties, from
the discharge of which there can be no gett-
ing away. She was his offspring, and con-
sequently entitled to his protection: his
flesh and blood, and consequently part "w-
ner in Ina he might happen to possess; his
child. and consequently II justc claim ON him
for provision. up 10 the measure of his ability.
of whatever might be necessary to here M
fort and happiness. If she acted contrary
to his wishes, she did so AT her own risk.
but was not therefore to be made an outcast
from the parental home. If i'll the choice Of
a husband she met not with his appreciation.
she but followed her own honest and lawful
inclinations, and did not merit to be exiled
from the parental heart. II her marriage
was without regard to his prohibition, it
must be remembered that She was of age: 81
that he had no right to prohibit, nor under
penalty of a threat exact obedience that would
necessitate her doing violence to her own
sense of duty. 1t was simply cruel, hard
hearted, and not according to natural afec-
ton. and destitute of all manly sentiment,
and dishonorable, mean, and despicable.
after having brought her up i'll athuence,
surrounded with the ~indalgences Of wealth,
and educated to need the social refinement,
TO disinherit her because with woman's heart
she loved, and with woman's devotion chung
to, and with woman's responsibility married
a man against whom no charge could be
brought, except that he was poor. And
then. too, to prevail on another also to cut her
of, was q bastard piece Of parental med
dlesomeness, al act Of low-minded revenge,
a malicious outrage upon domestic, moral
and Christian law.
We make these remarks to parents with
the hope that they will lead to inquiry as to
what parental duties are, and how they can
honorably to the parents themselves and hon
sstly to their children, be fully and faithfully
discharged. He who provides not for his
own household" says an Apostle. sis worse
than an infdel."-N. y. Observer.