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-8-
The
Marriage Ring
Chapter 2
The Family Circle
Home!
There's magic in that little word;
It is a mystic circle which surrounds
Comforts and Virtues, never known
Beyond the hallowed limit.
Sources of domestic happiness—the domestic constitution—its Divine origin—its nature and design—religion, its basis, joy and support
A FAMILY! How delightful the associations we form with such a word! How pleasing the images with which it crowds the mind, and how tender the emotions which it awakens in the heart! Who can wonder that domestic happiness should be a theme dear to poetry, and that it should have called forth some of the sweetest strains of fancy and of feeling? Or who can be surprised, that of all the objects which present themselves in the vista of futurity to the eye of those who are setting out on the journey of life, this should excite the most ardent desires, and engage the most active pursuits? But alas, of those who, in the ardor of youth, start for the possession of this dear prize, how many fail! And why? Because their imagination alone is engaged on the subject: they have no definite ideas of what it means, nor of the way in which it is to be obtained. It is a mere lovely creation of a romantic mind, and oftentimes, with such per-sons, fades away,
And, like the baseless fabric of a vision,
Leaves not a wreck behind.
It may be of service, therefore, to lay open the sources of domestic happiness, and to show that these are to be found, not in the flowery regions of imagination, but in the sober realities of piety, chaste love, prudence, and well formed connections. These precious springs are within the reach of all who will take the right path that leads to them; and this is the way of knowledge. We must make ourselves acquainted with the nature, designs, and importance of the family compact; we must analyze this union to ascertain its elements, its laws, and its purposes. Who can be a good member of any state, without knowing the nature of its constitution, and the laws by which it is directed? And it is equally vain to look for domestic happiness, without a clear insight into the ends and laws which Providence has laid down in the formation of the household.
In the discussions which have been agitated, to settle the question as to the form of civil government best adapted to secure the welfare of the human race, the family constitution has been too long overlooked. Speculation has been indulged, and theories proposed by their respective authors, in reference to the greater aggregations of society, with all the confidence of oracular authority; while, at the same time, it is evident they have forgotten how much the well-being of states is dependent on the well-being of the families of which all states are composed.
If there be any truth in the figure by which a nation is compared to a pillar, we should recollect that, while individuals are the materials of which it is formed, it is the good condition of families that constitutes the cement which holds it together and gives to its fine form solidity and durability. Let this be wanting, and however inherently excellent the materials, however elegant the shape, however ornamental the base, the shaft, or the capital may be, it contains in itself a principle of decay, an active cause of dilapidation and ruin.
The domestic constitution is a Divine institution. God formed it Himself. "He taketh the solitary, and setteth him in families;" and, like all the rest of His works, it is well and wisely done. It is, as a system of government, quite unique; neither below the Heavens nor above them is there anything precisely like it. In some respects, it resembles the civil government of a state; in others, the ecclesiastical rule of a church; and it is there the church and the state may be said to meet. This meeting, how-ever, is only on a very small scale, and under very peculiar circumstances. When directed as it should be, every family has a sacred character, inasmuch as the head of it acts the part of both the prophet and priest of the household, by instructing them in the knowledge, and leading them in the worship of God; while, at the same time, he discharges the duties of a king by supporting a system of order, subordination, and discipline.
Conformably with its nature is its design. Beyond the benefit of the individuals which compose it, and which is its first and immediate object, it is intended to promote the welfare of the national community to which it belongs, and of which it is a part. Hence every nation has stamped a great value on the family compact, and guarded it with the most powerful sanctions. Well-instructed, well-ordered, and well-governed families are the springs, which, from their retirements, send forth the tributary streams that make up, by their confluence, the majestic flow of national greatness and prosperity; nor can any state be prosperous, where family order and subordination are generally neglected; nor otherwise than prosperous, whatever be its political forms, where these are generally maintained.