The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1866-02-22
ORGANIZATION,


manity. Man is in society by the very
necessity of his nature. He is born into
It, 1T is by no choice of his own, bat by
an absolute, unconditional law of his
being, that he is placed in the closest
and most important relations to others.
lie does not enter the world a solitary,
unconneeted unit but member of
society. The family first receives him
as one of its own. He is INCORPORATED
into it, entitled to its helps and mani
fold blessings, and subject to its laws.
All the resources Of this little society
are devoted to his defence, sustenance
and happiness, and he is bound with his
advancing years to fulfil his part for the
common blessing, according to its funda-
mental law. And how wonderful its
structure! What diversity, what mani
foldness, OF relationships within its
narrow compass! Husband, wife, father.
mother, child, brother, sister! Such are
the forms into which humanity is cast
within the sacred circle of the house
hold-all knit together in beautiful
subordination by the hottest ties, and
by divine constitution made mutually
helpful as ministers of blessing and joy.
The family is the germ and normal
form of all political society, preceding
the State in the order of nature and
containing the germinal law OF its const-
tuition. The very idea of civil govern
ment grows from, and is an expansion
thegovernmentofth family. History
teaches that the nations, in the early
ages OF the world, far from being mere
aggregates of floating materials, drift
wood gathered by accident, were regu-
larry formed from families. by the ope-
ration of natural laws. We have clear
and familiar illustration of this, in the
rise and progress Of the Jewish nation
as recorded in the sacred writings, and,
in which, the State appears as the evo-
luton Of its primal element, the family.
And here we may remark of this insti-
tuition, that it exhibits the clearest and
most impressive proofs of the wisdom
and paternal regard Of Him who ap-
pointed it to be the guardian Of infancy,
the school Of obedience and the home of
our sweetest and hottest Affections
Within this sacred circle through the
strong instincts of parental love, our
early and helpless years are protected
and blessed with that gentle, never
ceasing care, without which, even if we
outlived their perils, our manhood would
be weak and impaired. Here are
learned the first and strongest lessons Of
submission, reverence and love. Here,
too, our moral nature is subjected to
discipline, which alone can fit it for the
self-sacrificing duties and stern eX-
perience of future life. The basis Of all
salutary government is laid in the family.
The habits of subordination which are
here formed, and the spirit Of reverence
which is here awakened constitute the
chief elements of social order. Indeed,
without this preparatory discipline ofthe
family, all government would be inn
practicable, or possible only, as stern
and mercilcss despotism over a com
munity Of laWless convicts. 1t is not
the fear of brute force alone that binds
men together in the various relations of
society, subordinating them toa common
law and to common ends ii is deeper
spiritual power commanding them 10
obey il the sense of obligation to that
which is higher than themselves, and
which is clothed with the sanction of Il
certain divine authority. A state OF
perfect anarchy is where every man is
a law unto himself Man must acknoWl-
edge a power out of himself and above
himself. to which he owes obedience, or
society will become inevitablya chaos
wild, tumultuous sea, on which will
rage the whirlwind and the storm. This
sense Of accountability to will superior
to our own is awakened and closely
interviewer among our moral emotions
by the proper discipline of the family,
and the habit of obedience to this sense
becomes so closely connected with cur
earliest and tenderest recOllections of