THE LIBR ARY

OF
THE UNIVER SITY
O F C ALIFO R NIA

P RES EN TE D B Y

PR O F CH ARLES A
. . I
K O F O D AND

M RS P R UD EN CE
. W . KO F O ID
TH E C ON TE M P OR A R Y S CI E N C E S E R I E S .

ED I TE D B Y H AV E L O C K E L L I S .

EVO LUTIO N O F MA RRIA G E

TH E EV O L U T I O N

OF MA R R IA G E

A ND OF TH E F A M I LY

CH . L E TO U R NE AU ,

Gen era l S eeretcuy lo the A n t/z ropologz eal S oc iety f

'

o P a ris ,
and P rofessor in Me S c hool f
o A nt/t ropo/ogy .

L O ND O N
WAL TE R S C O TT 4 W AR WICK, 2 L ANE
TERNO ST ER W
PA RO

1 89 1 .
 C O NT E NTS .

C H A TE R I P .

TH E B I OLO G I L O R I I N CA G OF M A RR I A G E
I Th T Pla fM e rue ce o an in the Anim a Kingdo m l
i n
. .

I I R pr d
. e o uc t o .

II I . R ut an d Lo ve .

IV . Lo ve o f An im a l s .

C H A TE R I I P .

M A R R I AG E T HE FA
AN D A M ON G S T AN I M AL S M I LY

I Th P r e r t i n fS p i
e se v a o o ec e s
d th R r i g fth Y ung m g A al
. .

II M rri g
a a e an e ea n o e o a o n nim s.

Th F a m il y am g t A im l
.

I II . e on s n a s .

C H A P T E R I II .

P O M I U I TY
R SC

I H as e e b ee th r naS tage o f P o m isc uity ? r

n Pr t
.

I I C as e s o f H um a o m is c ui y
t r
. .

I I I H e ai is m
’

. .

C H A T E R IV P .

SO M E S I N L R F OR M GU A L A O I T I ON S OF SE XU A SS C A 6
5 7 2 -

I P rim it i S x l Im m r l i y ve e ua o a t
I I S m S t rang F r m
. .

. o f M rri g
e e o s o a a e.

C H A P TE R V .

POLY NDRY
A

I S x l Pr p r t i n
. e uaf Bir h i In fl n
o o o o t s : ts ue ce on

M rr i g a a e.
II E th gr phy f P l ya dry
no a o o n
I I I P l y dry i An i t Arabi
. .

o an n c en a

I V P l yan dry i G ral

. .

. o n e ne .
vi C ON TE N TS .

C H A P TE R V I .

M A R R I AG E B Y C A P T URE
I R ape
arr tr
. .

II M iage by C ap u e
nial tr
. .

I II . S ignific a tio n o f the C e r em o o f C ap ue .

C H A TE R V I I P .

M A RR I AG E B Y PUR C H AS E AN D B Y SERV I TU D E 10
5
-
1 21

I T h P w r fP r t
e o e o a e n s.

M arri g by S r itud
.

II a e e v e
M arri g by Pur h
. .

I II . a e c ase .

C H A P TE R V I I I .

PR I M I T I VE PO LY G AM Y r2 2- 1
37
I l
P o ygam y in O c e a ia Afri
n c a, an d A m e ic r a
a di E r
. .
,

II . l
Po ygam y in Asi an n u o pe .

C H A P T E R IX .

PO LY G AM Y OFC I V I L I ED PEO L E S P 1 8
3 1 53
-

I Th S t ge f P l yga m y
a e o o

Arab P lyg m y
. .

II o a

P l yg m y i E gypt M x i
. .

II I o a n e c o , and Pe ur
P l yg m y i P r ia d I dia
.
.
,

IV . o a n e s an n .

C H A P TE R X .

PRO TI T I ON
S TU
'

CON C U B I N E
AN D AG 1 5 4- 1 7 0

I C bi ag i G n r l
o nc u n e n e e a
it t i
. .

II Pr o st u o n.

V ari
.

III . F rm
o usfC obi g s o o nc u na e .

C H A TE R X I P .

PR I M I T I VE M ONO G A M Y 1 7 1-1 87
I The M o no gam y o fI n fe io R ac es r r
t t tral
. .

II M o no gam y in the A nc ie n S ta es o f C e n Am e ic a r
nt t
. .

I II M o n ogam y in An c ie
. E gyp .

IV M o nogamy o f the To ua e gs and Abyss inians r

a
.

V M o no gam y am o ng th e M o ngo s o f A si l
l t
. .

V I M o no gamy and Civ i isa io n

. .
 C ON TE N TS . V II
C H A P TE R X I I .

H E B RE W AN D A RY N A M ONO G A M Y
M o n o gam y o fth e R c e s c a e d S upe io a ll r r .

r
H e b e w M a iage rr
ar nt a
.

M riage in P e s ia an d An c ie In di r
rr a nt r
.

M a i ge in An c ie G eec e
r a t
.

M a ri ge I n An c ie n R o m e
arr hr t arr
.

r r
Ba ba o us M iage an d C is ian M i age .

C HA P TE R X I II .

A DULT ERY 20 7
-
227

Adu e l t ry i G n r ln e e a .

Adu te l ry i M l i n e an es a
l t ry i B l k Afri a
.

Adu e n ac c
l t ry i P l y i
.

Adu e n o ne s a .

Adu te l ry i S g Am rin av a e e c a.
Adu e l t ry i B r b r u A m ri
n a a o s e ca
l ry am g th M g l R
.

Adu te on di e on o ac e s an n l
M a aya
l t ry m g th E gypt ia th B rb r t
.

A du e a on e ns, e e e s , an d the S em i es
l t ry i P r i d In di
.

Adu e n e s a an a.
Adu e l t ry i th G r R m an W rl d
n e ec o - o o
l t ry i Barb r u E ur p
.

A du e n a o s o e
l t ry i th P t d i th F utur
.

Adu e n e as an n e e .

P C H A TE R X I V

RE D I T I ON N D I VOR E
PU A A D C 2 2 8-2 4 8

I I S g C n t r i av a e o un es .

d R p di i n a m n g Ba rbar
.

II Di r vo c e an e u at o o o us P eo p l e s.
l ti n fD i r
.

II I Th E . e vo u o o v o c e.

P C H A TE R X V .

W I DO W HOOD N T HE L EV I R T E
A D A 2 49 2 66-

I Wid wh d i S g C
o nt r i
oo n av a e ou es

I I Wid h d i B rb r t ri
. .

owC oo n a a o us o un es .

I I I Th L irat
.

. e ev e.

IV . S um m a y r .

C H A PT E R X V I .

TH E FAM I L I L CL N INA A AU S T RAL I A AND

AM ER I C A 2 6 7-2 84

I Th F am il y
. e .

I I Th F m il y i M l
e a i n e a ne s a
I I I Th F am il y i A m ri a
. .

. e n e c .
viii C ON TE N TS .

C H A F T E R X V II .

T H E F AM I LI L C L N
A A AND ITS E V OLU T I ON
I The l
C an am o ng th e R e ds ins k
k
. .

II The l
F a m i y am o ng th e R e ds ins
a l a
. .

I II. The F m i y in P o yn e s i l .

IV . Th e l
F am i y a m o ng the M o ngo s l .

V . The l
C an an d t he F am i y l .

C H A P TE R X V I I I .

TH E M A T E R N A L F AM I LY 3 3 3
0 -
21

I
. a l l l
The F m i ia C an an d th e F am i y p o pe y l r rl so
c a ed ll .

l
II Th e F am i y in A f ic a
. r .

l
I I I Th e F am i y in M a aya
. l .

l
IV Th e F am i y am o ng th e NaI rs o f M a aba l r
a l
. .

V Th e F m i y am o ng the Abo igin es o f Be nga

. r l .

V I Th e C o uv ade
r t
. .

V II Th e P im i iv e F a m i y
. l .

P T E R X IX CHA .

TH E F M I LY I N C I V I L I ED CO N TR I E
A S U S 3 2 2-
3 4 0

I Th F m il y i C h i
e a n na

g h S m it i R
. .

I I Th F m ily m
. e a a on t e e c ac e s .

I II . T he l
F am i y a m o n g the B e be s r r .

IV . The l
F am i y in P e s ia r .

V . Th e l
F am i y in I ndia .

VI . T he r
G e c o R o m an F am i y
-
l .

V II . Th e l
F am i y in B a ba o us E u o pe r r r .

XX C H A P TE R .

M A RR I AG E A N D T H E F A M I LY I N T H E P A S T T HE ,

P RE S E N T A N D T HE FU T U R E
, 34 1 -
3 60
I Th e P as t
t
. .

II . The P es e nr .

I II . Th e F utu e r .

INDE X
 PR E FAC E .

A FE W preliminary observations in regard to th aim and e

method of this work may be u s eful to the reader .

H ewill do well to be gin by persuading him s elf with ,

M ontai gne that the

,
“
hinge s f custom are not alway s
o

the hin ge s of rea s on and s till les s tho s e of reality in all

“
,

times and places H will do better still to steep him s elf

. e

in the s pirit of scientific evolution and to bear in mind that

,

inces s ant change is the law of the s ocial quite as much j ,

as

o f the phy s ical and organic world and t h at the mo s t

,

s plendid blo ss oms have sprung fr om very humble germs A .

This i s th s u preme truth f s cience and it is only when

e o ,

s uch a p oint f view has become quite familiar to

o

us that w shall be neither troubled no r disconce r ted

e

by the s ociological histo ry f humanity ; and however

o

shocking unnatural ce r tain cu s tom s may a ppea r w

or ,
e

s hall guard our s elves against any feeling Of indignation

at them and more e specially again s t a thoughtles s q l
, re a

to give credence to them sim ply becau s e they run co unter

,

to u w usages and morality

o ro n .

All that s ocial s cience has a right to ask f the facts I o

which it regi s ters i s that they should be authentic ; t h i s

 P R E FA CE .

d uly proved it only remain s to accept classify d

, , ,
an

inte rpret them F aithful to this method witho ut w hich

.
,

the r e co uld be no science of s ociology I have he r e gathered ,

together a s proofs a numbe r f sing ular facts which O , ,

improbable a s they may appear accordin g to u p o r re

conceived notions and criminal according to u mo ral

, o r

sense are neve rtheless most in s t r uctive Although in a

, .

fo rme r work I have taken care to establish the r elativity f O

mo r ality the explanations that I am about to make are

,

not out of season ; for the s ubject of thi s book is closely

connected with what p x ll w e call mo rals ,
ar e ce en c e, .

O this p oint I must p e r mit myself a hort di gr ession

n S .

N o will p retend that our called civilised soci ty

o ne s o- e

has a very s trict practical mo rality yet publ c op n on still ,

i i i

seem s to attach a pa r ticular im portance to sexual morality ,

and thi s is the expression f a ve ry real sentiment the o ,

ori gin f which scientific sociology has no di ffi c ulty in

o

r et r acing This o r i gin far from bein g a lofty one goes

.
, ,

back simply to the right Of pr oprieto r shi p in women similar

to that in go ds and chattels— pr o prietorshi p whic h w
o a e

find claimed in savage and even in barba r o us co untries

, ,

without any feelin g of shame D ur in g the lower stages of .

social evolution women are uniformly treate d as domestic

,

animal s ; but this female live stock are di ffic ult to gua r d ; -

for on the
,
hand they a r e much coveted and a re u k il
o ne , ns

ful in defending them s elves and on the othe r they do not

, ,

bend willingly to the sided duty of fi delity that is im

o n e-

p ose d Onthem Th maste

. r s therefore
e p rotect their, own ,

inte r ests by a whole serie s of vexatious restr aint s f ri goro us ,

O

p unishments and of
,
fe r ocio u s reven ge s left at fir s t to the .

good plea s ure f the marital proprietor s and afterwa r ds

o ,
 P R E F A CE . xi

regulated and codified In the chapter . adulte r y on ,

e specially will be found a great number Of exam ple s f

, O

this mari tal s avagery I have previously s hown in my

.
,

d l M l that the unfore s een re s ult f all thi s

’

E oo lul z on e a ora e, o

jealou s fury ha s been t endow humanity and more par o ,

ti ul ly wome
c ar with th delicat sentiment f mode sty
n, e e o ,

unknown to the nimal world and to primitive man

a .

F rom thi s evolution of thou s ands f years there has o

fi nally re s ulted i countries and race s more

,
n les s civili s e d or ,

a certai s exual morality which i s half instinctive and

n , ,

v rie s ccording to time and place but which it i s im

a a ,

po ss ibl to tran sgre ss without the risk f o ffending gravely

e o

against public pinion C ivili s ations however whether

o .
, ,

coa r se or refined di ffer from each other Certai actions

, . n ,

counted a s blameworthy in part of th world o ne e ,

are

el s ewhere held lawful and even prai s eworthy I order

as . n

to trace the origi of marriage and of the family it is

n ,

therefore indi spen s able to relat a number f practice s e o

which may be s candalou s i u ye s While s u b mitti g n o r e . n

to thi s neces s ity I hav done s o unwillingly and with all

, e ,

the s obriety which b e fi t s th subject I hav s triven never e . e

to de part from th s cienti fi c spirit which puri fi s everything

e , e ,

and render s even indecency decent .

L ike the s ava ge s f to d ay u di s tant a cestors were

O , o r n

very little removed from s im ple animal exi s tence A .

knowledg Of their phy s iology i s everthele ss nece ss ary

e n

to enab le u s to under s tand u w ; for however culti o r o n ,

va et d the civili s ed m may be h derive s from the

an ,
e

humble progenitor s of hi race a number of instinct s which s

are energetic i proportio a s they are of low order

n n a .

M or or le ss deadened these gro ss tendencie s are late t in

e ,
n
 xii P R E F A CE .

the most high ly developed individ uals ; and when t h ey

sometimes b r eak ut s uddenly in the actions of a man s
o
’

life o r in the morals literat ure f a peo ple they r ecall

, or o ,

to us u ve ry humble origin and even show a ce rtain

o r ,

mental and moral ret r ogr ession .

N w it i s to thi s p r imitive man still in such a r udi

,

I o ,

mentary state that w must go back fo r enli ghtenment

,
e on

the genesis f all our social institutions We m us t take him

o .

at the most distant dawn of h umanity follow him step by ,

step in his slow metamo r pho s es without eithe r dispa ragin g ,

o r poetising him we m ust watch him r ising and becoming

more refined th r ough accumulated cent ur ies till he loses ,

by degree s his animal instincts and at len gth acqui res ,

a ptitudes inclinations and faculties that are t r uly h uman

, ,
.

Nothin g i s bette r adap ted to exem plify the evol ution

which binds our present to u past and to ou r fut ure o r

L
than the sociological histo r y of ma rr ia ge d of the family an .

A fter having s poken f the aim of this book it r emains

o ,

for me to j ustify its met h od This di ffe r s conside rably .

fr om what the mass f the public like far too well But
o .

a scientific treatise m ust not take purely litera ry wo rks

f its models ; and I can say to my r eaders with much
or ,

mo r e r eason than Old R abelais that if they wi s h to taste ,

t h e ma rr ow t h ey must take the t r o uble to b r eak the bone

, .

M y first and chie f consideration is to assist in the f u d o n a

o
—
tion f a w s cience ethnog raphical sociology E legant
ne .

and vain dis s e r tations vague generalities h ave no place

,
or ,

here It is by giving w y to these and in attem ptin g to

. a ,

reap the harve s t before sowin g the seed that many autho r s ,

have lo s t themselves in a pseudo sociology having no -

,

foundation and consequently no value

,
.
 P R E F A CE . xiii
Social s cience if it i s t b e s eriou s ly con s tituted mu s t
, o ,

s ubmit with docility to th method f natural science Th

e o . e

fi r s t ta s k and the
,
which e s pecially falls to the lot of the
o ne

s ociologists Of the pre s ent day is to collect the fact s which

,

will fo r m materials f the future edi fi ce T their s uc

or . o

c e s so rs will fall the plea s ure of com pleting d adorning it an .

Th present wo r k is therefo r e above all a collection f

e , , ,
o

facts which even if taken alone are curious and suggestive

, ,
.

These facts have been patiently gleaned fr om the w r itings

Of ethnographer s travelle r s legists and historians I have
, , , .

cla s sed them as well as I co uld and nat urally they have
,

ins pired me here and there w ith glim ps es f possible induc o

tions and with s ome slight attempt s at generalisation

,
.

But whether the reader rejects acce pt s my i t p or n e r re

t ti
a o ns, the groundwork f facts on which they rest i s s o
o

in s tructive of it s elf that a pe r usal of the following page s

cannot be quite fruitless .

CH . L E T O U R NE AU .
 THE EVO LUTIO N O F MA RRIA G E

AND O F TH E FA MILY

C H A P TE R I .

TH E B I O L O G I C A L O R I G I N OF MA RR I E AG .

I . 7 7 u True P lac e o f M a n in the A n im al lfz ngrlo m

'

—Man~
is a

rt br t t r i gp i t
.

m am m ife r o us , bim ano us ve e a e — Bio l o gy th e s a t n -

o n of

s o c io o
gy l —The o rigin o f l o ve

II R eproduc tion r pr du t i S i ip rity

Nut rt i io n an d e o c on c ss a

Buddi g—O ul ti n —C jugat i n—I m pr g ti n —R pr du t i

. .

n v a o on i o e na o e o c on n

th e in rt br t — Th
ve ntity all d N tur —O rg i p iali ati
e a es e e c e a e an c s ec s on

an d r pr du t i n —A dith yram b by H
e o c o kl ae c e .

—R ut r nd r i bl —R ut i h rt pub rty
V
I I I R ut d L an ov e e e s so c a e s a s o e

rgani ad r m nt—Th fr y f ut—Phy i l gi l r a

.

It s o c o n e e e nz o r s o o ca e so n

o f ut i m a m m al —L
r n d ut—S h p nh u r s d th d ign
o ve f
an r c o e a e an e es s o

N tur
a e .

IV L f A m m l — L
ov e o d d t h T h
’

l w f q y h
a s u t r — T o v e an ea -
e a o co e e

law f b t tl —j al u y d th ti id r t i n —L
.

gt
.

o a e e o s m
an aes e c c o ns e a o s o ve a on s

bir d —E ff
s t f x u l l
ec ti n —sT h ol se f th k y l ar k — Th
se ec o e o v es o e S a e

m al f th bl u h r
es o d th ir
e m b t —B tt l
e fm l g
e o n an d e c o a s a es O a e eese an

m l g ll i
a e —C urt u du l b tw
a n ac e ae m l —ZE th ti o eo du ti s e s e ee n a es s e c se c on

a m g on r t in b ird —[E th ti
ce a tr u ti —M u i al du ti s s e c c o ns c o ns s c se c on

Pr d m i
e o f th f m a lnan c em g r t oi b ir d — Ger t r e n u l ity
e a on c e a n s ea e se s a

o f th m l —E tI t
e f x ua l x l t t i —A C rt i p r d x
a e ec o se e a a on a es an a a o

In di idu l h i
v am g t anim l —I di idual f i f f m l
a c o ce on s a s n v an c es o e a es

G n r l pr p it i
e e a o os o n s.
 TH E E VOL UTI O N OF M AR R I A GE

I . Tfie True P laee of M a n .

We have too long been acc ustome d to st udy human

society as if man we r e a being a pa r t in the universe In .

com pa ring h uman bi peds with anima ls it h as seemed as if

we w e r e dispa r agin g these calle d demi gods It is to so- -
.

this blind prej udice t h at we m ust att r ibute t h e ta r dy rise

of anth r opolo gical sociology A dee per kno w ledge of .

biological science and Of infe rio r r aces h as at last cured

u of this chil dish vanity
s We have decided to assign to .

man his t r ue place in the o rganic wo rld of u little globe o r .

G ranted that the huma bi pe d is incontestably the most n

intelligent f t ti l animals yet by his histologi al

o e rre s a , ,
c

texture by his o rgans and by the functions of these o rgans

, , ,

he is evidently only an animal d easily classed in the , an

s eries he is a bimano us mammiferous verteb rate N t that
: ,
. o

by hi s most glo rious re pr e s entatives by t h ose who m we call ,

men f geni us man does not rise prodi giously above his
o ,

dist nt relations f the mammal class ; but

a o the other , on
hand by im pe r fectly developed s peci m en s he descends far
,

below many s pecies Of animals for if t h e idiot is only an

exce ption the man fgeni us is still mo r e so In fact the
,
o .
,

lowe s t human races with whose anatomy p sychology and , , ,

s ociology we are to day famil ia r can only ins pire us with

-
,

feelin gs f modesty They fu r nish s tudies in ethnography

o .

whic h have st r uck a mo rtal blow at the dreams f the o

“

kin gdom of man .

”

When once it i s e s tablished that man is a mammal like

any other and only disti guished fr om the animals Of his
,
n

cl s s by a gr eater ce r eb ral develo pment all study of huma

a , n

s ociology must logic lly be preceded by a co r re s pondin g a

s tudy of animal sociology M oreover a s sociology fi ally .

,
n

depends on biology it will be necessa r y to seek in ph ysio

,

logical conditions themselves the o r igin fgreat sociological O

manifestations T h fi r st necessity of societies is that t h ey

. e

sho uld endure and t h ey can only do so on the condition

of providing satisfaction f primordial needs w hich are the
,

or ,

condition of life itself d w hich impe ratively dominate ,

an
and regulate gr eat social instit utions L astly if man is a .
,

s ocia b le ani m al h e i not th only one many other s pecie

,
s e s
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y .
3

have grou ped them s elve s in s ocieties whe r e howeve r , ,

r udimenta r y they may be we find i embryonic s ketch the ,

n

p rinci p al trait s of human agglomeration s T here are even

s pecies— a s for exam ple bees ant s and termite s—that have
.

, , , ,

c r eated tru republic s f com plicated s tructure i which

e ,
o ,
n
the s ocial problem ha s been solved in an entirely original
manner W may take from them m ore than
. e good o ne
exam ple and mo r e than
,
val uable hint o ne .

M y prese t task i s to write the histo r y of marriage and

n

of the family Th in s titution Of marr iage has had no

. e

other object than the regulatio f s exual union s T he s e n o .

hav for their aim the sati s faction f one f the most
e o o

im periou s biological eeds —the s exual appetite ; but this n

appetite is only a conscio us im pul s e a s nare as M ,
“
,
”
on

t ig
a ne call s it which im pels both m and animal to
, an

p rovide a s far as concerns them for the p reservation f o

their s pecie s —to p y the ancestral debt accordin g

, ,
“ ”
a ,

to th Brahmanical formula Before s tudying the sexual

e .

relations and their mor or le s s regulated form in human

, e
s ocietie s it will not be ut f place to say a few words
,
o o on

reproduction in gene r al t sketch brie fl y its phy s iology in ,

o

s o far a s thi s is fundamental and to how h w ty r annical ,

S o

are the in s tinct s whose formation ha s b d t m i d by een

'

e er ne

physiological causes and which render the fierce s t nimals

,
a

mild and tractable Thi s i s what I s hall attem pt to do in

.

th followi g cha pter

e n .

II . R ep roa uelzon
’
'

Stendhal ha s s omewhere said that the beautiful i s s im ply

the outcome f the useful ch ngin g the phrase we
o a ,

may s ay that generation is the outcome f nut r ition If o .

we examine the pr oces s e s Of generation in very sim ple

O rganisms this gr eat function seems to an s wer to a su per
,

abu dance f n ut r itiv materials w hich after having carried

n o e , ,

the anatomic elements to thei r maximum volume at length ,

overflo w s and provokes the formation Of new elements A . s

long as the new bo r n elements can remain aggr egated w ith

-

those which al r eady constitute the individ ual as lon g a s the ,

latter has not ac quired all th develo p ment com patible with e
4 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

the plan f its being there is imply growth W h en once

o , S .

the limit i s attained that the s pecie s cannot pas s the ,

organism ( I mean a ve ry r udimentary organism) re pr o

duce s itself commonly by a s im ple divi s ion in two halves .

It pe r ishes in doubling itself and in producing two

beings simila r to itself and havin g nothing to do but grow
, , .

It i s by means of this bi partition that hydras vo rticell e -

,
a ,

alg d the lowe s t mushrooms are generally pro pa gated

ae, an .

In t h e organisms that are sli ghtly mo r e com plicated the

function f r epr oduction tends to be s peciali s ed Th
o . e

individ ual is no lon ger totally divided ; it produces a bud

w h ich gr ows by deg r ees and detaches itself from the pa r ent
,

o rganism t run in its turn through the very limited d

o a v en
t ur e s f it s meagre existence
O .

By a mo r e advanced step in special sation the function f i o

repr od uction becomes locali s ed in a particular cell an ,

ovule and the latter by a se r ies of re peated bi partitions

, ,
-
,

develops a new in dividual but it is generally necessary that

the cellule de s tined to multiply itself by s egmentatio sho uld n

at fi r st dissolve by union with anothe r cell Thro ugh .

the action f various o rganic p r ocesses the two generatin g

o
cells a r rive in contact Th element which is to unde rgo e
segmentation — the female element —then absorbs t h e
.

element that is sim ply im pulsive ; th element called male e

become s im pregnated with it and from that moment it is ,

fertilised that is to say capable Of pursuing the course f

, , o

its fo r mative work .

T hi s phenomenon s o s im ple in itself f the conju gatio

, , o n
Of two cell ule s is the foun dation f r eproduction in the two
,
o

o rganic kingdoms s oon as the two sexes are s eparated

as .

W h ether the sexes are repre s ented by distinct o r united

individuals whether the accessory organic a pparatus is
,

more less com plicated are matters of no consequence ;

or ,

the essential fact reappears al way s and every wh ere f the o

conjugation f t w o cellules with absorption i the case
o , ,
n

of su perior animals of the male cellule by the female

,

cellule
Th proces s may be Observed I n it s most elementary fo r m
.

e
in the alg and the diatomace e said to be conj ugated
ae a ,
.

T form a re prod uctive cellule or s pore t w nei ghbo ur in g

o , ,
o

c llule s ach throw out

e e to wa rd s t h e ot h e r a pr olongation
, o ne , .
 5

T he s e prolongations meet and their side s ab s orb each ,

other at the point Of contact ; then the protoplasms f th o e

two elements mingle and at length the two cellule s melt ,

into single re productive cellule ( s gy l g t )

a
'

ro ra on a a .

Between thi s marriage of two lower vegetal cellule s ,

which reali s es t the letter the cele b rated b iblical word s

o ,
“
they s hall be fle s h rather one protopla s m d
o ne ,
”
or ,
an

the fundamental phenomeno of fecundation in the su perior n

animals including man ther i s no e ss ential dis s imilarity
, , e .

Th ovule of the female and the s pe r mato oon f the mal

e z o e
become fu s ed in the same manner w ith this di fference only , ,

that th feminine cellule the ovule pr eserves its individu

e , ,

ality and absorb s th ma s culine cellule i s impregnatede ,

or

by it .

But s im ple as it i s this phenomenon f fecu dation

, ,
o n
i s the s ole rea s on Of the duration of bi sexual s pecie s -
.

Thanks to it organic individual s that are all mor

,
l ss e or e
e phemeral ,

E q i r r it i l m pad d
t, uas c u so e s , v
'

a a a tra unt .

( L uc retius , II .

For many organised beings reproduction s eem s i re lity n a

the su preme Object f exi s tence Num b ers Of vegetable s o .

and f animal s even Of animals high in the s eries— a s in s ect s

o
—die as s oon as they have accom plished this great duty
,

Sometime s th male ex pire s before having detached him s elf

e
from the female and the latter herself s urvive s just long
,

enough to e ffect the laying of egg s In s tead of layin g egg s .

,

the female cochi eal fi ll s her s elf with egg s to s uch a degre
n e
that she die s i con s e q uence and the tegument of her
n ,

body i s transformed into a protecting nvelo p for th e e e

eggs .

At the t very di s tant time whe

no animi s m reigned n
su preme the s e fact s were ttri b uted to calculations Of
, a
design Natu r e it was believed occupied herself chiefly
.
, ,

with perpetuating organised s pecie s a s f individuals h or ,

s e
di d i d th care Of them
s a ne We now know that Nature
e .
,

a s an anthrop omorphic b ein g doe s not e xist that the great ,

forces called natural are uncon s ciou s that their b lind action
results however i th world of life i choice a s electio
, ,
n e ,
n a ,
n,
 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF MA R R I A G E

a pr ogressive evolution to sum up in the s urvival of the

,
o r, ,

indi id uals be s t ada pted to the conditions of their existence

v .

Without any intention of D ame Natu r e the preservation f ,

o

the specie s was necessarily before anyt h ing else the obj ect , ,

of s election ; and d ur in g the course of geological pe r iods

pr imitive bi p artition gradually became tran s forme d throu gh
-

prog r e s sive diffe r entiation into bi sexual procreation re

-
,

qui r in g the concurrence f s pecial and complicated apparatu s o

in order to be effe ted But at the s ame time a s pr ocreation
c .
, ,

other functions also became di fferentiated by the formation

of special o rgans ; the nervous system vegetated aroun d
the / c zo raa
’
h ;
’
d finally conscious life awoke in
ao rs a
'

s an , ,

the nervou s centre s Thencefo r th the accom plishment of

.

the great function f pr ocreation assumed an entirely o

di fferent a spect In the lowest s tages of the animal

.

kingdom reproduction i s fl t d mechanically and u e

'

ec e n

consciously A pa ramoeci um obse r ved by M Balbiani

.
,
.
,

produced in fo r ty t w o days by a se r ies f sim ple bi o

-
,

p artitions , individual s w ho very certainly had ,

not th least notion Of the phenomena by which they

e
transmitted existence But with s u pe r ior animal s it is .

very di fferent ; in their case the act f proc r eation is a o

r eal ffl e not only physical but psyc h ical F

o re sc e n c e , ,
. or

the study that I am now unde rtaking it will not be without

use to recall the pr inci pal features Of this amo r o us ffl e or

since it is after all the first cau s e of ma r riage and

e sc e n c e , , ,

o f the family At the same time not to lose our stand

.
,

point it is im portant to bear in mind that at the bottom all

,

t h i s ex pendit ure f phy s ical and psychical fo r ce has for

o
motive and for result both in man and animal the con , ,

j ugation of two generative cell ules H aeckel has w ritten .

a dithyramb on thi s subj ect in his A t/ p g m which n t ro o e

'

a,

is in the main so true that I take pleasure in quoting

it— G r eat e ffects
“
everywhere produced in animated
are ,

nature by min ute cau s e s

,
T hink of h ow many curio us .

p henomena sex u al s election giv e s rise to in animal life ;

think of the res ults f love i h uman life now all thi s ha s
o n ,

f its the union Of two cell ule s There is

'

d ét
’
or ra zson re .

no organic act which approaches this in power and in o ne

the force f di fferentiation Th Semitic myth of E

o . e ve

s educin g Adam for the love of knowled ge the ld G reek , o

 AN D OF TH E F A M I L K 7

legend Of Pa r is and H elen and many othe r magnificent ,

p oems do they, not im ply ex p ress the enormous infl uence

S

that sexual love and s ex ual selection have exerci sed s ince
the s e par tion fthe sexes ? Th influence f all the other
a O e o

pa s sion s which agit te the human heart cannot weigh in the

a

balance with love w hich i fl m the sense s and fas inates

, n a es c

the reason O the .hand we celebrate in love the

n o ne ,

source fthe most s ublime wo r ks Of art and of the noble s t

o ,

creations of poetry and f music ; w venerate it as the o e

most powerful factor i civilisation a s the prime cau s e f n , o

family life and con s e quently f s ocial life O the other

, o . n

hand we fear love as a destr uctive fl ame ; it is love that

,

drive s so many to ruin ; it is love that has cau s ed more

mise ry V ice and crime than all other calamities together
, , .

L ove is s o prodigiou s it s in fl uence is s o eno r mou s on ,

p sychic life and the mo s t diverse functions f the ervous o n

sy s tem that in reg r d to it we are tem pted to que s tion the
,
a

s u pe r natural effect f u nat ural ex planation Nevertheless

o o r .
,

com parative biology and the hi s tory f develop ment conduct o

u s surely and i conte s ta b ly to the s im ple s t most remote

n ,

s ource f love ; that i s to s ay the elective a ffi nity f

o ,
o

t w o di fferent cellules — the s perm atic cell and the ovulary

cell
.
” 1

III . R at a n d L ove .

In a fo r mer wo r k the evol ution of morality I have on

desc r ibed th manner i which th heredita r y tendencies

e n e

and in s tincts arise from habit ind uced in the nervou s ,

cellule s by a ufli i t repetition of the same act s Th

s c en . e
in s tinct f procreation ha s and
o have no other , c an ,

ori gin Th animal s pecies during the lon g phase s f

. e , o

their evolution have reproduced them s elves unconsciously

, ,

and by very sim ple proce ss e s which we may s till ob s e rve ,

in certain oo phyte s By degree s the s e mere sketche s f

z . o

animal s have become perfected and differentiated and ,

have ac quired s pecial organs over which the biological

work h been dist ib uted ; thenceforth the play f lif
as r o e

ha s echoed in the nervou s centres and has awakened ,

in them im pre ss ions and de s ires the energy f which ,

o

1
'

A n t/tropoge m a, p 5 7 7 . .
8 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R R I A G E

st r i tly co rr espon ds to the im po rtan e of the functions

c c

N w the r e is no mo r e primordial function than proc r eation

.

o , ,

since it depends t h e duration even of the s pecies ; and

on

fo r this r eason the need f re production o r the rut break s o , ,

o ut in many animals like a kind of madness T h p sychic . e

fac ulties f t h e animal w h ethe r great small are then
O , or ,

over excited and r ise above their o rdinary level ; but they
-

all tend to one u preme aim —the de s ire f re pr oduction

,

S or .

A t this period the w ildest and mo s t un s ociable s pe ies c

can no lon ger end ure solitude ; bot h males and females
seek each ot h er ; sometimes even they are seen to fo r m , ,

themselve s into g r o up s smal l provi s ional s ocieties which

,
or ,

will dissolve again a fte r the co upling time is over .

E ach p eriod of rut i s for animals a sort of p uberty .

T h hai r the pluma ge and the scales often ass ume r ic h

e , ,

tints which afterwa rds disa ppear Sometime s special p i . e

de r mic prod uctions a ppea r in the male and ser e him , v

for tem porary wea pons w ith which to fight his rivals or ,

for ornaments to ca ptivate the female It is with a veritable .

fr en y that the sexual union i s accom pli s hed among certain

z

s pecies Thus D G ii th has several time s found female

. r
. n er

toads dead smothered by the embrace Of the males

,
.
1

Spallan ani was able to am putate the thi ghs f male fr ogs
z O

and toad s d ur ing copulation without dive r ting them fr om ,

their work .

In t h e animal class which more pa r ticularly inte r ests

us that f mammals r ut produces analogous tho ugh
, o , ,

le s s violent phenome n a N w in this case w know that

,
. o , ,
e

erotic fury is closely related to con gestive ph enomena ,

having for their seat the pr ocreative glands which swell ,

in both male and female and provoke in t h e latter a

ve r itable p r ocess f gg laying We m ust t forget that
,

o e -
. no
man in his quality of mammal is subject to the common
, ,

law that female menstruation is es s entially i dentical with

,

the intimate ph enomena of r ut in the females f mammals O ,

and co rres pond s also to an ova r ian congestion or to ,

the s w ellin g and bursting f one mo r e of the G fi o or raa an

follicles ; it is in short a prod uction of eggs I need not

, ,
.

lay st ress on t h ese facts but it i s ri ght to recall them ,

by the way since they are the ,

d ét of sexual ra z so a
'
’
re
1
Da rwi
n, D es c en t f
o M a n ,
8
p 3 4 . .
 AND OF TH E FA M I L Y .
9

att raction witho ut which there wo uld be neither marriage

,

no r family .

If we are willing to de s cend to the foundation f things o ,

we find that human love i s essentially rut in intelligent an

being It exalt s all the vital force s f the man ju s t a s ut
. o r
over excites those f the animal If it seem s to di ffer o .

extremely from it this i s s im ply b ecau s e in man the p

,
ro ~

creative need a primordial need b eyond all other s in

, ,

radiating from highly develo ped nervous centre s awakens ,

and s ets in commotion an entire psychic life unknown to

the animal .

The r e i s nothi g s urp ri s ing to the naturali s t in thi s p

n ro
creative ex plo s ion which evolve s altrui s m ut of goti s m
, o e .

We know too well howeve r that it ha s t a ppeared so , ,

no
sim pl a matter to many philo s opher s and celebrated
e
literary men little familiar with biological s ciences A
, .

belated meta phy s ician Schopenhauer wh ha s lately , , o

become fa s hionable adopting the ancient stereotyped ,

doctrine which makes Nature anthro pomorphic per s on an

a e,
g has gratuitou s ly credited her with q uite a profound
diplomatic de s ign According to him it i s a foregone con
.
,

c lu i
s on that s he should intoxicate individual s with love and ,

thu s urge them on without their s u specting it to sacrifice

, ,

them s elves to the major intere s t Of the pre s ervation f the o

species Th glance that we have ju s t thrown on th

. e e

proce ss es of re production from the paramoecium up to man , ,

s u ffices to refute thi s dre m I will t howeve r dwell a no , on

this What is here f great interest is to inquire how the

.
,

. o

s u perior animals comport themselve s when pricked by

desire and to note the princi pal trait s f their s exual
,
o

p sychology ; for her again we h all have to reco

e gnise more S

than o ne analogy to w hat ha ppen s in reg rd t man ; and

'

a o

we shall also see later that there exists b oth in the animal
and the some relation between the manner in which
t h an

sexual attraction is felt and the g eate r les s aptitude for r or

du r a ble pairing and con s equently for marriage and th

,
e
family .

Without givin g more time than is necessary to these

sho r t excur s ion s into animal ps ychology it will be well to ,

pa use on them f a moment T hey throw a li ght

or the . on

s ources f h uman sociology ; they force us lso to break

o a
10 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R RI A G E

once for all w i h the abstract and t r ite th eo r ies which have
t

inspi r ed on th subj ect of marria ge d the family so

, e an ,

much em pty wr itin g and so many satiatin g t r ivialities It .

is in nimality that h umanity has its root ; it is t h e r e

a ,

consequently that we must seek the ori gins of human

,

sociology .

