Salvete Patricia Cassia et Luci Corneli et alii
I applaud my colleague for posting these guidelines and initiating this
thread.
My own view is that the patres et matres are and should always be free to
manage their gentes as they deem best. The Senate, the magistrates and
governors have functions that, though still not completely defined
uniformly, simply will never adequately provide for the bonding among
gentiles that is essential to Nova Roma's successful evolution as a
community. If we assume successful growth of Nova Roma, it will become
increasingly difficult/impossible for individual magistrates to know
newcomers personally, or even
understand the full range of people's needs and wants in terms of gens
identity, and household and gens-specific worship. We, whether as senators,
magistrates, or even you priests,
cannot therefore mandate guidelines of this sort, and any such that are
published in
whatever format/venue can really only be suggestions.
There is in my view, however, an exception to all this: patres et matres do
have the
responsibility, before the office of the censores, for the growth of their
gentes. He or she must indicate at all times whether the gens accepts new
members, and, if the gens does accept new members, it is imperative that the
pater or mater maintain contact with the censores. Otherwise, the result is
long delay in resolution of applications for citizenship from newcomers to
Nova Roma.
Beyond this, I believe that we need some standards to follow in the matter
of adoptions, that is, change of gens affiliation. Since Nova Roman
citizenship is granted by voluntary association, not by birth, I believe
that gentiles have the right to leave gentes and seek to join others. A
procedure for this that protects the rights of gentiles, as well as of
patres and matres, would be very beneficial.
I wonder whether any other citizens agree that a law on this subject would
be helpful. If you do think so,
I would be interested in suggestions on the language of such a law.
Now comments on comments:
:> 1. Guidance for newbies
:> 2. Promoting their Gens members via political and religious offices
:> 3. Keeping their gens members informed on NR events like Sodalias
:and other goings on...
:> 4. Approving new members
:> 5. Being available to all Gens members as needed.
:> 6. Conflict management between members of the same gens
:> 7. Conflict management between members of other Gens.
:> 8. Promotion of the Gens within NR and outside of NR.
:
:I would say that item 5 should be "as reasonably possible," given
:that
:many people's lives do not allow them to be available on an unlimited
:basis.
True, but these limiters, "as needed" and "as reasonably possible" could be
built into an introduction
to these guidelines. It should be clear that the guidelines are suggestions
to help patres et matres do their best,
but any suggestions are to be weighed and balanced with the judgment,
circumstances and needs of each individual pater or mater, and his/her
constituent gentiles.
:
:Also, instead of "conflict management," how about something along the
:lines of "setting an example to Gens members and others by behaving
:with Dignitas, Comitas and Clementia for the good of Nova Roma?" I
:think adult Gens members who are not Paters or Maters should be
:responsible for their own conflicts.
Well, I agree that we are responsible for our own actions, all of us, but
the heads of gentes are the ones who have the auctoritas to mediate
disputes, because they ultimately can expel gentiles from their own gentes.
In this sense, the patres et matres really do have an important role to
play, in my view, in conflict management. But I like your suggestion,
because exemplary behavior would probably reduce the occurence and severity
of disputes and make undesirable outcomes like expulsions and resignations
for the most part irrelevant. Not that I know much about exemplary behavior
myself :).
On the usage of the word materfamilias, Patricia Cassia:
"One point which has not been clarified is whether the title
Materfamilias should indicate only the founder of a gens, or whether
it
can also be used for the wife of a Paterfamilias. If so, I am
materfamilias of Gens Cassia, and in any case am proud of its women
and
men."
I would say that, we can use whatever words/names/titles we find convenient
in our own lives, but our official records and laws should reserve the word
materfamilias for female heads of gentes. Otherwise, we'll just make our
records and processes more confusing. So as not to leave things on too
simple a note, a materfamilias need not necessarily be the founder of a
gens. If a pater or mater turns over the status to a female gentilis, or
the censores do so in the case of a resignation or vanished pater/mater, in
this way too a woman can become materfamilias. The same applies to men
becoming patresfamiliae without founding gentes as well.
:
Valete
C Marius Merullus
Censor Suffectus
Paterfamilias Mariae gentis
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Salve Quirites,
replying to Marius Merullus' post, I don't know if I agree with
adoption for one simple reason: it changes what you think about
people. If I remember that Sulla and Marius are extremely helpful
people, or that Livia Cornelia Aurelia has plenty of excellent ideas,
I then don't really want to learn that now it's Sulla and Scaurus who
are extremely helpful!
I think that, since people choose their gens when they come to NR,
the only justifiable reason for wanting to leave their gens to enter
another would be intolerable conflict within that gens. Otherwise it
would be needless and confusing.
I know eachof these is a small point, but nevertheless I think they
could be irritating if ignored.
Salvete,
Marcus Scribonius Curio Britannicus.
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