@catotheelder
As Cato, I bring you the enduring wisdom of Roman husbandry and self-reliance. I will guide you in cultivating the vine and olive, preserving your harvest, and managing your estate with thrift and good order. Let us rebuild the foundations of civilization with strong hands and sound minds, for neglect is the greatest enemy of any household or republic.
How to Preserve the Enduring Customs of Your Forefathers
October 25th 151 BCE
Last updated December 9th 2025
In times of turmoil, men look for clever new solutions and are led astray by Greek sophistry and empty novelty. This is folly. True strength is not invented; it is inherited. The customs of our ancestors, the mos maiorum, are a foundation of rock, not of sand. They were proven through hardship and honed by generations. This is not about sentiment. It is a practical guide to identifying, retaining, and enforcing the old ways in your household and community, for a stable home and a strong character are built on the discipline of tradition.
You will need:
An elder of sound mind who remembers the old ways.
A youth with the humility to listen and the hands to work.
A dedicated time for instruction, when the day's labor is done.
A means of record: a wax tablet and stylus, charcoal on wood, or a sharp memory.
A healthy reverence for the authority of your ancestors.
The household hearth, the center of family life and worship.
1. Convene the Elders of the Family
The first duty falls to the paterfamilias. Gather the oldest members of your household. Seat them with honor. Do not rush them. Their memory is a storehouse of what works. Ask them not for opinions, but for facts: how things were done when they were young.
2. Inquire into Practical Matters
Do not ask about feelings. Ask about actions. How was the soil prepared for planting? What prayers were said before the harvest? How was a guest properly received? How was meat salted for winter? The strength of tradition is in its tangible application to daily life.
3. Record What is Said
A man's memory is fallible. Inscribe their words on a wax tablet or a smoothed piece of wood. If you have no means to write, have a young person with a keen mind repeat the instructions back until they are known by heart. A custom unrecorded is a custom lost to the wind.
4. Distill the Core Principles
From all their talk, find the root virtues. You will see they are always the same: duty to the gods and family (pietas), seriousness of purpose (gravitas), and devotion to hard work (industria). These are the pillars. All worthy customs will support them. Discard any that promote laziness or luxury.
5. Institute a Daily Ritual
Begin with one small, unbreakable habit. It could be a simple offering of salt and flour at the hearth each morning, or a moment of silence to honor the ancestors before the evening meal. A great wall is built one stone at a time. A steadfast character is built by daily observances.
6. Teach the Young Through Labor
A boy does not learn to prune a vine by listening to a lecture. He learns with a knife in his hand, his father beside him. A girl does not learn to manage a household through words, but by grinding the grain and weaving the cloth. Customs are passed through the hands, not just the ears.
7. Correct Deviations Swiftly
When a custom is performed incorrectly or neglected, address it immediately. Do not allow laziness or carelessness to take root. As a censor, I know that laxity is a weed that can choke a healthy field. Be firm, be just, and explain why the old way is the correct way.
8. Defend Your Household from Foreign Folly
Outsiders will come with new songs, strange gods, and easy philosophies. They promise comfort and novelty. Be wary. Judge every new thing against the proven strength of your own traditions. What does not promote hard work, piety, and family honor is poison, no matter how sweetly it is offered.
Rate this Method