In a well known mystic book occ urs an a phorism which

-

has become celeb rate d— L ove is st r on g as death Th “

.
”
e

expression is not exa ggerated we may even say that love is

stron ger than death since it m akes u des pi s e it This i s
, s .

perha ps truer with anim ls than with man and i s all the a ,

more evident in proportion as the rational will is weake r ,

and pr udential c lculations furnish no check to the im petu

a
Os ity f desi r e
o F the majo r ity f insects to love and to
. or o

die a r e lmost synonymous and yet they make no effort to

a ,

resist the amorous fren y which urge s them B ut how

z on .

ever sh ort may be their sex ual ca r eer one fact has been ,

so generally Obse r ved in reg rd to many of them that it a ,

may be consi dered as the e pression f a la w— ti l w f x o le a o

co q y
u t
e r With. the gr eater number f s p ecies that are o
sligh tly intelligent the female refuses at fi r st to yield to
,

amorous ca r esses This useful practice may well have

.

arisen from selection for it s result ha s inva r iably been to

,

excite the desire of t h e male and arouse in him late t o r ,

n

sleepin g fac ulties H oweve r b r ief for exam ple may be the
.
, ,

life of butterflies thei r pai rin g is not accom plished wit h out
,

p re liminaries ; the males co ur t the female s d urin g entire

ho urs and fo r a butte r fly hours a r e years
,
.

We can easily imagine that the c oq uet ry f females i s o

more common amon gst vertebrates W h en the s ea s on of .

love arrives m any male fishes wh a r e then adorned with

, , o
extremely brilliant colo urs make the most of their tran s ient ,

beauty by spreading ut t heir fins and by executing leaps o , ,

da r ts and sed uctive manoeuv res a r o und t h e females .

A mong fishes we begin al r eady to observe another

,

s exual law t lea s t as general as the law f coquetry

a o ,

which D a rw in has c lled the l w f b ttl Th males

,

a a o a e
. e

dis pute with eac h other for the female s and mu s t t r iumph ,
 AND OF TH E FA M I L Y . 1 1

over their rivals before Ob tainin g them Thus whilst the .

,

female s ticklebacks are very pacific their males are f war , o

like humour and en gage in furiou s combat s in their honour

, .

In the s ame way t h male salmon whose lower j aw e ,

len gthens into crook during the breeding sea s on are

-

a ,

constantly fi ghting amongst each other .

1

T h higher w a s cend in the animal kingdom the more

e e

frequent and mo r e V iolent become two desires in the

male s—th desire f a ppearing b eautiful and that of
e o ,

d r iving away rivals In South A me r ica the male s f .

,
o

the A l t ll t
n a zs a fi ili gu l saurian have terrible
'

c rz s e
'

a a s, ss n a ,

battles in the br eedin g season the van qui s hed habitually ,

losin g hi s t il which is bitten Off by the victor A old

a ,
. n

Observer al s o de s cribe s the amorou s male alligator as

“
swollen to burstin g the head and tail raised spinn ng , , i

r ound the s urface f the water and appearing to assume

on o ,

the manner f an Indian chief relatin g his ex ploits

o .
” 2

But it is particularly amon g birds that the sentiment ,

or

rather the passion f lov break s ut with most force and ,

o e o

even p oetry It i s especially to bird s that the cele b rated

.

Darwinian theory of sexual selection ap plie s It i s di fficult .

,

indeed t to attribute t thi s infl uence the production

,
no o

o f the O ffen s ive and defensive a r ms the armaments the , ,

o rgans f song the gland s Of odo r iferou s s ec r etion f many

O ,
o

male birds al s o their courage the warlike instinct of many

, ,

o f them d lastly the coquetry of the female s

,
an L t us , . e

liste to Audubon as he relate s the loves f the kylark

n ,
o S
“
E ach male i s seen to advanc with an impo s ing and e
measured s tep swin ging hi s tail spreading it ut to its full
, ,
o

extent then closing it again like a fan in the hand s f a fine

,
O

lady T heir brilliant notes are more melodious than ever ;

.

they re peat them oftener than usual as they rest the on

branch summit f some tall meado w reed W to the

or o . oe

rival wh da r e s to enter the list s to the male who sim ply

o , or
comes in sight f another male at thi s moment f veritable
o o

deli r ium he s uddenly attacked and if he the w eaker

: 15 , ,
15 ,

chased beyond the limits of the territory claimed by th e

fi s t occu pant Sometimes seve r al bi rds are seen en gaged

r .

in the s e rude combat s w hich r arely la s t more than t w o ,

or

D arwin D
1
fM p 3 6 5 es c en t o an ,

B r tram T
.

g/ C lm
,
2
l / a p 8 , ra v e s t t ro u z a ro a, . 12
1 2 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

three minutes the a ppea rance of a s in gle female su ffices

:

to put an instant end to their qua rr el and they all fly after ,

her as if mad Th female shows the natural r eserve f her

. e o
sex witho ut which even amon g la r ks every female would
, , ,

p r obably fail to find a male [ this is a little t flattering for oo

la rks and even for men ] Whe the latter continue s

, . n ,
”

Aud ubon fl ies towa rd s her sighing forth h is s weetest

, ,

notes she retreat s before her ardent admi r er in such

,

a way that he knows not whether he is re pulsed or

encourage d .
” 1

In thi little picture the author has noted all the strikin g
s

traits of the love f bird s —the courage and jealou s y of the o

male hi s e fforts to charm the female by hi s beauty and the
,

sweetne s s f hi s son g and finally the coquetry f the

o , , o

female wh retreats and thus throws il the fire Th

, o , O on . e
combats f the amorous male s amon g many species of bird s
o

have been ob s erved and described minutely Th large .

“
e
blue male heron s s ay s Audubon attack each other ,
”
,
“

br utally without courtesy ; they make pas s es with thei r long

,

beaks and pa rry t h em like fencing masters often for half ,

ah - hour at a time after which t h e vanquished one remain s ,

on the ground wounded killed ,

or .
” 2

Th male Canad ian gee s e e gage in combat s which

e n

last more t han half hour ; the vanquished s ometime s -

ah -

retu r n to the charge and the fi ght always takes place in , an

enclosed fiel d in the middle of a ci rcle formed by the band

,

or clan of which the rivals form part .

B ut it is es pecially amon g the gallinace that love ae

inspires the males with w arlike fury In this order f . o

birds ne rly all the males a r e f bellicose tem pe ramen t

a o

O u barn door cock i s the typ e of the gallinace e vai

r - — a n,

amorous and coura geou s Black cocks are also always

,
.

ready for a fight d their female s quietly look on at their , an

combat s and afte rwards reward the conqueror We may .

observe analogous facts only s ome w hat masked in s avage

,

, , ,

and even in civili s ed h umanity Th conduct f ce r tain . e o

females of the T t g ll i s still more human A ccord

e ras n ro a ns .

m g to K w l w k y they tak advantage of a moment when

o a e s ,
e
the attention of the Old cocks is entirely abs orbed by
1
Audubo n , S c en es de la N at ure da n s le s E tats Un is , v o l. i p 383
. . .

2
I bz a v o l ii p 6 6
’ ’

. . . . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 1 3

the anxiety f the combat to r un ff with a younger

o , o
male .
1

If we may believe certain authors these amorou s duels ,

must t alway s be taken se r iously They are Often nothing

no .

more than parade s tourneys or courteou s j ousts merely , , ,

g iving t h males o pp ortunity

e f showin g their bea uty
an o ,

addre ss s trength T hi s is the case according to Blyth

,
or .
, ,

with the T t mb llu In the sam way the grou s e Of

e ras n e s .
2
e ,

F lorida ( T t p ) are s aid to a ss em ble at night to

'
'
e ra s c ns z ao

fi ght until the morni g with measured gr ace and then to n ,

separate having fi rs t exchanged fo r mal co urtesie s

,
.
3

But amo g animals a s well a s men love ha s more tha

n , , n
o ne string to hi s bow It is e specially s o with b ird s w h .
,
o

are the mo s t amorou s f verte b rates They use s everal o .

aesthetic means of attractin g the fe m ale such a s b eauty f , o

plumag and the art of s howi g it and also s w eetness f

e n , o

s o g Strength seems often to be quite s et a s ide and the

n .
,

eye and ear are alone a ppealed to by the love stricken -

males .

E very ha s seen u pigeon s and dove s courteou s ly

o ne o r
salute their mate s M any male bi rds execute dance s and .

courtin g parades before their females Thu s f exampl .

, or e,
do the T t p/ ll f North A merica herons
e ras zasa n ze
'

ns o ,

( C t/a t j t ) vultures
za r es etc T
o ah male,
f the red wing , . e o -

s truts about before his female s wee ping the ground with ,

hi s tail and actin g the dandy T h cre s ted d uck rai s e s his .
4
e
head gracefully s traighten s hi s s ilky aigrette bows to his
, ,
or

female while hi s t h roat s well s and he utter s a s ort f

,
o

gutteral s ound Th mal h ffi h places him s elf in

.
5
e e c a nc

front of the fem le that she may admire at her ea s e hi s red

a ,

throat and blue head .

6

All thi s e s thetic dis play is q uite intentional

a d p an re

meditated ; f whil many pheasants and gallinaceous

or e
bi rds parade befo r e their female s two phea s ants Of d ull ,

colour the C p t l ,
t m and the P fi
ross o
'

z on a nrz n
’ ’

as z a n ns

W ll fi i refr ain from doin g

a
'

zc z
'

,
being a pparently con so ,
7 ~

sciou s Of their mode s t livery .

1
Da rw
in , D esc en t of M a n , p .
3 99 .
2
I oz a p 403
'
’
. . .

3
E s pinas , S oc iete‘
'
6
’

s A n z m a les , p.
3 2 .

4
Audubo n , loc c z t , v o l i p .
'

. . . .
3 5
0 .
5
I bza v o l
’
’
.
p 50 . II . . .

6
rw
Da in , D esc ent of M a n , p .
4 38 .
7
Mid p 4 38. . .
1 4 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

Birds Often assemble in la rge numbe r s to com pete in

beauty befo r e pai r i g Th T t up f F lorida and n . e e ra s c s
'

za o o
’

the little gr ouse f G ermany d Scandinavia do t h is O an .

T h latter have daily amo r o us assemblies

e u d ,
or co rs
’
a nz ozc r,

o f great length which a r e r ene w ed every year in the month

,

of M y a .
1

Ce r tain bi rds a r e not content with thei r at ur al o r na n

ments h o wever brilliant the s e may be but give the rein to

, ,

their est h etic desi r e in a w y that may be called human

a a .

M G ould a ss u r es us that s ome s pecies of hummin g bi rds

r
.
-

decorate the exterior of thei r nests w ith ex quisite ta ste ,

making use of lichens feathers etc Th bowe r birds of , ,

. e -

A ust ralia ( C /l myd m l t etc ) construct bower s On

z a era ac n a a , .

the ground ornamented with feathers shells bones and

, , , ,

leaves T h ese bowers are intended to s helter the cou r tin g

.

parades and both male s and female s join in buildin g t h em

, ,

though the former are more ealous in the wo r k But in z .

2

this erotic architectur e the palm is ca r ried ff by a bird of O

N w G uinea the A m oly made known to u ' '

e t ,
orn zs z n orn a a, s

by M O B . i This bi r d f rare bea uty fo r it is a bird

. e c c ar .
3
o ,

o f Pa radise const r ucts a little conical but t

, protect his o

amo ur s and in fr ont of this he arran ges a lawn ca rpeted

, ,

with moss; the greennes s f w h i h he relieves by scatte r ing o c

on it various bright colo ured Object s s uch a s berries grains -

, , ,

fl owers pebbles and shells M ore than this when the

, ,
.
,

fl ower s are faded he takes gr eat ca r e to re place the m by ,

fresh one s s o that the eye may be always agreeably

,

flattered These curio us constructions are s olid lastin g fo r

.
,

s eve ral years and probably se rving for several bi r ds What

,
.

we know of sexual union s among the lower h uman races

su ff ces to show how much the s e bird s excel men in
i

se ual delicacy
x .

E ve r y one is a w are that the melodio us voice of many male

birds fur nishes them with a p owe r ful means f s duction o e .

E very s pr ing u ni ghtingales figure in t r ue lyric tourna

o r
ments M agp ies who a r e ill endowed fr om a m usical point
.
,
-

Of V iew endeavour to make up for this organic im pe fection

,
r

1 Da rwi D esc en t of M a n , p 4 33 - E s p in as, S oc A n z m ales , p 3 26

n, . . .
’

. .

9
I bzcl pp 4 1 8 , 4 5 3
'

t a
. . .
0

A n n a /c ael M n seo c w z c o a z storz a n at urale a z Gen oo a, Ix f se

’ ’
3 '
. .

1 877 '
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
5

by ra pping a dry and sonorou s b ranch t only t call

on ,
no o
the female b ut also to cha m he r w may say in fact that
,
r e , ,

they perform inst rumental mu s ic Anot h er bird the m al .

, e
o f the weaver bird b uild s an abode f plea s ure for him s elf
-
,
o ,

where he goes to sing to hi s com panion .

1

Aud ubon has made observation in rega r d to Cana o ne

dia geese which is in every p oint a pplicable t the human

n o

s pecie s Th o lder the birds are he says the mo r e t h ey

. e , ,

abridge the preliminarie s f their amour s Their poetic o .

and esthetic sense ha s become blunted and they go s trai ght

a ,

to their object .

Wherever amongst the animal specie s s u premacy in love

is obtained by force the male nea rly always the mo r e , ,

ardent ha s necessarily become through the a tion f s elec

, , c o

tion larger stron ger and bette r armed than the female
, , , .

Such is in reality the case in rega r d to the greater number

o f vertebrat es ; certain exce ptions howeve r exi s t and , , ,

naturally the s e are chie fl y fo und among birds as they are ,

more inclined than other types to put a ce r tain delicacy in

their s exual unions With many s pecie s of birds indeed
.
, ,

the female is la rger and stronger than the male It i s .

well known to be the same with certain articulates and ,

the s e fac ts authori s e u s to admit that there i s no nece ss ary

correlation between relative weakne ss and the femal sex e .

M ust we therefore concl ude with D arwin that the fe m ale s , ,

o f certain b i r ds owe thei r exce ss f si e and height to the o z

f t th t they have formerly conte s ted also for the p o s se ss ion

'

ac a

o f the male s ? We may be allowed to doubt it A lmo s t .

universally whether s he i s large or s mall the female is less

, ,

ardent than the male and in the amorou s tragi comedy s he ,

-

gene rally play s from beginning t end a passive ol ; in

, o ,
r e

the animal kingdom a s well a s with mankind ma ons are , , a z

rare .

Among bi r ds and ve r te b rates ge erally the male is much n

more im petuou s than the female and t h erefore he has no ,

di fficulty in acce p ti g for the moment any com panion n

whatever This uncontrollable ardo ur s ometime s even

.
2

urges the males to commit actual attem pt s on the safety f o

the family Thus it ha ppens that the m ale canary (F g ll

.
'

rz n r a
’

1
E s pinas , loc c z t , p p 2 99 , 4 3 8
'

. . . .

rw
D a in , D esc en t of M a n , p 4 60 . .
1 6 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A RR I A GE

c a n a rz a e r secute s his female while s h e is sittin g tea r s her

’

) p ,

ne s t throws ut the eggs and in sho r t trie s to excite hi s

, o , , ,

mate to become again a lover fo rgettin g that she is a ,

mothe r In the s ame way u domestic cock pursue s the

. o r

s ittin g hen when she leaves her e ggs in orde r to feed .

1

With the cou s in s german f man the mammals sex ual -

o , ,

p sychology has a gene r al res emblance to t h at f bi r ds but o ,

more often it is far less delicate A d be s ides this the . n ,

sexual customs are natura lly le s s refined in pro po rtion as

the nervous centres of the s pecies are less perfected Thus .

the stu pid t t w y meet by chance smell each othe r

a o a s , ,

copulate and s epa rate with the greatest indi fference O u . r

domestic dog him s elf althou gh s o civilised and a ffectionate

, ,

is gene rally gros s in his amou r s as the t t w y

as a o a .

With bird s a s w e have seen the law f battle plays an

, ,
o

im portant part in s exual s election ; but it is often counte r

balanced by other le ss b rutal influences This is r arely the .

case in regard to mammals with whom es pecially the ri ght ,

of the stron gest regulates the union s T h law of battle . e

p r evails amon g q u ti well as land mammals Th

a a c .
as . e
combat s f the male s tags in the r utting s ea s on are
o , ,

celebrated Th combatants have been kno w n to s uccumb

. e
without bein g able to disentangle thei r inte r locked antle r s
but seal s and male s perm w hales fi ght with equal fu ry and -
,

s o also do the male s fthe G reenland whale o .

2

In mammals as in bi rds and a s in man sexual desir e

, , ,

raises and intensifies all the faculties and seem s to elevate ,

the individual above the level of normal life Animals in a .

s tate f rut become bolder more ferocious and more danger

o , ,

ou s Th elephant pacific enough by atu r e ass ume s a

. e ,
n ,

terr ible fu ry in the r uttin g s eason Th Sansk r it poems . e

constantl y recur t the s imile f the ele phant in ut to

o o r

expr ess t h e highest deg r ee f s t rength nobility grandeu r o , , ,

and even beauty .

B ut obviously I must not lin ge r very lon g over the loves

of the animals My chief object is to study sexual union
.

and ma rr iage among s t human beings Th rut Of animals . e

and their sexual passions me r ely interest us here as p re

limina ry studies w h ich throw li ght ,

the o rigin fanalogous on o
’
1
H o uz e au, F ac ultés m en ta les des a n z m a n x, t . 1 6 15 p . 2 92 .

2
Da rw
in , D esc en t of M an , pp 5 50 , 5 5 6 . .
 A N D OF TH E F A M JL Y .
7

sentiments in mankind Before leavi g this s ubj e t how . n c ,

ever it will be useful to ote a fe w more facts which from

, n ,

the p oint f view f s exual psychology bring animal s d

o o ,
an
men near t each other o .

Th old Carte s ian paradox which makes the animal an

e ,

unconscio us m achine has s till many partisan s A widely , .

prevailing prejudice insist s that animal s alway s o b ey blind

in s tinct s while man alo e l m p
,
made after the n ,
zo o sa
’

z ens,

image f G d weigh s motive s deliberates and choose s

o o , ,
.

N ow a s p rocreation constitute s
,
of the great necessities o ne

o f o r ganised beings and i s an im perious law which no ,

specie s can elude without di s ppearin g s u r ely we ou ght to a ,

fi d amongst animal s the most exact re gularity in the acts

n

connected with it M alone ou ght to have th p r ivilege . an e

o f introd ucing caprice and fr ee choice into love It is t . no

s o however O thi s s ide of his nature as on all the other s

, .
‘

n , ,

man and animal approach re s emble and copy each other , , .

In hi s celebrated invocation t V enu s L ucretius ha s truly o ,

said proclaiming the univer s al em pi r e of the in s tinct f

, o

reproduction
P t q ni m g mn im t m er e uo a e n us o e an an u
Co nCIpI tur, q
V I S I t ue e xo rtum lum Ine so li
s .
”

T he animal a s well as the morally develo ped m is

,
an,
ca pable f preference and individ ual pa ss ion ; he doe s not
o

yield blindly and pa s sively to sexual love .

A ccording to ob s erver s and breeders it i s the female ,

wh i s specially su s ce ptible f s entimental s election

o o .

Th male even the male

e ,
f birds is more ardent than o ,

the female that i s t say more intoxicated and more

,
o ,

s ha rply pr icked by in s tinct and thu s generally acce pts any ,

fe male whatever all are alike to him This is the rule but .
,

it is not without exce ption s thu the male phea s ant show s s,
a s ingular aversion to certain hen s A mo gs t the long . n

tailed duck s s ome females have evidently a particul ar charm

for the male s and are courted more than the others Th
,
.
1
e

pgi eon f the dovecot

o s hows a s trong aver s ion t the s pecie s o

modi fi ed b y breeder s which he rega rd s a s deteriorated , .

2

Stallion s are often capriciou s It wa s neces s ary for exam ple .

, ,

D arwin D
1
t fM 6 d 2
’

pp 4 6 ,4 I b
esc en p 45 7
o an , . 0, 1 . z . . .

2
 TH E E VOL UTI O N OF MA E R JA GE

to use st ratagem in o r der to induce the famous stallion

M ona r ch to be get G ladiateur w h became still mo r e , o
famous A nalo go us facts h ave been obse r ved in regard
.
1

to b ulls .
2

But it is more especially the females wh introduce i o h

dividual fancy into s exual love They are subj ect to sin gular .

and inexplicable aversions M a r es sometimes re s ist and it .

,

is necessa ry to deceive them F emale pi geons occasionally .

3

show a st ron g di s like to certain males without ap parent

ca use and refuse to yield to thei r ca r esses At other times
, .

a female pigeon suddenly fo rgettin gthe constancy of her

,

specie s abandons her ld m ate le gitimate spouse to fall

, o or
violently in love with anothe r male In the same way .

p eahens s ometimes h o w a lively attachment to a S

pa r tic ular
p ea ock
c H i gh b r
. ed4
bitches led astray
-
by passion tram ple , ,

under foot thei r di gnity hono ur and all care for nobility , ,

o f blood to yield them s elve s to pug dogs of low b r eed or

,
-

mon grel males We a r e told of s ome who have persisted

.

for entire weeks in the s e degrading passions repulsing

.

between times the most distin guished ftheir w race o o n .

5

E ven amon g s p ecies noted for their fidelity it s ometime s

ha ppens that acts f sexual looseness are committed o .

Th female p i geon often abandons her mate if the latter is

e

wo unded becomes weak M isfortune i s t attractiv

or .
6
no e,
and love does not always inspire heroism .

In concl udin g this short st udy of sexual u nion i th n e

animal kingdom I will attem pt to formulate the general
,

p ro p ositions which may be d r awn from it .

All o rganic sp ecies undergo the tyranny of the pr ocreativ e

function which is a gua rantee of the duration fthe type
,
o .

T h phenomeno
e of re prod uction when detached from
n ,

all the com plicated acces s ories which Often conceal it i n

bi s exual s pecie s goe s back e s sentially to the conjugatio

-
,
f n o

two cell ules .

With intelligent animals the procreative function echoe s

in the nervous centres under t h e form of violent desire s ,

which intensify all the psychic and phy s ical facultie s in

awakening what we call love .

1
rw
D a in, D esc ent f
o M a n p 57 . . I b a pp 4 5 8 , 4 5 9
l
’

'
. . .

2
l od p 5 76 I oz p 5 7 4
r . .
a . . .

1m p 5 7 6
a
3 . . . [on] p 2 34
. . .
 A N D OF TH E F A M JE Y
. 1 9

At it s ba s e the love of nimals does t di ffer fr om that

,
a no
of man D oubtless it i s never s uch quintessence as th
. a e
love f Petrarch but it is often more delicate tha that
o , n
of inferior races and f ill conditioned individuals who
,
o -
, ,

though belonging to the huma race s eek for othing i n , n n

love b ut to u an energetic x pre ss io f Am y t
,
se e n o o
’
s

Pl utarch to get drunk

,
“
.
”

But mo g many f the animal s pecie s the s xual union

a n o e
induce s durable a ss ociatio having for its object th
a n, e
rearing f young In nobility delicacy and devotion the s
o .
, , e
union s d t yield precedence to many human union s
o no .

They de s erve attentive s tudy .

I have w therefore to consider marr iag

no , , d th e an e
f mily among s t the animal s
a .
 C H AP TE R II .

MA RR I G E A AN D TH E F M I LY
A AM ON T N I M L
GS A A S .

I I k e p res e rv at ion of spec ies T w o g e a p o c e sse s — r t r r r ti

o fp e s e v a on
—
.

r t
D iffe e n roles o f the m e an d th e fe m a e in the n im al l a al f m ily
a .

Afa m
'

II . age a nd t he rea ring of tlz e young a m ong a n im als

nt f h y g i
.

Abando nm e r r o t e r r o un n th e in fe io s pec ies —The s upe io

m ll o
g ar d th i
usc sr gg
— S l iuit d f pid r f h ir gg d
e e s o c u e o s e s or t e e s an

th ir y g—I ti ti f r ight f i t —I igi L r

e o un ns nc ve o es o ns e c s ts or n- a v ae are

a tr l f rm —Th f m il i l in ti t am g t bi d —Fr q y f
n c es a o s e a a s nc on s r s e ue nc o

m n gam y am ng t bir d
o o o s s .

I II Tb f m ily m g im l —I t x i t i
e a f gg l yi g w ith
a on st a n a s n o ca on o e -
a n

bird —Ab n rt i bird —Th f m il i l i ti t

. .

s fp t r l l se i ce o a e na o ve n ce a n s e a a ns nc

very d l p d i rtai p i —Tr i t a r f th ir l f

ev e o e n ce n s e c es an s en n tu e o e o ve or

th y e —
g Pr m i ity p l yg m y
o un d m n g my am
o g m a m m al
sc u o a an o o a on s
—H r d f i bl im l —P l yg m k y —M g m
, ,

o es o m
s oc a e an a s o a o us on e s o no a o us

m nk y —G n r l b r at i
o e s e e a o se v o n s.

I Tb P ti f Sp i . c reserv a on o ec es.

Tw great p rocesses are em ployed in the animal kingdom

o

t assure the p reservation

o f the s p ecies eithe r the parents o :

do not concern t h em s elves at all with their progeny in ,

which case the females give birth to an enormou s number

of youn g on the other hand they are full of s olicitude
o r, ,

for their o ffspring cheri s hing and protecting them again s t ,

the numerou s dan gers that menace them ; and in this la s t ,

c s e th youn g are few in number Nature ( since th

a , e . e
expre ss ion i s con s ecrated) proceeds sometime s by lavish a
and lawle ss production and s ometime s by a s ort of ,

M althu s iani s m T hus a d lays every year about a millio n

. co
 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E . 21

egg s which s he be s tow s no care and of w hich only the

,
on ,

thousandth perhaps even the hundred thou s and h part

,
or t ,

e s c pes de s truction ; turtle doves

a the cont rary only lay -
,
on ,

two egg s but early all their young attai matu r ity In
,
n n .

short the s pecie s i s maintai ed s ometimes b y p r odigality f

,
n o
birth s and sometime s by a great expendit ur e f care d o an

a fection on the part f t h e pa r ent s esp ecially of the female

f o , .

It i s almo s t s uper fl uou s to remark that analogou s fact s are

obser ed in human n tality according as it i s savage

v a , or

ci ilised
v .

With animal s a s with men s exual a ss oci ation whe it

, , , n
endure s b ecome s marriage and re s ult s i the family that is
, , n ,

to s ay a unio of parents for the purpo s e of protecting their

, n
young Th care Of th male for hi s progeny is mo r e
. e e
rare and tardy than that f the female A mon g animals as o .
,

among men the family i s at fi rs t matriarchal and it i s only

, ,

in the higher s tages of the animal kingdom that the mal e

become s a truly con s tituent part f the family grou p ; but o

eve then except among certain specie s of bird s his chief
n , ,

care is le s s to rear the young than to govern i order to n

prot ct them H play s the ol f a de spotic chief guiding
e . e r e o ,

the family whe it remain s undivided after the rearing f n o

th eyoung and mo s t fre quently acting like a polygamous

,

sultan without the purely human s cruple in regard to

,

ince s t .

Just a s we find amongst animals the two princi pal type s

o f the human family the matri rchate and the patriarchate ,
a ,

or rather the maternal and paternal family s o we may ,

observe e qually among them all th form s f sexual union e o

from pr omi s c uity up to m ono gamy ; but f enlightenment or

on the s e intere s ting points f sociology a rapid examination o ,

of th animal kingdom i s worth far more than all gener

e

alities .

II . M arriage a nd t/ze R ea ring of Yo ung a m ongs t A n im als .

We s hall leave enti rely unnoticed the infe r ior kingdom of

z oophytes w hich are devoid of coalescin g nervo us cent res
, ,

and consequently f co scious life E ve the lo w er ty pe s o n . n

of mollu s cs do not be gin to think f their progeny ; they o

s c atter their eggs as plants do their seeds and leave them ,

22 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A RR I A GE

exposed to all chances We m us t go to the s u perior .

moll us cs to s ee any care of O ffspring awakening In this .

order indeed the most highly developed species watch

, ,

more le s s over their e ggs Th t d ca rry them

or . e are os
s tuck together in ring s round their bodie s ; s nail s often
deposit t h em in dam p ground in th trunk f a t r ee ; ,
or e o
cephalop d s fix them in clu s ters round alg and s ome
o ae,
time s watch them till they open after which they leave ,

them to get a s they can in the great worldon .

With s pider s and in s ects the eggs a r e Often th object of e

a solicitude and even prolonge d forethou ght which rejoice ,

g eatly the lovers f design

r We mu s t obs erve ho wever
O .
, ,

that the males of spiders and that of the greater number

of in s ect s entirely neglect their young ; it i s a gai in the n
female that the care for O ffs prin g first awakens A d this . n

is natural for the eggs have been formed in her body ; she
,

ha s l id them and h as been con s cious f them they form

a ,
o ,

in a way an integral part f her individuality

, o .

T h female s of s piders also take ca r e Of their e ggs after

e

laying them enclo s e them in a ball f thread arranged in

,
o

cocoon s c rry them about with them and at the moment

,
a ,

of hatching set them free one by from the envelope ,

o n e, .

Among s t some pecies there i s even a certain reari g f the

S n o

young T hus the N m i E l

. live s for s ome time in
e es a eonora

her trapped nest with her young numbe r ing from twenty to ,

forty .
1

With in s ects maternal fo retho ught sometime s amo unts to

a sort of divining prescience which the doct rine of evolution ,

alone explain The r e is really s omething wonderful in

c an .

the action s f a female insect a s she prepare s for her

o ,

de s cendant s whom s he will never s ee any more than she

,

ha s seen her own parents a s pecial nourishment which ,

differs from he r w It is thus that the s phinx the o n .

,

p om p ilu s the s and wa s,

p and the p hilanthus dig
-
holes i ,
n
the sand in which they deposit w ith the eggs a s uitable
,

food for the future la rv a

e .
2

In o rder to unde r stand these fact s appa r ently s o ,

inexplica ble we must look not only to the powerful

,

in fl uence of s election but also to the Og i past of th ,

zo en c e
s pecies With the in s ect the perfect form is always th
. e
2 '
1
E spinas , S oc A n ima les , pp 34 3, 344
. . . I bia pp 3 44 ,
. .
34 5 .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 23

la s t which it a s sume s th outcome of all the previou s , e

metamorpho s es But the larval form though act ually .
,

tran s itory mu s t have been for a long time the permanent

_

form and it had di fferent ta s te s and eeds At the present

,
n .

time there are s till number s of insect s who s e larval

exi s tence ha s a much longer duration than that f th o e
so called perfect in s ect ( M y fli cockchafer s) T her
-
a -
e s, . e
are eve larv which re produce themselves Certain
n a
e .

other s even though s terile have t lo s t the maternal

, ,
no

in s tinct Thu s at the time f the hatching of the nym ph s

. o

th l rv
e a f the termite s a ss i s t th latter to get rid of their
ae o e

en velope It i s therefore probable that though w

.
,
no
tran s itory the larval form s of in s ects have formerly been
,

p ermanent they represent ance s tral ty p e s which evolution ,

ha s by degrees metamorphosed into insects that w call e

perfect Th larv now actually sterile de s cend from
. e ae, ,

a nce s tor s which w ere t s o and in the larv of certain no ,

ae
s pecie s th m aternal in s tinct ha s s urvived the reproductiv
e e

functio n 1
.

Thi s i s dou b tle ss the ca s e with bee s and ants ; their

worker s must repre s ent an ancestral form having preserved ,

the maternal fervour of its anterior s tate the win ged form ,

on the contrary mu s t b relatively recent It even a ppear s

, e .

probabl that in th republic s f ants and bees th

e e o e
laboriou s worker s may h v s ucceeded i a certain way a e ,
n ,

in getting rid f s exual need s which cause animals and o

e ven men to commit s o many mad action s With them th . e

old m ate r nal in s tinct has taken the place ceded to it by
s exual instinct and ha s becom enlarged and ennobled
, e .

T heir a ffectio i s no longer exclu s ively confined to a few

n
i dividual s p r oduced from their w bo w els but i s shared
n o n ,

by all th you g of the a ss ociation In their sub ph gi

e n -
oeso a an
ganglion one care takes precedence f all others —the care
.

o
o f rearing the you g Thi s is their con s tant occu pationn .

and the g t duty to which they sacrifice their live s

rea .

M aternal love u s ually s o s elfish ex pands with the m into

,

, ,

a nall em b racing s ocial a ffection It i s not im possible that

-
.

a p s ychic metamo r pho s i s f the s ame kind may day o o ne

take place in fut ure human s ocietie s .

It would even seem that the wo r ke r s a ppreciate th e

1
E pin as , S oc
s . A n im a les , pp 3 3 6 396 .
-
.
24 TH E E VOL UTJON OF M AR R I A G E

f aculty f reproduction all the more for being de prived of

o

it T h queen bee rather the fertile female who is the

. e ,
or ,

common mother of all the tribe has eve r y po s sible care ,

lavished on he r and is publicly mou rned whe s he dies

, n .

If s he happen s t pe r is h befo re havin g youn g and then

o ,

cannot be replaced the virgin worke r s despai r f the , o

re public lo s in g for ever les lon gs es poirs t les vastes

° “
e

p en s é es, they give w y to an incurable and mo ratal

pessimism .

O ne p rimitive form f the family the m at r iarchate which

o , ,

we shall st udy later is realised even in an exaggerated form

, , ,

by ant s and bees In human societies w shal l only find . e

very faint imitations f this system which has been s o o ,

strictly carried out by the primates f the inve rtebrates and O ,

which s eems to have inspi r ed the ancients with their fable s

about the ama on s z .

T h ve tebrated s pecies with the exce ption f mankind

e r , o ,

have founded no society t h at can be eve distantly m -

n co

p r ed to that f hymenoptera and of ants With nearly

a o .

all fishe s and am phibia the parent s a r e very poo rly

developed as regar ds consciou s ness and take no care f ,
o
their e ggs after fec undation Some s pecies f fis h es a r e . o ,

however endo w ed with a ce rtain familial instin t and

,
c ,

s t r ange to say here it is the male wh tends his O ffsprin g

,
o .

So true is it th t the imaginary being called Nature has no

,
a

p r efe r ence for any s p ecial methods and that in her eyes all ,

p r oces s es are good the one condition that they

on s ucceed
Thus the Chinese M p u gather s the fecundate d
ac ro e ggs s

into hi s jaws depo s it s them in the midst Of the froth and

,

mucous exuding from his mouth and watche s over the youn g ,

when they are hatched Th male f y g th u fishes .

1
e o s n a na o s

and the s ea hors es carry their eggs in an incubating pouch

_

the Cfi mi p t f m ili of the lake f T iberias pr otects

ro s a er a as , o ,

and ou r ishe s in his mouth and bronchial cavity hundred s

n

of small fi h s es .
2

O ther fishes also have more less ca r e fo r thei r youn g or .

Salmon and trout deposit their eggs in a depression which

they have hollowed ut in the sand for t h e purp ose o .

F ishes belon ging to vario us families construct nests and

, ,

1
D rwi D a
f
n,A l p 375 es c en t o an ,

L t t C mp
. .

2
8 78 ef
’
I A d mi d S i
’ ’
or e , o tes renaus a e ca e es c en c es . 1 .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 2
5

w tch over the young when hatched ( C il o u m

a ra n a r s ass a,

C il o u
ra n lp ) O fte
a r s again it i s the male who
nze o s . n
undertake s all the w ork T hu s the male of the G t t u . as eros e s

l iu u i s ince ss antly occupied in fetchi g the you g ones

e r s n n

home and driving away all enemies includi g the ni th

, ,
n o er .
1

Th male s tickleback wh i s polygamou s builds a e s t and

e ,
o , n

watche s with solicitude over the s fety and rearing of th a e

young .
2

M any reptile s are un atural parents ; some however n , ,

already po ss e ss s ome deg r e f familial in s tinct Thu s e o .

s everal male s of the b atrachia s a ss ist the female t eject n o

her eggs Th male accoucheur toad roll s the egg s round
. e
hi s feet d carefully carrie s them thu s Th Surinam
,
an . e

toad the P ip A m i
,
after havi g aided the female in
a er c a n a, n
the Operation of layi g the eggs places them on the back of n ,

hi s compa io in little cutaneou s c vitie s formed for their

n n, a
rece ption .
3

Th C b p /
el b ravely defend s
o ra it s eggs T h
ca e a . e

sa urian s ofte live in couples and the female s of cro odile s

n ,
c
e s cort their w born little one s F emale tortoi s e s g so
ne -
. o
far a s to s helter their yo ung in a sort f nest o .
4

But it is es pecially amo g birds and mammal s that we n

find forms f union a ss ociation ve r y s imilar to marriage

o or

and the family in the human species Nothing is more .

natural ; f anatomical d physiological a alogy must f

or an n o

neces s ity lead in its trai the a alogy f s ociology There n n o .

is mo r e uniformity either amongst mammal s than

no

amon gs t men ; the need s the habitat and the neces s ities , ,

o f exi s tence dominate everythin g and in order to s ecure ,

adjustment to the s e recour s e is had to various pr oces s es ,

.

L ike men bird s live sometimes in p r omiscuity and, ,

sometime s in m onogamy polygamy t h e familial in s tinct or

is al s o very une qually develo ped amo g them Sometimes n .

eve we find their conjugal custom s modified b y the kind

n
o f life they lead T hus the wild duck which i s strictly .
,

monogamous in a wild state become s very poly gamo us ,

when domesticated and it is the same with the guinea fo w l ,

.

Civilisation depraves these birds as it doe s some men ,

.

A may be su p posed it is generally the anima ls livin g in

s ,

1
r
D a w in , D es c en t f M an ,
o
p 37 9
. .
3
E s pinas , S oc A n im ales , p 4 1 5 . .

2 4
I oz d p 2 44
’
. . . Joz a pp 4 1 6 , 4 1 7
. . .
26 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

troop s who are deg raded most easily by habitual p ro

m i uity
sc But thi s is not always the ca s e ; the character
.

of the nimal his mode f li fe and the degree f morality

a , o , o

previously acqui r ed determine hi s manner of acting , It i s .

probable al s o that certain animal s living in troo ps during ,

the breeding season have formerly been le ss sociable than ,

at pre s ent for they leave the troo p and r etire a part in
,

co uple s a s s oon a s they have paired Social life is burden .

s ome to them .

