HEREDITARY OFFICES

From Agepedia

HEREDITARY OFFICES. The few traces of such in antiquity are found mostly in the family offices of the priesthood. In the ancient German courts, it became a custom to assign, as marks of distinction, to the most eminent and loyal, those personal and domestic services towards the prince, which the Greeks and Romans imposed on slaves and freedmen. Thus arose the great court and crown offices: 1. of the household {major domus, highsteward ; earnerarius, chamberlain); 2. of the kitchen (seneschal, dapifer, sewer) ; 3. of the cellar (cupbearer, cellarius; buticularius, pincerna, butler); 4. of the stable (marshal, comes stabuli, connetable); nil, at the same time, united with a high post in the army. The highest court officers of the German empire were the secular princeelectors, who, in later times, appointed hereditary deputies, to discharge the duties incumbent on them on solemn occasions, such as the crowning of the emperor, for instance. This remnant of feudalism has been justly abolished, in modern times, in many countries, whilst we are sorry to see that, in some countries, they have been even lately established. Thus George IV, as king of Hanover, within a few years, created count Miinster, his favorite, hereditary marshal of Hanover. The only rational defence of hereditary monarchies is, that they are sometimes necessary to prevent greater evils; but this reason does not apply to hereditary succession in inferior offices, which is altogether a barbarous remnant of feudal times, when privileges were extorted, and the true objects of government little understood.