The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-06-10
For the Standard.
LETTERS ON THE CONSTITUTION
ADDRESSED TO A YOUNG FRIEND.

LETTERS ON THE CONSTITUTION
ADDRESSED TO A YOUNG FRIEND.
rr .UH No. /. .a. Sd
DEAR When I visited you at school
during the late campaign, you expressed
desire to obtain satisfactory information
about the great questions before the people
and especially to understand the provisions
of the new Constitution. You complained
of a want of candor and precision both in
public speakers and in the newspapers, and
I have not forgotten the promise you exact
ed Of me to write you about these matters in
detail at some future time when should be
at leisure
Iamglad to hear so good report of you
from your instructor. He writes me that
you are industrious and punctual in attend
ance upon all your duties. I confess fear
ed that your impulsive nature might lead you
to espouse one side of the question so warm
ly as to distract your mind and divert it
from your regular course of study.
/ am gratifed to learn that my fears have
proved unfounded. Your instructor CT ntin-
ues to speak in commendatory terms of your
diligence and progress He mentions Incl
dentally your inclination TO be in the COM
pany Of your seniors and superiors in in
telligence, and states that your modest de-
pertinent and your disposition to inform
yourself has won for you friendship and
esteem of all the gentlemen you have met
with This modesty is the most amiabe
trait that can characterize youth of your
age 1t springs from genuine love of
learning, Consciousness of your own de-
ficiency and the recognition of an intellectual
superior who can supply your want
Modesty is the true mark both of the student
and the scholar.
You write me that gentleman for whom
you entertain high regard, in reply to a
question of yours answered, that you could
not understand him and that you were too
young to meddle with politics.
If, by politics. he meant an indiscrimi-
nate reading of newspapers, and regular
attendance on political meetings, agree
with him. If he meant heated debates at
street corners and descent to the vulgarity
of some of our political stumpers, I cordial
ly concur in his opinion. But your early
training has already impressed you with a
proper disgust for this species of controver-
sy. If, however, by the term "politics,"
your friend meant our forms of government
and the laws and institutions of our coun-
try, he was mistaken when he observed that
you were too young to be instructed in them.
The Jews were commanded by their great
law giver to teach their laws to their chill
dren. The Persians, the Spartans and all
tho Hut1Uns ~f antiquity which laid nv
claim to civilization instructed the young
men in the laws of their country
Scandinavian priests and the Druids
of England embodied their laws in
verse and taught them to their children in
songs, and by this means transmitted their
customs from one generation to another
Just here the civilization of the nineteenth
century might well take a lesson from the
wisdom of the ancients. shall devote my
first letter to the question" What is Con-
stitution 2" This will take US back into his
tory and necessarily to a discussion of
the principal features of the different forms
of government. After this, we will glance
very briefly at the Constitution of the United
States, the original relation of all the States
to the general government and see how these
relations between the government and some
of the States became changed by means of
the late civil war. After this gradual intro
duction, you will be better able to under
stand discussion in detail of the new Re-
publican Constitution of North Carolina
In our. next, then, we will see what Consti-
tuition is. Yours, &c.