It i s e specially interesting to s tudy the variou s modes of

conju gal and familial a ss ociation amo gst birds Thi s may n .

ea ily b e inferred from the ardour t h va r iety and the

s , e ,

delicacy they bring to their amours the moral level among

the m to b orrow a human expression is very diverse
, , ,

according to the s pecie s There are s ome birds ab s olutely

fickle and even d b u h df—a s for exam ple the little
.

e a c e , ,

American sta rling which change s its female

from day to day ; that is to say it i s in the lowe s t sta ge ,

of s exual union a debauched promi s cuity which we only ,

exceptionally find I n s ome hardly civili s ed human s ociet e s

,
1
i .

Th e sta ling neverthele ss

r not ferocious like the
, ,
is ,

as t u idr to whom accordin g to Brehm love seems

e s, , ,

unknown and amongst whom the female devours her male

, ,

the father and the mother feast their own young and the on ,

latter when full grown willingly eat their parents The s e

, ,
.

ferocious habits denote a ve ry feeble mo ral development .

B ut if we may believe a F rench mi s sionary M g F a r and ,

r .
,

bishop of the M acken ie te rrito ry similar custom s still z

prevail among the R edskins of the extreme orth W

,
2
n . e
shall not therefore be too much s c ndali s ed at th bi r ds
, ,
a e .

T he s e ca s e s of moral gro s sne ss are beside s rare enough , ,

with them .

O ther s p ecie s while they hav renounced promiscuity

, e ,

a r e still determined polygamist s Th gallinace a r e p . e a

e ar

ti ul ly addicted to this for m of conj ugal union which is

c ar ,

s o common in fact with mankind even w hen highly

, , ,

civili s ed and boasting f t h ei r practice of monogamy O u o . r

ba r n door cock vain and sensual courageo us and jealous i s

-
, , ,

a perfect type of the polygamous bird But the polygamous .

1
H o uz e au, F ac me n ta les des an im aux, t 11 p 3 80
. . . . .

2
Di [z uit a n s c fi ez les sa uv ages , e tc , p 3 74
x -
. . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L y: 27

habits the gallinace do t prevent them from xp i

of ae no e er

en c ni g very s trong s exual passion When s ei ed by thi s . z

fren y f de s ire s ome f them appear to b e sen s ele ss f all

z o , o o

danger Th fi ring f a gun for exam ple doe s t alarm

. e o , ,
no a

male grou s e when swinging his head and whistli g to charm n

hi s female ; but this ardour doe s not hinder him from

1

being a fi ckl animal al way s in s earch of new adventure s

e , ,

and alway s s eeking fre s h mate s .

2

T he s e exam ples f wandering fancy f th mo s t p art o are or e

rar amon g bi r d s the majority f whom are monogamou s

e ,
o ,

and even far su perior to mo s t men in the matter f conjugal o

fi delity .

Nearly all the rapaciou s animal s even th stu pid vultures , e ,

are monogamou s Th conjugal union Of the bald headed . e -

eagle appear s even to la s t till the death f f th o o ne o e

partner s T hi s is indeed monogamic and indis s oluble

.

marriage though without legal constraint G olden eagle s

, .
3

live in cou ples and remain attached to each other for year s
,

without even cha ging their domicile But the s e instance s n .

4
,

honourable a s they a r e have nothi g exceptional in them ; , n

s trong conjugal attachment is a s entiment common to many

bird s .

With the female Illinoi s parrot (P itt u p ti x) widow s ac s er na

hood and death are s ynonymous a circum s tance rare enough ,

i the human s pecies yet Of which bird s give us mor tha

n ,
e n
o ne exam ple When after some year s of conjugal life
.
, , a
wheatear ha ppen s to die hi s com panion hardly survives him ,

a month T h male and female f the p

. e are alway s o a na ra s

p erched s ide b y side When they fall aslee p one of them .

, ,

generally the male tenderly s pread s it s wing over the other , .

Th death of
e s ay s Brehm i s fatal to its com panion
o n e, , .

Th couple s of golden wood pecker s

e f doves etc live in
perfect union and in case f Widowhood experience a
-
,
o , .
,

a , o

violent and lasting grief Th male f a climbing wood . e o

pecker having s ee hi s mate die tapped day and ni ght

, n ,

with hi s beak to recall the absent ; the at length o ne n ,

di s coura ged and ho pele s s he became silent but never , ,

recovered hi s gaiety ( Brehm ) The s e exam ple s of a fidelity .

that s tand s every te s t and f the reli gion f memo ry , o o ,

1 3
E s inas, S oc a n im . ,
p 427 Audubo n , loc c it. v o l. i p 83
p
t
. . . .
. .
, ,

2 4
I bzcl p 42 1 b
I d 1 9 13 2
92
. . . i .
p . . .
28 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

altho ugh much more frequent in the union s fbird s than in o

those of human bein gs a r e not however the unfailing r ule
, , ,
.

With birds a s with men the r e s eems to be a goo d n umber

of irregular ca s es—individ uals f im perfect moral develop
, ,

ment and f fickle dis po s ition Thi s may be inferred fr om

o .

the facility w ith w hich among ce r tain s pecies f mono , o

gamons bi rds the dead pa rtner is replaced Jenner wh
, .
,
o
introduced vaccination relates that in Wiltshi r e he has seen
,

o ne o f a cou ple f mag pie s killed s even day s in s ucces s ion

o ,

and seven times over immediately re placed Analogous .

fact s have been observed f jays falcons and s ta rlings o , , .

N w when it concerns animals that are paired each ub ti

o , ,
s s

tuti on must correspond to a dese rtion t h e more s o a s th , e

observations were m de in the same locality and in tha e

hei ght of the b r eedin g s ea s on .
1

V ery pec ulia r fancies sometimes arise in the brains f o

c ertain b irds Thus we see birds fdistinct s pecies pai r ing

. o ,

and thi s even in a wild state The s e illegitimate unions .

have been observed between geese and barnacle geese and ,

bet w een black grouse and pheasants .

D arwin relates a ca s e f thi s kind of pa ss ion s uddenly o

a ppearin g in a wild d uck Th fact is related by M H ewitt e r

a s follo w s — A fter breedin g a cou ple f sea s on s with her

. .

“
: O

own malla rd s he at once shook him ff on my placin g a male

,
O

pintail in the water It was evidently a ca s e of love at fi r st

.

sight for s he swa m about the new comer ca re s sin gly though
,
-
,

he a ppeared evidently ala r med and aver e to her ove r tu res s

o f af fection F rom t h at hour she fo rgot he r old pa r tner

. .

Winter pa ss ed b y and the next sprin g the pintail seemed

,

to have become a convert to he r blandishments fo r they ,

nested and produced s even or ei ght yo un g ones It is .

”2

di fficult not to attribute s uc h deviations as these to motives

s imila r to those by whic h we a r e o urselve s actuated—to
pa ss ion capr ice or depravity They ce r tainly cannot be
, ,
.

accounted for by the t h eory of mechanical and immutable

instinct Such facts clea rly prove that animal psychology
.
,

a lthough les s com plicated than our own does not di ffer ,

e s sentially from it and consequently throws m uch li gh t

,
on

o u present investi gation

r Th adventure of the wil d d uck
. e ,

for exam ple m y without any alteration be read as a

,
a , ,

D arwin D
2
1
t fM
, pp 44 6
esc en44 9 o I b
an ,id p 45 5 .
, . . . .
 A ND OF TH E FA MI L Y . 29

huma adventure provi g f the hundred thousandth time

n ,
n or -

that the heart what w cal l by that name is ersatile ;

,
or e ,
v

that conjugal fidelity does t always resist a s trong impr es no

sion ari s ing fr om a chance encounter ; that novelty ha s a

disturbing e ffect ; and fi nally that indi fference and cold , ,

nes s can rarely hold ut against the persistent advance s o

of who love s ardently enough not to yield to discour

o ne

a e
g m t enD ante.has already made thi s la s t re fl ection i n

hi s celebrated line
Am r h ll am t am ar p rd ao c
’
a nu
’
a o e on .

T q o u t D ante a p p
o e f the illicit amour s f a pintail
ro os o o

and a wild duck may shock the learned but the a ptness f
,

, o

the quotation proves once more the e s sential identity f the o

animal and huma organisms n .

III . Tlze F a m ily a m ongs t A nim als .

If the study f th mode s f sexual union among s t

o e o

animals is not usele s s to the s ociologi s t that f the , o

animal family is at least quite a s intere s ting Thi s latter .

confirm s the inductions f theorist s relat ive t the primitiv o o e

form f the h uman family Th animal family i s especially

o . e

mate r nal Th female f birds immediately s he ha s laid

. e o ,

her eggs experie ce s s ort Of i toxication to s it become s

,
n a n
f
or her an im periou s need which com pletely tran s form s ,

her moral nature In January 8 7 during th bombard

. 1 1, e
ment f Paris a G erman shell bursting i the loft f a
o , ,
n o

hou s e i habited b y
n f my friends wa s p owerles s to
o ne o ,

di s tur b a femal pigeon absolutely enchained by the pa ss io

e n

o f incubation .

It i s amongst b ird s that th a imal family i s be s t e n c on

stituted ; thi s however di ffer s much according to the
, ,

s pecie s es pecially as regards th pa ticipation f the male

,
e r o

in the rearing f the youn g o .

A mongst duck s the male ha s no care for his p rogeny

,
.

Th e male eider resem bles th duck in thi s resp ct e e

( A udubon ) M al turkey
. s do much wor s e they
e Often :

devour the eggs of their female s and thu s oblige th latter , e

3 0 TH E E VOL U TI ON O F M A R R I A GE

to hide them F emale tu rkey s join each other with their

.
1

young one s for greater secu r ity and th us form t r oops of from ,

sixty to ei ghty individuals led by the mothers and ca r efully , ,

avoiding the ld males wh ru s h the young one s and kill

o ,
o on
them by violent blows the head with their beaks on .
2

A mong certain s pecies f gallinace the male leaves o ae

to the female the care f incubation and f rea r ing the o o

yo ung D uring this time he i s runnin g after advent ures

.
,

but returns when the youn g a r e old enough to follow him

and form a docile band under his government It is .
3

im po r tant to notice that amo gst bi rd s the father s devoid ,

n ,

o f affection gene r ally belong to the les s intelligent s p ecies ,

and a r e most often polygamous It seems therefore that .

, ,

p oly g amy is t ve r y favourable to the nodevelo p ment of

p ate r nal love .
4

But bad fathe r s are ra r e amo gst bird s O fte on the n . n,

contra ry the male rivals the female in love f the young ;

, or

he guard s and feeds her during incubation and sometimes ,

even s it s the eggs with her Th carr ier pigeon feeds

on . e

his female while she is sitting ; the Canadian goose and 5 6

the crow do the same ; mo r e than that the latter takes ,

his com panion s place at times to give her some relaxation

’
,
.

Th blue marten behave s in the same manner

e A mon g .
7

many s pecies male and female combine their effort s with

,

o ut distinction f s ex ; they s it i turn and the one wh o n ,

o

is fr ee take s the duty f feeding the who is occu pied o o ne .

T his i s the custom f the black coated gull the booby o -

,
8

o fBassan the great b lue he r o,

9
and fthe black vulture n, 1 0
o .
11

According to A udubon the blue bird of A me r ic w ork s , a

so ardently at the propagation of its specie s that a singl e

brood doe s t s atisfy him ; each couple therefore exerts
no , ,

itself ealously rearing tw

z three b r oods at the s am
, o or e

time the female sittin g

, while the mal feed s th on o n e, e e
little one s f the precedin g brood o .
12

1
E spinas, S oc A n im ales, p 42 2 . . .

2
Audubo n, S c enes de la N at ure, t I er p 29
t
. . . .

8
i
3 ’
E spinas , loc c it pp 42 1 -4 2 3 Ib a 11 p 1 99
t t
. . . . . . . . .

4 9 ’
Audubo n , loc ec t I bz a p 47 6
,

1 9 1 p 2 09 11

t t ii
. . . . . . .
. . . .

5 1°
I bid if. p 1 3 I bid p 7 0
t I
. . . . . . . . .

11
I bid er
p 3 47
o

t
. . . .

7 1M I er p 1 6 7
. . . .

12
Audubo n, S c enes de la Nat ure , 1 . 1 er .
p. 1
3 7 .
 AN D OF TH E FA MI L Y .
3 1

But h owever violent the lov of birds for their progeny e

may be it lasts only a s hort time and i s s uddenly xti
, , e n

g u i
s h d when
e the young can manage for them s elves It i s .

then quite s urpri s ing to s ee the parent s drive away by

s t r okes f the beak the little one s they had b e ursing
o e n n
with s uch devoted tende r e s s a f w day s b efore Th bird s n e . e

o f s everal s pecies however teach their young to fl y b efor

, ,
e
s e par ati g fr om them Th white headed sea eagle c rrie s
n . e - -
a

them it s back to giv them le ss on s i fl yi g ; gre b es

on e n n ,

s wans and eiders teach their y ung to s wim t B ut the

, o , e c .

family is only f s hort duration mong bird s and a imal s

o a n
generally, unle ss as is the ca s with s ome gallinace the
, e ae,
male keeps few f hi s da ughter s to enrich hi s harem A
a o . s

a matter of fact b oth with b irds and other animal s th

, , e
paternal or maternal s entiment hardly la s ts lo ger tha the n n

rearing time When o ce the yo ung. full grow th n are n, e

parent s no longer distingui s h them from s trangers f their o

s pecie s and it i s thu s eve with monogamic species whe

,
n n
the conjugal tie is lifelo g ; the marriage alone endures b ut n ,

the family i s intermittent d renewed with every brood an

W m y remark th t it i s almo s t the s am with cert in
.

e a a e a
huma race s of l w develo pment But before s peaking f
n o .
, o
man it will be well to invest gat conjugal union and th
, i e e
family amongst the animal s neare s t t man — the mammal s o .

F rom the p oint of V iew of duration and s trength f th o e

affections that which we as m should call their morality
, or en ,

the mammal s are far fro m occupying the first rank in the
animal hierarchy ; many b irds are very Superior t them o .

We find however g reat differences in the mor l s according

, , a ,

t the s pecies
o M any mammal s have s to pped at the mo s t
.

brutal promiscuity ; males and females unite and s e parate at

chance meeting s without any care for the family ari s ing in
,

the mind f the male Th female s f mammals being

o . e o

always weaker than the male s s exual a ss ociation com ,

no

parable t p olyandry is po s sible in thi s cla ss s ince eve if

o , ,
n

s he wi s hed it the female could t s ucceed in collecting a

, no

s era glio of males But to polygamy it i s quite di fferent

. as , ,

and this is very common with mammal s especially with ,

the s ociable kinds living in fl ock s It is even a nece ss ity of

, .

the struggle for existence Sociability generally proceed s .

fr om weakne s s Th s pecie s that are badly armed for fi erce

. e
3 2 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

combat s and that have besides some di fficulty in findin g

,

food a r e glad to live in asso iation U nion is stren gth

,
c . .

T h ruminants f
e exam ple do this Certain ca r nivo r ous
,
or ,
.

animals ill furnished with teeth and claws dogs also and
-

—
, , ,

jackals live in troops for the same reason that of o pposing

,

a res pectable front to the enemy This life i common is . n

certainly favourable to th develo pment of s ocial vi r tues ; e

it cannot but soften primitive cr uelty and develop altruistic ,

qualities ; but it is little conducive to sex ual re s traint and

monogamy Thus the g reater number f sociable mammals
. o

are po lygamou s Th ruminant s live in hordes compo s ed f. e o

females and young grouped around a male wh protects , o
t h em but w h ex pels h is rival s and becomes a ve r itable chief
, o

o f a band V e r y vario us s pecies com p ose familial s ocieties

.

in the same manner and s t r ongly re s embling each other , .

When the Indi n adult elephant renounces the s olitary a

life which s trong animal s generally adopt it i s i order to ,
n
found a little polygamou s society from which h expels all , e
the males weaker th n himsel f a .
1

Th m uffi e of E urope and of the Atla s also form

o o ns

little societies f the same kind i the breedin g season

o n
2

Among the wa lrus s ys B r ehm the male who i s f very ,

a , ,
O

jealou s tem perament collects around him from thirty to ,

fo r ty females without counting youn g makin g altogether a

, ,

p oly gamous family sometime s amo u ntin g to a hundred and

twenty individ uals .

Th male f the A iti

e ti/ p oig i s i ordinately sa c an o e sa a n
pol ygamous he ex pel s all hi s rivals and forms a harem ,

numbering s ometime s a hundred female s .

3

T h p lygamic egim of animal s is far fr om extingui s hin g

e o r e

a ffectionate sentiments i the female s towards their husband n

and master Th fem le s f the guanaco lama s for exam ple

. e a o , ,

are very faithful to their male If the latter ha ppen s to b . e

wounded killed instead f runni g a way t h ey hasten to

or ,
o n ,

hi s side b leating and o ffering themselve s to the shot s of th

,
e

hunter i order to s hield him whil on the contrary if a

n , e, ,

fem le i s kille d the mal make s ff with all hi s troop ; h

a , e O e

only think s of him s el f .

D arwi D fM p 38 1
n, esc en t o an , 2
E pi a S
. .

A im l p 4 4 8 2
s n s, oc . n a es , . .

3
Da rwi n, D es c en t o f M an , p . 2 38 .
 A ND OF TH E F AM I L Y .
33

In regard to mammals there i s no s trict relation b etween ,

the degree f intellectual development and the form f

o o

s exual union Th c rnivorou s animal s often live i

. e a n
co uples f th rea s o previou s ly given but thi s i s not
or e n an
ab s olute rule for the South African lion i s fre quently
,

accom panied b y four five female s Bear s wea s el s or .

1
, ,

whales etc on the contrary generally go in cou ples

,
.
, , .

Sometime s specie s that very nearly allied hav di ffe r ent are e
conjugal cu s tom s ; thu s th white cheeked pecc ry live s in e -
a
troops whil s t the white ringed peccary live s in couple s
,
- ?

T her i s the s am diver s ity in th ha b it s f monkey s

e e e o .

Som e p olygamou
are s and other s monogamou s T h . e
wanderoo ( M u il u ) f Indi ha s only a c ac s s femaleen s o a o ne ,

and is faithful to her until death Th C bu p i u .

3
e e s ca ac n s, o n

the contrary, is polygamou s .

4

Tho s e cou s in s german of man the anthro p oid ape s

-
, ,

hav s ometime s adopted polygamy and s ometime s mono

e
gamy Savage tell s u s that the G ill gi form s small
. or a na

horde s consi s ting f a single adult male who i s the

, o ,

de spotic chief f many female s and a certain num b er f

o o
yo ung .

Chimpan ee s s ometim es polygamou s and sometime s

z are
monogamou s Th polygamou s family f monkeys is
. e o
alway s subject to th monarchic égim Th male who e r e . e ,

i s at the s ame time th chief i s de spotic ; he exact s a e ,

p a ss ive obedienc from hi s s ubordinate seand he expel s th , e

young m ale s s oo a s they as Old enough to giv n are e
um b rag to him T sum up h is at onc the father the
e . o , e e ,

p rotector and t h , tyra n t of th b and N everthele

e ss th e .
,
e

female s ffectionate to him and the mo s t

are a ealou s ,
z

among them prove it by a ss iduou s ly picking th lice from e

him which with monkey s i s a mark f great tendernes s
, , ,
o .
5

But the ma s ter who h been thu s flattered and cringed to as

s ometime s come s to bad end O fi day when old a . ne ne ,

a eg ha s re dered him nle ss formida b le whe h i s no longer ,

n e
capa b le f proving at every in s tant that right mu s t yield to
o

1
D arwm , D esc en t of M an , p 44 3 . .

2
E s pin as , loc c it
p 44 3
t
. . . .

3
H o uz eau, F ac ultes m en tales o es a n z m aux,
'
'
. 11 .
p 39 4
. .

5
rw
D a in , D esc ent of M an , p 2 38 . .

E spinas , loc c it p 4 5 3 . . . .
34 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR RI A G E

might the young one s s o long oppre ss ed re b el and

, , ,

a ss ss inate this tyrannou s father W mu s t here r mark

,

a . e e ,

that whatever the form f s exual association among o

mammal s the male has alway s much le ss affection for the

,

young than the female E ve in monogamou s pecies . n s ,

when the male kee ps with the female he doe s s o more a s ,

chief than a s father At times he is much inclined t . o

commit infanticide s and to destroy the o ffs pring which by , ,

absorbing all the attention of hi s female thwart his amours ,

.

T hu s among the large feline s the mother i s obliged to hid

, , e
her young one s fr om the male during th fi rs t few day s e
after birth to prevent hi s devouring them
, .

I s hall here conclude thi s very conden s ed s tudy of s exu l a

a s sociation and the family in the animal kingdom My .

object i s not s o much to exhau s t th s ubject a s t b ring e , o

into relief the a logie s e xi s ting betwee n man and the other
na
s pecie s Th fact s which hav bee cited
. e amply e n are
s u ffi cient for thi s purpo s e and we may draw th following , e
general conclu s ion s from them
In the firs t place there is no premeditat d design in e
nature ; any mode of re productio of sexual a ss oci tion and n a
of rearing f young that is compatible with th duration of
o e
the s pecies may b adopted But in a general manner it e .

may be s aid that sort f antagoni s m exist s between th

a o e
multiplicity of b irth s and the deg e of protection b e s towed r e
on the young by th parent s e .

A rough outlin of the family i s lre dy fou d in th

e a a n e
animal kingdom ; it i s s ometime s patriarchal with s tickle , as
b ack s etc but mo s t ofte it i s matri rchal In th latter
, .
,
n a . e
ca s e the femal i s th centr f it and her lov f r the
e e e o , e o
young i s infinitely stronger and mor devoted th n th t of e a a
the mal This i s especially true of mammal s with whom
e .
,

the mal i s generally an egoist merely protecting th family

e , e
in hi s w personal intere s t
o n .

Th familial in s tinct more or le s s develo ped exi s t s i th

e , , n e

g reater number of vertebrates and i many invertebrate s ,

n .

F ro m an early pe riod it must hav been an object of e

selection since it adds con s iderably to the chance s of
,

the duration of the specie s With s ome specie s (ant s .

,

bees termite s ) thi s in s tinct h expanded into wide

, as a
s ocial love re s ulting in the productio of larg
,
ieti s f n e s oc e o
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
35

complex s tructure in which the family a s we under s tand it

, , ,

i s unknown I lay s tre ss . thi s fact for it i s of great on ,

importance in theoretic l s ociology ; it proves i fact that a ,

n ,

la rge d complicated s ocieties with divi s ion f social

an , o

la b our can b maintained without the in s titution f th

, e o e
family We . not therefore warranted in pretending a s
are , , ,

i s us ually do e that th family i s abs olutely indispensable

n , e ,

an d that it i s the cellule of the s oci l organi s m L t u s

“
a . e
o bs erv b y the way that the xpre s sio s ocial organi s m
e, , e n
“

is s imply metaphorical d we mu s t b eware f taking it ,

an o
literally a s H erbert Spencer with s tra ge aivet e seem s
, , a n n ,

to have don Societie s e agglomeratio s of individual s

. are n
i which
n certain order i s ece ss arily e s ta bli s hed ; but it i s
a n
almo s t pueril to s eek f d to p retend to fi d i them
e o r, an n n ,

an a ctual organi s atio com para b le f xample to th n, ,

or e , e
anatomic and phys iologic plan f a mammal o .

Terminating thi s s hort digre ss ion I revert to my s ubject ,

by s umming up th result s of our examinatio f s exual e n o

a s sociations among the animals .

In reg rd to marriage a s well a s t th family natur ha s

a , o e , e
n opreference ; all mean s are welcom to her provided th e , e
species profit s b y them or at lea s t doe s not s u ffer t much , , , oo
from them .

W find among s t nimal s tem porary unio s at th clo s

e a n , e e
o f which the male cea s es a bs olutely to care for the female ;
but we al s o find es pecially among bird s num b ers f la s ting
, ,
o

union s for which th word m rriag i s t t exalted It e a e no oo

doe s t appear that polyandry—that is a durable s ociety

, .

no

female and many male s— ha s been practi s ed by

,

between o ne
a nimal s Th female early alway s weaker than the mal
. e , n e,
could t reduc number of them to s exual s ervitude
no e a ,

and th latter hav ever been tem pted to share

e e n femal o ne e
system tically O the contrary they often polygamou s
a . n ,
are .

But it i s e specially among s t mammal s that polygamy i s

common d it m us t often have had it s i d ét either
, an ra s on
’
re

in the s exual proportion f birth s in greater mo r tality o ,

or a
o f males T he s e a r e r eason s I shall have to refer to later
.
,

in s peaking of human p olygamy .

But if polygamy i s frequent with mammals it is far ,

from being th conjugal égim universally ado pted ; mono

e r e

gamy i s common and is s ometimes accom panied by s o ,

3 6 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E .

much devotion that it would se rve as an example to human

,

monogami s ts .

It im portant also to notice that in rega r d to animal s

is , ,

the mode f s exual as s ociation may vary without m uch

o

difficulty N s pecie s i s f nece s sity and alway s re s tricted

. 0 O

to such s uch a form of sexual union A animal

or . n
belonging to a s pecie s habitually monogamou s may very
ea s ily become polygamou s In short there does not s eem
.
,

to be any relation between the degree of intelligence in a

s pecie s and it s conjugal custom s .

In the following chapter s it will be s een that in great ,

measure the s e observation s do t apply exclusively to

,
no
animal s .
 C H AP TE R III .

P R OM I S C U I T Y .

I H as tim e been a S tage t rare am gf

o P rom isc uity f—P r o m isc ui y on

t at — n t a an k
.

th r
e su e
p i r r b r o I t h
ve b ex p i l i
es m i d as ee e ce on n n
—
.

II C f H m
as es o P m i u i ty Pur m i ani t y a m n
rog th T g l
sc . o sc u o e ro o

th an i nt Arab
.

dyt e s, e th Ag thy
c e th A th
s, G e m a rse s , e nse s , e ara an tes,

th ean i nt G r k i th Tim i China i In dia am g h

c e ee s, n e a us, n , n , on t e
A dm i
n a i Ca l if rn ia a m ng h ab r igin
an tes , n o f In dia am ng t he o t e o es o o
—
, ,

Z p a o ro
g d h A n a
s , anr i n In tff i ne f h s p r a f s su i c e ce o t ese o o s.

I II H im m — j p im i — R l i i h ta r i m at B b l n
’

eta us noc t s o us i
—
r e e
s g y e s a o

i A m n ia—R l igi —
. .
,

n r e p r t i t i e R l i g i o us d fl i osTh j tu on e o us e o rat o n e us

p im
r eri w ith
: n oc t s h N m i h B l
t a r i
e I l as ai a i t
o ns, n t e a e c s es, n nc e n

P r e i A i
u, n — Th r igh t f th e hi f w ith th e K fli
s a, e tc e i N w o c e a rs , n e

i C h in Ch i a i f da l E r p —Th
.

Z la d i N w M xi
ea n n e e c o, n oc -
n n eu u o e e

righ t f r l igi pr l ibati n—R l igi d fl i i Cam b di —Th

, ,

o e o us e o e o us e o rat o n n o a e

r a n f h right f pr l ib ti —Th j p im
e so o t e o ti e nf d d
a on e us r e noc s co o un e

with h im pl l i n f n m arri d w m n—Sham l n f girl i

t e s e ce ce o u e o e e e ss es s o s n

A tral ia P ly
us ia Am ri o Mal aya Aby inia t —Th i
nes e c a, ss e c e
’
n a ota ta

R m —L an
, , , ,
.

i prim iti
n ve d bart r f w m n i Am ri a
o e o an d l e e o o e n e c an e s

wh r e e, d a m ng h an i nt A bs —A t l pr m i
an o t e ity h
c e b ra c ua o sc u as een

rar i h manity
e n u .

I . H as tfiere oc en a S tage f P rom isac ity7

o

aving m ade u prelimina ry investigatio of love s exual

H o r n ,

union s marriage what correspond s to it and the family

, , or ,

in the animal kingdom w are now in po s ition to , e a

a pproach the examination f corre sponding s ocial fact s in o
regard to man Th method f evolution requ ire s u s to . e o
b egin our inquiry with th lowe s t form s of s exual a ss ocia e
tio a d ther i s non lower m orally and intellectually
n, n e e , ,

than promi s c uity ; that is t s ay s ocial condition gros s o , a so

 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M ARR I A G E

that within a grou p a horde or tribe all the women , ,

a ,

belong without ul , distinction to all the men In a

r e or.

, .

s ociety s o be s tial there i s surely no room for what w call e

love however gros s ly we may under s tand this s entiment
, .

T here is no c h oice no preference ; the s ex ual need is ,

reduced to it s s implest expres s ion and absolutely de based ,

to the level f the nutritive need s ; love is no more than a

o

hun ger thi rs t of another kind ; there i s

or longer any no
distinction between the man and the t t w y a o a .

Some sociologi s ts have affirmed without hesitation that , ,

community of women re presented a primitive and necessary

s tage f the s exual association s f mankind Surely they
o o .

would have been les s dogmatic on thi s point if befo r e

_

approachin g human s ociology they had first con s ulted ,

animal s ociology a s w have done We hav seen that , e . e

many ve r tebrated animal s are capable of a really exclu s ive
and jealous passion eve w hen they are determined poly ,
n

g m
a it A a matter f fact the ve r tebrates with whom
s s . s o ,

love i s merely a need like any other s eem to be ve ry , ,

a
small minority Some among them e specially birds are
.
, ,

model s of fidelity con s tancy and devoted attachment , , ,

w hich may well insp i r e man with feelings f modesty o .

M ammals while less delicate i their love than many

, n
bird s are however for the mo s t part already
, , ,
a mo ral ,
on
level incom patible with promisc uity Th mammals . e

nearest to m tho s e W hom we m y consider as the

an , a

e fligi f u neare s t animal ancestor s the anthro poid

es o o r ,

a pes are sometimes monogamous and sometimes p oly

,

g amo s but n as a
,
rule they ,
cannot endure p romi s cuity ,
.

N w this fact manife s tly con s titute s a ve r y s tron g p

o ,
re

sumption a gainst the basi s of the theory according to

which promiscuity ha s been with the human species th , , e

p rimitive and nece s sary stage of sexual unions D we . o

th us mean to say that there i s exam ple of pr omiscuity no

in h uman societies primitive or not ? F from it It ,
ar .

would be impo ss ible to a ffirm this without ne glectin g a

large number f facts o bs erved i antiquity or observable
o n

i our w day
n But we are warranted in believing that
o n .

the very inferior s tage f promi s cuity h never been other o as

than exceptional in humanity If it has exi s ted her and . e

there it i s that by the very rea s on f the relativ s uperiority

,
o . e
 A ND OF TH E F AM I L Y .
39

of hi s intelligence m i s le ss rigorou sly s ubject to general

, an
laws and that he know s s ometimes how to modify or
,

infri ge them ; ther i s mor room for capric i hi s

,

n e e e n

exi s tence tha in th lif f th a imal s n e e o e n .

II S m C f H um P m i uity
. o e ases o an ro sc .

H uman g r oup s have the p racti s ed promi s cuit y and ,

n, ,

it is not quite im pos s ibl that s om of them practi s e it e e

s till E xce ptional as the s e facts may b e they

. interest ,
are

ing to sociologi s t s and it i s im portant to m ention and to

,

criticis them l s o We are indebted f our knowledg

e a . or e
o f certai number f them to the writer s of G reco L ati
a n o -
n
anti quity I will giv them i full at lea s t tho s e that
. e n ,

de s erve have o b tained more le ss credit

or or .

“
Throu ghout the Troglodyte country relate s Strabo ”
, ,
“
the peopl lead omad life E ach tribe ha s it s chief
e a n .
,

or ty t Th women and th chi ldren are pos s e s sed i

ra n . e e n

common with the exceptio f the wive s and children

, n o
o f the chief and whoever i s guilty f adultery with
, o o ne

Of the wives of the chief i s puni s hed by a fi con s i s ti g ne n

of the payment f a s heep o .
” 1

A other p a s sag Of Stra b o s which i s b etter known i s

’
n e , ,

ofte q uoted as proving primitive e poch of promiscuity

n a
among th ancient Ara bs also Thi s pa s sage i s curiou s
e .

and intere s ti g b ut it ha s t in th lea s t the extent f

n ,
no e o
s igni fi catio that i s attri b uted to it C oncerning the con
n .

jugal cu s tom s f the people s of Arabi Felix Strabo s peak s

o a ,

as follow s Community f good s exi s t s betwee all the o n

m em b ers f th sam family but there i s only
o e ma s ter
e ,
o ne ,

who is always the elde s t of the family They h ave only one .

wife between them all d h who can fore s tall the othe rs , an e
enter s her apartme t th fi rs t and enjoy s her fter havingn e , , a
take the precaution of placing hi s sta ff cross the door ( it i s
n a
the cu s tom for every man to carry s taff) Sh ever spend s a . e n
the night with any but the elde s t the chief Thi s promi s , .

c uity make s them all b rother s We mu s t add that they have .

commerc with their own mothers O the other hand

e . n ,

a dultery which mean s f them commerce with a lover wh

, or o

i s not of the family i s pitile s sly puni shed with death Th

,
. e

H r d t B k i p 1
7 e o o us , oo xv . . 1 .
4o TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A GE

daughter f of the kin gs Of the country w h

o ne o w , o as
marve llou s ly beauti ful had fifteen brothers all de sperately , ,

in love with her and who for thi s reason t ook turn s in
, , ,

enjoying her without intermis s ion F ati gued with their .

a s siduity she invented the followi g s tratagem She pro

, n .

cured staffs exactly similar to tho s e f her brothers and o ,

when f them left her s he quickly placed acro ss the

o ne o ,

door the staff similar to that of the brother who had just
quitted her then replaced it s hortly after by another
, ,

and s o t king care not to place there the s taff like

o n, a

the b r othe r s who s e visit s he was expectin g N w

’
. o , o ne
day when all the brother s were together in the public
,

place , of them went to her door and concluded at the

o ne , ,

s ight f the st ff that some

o a was with her ; but a s he
,
o ne ,

had left all hi s brothers together he believed in a flagrant ,

act of ad ultery hastened to seek their fathe r and led him

, ,

to the s pot H was however forced to acknowledge i

. e , ,
n
hi s presence that he had slandered his s ister .
” 1

E ven admitti g the pe r fect accuracy of the fact related

n

by Strabo ( and there i s nothing in it to s urpri s e an th e no

g raphical s ociologist) the word pr omi s c uity is here quit ,

e

inappropriate Th c ustom of maternal ince s t which i s

. e ,

not without example p erhaps wa r rants the s upposition f ,

o

ancient familial promiscuity ; but in reality the Arab s of

whom St rabo s peaks were sim ply p olyandrous and they ,

were s o preci s ely in the manner f th Thibetan s of the o e

p resent day ; they p ractised fraternal polyandry — conjugal a

fo r m to which we shall pre s ently return .

Th other exam ple s f

e called promi s cuity related by o s o-
the writers f anti q uity are unfort unately s o brie fl y give
o , ,
n

that it is di fficult to judge f their value o .

“
Th Ag thye ( Scythian
a s ) s
rsesays H erodotus
”
, ,
are

the mo s t delicate f men ; their ornament s are chie fl y f

o o

gold They have their women in common in order that

.

they may all be brothers and th t being so nea rly related ,

a , ,

they may feel neither hatred nor envy a gainst each othe r .
” 2

In another pa ss age H erodotu s s ay s f the M g t o as sa e e s

( Scythian s ) E ach,
man mar
“
rie s a wife bu t they use t h em ,

all in common Th a ss ertion is gro s sly cont radictory and

. e ,

can only relate to the extremely loos manner s of th e e

1
S trab l i h i p 5
o , vo . xv .H r d t
c .B k i pv .
6 . 2 .
2
e o o us , oo . . 21 .
 A ND OF TH E EA M H ; y: 41

unmarried women A a matter f fact amon gst many . s o ,

s avage b arb arou s peo ple s cha s tity i s not impo s ed

or on

the women a s long a s they have no proprietor s

, Whe .
“
n

o ne of them desire s a woma continue s H erodotu s h n,

”
,
“
e

s u s pe ds hi s quive r i front f hi s ch riot d tran quilly

n n o a ,
an

unites with her .

” 1

T hi s i s merely a trait of very free manners which m ay b e ,

placed by th s id of many other s proving that mode s ty

e e ,

ha s bee slow f growth in th human b rain Th

n o e . e

T ahitian s were s till more cynic l th n th M gt a a e ass a e es .

H erodotu s him s elf s peak s f black Indian s ( Tamils ) o

“
wh o coupled a s publicly bea s t s ( iii and V as
”
. .

Jac quemont ha s related that R u j t Singh would rid n ee e

with o ne of hi s wive s on the b ack of elephant and tak an e
hi s plea s ur publicly with hi s companio careles s of censur
e n, e

( V . Jac q uemont C 6 th M arch ,

It would
orresb ,
1 e
very ea s y b y s earching into ethnography to accumulat
, , e
fact s f this kind ; but f the moment I have only t
o or o
continue my examinatio f ld G reco R oman text s n o o -
re
lating mo r le ss to promiscuity I therefore return to
e or .

them H erodotu s again rel te s i s peaking of the An s e s

. a ,
n ,

an E thio p ian tribe T heir wome are commo ; they do :

“
n n
no t live with them b ut cou ple after the manner f bea s t s
,
o .

Whe n V igorou s child i s b orn to woman all the men g

a a ,
o

to s ee it at th third month d he whom it mo s t resemble s

e ,
an

acknowledge s it for hi s A d her w hav Pliny s ay .

