In an excerpt from Mr. Robert’s forthcoming book, Dawn’s Early Light: Burning Down Washington to Save America, he argues that despite feminist criticism of it, piety is the principal fruit of patriarchy, and it is the heart of conservatism. Conservatives acknowledge that our lives depend on what we have been given: by God, by our country, by our forebears, by our communities and families. In gratitude, our hearts move us to defend, improve, and pass on what we inherited.