Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-01-06
HONOR TO PARENTS,

HVltUU III / 1UUlt1D, i
The letter of Eugene Jung, denoun !!
ing his mother, of which we published Il
fragment in last weeks issue of The For
eign Press, has excited considerable
newspaper comment and controversy iii
Paris. The scathing article written by
the brilliant Albert Wolff for the Figaro,
which we made The subject of trans
latiOn, has been answered with almost
equal power in De Noltaire by
I'Homme Mas1ue." The writer does
not indulge on this occasion in fancy,
poetry or sentiment, but in iron facts
and his article is 50 terrible that we can
only translate u small portion of 1.-THE
remainder being too Naturalstic.
"Yonng man Of the nineteenth
century, If thy mother has been for thee
q visible incarnation upon earth of Vir-
tue and Honor, of Devotion and Love
if thy heart opens to sweet memories OF
her, and exhalcs the incense of Iilial add
Grafton ; if thou knowcst of naught in
this world more ineffably beautiful than
thy mother, more cclcstially sweet than
thy mother, more ideally pure and per-
feet than thy mother then read no far
ther. What am about to say is not for
thy ears. Believe, and be happy in thy
belief. '.''.
"But | am thinking of these wretchetl
ones who drag the ball and chain of tilal
Ipiety through the rough ways of the So
lcial labyrinth, aud who dare not break
the links of that chain. | am dreaming
of those who suffer the unjust law of a
respect that is imposed, of love that is
enacted, Of Submission that is codifed.
Il mourn for the man who believes him
self to he forced, and who forces himself
to lOve--even when nature herself cries
out against ito reverence, even
when Justice forbids,-the wretched be-
iings. who have inflicted life upon
lhint......
"Not NOT every fertile woman is not
"a mother; every man swho has begotten
children is not, by that fact alone, a
father: it is an error of society; it is u
deception of the law. Morality is only
the heroic exercise of love; maternity is
the virtue of fecuudity, which proves its
Ihonors and cxaIts it's nature. Let me
tell you that there are females which arc
not mothers;-ycs, there are even some
who devonr their own young. ..
No! l would only give the title of
Mother to the woman who has been
true 10 all those duties of which the vast
and divine programme is contained in
the single word Maternity .-..-. How
can you expect that the youth who
learns that the woman who gave him
birth has not only grossly betrayed the
honest man whose name she bears, but
has even been accused of conspiring
with the enemies of her country and
tampering with treason?t how can you
expect, lrepeat, to compel him to show
her those marks of respect aud fiIiaI
vencration aXacted by your fcroclous
cOnventionalsm Oh! | have heard
your sentimental and theatrical argu-
mcntatiOn whatever horrible OF
abominablo crime she may commit, a
mother is always mother for her child
That is u fifth act platitudc, very con,
yenient to follow through the voyage of
life, and which costs no more than &c
buy the Sublime at cheap bargain
Stupid, vulgar, false and wicked, such
is that maxim of yours. do not say
that tilial love for an unworthy creature
does not exist under such circumstances
note that well! | only say that no one
has the right to impose it upon us rs 4
duty; and when the law says to me-
honor thy father and thy mother, | re,
ply to the willingly, but guaran
tee me that they shall DO worthy OF
honor ..s. ..-.-s.,.. ,a..
For after all it is bargain of dupli