” 2
n e e e
i g al s o of th G
n m t G m
e t m t im i um
ara an e s : a ra a n es a r on or

assim c um jé m in is ?
’
exsortes, p aegun t

Strab o too affirm s f th Celtic populatio f Iern

, ,
o e n o e

( Ireland ) the m,
hav“
pu b lic commerce with all kind
en s f e o

wome ve with their mother s d s isters

n, e n an .
” 4

Th pa s sage s that I have ju s t q uoted are tho s e which are

e

most fre q uently used to s upport the preten s ion that huma n
s ocietie s have begu with promi s cuity ; they are at once the
n
mo s t ancient most authentic and mo s t explicit We may
, ,
.

add to them the a ss ertion of V arro q uoted by Saint ,

Augu s tine according to which the G reek s prior to th

,
5
,
e
time of C ecrop lived in promi s cuity But how is it po ss i b l
s, . e

H r d t
1
i 4
e o Pl i y
o us, 8 v. 10 3 n v.
S trab i 4
. .
,

M id i
2
8 . v. 1 0 .
4
o, v . .

5
Va rr o, Apurl A ugust . . ae
’
C iv it D ei
. . x v iii. 9 .
42 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

not to b struck with the weakne ss f the s e historical

e o

proofs ? Some f them are mere gene r al assertions whil

o , e
others plainly relate either to s ocial anomalie s or to case s
o fp olyan dry T he r e is no doubt a s to thi s in regard to th
. e
ancient Arab s f whom St rabo speaks and al s o to the
o ,

P t h ll
ro o eof V arro Thi s last in s tance certainly relate s
e n es .

to the matriarchal family of which I shall hav to s peak , e

again at some length In fact after having s tated that .

,

the P t h ll ro o had no marriage V arro add s that the

e e ne s ,

children only knew their mother and bore her name Th . e

p roof i s decisive for the matriarchate does not in the lea s t

,

exclude m rriage a s w s hall s ee later and i the c s e of

a , e ,
n a
the L ydian s it la s ted until the time of H erodotus .

In order to com plete this review of ancient text s I will ,

mention further the pas sage of the Tim u i which ee s n

So rate s s peak s f the community of wives — O th

c o
“
n e
s ubject of the proc r eation of childre w e s tabli s hed n e a
community of wives and children ; and we devised means
that no one s hould ever know hi s w child They were t o n . o
im gine that they we r e f
a family and to regard tho s o o ne ,
e

wh o were within a certain limit f age a s brother s and o

s ister s ; and again those wh were of an elder generation as

,
o

p arent s and gr and p a r ent s and tho s e w h were of a younger , o

generation a s children and grandchildren .

”

But Plato had a lively imagination H w a g reat . e as

dreamer as V oltaire s aid of him and thi s pa ss age

,
”
,

evidently describes a purely utopian society .

T radition s relative to a very ancient e p och of promiscuity

are found here and the r e out s ide the G reco R oma -
n
world In China for ex m ple the women are said to hav
.
,
a , e
bee common until the rei gn of F uhi A t radition of the
n o .
1

same kind but more explicitly stated i s mentioned in th

, , e
M ahab h arata ( i F orme r ly it wa s not a crime t
.
“
o
be faithless to a h usband ; it was eve a duty T his n .

cu s tom is observed in our w day s among the Kourou s o n

o f the north Th females of all cla s se s are common

. e

on the earth ; a s are the cow s so are the women each one ,

ha s her ca s te It i s C i é t Ketou who has established

. v a-

a limit for the m d women on th earth enThi s an e .

” 2

1 l i t iii p 38 8
'
G g O ig o uet, r aes o s,

Q t d by G ir d T l
. . . . .

2
uo O g d l F m ill p 66
e au e u o n, ri . e a a e, . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y .
43

asserti o n i s v agu e , an d has no t the lea s t proof to s upport

it .

continuing u in q uiry we attempt to correct the s

I f, o r ,
e
hi s torical document s by ethnographical informatio we n,
s hall hardly fi d on thi s s ide of the s ubject more than
n ,

on th other anythi g b ut s impl a ss ertio s which

e ,
n e n ,
are

either too vague too b rief or evidently pe to dispute

or ,
o n .

In the Andama I s lands t least i ertai of them

n , or a n c n ,

the women are s aid t hav bee held in commo till o e n n

quite recently E very woman belo ged to all the men f

. n o

the tribe and re s i s tance to y Of them wa s a crim

, an e

s everely punished Thi s time w s eem to hav found at .

1
e e ,

length ca s f actual legal promi s cuity But ccording

, a e o .
,
a
to other accounts th A d m it man and woman contract
,
e n a an e ,

on the contrary monogamic d tem porary unio and, a an n,

remain together in case of pregnancy and maternity until th
, , e
child i s weaned a s do many animals N w however s hort
,
?
o ,

a conjugal union may be it i s incom patible with promi s cuity , .

Th indigenou s Indian s
e f C alifornia who among o , are

th lowe s t of huma race s coupl after the ma ner of

e n , e n
inferior mammals without the lea s t formality and accord , ,

i g to the ca p rice f the mome t

n T hey are s aid even to
o n .
3

cele b rate fea s t s and propitiatory dance s which are followed ,

b y general promi s cuity

a .
4

According to M ajor R o s s K ing s me a b original tri b e s , o

o f I dia notably th K u um b
n , d the I ul hav e o ro as an ro as, e
no idea of marriage and live i p m i uity Th only , n ro sc .
ls
e
prohibitory rule con s i s t s in t having intimate commerc no e
with per s o belongi g to another cla ss or ca s t ; but ther
a n n e e
s eem only to be two cla ss e s i th trib n e e .

Barbarou s tri b es belonging t white race s r s aid l s o o a e a

to have practi s ed promi s cuity i m oder time s A mong n n .

certai tribe s of the Z p g C os s acks the women

n a o ro are
s aid to b common and are con fi ned in s e parate ca m ps
e , .
6

B s ide s the s e th A s arians mountaineer s of Syri are

e , e n ,
a,

1 Trans E tlz n S oc , Ne w S e ies , vo l

. .
p 3 5 . r . II . . .

2
I bia v o l v p 4 5
’
. . . . .

3 Bagae rt, S m itlzson ian R eport, p 3 68 , 1 8 6 3

nr
. .

Ba c o ft, N ativ e R ac es of P ac ifi c , v o l i p 3 5 2
ak
. . . .

5 W e, E v olution of M orality , v ol i p 1 1 0 . . . .

2 C am penh ausen , B em ark uber R a s sia n a

' '

. .
44 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R R I A G E

said to practi s e not promi s cuity pure and sim ple civil
, , or

promiscuity but a religiou s promiscuity analo go us to that

, ,

f the ancient G nostic s and the A f Ta h iti 1

T hese
’

o i re o s o .

A n s arian s m us t dou b tles s have been confounded with the

Y idiaz a s ect of A ab s also Syrian s practi s ing a sort of
e s, r , ,

manich eism and wh it i s said a s semble pe r iodically

a , o, ,

every month or every three m th i frate r nal aga p

, on s,
'

n a
e,
at the conclu s ion of which they unite in the darkne s s with
o ut heed a s to adultery ince s t Throughout the Syrian or .

O r ient the erotic festival of the Y idi i s called by a az es

s ignificant ame D u l C lf /—the game of catchin g
n ,
ao re - -
ac z e z ?

But even if the fact we r e true what does it s how ? O nly ,

o ne more ab erration to the s core f th phallic religions o e .

H ere I end my enumeration E vi dently nothing ve ry .

convincing re s ult s from it Th greater umber of the . e n

facts that I have just quoted have either been carelessly

obs erved contested , or a ffir med by a single witness or
,
or ,

depend merely on hearsay evidence It is prudent there .

,

fore to regard them with lawful u spi ion and even if

, S c ,

certain of them are exact w must be careful not to draw , e

general concl us ions fr om them P r omiscuity may have .

been adopted by certain s mall human gr ou ps mo r e probably ,

by certain association s b r oth e rh oods Thus t h e c h ie fs or .

o f the N m q u i H ottentots willin gly held their wive s in

a a o

common .

When we come to s tudy the family we shall find that

amon g the Kamilaroi f Au s t r alia all the women f o o o ne

clan a r e re puted to be the wives of all the men f another o .

But t h is community is Often only fictitious and be s ides it , , ,

is already re gulated ; it i s not promiscuity pure and simple .

So far othing proves s u fficiently that there has been a

,
n
universal stage f promiscuity among mankind Some
o .

theo r ists have been so hasty to come to conclusion a on

t h is point that they have gone beyond actual expe r ience .

M oreover a s I have been careful to remark the sim ple fact

, ,

t h at man i s a m ammalian primate weaken s thi s hypothesis

in advance s ince the neare s t relation s of man in the a imal
,
n

kingdom are in general polygamou s d even s ometimes ,

an

monogamou s .

1
V l y Sy i
o ne h iii r a, c
t pp 8 7 89
.
, .

M y x L B ld i D
’
2
a eu , A b
es ou ns on ro es o u esert . 1 9 13 . 1 , 1 .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y: 45

I II . H etai ris m .
—
j p
us rim w noc tis .

No tonly i s it im po s si b l to admit that mankind ha s in e ,

all time s and places pa s sed thro ugh neces s ary s tag of ,
a e

p romiscuity but we mu s t g further d al s o renounc a o an e

theory which ha s had some degree f s ucce ss lately—the
, ,

theory f obligatory primitive hetairism According to thi s

o
’

theo r y when the in s tinct f holdin g feminin property arose

,
o e

in man s om i dividual s arrogated th ri ght to keep f

, e n e or

themselve s more of the wome hitherto common

o ne o r n .

T h community then prote s ted and whil tolerating t h i s

e , e
derogation from ancient u s age exacted that the b rid or , e,

p urchased woman s hould make an act

, f heta iri s m o
'

,
or

p ro s titution befor belong

,
ng to m e only i o ne an .

It i s H erodotu s who ha s tran s mitted to u s the most

striking exam ple f thi s kind the one invoked b y all the
o ,

theorist s of hetair ism I s hall therefore q uot it at length

’

.
, , e
“
Th most di s g r aceful
e f th Babylonian custom s is the o e

followin g E ve r y native woma i s obliged once in her life

. n , ,

to s it in the tem ple f V enu s and have intercour s e with o

s ome s tranger A d many di s daining to s it with the re s t
. n , ,

being proud account f their wealth come in covered

on o ,

carriage s and take up their s tation at the tem ple with a

,

numerou s trai f s ervant s attending the m B ut the far

n o .

g r eater pa r t do this many sit down in the tem ple f V enus

: o ,

wearing a crown f cord round their head s ; s om are o e

continually coming and others are going ut Pa ss age s o .

marked ut in a straight line lead in every direction through

o

the women along which s tranger s pa ss d mak their

, an e
choice When woman ha s once s eated her s elf s he mu s t
. a ,

not return home till s ome s tranger ha s thrown a p iece f o

silver into her lap and lain with her out s ide th tem ple e .

H w ho throws the silver must s ay thu s

e I be s eech the :
‘

godde ss M ylitta to favo ur thee ; for th As syrian s call ’

e
V enus M ylitt Th silver may be ever s o s mall for she
a . e ,

will not rej ect it inasmuch a s it is not la w ful for her to do

,

so for suc h s ilver i s accounted sac r ed Th woman follows

, . e

the fi rst m that throws and refuses no

an But when, o ne .

she has had intercou r se and ha s ab s olved her s elf fr om her ,

obligation s to the godde s s h returns home and after that ,

s e
 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

time however great a sum y u may give her you will not
, o ,

gain pos s es s ion of her Tho s e that are endowed with .

beauty and symmetry of s hape a r e soon set fr ee ; but the

defo r med are detained a long time from inability to s atisfy ,

the law f s ome wait for a space f three or four years

,
or o .

In s ome part s of Cypru s there is a cu s tom ve y similar r .

” 1

A fter having read this pas s age we are sur pri s ed at the ,

im po r t that has been attributed to it E ve admitting th . n e

obligation and univers ality of the custom in ancient
Babylon it i s only an exam ple of religiou s pro s titution
, ,

with trace s f exogamy Th Babylonians honouredo . e

M ylitta j ust a s the Armenians according to Stra b o ven
, , ,
2

t d the goddes s Anaitis T hey have erected tem ples

’

e ra e .

to Anaitis in variou s place s e specially i the Akili u

'

,
n sen s,

and have attached to the s e tem ple s a good umber of n

hierodule s sacred slaves of both s exe s S far indeed
, or ,
. O , ,

there is no ground for astoni s hment ; but their devotion

goe s further and it is the custom for the mo s t illu s triou s
,

p e r sonages to con s ecrate their virgin daughter s to t h e

g oddess T hi s i no
. way p revent s the latter
n from ea s ily
finding hu s band s even after they have pro s tituted them
,

selves for a long time i the temple s of A naitis N man n

’

. o

feels on thi s account any repu gnance to take them a s

wive s .
’

I quote in full these venerable pa ss ages which have been ,

so much u s ed and abused in o r der t h at it may t be ,

no
possi ble to mi s take their s ignification O nc more w . e e
re peat that they merely relate to erotico religiou s abe rr a -

tions Th p r ocreative need or delirium ha s ins pired men

. e , ,

with many fooli s h idea s and probably will continue to do ,

s o A ve r y s light knowledge of mythology i s enough to

.

s how u s that numerous cult s hav been founded th e on e

sexual in s tinct and the s e cult s a re naturally accom panied
,

by s pecial practices little in accordance with our E uropean ,

mo rality R eli giou s p r o s tit ution which was widely spr ead
.
,

in G r eek antiquity ha s bee also found in India where ,

n ,

eve r y tem ple f renown had it s bayader e s the only wome

o ,
n

in India to whom until quite recently any instruction w , ,

as

given .

Th far more peculiar cu s tom f T /i t/

e or religiou s o c z n-
z a n,
1
H r d t B k i 99
e o o us, S tr boo l i 4 . 1 .
2
a o, vo . x . 1 .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y .
47

de fl o ratio n, formerly i use i Cambodia and i M ala b r n n 1

n a ,

i s evidently aki to religiou s pro s titution But thi s cu s tom

n .

i s othing el s e than a mystic transformation f what wa s

n o

called the ju p im ti of which I must fi rs t s peak

s r It
ce n oc s, .

i s important to di s ti g uish s everal varietie s f it Th fi r s t n o . e

and mo s t simple w the cu s tom by which every newly as

m arried woman b efore b elo ging to her hu s band wa s ,

n ,

o bliged to give her s elf or be give to certain umber of ,

n, a n

men either relative s friends or fellow citi en s Thi s wa s

, , ,
-
z .

the cu s tom amo g the N m according to H erodotu s

n asa o n s,

Whe N m marries cu s tom requires that hi s brid

n a asa on , e
s hould yield her s elf th fi r s t night to all hi s guest s i on e n
turn each who ha s had commerc with her make s her
o ne e

a pre s ent which h ha s been mindful to bring with him

, e .
”2

A s imilar cu s tom i s s aid to hav exi s ted in variou s e

countrie s of the glo b i ancient time s i the Bal aric e, n n e
Isle s mor recently among th ncie t Peruvian s i
, e e a n ,
n

o u w
r o times among s everal ab original tri b e s of Indi ;
n a
i
n Burmah in Cashmere in the s outh of Ara b ia in
, , ,

M adaga s car and in N w Zealand ; but alway s a s

, e 3
an

e xceptional practic i u only in s mall grou p tri be e, n se a or .

It i s t im po ss i b le that here and there thi s u s age which

no ,

i s rar enough m y hav b ee derived traditionally from

e ,
a e n an
a ncient marriage by cla ss es analogous to that s till found ,

among th Kamilaroi f Au s trali ; b ut it may have b een

e o a
s imply mark f good fellow s hip or of conjugal generosity
a o -
,

o n th part f th bridegroom
e o e .

Th s ei gnorial ju p im
e ti th ri ght f th lord i s s r e n oc s, e o e ,

much more widely spread and it s exi s tence cannot b con , e

te s ted Among th K ffir s ay s H amilto th chiefs
. e a s, n, 4
e
hav th choic of th wome for s everal league s round
e e e e n .

So al s o until lately i N w Zeala d every pretty girl wa s

, , n e n ,

t é
a oo for th vulgar and had to b fi rst re s erved for the
e , e
c hief I N w M exico with the T ahou s a s C t fi d
.
5
n e , , as a e a
i form s u s it i s nece ss ary after havi g purcha s ed the gi rl
n , ,
n
from her p are t s to s ubmit her to the s eignorial right of
n ,

1
Abe l de R é m us at, N ouv mil As iati ues , p q 1 16
r t
. . . .

2
H e o do us, iv 1 7 2
ln
. .

2 r G i aud Te u o , Orig de la F a m ille, p 6 9 . . .

2 rw D a in, D esc ent of M a n , p 6 5 1 . .

48 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

the caci que to a prie s t f high rank R eli gion alre dy

, or o . a
begin s to insinuate it s elf into this singular right .
1

Accordi g to M arco Polo the same c ustom existed in

n ,

the thirteenth century in Cochin China Know say s the -

.
“
,
”

o ld chronicler no woman can marr y without the king

,
“

firs t s eeing her If s he pleases him he take s her to wife ;

.
,

if she doe s not please him he give s her enough from his ,

o w pro p erty to enable her to ma r r y

n .

I the year 8 f Christ when M e ss ire Marco Polo

n 1 2 0 o ,

w as in that country the king had three hundred and ,

eighty s ix children male and female

-
,
.
” 2

U nder the fe udal s ystem i E urope thi s right f pre n o

libation ma rquette ( designated in ld French by the
, or o
expressive term it ut g ) has been in u s e in many
aro
’ ’
ae o a e ,

fi f and until a ve r y recent e poch

e s, Almo s t in ur own . o

day s ce r tain lo r ds f the Nethe rlands f P r u s sia and f o , o , o

G ermany s till claimed it , In a F r ench title deed of 5 7 .
-
1 0

we read that the Count d E u ha s the right of prelibation in ’

the said place when any marries M o r e than this o ne .

3
,

ecclesiastics and even bishops have been known to claim

, ,

thi s right in their quality f feudal lords I have seen o .

“
,
”

s ays Boeti us in the co urt at Bou rges before the met r o

, ,

p olitan an a pp,
eal by a ce r tain p a r is h p rie s t w h p retended ,
o

to claim the first night of youn g brides accordin g to the ,

received usage Th demand wa s rej ected wit h in dignation

. e ,

the custom unanimou s ly p r o s c r ibed and the s candalo us ,

p r ie s t condemne d to p y a fine a .
”

I a kin gdom fM alabar s ay s J F orb e s th eccle s ia s

” “
n o ,
.
,
e
tical p w t k precedence f the civil thi s particular
o er
‘

oo o on

p oint and the s overeign him s elf pa ss ed under the yoke

,
.

L ike the other women the q ueen had to s ubmit to the ri gh t ,

o f prelibation exerci s ed by the high prie s t wh had a ri ght , o

to the first three nights and wh was paid fifty pieces of ,

o

gold besides for his trouble In Cambodia according .

”4
,

to an ancient C hinese traveller religiou s prelibation wa s ,

obli gatory on all the youn g girls d w performed every ,

an as

year with g r eat ceremony Th parent s wh had daughte rs . e o

1 B r ft N i R
an c o , l i p 5 84
at v e ac es , e tc .
, vo . . . .

2
M r P l E di i P p l i
a co o o, p 8 7 t on o u a re, 1
at
. .

3 L r ier h w r d C l C li
’
Gl t i F ua e ou u
'

au e, p ose c u g
a ro g t ra n a z s , t e o a e.
2 J am es r
F o be s, Orien tal M em oirs , vo l. i p 446 . . v o l. iv . 18 13 .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y .
49

to marry made a declaration f it and public functionary o ,

a
fixed the day for the cele b ratio of T l i tfi the legal n c z n- an , o r

and religiou s d fl ti F thi s th intervention of a

e o ra on . or e
Buddhist prie s t or t priest w indispensable Th
, a o o- s se , as . e

p arent s entreated hi s s ervice which w very co stly and for , as ,

this rea s o gi rl s wh were poor retained their virginity

n o

longer than th rich It even sometime s ha ppened that

e .

piou s per s ons moved b y a sentiment f charity took

,
o ,
on

them s elve s the payment of the co s t s f the eremony for o c

tho s e wh h d b een waiting long time G r eat dis play

o a a .

attended it O the appointed day the o ffi ciati g priest

. n n

wa s carried in the vening with much pom p to the festive e

hou s e and the next morning he was reconducted home in
,
a

p alan q uin with p ara s ol drum and mu s ic and not without

, , ,

bei g o ffered fre s h pre s ents A de R é m u t has give in

n . . sa n,

L atin s ome curiou s particular s f the intimate detail s f th

, o o e

ceremony which I cannot relate here

, .
1

T he s e few exam ples s u ffi ce t sho w how ve r y much o

morality is a relative thi g b ut they cannot s erve as a ba s i s n ,

to a general theory f hetairism o

’

Th s eignorial ri ght f preli b ation i s s im ply

e abuso an e
o f force and good plea s ure ; only viewed n the light Of our ,
I

morality it shock s u s more than the other s O might

, . ne

j us tify it however by rea s on s which Bo s suet con s idered

, ,

su fficient to render s lavery lawful Th right f conquest . e o

ha s given or still give s all over the world every so r t f

, , , o

ri ght over the vanqui s hed even the right f life and death ,
o .

Th con q ueror
e in a ju s t war s ay s the s age of M eaux
,
“
,
”
,

may legitimately kill the vanquished and f ti i enslave ,

a or or ,

him ; and may add following out a logical conclusio

o ne ,
n,

that it i s lawful f him to dispo s e as he pleases of his wife

or
and daughter A a m atter f cour s e the priest in hi s
. s o , ,

quality of lord can claim th same privilege s , th e as e

layman ; but be s ides this if it s hould ha ppen that hi s ,

p artic ular religion lend s itself to the idea b y being founded

in s ome manner on the wor s hi p of th principle f procrea e o

tion a s i s so fre quently the ca s with oriental religions

, e , a
s ort f s u per s titious prestige will come to adorn and cloth
o e
thi s s acerdotal s hamelessness .

In all thi s there i s hardly any room for hetairi s m n ’

co
1
A R m N . m t ] A i iq
'
e us at,t p 8 ou v . . s at ues, . 1 9 17 . 11 .
5 0 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

s ide re d as a com pe sation to the community for damage to

n

it s ancient rights .

A dmittin g that t h e ju p im ti fr elatives and fr iendss r oe n oc s o

does not im ply sim ple polyandry it may ve r y natu rally be ,

explained by pr imitive laxity f mo r als A mon g the o .

gr eate r n umbe r f p eo ples w ho a r e ve r y sli ghtly or not at

o
all civilised the women a r e free to give or sell t h emselves
,

befo r e marr iage a s they please and as it does not entail any ,

disgrace t h ey use the liberty la rgely Besides in many

, .
,

co unt r ies the h us band h d o r still has over hi s wife o r a , ,

wives all the ri ghts of a propr ieto r ove r the thin g possessed .

N w conside r in g he is a st ran ge r to all modesty and sex ual

o ,

r est raint nothing seems mo r e natu ral if he has some

, ,

instinct of sociability t h an to len d his wi fe to h is fr ien ds

, ,

j ust as he wo ul d do t h em an act of politeness make them a ,

present o r invite them to a feast all w ithout t h inkin g any

, ,

evil T his V ie w of t h e pr actice is su ppo r ted by many fact s

. .

D oubtles s it is the g r eat sexual licence accorded to

youn g gi r ls in s o many co unt r ies which has led many
ob s erve rs and travellers to concl ude t hat promiscuity has
been sy s tematic lly establis h ed In Aust ralia t h e gi rls
a .

cohabit fr om the g of ten wit h young boys f fo urteen or

a e o

fifteen without reb uke fr om any

, and there are even o n e,

g reat sex u al o rg ie s in w hich the si gnal is given to the young

p eo ple for libe r ty to unite freely in o p en day .
1

I the grea ter numbe r of savage count r ies these customs

n

a r e common At N uk H iva or mo r e generally all ove r

. o a- ,

Polynesia the yo u g girls did not ma rry t h at i s to say did

,
n , ,

not become the chattel of a man before t h e age f nineteen , o

or twenty and until then they contracted a great n umber

,

o f ca priciou s unions which became lasting only in case f , o

the bi rth fch ildren o

?

In all these islands moreover modesty w a s unkno wn , , ,

an d the membe r s f each family p assed the night side by

o
side on m ats and enti r ely naked Th place of hono ur in
,
. e ,

the cent r e w as Occu pied by the maste r f the hou s e

,
o ,

flanked by his wi fe or w ives .

3

1
r
E y e, D isc ov eries , v o l p 3 20 . II . . .

2
r r
P o te , H ist Un iv aes Voy , v o l x vi p 3 2 3
’

k t
. . . , . . .

3
C o o , F irst Voy ( H ist Un iv aes Voy ,
’
V p M o erenho ut,
t
. . . . . . .

’
Voy a ux iles o u G rand Oc ea n , 1 8 1 p 263
’
3
. . . .
 A N D OF TH E F A M JL Y .
5 1

A nalogous cu s tom s extremely licentious in u eyes b ut , o r ,

perfectly natu r al for primitive peo ple s wer in full forc , e e

among all the indigenou s race s fAmerica o .

Th C hi uk girl s giv
e hir themselves ut a s they
no e or e o

please .In the latter ca s e the parents often take th e

p ayment ?

Th Ayma r a s who have no word f

e ,
marriage and who or ,

are such a s im ple folk that i their op inion any c r i m e can , n ,

be committed with im punity G ood F riday s ince G d i s on , o

dead onthat day contract without s cru ple free union s

,

merely for the du r ation f the evening f a feast Th o o . e

contract i s made in mimic language and i s ettling it th ,
n e
man and woma exchange head gear only n -
.

Similar manner s prevail among th E squimaux th e , e

Kaffir s and the Dyak s f Bor eo I Japa the parent s
, o n . n n
w illingly hire ut their da ughter s either to private
o ,

individual s to hou s e s f prostitution f a pe r iod f

or o ,
or o

several years and th girls are in ,

way dishono ured e no

there b y In Abys s inia s ay s Bruce out s ide of the conjugal

.
, ,

bond which is ea s ily tied untied the women dis pose of

, or ,

their person as they plea s e .

In primitiv R ome a s with u s the you g girl without

e , ,
n

dowry the i t t w held i moderate e s teem ; and

,
’
n ao a a, as n
therefore many young girls procured them s elves a dowry b y
traffick ing their per s ons A ld L atin proverb ha s handed . n o
down the s ouvenir f thi s ancient fa s hion f procuring a o o

dowry Tu m tut tioi t m gu i p

: sc o ore, e ao e
’
a r s c or ore ?

N w i all the s e custom s at once so sim ple and so

o , n ,

gro ss it i s im p ossible to
,
the trace s of an enforced s ee

hetairi s m derived fro m an anti que period of promiscuity

, ,

which w al s o e qually Obligatory They are s im ply trait s

as .

o f animal laxity M were s till almo s t devoid f moral

. en o

training and the care f decency and mode s ty was Of th

, or e

s lighte s t .

If in a primitive country a certain amount f re s traint is o

im po s ed a woman wh i s married rather owned by a

on o ,
or

man it i s s olely becaus e s he i s con s idered a s property held

, ,

by th s ame title a s a fi eld a dome s tic animal F her

e or . or

B r ft N i R 1
t
anc o at v e ac es , e c

Wak E l i f M l y l i p 9
.
,
2
e, vo ut on o ora i t vo 21
G ir d T l n O ig d l F m ll p 8 3
. . . .
,
1
au eu o , r . e a a z e, . .
52 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R R I A G E

to dispo s e f her person without authori s atio is often a

o n
capital crime ; but the husband the contrary ha s in ,
on ,

many countrie s the undis puted right to lend let out or , ,

barter his wi fe wives ju ut i t out i I will

or : s ena
’
e a ena
’
.

mention a few f the s e marital custom s

o .

In America from the land f the E squimaux to

,
o

Pata gonia the loan f the wife is not only lawful but
, o ,

pr ai s eworthy E gidi us s ay s f the E s quimaux that those “

. o ,

wh o lend their wives to their friend s without the least

hesitation are reputed in the tribe a s having the be s t and
noble s t character Th E ngli s h traveller C a ptain R oss
.
” 1
e , ,

relates that one of the E s quimaux prowlin g around hi s s hi p

w as accom panied by the wive s and children f of his o o ne

intimate fr iends to whom he had in the precedin g autumn

, , ,

confided on hi s s ide his own two wive s Th exchan ge

, ,
. e
was to terminate at a fixed time and the E squimaux f ,
o

whom Ca ptain R oss s peaks w very indignant w ith hi s as

fr iend beca use the latter having fo rgotten him s elf while ,

cha s ing the deer in distant regions wa s not exact in kee ping ,

the en ga gement ?

O this p oint the R edskins a r e not more delicate than

n

the E squimaux Thus the Natche make no di fficulty f

. z o
lending their wive s to their fr iends I N w M exico the ?
n e
Y uma husband s willingly hire ut their wive s and their o

s lave s witho ut making any di fference A d beside s wit h

, . n , ,

them a s in many other countries to furnish a guest with a

, ,

tem porary wife i s s im ply of the dutie s of hospitality o ne ?

Th chiefs
e f the N utk Columbians barter their wives
o o a
among each other a s a sign f fr iendshi p Nothing would o .
5

be ea s ier than to enumerate a great number of fact s f o

the same kind ob s erved in Au s tralia Africa Polyne s ia , , ,

M ongolia and almo s t everywhere

,
But it i s mo r e remark .

able to meet with the same cu s tom in a M u ssulman country .

Neverthele ss Burckhardt relate s that the M

, k dh a ere e e ,

branch of the great tribe of A y understood hospitality in s r,

thi s primitive manner T every s tranger received under . o

1
Ar is tory of Green la nd, p 1 4 2
t xl
. .

2
R o ss , H ist Un iv aes Voy , p 1 58
'

t xx
. . . . . . .

r t ig
L ettres E t an tes , p 1 16 . . . .

Banc o f, ativ e R ac es , e tc , v o l i p 5 1 4

t x
. . . . .

r
Me a es , H ist Un iv aes Voy ,
’
. iii p 3 7 5
. . . . . .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y .
53

their tent s or in their hou s e s they fl d a woman of th ,

o
'

e re e
family and mo s t often a wif of the ho s t him s elf Th
,
e . e
young girl s alone were exempt from thi s s tra ge s ervic n e .

It wa s considered the duty of th traveller to conform with e

a good grace to the cu s tom otherwi s e he wa s hooted and ,

cha s ed from the village cam p b y the wome and or n

children Thi s extreme manner of under s tanding ho spitality

.

wa s very ancient and deeply rooted and it wa s t without ,

no
di fficulty that the con q ueri g Wahabite s b rought the A y n s rs

to renounce it But the s e cu s tom s were not s pecially con

.
1

fi ned to the A y they were in force throughout prehi s to ric

s rs
A r a b ia A . ld Arab writer I b n l M gh wi mention s
n o , a o a r,
them . Sometimes he s ays the wife w actually
“
,
”
,
“
as
placed at the di s po s ition of the gue s t ; at other times the ,

o ffer w only s ym b olic Th gue s t s were invited to pre ss

as . e

the wife in their arm s and t give her ki s se s but the ,

o ,

poignard would have revenged any further libertie s It .

”2

is not very long since the s ame practice prevailed i n

Kordo fan and Djebel T gg l C ertain trait s f moral s -
a a e
?
o
related b y the G reco L a tin writers how that in R ome and -
S ,

G reece al s o if it w not the hu sb and s duty to lend hi s ’

,
as

wife to his friends he had at least the right to do s o At , .

S parta L ycurgu s authorised hu s band s to b e thu s li b eral

,

with their wive s whenever they judged their friends worthy

o f thi s honour A d further the pu b lic O pinion Of S parta
. n , ,

s trongly approved the cond uct f an aged hu sb and who o

took care to procure for hi s wife a young hand s ome and , ,

virtuou s s u bs titute .
4

T h s ame cu s tom s prevailed at Athen s where Socrates

e , ,

it is s aid lent his wife Xanti ppe to hi s friend Alci b iade s ;

,

an d t R om
a where the austere Cato the elder gave up his
e,
15

wife M arcia to hi s friend H orten s i us and afterward s took

her back much enriched it I s true at the death of this
,

, , ,

friend .

All the s e fact s relate therefore t a very widely s pread , , o -

an d almost univer s al cu s tom which i s i perfect accord , n

B r k h ar dt H i t U i Vy t 8
’
1 uc xxxi I 0
p 3 s n v . a es o

R S m ith A i l p t
.
. .
, . .
,
2 ’
.
p 76 , ns u ,
e c. , . 2 .

2 uS O i t l p 97 ’
’
L A by i i
es l F mm
ss n en nes et es e es o oua a n r en a

P l t r h Ly
,
. .

4 u a c c ur us
g , .

5 Cato .
54 TH E E V OL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

with the extremely l w position that ha s been gr anted to

o

women in the g reater n umber of savage and ba rbarou s

s ocieties Th married woman bein g exactly assimilated
. e ,

to a s lave or a thin g possessed might thencefo r th be t r eated ,

a s s uch ; and t h e ri ght f pr operty soon becoming s acred

o , ,

ea s ily stood befo r e any cru ple s f decency which were still
s o
rare and weak .

After the precedi g investi gation there a ppear s to b e no

n ,

di fficulty in refutin g the s ociological theory far too p ,

re

valent according to which the enti r e human race ha s pa s sed

,

through a primitive period f promi s cuity followed by o

hetairi s m O u fi r st ancestor s the precursor s f man were

'

. r , o ,

s urely very analogou s to the other primate s We may .

,

therefore conclude that like them they generally lived in

, , ,

polygamou s familie s When these almost huma little . n

groups were associated in hordes tri b es it i s quite po ss ible or ,

that great laxity f morals may have prevailed amon gst

o

them but not a legal

, obli gato r y promi s cuity In a
or .

society s u fficiently n umerou s and s avage it is no ea sy task

for a man to guard his feminine property for the women ,

are not b y any mean s ave r se to adventures Their mode s ty .

is s till very slight and before belongin g s pecially to

, o ne

man they have generally been give s old to many n or

other s At that period f the s ocial evolution p ublic

. o

o pinion s aw no ha m in all thi s A d be s ide s the husband

r . n , ,

or the proprietor f the woman considered her ab s olutely

o

as hi s thing and did not scruple to lend her to hi s friends

, ,

to barter her or to hire her out ,

.

T hese pr imitive customs combined with polyandrou s ,

or collective marriage and the matriarchate have deceived ,

ma y o b servers bot h ancient and modern

n ,
.

When we come to sc r utinise these fact s and to view them ,

in the light f animal s ociology we ar rive at the conclusion

o ,

that human promi s cuity can only have been rare and
exceptional and that the theo r y f the comm unity f wive s
,
o o

and f obligato r y hetair ism will t bear examination

o
‘

no .

Th proc r eative need i s

e of the most tyrannical and
o ne ,

p rimitive man ha s s ati s fied it a s he best co uld without the ,

leas t delicate refinement ; but the egoti s m f individuals ha s o

had for its result from the origin of hu m an s ocieties the

, ,

form tio n o f union s ba s ed

a force and correlatively on , , , a
 AN D OF TH E E A M H ; Y .
55

right f pro perty which fettered more les s rigorou s ly th

o or e
liberty f the women who were thu s po ss e ss ed
o .

T he s e p rimitiv union s were concluded according t th

e o e
chance caprices need s f extremely gro ss s ocietie s wh
or o , o

cared little to s ubmit to a uniform conjugal type Ther . e

are s ome very s ing ular one s among them which d iffer
,

e ss entially from the legal form s f marriag finally and very

o e
tardily ado pted b y the majority o f m ankind It i s the s
. e

i s olated conjugal unions extravagant and immoral in u

,
o r

eye s that we now have to con s ider

,
.
 C H AP TE R IV .

S O M E I N G L R FO R MS OF EX U L
S OCI TION
U A S A AS S A .

I P im i i
. Sr l Imm li y —
t ve O r igi f m d ty—Ab
exua f ora t n o o es se nc e o

ag —L
.

m d ty i
o esh n tf wi e i M la
s av i d am g h
e o an o v es n e n e s a an on t e

B h im
oc —Ab an sf m d ty i h E qim x th R d k i
s e nc e o d o es n t e s u au e e s n s , an
—R igh t f h h b d i P lyn i —L an
,

P lyo i n e s an s o bart r f
t e us an n o es a o or e o

w i —E r ti r ini g f l i tl girl i P l y ia—S i y f h

v es o c t a n o t e s n o nes o c et o t e
A —M i a t t f t r —U t r l l i N C l d i
re OIS an n s a e o na u e nn a u a ov e n ew a e o n a,

i
n h t Am r
e tw oam ng A iati p pl d i Gr
e i c as , R m n o s c eo e s, an n ec o - o a

antiqity—Th u f Cr t e eras tes o e e.

II S m S go F me f M i
tra n
g
— C r e f pr im iti
or s o a rr a e. o a se n ess o ve

m rr i g —H rr r f i t artifi i lly r t d—I t m g i

.

a a e o o o nc es c a c ea e n c es a on v ar o us

p p eol — A r t if
esi i l d fl i — E x p r im t l m rr i g
c a m g h
e o rat o n e en a a a es a on t e
R d ki
e sh O mi ns , h S t h l
e h T r arto d i C yl
es , t e o nt a s, t e a t s, an n e on

T m p r ry m rri g
e o a m g h J w a fM r a d h T py
es a on t e e s o o oc c o an t e a res

F re e i —P r i l m rri g
un o ns d m r i g
a f a t r m am
t a g h a a es an a ra es or e on t e

Ar b aM rri g s d h igh t f h
a a r g ti a g
e an tr i
t e r o t e s t on es n s v a e c o un es

S agav ar e co d i il i d d pr i y
s e ne s s an c v se e av t .

I . P rim itive S exua l I m morality .

