Old churches, ministers and families of Virginia . difierent andbetter views prevailing as to the division of estates among children,the proud homestead must be sold or be an expense and burden to thechild who inherits it. Even in England—the land of entails andprimogeniture—the philanthropic Howard, a man of birth andinherited wealth, instead of listening to the plea that our housesmust be proportioned to our wealth, to the extent even of palaces,and that it was a oharity to the poor to employ numbers of themin the erection of stupendous and costly mansions, built one ofmore moderate size and
Old churches, ministers and families of Virginia . difierent andbetter views prevailing as to the division of estates among children,the proud homestead must be sold or be an expense and burden to thechild who inherits it. Even in England—the land of entails andprimogeniture—the philanthropic Howard, a man of birth andinherited wealth, instead of listening to the plea that our housesmust be proportioned to our wealth, to the extent even of palaces,and that it was a oharity to the poor to employ numbers of themin the erection of stupendous and costly mansions, built one ofmore moderate size and expense for himself, and employed greaternumbers of workmen in rearing neat and comfortable cottages forthe poor on his large and numerous estates. How much of thatnow needlessly expended in building and furnishing large housesmight be more rationally and charitably devoted to the improve-ment of the dwellings of the labourers, whether on the plantationsof the South or the neighbourhoods of the North! 1. 1 > -_ v - 1 1;. ^ 1 I- . ^ ?A. FAMILIES OF VIRGINIA. 333 How much wiser was it in the first William Randolph, of TurkeyIsland, to live in a house of moderate dimensions himself, thoughwith every comfort, and to build during his lifetime good housesfor his numerous children in various parts of the State! Howmuch more becoming Christians, instead of building extravagantmansions for themselves, to see that the houses of worship arecomely and comfortable, and that all Gods ministers are well pro-vided with houses becoming their station and the means of livingin them! To return from this digression, let me say that Governor Page,though living in this proud mansion of his forefathers, was not him-self a proud man. He was not only a true republican in politics, butan humble man in his religion, and doubtless often wished himself,on more accounts than one, well rid of his large abode. The poor,I doubt not, were often kindly treated at Rosewell, and the ser-vants justly dealt w
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