NUMBER XLVIII.

OF FAVORITISM IN THE DEALING OF PARENTS WITH THEIR CHILDREN.

As parents naturally love their children, so they naturally wish to be loved by them; and yet, very often, this darling wish of their hearts is defeated by their own imprudence. Upon this point it would be easy to enumerate facts or instances; but I shall mention only one-and that is, the partial favor and disfavor of parents towards their offspring. Parental favoritism springs, sometimes, from motives that are seemingly reasonable, as some children are possessed of dispositions much more attractive than those of others. But even where this difference is clearly seen, it concerns the parents to take heed that the bias of their hearts becomes not too visible in their conduct. It is no wonder that the venerable patriarch felt a superior degree of affection for the son, who, in regard to every thing morally excellent and lovely, was so manifestly above his brethren: nevertheless, the manifestation of the partiality, so reasonable in itself—the coat of many colors, for instance-led to consequences of the most tragical na

ture.

Happy would it be, however, if there were no parental bias. but such as is founded on merit, as in the instance just mentioned: whereas it sometimes springs from causes that can afford it not the least shadow of excuse. Of these I will name only two.

1st. Personal beauty, and especially female beauty, is frequently the ground of parental partiality. Notwithstanding that the mere possession of beauty neither implies merit nor gives promise of any real exellence, yet it often happens that the most beautiful of the daughters is, for that single reason, the most caressed by the ill-judging parents, who, on the same wretched principle, are the most negligent of the one that has the least personal comeliness. The unfeeling cruelty of this species of

domestic favoritism is too obvious to need remark: its results are unhappy every way. Even the favorite herself is a great loser, for in proportion as her vanity is fostered, and by such hands, every estimable quality, that might grow up in her mind under proper culture, is stifled. On the other hand, the smothered discontents and heart-burnings of the children who lie under unmerited neglect, and their feelings of envy toward the favorite, are the seeds which often burst up finally into violent and interminable contentions.

Parental discretion acts a part quite different from that which has now been described. It warns and admonishes her to whom nature has been lavish in personal attractions, and teaches her betimes not to value herself upon them; while it encourages those of the family that possess the least of personal comeliness, by imprinting it upon them that the due cultivation of their intellectual and moral faculties will make them respectable and respected.

2d. There is another species of favoritism practised by

parents, which, if not so common, is yet more reprehensible: it is treating the prosperous child with fond attention, and the unprosperous one with cold neglect. Worldly prosperity is no evidence of merit, nor adversity of demerit. It often happens that of the members of the same family, having in their outset in life the like prospects-it often happens that some come to wealth, whilst others are cast into the shades of poverty, through misfortune rather than from any faultiness in their own conduct. In cases of this sort, the partiality of parents, if it be allowable at all, should lean to the unfortunate child: at least, they are bound by the ties of nature and duty to show quite as much attention to the unfortunate, as to the fortunate part of their offspring. And it would be a libel upon parents to say, that, in general, the tide of their affection flows or ebbs according as their children make out well or ill in the world. The thing is not common, nor yet is it very rare. There are few persons of considerable age and observation, who have not witnessed it in more than one instance. And whenever and wherever this happens, it excites emotions of disgust and abhorrence. When the unfortunate son is treated with coldness, because he has been unfortunate, and is poor; when the unfortunate daughter, along with her needy little ones, is neglected and in a manner forsaken-not by the world only, but by father and mother-when persons bearing the sacred name of parents, are kind only to those of their children who need not their kindness, and forsake those who need it most-when such a horrible thing is seen in the land, it is seen to be detested.

NUMBER XLIX.

OF THE INESTIMABLE BENEFITS OF LAW.

Or all human institutions, that of Law is of primary importance. The benefit of government consists not so much in its being a guard against external, as against internal violence. For it is not certain that a people living without government would be invaded from abroad; but it is quite certain that they would invade, pillage, and murder one another at home. In every age, and in every country, man, unfettered by law, has been a tiger Not that, at all times and in all countries, there have not been some persons, inclined of their own free will to do aright, but their number and strength have never been sufficient to stem the torrent of violence without aids from the arm of civil government. So far from it, where anarchy has prevailed, the more virtuous have ever been its marked victims.

to man.

If

we trace back the stream of time as far towards the source as there are any lights furnished us from history, we shall find that no tyranny has been so horrible as that of anarchy. In the

antediluvian ages, in which no regular government of general extent was, perhaps, known, "the earth was filled with violence." Those giants, those men of renown, so termed by the sacred penman, were, there is reason to think, daring and mighty robbers, who, at the head of their companies of bandits, traversed the countries, committing pillages, murders, and violence wherever they went.

In the patriarchal ages there were men of exalted piety, who ruled well their own children and domestics. But even then, well-regulated civil government was scarcely known any where : else the most venerable patriarch could hardly have been so distressed with fear for the honor of his wife, and lest he should, himself, be murdered on her account, when they were journeying together to Egypt, which at that time was the most renowned for arts and sciences of any country in the world. There were periods of the like anarchy and its horrible concomitants in the history of the tribes of Israel; when "every man did that which was right in his own eyes; "when "the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through by-ways," for fear of the swarms of robbers and murderers that infested the country.

In the Heroic Ages of ancient Greece, there was very little of government or law; mere brutal strength, united with ferocious courage, being the only passport to eminence. Theseus and Hercules were renowned and deified for their valorous exploits against robbers. Not that they themselves were scrupulous of committing robbery and murder every now and then; but they were renowned and deified, because they had been the means of extirpating a race of banditti, more execrable than themselves.