In a forme r work I have attem pted to trace th genesi s 1

—
e

o f a s entiment p ec uliar to humanity the sentiment f o

mode s ty It w ould be inexpedient here to treat the subj ect

.

afresh in detail but I will recall the conclusions a rr ived at

,

by that investigation M odesty is p x ll a huma . ar e ce enc e n

s entiment and is totally unknown to the animal s altho ugh
, ,

t h e pr oc r eative need ins pires them with desires and passion s

essentially identical wit h w h at in man we call love ; it is
the r efo r e ce rtainly an artificial sentiment and com pa r ative ,

e th nology proves that it must have resulted fr om th e

1
Ev olution de la M orale
’

L ,
 TH E E V OL UTI ON OF M AR R I A GE .
57

enforced chastity im po s ed women under the mo s t on

terrible penaltie s In reality primitive marriage hardly

.
,

me r it s the ame it is s imply the taking p o ss ession of

n o ne

or s everal women by man wh hold s them b y th o ne ,

o e

s ame title a s all other pro perty and wh treats adultery , o ,

when unauthori s ed by himself s trictly a s robbery T hi s ,

.

ferociou s restraint has re s ulted especially i the woman i ,

n ,
n
the formation f particular mental impre ss ion s corre s po d
o ,
n

i g p s ychica lly to the s entiment f mode s ty and inducin g a

n o ,

certain s exual re s erve w hich ha s b ecom instinctive But e .

this mo r al inhibitio i s s till very weak i race s f l w n n o o

develop ment d taking the whole human species it exi s ts

, an , ,

chie fl y in the woman it i s s exual peculiarity f character a o ,

and is f relatively recent origin

o .

If w kee p well in mind the s e preliminary con s iderations

e ,

we s hall not be much s urpr i s ed at the form s f s exual o

a ss ociatio w hich we are about t although they ‘

'

n id o e o ns er,

are sin gularly repulsiv to u idea s f moral ity We s hall e o r o .

be still less surprised at them when we are ac quainted with

the extreme licence permitted in many s avage and b arbarous
s ocietie s .

The r e i s othing more di ffi cult for us to reali s e civili s ed

n ,

as w e are than the me tal s tate of the man far behind u s in

,
n

cultivation a s regard s what w call p ex ll morality e ar ce en ce

“
.
”

It is t indecency ; it i s s imply
no im l ab s enc f an
'

an a e o

mode s ty A ct s which are undeniab ly quite natural s ince

.
,

they are the expression f a primordial need e ss ential to o ,

the d uration of the s pecie s but which a long ance s tral and ,

individual educatio ha s trained u s to s ubjec t to a rigorou s

n

re s traint and to th accomplishment f which con s e quently

, e o , ,

we cannot hel p attaching a certai shame do t in the n ,

no
lea s t s hock the s till imperfect con s cience f the primitive o

man O thi s point fact s are elo que t and abundant ; I

. n n
will quote a few of them .

I Ta s mania it w
n thought honour f women to
as an or

p ro s titute them s elve s to E uropeans who were e nobled in , n

the eyes f th ative s b y the pre s tige f their s u periority
o e n o
?

Th A u s tralian s who were a little more develop ed than the

e

hired ut their women — t

,

Tasmanian s willin gly lent or o a

least those that were their w property—to their fr iends
,
?
o n

Wak
1
l i p 77 e, v o . Id. l 1
p 7
. .
2
. vo . . . 1 .
5 8 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R RI A G E

The w omen we r e
les s bestial than their males They not .

often engaged says Peltie r in fu r ious combats fighting

, , ,

with spea r s for the po ss e s sion fa man This i s a peculia r

, o .

c se and i s an entirely human instance f that l w f t ttl

a , o a o a e

o f which I have p oken in rega r d to animals L ike the S .

female s f animals ls o the Aust ralian women adored

o a

strength and wh en the men f their own horde we r e

,
o

beaten in battle they s ometimes went over to the cam p f o

the conquerors f their own accord ( M itchell) In these o

?

facts there is nothin g exce ptional and w may chan ge the , e

country witho ut changing the cu s toms Thus the Bochi .

man s treat their wives as s im ple domestic animals and o ffer ,

them willin gly to st ranger s ? as do also the Australian s .

In the Anda m an Islands and el s ewhere the women give

them s elves up before ma rr iage—that i s before becoming
man —to the most unb r idled prostitu
,

the pr o perty f o o ne

tion and yet the most innocent acco r din g to the morality
,
3
,

o f the country .

A mong the E s q uimaux the laxity f sexual cu s tom s both o ,

for men and women is extreme Th husband s feel no , . e

shame in selling rather hi r in g ut their wive s ; and the ,

or o ,

latter as s oon as their proprietors a r e gone to the chase or

,

to fish abandon themselves to an uncontrolled debauch

, ,

taking care to post their children out s ide the hut to wa r n

them in case f the unex pected return f the master o o
?

Sexual mo rality doe s not yet exist among the E squimaux ,

and an Al ut s aid quite sim ply to the missiona ry L angs

eo

dorff When my people couple they do it like the sea

,
“

otters In fact if the cold permitted the E s quimaux

.
”5
, ,

would not be any more clothed than the sea otters In -

.

their common hou s e s where t w o th ee hundred peopl ,

or r e

are crowded together and a hi gh degree f tem peratur e is ,

o

maintained they throw Off their clothin g witho ut distinction

,

o f age sex They go fu r ther s till and like many

or .
6
, ,

savage s practise what i s called Socratic love o penly and

,

without s hame Thus amo g the I it well favoured boys

.
,
n no s, -

1
H Sp r S i l g l II p 3
. enc e ,
Wk l i p 5
oc o o , vo . . . 21 .
2
a e, v o . . . 20 .

3 r l
G i aud Teu o n , Orig de la F am ille, p 6 8 . . .

4 rr
P a y ( Tb ird Voyage) , H ist Un iv des Voyages , t . . . xl .
p 5
4 6
. .

5 r l
G i aud Teu o n , loc c it , p 9 6 . . . .

6
l l
E ie R ec us, L es P rim itijf
s , p 70 . .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y .
59

are brought up with care dre ss ed a s girl s and s ol d at a , ,

high price towards the age f fi ft without any harm o ee n,

1

being s een in it .

T h R edskin s e f the extreme north are s carcely more o

modest than the E squim ux C rver relate s that among a . a

the N d w i woman wa s particularly honou r ed
an o es s c s a

b ecau s e s he had fi r s t entertained and then treated as

husband s th forty chief warrior s fthe trib e o e
?

But it i s especially in Polyne s i that the na v immode s ty a i e

o f primitive p eo ple s wa s di s played with the gr ate s t i diff e n er

ence to the opinion s f other s o .

Th principal d iffi culty f the mi ss ionarie s in the Sand

“
e o
wich Isle s s ay s M de V arigny con s i s ted in teaching th
,
”
.
, e

wome chastity ; they were ignorant of the nam and of the

n e

thing Adultery incest and fornicatio wer common

.
, , n e
thi g s approved b y public opinion and eve con s ecrated
n , ,
n
by religion .
” 3

T hese cu s toms are of ancient date i Polyne s ia Th n . e

travellers f la s t century had o bs erved them s till th s ame

o e .

Th T ahitian women if they wer free ope ly b artered

e , e ,
n

their person s and the fathe r s mothers brother s and s ome

, , , ,

times the hu s band s often brought them to th E uropea , e n

s ailor s and hired them ut after lively bargaining for o , a ,

nails red feathers etc

, ,
.
4

A t N uk hi the young girl s of th island s ay s

o a va
“
e ,

Porter are th wive s f all tho s wh

,
“
buy their
e o e o c an
favour s and a b eautiful daughter i s con s idered by h
, er
parents a s mean s f procuring them f a time riches
a o or

and plenty H owever whe they . older they form , n are ,

more la s ting connections and seem the n a firmly attached , s

to their hu s bands a s women f any other country o .

”5

In the s am e archi pelago the surgeon R bl t s ay s that , o e

the F rench sailor s were fre q uently o ffered gi r l s f eight o
years and he add s they were not virgin s
“
,
”
,
“
.
”6

1
El ie l
R e c us , L es P rim itifs , p 80 . .

2
r r
C a v e , Travels in N ort/t A m eric a, p 2 45 . .

2 De Va i n
r
g y, Q uatorz e a n s a ux iles S a n dw ic /z , p 1 5 9
Wa is , H is t Un iv des Voy , — t x t
. .

4
ll v iii
p
.
3 6 4 E d . . . . . . w rd a s, ibid . .

x iii p 4 2 6
rt r t —
. . .

5
P o e , II is t Un iv des Voy , xv i p 2 3 2
t t
. . . . . . .

6 M a c an d
,
rh
ibid xv
p 4o 6 M o erenh o ut,
. Voy . . . . . a ux iles, .

1 91 5

p 3 3
. 1 .
60 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

irtue s ays Po r ter such a s w unders tand it w

V , , e , as
unknown among them d they attached no s hame to , an
acts which they rega r ded not only a s natural but a s an ,

inoffensive amu s ement M any par ents thought themselves .

honoured by the preference given to their daughte rs and ,

sho w ed their satisfaction by pr esent s f pi gs and fruits o ,

w h ich their pa r t was an extreme of m u ifi

, on , n c enc e .
” 1

In Polynesia public o pinion forbade marr ied women to

yield them s elve s without the authori s ation f their owne r s o ,

and this was almo s t the only strict rule of mo ral s exi s ting ;
but the husbands trafficked in their wives witho ut scru ple .

T w a say s Porter wa s
e e,
”
f t h e handsome s t men of ,
o ne o

the island and loved to ado r n his pe r son a bit of red s tu ff

, ,

s ome mor s els f glas s a whale s tooth had irre s istible

o ,
or
’
,

charm s for him and in order to procure these objects he ,

would offer any of the mo s t precious th ings he pos s e s sed .

T h us though hi s wife wa s f remarkable beauty

, d he o , an
was the tenderest of husband s T w o ffered his wife more ,
a ee
than once for a necklace .
”2

T oo ffer a woman to a vi s itor to whom would do o ne

honour w as f that matter a sim ple act f courte sy in
,
or ,
o

Polynesi and th s ame courtesy prescribed the immediate

a, e

acceptance f the o ffer m p p ul ( Bou gainville )

o It ,
c ora o o .

w as frequently hi s w wife that the husband t h us gave up o n

to hi s guest and the case f Porter which I have j ust
,
o ,

quoted had nothing exceptional in it A s imilar thin g

,
.

happened to Captain B h y and to many other eec e ,

3

t r avellers Thi s conj u gal libe r ality was

. f the cu s to m s o ne o

o f the country ; the fr iend t y acqui r ed conj ugal rights , o r a o,

over the wife wives of hi s friend Between brother s and or .

relations the exchange f wive s was frequent to s uch a o ,

4

degree that at T ub u i etc M h ut tell s u s the o o a ,

.
,
o ere n o

women were nearly held in common and that in the ,

M arquesas a woman had s ometime s as ma y a s twenty n

lovers .
5

F orthe Polyne s ian s the plea sure s f s en s ual love were o

th chief bu s ine ss of life

e they neither saw evil nor practi s ed
1 P rt r H i
o U i d Vy t
e i p st.
9 n v es o xv 22
t i p 45 I é id t
. .
,
. .
, . .

2 i p 3
Id l i oc c t xv 3 2 xx 21

W k E l i f M li y l i p 7 9
. . . . . . . . . .
.
, .
,
4 e, vo ut on o o ra t vo
a
t ii p 5 6
. . .
, .

5
M h
o e re n Vy il o ut, o . a ux es , e tc . . . . .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 61

re s trai t in the m Th wome were trained w ith V iew to

n . e n a

amorou s s port s ; they were f ttened s oup f b read

1
a on a o

fruit and from earlie s t infancy taught b y their mothers to

,

dance th tim di a very lewd dance ccom panied b y

e oro e, ,
a
appropriate word s Th conversatio al s o was in kee ping ?
e n

with the moral s O thing which particularly s truck

. ne
me s ay s M
,
h ut a s s oo I bega to under s tand
o e ren o ,
“
n as n

their la guage wa s the extrem licence in conver s ation —

n ,
e a

licence pu s hed to the limit of mo s t s hamele s s cynici s m and ,

which i s the s ame eve with th women ; for the s peo ple n e e
think and t l k f othing b ut s en s ual plea s ure d speak
a o n ,
an

o penly f everything having idea of th euphemi s m s of

o , no e
o u civili s ed s ocieties where we u
r dou b le meaning s and , se

veiled words term s that are permitted i mentioning

, or n
thing s which would ppe r revolting and cau s e s candal if a a

plainly expre ss ed ; but the s e i s lander s could t under s ta d no n

this and the missionarie s have never been ble to mak

, a e
them do so .
”s

L astly the exi s tence ,

f the religiou s and ari s tocratic o

society f th A i in Tahiti and other archi pelagoe s

o e reo s, ,

finishes th p icture f the mental condition f th Poly

e o o e
i
n es an s a s regard s moral s Without de s cri b ing afre s h thi s .

curiou s a ss ociation I s hall only remind my reader s that it

,

had f it s o bject unre s trained and public a b andonme t

or an n
to amorou s plea s ure s and that for thi s rea s on the m , , , c o
munity f women and the obligatio f infanticide were
o n o

decreed .

D uri g the last century s entime tality invaded the brain s

n n
o f thinker s and writer s like an epidemic and gave rise to ,

the belief that primitiv man man in a s tate of ature e ,

or
“
n ,
”

a s the phr s e went wa s the model f all virtues But we

a ,
o .

mu s t di s cou t much of this A w might naturally expect

n . s e ,

the uncultivated m is mammal of th gro ss e s t kind an a e .

We have already s ee that hi s s exual morality i s extremely n

loo s e and nece ss arily s o we are however s urpri s ed to fi d

, , ,
n
him addicted to certai a b erration s from ture which th n na e
chronicler s of th G reco L tin world have accu s tomed u s to
e -
a
regard a s the re s ult of re fi ned and depraved civili s ation a ,

M h Vy 1
il t t
o e re n p 6 o ut, o a ux es , e c 191 20
C k II i
3

U i d Vy t
. .
.
, .
.

2
oo p 68 s t. n v es o v 2
it t
, . .
, . . . ,

M h l 5
p 9
o ere n o ut, oc . c .
, . 1 9 1? . 22 .
62 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M ARR I A G E

an opinion which i s quite e r roneou s as com parativ th , e e no

g raphy irrefutably prove s Nothin g i s m common among . o re

p r m t ve races than what i s called Soc r atic love and on

i i i
,

thi s point I will briefly quote a few facts without pausing ,

longer them than my s ubj ect requi r es In the vast

on .

sociological inve s tigation which I am unde r taking mo r al ,

bestiality must not discourage s cientific analysis any mo r e

than put refaction ar rests the scal pel f t h e anatomist ; it o
doe s not the r efore follow that we take delight in it .

A a matter f fact many human r aces have p r actised

s o , ,

fr om the first vice s contra ry to natu r e Th Kanaks f

, . e o

N w Caled onia frequently a s semble at night in a cabin to

e

give themselves up to thi s kind f debauche r y Th N w 1

o . e e
Zealanders practise d it even amon g their women It w ? as

also a widely spread cu s tom through out Polynesia and even

-
,

a special deity presided over it In the whole of America .

,

from north to s outh s imilar c ustom s have existed stil l ,

or

exist We have previously s een that the E s quimaux reared

.

young boys for this purpose Th Southern Californians did . e

the same and the Spanish mis s ionaries
,
their arr ival in ,
on
the count ry found men dre ss ed as women and a ss uming
,

their part They we r e trained to thi s from yo uth and often

.
,

p u blicly married to the chiefs N ero was evidently a mere .

plagia r ist Th exi s tence

. f analogou s customs h
e been o as

p roved amon gst the G uy u u f L Plata the atives f ac r s o a ,

n o

the Isthmus f D a r ien the tribes f L oui s iana and the

o ,
o ,

ancient Illinois etc ,

?

Th two chief forms

e f sexual exce s s f which I have o o

been s peaking unnatu ral vice and the debauche ry f gi rls

,
o

or free wome are habitual in savage countrie s and late r

n, ,

w hen civilisation and morality have evolved the s ame ,

inveterate inclination s s till persi s t for a lon g time in spit ,

e

of pub lic opinion and even f legal repre ss ion o .

T h Incas accordin g to the chronicler G arcila s o we r

e , , e

merciless in r egard to these sexual abe r ration s and th , e

Bo urgare l, D es R ac es de l Oc éa n z e fran cazsfle in M im S oc d A n t/z ro

’ ’
1
'

t —
. .

po logz e, i i p 390 D e R o c as , N ouvelle Ca ledon ie, p 2 3 5 h

t r n
. . . . . .

- Ma io
2
M o erenh o ut, Vo y a ux iles e tc ii p 1 6 7 H ist
t
.
, , . , . . . . . .

U niv des Voy , iii p 4 8 7

Wk
. . . . . .

a e , E volution of M orale/y, v o l i p 2 4 1
3 . . . .

4
hl
Pe sc e , R a c es of M an , p 408 . .
 A N D OF TH E FA M I L Y . 63

Mexican law wa s e qually s eve r e but all without much e ffect , ,

if we may believe the account s f G arcilaso him s elf G omara o , ,

Bernal D ia etc I h ve elsewhere related h w th ancient

z , . a o e
legi s lation s f th great Asiatic s tate s repre ss ed these b a s
o e e

ab erration s of the procreative sen s e and neverthele ss at , ,

the present day the Arab s frequently giv way to them

, e ,

e ven in the holy M osque at M ecca ; and other E aster 1 n

peo ples H indoos Persian s and Chinese

, ,
al s o very , , are
im perfectly reformed thi s p oint on .

When we remember that morality is e s sentially relative ,

and that ancestral im pression s are extremely tenaciou s in

the huma brain w s hall not b e much s urprised to see
n , e
the s e l w tendencies per s i s t a s s urvival s in the midst
o

o f civili s ations already far advanced Neverthele ss the .

,

theoretic morality f all the great nation s f the E ast ha s o o

for cent urie s condemned the s e re pugnant exces s e s which ,

o u r E u r o p ean ancestor s both Celts and T eutons have , ,

ea rly repr oved and re pre ss ed It i s all the more s ing ular .

to find the mo s t intelligent rac f antiquity the ancient e o ,

G reek s p r actising the greate s t tolerance

, thi s s ubject on ,

so much that the name s f Socrate s and Plato tho s e

so o ,

fathers f ethereal s pirituali s m are attached to amour s th

o ,
e

mere thought f which w excite s di s gust in a civili s ed

o no
E uropean .

A very sli ght ac q uaintance with G reco R oman literatu r e -

furnishes abundant information this matter I have no on .

need therefore to d w ell on it but I mu s t quot a c urious

, , , e

p a s sage f Strabo fr om which we le rn that the ancient

o , a

Cretans as s ociated with called Socratic amour s th so - e

ceremonial f marriage by ca pture of which I s hall soo
o , n
have to s peak This s trange passage i s a s follows
. It i s
not by pe r suasion but by capture that they obtain p osses
, ,

s ion f the beloved object T hree days more in advance

o . or
the /
era s es apprises the fr iends of the youn g boy f his o

p roject f abductio
o It would be con s idered the greate s t
n .

disgrace fo r them t conceal the child preve t him from o ,

or n

pa ss in g by the road indicated By s o doing they wo uld .

a ppear to co fe ss that he did t merit the favours f such

n no o

a di s tinguished t What do they do therefore ? They

eras es .

meet together and if the r visher i s equal su perior in

, a or

B r kh ardt H i
1
u c U i d V y t xxx ii p 5 5 , s t. n v. es o .
, . . . 1 .
64 TH E E Voz UTI ON OF M A 181?l GE

rank and all other res pects to the family f the child they o ,

are content in their pursuit to comply with the idea f the o

law and to make a semblance of attack only allowing th

, , e
child to be carried ff and even testifying their satisfaction ;
o ,

but if on the contra r y the ravi s her s hould b e of greatly

, ,

inferior rank they i variably rescue the child fr om his

,
n

hands In any case the pur s uit come s to an end whe

. n
t h e child ha s cro ss ed the thre s hold f the d i of hi s o an r on

ca ptor We may doubtles s pre s ume from this passage

.
”
, ,

that the ancient Cretan s were no lon ger in t h e s tate of

be s tial coar s enes s f the N w Caledo ian s With them the
o e n .

ca pt ure wa s a symbol comedy It wa s a mark f esteem or . o ,

paid le ss to the beauty of the child than to his valour and

pr o priety of manners I fact the boy had the legal right
. n ,

to revenge him s elf if he had s uffered any violenc in hi s

,
e
ca pture and in restoring him to libe r ty his ravisher loaded
him with presents some fwhich were obligatory and le gal
,
o ,

namely a warrior s cloak an ox and a goblet ; it was a kind

,
’

, ,

o f init iatio in virility and it wa s con s idered a di s grace for

n ,

a young b oy not to obtain t an eras es

?

But even if we admit that all the ceremonial f thi s o

singular platonic marriage among the Cretans wa s p erfectly

innocent it arose none the le ss from a moral laxity
, , , ,

p lainly s howing that ancient moral s were gro s s i the n

ext r eme .

I here conclude my enume ration Short a s it ha s b een .

,

f I have p urposely limited my fact s to a small number

or ,

it i s s u ffi cient to prove that f an immense pe r iod man or

has b een a very coar s e im L We may therefore expect an a , ,

to fi d him adapting without s cruple forms f marriag

n o e

or sexual a ss ociation quit unu s ual amon g E uropean s and e ,

which it now remain s for me to descri b e briefly .

II S m S t g F m f M i g
. o e ra n e or s o arr a e .

In s vage societie s where n delicacy yet exi s t s in regard

a ,
o

to s exual union and whe re on the other hand wo m an

, , ,

i s st r ictly a ss imilated to thing s nd domestic animal s a ,

marriage what w plea s e to call s o i s an a ffair of small

, or e ,

S tr b x 1
a o, . 21.
 AND O F TH E F A M I L Y . 65

im p r tance which is regulated accordin g to individual

o ,

ca pr ice M ore generally the parents and s ometime s th

.
, e
fr iends the chiefs pair the youn g peo ple as they think
or ,

fit and quite nat urally the y have little rega r d f mono

,
or

gami marria ge to t h e strictne s s f which eve

c , in civilised o ,
n
s ocieties man finds it s o diffi c ult to bend
, .

Th yo un g p eople
e their part have ha r dly any ,
on ,

indivi dual p refe r ences Th young boys f th R d ki . e o e

'

e s n s,

as L fi t u tells us neve r even tro ubled to s ee befo r

a a ,
e

marr iage the wife chosen f them by their parents

,

1
, or .

In Ba rgo according to R and J L ander they marry

, . .
,

with perfect indi fference man does t care any mor a no e

about choosin g a wife than abo ut which ear f corn he o

s hall p ick T here is never any question

.
”
to th as e
s entiment s f the cont r acting parties
o
?

It is quite certain also that du r ing the fir s t age s f th , ,

o e
evolution f societies the tie s f kins h i p even those we
o ,
o ,
are

accustomed to re gard a s sacred and respect for whi h ,

c

seems to be incarnate in us have not been any im pediment ,

to sexual unions L ike the s entiment f mode s ty th . o , e

horror f ince s t has only been eng raved the human
o on c on

science with great di fficulty and by long culture Scru ple s .

o f this kind are unkno w n to th animal and befo r e they e ,

co uld arise in the human brain it was fir s t nece s sary that

the family should be constit uted and then that fr om some , ,

motive other the custom f exogamous marriage s hould

or , o
be ado pted N w as we shall see later the family has at
. o , ,

fi r st been mat r iarc h al rather maternal and with such or ,

a familial system the child r en have no legal father ; the

,

p rohibitions r elative to incest could therefo r e at the most , ,

only e ist in r e gard to t h e female line and in fact w find

x , , , e
it to be so in many co untries whe r e t h is system f fi li ti o a on

p r evails B u
. t p r imitive m orals exi s ting before the forma ,

tion f a mo r ality condemning incest have left m any t r aces

o ,

in the p ast and even i the prese t

, T h Chi pp eways n n . e ,
”

says H ea r ne fr equently cohabit with their mother and

,
“
,

oftener still w ith their sisters and daugh te r s A d yet

” 3
n
he is s peakin g he r e f R edskin s a p eo ple re puted to be o ,

1
Dém i E p i d D ifé
e un e r, P pl t p 53 s r t es rent s eu es , 191 1
U i d V y t xxx p 9 4
3
. .

2
Hi st . n v . es o .
, . . . .

3
H . S pen c e r , S oc iology, vol . ii p. . 2 1 8.
66 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

fanati al c the matter of exogamy L g d ff says the

on . an s or
same of the K di k who unite indiscriminately brother s a a s, ,

with sisters and parents with chil dren It is well know

,
? n,
besides t h at in the matter of se ual unions no race ha s
, x
fewe r pr ej udice s than the E squimaux Th Co ucous of . e
Chili d the Caribs also willin gly ma rried at the same
,
an ,

time a mother and dau gh ter With the Ka rens too f .

, ,
o

T ena s se r im mar r ia ges between brother and sister

,
fathe r ,
or

and da ugh ter are frequent enough even in u w day

, , o ro n
?

B ut t h ese unions though incest uo us fo r us have not , ,

been practised amon gst savage s and infe r io r r aces only .

A cco r din g to St r abo the ancient Irish ma r ried witho ut , ,

distinction their mothe r s and sisters

,
?

We are told by J ustin and Te r t ullian that the Pa r thians 4

and Persians ma r ried their own mothers without scru ple .

In ancient Pe r sia r eligion went so fa r even as to sanctify ,

t h e union of a s on with his mothe r P i u r elates that .

5
r sc s

t h ese marria ges w e r e also pe r mitted among the Ta r ta r s and

Scythians and it i s reported too that Attila ma rr ied his
, , ,

da ugh ter E sc a
6

Whether fr om a su r vival f ancient mo r als

.

the ca r e to o ,
or

p r eserve p u r ity of r ace con j u gal unions bet w een b r ot h er ,

an d sister we r e a ut h orised or even p r esc r ibed in va r io us , ,

countries for t h e royal families Th kin gs f ancient

,
. e o

E gy pt we r e obli ged to ma rr y thei r sisters d Cleo patra th us ,

an

became t h e wi fe f he r br ot h e r Ptolemy D ionysius Th o . e

Inca s of Pe r u we r e subj ect to a simila r law ; and at Siam
also when the travelle r L L ube visited it the kin g h d
,
a o re ,
a

ma rr ied hi siste r B ut I shall have to ret urn to the

s .
7

s ubj ect f ma rr iage between r elations in treatin g of t h e

o
en dogamic égim which ha s been r is in force amon ge , or ,

many peo ples .

T hese incestuou s mar r iages astonish u s and ce r tain f ,

o

them are even revoltin g to u ideas a s fo r e am ple t h e o r , ,

x ,

union f the mot h er w ith the s on Another c ustom

o .

1
L angs do rff, Voyages , t p 64 . II . . .

2
H ebe , q r
uo te d by H S pe n c e , S oc iology, v o l p 48
2 . r . II . . .

2 Geo grap/z y, L ib iv par 4

rt ll
. . . .

4 Jus t in , A ga t/z a, v o l ii Te u ian, in Apologet . . .

A H o v e lac q ue , L A v es ta , pp 4 6 5 , 4 66
’
5 . . .

7
5 D é m e un ie r, t 1 9 13
pp 4 6 5 , 4 6 6 . I bid p 1 6 6 . . . . .
 AND OF TH E FA M JL Y . 67

will probably surprise if t shock us q uite as much ,

no .

I all ude to experimental marriages which are far fr om ,

being ra r e They will appear however less sing ular if

.
, , ,

w e remem b er that in societie s f low order little value o

is set the cha s tity f young gi rls ; vi rginal purity i s

on o

not at all pr i ed and t h ere are even s ome peo ple s z , ,

as the S l f M adagascar for instance and al s

ac c a av es o ,
1
,
o

certain indigenou s peoples f India among whom it i s o ,

2

re garded as a duty for the mothers th mselves to d fl u e e o r

their daughters before marrying them .

With such moral s prevailin g expe r imental marriages see m ,

n at ur al enough D Cham plain an ancient F rench t r aveller

. e ,

in N o r th A merica relates that the R edskin s f Canad ,

o a

always lived a few day s together and then quitted each ,

other if the trial had t been satis factory to either f no o

them .
3

A S p anish chronicler H errara re po r ts that the O t m i , ,

o es

o f M exico s pent a ni ght f t r ial wit h the woman that t h ey o

de s ired to m arr y ; they co uld quit her after wa r ds but only ,

on condition f t retaining her d ur ing the followin g day

o no
?

Among the S th l also an abo r i ginal tribe f India on a s ,

o ,

whose m arriages a r e celeb rated simultaneously once a year ,

the candidate s f marria ge must fir s t live six days together or ,

and it i s only a fter thi s trial that it i s lawful f t h em to '

or

ma r ry With certain Tartar t r ibe s f R us s ia in E ur o pe

.
5
o
and of Sibe r ia the r e existed n in s titution f ex pe r imental a o

mar r ia ge s lastin g for a year if the woman did t become ,

no

a mother d urin g that pe r iod In the island f Ceylon .

6
o ,

acco r ding to D avy there are al s o provisional ma r riages , ,

confirmed annulled at th end f a fortnight or e o .

7

A mong the Jew s in M orocco the R abbis consecrat e

tem po r a r y marriage s f th r ee s ix months accordin g t , or or , o

a gr eement Th man only engages to ackno w ledge th

. e e
chil d if eedful and to make a certain donation to the
n ,

mo her t 8

1
No e l
B ull de la S oc de Géog , P a is , 1 8 4 3 r
n t ar a rt gh s
.
, . . .

2
ll
C o ec tio R am usio , 191 ib o di O do a do B bo s , po l r r o e e
t
3
. .

5 '
4
D e m e un ie r, 1 9 1
p 1 55 I bid .
3
. . .

5
Tbe P eople of I n dia , v o l i p 2
k
. . . .

5
Trav els t/t roug/z t/t e R uss ian E mp ire a n d To rta7y , by D
7
.
J C oo
.
,

v ol i . . D av y, Cey lo n , p . 2 86 .

5
D r D e c ugis , B ull de la S oc de Geog , P a is
. . . r .
68 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF AI A R R I A G E

St rabo tells us f an analo go us custom prevailing in o

antiq uity amon g t h e T py ( Pa r thians ) acco rdin g to a re s

whic h a woman after h avin g had two t h ree child r en by
,

, or

a man w as fo r ce d by law to chan ge h e r h usband Th is is

,
?

almost exactly wh at M a r shal Saxe demanded fo r F rench

women in the last cent ury
W must not confo und t h ese ex pe r imental ma rriages
.

wh ich are r e gulated and in some so r t le gal with fr ee d

,

, , an

ea ily cancelled unions still mo r e common as f exam ple

s
, ,
or

t h ose of the N uk H i i that are broken at will p

,

o a- v ans, , ro
v id d t h e r e are no child r en ; those
e f the H ottentots ; 2
o 3

those of t h e Abyssinians wh m ar r y part and ma rr y t , o ,

re - a:

w ill T hese last unions fo unded merely on individ ual

,
4
.
,

capr ice have nothin g e t rao r dina r y abo ut them and w

,
x , e
kno w that they a r e not r a r e in civilised co unt r ies .

M u h mo r e c ur io us from a p oint f V iew of sex ual

c d
,
o an

conj u gal mo rality a r e t h e partial ma rr iages which only bind

, ,

t h e pa r ties fo r ce rtain days of the w eek This is a r are kin d .

of marr ia ge that seems im probable to us yet it has been ,

pr oved to h ave existed amon g the H i y h of t h e W h ite as s n e s

N ile f Arab or per h a p s Berber race
,
o .

By an a gr eement w h ic h is sharply discussed befo rehan d

, ,

t h e H i y h woman en g ges to be a faithful wife fo r a

as s n e a

fixed n umber f day s in t h e week gene rally t hr ee fo ur

o , or ,

but this is in p r o p ortion to the numbe r f heads f cattle

’

o o

g iven to the p arents by t h e b r ide groom as the p r ice f thei r o

da ughter and it is the mothe r h e r se lf w h

,
makes t h e o

ba rgain Nat ur ally on the days t h at a r e not r ese rved t h e

.
,

woman is fr ee and s h e h as a r i gh t to u h e r libe r ty as she

,
se

p leases .
5

T hese st r an ge c ustoms amon gst the A abs m ust s ur ely r

date from old p Islamite ages and we m y class t h em re- , a

with othe r antique cu s toms as f exam ple ma rr iage fo r , , or ,

a

te rm called m t ma rr i ge w h ic h was in u w ith th

, o
’
a a ,
se e

A abs until t h e time of M a h omet and which do ubtless t h ey

r ,

impo r ted late r into Pe r sia where it exists in our own day ,
.

S tr b l 1
p 5 4 a o, vo 11 1

U i d Vy t
. . . .

P r Hi 2
o te r, i p 3 3 st n v es o xv 2

ibid t
. . . . .
. . ,

L ill 3 i p
ev a 64 an t, . xx . . 1 .

r
.

4
B uc e , Tra v els , v o l ix p 1 8 7 ; vol 1
. . . . v.
p . .

5
l
A us an d, Jan 1 86 7 , p 1 1 4. .
 AND OF TH E F A N /z Y . 69

A nd again in the kin gdom of O m fi in the fo ur teenth

, n,

cent ur y the S ultan co ul d still g rant to a woman ind eed to

, ,

any w oman he pleased the permi s sion to have lover s ,

according to her fancy and her relation s had no right to

‘

inter fere ?

T h partial marriage
e f the H i y h Arabs i s there o as s n e

fo r e not so s urp r isin g a s it seems at first sight when isolated

from other practice s f the same kind A d it m us t be o . n
confessed that immoral as it may appear to u it is
, s,

su perior to the other modes f primitive conj ugal a s socia o

tion in use amon g the greate r number f savage people s o .

D o ubtles s it denotes an extreme f moral gro s sness but at o ,

th e same time it show s a certai respect for feminine n

independence contrasting strongly with the animal ubj

,
s ec

tion im po s ed women in the gr eater umber f societie s

on n o

o f little no civilisation Th s ituation of the woman who

or . e

is owned and treated as a sim ple domestic animal hired ut ,

o

or lent to s tran gers to friends acco rdin g to th caprice f

or , e o

her m aster but t allo w ed at the peril of her life to be

,
no , ,

unfaithful to her owner without hi s leav i s s urely far mor e, e

abj ect still .

I s hall not dwell any more on the s e mere s ketche s f o

marriage free and transient unions broken a s s oon as

,

made experimental marriage s three quarter m arriages and

, ,
-
,

ma rriage s for a term all f which show the very slight , o

im portance attached to s exual union by man in a l w s tage o

o f develo p ment A d yet we must not refu s e the name of
. n

ma r riage to the s e eph emeral and incom plete unions since ,

they arran ged by means of se r ious cont r acts which have

are
been w ell discus s ed beforehand and by ag reements entered ,

into at least bet w een the hus b and and the relatives f the o

wife Th men of the horde

. e tribe d not however or o , ,

p r ofess a ve r y st r ict res pect for th se marria ges ; the h usband e

is often uneasy in the enj oyment f his feminine property o ,

and althou gh legally obtained he must alway s be ready to ,

defend it .

A mong the B him say s L iechtenstein with whom

oc an s , ,

marriage is reduced to its most sim ple ex pr ession the ,

“

stron ge s t man often car r ies ff the wi fe f the weakest o o ,

”

l II p 3 ( q t d by R S m i h i K i / p
1
I b B il
n at ta , vo . . . d2 0 uo e . t n ns u an
[M
a rria ge in E a rly A rabia ) .
76 TH E E V OL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

beca use it is th pr oper thin g for him to do since he i s

e

a lled the lion

,
“ ”
C .

In fact these abuses f st re gth exist more or less i

, o n , ,
n

all countrie s and all r aces ; but among the R edskins of

A me r ica and the E squima ux it seems t h at public o p inion
ratifies them and t h at mi ght has morally become r ight
, .

“
When a T k i says H ooper desires the wife f os ,
”
,
“
o

another man he s imply fi ght s with her husband

, .

A ve r y ancient c ustom says H ea r ne obli ges the men ,

”
,
“

to w restle for any woman to whom they are attac h ed ; and

o f co ur se the st r on gest p a r ty always ca r ries ff the pr i e o z .

A weak man unless h be a good h unter and well beloved

, e ,

is seldom permitte d to kee p a wi fe that a st r onger man

t h inks wo r t h his notice This cu s tom pr evails th r ou gho ut .

all t h e tribes .
” 1

In the same way amon g the Co pper and Chi ppeway ,

In dians woman i s a pro pe r ty which i little res pected and s ,

w h ich the st r on g may al ways take fr om t h e weak ?

R icha r dson also says t h at amon g the R edskin s every

man has the r i ght to challen ge anot h er to fi ght and if he ,

is victor to ca r ry ff his wife

, o
?

T h same cu s toms prevail amon g the Indians of So uth

e
A me r ica— t least amon g certain a f them T hus A a r a o . z

relates that the G uanas never marry before they a r e over

t w enty for earlier t h an thi s they would be beaten by their
,

r ival s ?

It has been attem pted to show that these conflicts a r e the

equivalent f what is calle d in regard to animals the law
o
“

f battle but t h e com parison is not exact for animals

”
o , ,

seem in thi s res pect m uch mo r e delicate than men If .

they fi ght it is befo re pai r in g and be s ides as w have seen , , e ,

their combat s are often cour teous like t h e to urnaments of ,

o u ancesto r s ; frequen tly too the object

r f t h ese assa ults , ,
o

i s much less to captu r e the female t h an to sed uce her by

displaying befo r e he r eyes the qualities with whic h they
are endowed— co urage force ad dr ess and beauty O her , , ,
. n

p art the ,
female for whom they a r e co m p etin g is so little
1
H e a n e , A journ ey from P r in c e of Wa les F ort, p 1 04
r
r kl
.

2
F an in , jo urney to tire S /z ores of tbe P ola r S ea , v o l v iii p 4 3
har
. . . .

2 ds o n , B oat journey, v o l ii p 2 1
R ic . . . .

4
rw
D a in , D esc en t of M an , p 6 1 4 . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y .
7 1

ala med at thei r viole ce that i general she t ranquilly

r n , n ,

looks on at the duels and afte r w rds gives he r self

,
m y a ,
o ne a

s ay fr eely to the victor With certain s pecies of bir ds a

,
.

lyric to urney is substituted for the fight and ardently do ,

so

the birds engage in it that a com petitor will often die f o

exhaustio n .

L astly when the to ur ney is over the cou ples p aired

, , ,

and the marriage concl uded all rivalry ceases the ne w ly , ,

mated birds isolate themselves more less and devote or ,

all their energies to the prod uction f a family N w o . o

these are delicate refinements unknown t pr imitive man o ,

whose rivalries on the s ubj ect f the p o ss ession f women o o

resemble far more the struggle s f the ld m ales with the o o

young in the hordes f the gorillas chim pan ees We o or z .

are fo rced to acknowledge that the s xual morality f e o

p rimi ive tman does not m uch di ffer from that f anth r o p oid o

a pes and it is quite a st r anger to the esthetic and poetic

,
a
refinements f ce r tain birds o .

I he r e end my short i quiry into the moral s f pr imi n o

tive man and the ecce t r ic mo des f conjugal unio n o n
wh ich have pr eceded the in s titution f more durabl o a e,
excl usive and solemn mar r ia ge
,
.

We are filled with a s tonishment when w find such e

com plete animal laxity in u undeveloped ancestor s and o r ,

w e can hardly understand the total absence f s cru ples o

which are now pr ofoun dly incarnate in us .

T h o s e anthro p olo gi s ts who insist making m a bei g on an n

a part in the universe shut their eyes to these gr s s aber o

r ation s E volutioni s ts are not so timid and do not fear
.
,

to face the truth .

If a s it is im possible to deny man is s ubj ect to the

, ,

la w s f evol ution like all other beings we are force d to

o ,

admit that he m ust have passed th r ou gh very inferior

p ha s es f p hysicaloand moral develo p ment H m p i . o o sa en s

s urely descends from an ancient p ithecoid a cestor and n ,

this original blot ha s nece s sarily been a drawback to his

mo r al evolution .

But here it is im portant to make a di s tinctio Th n . e

resemblance between the mo ral coa r seness f t h e savage o

and the de pravation f t h e civilised man is quite s uper

o
fi i l
c a Who thinks of being shock ed at the morals of
.
7 2 TH E E V OL U TI ON OF . MA R R I A G E .

an imals ? N w t h ose f pri m itive man a r e q ite as inno

o o u
cent and the b rutality ft h e savage h nothin g i common
, o as n

with the moral retrog r ession of the civilised man str uck
with dec y a .

H w unlike is the A l ut imitating the sea otte r w ithout

o eo ,
-
,

t h inkin g any evil to the E uropean degr a de d by the vices

,

of u civilisation " F the latter t h e futu r e is closed ;

o r or

t h ere a r e some declivities that can never be r emounte d .

T h p osterity of the savage

e the cont ra ry may with ,
on , ,

the aid of time and c ulture attain to gr eat mo r al elevation, ,

for there are vital force s within him which are fr esh and
intact Th primitive man is still youn g and h e p ossesses
. e ,

many latent ene rgies s u ce ptible f develo pment In s o .

short the savage is a child while the civilised man whose

, , ,

moral at ur e is corrupt presents to us r ather the pict ure

n ,

of decrepid old g a e .
 C H A P TE R V

P O LY A ND R Y .

I S exual P 7 oportion of B irtbs its I nfl ue n c e on M arriage

. Se u .
— x al
r
p po o io n am o nrt
gs a n im a s — T h e s a e o f it
s in E u o
p e — I t l
s v a ia io n s tt th r r t
a r
c c o din g to ac e and p o f e s s io r r n—
I ts o s c i a io s P o p o io n o f th e ll t n — r rt
se x es r
dis tu b ed by w ar, by i f i id n an t c e , an d by the l
sa e of daug ht re s

—P l o r
yan d y h as n o t be e n g n ra l
e e

P olyan dry —E x a m p l e s
.

II E t/z n ograp/zy f
o of po y la nd ry G re at
—
t—Th
.

pol y dr an o us c en tr es —The po ly
f h an dry o f Thibe e p l ya dry
o n o t e
N ir a s.

II I P o ly an dy i r A i A bin —I a —In fa ti id i
n c en t ra a ts c uses n c e n

r bia—Th l g d fC a h i f i id —E l ti n fp l y dry i
. .

A a e e en o l s, t e n an t c e vo u o o o an n

A r bia—M t m rr i g —B l m rr i g
’ ’
a o a a a e a a a a e.

IV . P olya n dy i G
r l —M atr iar h l p l yandry
n ene ra d pa r i r h l c a o an t a c a

l nr
.

po ya d y .

I . S ex ual P rop ortion f B irtbs

o ,
a nd its I nfl uenc e on

With the exce ption f the r a r e and sin gular forms f o o

s xual co j ugal association which we have j ust passed in

e or n

r eview mat r imoni l typ es are t n ume r o us amon g the

,
a no

p peo les mo r e less civilised w h have al r eady

orinstituted a o

ma rr ia ge th t is to say a sex ual as s ociation r egulated by

-
f a ,

g enerally admitte d convention T h fo r ms f ma r ria ge most . e o

unive r sally pr actised those w hich the maj o r ity of mankind ,

has r eache d and sto pped at a r e polygamy and monogamy , ,

or monandry I shall have much to say f the s e F . o . or

t h e moment I s h all treat of another kind f ma rr iage o ,

fa r less widely spr ead witho ut doubt but which howeve r , , ,

exists h exi s ted at divers points f the globe ; I allude

or as o
to p olyand r y .

I have lon ge r to pr ove t h at morality is variable and

no
74 TH E E VOL UTI O N OF M AR RIA GE

p e r fectible th at it res ults fr om so ial life and is only to be

, c ,

taken togethe r with the other nee ds desi res d necessities , an

of the struggle for existence O u mo r al sentiments a r e
,

. r
sim ply habits incarnate in u b rain o r instincts a r tificially o r ,

c r eated ; and thus an act r eputed cul pable at Pa r is or at

L ondon may be and fr eq uently is h eld innocent at Calcutta
or at Pekin In o rde r to j udge im pa r tially f polyan dr ic
.
o
ma rr iage we mu s t remembe r these elementa r y truths N t . o ,

ce r tainly that polyand r y is rare amo gst u but it is

, n s,

cens ured counted as c r iminal and obliged to hide itself

, , .

Th le gal and r egulated p os s ession publicly acknowled ged

e , ,

o f o newoman by seve ral m w h o a r e all h usbands by t h e en ,

same title shock s u feelin gs and morality ext r emely in t h e

, o r

present day .

Neve r t h eless human societies small or la rge m ust and

, , ,

will live and it is an im perious condition which im poses t h e

,

polyand r ic égim namely a conside r able ineq uality between

r e, ,

t h e number of men and that of women N w this di p . o s ro

p ortion may result from dive r s ca uses I the first place . n ,

it may be nat ural a s it is amon g ce rtain animal s pecies

, .

A mong the le pido ptera for exam ple nine h und r ed and , ,

thi rty four males have been counted as against seven

-

hund r ed and sixty one females Alt h o ugh smaller

- ?
,

the dis pr oportion is t less real amon gst mankin d no .

A s a general rule and in nearly all count r ies whe r e

,

it has been p ossible to asce r tain it the r elation bet w een ,

masculine and feminine bi r ths gives a certain e cess x

o f bo ys T his relation has been found in E uro p e to be
.

10 6 for 7 million of bi r ths ; but u great masc uline

0 o r
mortality establishes the equilibrium in t h e early yea r s of
re-

li fe Th p r opo r tion f bi r t h s besides is fa r fr om bein g

. e o , ,

id ntical in all the count r ies of E urope d w even find

e ,
an e

oscillations in a given count r y In E n gland it is gene r ally .

10 4 5 in F r ance
,
in R ussia at P h iladelphia
In ce r tain ethnic social catego r ies t h e p or ro

p ortion f m asculine
o bi r ths notably a u g ments It r ises .

to 3 for the Jews f R ussia to 4 fo r those of B r eslau

1 1 o ,
1 1 ,

to fo r the Je w s of L ivonia M ore sin gular still the

1 20 .
,

p r o p ortion f masculine too feminine bi r t h s au gments for

certain pr ofes s ions ; it is for exam ple higher amon gst the , ,

1
Da rwi n, D es c en t j M an
a , p . 278 .
 AND OF TH E F A A/[L R 75

E nglish cle rgy It i s even s ee to vary spontaneously ? n .

In the year 8 8 6 during seve ral months the pro po r tion of

1 , ,

feminine birth s rose at Pari s In F rance f a period f .

,
or o

forty four year s it ha s happened five times in department

-
,
o ne ,

and six times in anothe r that the female births have been ,

in exces s At the Ca pe of G ood H ope among the whites

.
, ,

for several years there have been ninety to ninety nine -

ma s culine bi r ths T h reason reason s f these s pon

. e or o

t u
an eo oscillations in t h e proportion f th sexe s s ti ll
s o e
escapes u s We verify it only and w are warranted in
.
, e
concluding that the production f sex in the embryo o

de pends s ome relatively second cause s It is su r e f

on .
, or

exam ple that the clergy f E ngla d are o t f a s pecial

, o n n o

race If however they have mo r e m ale children than

.
, ,

the other inhabitant s f E ngland the fact can only de pend o ,

on intimate particula r s f their kind of life T his reminds o .

us of certain biblical prece pts relative to conj ugal life and ,

the t neglected theory f M Thury ( of G eneva) on the

oo o .

influence f the degre of ovular maturity on the pr oduction

o e
o f the sexes .

But s ponta eous o s cillations in the proportion f the

n o
s exes are alway s feeble ; eve the matrimonial type n
doe s not s eem to influence them f in th ha r em s f , or e o

Siam th s exual relation of births is the same as in

e
E uro p e O the other hand it i s p roved that race horses
?
n ,
-
,

which are very polygamo us since they serv as stallion s , e ,

have male and female descendants in exactly e qual

proportion s ?

It is the s ocial action s f men which produce the most o

p rofo u nd di s tu r bances in the r

p po o r tion f the sexes T o . o

begin with in savage barbaro us countries where violent

, or ,

death has become an ordina ry occurrence for men the ,

n umber of adult females much exceeds that of ad ult males .

T hu s at Bantou when th D utch e s tablished them s elves

, , e
the r e they found ten women to
,
m In L S fi o ne an
?
a o o ra,

a t th d f a civil w
e en there were s even women to
o ar, o ne

man In s pite f all moral and legal pr ece pts such

. o ,

condition s unfailingly result in polygamy disgui s ed not ,

or .

O the contrary a custom ve r y widely s pread in s ava ge

n ,

1 A B r ill n e t D rwin D o fM p 7
2
I d ibid a es een t o an , 2 0. 2

t
.
. .
, . .
,
4
8
’
H F l m l d im
°

o uz e au, p ac u tes en ta es es an aux, . 1 01 . 2 2 .

76 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

co untries that of the infanti ide f gi r ls not less necessarily

, c o ,

engende r s polyan dry if the equilibr i um i the n ume r ical , n

p pr o o r tion f the sexes is not r e e s

o tabl ished in anot h e r
manner In r eality the in fanticide of gi rls has been la rgely
.
,

p r actised in nea r ly all p olyand r o us co unt r ies It seems .

also that the c ustom of s acrificin g the female chil dren

infl uences in t h e lon g u the nat ural pro du tion f t h e r n c o

sexe s T h us the p olyandrous To das who f m ly killed

.
, or er

their girls have act ually a sexual propo r tion of

, fo r
adults and f 4 for t h e child r en
, o 1 2
?

In Polynesia w h ere the infanticide f gi r ls w so la rgely

, o as

p r actised the sex ual relation to day is alto gether in favo ur

-
,

o f male bi r ths .

In N w Zealand the proportion f the sexe s in 8 5 8 w

e o 1 as

3 3 for adults and fo r adults ?

1 0 .
,
1 22 2 . no n

I n 1 8 3 9 in t h e Sandwich Islands the n umerical pr op o r

, ,

tion was 5 8 for adult s and 5 7 5 for non ad ults

1 2 0 , 1 2 -
.

In 8 7 a gene r al census of all the Sandwich I slands

1 2

gave for the nume r ical pr oportion f the sexes o

B ut there is more than way f fal s ifying t h e pr opor o ne o

tion f the sexes It is t necessary to kill nea ly all the

o ,
no r

female children as was the ustom among the G on ds of ,

c

Ben gal where in many villages M acphe r son did not see a
,

single gi r l ; it su ffices to sell them It is even the sale of

3
.

girls w h ich in many count r ies has at fi r st r est raine d the

s avage practice f feminine infanticide G i rls became a o .

merchandise negotiate d by the parents and afterwards ,

redeemed by the m becau s e they could not do without en ,

t h em ; but then it ha ppened in various countrie s and ,

amon g va r ious races that men j oined to gethe r to lighten ,

the e pense and t h at several f t h em contented themselve s

x , o
with one wife in common became p olyandro us ,
.

B ut we must not believe wit h ce r tain so iolo gists that ,

c ,

p olyand r y h as eve r been a u niversal and necessary mat r i

monial ph ase Th eno r mo us cons umption f men
.

. e i o ,
n ec e ss

t t d by a savage
a e ba r barous life has often given an or ,

im pulse to polygamy It is only in ce r tain societies w here .

the practice f female infanticide exceeded all meas ure o ,

or in certain i s lands or certain regions with little o r no ,

1
D arw i D f M n, p I
esc en t o d ibid p 8 o u,
2
.
, . . 2 2
3 l
D a to n , E t/z n B engal, p . . 289
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y .
77

p op ulation where con q

,
uerors badly f
f f w ives cam to o or e

settle that p olyandry ha s become general and end uri g It

,
n .

is s urely only an exceptional form f ma rriage and w can o ,

e

enumerate t h e count ries where it has bee or i s still in use n .

II . E tbnograp /zy o f P olya ndry .

C sar s peak s thus f the polyand r y f the ancient

ae o o

B itr o nS By tens and twelves th e h usbands have their

° “

wives in common esp ecially brother s with brother s and, ,

p arents w ith children .

” 1

I have pr evio usly quoted St ra b o the polyandry of th on e

p rimitive A rabs ; which w also fr ate r nal as .

In the sixteenth centu r y the G uanche s f two f the o o

Cana ry Isles L t and T t tu were still poly

,
an c e ro e o r av e n ra,

an dr ous but amongst them the husband s did not number

,

mo r e than three ?

Polyandry also exi s ted in N w Zealand and in the e

M arquesas but rest r icted to certain women only

,
?

In America amon gst the A ,

and the M ypu v aro es a re s,

acco r ding to H umboldt brothers had often only w ife , o ne .

But the gr eat p olyandric centre s exist have existed in or

Asia in India Ceylon and T hibet

, , V arious abo r i ginal ,
.

tribes of India nearly alway s muc h addi ted to female

,
c

infanticide have practised polyand r y Th M i r is and

, . e

D ph l
O f Bengal are still p olyandrous
as o A mong the ?

T o das f N ilgh o y p olyandry w fr aternal When a man

e rr as .

married a gi rl she became that account the wife f all

,
on o

his brothers and inve r sely these became the husband s f

, o

a ll t h siste r s of th wife
e Th fi r st child born of these e . e

ma rr iages w attri buted to the eldest b rothe r the second

as ,

to the next brothe r and so forth , .

5

B ut p olyand r y has t flou r ished only amon g the no

p rimitive race s f India T h H indoo o o

p p ulations h d . e a

also ado pted it and t r ace s f it are found in t h eir sac r ed

,
o

1
D e bello Ga llic o, v p 1 4
rth l t
. . .

e o , M em
2
Be S oc E tbn , pp 1 2 1 , 1 2 5 , 1 55 , 1 86, 2 1 0
t
. . . . .

3 R adigue , D ern iers S a uv ages , p 1 8 0

lt
. .

4
D a o n , loc c it , pp 3 3 -3 6. . . .

5
S c h o rtt, Tra ns E tlz n o S oc ( Ne w S e ie s ) ,
. . . r vo l. v iii.
p . 2 40 .
7 8 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

lite rature Th us in the M ahabha rata the five Pandou

.

b rothers marry all together t h e cha r min g D i up di with raa a ,

eyes of lotus blue But in B rahmanic India polyand ry is ?

more th an a me r e memo r y Skinner has pr ove d that near .

t h e sou rce s f the Dj m m h amongst a very fine race f

o e a , o
H indoo mountaineer s frate r nal p olyandry s till p revailed , .

“
H avin g asked one of these women says the travelle r ”

h w many husbands she had— O nly fou r she r e p lied

, ,

o l‘ ’
,

A d all livin g ? Why not

.

’
n

T hese customs according to the tr veller did , t hinder a ,

no

these mo untaineers from being on other points ve r y mo ral , ,

men Th us they held lying in ho r ror d i their e yes to

.
, an n

deviate from the truth even quite innocently was almost a , ,

sacrilege ?

At the other ext r emity of Indi in Ceylo n the polyand r ic a, ,

r égi m i s still very flou r ishing es pecially in the inte r ior

e ,

o f the i s land and among the leis ur ed classes

, Th . e

n hm b f h usbands gene r ally b r othe r s

er o relatives is ,
or ,

variable ; it varies from three to eight Ac co r ding t . o

E mer s on Tennent p olyandry was fo r me r ly gene r al in th
, e

islan d and it i s owin g to the e ffo rts f the D utch and

,
o

Port uguese that it ha s disappeared from the coast ?

It is particularly in lamaic Thibet that the polyand r ic

r égim is in full vi go ur ; and in this co untry r eli gion
e

stren gthens it f the most distin guished men the rulin g

, or ,

classes the c h iefs or officer s of t h e State f tio i t h e

, ,
a or r

lamas have the s ame disdain fo r marriage so lo udly p

,
ro

fessed by the saint s f Catholicism Th greater n umber o . e

exem pt themselve s from it and leave t the commo ,

o n

p peo le the gross care f p r od u ci g child r en N w the o n . o ,

latter by reason f their p overty a s sociate together to

,
o ,

ligh ten the burden of the family It is again fraternal .

, ,

p olyandry which is the rule in T hibet It is in t h is .

co unt ry that sociologi s t s have sought the classic type f thi o s

kind of polyand ry .

In Thibet the r ight f primogeniture is combined w ith o

t h e right of marria ge and the youn ge r b r ot h ers follo w t h e ,

fate f their chie f It is thi s last w h o ma rr ies for all f

o . o

M habh 1
tr d F h t p 48
a arata , a . auc e, . 11 . . 1 .

2
H is t Un iv des Voy , v ol xxx i 8
pp 4 5‘ 4
- 68

—O
. . . . . . .

3
D av y, Ceylon , p S ac h o t, L tle de Ceylo n , p
’

. 28 6 . . . 25 .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
79

t hem and choo s e s the common wife H weve r if w ?

o ,
e
may believe other accou t s certain li b erty i s allowed to
,

n , a
younger brother s Th pre ss ure on them i s chie fl y . e
economic When the eldest s on ma rrie s the prope r ty i s
.
,

tran s mitted to him in advance f his inheritance with the o ,

charge f maintaining his parent s w h however

o live , o, ,
c an

in a s eparate house Th youngest brother takes orders . e ,

and becomes a lama Th other s if they choo s e become . e , ,

inferior h us ban ds f the wife wh with us would be their o ,

o

sister i law and they are almost forced to do thi s since

-
h -
, ,

their eldest brother i s s ole inheritor O nce within the .

p olyandric gim the younger brothers have

re a
’
s ubordinate e,

p os ition Th elde s t the

. hu sb and i chief consi deers them ,
-
h -
,

as hi s servants and has eve the right to s end them , n

away witho ut any resource if he plea s e s If the princi pal , .

h usband dies then hi s widow hi s pro pe r ty and hi s , , ,

authority pas s to the younger brother next in g In a e .

t h e case of the b r other not being f the hu s bands o ne o c o- ,

h e cannot inherit the pro perty without the wife ,

no r

the wife wi thout the pr operty We have here then a sort .

, ,

o f p olyandrian levi r ate ?

T h child r en s pringin g fr om these unions give the name

e

o f father s ometimes to the eldest f the husbands and o ,

som etime s t all Traveller s tell u s that the s e polyan

o
?

d u hou s eholds are

ro s t more tro ubled than u mono no o r

g m
a u ones Some Thibetans living thu s in conj ugal
o s .
,

association could t understand V Jac q uemont when

,
no .

he a sked them if the preference f their sin gle wife for o

one othe r f them did not cause quarrels between the
or o

h usband s But if j ealousy i s unknown to the husbands

.
,

it i s on the cont rary fre quent with the wife

, A T hibetan , .
“

w oman says Turner united to several husbands i s a s

, ,
“
,

j ealous f her con j ugal rights a s an Indian desp ot could

o

be of the b eauties who people his enana or harem z .

”4

A to the manner in which the intimat relations betwee

s e n

1
Tu r r Thib t p
ne , e , .
3 48 , and H is t . Un iv . des . Voy .
, vo l . xxx i
.

P 4 34
2
M r r ft dT b ec k s
'
Trav els , v o l i p 3 20
’

oo c o an re
R u l t
. . . .

3
E th g raph ic de
’
o s se e , no l H im a ’aya oc c iden tal, in R ev ue
’
d an th p 8 78
ro .
, 1 .

4
Tur r H i t U i
ne s n v des Voy vo l xxxi
, . . .
, . .
p 4 34 . .
80 TH E E V O L U TI O N OF M AR R I A GE

hu sbands and wife a re regulated in the polyandric ho use

holds fThibet we have s ca rcely any info r mation Among
o , .

the Todas the w ife neve r h d onj ugal comme r ce with

-
a c

mo r e than h usban d at a time but she chan ged every

o ne ,

month ; sometimes also the a s sociated husbands add

to their number tem po ra rily s ome yo un g man belon g
i g t
n othe tribe but not yet en gaged in the bonds of
,

w e dlock ?

T he r e is anothe r form f p olyandry beside s the fr aternal o ,

but quite as c urious and which has been made to play ,

a great bl in va r io us sociological theo r ies It is t h e

r e .

p olyand ry of the Na irs an indigenous hi gh caste of ,

M alabar .

H o w ever ext r aordinary the fr aternal p olyand y called r

T hibetan may seem in u eyes that of t h e Nair s ofo r ,

M alabar is fa r m ore so H e r e the reality excee ds all that

.

we co uld have imagined in the w y of conj ugal c ustoms a .

T h Nair pa r ent s married their daughte r s ea r ly

e T h b r ide . e

was ra r ely more t h an twelve years ld Th procee dings o . e

began with an epheme ral union a so r t of fictitio us mar r iage , ,

but celebrated neve r thele s s with g r eat rejoicings in pr esence

of parents and fr iends T h initiative and pr ovisional . e
h usband passe d ro und the neck of the bride the conj ugal
col la r the t li d h encefo r th the ma rr ia ge was concl uded
,
a ,
an
an d had to be consummated ; only at t h e end of fo ur or

five day s the new h usband was obliged to quit the house
o f the wife fo r eve r O the cont ra r y the yo un g b r ide
. n ,

remained in the family and fr om this pe r iod cont racted a ,

s e r ies of pa r tial but d ur able m r r iage s T h fi r st ma rr iage a . e

o f the youn g Nair gi r l had evidently no other obj ect t h an

d fl e ti
o ra ; it
on w as a se r vice demanded f a fictitious hus o

band and f which he w often pai d A t raveller r elates

, or as .

that fo r t h is prelimina ry ma rr iage a po r ter a w orkman or

w as em ployed and paid I f his pr etensions we r e too h i gh

.
,

reco ur se w h d to an Arab a st ran ge r ; and says t h e

as a or ,

narrato r t h e grat uito us s e rvices of t h ese last w e r e al ways

,

p r efe rr ed if w h en t h e ce r emony w ove r they wit h d r ew in as ,

time and w it h good grace When once well and d uly

,

re
p p ared for ma rr ia g e the youn g N a r g i r l mi gh t take for i

husband whomsoever she liked e ce pt t h e pr ovisional

,

,
x

Maj r R
1
Ki g j
o f
o ssA nh p , p 3
ourn . o nt ro . . 2 .
 AN D OF TH E 1

h usband f the fi r st fe w days Th n umber of her h u

o
?
e s

b nd s varied from fo ur to t w elve E ach one of them was

a
?

at firs t presented to her either by her mother or by her

mate r nal uncle an im portant per s onage in the family
,
.

E ach pa r tner was in hi s turn husban d in reality d ur in g

c o -

a very short time varying from one day t ten and he wa s ,

o ,

free his s ide to partici pate in diver s polyand r ic con j u gal

,
on ,

s ocieties We are ass ured that in these curiou s m é g all

. n a es

the a s sociated h usband s lived in very good understanding

with each other ?

G enerally the Na r hu s bands were neither b rothers nor i

relatives for these polyandrou s people seemed to have ideas

,

about incest analogou s to u own But the unions outside o r .

the caste were the only one s re puted cul pable they consti
t ut d a s ort f social adultery
e T h conju gal prero gatives
o . e
of the husbands were not unaccom panied by certain d uties .

T hey had to m aintain the common wife and they a gr eed ,

together to share the e xpense O took on him s elf to . ne

fu rnish the clothes another to give the rice O these ,

?
n

conditions each could in his turn enjoy the common

o ne

p pr o erty and in order not

,
to be tro ubled in the use f his
, o

r i ghts it sufficed the h usband

,
d uty to hang the doo r on on

f the house and the wife s door hi s shield and his s word ’
o on

or knife .

T h Brahmin s were obliged to tolerate the s e polyandric

e
m ar r iages so contrary however t their law s they finished
, , , o

by even de r iving a profit from them In the Brahmanic .

familie s in cont ct with the Na irs the elde s t son alone a

m r ried s o as not to scatter the patri m ony ; the othe r s

a ,

ente r ed the matrimonial combinations f the Na rs and thus o i ,

their children did t inhe r it no .

5

O their side the Nairs were natu rally only acquainted

n ,

with matriarchal he r edity N Na ir says B uchanan kno w s . o , ,

his father and every man ha s for heirs the child r en of his
,

si s ter H loves them as if they were hi s w and unless

. e o n,

he i s reputed a monster he must s how much more grief at ,

1
l l
E ie R e c us , L es P rim itifs , p 1 9 1
l n
. .

2
H am i to , A c c o un t of th e E a s t I ndies , v o l i p 30 8 . . . .

3
r
F o be s , Orien ta l M em oirs , v o l i p 3 8 5 . . . .

4
L ettres E difi a n tes , v o l p 2 2 x
r n
. . . .

5
h
R o be ts o S m it , R in s t , e tc , p 3 1 3
'

. . .
82 TH E E V OL U TI ON OF M A R R IA G E

t h ei r death than he w o ul d fo r hi o w n possible chil dren s

namely t h ose of h is w wife

, o n
?

In comparing the t w o kinds of polyand ry that I have j ust

desc r ibed the patria r hal p olyand r y f the Thibetans d
,
c o ,
an

the matria r ch al polyand r y of the Nair s the maj o r ity of ,

sociologists con s ider the first as s u pe r ior to the othe r In .

so doin g they s eem to me t to be able to shake off no

su fficiently u E uropean ideas D o ubtless the fraternal

o r .

T hib t e an
p olyand r y while leavin g undecided
,
the p ate r nal
fi li ti a of the child r en ass ures them a sort f collective
on ,
o

p aternal p a r enthood since the fathe r s a r e ,

f the same o

blood This polyand r ian family consequently diffe rs less

.

th an the Nair family fr om u own s ystem of pat r ia r c h al o r

kinshi p which is re puted su perio r ; but s urely t h e liberty

, ,

an d even the dignity of the w oman w h i h must count fo r ,

c

somethin g are more r es pected under t h e N system whic h

,
aI r ,

not only does t red uce the woman to a thin g possessed

no ,

that one lends to one s friends but gives he r t h e powe r of ’

,

choosing her hu s bands .

F r ate r nal p olyand r y bein g declared su pe r io r to polyand r y

o f t h e Na ir ty pe it has been concl uded t h at in vi r t ue of t h e
,

law f progress it m ust have been pr e eded in all times and

o c

p laces b y the latte r A r e ga r ds the gr eate r

. n umbe rs of
cases of Th ibetan polyand r y the s u pposition is gr at uito us ,

it seems ho w eve r established as far as ancient A rabia is

,

conce r ned whe r e thanks to a ve ry lea r ned t r eatise r ecently

,

, ,

p u blis h e d by M W R obe r tsonr .Smit h p r o f

.esso r of A r abic ,

at t h e U nive r sity of Camb r idge ? w e may note the cause s of

polyand r y and follow its evol ution .

III P ly d y i A i t A bi . o an r n n c en ra a .

Th chief ca use of ancient Arabian p olyand r y was the

e

o new e find in nearly all the p olyandric co unt r ies — t hat is to

say t h e in fanticide of dau gh ters
, .

Th p r imitive A r abs e tremely sava ge and even anthro

e ,
x
h
p p g u
o a w e r e l d to adopt t h e c ustom of female
o s, e

infantici de by the difficulty of living in their a r id country ,

1
2
Buc h an an , [o urn ey, vo l p 4 1 1 , e tc . II . . .

A z n s t an d IlIa rriage in E a rly A rabia ,

'

1 88 5 .
 AN D OF TH E F A IWIL Y . 83

w here famines w ere very common D own to the present .

time the nomads f A abia suffer con s tantly from hun ger o r

du r ing a great part f the yea r o

?

Th c ustom f in fanticide w inveterate among the

e o as
A r abs and M ahomet was obli ged to condemn it over and
,

over again in the Ko r an T hey w h fr om folly -

“
o or

i gno rance kill their child r en shall p eri sh Kill not your ?

child r en acco unt of p ove r ty Kill not your hildren

on
?
C

fo r fear f poverty ; we will feed them and you al s o When

o ,
?

it shall be asked f the gi r l bu r ied alive f what crime s h e

o or

is put to death every s oul will then acknowledge the

wo r k that h had done S e .
” 5

In this last ve r se the Koran bears w itness to the custo m

o f killing the girls and it indicates the p r ocess in u ,
s e,

which act ually consi s ted in burying them alive T his was .

done o penly and often the gr ave f the newly bo r n in fant

,
o -

w as dug by the side even f the couch of the mot h e r O

wh o had j ust given birth to it According t the mo r ality . o

o f the primitive A rabs these acts were t only ve ry sim ple ,

no ,

but even vi r tuous and generous? which seems to indicat e

that they we r e indeed only preca utions against famine A . n

A rab le gend q uoted by M R Smith paint s in lively

,
r
. .
,

colo urs the s e at r ocious customs It relate s to a chief f . o

Tamin w h became a constant practitioner f infa ticide

,
o o n

in conseq uence of a wound given to his pride H wa s . e

called Cais and wa s contem po rary with M ahomet Th
, . e

dau ghter f his sister w a rr ied ff in a r a ia and given

o as c o zz

to the son f he r capto r as was the usage in A abia whe r e

o , r ,

the captu r ed women made part f the booty and we r e o

divided with it Thi s time w hen C came to r eclaim
.
,
'’

aI s

his niece by o fferin g t p y her ransom the latte r bein g o a , ,

well please d with the adventure refused to quit her hu s band ,

.

Cais the uncle w mortally offended and from that moment

, , as ,

he inte rr ed alive all his daughter s acco r ding to the ancient ,

c ustom B ut . day durin g hi s absence a daughter was

o ne , ,

bo r n to him whom the mothe r s ec r etly sent to a r elative

,

to save he r and then declared to her h us band that she

,

1
[( in s t a nd Ma rriage in E arly A ra bia , p 283
'

rt
. . .

2
S o u a e, v i p . . 141 .
4
Ib d
i . x iiv .
p 33 . .

3
I bid 1 5 2 5
I bz d lxxx 1 pp 8 - 1 4
.

th
. . . . . .

3
R Smi K in s h ip, p 282
’

.
, . .
84 TH E E V OL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

had been delivere d of a still born child Some yea r s late r -

.
,

the girl gr own tall came to p y a visit to her mot h er

, ,
a .

C l discove r ed her while her mother w laitin he r hair

'

a s as
p g
,

and o r namenting it with cow r ies I a rrived the father .

“
,
”

is made to say s peaking to M ahomet and I said Who i s

, ,
“
,
‘

t h is youn g gi rl ? S h e is your s re plied the mot h er weepin g

’
,
’
, ,

and she related ho w she h ad fo r me rly saved h er I waited

ti ll the emotion of the mother w ca lmed ; then one d y I as a

led away the girl ; I dug a grave and I made her lie do w n
in it S h e c r ied F athe r what do you intend to do w ith
.
,
‘
,

me ? Then I covered her with ea rth She cried again

’
.
,
‘
F athe r do y u wish to bu r y me ? A
, o you goin g away re ,

and will y u abandon me ? But I continued to hea p ea r th

o
’

on he r until her cries were s tifled That w the only time . as

it has happened to me to feel pity in b urying a daughte r .
” 1

S uch c ustoms combined w ith t h e sale to st ran ge r s f

,
o

gi rls carr ied ff in ra ias and the polygamy f t h e r ich

o zz ,
o

men m ust ass uredly have profoundly dist urbed the numerical
,

p pr o o r tion f the sexes ando have ren dered p olyand r y almo s

,
t
a neces s ity which besides co uld not excite any s c ru ple
, , ,

w ith the ancient Arabs w hose morals we r e ve r y licentio us ,

.

T hus the ca pt ur ed w omen often r emained common to a

g rou p f r elatives
o In the fifth centu r y the S y
?
i R oman r o-

la w had even to fo r bid the cont racts of frate r nity by which ,

all was held i common includi g the wives d children

n , n an
?

T hat frate r nal p olyand r y called T hibetan m y have , , a

existed in Arabia t h e passage of St rabo which I have , ,

p r eviously q uoted in re gard to p romisc u ity would s uffice ,

to establish but A ab writer s expre s sly attest it and notably

r ,

B k h é i ( vi according to w hom the number of poly

‘

o tr .

androus husband s w not allowed to exceed ten ; beside s as

this va r ious customs f more modern date a s for exam ple

,
o , , ,

the passin g f the wido w by heritage to the relatives of

o , ,

the h usband seem to a r ise fr om it M o r eover even at the

,
.
,

p r esent d y i A rabia
a the father cannot
n give his da u ghter
,

t
o another if the son f h is b r other demands her d th o ,
an e

latter ha s th right to obtain her at a lower pr ice ; this i s

e
4

the right f p emption pplied to the woman

o re- a .

It seems indeed a s if the s e were the vestiges f an

, ,
o
3 I d , ibid p
1 R S m ith , K ins h ip, e tc 2 7 9 , 2 80 1 35 .
. .
, pp . . . . .

4
5
I d , ibid pp 1 3 1 -1 3 4
. . . . I a , ibid p
. . . 1 37 .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 85

antique fr ate r nal polyand r y and it is in fact of fraternal ,

or

T h ib t p olyandry
e an that Strabo s p eaks H thi s fr aternal . as

patriarchal p olyand ry been pr eceded by a matriarchal

p olyandry after the mode f the N
, a irs — p olyandry which o a
did not make the woman the property f the husband s ? o

Witho ut being able to give a direct pr oof f this we may o , ,

howeve r con s ider it as very pr obable In the pr esent

, .

day the partial mar r iages by which th women f the ,

e o
H i y h Arab s engage themselves for some day s of the
as s n e

week only s trongly resemble the matriarchal polyandry f

,
o

the Nairs and temporary marriage or m t

,
f the ancient ,
o
’
a, o
A r abs a pproaches nearly to it also .

It i s t h is kind f mar r iage in all probability that the o , ,

p ro phet mean s w hen he inveigh s a gain s t fornication “ ”

.

By the m t marriage the woman doe s not leave her o

’
a

home ; her tribe pr ese r ves the r i ghts it ha s over her and ,

he r c h ild r en do not belong to the husband In s hort th .

, e

co jugal union is only contracted for a fixed time Thes

n . e
m t
o marriages had nothing dishonourable in them and
’
a ,

did not in the least prevent the women fr om findin g fr esh

husbands when at the ex piration f the lease they became , o ,

once more fr ee ?

T h custom e fm t marriage wa s long prevalent in o o

’
a

A r abia A mmianus s p eak s of it

. saying that the wife ?

received a price indemnity from her tem porary husband or ,

and that if it happened to the cont ractin g parties to wish

,

to continue to live together at the expi ration f the time o

fixed they inaugurated a fre s h and more d urable union by
,

a symbolic ce r emony during which the wife o ffered to her ,

h usband a javelin and a tent .

Th pro phet himself decided with great he s itation to

e
condem the m t marriage A t ditiO makes him say
n o
’
a . ra n

that if a man and a w oma agree togethe r their unio

“
n ,
n

sho uld last for three nights after which they may s e parat ,
e

or live togethe r as they please ,

.
” 3

In fact t h e m t m arriage wa s only abolished in the

,
o
’
a

time of O mar ; and it i s im p ortant to remark wit h regard to

it that thi s mode f marriage singular as it may a ppear to
, o ,

us wa s for the woman very su pe r io r to the se r vit ude f the

, , ,
o

1
S m it K in sh ip ,
R . h , e tc .
, p p 6 9 . , 1 4 1 -1 4 3 .
2
Id , . ibid v o l xiv p 4
. . . . .
3
Id .
, ibid p 6 7
. . .
86 TH E E V OL UTI ON OF M AR R I A GE

M uss ulman h a r em
It w a per s onal cont ract in which
. as ,

her pa r ent s did not inte r fe r e and wh ich did not degra de ,

her from the rank f an inde pen dent pe r son to the o

humiliation f me r ely bein g a thing possessed Th m t
o . e o
’
a

marriage indicates besides very fr ee manne r s as is atte s ted

, , ,

by a number of fa ts and traditions pa r ticularly ce r tain

c ,

religious rite s f the Canaanites the A m it and the

o ,
ra e s,

pagan H eb r ews d also the licentiou

,
an s p ractices f women o
an d gi r ls in the tem ple f Baalbek o .

By degrees the m t marriage gave place to a definite o

’
a

ma rr iage the b l m a rr iage by which t h e young gi r l went

,
a a
’
,

to live with her h usband d owed him fi delity M arriages an .

of this kind were sought at first by the c h iefs to whom t h ey ,

assu r ed alliance s A a consequence these unions became

. s

hono urable and deth r one d the ancient matrimonial c ustom

,
?

H encefo r th the women who contin ue d to live in t h e ancient

mo de were di shono ure d and t r eated as pr ostitutes whose , ,

d w el lin g was indicated by a s pecial flag At t h e same time .

the taste for pate r nity w bo r n in men and in ca s e of as , ,

do ubt on this matte r sa ges whose profession it was decla r ed

, ,

the sign s by which a man co uld recognise his own offs pri g n
?

IV . P olya ndry in G en era l .

I have quoted ma de a s umma r y f nearly all the

or o

info r mation that has r eac h e d u the subject f ancient s on o

and mode r n p olyand ry F r om thence we may concl ude .

that in way are w e a ut h o r ised to conside r t h is form of

no

conj ugal union as havin g been gene ral Still it has become .

a ne essity in a good n um be r f gr oss so ieties It has

c o c .

s pe ially pr evaile d in count r ie s ba dly supplie d with food

c ,

whe r e the stru ggle fo r existence w as seve r e w he r e w a rlike ,

conflicts w ith neighbou r in g t r ibes w e r e incessant d w he r e ,

an ,

in o r de r to en du r e t h e comm unity was fo rced to diminish

,

the imp dim t and t h e useless mo uth s In s uch con

e en a .

diti men still savage o r ba r barous have recour se w ithout

o n s,

hesitation all ove r the w o r ld to female infantici de and as ,

on the other side the c h iefs and st r ong men monopolise

,

as many w omen as possible the debauchery of unma rr ied ,

1
R . S m it h , R ins t
’

,
e tc .
, pp . 1 4 1 1 43
-
.
2
I d , ibid p
. . . 1 43 .
 AND OF TH E F A M TL Y . 87

women and polyand r ian hou s eholds become necessa ry

p alliative s .

We have seen t hat the r e are two princip al kind of s

p olyand r y — the matriarchal and p atria r cha l In the first .

,

the woman or girl doe s not quit he r family her g or en s

sometime s even s he is permitted the r ight f choosing h er o

husbands w h are t related to each other and u p on

,
o no ,

w hom the woman scarcely de pends at all s ince she remains ,

with her w r elations and bea r s child r en for them

o n ,
.

O n the cont r ary in the pat r iarchal p olyand r y the

, ,

woman captured
, bought is almost enti r ely u prooted ;
or ,

s h e leave s her natural p r otector s to go and live with he r

h usbands to whom s he belon gs wh a r e limited in n umbe r
, ,
o ,

a r e nea rly always brothers relations and t whom s he or ,

o

cannot be un faithful without autho r isation .

Both fo r ms f p olya n d r ic marriage su ppose a com plete

o

absence of m odesty f sexual rese r ve and moral delicac y

, o .

B ut we know that t h ese q ualities can only be the fr uit of

lon g cultu r e In this respect both mat r ia r chal and pat r i
.

arch al p olygamy are equal But it i s im p ortant to observe .

that the fi rs t enslaves woman much less O the other . n

hand the second al r eady permits the establishment f a

, o

s ort f paternal fi li ti since the hu s bands a r e gene r ally of

o a o n,

the s ame blood F this rea s o it is re puted s uperio r

. or n .

In reality mat r iarchal polyandry al w ays coincide s with

the primitive family form the mat r iarchate— that is to y ,
sa ,

with a sy s tem that takes acco unt f paternal fi li ti and no o a o n,

leaves the children to the tribe of the mothe r .

Patria r chal polyandry the cont ra ry al r eady presents

, on ,

the outline f a sort f paternal family with the right of

o o ,

p r imo geniture attributed to the fi t bo r n rs -

.

We shall have to st udy in detail both th patriarchate e

and t h e matriarchate Polyan dry in its re pu tedly hi ghest

.
,

form the Thibetan only constitute s a pat r ia r chate f the

, ,
o

most im p e r fect kind since the r e i s s till a confu s ion f

, o

fathe r hood .

P r oof is still wanting to fo r ce u s t conclude that matri o

a rchal polyandry must alway s have pr eceded the oth e r .

T his pp ea r s to be t r ue f
a ancient Arabia only In all or .

other places we can merely su ppose it to h ave been so .

W s h o uld be e q
e ually mistaken if w a dmitte d p i i e a r or
88 TI /E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E .

that p t r ia rchal polyand r y implies a degree f civilisation

a o

s u perio r to that of the count r ies whe r e mat r ia r chal poly

and ry pr evails Th ancient Ar abs f whom St rabo s peaks
. e , o ,

p r acti s ed fr aternal p olyand r y and yet w kno w that

,
they e

w e r e scarcely civilised they we r e cannibals and so

, ,

fe r ocio us that t h eir wives accom panied them i combat s n

in o rde r to despatch and mutilate the wounded enemie s .

T hese furies made t h emselves necklaces and b r acelets for

thei r ankles with the noses d ea r s of a dead enemy and an ,
1

s ometimes even they ate his liver

In conclusion p olyand ry I s an exce ptional conjugal form
.

, ,

as rare as polygamy common It m ust be classed with

15 .

experimental and term marr iages With u E uropean . o r

ideas on conj ugal fidelity obli gatory by t h e right f p

,
o ro

p i t
r e o rs hip
, w can
e sca r cely conceive even f t h e p ossibility o

of this pe r fect absence f j ealo usy this placidity f theo ,

o

c o- husbands It is indelicate doubtless But how shall

.
,
.

w e desc r ibe u mo r ality and the laws t h at give to the

o r

deceived h usband the r ight f life and death over hi s o

faithless com panion and in this r es pect bring us do w n
,

to the level of the savage ? D indelicate manners rank o

lowe r than fe r ocious manners ? They a r e both those f o

the animal .

R S m ith [fi / ip
1
.
p 84,
ns z , e tc .
, . 2 .
 C H AP TER VI .

RR I G E C TURE MA A BY AP .

I R p R p
a e, d m arr i g —R ap i Ta m an ia A tra l ia N
- a e an a e e n s , us , ew

A fri a Am ri a a m g h Tartar
.

G i
u ne a, c h Hi d
e c h on t e s, t e n o o s, t e

d h C lt —
, ,

H br w
e e s , an Th r p f
t e b in i an i t G r
e s e a e o c o nc u es n c en eec e .

II M i g by C p
arr a e —Th r m i l f apt r i m rri g
a ture . e ce e on a o c u e n a a e

t a n ana a
.

S ym b l i op r
c m c ag h E qi
um x e h I di of C d i
t e s u au
:

t e n ans o , n

G t m al a a m g h M g l
,

ua e h onb r igi fB g l i N
t e on o s, t e a o n es o en a n ew

l a d m g h Ar b h an i t G r k i an i nt R m i
, ,

Zea n a on t e a s, t e c en ee s, n c e o e, n

g h m d r C lt d i L i n ia
,

C ir i m
c as s a, a on t e o e n e s , an n vo

t
.

III S g ifi i i
fn h C m i l
c at o n f C p
— V
o i l xt e
g m y ere on a o a ture o en e o a

l—R p d m rri g by p r ha —Wh t h

. .

has b
no t i ee n un v e rs a a e an a a e u c se a t e
r m i l f pt r m
ce e on a o ca u e e an s .

I . R ap e .

Th e marriage by capture which we hav now to con s ider ,

e ,

is not act ually a for m of marriage ; it i s only a manner f o

p r oc urin g more wives whatever at the s ame time

o ne or ,

may be the p r evailin g matrimonial égim If howeve r w r e .

, ,
e

cannot dispense with the s pecial study f mar r iage by o

capt ure it is because it ha s been made to play a chief l

,
ro e
‘

in s ociology Accordin g to s ome authors it has been a

.
,

universal necessity; and mu s t have preceded exogamy in all

time s and places .

S urely thi s t general theory may b e conte s ted ; but it is

oo

beyond doubt that the ra pe f women ha s been widely o

practised all over the world that very often it has bee , n
conside r ed glorious and that in many count r ie s it ha s been ,

atte uated into pacific ma rriag

n e .

N ot h in g is mo r e natu r al and sim ple t h an r a p e amon g

sava ge barba r o us t r ibes who h ol d violence in esteem d
or , an
9 6 TH E E VOL UTJON OF M AR R IA G E

use it la rgely and who a s we have pr evio usly seen are

, , ,

almost al w ays addicted to female in fantici de B ut h as t h e .

widely s pr ead custom f ra pe the great im po r tance in

-
o
sociological theo r y that has been att r ib uted to it ? T his
is a question to which we can only re ply af er havin g t
consulted the facts .

T h ro ugho ut M elanesia ca pture h as bee the pr imitive n

means of proc urin g wives rather slave s fall w ork ,
or -
o - -
,

absolutely at the disc r etion of the ravis h e r Bonwick .

,

indeed tells us that in Tasmania and consequently

, ,

in Aust ralia ca pture w mo r e often simulated only

,
as ,

and resulted from a pr evio us ag r eement between the man

and woman ; but the savage manne r in which the r ape
1

was e ffecte d abundantly pr oves that amiable agreement was

exce ptional Th Aust ralian who desire s to carry off a
. e

woman belon gin g to anothe r t r ibe prowls t raito r ously

aro und t h e camp If he happens to discover a woman.

w ithout a protector he r ushes he r stuns he r with a blow on ,

o f his club ( d u h) sei e s h er by her thick hai r dr a gs her

o a ,
z ,

th us into t h e neighbo ur in g wood ; then when she has ,

r ecove r ed her s ense s he oblige s her to follow him i to the ,

n

midst f hi s o w n people d ther e he violates he r in their

o an
—
,

p r esence for s he
,
has become his ro
p p erty his domestic
animal Th captur ed woman gene rally resi gns he r self
?
e
witho ut di fficulty ; in tr ut h sh e has gene rally c h anged her
2
, , ,

maste r but not in the lea s t changed her condition

, .

Sometimes two men unite to commit one f these rape s o .

T hey glide noiselessly into neighbouring camp in t h e a

ni ght ; one of them wind s round his bar bed spear the hair
o f a slee p ing lub the othe r points hi s spear at he r bosom
ra , .

She awakes and dares not cry ut they take her ff bind
,
o o ,

he r to a t r ee and t h en ret urn in the same manne r to make

,

a second captu r e afte r t h at they retu r n in t ri um ph to t h eir

o w eo
n
p p le Th ca p tives
? r a r ely revolt for
e they are in a , ,

w y acc ustomed to the ca p tu r e

a ,
F rom infancy t h ey have .

been familia r ised with the fate that awaits them fo r the ,

s imulation of the rap e i s one f the games f the Aust ralian o o

1
D a ily L ifeOrigin of the Tas m an ia ns , p 6 5
an d

t —
. .

2
D um o n d U rv ille , H ist Un iv des Voy , v o l v iii p
’
. . . . x . . 225 . O ld
l
fi e d, Tra n s E th n S oc v o l iii p 2 5 0
t r
. . . . . . .

3 ’
Ch am bers s journ a l, p 2 2 ( O c o be .
 A ND OF TH E F A M JL y .
9 1

children L ater the life f a pretty Australian gi rl i s

.
1
o

m a r ked by a serie s of plots to carry he r ff and f succes o ,

o

s ive rape s w hich force her to pas s from hand to hand and
, ,

expo s e her to wound s received i con fl icts and to b d n , a

t r eatment in flicted by the other women among s t whom h s e
is introduced Sometime s s he is dragged very far even
.
,

h undreds f miles fr om the place f her bi r th

o o .
2

It i s the d uty f the t r ibe to which the ravished woman

o

belongs to avenge her and the Australian ha s after his , ,

own manner a strong sentiment f certain obligations

,
o ,

which for him are moral ; but more fre quently to escape ,

too g reat dama ge s the t r ibes hold a meeting and th , , e

ravishe r submit s to a symbolic retaliation ag r ee d before on

hand A med with his little shield of bark he takes hi s

. r ,

p lace at about forty yards fr om a grou p of ten warrior s

belongin g to the a ggr ieved t r ibe and each f these ,
o ne o

th r ows two th r ee darts at him wh ich are nea r ly always

or ,

avoi ded p arried or T hencefo r th the o f

fence is
. e ff aced ,

an d p eace e s tablished re -
.
3

T h same customs prevail among the Pa puans f N w

e o e

G uinea A t Bali the men ca ry

. ff and violate brutally r o
the s olita ry women they m y meet ; and afte r wards they a

agree with the tribe a s to com pensation In like manner .

4
,

in the F ij i I s les rape real simulated wa s ge eral and

, ,
or ,
n

even glo r iou s A pa r ticular divinity pre s ided over it Th

. . e
ravished woman eithe r fled to a protector r e s igne d or

herself and then a feast given to the parent s te r minated

,

the a ffair .
5

T o be able to see in these be s tial customs anything

re s emblin g mar r iage must be a prey to a fixed idea o ne
— p ositive matrimonial monomania T here i s he r e no
,

a .

ma rr iage by ca pture but rathe r slavery by ca pture This , .

is not the only method f pr ocur in g wives practised o

by the Aus t r alian s They often p r oceed p ifi lly by . ac ca

t r ffic and a man ac quires a wife by giving in exchan ge

a ,

another woman f whom he ha s power to dispose— sistero a

1
ll
C o in s, E nglislt Colony in N e w S out/t a les ,
p 362 W
W
. .

3 . r
G G ey, Trav els in N ortli - osterfl A ustra lia , v o l ii p . . . 2 49 .

3 ’
C/z a mbors s journ a l, 1 8 64 .

N ot ic es on the I ndia n A rc /z ipelago, p 90

Wi iam s , F iji a nd tko F ijia n s , v o l i p 1 7 4
. .

5
ll . . . .
9 2 T H E E VOL UTI ON OF M ARR I A G E

or relative Certain tribe s had also instituted a sort of

.
1

re gulated promiscuity— collective marriage between all a

the men of clan and all t h e w omen f another I
o ne o .

shall have to retu r n to the conside r ation of this sin gular

fo r m of sexual association F the moment I confine . or
my s elf to noticin g that rape i s not always obligato ry in
Aust r alia .

Neither is it so among the negroes of A frica ; it is even

mo r e rare there than in M elane s ia but there also it does ,

not constit ute a marriage Women are carried ff just in . o

t h e same way as othe r things are carr ied ff T h us the o .

D amara H ottentot s often s teal wives fr om the N m q u i a a o s

H ottentots A mon g the M andingos and the T imanis

.
2

t h ere is no marr iage by ca pture properly s peakin g al ready ,

they p ur chas e the da ughter from he r par ents without of , ,

cou r se cons ulting her then the intendin g pu rchase r aided

, ,

by his fr iends ca rrie s ff his ac quisition in a b rutal manne r

,
o ,

w het h er she will or not It i s a sim ple comme r cial aff i r ; . a

the daughter i an exchange val ue repr e s entin g a ce r tain

s
number of jars fpalm wine of stu ffs etc o , ,
.

A mongst the natives f A me r ica brutal ra pe was still o , or

is very common In Terra del F uego the yo un g F uegians
,
.
,

ca rr y ff a woman a s s oon as they are able to con s truct or

o

p r ocure a canoe F r om tribe to tribe.the3

Pata gonian s
at wa r exterminate the men and carry ff the women T he
’

o .

O en Patagonians make incur sions eve r y year at the time

f the r ed leaf the F uegians to sei e their women
“
o on z ,

their dogs and their weapons Th Indians on the banks

,
.
4
e

o f the A ma on and O r inoco contin ually ca pture women

z ,

and thus every t r ibe is sometimes nea rly w it ho ut wome n

and sometime s overflowin g with them Th Ca r ibs .
5
e so

fr eque tly procured wive s in this way that their wome

n n

did not ofte speak the lan guage f the men In th

n o .
6
e

R edskin tribe of the M andans t h e ra p e f yo ung women o

was a perpetual cause of t r ouble f disorder and f ,

o ,
o

1 M c L e nnan , P rim itiv e M arriage, p 3 2 1 . .

2 ll
C am pb e , H ist Un iv aes Voy , v o l i p 343
. .
’
. . xx x . . .

3 L a in g, H ist Un iv aes Voy , v o l v iii

p 3 1
'
xx
tr
. . . . . . .

4 F i z o y, Voy B eagle, v o l ii p 1 8 2
tr
. . . . .

5 Fi z o y, loo c it , v o l ii p 2 0 5
. . . . . .

3 M c L e n n an , loo c it , p 4 8 . . . .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y? 93

vengeance proportioned to the p ower and to the an ger f

, o

the r elations fthe ravished woman o .

1

We find s imilar custom s among s avage barbarou s or

eo
p p le s nearly everywhere T h T t s ays Barnes make . e ar ars, ,

their wives f the pri s oner s that they capture in battle s

o .
2

T h Code
e f M anu also mentions thi s primitive mode
o

o f union mo r e les s conjugal When a youn g gi r l is

or

carried ff by force from the parental hou s e weepin g and

o ,

cryin g for s uccour and those wh oppose thi s violence ,

o

a r e killed wounde d and a b r each i s made in the walls

or , ,

this mode ( of marriage) is call d that f the giants e o .

” 3

Th Bi b le relates s everal facts of the s ame kind

e T h us .

the t r ibe f Benjamin procured themselves wives by

o

massacring the inhabitant s f Ja b e G ilead and capturing o z-

four hundred f their virgin s A nother time the Ben j amites

o .

p ractised a Sabine ra pe in carrying f f the women during o

a feast near Bethel .

T h Israelites having vanquished the M idianite s killed

e , ,

all the men acco rdin g to the Semitic custom and took
, ,

a w ay the cattle the child r en and the women But M oses

, , .
4
,

al w ays directly ins pired by the L ord ordered them t put , o

to death the women and even the male children and to ,

keep the you g girls and virgins There were s ixteen

n .
5

thousand maidens f whom thirty two were re s erved f ,

o -
or

the L ord s s hare which doubtles s means for the pr iests

’
,
.

O f the shee p oxen a s ses and m aiden s that remained

, , , ,

M o s es further deducted the fiftieth part which he gave ,

to the L evite s f the tabernacle o .

6

T his ferocity and t h is coarse a s similation of ca pt ured

women to cattle are not peculiar to the people of G d o ,

but prevailed amongst the primitive A rabs rather ,

7
or
amongst all the Semites w h we r still savage barba r o us ,
o e or .

Captu r e in war has besides been largely practised by all , ,

r aces and throughout the wo r ld A ld Irish p oem the . n o ,

“
D uan E i h s peaks f th r ee hundred women ca r ried
ranas , o

1
M c L e n nan , P rim itiv e M a rriage, p 7 1 L e wis and C l . .
- ark e, Trav els
to tire S o urc e of the M ssouri R iv er, v o l i p 2 3 1
'

. . . .

2
H ist Un iv aes Voy , v o l v ii p
’
xx I3 0.
k
. . . . . .

3
Code of M a m e, bo o iii p 33 . . .

4
Num be s , c h r i ve r 7 -9
. xxx . . .
6 ’
I bia v e r 40 -4 7
. . .

5
I bid v e r 1 5 -1 8
. . .
7 R S m it , K ins/ii},
. h e tc .
 94 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF ATA R R I A G E

of
f by t h e Pict s fr om the G aels who finding themselves , ,

th us de pr ive d f t h eir women by a sin gle blow allie d

o
themselves then with t h e I r ish
,

I will confine myself to these exam ples gleaned fr o m ,

all pa r t s and w hic h it would be easy to multiply T h ey

, .

am ply su ffice to establish that in primitive societie s wo m an ,

bein g held in very low e s teem is absol utely reduce d to ,

the level f chattel s and f domestic animals ; that s h e

o o

re pre s ents a booty like any other ; that he r maste r can u se

and abuse her without fea r B ut i t h ese bestial practices . n

t h ere is nothing which appr oaches even distantly to ma rr iage , , ,

and w a r e not in t h e least war ranted to call these b r utal

e
ra pes m a rr iages E ven in the count r ies whe r e a true
.

ma rr ia ge e ists the c ustom s and the laws tole r ate for a long
x ,

time the int r o duction into the ho us e of the h usband p c a

tu d s laves w h
re are treated by the master as conc ubines
, o
by the side of the legitimate wife or wives Th heroes of . e
H omer p r ofit largely by this le gal tole r ance and when ,

the Clytemne s tra of E hylu justifies herself for havin g sc s

killed he r h usband she alleges amon g other exten uati g

, , n

ci rc umstances the intimacy of Agamemnon with his slave

,

Cassand ra .

A ssu r edly in all this there is no mar r iage We s h all .

p r esently see that in many co u ntrie s the conc ubinate le gal

—
,

an d patent h as existed
,
e ists by th side f
c o ,
or c o x ,
e o

marriage without bein g confo unded with it It impo rtant . IS

to re s erve the name f m i g by p tu to legal and o a rr a e ca re

p acific mar r ia ge in the ceremonial,

f which w find p o e rac

tices recalling s imulating by s urvival the pr imitive ra pe

or

o f woman .

II M i g by C p tu . a rr a e a re .

It i s to be obse r ved that this symbolic r ape does not

always si gnify that t h e capt ure f the woman has pr eceded o

p acific con j ugal union I t r e p r esents es p

. ecially a mental
s urvival the tradition f an e p och mo r e or less distant
,
o , ,

when violence w held in hi gh esteem and when it was

as ,

glo r iou s to procu r e slaves for all sort s f labo urby force of o

a rms In the count r ies where the ceremonial of capt ure

.

e xist s th fi times of rap e

, e ne gene rally some w hat gone are
 AN D OF TH E F A M JL Y .
95

by but the mind is s till hau ted by it and even in peace ful
,
n ,

marr iages after the contract bargain i s conclu ded men

, or ,

like to symboli s e in the ceremonial the r apes of fo r mer

days which they cannot and dare not any longer commit
,
.

T he s e practice s have a ls o another bea r ing they si gnify :

that the b r ide then nearly al w ays purchased from her

,

p a r ents must be,

in com p lete s ubjection to the master that
has been given her and occu py the h umblest place in t h e ,

conj ugal hou s e .

F or all these reason s the symbolic ceremonial f ca ptu r o e

has been or is s till in use with many races at the celeb r a

, ,

tion of their marr iage s In some degree it is fo und ll ove r . a

the w orld A mon g the E s quima ux f Cap e Y ork t h e o

ma rr iages are a rr anged in a fr iendly way by the p arents f o

the futu r e cou ple and nevertheless from the in fancy f the
, ,
o

la tte r t h e conj ugal ceremony must sim ulate a capt ure Th

,
. e

fut ur e bride m ust fly m ust defend he r self w ith he r feet and ,

ha ds sc r eam at t h e hei ght of her voice until her new

n , ,

master has s ucceeded in taking her to hi s hut whe r e s he at ,

once settles happily .

1

In the same w y in G reenland the bridegroom captu r e s

a ,

his b r ide h her ca ptu red for him ; and in t h e latter

,
or as

case h has recou r se to the hel p f two th r ee old women

e o or .
2

With the Indian s f Canad where sometimes a t r u o a, e

ma rriage is concluded in presence f the chief f the t r ibe o o ,

when he ha s pronounced the mat r imonial formula th ,

“
e
h usband t urn s ro und stoo ps d own takes his wife hi s , ,
on

back and carries her to hi s tent amid the acclamation s

, ,

of the s pectators .
” 3

Some R edskin tribes ob s erved by L fi t u symbolised , a a ,

ra pe even in the intimate relations between yo un g co uple s .

T h husband was obli ged to enter the W i gwam f his wif

e o e
in the ni ght ; it woul d be a grave im propriety for him to
appr oach it in the day time -
.
4

In ancient G uatemala where marriages were celebrated ,

with a certain pom p th father f t h e bridegroom sent , e o

a de putation f fr iends t s eek the bride and

o f the s o , o ne o e

1 T H aye s , 7 7z e Open S ea at Me P ole, pp 44 8 , 4 49

. . .

2
E ge de , H is tory of Green la nd, p 1 4 3 . .

3
r r
C a v e , Tra v exs , p 3 7 4
’

t
. .

4 L afi tau, [ll a urs des S am/ages A m é r ic a in s, l er p 5 7 6 .

v
. .
9 6 T H E E VO L U TI ON OF rlI A R R JA GE

messenge r s had to take the gi r l his sho ulde r s and on

ca rr y h er to an a ppointed s pot ear t h e ho use of the ,

n
b r idegr oom .
1

In Asia over the vast M ongol region extending fr om

,

Kamtschatka to the count ry of the Turcomans the cere ,

monial of captu r e is al w ays held in honour .

T h is symbolism f ca pt ur e is es pecially c ur io us with the

o
K m t h td l
a sc T he r e it i s
a t as a conque r or t h at the
a es . no
h usband enters the family of the wife since he mu s t fi r st ,

do an act f servit ude find the parents of the gi r l h e

o ,

desires put him s elf at their service and take his part in
, ,

the domestic labour T his period f pr obation may last . o

a lon g time even years and s urely it i s a s in gular prel ude
, ,
2

to a marr iage by violent capt ur e H owever when the time .

,

o f the novitiate is over the future husband is allowed to ,

t r ium ph violently and publicly over the r esistance of his

b r ide She is a r med with thick garment s
. over the ,
o ne

other and with st ra ps and co rds Besi de s this she is

, .

gua r ded and defended by the women f the i u t H w o o r e . o

ev r the marr iage i s not definitely concluded until th

e , e
bri degr oom su r mountin g all t h ese obstacles succeeds in
, ,

e ffectin g his well defended b r ide a sort of out rage on

on -

modesty that she he r self must acknowledge by c ryin g m

, nz

in a plaintive tone But the gi rls and women of the guard .

fall on the a s sailant with great c r ies and blows tear his ,

hair scratch his face and sometimes throw him V ictory

, ,
.

often necessitates repeated assaults and many days f m o c o

bat When at last it is gained and the bride h a s herself

.
,

acknowledged it the ma rriage is settled and is consummated

, ,

the same evenin g in the i u t f the b r i de who is t o r e o ,

no

taken to her h usband s house till the next day ’

.
3

T h ceremonial of ca p tu r e still continues in the mar r ia ges

e

o f the Kalm ucks the Tu g u and the Tu rcomans but

,
n o se s , ,

has become less coa r se .

Wit h the Kalm ucks the gi rl is fi r st bought fr om he r

fathe r and t h en afte r a pr etended r esistance is ca rr ied
, , ,

a way a horse ready saddled T h custom varies

on .
4
e :

1
B r ft N i R
an c o l p 668 at v e a c es , e tc vo 11

K t b
. . .
, . .

2
(D
o ze ie V y g ) Hi
ue U i d Vy
eux p 39
/n e o a e , st . n v . es o .
, t xv u
. . . 2.
3 B e nio usk i, H is t Un iv des Voy , t . . . xxx i .
p 4 08. .

4
. ll
H de H e , Trav els in tfi e S teppes o
f t he C aspian S ea , p . 289 .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L y: 97

s o m etime s it i s enough to place the b ride by force o n a , ,

ho r se ; s ometimes she flees al w ays o n ho r seback but is , ,

p u r sued and ca ught b y the bride groom who con s ummate s ,

the ma rr iage on the s pot and then conduct s hi s pri z e to hi s ,

tent .
1

Th T u g u e coarse r still proceed by an attem pt

n o se s , , on

modesty as w ith the K m t h td l ; the bridegroom must

,
a sc a a es

attack his b r ide and tear her clothes .

2

With the Tur c omans ma rr ia ge can b e conc luded with ,

or

witho ut the consent f the parents In the latter case o .

,

the youn g peo ple fl y and seek refu ge in a nei ghbou r in g

b b
o a .T h ey are always well received the r e and remain a ,

mo th or s ix weeks D urin g this time the elde r s f the two

n . o

b /
o a zs negotiate an arran gement with the parent s ; they
agree on t h e pr ice 1 the gi rl wh afterward s returns to the
0 ,
o

p ate r nal domicile ; s he mu s t remain s ix months a yea r or ,

or even longer before living wit h her husband and du r in g

, ,

all this time he may only s ee her s ecretly Sometime s the .

fl ight is executed with the previou s consent f the parent s o ,

and then it is no mo r e than a symbolic ca pture a comedy ,

3
.

In r eality r ap e more less real, is often replaced by a

, or

sim ple ceremonial with the gr eate r part f th nomads of o e

Cent ral A sia and notably the Turcomans Then the youn g
, .

girl clothed in her bridal costume best r ides a fiery horse

, , ,

which she put s to a gallo p having at the s addle a kid a , or

lamb freshly killed Th bridegroom and all the weddin g . e .

g uests also ,
horseback pur s ue the future wife wh by
on , , o,
cleve r t urns and evol utions hides herself and hinders them , ,

from sei i g th animal s h e has carried ff All thi s is

z n e o .
4

p lainly the me r e mimic of ra p e and the r e is in these dive r s ,

custom s a desi gne d gr adation at first the actual stealing of

the gi rl with the un derstandin g that the affair will t end
, no
tragically ; then a stealin g that may be called legal a s it is ,

autho r i s ed by the pa r ents ; at le gth the sim ple ce r emony n

s ymbolic f rap e by violenceo .

Custom s very s imila r to these are found with a certain

number of the aborigines of Bengal .

C l rk T 1
l t a l i p 43 3
e, ra v e s , e c vo

E rma
.
, . . . .

2
T l i S ibe i l ii p 3 7
n, ra ve s n r a, v o . . . 2 .

3
4
r r ’
F as e s jo urn ey , v o l ii pp 3 7 2 -3 7 5
”
. . . .

A V am bé ry, Voy a un fa ux D erv ic /z e, p

. . . 2 95;
9 8 TH E E VOL UT] ON OF M AR R I A GE

Th e Kurmi s and other ud c leb rate marriag by s ras e e a

pretended com b at Sometime s the bridegroom s mark their .

forehead s wit h blood which s eems indeed to be th , , , e

o ri gin of the sing ul r and nearly universal custom in I dia a n
o f the i d d con s isting f marking the forehead of
s n ra a n, 1 o
the bride with vermilion Th vermilio h pparently . e n as a
replaced the b lood and the blood may and doubtle s , ,
s
doe s sym b oli s e a violent r ap
, e .

With the M eck s and the K achari s the b ridegroom m , , ac c o

p i
an e d by hi s friend s goe s to the hou s e of hi s futu r e b ride ;
,

he there meet s the friend s f the latter and the two t ro upe s o ,

simulate a combat in which the futu r e husband is alway s ,

victo r ; the bride finishe s by bei g carried ff and her n o ,

hu s band ha s only to feast t h e frien ds of both partie s and ,

p y a th father the e
p rice of the girl .
2

Wit h the S lig the man carr ie s away th young girl

o as , e

with her consent and goes lik the M on gols to ,

eigh , e , a n
b u i g village to pas s the time of th honeymoon after
o rn e ,

which the co uple return home and giv fea s t e a .

8

Th cu s tom of s imulated capture s till exist s among other

e
aboriginal tribe s f Indi th K honds Badaga s t o a, e , , e c .

It i s evident that i primitiv humanity to c rry 1? n e , a 0 a

w oman with rmed violence wa s con s idered gloriou
a a s
e xploit s inc in the mo s t divers e race s pacific marriage
, e

a ss ume s with s uch good will the prete c of violent

, ,
n e
conq ue s t .

In N w Zealand in order to marry girl m a pplied

e , a , a an

e ither to her father or neare s t relation ; the consent bei g n, n

obtained he avished his future bride who wa s bound to

,
r ,

resi s t energetic lly A the N w Zealand women wera . s e e

robust the contest however courteou s it might b w , e, as
s ev e ; the clothe s of the girl wer g nerally tor t
c
'

e e n o
shreds and it s ometimes took hour s t drag h r hundred
,
o e a
yards .
4

Sometim s the mother f th b rid interfer d Mr

e o e e e . .

Y ate mention s ca s of thi s ki d It elate s to mother

a e n . r a

quit content with the marriage f her daught

e but o er,

o b liged by cu s tom to m k s how f iole t oppo s itio a e a o v n n .

D lt
1
E h B g l p 3 9
a o n, t n I d ibid p 86
. en a , . 1 .
1
.
, . .

3 Buc h an an ,
j ourney f rom M adras, v ol . 11. p . 1 78 .

4
Ea rl e, R es idenc e in N ew Z ealand, p . 2 44 .
 A ND OF TH E E A M TE y .
99

T he newly married couple -

coming ut f the church , on o o ,

fo r they were converte d met the ld w oman vociferating ,

.
o ,

and tearin g her hair and abusi g the missionary but ,

n ,

telling him at the s ame time in a l w voice not to mind o ,

f she w
or not s eriou s
as .
1

In certain dist r icts f N w Zealand the future hu s band o e

w as obliged literally to carry ff th girl When the o e .

m a r riage wa s ne gotiated and in p rinci p le concluded all the , , ,

relative s watched the fi e with the greatest care and a nc e ,

hel d themselve s in readines s to defend her Th young . e

man h d to s ei e his brid at all cost s b y force f arms hi s

a z e o

honour de pended it and often he s uffe r ed s everely in

on ,

con ductin g his glo r ious ente r prise to a succes s ful end .
2

Th ceremonial f ca ptu r e evidently springs from

e o

cu s tom s f rape whether ancient

o , not ; it is there or ,

fore quite natu r al to meet with ra ias a m ong the

,
zz

Bedouins as among all f thei r race With the Bedouins

, o .

o f Sinai the comedy i s played t the lif

,
T h bridegroom o e
. e ,

accom panied by a ou ple f friend s attacks the gi r l w hen C o ,

she i s leading the fl k home She defend s hers elf oc s - .

vigorou s ly by throwing s tones and i s esteemed acco r di g to ,

n
the amount f energy s he s how s At length they fi ish by
o . n
taking her to the tent f her father where the ame f her o , n o

fut ure h us band is proclaimed A fter thi s the girl i s dre s sed .

a s a bride placed a camel all the time feigning

,
on ,
re
it
s s an c e, and conducted t the encam pment A fea s t and o .

p r esent s terminate the ceremony

3
.

With the M y Arab s thing s are pu s hed furth r T h

ez e n e . e
girl in the called capt ure evade s pursuit and takes
,
s o- ,

refuge in the mountains where her fr iends have pr e pared ,

p rovisions f he r befo r ehandor T h b r idegroo m rejoins hi s . e

fu ture w ife in her ret r eat and it is there that the mar r iage ,

i con s ummated
s A fter this the cou ple retur
. to the n

paternal domicile which the woman unle ss h i with , , s e s

child doe s t quit f a year
,
no or .

Th mat r imonial comedy i s

e t alway s o complicated no s
With the Am
.

the bride only run s from tent to tent d

e z as ,
an

i s at la s t conducted b y s everal wome to a tent prepared at n

Y at N 1
Z l d p 96 e, ew ea a n
t p 68
.
, .

M h 2
Vy il d G
o e re n dO e
o ut, o a ux es a ra n c an , 11 .

B r k hardt N
. . . .

3
u l i p
c 63 , otes , v o . . . 2 .
 1 00 TH E E V OL UT] ON OF M A R R I A G E

s om e di s tance ; her b ride groom await s her there but he has ,

to force her to enter it that done the women retir e 1

,

W ith the M oor s of Java relate s Schouten the father o f

.

, ,

the bride ca rrie s her all s wathed up to the bridegroom , , .

Th e latter aided by two of hi s pa r anym ph s lift s her o n a

, ,

ho rs e and rides away with her O nce arrived at hi s ho use .

he hides hi s wife there and goe s o ff without thanking his ,

a ss i s tants and friend s .

M any E uro pean races have al s o practi s ed the cerem o nial

of ma rr iage by capture The B oeotians s ay s Pausania s .
, ,

conducted the wive s to the house of the husband in a

chariot o f which they afterwa rds s olemnly burnt the p ole
, ,

to indicate that the woman wa s hencefort h the property o f

her ma s ter and wa s never to think o f quitti ng hi s abode
, .

But in ancient G reece it was at S pa rta especially that the

nuptial ceremony o f ca pture was practi s ed A fre que ntly
2
.

quoted passage from Plutarch s L ife of Lyc urgus gives u s ’

detail s on thi s p oint In their marriages the bridegroom

.

ca rried o ff the b ride by violence ; and s he wa s never cho s en

in a tender age but when she had arr ived at full matu r ity
, .

T hen the woman that had t h e direction of the wedding c ut

the bride s hair clo s e to the skin dre ss ed her in a man s
’
,
’

clothes laid her u pon a matt ress and left her in the da rk
, , .

The bride groom neither o ppr essed w ith wine nor enervated
,

with luxury but perfectly sober a s having always s u pped at

, ,

the common table went in privately untied he r girdle and

, , ,

carried her to anothe r bed H aving s tayed there a short .

time he mode s tly reti r ed to his u s ual a partment to sleep

,

with the other young men and ob s erved the same cond uct ,

after ward s s pe ndin g the day with hi s com panions and

,

repo s ing him s elf with them in the night nor even visiting ,

his bride but with great caution and apprehen s ions o f being
di s covered by the re s t o fthe family ; the b r ide at the sam e
time e xerted all her art to contrive convenient oppo rtunitie s
for thei r private meetings etc 3
,
”
.

At R ome the ceremonial of ca p t ur e wa s ke pt up fo r a

long time in the plebeian marriage s without c o nfarrearatio n ,

o r coemptio n As in s o many other countrie s they played

.
,

1
Bur kh rdt N t
c l i p 1 7
a o es , v o 0
t 1 p 96
. . . .
,
1 E p it d D ifl t P upl
'
Dém u i e n e r, s r es eren s e es, .
91 5 . 2 .

3P l ut r h L if ofLy u gu
a c ,
e c r s.
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y: 1 01

the comedy of the carrying ff of the brid b y th b ridegroo m o e e

with the pretended re s i s tanc f th mother and the rela e o e
tions In the more re s pectable marriage s the ceremonial of
.
1

ca pture w im plifi d but s till very s igni fi cant Th hair

as s e , . e

o f the b ride wa s s e parated wi th the p oint f javelin ( h / o a as a

ce lib i ) and for thi s s ymbolic ceremony a javeli that had

ar s ,
2
n

p ierced the b ody f a gladiator wa s p referred T he t

oh . n e
bride conducted to th hou s f her hu sb a d wa s to enter
, e e o n ,

it witho ut touching the thre s hold ; s he wa s lifted over it .

3

It i s c uriou s to fi d thi s s am cu s tom i Chin ow in o u n e n a n r

o w day d w a hardly help recogni s i g in it th
n , an e c n n e
s ymbolic em b odiment f ca pture o .

A s imilar ceremonial i s alw y s practised in C irca ss ia I a . n

th mid s t of a fea s t the b ridegroom enter s e s corted b y hi
e ,
s

friend s and carrie s ff hi s bride who henceforth b ecome s

, o ,

hi wife
s .
4

M oreover a s at S p r t the newly m rried Circa ss ian must a a, -

a

a whole year— term

,

n t visit the wife exce p t in s ecret f

o , , or a

evidently fi xed a s at Sp rta for th period of pro b ab le

,
a , e
pregnancy .
5

It i s t very lo g ago th t ceremonial fth s ame kind

no n a a o e
w as o b served q uite ear u s in Wale s O th day fi xed n , . n e ,

the b rideg r oom and hi s friend s ll hor s e b ck c m to , a on a , a e

take the bride ; but they fou d them s elve s i th pres nc n n e e e
o f th friends of th you g girl al s o n hor s eback and
e e n , o , a
mock fi ght en s ued during which th futur wife fl ed th , e e on e
cru pper of the hor s e of her neare s t relative But in s tantly .

the s quadro f th b ridegroom cou ting s ometime s two

n o e ,
n

or three hundred hors galloped in pur s uit F inally they e, .

rejoined the fugitive d ll wa s terminated b y fea s t and , an a a

common j i m g re o c s .
6

In L ivoni very marriage wa s l s o the ae of a s imu a o c c as 1 o n

lated comb t f caval r y a s with the W el s h but it took plac

a o , , e
before th marriag " I Poland al s o and in L ithuania and
e e n ,

R us s ia th s e i ur of the girl ofte preceded marriage

,
e z e n .

1
l
Apu eius, Golden A ss , iv P u c , R om ulus O vid, F astes, u 1 l tar h —
n —
. . .

3 L uc a , ii V ir E neid, iv
. .

4
L o uis M o se , r
Cauc as us and its P eople, p 3 1
W
. .

ak e , E volut io n
0 M orality, v o l 1 p 4 0 1
5 "

a k
. . . .

6
r
L o d K m es , S ketc lzes of the H ist of M an , bo o i , sec 6 . . . .

7 H istoria de gentibus septen trion alibus lib xiv c ap 2 . .

. .
1 02 TH E E V OL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

I shall here end t h e en ume ration f t h ese customs w hich o ,

are all manifestly symboli al of ca pt ur e We still find the c .

t race f it even in the B r ittany f to day where the p

o o -
,
re re
t ti
s en a vef the h usban d the b
o l and the pa r ents f ,
a z v a a n, o

the fi e sin g alte r nately stro phes of a marriage son g i

a nc e , , ,
n

which the one asks and the othe r s refuse the bride o ffering ,

in her stead either a youn ger s ister or the mother grand ,

or

mothe r Ou qui y terminated it remain s now to a s k

.
1
r 1n r is

w h at is the mean ng f thi s ceremonial s o widely spread

i o
in all age s and in all countrie s .

‘
III . S ign zjic a tio n o f tbe Cerem on ial of C ap ture .

T he aut h o ran inte r estin g book pr imitive ma rr iage

of on ,

M M L
r
. c and after him a great n umber f socio
e n n an, o
l gi t have concl uded that in s ava ge societies sexual union s
o s s,

or a s sociation s have been generally e ffected by the violent

capture of the woma that by degree s these ca ptures havn, e
become friendly ones and have at length en de d in a peac
, e
ful exo gamy retainin g the ancient cu s tom only in th
, e
ceremonial form .

It is quite p os s ible t have been thu s i a certain number

o n
o f countries ; but we must beware f s eein g i this o n a
neces s ary and gene r al evolution S urely s avage hordes .

and tribes naturally car r y ff the women and gi rls f their o o

neighbour s and enemies the little grou ps with whom they ,

a r e inces s antly s tru gglin g for existence They s ei e their . z

women a s they do everything else and im pose the , on

captives the unenviable ol f slaves fall work G iven r e o -
o - -
.

the brutality f primitive man the fate of the captur ed

o ,

woman is nece s sa r ily f the ha r dest and it is nat ural t h at

o ,

the woman f the tribe shoul d not solicit it Thu s with

o .
,

or wit h out reason the Aust r alian fells to the ground his
,

captured wife pierces her lim b s with hi s javelin etc A

, , .

s tran ger a p r isoner violently brou ght into a s ociety where

, ,

s he cannot count a s in gle friend will evidently be more

on ,

re s igned to thi s bad treatme nt and can nearly alway s be ,

made to submit to it without re s i s tance But we mu s t t . no

accept thi s a s a su fficient explan tio of xogamy W have a n e . e

1
q
L a Ville m ar ué , B arz as B reis .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y: 1 03

s ee that the Au s tr lia ccu s tomed t primitiv rape in all

n a n, a o e
it s b ut lity o ly ha s recourse to it when h c n not pro
r a , n e a
cur b y s im pl b rter th woma h covet s
e e a e n e .

T her i s certainly great tem p tatio t captur

e woman n o e a .

A m there b y e s c pe s paying pric f r her to her parent s

an a a e o ,

which i s th rul in early all savage countrie s but th

e e n , e

operatio i s not e ffected without ri s k d repri s al s more

n an
o r le s d ngerou s
s athat b efore u dertaking it h think s
, so n e
t wice .

W mu s t b e careful t to confound rap with marriage ;

e no e
n othing i s more di s tinct with s avage and even with civilised
men Perhaps even the danger s and the inconveniences f
. o

b rutal ca pture h v given rise to th ide of primitive a e e a

conjugal barter of peaceful a greement b y which a girl
, a
wa s ceded to man for a compen s ation agreed upon In
a .

principl this commercial tran s action left to the hus b and

e
the greater part f the rights h would hav ac q uired by o e e
violent capture ; but in reality the s e right s were neces s rily , , a
mitigated f th woman being thu s ceded i friendly
, or e , n a
manner wa s not completely abando ed by her w people
, n o n .

T hu s in Polyne s ia or at lea s t i N w Zealand the ,

n e ,

hu sb and who murdered hi s wife lthough he had purcha s ed , a

her incurred th r ve g f her r lation s unle ss s he w

, e e n e o e , as
guilty of dultery It wa s ofte n thu s but t alway s
a .
1
,
no ,

however ; f with the F ijian s in delivering daughter

or , a
to th purcha s er the father r th b rother s aid to th
e ,
o e e
futur hu sb and If you b ecome di s contented w ith her
e ,
“
,

sell her kill her eat her ; you

,
h b s olut m as ter
,
are er a e .
”2

M uch earer home in ncient R u ss ia th father at the

n ,
a , e
moment of m rriage gave his daught r s om s troke s with a
a e e
w hi p s ayin g H enceforth if you b die nt you
“
, , t ,
are no o e ,
r
hu s band will beat you .
”3

Such cu s tom s s how u s plainly why i s o many countrie s ,

n ,

symbolic practice s rec lling violent captur kept p in a e are U

th e ceremony f marriage I the fi rst place b y rea s o n
o . n ,

even of the danger s to which it expo s ed th ravisher rap e , e

wa s co s idered b rillia t ction a d ple as ur w felt i
n a n a , n e as n
simulati g it But b e s ide s nd b eyo d all the rem nial
n . a n , ce o
o f c pture s ym b oli s ed l s o the u bjecti o n f the wo m a
a old a s o n s
1
Vy g d IA
o a e l b o M ’
h t V y u il
stro a e t ii p 6 oe ren ou o a x es , 2
t
.
.
, . . . .

Dé m i p 9
3
e un e r, . 1 9 1“ . 1 1.
 TH E E V OL U T] ON OF M A R R I A G E .

or ceded by her parent s ; it sanctioned the ve ry excessive

rights that the h us band acqui r ed over the wife A a rule . s ,

the ceremonial f capt ure coinci des with a ve r y gr eat

o
subjection of the wo ma even w h ere it i s only a ve r y
n,

distant s urvival At S parta for exam ple the wife mi gh t

.
, ,

still be lent by th hu s band and it was the same in an ient

e ,
c

R ome where she wa s accordin g to the le gal ex pression

, , ,

i m
n u a s similated to slaves and where the p t f m ili
an , ,
a er a as

had the ri ght f life and death over her

o .

We are therefore warranted in believing that i civilised

, ,
n
countries whe r e conjugal legislation is s till derived fr om
the R oman law the subordinate position assi gned to woman
,

i s the last vestige f pr imitive marriage by capture or by

o

r a pe attenuate d to a purchase as practised i the earliest

, ,
n

times of the R omans .

 C H AP TE R V II .

MA RR I E AG BY P UR C H S E A AND BY S ERV I TU D E .

—Th hyp th i fa prim iti m atriar hate

I Ybe P ow er of P aren ts e o es s o ve c
—M t rnal fili ti a d th diti n f t h e w m an—Par ntal righ t
. .

a e a on n e c on o o o e

f pr p rty i h il dr n C jugal al s f little girls in Afri

.

o o e n c e on s e o -
c a,

P lyo i A m ri a
n es a, d In dia e c an

itud —L b ur al u —Marri ge
.
,

II M i g by S arr a e d x han g erv e. a o an e c e v e a

r itud with th R d k in i Ce tral Am ri i India with

.

by se v e e e s s, n n e c a, n ,

th H br w —I fl u
e e f m arr i g by s r it ude n th
e s n nditi n f
enc e o a e e v o e co o o

th w m an
e o

—With the H ott nt t d the K fii i

.

III M i g by P u /
. arr a e rc z as e . e o s an a rs n

Middl Afri a i P l yn ia i Am r i a with th M ng l in Ch ina

e c ,
n o es , n e c , e o o s ,

with th ab rigi f I dia w ith th e B rb r th

n es H in d i n n

uity —D wry m arriage —M ral

e o o , e e s, e oo s

M al ia as d i Gr , R m a ant iq
an n ec o - o n o o

signifi ati n fm arriag by pur ha

c o o e c se .

I . Tbe P o w er o f P a rents .

M arriage
by capture that is to s ay the cu s tom f ra p , , o e,
necessa r ily s upposes a pr ofo und disdain f th ravi sh ed or e
woman and the anti pathie s s ympathie s s he may feel It
,
or .

i s indeed the truth that a s far back a s w can carry u ,

e o r
historical and ethnographical inve s ti gations we fi d with , n ,

very ra r e exception s the s ubjection f woman i s the rule in , o

all human societies and that th mor b ackward th ,

e e e
civilisation the harder wa s th s ubjectio Some s ocio e n .

l gi t have p rete ded that maternal fi li ti

o s s implied for thn a on e
woman s ort f golden age — reig of Ama o s—during
a o a n z n
which the woman as centre f the family mu s t have bee , o , n
honoured a s it s chief All w know f ethnography give s th . e o e
lie to this h ypothe s is In the pr s ent day th matriarchat . e e e
1 06 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R R I A G E

d s not anywher exi s t but maternal kin ship doe s d

oe e , , an
w e do t fi d that it involve s a milder conditio f r
no n n o
the woman Thi s sys te m of fi li ti neces s arily indicates a
. a on

gros s s tate of s ociety i which paternity i s s till uncer tain ,

n .

N w a s a rule the s ubjectio of woman i s in inver s e ratio

o , , n
to the development f m I primitiv s ocietie s where o an . n e ,

might i s the only right th woman on account f her , e , o

relative weakne ss i s al w ay s treated with extrem brutality
, e .

It wo uld be di ffi cult without losing all huma quality what , n

ever to b le ss intelligent than the Au s tralian and e qually
, e ,

di fficult to imagine more cruel s ervitude than that of tha e

Australian woman alway s beaten often wounded s ome , , ,

time s killed and eaten according to th convenience f her , e o

owner Th F ij ian s much more intelli gent than the

. e ,

A u s tralians amu s ed them s elve s with beating t h eir mother

, ,

and with binding their wive s to tree s i o rder to whi p n

them A F ijian named L oti s im ply to mak
.
1
himself , e
notoriou s devoured hi s wife after having cooked her
, ,
on a
fire that he had forced her to light herself N ki d f ” . o n o
fer ciou s capric w condemned by th mor lity of the
o e as e a
country But s uch manner s ar
. f a s po ss ible fro m e as ar
bein g consistent with the ide of matriarchal s ociety in a a ,

which place of honour i s accorded to th wife

a e .

In primitive s ocietie s the condition of childre i s if n ,

p o ss ibl s till more

e, s ubordinate tha that f woman n o .

Infanticide at the moment of b irth is not eve venial n a

fault A d later the parent s exerci s e the undisputed ri ght
. n ,

of life d death over their progeny ; d when slavery

an an
i s instituted th childre b ecom ,
veritable articl of
e n e a e

merchan di s e I s hort the rights of father of a family

. n , a are

unlimited .

F rom thi s primitive right of property accorded to the

p arent s over their children has re s ulted q uite naturally all
over the world the right of marrying them without con
s ulti g them at all
n M oreover as it had long bee th .
,
n e

cu s tom to s ell them marriage wa s nat urally con s idered a s ,

a

commercial b argain d b y degree s marriage by p urcha s e , an

e ven took the place of marriage by capture but after h ving a

l g —
,

on existed with it C aptur nd purcha s had each

c o . e a e

Willi m F iji d th F fi
1 l i p 56
’

a s, an e z ans , v o 1
P it h d P ly
. . . .

3 i R mi i t
r c ar , p 37o nes an e n sc enc es , e c . , . 1.
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y: 1 07

thei r advantages and disadvantages Captur co s t nothing . e ,

an d it proc ured wive s and concubine s over whom th e

hus b and had every po ss ible right ; but i practice it wa s , n ,

no t exem p t from danger and o c accompli s hed it ex po s ed ,

n e ,

him s till to revenge d retaliatio M b ecame resigned an n . en ,

the refore to the purcha s e of th wi fe a s s oo

, they could e ,
n as
dispo s e f s ome exchange value s ; n d a s nothing b s olutely
o - a ,
a
n othing w any ob s tacl to the capric
, as vidity of th e e or a e
parents the mo s t unrea s onable marriage s wer ofte nego
, e n
ti t d and nota b ly the marriage s of childre
a e , n .

T hi s custom f s elling c hildr n e s pecially girl s f

o a e , , or
future conjug l ass ociatio i s very commo n ll v r th
a n a o e e
world .

In N w C ledo i the children

e a b e trothed b y the
n a are

p arent s al m o s t from t h e moment f birth In A frica o .

1
,

among the b lack race s d notably th H ottentot s , an e ,

whos women g fa s t th prudent men r tain year s in

e a e , e e ,

advanc the little girl s de s tined to succe d th ir ctual

e, e e a
wive s I As hantee little girl s f t and twelv thu s s old
.
11 n o en e
are already legally con s idered th wive s of th c quirer e e a ,

althou gh they hav t yet l ft their mother s and any

e no e ,

familiarity taken with them b y a other m n i puni s hed by n a s

a fine paid to the future owner .
3

I n Polyne s ia al s o th father s mother s d relative s

, , e , ,
an
arranged the conjugal union s f th childre y ar s b e for o e n e e
the s e union s were actually po ss ible ‘ .

With th M oxo s and th C hi quitos f South A merica

e e o
prematur m arriage s wer s uch a s ettled order of thing s
e e

that there were no celibate s bove the age o f fourteen f the a or

men and twelve f the women Th J s uit mi s sionarie s or . e e

i Americ had com pletely adopted thi s ative cu s tom and
n a n ,

they often married youn g girl s of t n t boy s f tw lve e o o e

year s Naturally these child marriages e tailed s ometime s n
equ lly precociou s W idowhood D O big y s tate s that h
.

’
a . r n e
has s een among the s tribe s widower f twelve and e a o a
widow of ten year s .
5

D R ha N 1
eC led i p oc3 s, auv . a on e, 2 1
h ll H i U i d V y t xx i p 3 3
. .

1
B urc e st n v. es o v 0
U i d V y t xx iii p 4 3
.
, . .
, . . .

B wdi h H i 3
o c s t. n v. es o v 0
t ii p 6 7
, .
, . . . .

M 4
h t Vy ti
o ere n t ou o aux es , e c
t
.
, . .
, . . .

5
H m Amé i i o r
ne
p 4 r c a n, . 1 613 . 0.
1 08 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

In the time f M arco Polo the Tartars of As ia celebrated

o
marria ge s that were more s ing ular still—the ma rriage s f o
deceased child ren Th families drew up the contract a s if . e
their children had been livi g s olemnly celeb rated a sym n ,

b li weddin g then burned not le ss s olemnly the fictitiou s

o c ,

contract which would be they thoug h t the mean s of

, , ,

holding it good in the other world for the vanished young

couple T h enceforward an allianc exi s ted bet ween the
. e
contracting familie s a s if the mar r iage had been real .
1

A mong the R ddi f Ind ia young woman from e es o a

sixteen to twenty year s ld i s fre quently m arried to little o a
boy f fi o ix Th wife the
ve o r s goe s to live either with
. e n
the father with an uncle or a mater al cousin f her
, or , n o
future hu s band Th children re s ultin g from the s e extra
. e
conj ugal unions are attributed to the boy who i s reputed to ,

be the legal husband When once thi s boy has reached .

manhood hi s legitimate w ife i s old and then he i hi s turn ,

n
unite s himself to the wife of another boy for whom h , e

also rai s e s up pseudo legitimate children - .

2

Child marriages at lea s t of little girl s

-
s till very
, ,
are
common i India amon gst the Brahmin s and it i s not
n ,

unu sual to s ee s exagenarian Brahmins marry little girl s of

six or s even year s for whom they p y money ,
a .
3

O thi s point a s on mo s t other s u E urop ea ance s tor s

n , ,
o r n
have t been more delicate than the savage or b arbarous
no
race s f other cou tries T hus Plutarch tell s u s that i
o n . n

ancient Italy the gi l s were often married be fore the g r a e

o f twelve years but t hat they did t become wives befo r e

,
no

that age .
4

At the p re s ent day the R u ss ian p easant s s till f equently r

act like the R ddi f India and it i s not rare to s ee e es o , ,

under the Mi sys tem youn g boys f eight ten year s

. r ,
o or

married to women f twenty fi thirty V ery often in o -

ve or .
,

this case the chief f the family becomes the e ffective hu s

,
o
b d fth woman while th legal hu s band i s growing up
an o e e .
5

1
Mar P l ( E diti n P p lair ) p 6
co o o o o u e , . 1.
2
S h T E b S ( N w S ri ) l vu
—
c o rtt, ra ns . p 94 t n oc e e es vo 1
t
, .
. . . . .

3
S Hi U i d
o nn e rat, Vy xxx i p 35st L E d yi t
n v. es o 0 ettres an es ,

t x p 3
. .
.
, . . .

2
P l tar h N m
. . . .

4
u d Iy g c mp
,
d u a an c ur us co are .

5
E de L av elaye , D e la P roprié/é, p 3 5.
. .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y 1 09

II . M arriage by S ervitude .

rom all the s e facts we may evidently conclude that

F
“

in s ocietie s of little no cultivatio the children are left or n

a b solutely to th di s cretion of the parent s Th latter

e . e ,

having every p ossible right over their progeny con s ider ,

them a s a pr o perty and think it crime to s ell their ,

no

daughter s pu b e s cent not a s soon a s they con s titute

,
or ,
a
negotiable value Thi s sale f dau ghters is even the mo s t
. o

widely s pread form f primitive mar riage of what it o , or

i s convenient to call s o I societies f s ome degre . n o e

of civilisation where exchange values exist a s domestic

,
-
,

animals stores of provision s s laves the s ale f a dau ghter

, ,
or , o

is argued and debated lik any other tran s action and th e , e

me r c h andise i s delivered f the price agr eed In or on . a
more primitive s tate of civili s ation whe man s ubsi s t s ,
n

chie fl y by the cha s e fi sh in g from day to day and i s not ,

or ,

always rich enou gh to buy wife the exchange value s a ,

-

con s idered e quivalent f the re quired daughter are often o

replaced by a certain amount of la b our s ervice s rendered or

to the parents and hence re s ult s special form f marriag

,
a o e
marriage by servitude
-
.

T his mode of marriage wa s not uncommon with the

Indian s f North A merica Sometime s the future hus b and
o .

engaged to s erve the parent s f the gi rl for a fixed period f o o

time H hunted for them hollowed ut

. e con s tructed ,
o or
canoe s or where agriculture wa s practised he cultivated the
,

land Sometimes the hu s band wa s t entirely enslaved

.
1
no
he had only to give to his wife s parents a pa r t f the ’
o

produce f the ch s e and he wa s not exem pt fr om thi s

o a ,

tri b ute till a daug h ter wa s born to him who became by w y , , a

o f in dem ity the prop erty of the maternal uncle f his wife
n ,
o .
2

O ften during the time f hi s vol untary s ervitude th o e

hu s band remained in the family of hi s wife and he actually ,

took the po s itio there of a sort f s lave n o .

3

In the more civili s ed s ocietie s f Cent ral America th o e

cu stom of marriage by s ervitude wa s everthele ss preserved n .

Among the K ena i th future husband went every mor ing

’

, e n
1
L fi ta
pp 5 5 7 5 6
tau, . L fi
rer. t r pp 5 5 7 56
.
- 0 .
3 a tau, . er. .
-
0 .

2
D o m e nec h , Voy pittores q
. ue, e tc .
, p 5 08
. .
1 10 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R RIA GE

for whole year to th house of the parent s f his

a e o
b etrothed to prep r th food carry th water or heat a e e ,
e ,

the b ath chamber then when hi s yea r of s ervice w over

-
,
as ,

he took away the daughter In Y ucatan the s on i law w .

1 -
n- as

obliged to s erve his father i law for two or three year s -

a- .

T hi s manner of actin g even became a general cu s tom which

it wa s considered immoral not to follow With the M aya s .
2
,

the b rideg r oom wa s required to build him s elf hou s a e

opposite t h at f hi s future father i law and he lived ther
o -
n- ,
e
five or s ix year s giving hi s labour during all that period
,
.
3

Althou gh more common in America than elsewhere th , e

cu s tom of marriage by s ervitude i s t confined to that no
continent Th L im b and the K i ranti s of Ben gal often
. e oos

buy their wive s by giving certain term of labour to the a

fat h er in whos house they remain until the payment i s
, e
fi ih d
n s e We know al s o that ma rriage by servitude is not
.
4

peculiar to s avage s of inferior races since the Bible inform s ,

u th t Jacob only e s p ou s ed L eah and R achel at the price f

s a o

fourteen years s ervice Without dilating further on marriage

’
.

by s ervitude I s hall remark by the way that it had for t

,
i s

re s ult the placing f the hu sband m a s ubordinate position o

toward s th woman or t lea s t towards the family f th
e , a o e
woman in which h had s o long been treated a s
, e a
s ervant A certain independenc wa s gained by the wife
. e
wh o had been acquired in thi s m anne r Thus with the .
,

K enai f whom I was s peaking ju s t now the woman had

, o ,

the right to retur to her father if s he w not well t r eated n as

by her husband M arriage by s ervitude had therefore i.

5
,
n
fact a mo r al s ide ; it le s sene d the subjection always hard
, ,

and s ometime s cruel to which woman is liable in nearly all ,

s av ge or ba rbarous s ocieties
a .

III M i g by P u l . arr a e rc z ase .

M arriag b y p urcha s i much more wid ly pread than

e e s e s

marriag by s ervitude r s ervice All ove r the worl d in all

e o .
,

race s and i all time s wherever hi s to ry can inform u s w

n , , e
fin d well authenticated exam ple s permittin g u s to a f
-
fi rm that
1
2
H B .r ft N ti Ranc f b P ifi S o ,
t l i p 34
a ve ac es o t e ac
4
c tates , e c .
, vo . . . 1 .

[d , loc c it , v o l ii p 606
. . . . . . . 1d , i bid. v o l.
i p . . 1 04 .

3 3
Id ,
'

I d , ibid v o l 1 p 66 2
. . . . . . . ibi d v o l i p
. . . . 1 34
 A N D OF TH E F AM I L Y . 1 1 1

during th middl ag of civili s atio n the right of parent s

e e e
o ver children d especially ver da ughters incl uded in
,
an o ,

a ll countrie s th power to s e ll them e I purp o s t con s ult . e o

on this s ubject all th great r ce s f mankind nd n e a o ,
a co
fi m t y fact s will
r a or t b wa ting ; I s hall indeed hav t
no e n , ,
e o

limit myself in giving them .

A mong the H otte tot s d th Kaf fi the xcha ng

n an e rs , e e
v lue of th cou try being cattle th daught rs p id f r
a e n , e e are a o
in cow s or xe d the price f th merch di s e v rie
o n, an o e an a s
a ccordi g to the fl uctuation s of demand d supply
n an .

A mong the G reat N m q u i L ill t w conj ugal

a a o s e va an sa a
affair concluded very cheaply for s ingle cow ; b ut thi s , a
1

p r ice may be increased te fold With th C th n .

2
e o ran n as , e
man makes hi s reque s t leading ox to the door of th an e

girl If he i s allowed to kill the animal it means that hi s

.
,

demand is granted In the contrary ca s e th s uitor i s .

, e
sent away and sometime s s toned H ott ntot girl s .
3
e are
s ometime s s old i their w tri b nd s om time s i o n e, an e n a

n eighbouring At the tim e f Bu h ll travel s there

’
o ne . o rc e s
was a lively traffi c in girl s betwe th B h pin H otte tot s en e ac a n
a d th K or H ottentot s 4
n e a .

According t L ivingstone amo ng th M kal l K flir th

o , e a o o a s e

p rice paid to th f ther had lso for it s

e a o bject th redemptio a e n

o f the right f w rship which h would otherwi s h v in

o o ne e e a e
the children of his dau ghter .

In C entral Afr ica in Se egam b ia i th valley f th ,

n ,
n e o e
Ni ger with th M andingoes the Peuls etc marriage s r
, e , , .
, a e
red uced to the s ale of th girl b y tho s e having the right e .
3

With the Tim i say s L ain g th pretendant fi r st brings

an n s, , e
a jar f palm wine
o little rum to the parent s If hi s
,
or a , .

demand is favo urably received the pre s ent s ccepted are a ,

and the giver i s invited to retur which he do s bringing a n, e ,

s econd jar f win some kol s some measure f s tu ff and

o e, a , s o ,

s ome chaplets All i s the de fi nitely co cluded nd th y

. n n ,
a e
a nn o u c to th girl that h i married
n e e s e s .
°

1
L evaillant, H ist Un iv des Voy , x iv p 3 48 t x
t
. . . . . . .

2
r ll
Bu c he , H ist Un iv des Voy , xxv i p 48 6
t x
. . . . . . .

3
ll
C am pbe , H ist Un iv des Voy , xix p 3 6 3
t x
. . . . . . .

r h ll
Bu c e , ibid x v i p 48 6 . . . . .

N eue M ss ion s reise in S ud-Afrika, v o l i p 3 1 7

'

t xx
. . . .

3
L ain g, H is t Un iv des Voy , . v iii p 3 1 . . . . . .
1 1 2 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF MARR I A GE

With the M oors f Senegambia conjugal sale s are e ffected o

in nearly the same manner ; however t h e gi rl has a r i gh t to ,

r efuse but on condition of renouncin g ma rr iage for ever on

.

, ,

pain f becomin g the s lave f her fi r st suito r in t h e case f

o o o

an attem pt to m r r y he r to another T h is right of r e fusal

a .
1

limite d a s it i s al ready constitutes a notable degree of

,

p r o gress wh ich does not always exist in m uc h more ci ilise d v

count r ies We m us t place by the si de of t h is s ome oth er

.

customs in fo rce here and t h e r e in t h is r egion of Cent ral

A fr ica confining ourselves to the Sa h a r a and to whe r e t h e
,

p opulation is s t r on gly mixed with Be r ber blood I t is to .

be remembered t h at in nea rly all Be r be r count r ies the

s u bjection of women is or has been a little less seve r e .

At S k t the da ugh ter is gene rally consulted by her

ac a oo

p arent s a s a matte r of form only fo r she never r e fu s es ,

.

In the s ame dist r ict t h e yo un g people first obtain a

m utual consent and then t h at of t h ei r pa r ents A mong
,
.

r ich people the husb nd settles on his fut ur e wife a dow r y a

consisti g f female slaves scul pt ured calabashes filled with
n o ,

millet d u and rice f clot h bracelets toilet articles f

,
o rra, ,
o , , , o
stones fo r gr inding t h e grain mortars fo r po unding it etc , , .

All these pr esents a bo r ne g reat p om p on the heads

re of in ,

female slaves to t h e husband s h o use w hen the wife enter s

,
’

it for t h e fi r st time .

At Ko ur anko th youn g girls a r e o ften sold by t h eir e

p arents as dear ly as p ossible to r ich ld men T hey a r e o .

forced to submit but once widows they re s ume their , , ,

libe r ty and recou p themselve s by h oosin g at will a youn g c

husband on whom they lavish t h eir ca r e and attentions

,
.
2

N w w e shall find that in many civilisations r elatively

o
a dvanced W idowhood even does not gratify the woman
,

with a liberty of w h ich she is never t h o ugh t w o rthy .

At W w w and at Bo us sa t h e emanci pation

o o f woman o

is ma rkedly greater It is no lon ger the father it i s the .

,

g randmother w h g ives refuses h er groand dau g h ter and or -

,

if the grandmother dead the gi rl is fr ee to act as s h e is ,

like s Th is fact if correct is infinitely more curious than

.
3
, ,

all the others and it ou ght to rejoice the s ociologists full

,

1
C la ppe rto n , S ec ond Voyage, v o l ii p 8 6 . . . .

2
L aing, H is t Un iv des Voy t . v iii p 7 1 . . xxx . . .

3 R .
J
L aude , fI zs t Un iv des
. r p
. xxx . . 2 44,
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 1 1 3

of faith w h admit in a di s tant anti q uity the existence f a

, o o

mat r iarchal eim as s igning to woman the chief p lace i

r ,
e n

the family But let us cont nue our inquiry

. i .

In Polynesia ma rriage by purchas wa s habitual In e .

N w Zealand the man bo ught t h e girl and o ffered presents

e ,

to her parents .
1

G enerally in Polyne s ia the s uito r offered p gs s tuffs etc i , , .

If his demand wa s granted the bargain was quickly ,

conclu ded ; the gi r l wa s there and then delivered to th e

husband ; Polyne s ian bed w arranged in the house

a as

f t h e b r ide s father and the newly married cou ple pa s sed

’
o ,
-

the night there Th nex t day a fea s t wa s celebrated to

. e ,

which friends wer invited and which con s i s ted f s everal e ,

o

pig s .
2

A t T ahiti tem po r ary marria ges were also concluded and ,

in thi s case the pre s ents of pigs s t uffs pi geon s etc varied , , , .
,

in amo unt according to the le gth f t h e union n o .

3

But in s pite of the sale th Polyne s ian father alway s

, , e
retaine d over h is daugh ter the prior r ight f owner s hi p and o ,

when th presents s eemed to him to be in s u fficient h took

e , e
back the me r chandi s e to let s ell it to a more generou s or
lover If a child was born the husband wa s f t kill the
.
,
re e o

infant which wa s done by a pplying a piece f wet s tuff to

, o

the mouth and no s e r t let it live but in the latter ca s ,

o o , e

he generally kept the wife for the whole f h life If th o er . e

union was s te r ile or the children put to death the m had

, ,
an
always the right to abandon the woman when and h w it o

s eemed good to him She wa s a s lave t hat h h d b ought .

4
e a ,

and that he could get rid f at will o .

5

O the gr eat A merica continent from north to south

n n ,

the c ustom f the s ale of the dau ghter is common to a

o

great n umber f peoples With the R edskins femal o . e

m erchandise is gene r ally paid for i hor s e s and blankets n .

When the daughter had been s old to a white man and then
abandoned a s fre quently happe ed the parents re s umed
,
n ,

p o ss e s sion of her and sold her a s econd time , .

D p 1
y s U i d V y t x iii p
u e rre 57 t n v es o v 1
t ii p 6
. . . . . .
, .
,

M 2
h Vy ti
o e re n o ut, o a ux es , e tc 2
C k ( Tb i d V y g ) H i
. . . . . .

3
oo U i d Vy t x p r 3 o a e st n v. es o 2 2
1 d ib d t x p
. .
, .
, . .

4
"3 i . . . . 2 2 .

3 D o m e n ec h , Voy p z ttores gue,

. e tc . , p 511
. .
1 1 4 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF . tlI A R R I A GE

In Columbia what w most pr i ed w the a ptitude f as z as o

the woman for labour and he r qualities as a beast f , o
burden we r e wo r th to her parents a greater r less n umbe r o
of horses .
1

A mong the R edskins f northern California the girl s o

were bo ught and sold like any other articles and there was ,

no t h o ugh t of cons ultin g them in the matte r Th pr ice . e

was pai d to the father and t h e gi rl was led ff simply as if , o

it we r e a horse sale Poor suito rs natu rally had to give way

-
.

to r ich ones and hence all the Opulent old men obtained
,

all the beautiful yo un g women There was no uptial .

2
n

ceremony H owever with the M odoc s t h e concl usion of

.
, ,

the busine ss is ma rked by a fea s t but the newly ma r ried ,

-

cou ple t ke no part in it

a .

Th R edskin p arents do
e t always entirely abandon no
their marr ied daughter and if she i s too ill t reated by ,
-

her owner t h ey have the r i ght to take her back and then
, ,

o f course to sell her to s ome one else Socialist customs .

3

sometime s co xi s t with the s e gros s conj ugal ones Th

e . e

n uptial abode is often prepare d by the t r ibe a s in , o r,

Columbia the fr iend s join in paying to the father the
,

p r ice f the dau ghte r Th Califo r nian suitors sometimes

o 4
. e
obtain a wife credit ; but then the m is called
on an
“
half ma r ried and is forced to live as a sl ve with the
-
,
”
a

p a r ents of the girl until he ha s concl uded the payment ,

for there is no essential di ffe r ence betwee ma r riage by n

s ervitude and m rriage by purchase In A me r ica a else .
, as

where morality is simply the ex pre s sion f habits and

, o
nee ds and thus the purcha s e f the w ife has ended by
, o

becomin g an honourable thing ; d amo g the Californian an n

R edskins the child r en f a wife wh has cost nothin g to o o

her h usband are looked down on .

“

Th Papayos f N w M exico are not content with

e o e

s elling their daughters by private cont r act ; they put them

up to auction A for t h e inhabitants of t h ose c ur io us
.
6
s

N eo M exican phalansteries called p u bl as t h ey are m uc h

-
e os,

more advanced than the gr eate r pa r t f their A me r ican o

B1
2
r ft N i R
an c of P ifi, l i p 6
a t ve
7 ac es o ac c , e tc .
, vo . . . 2 .

3
[d , ibid
. . vol .i p 3 49
. . . [d .
, ibid . v o l. i p 412
. . .

3
I d , ibid
. . vol 1.
pp 2. 6
7 349
- . .

3 3 i p 5 49
I d , ibid
. . v o l 1 p 3 49
. . . . [d , ibid
. . v o l. . . .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y: 1 1 5

congener s their matrimonial cu s toms are le ss gro ss ; d

,
an

the s uitor when acce pted b y the parents trie s to charm

his b ride by daily sere ade s la s ting for hours — rare thin g
, ,

n a

in savage countries 1

With the hal fcivilised tribe s of G uatemala and Nicaragua

.

conj ugal union s we r e also determi ed according to th n e

present s made to the parents and i G uatemal the ,
n a
youn g people we r e both ke pt in ignorance f the affair o

until the last moment In Nicaragua however ther .

2
, , e
existed a c urious exce ption in certain towns where at ,

a particular festival the young girl s had th r ight to e

choose their husband s freely from among th young men e

p re s ent .
3

With the M oxo s and the G uaranis the pr ice paid to the
p a r ent s is still the decisive rea s on f the mar r iage 4
H w o . o
eve r the G uaranis also exact from the husband pr oofs f
, o
vi r ile qualities in the c hase and in war Th s tr uggle for .
5
e

exi s tence is still seve r e and in order to keep more , o n e or

wives a man mu s t be able not only to feed b ut to defend

them .

Th M ongol se f Asia buy their wive s exactly like the

o

M on goloids f A merica of whom I have ju s t s p oken

o , .

A mong the nomad M on gols the T a r tar s of northern ,

A sia the parents arrang

, the marriages with ab s olut e e
a uthority and without con s ulting the partie s more es pecially
,

interested Th ba rgain is sh rply de b ated between th

. e a e

p arents and the pr i e to be paid b y the h us b and

, hi s c or
family is very p recisely s ettled ; the future cou ple are
not even info r me d f it thei r sentiment s their desire s o , , ,

or dislikes are not con s ide r ed i the least Th pr ice of

, n . e

t h e gi r l is paid i cattle sheep oxen or hor s es ; in p ieces

n , , ,

o f st uff in b r andy i, butter in flour etc E veryt h in g , n , ,

.

bein g agr eed on t h e contract f sale is d r awn up before

, o

witnesses but the girl i s only delive r ed t the purcha s er

, o
a fte r the ceremony of marriage which as we have previously , ,

s een take s the form of cap tu r e

, .
3

1
2
B r ft N ti R
an c o l i p 5 49
, a ve ac es , v o . . . .

I d , ibid v o l ii pp 6 6 6 , 66 7 3 I d , ibid
. . . . . . 11. p 66 7
x
. . . .

4
L ettres E difi a n t es , t p 2 02 . . . .

5
A d O rb igny, L b om m e A 7 ne‘
’ ’
ric ain , t p 30 7
—H u
11

t xxx
. . . . .

3
T im k o w sk i, H is t Un iv des Voy , . . . . ii p 3 32
. . . c ,
Trav els
in Tartary, v o l i pp 2 9 8 , 2 9 9 . . . .
1 1 6 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

r comans have customs very simila r to those of

T h e Tu
the arta r s With them the pr i e o f the gi r l is c h iefly
T . c

reckoned in camels and it gene r ally take s five to pay for a ,

gi rl ; but a s in their eyes the woman is not an obj ect o f

luxury a s she not only h as to manage the housekee pin g but
,

to manufacture a r ticles which have an e xchan ge val ue and ,

which are pr ofitable to the family expe r ienced women ,

an d w idows rovided they are assable a r e much more

p p , ,

s ou ght for in the conjugal market than yo ung gi r l s It is .

no longer five camels but fifty eve a hundred that , ,

or n ,

mu s t be paid for a widow s till in good con dition If .

1

the suitor cannot immediately g t together the pr ice f e o

the wom n he covet s he has recour s e to mar r iage by p
a , c a

t ure and take s refuge with his brid in neighbouring

, e a
cam p .

A settlement is al w ays e ffected matte rs a r e com pounded , ,

and th ravis h er engages to p y a certain n umbe r of camels

e a
and horse s which he gene r ally pr ocur es by mara udin g
, on

the frontiers of Per s ia It i s a ve r itable debt f honour for . o

him and he mu s t p y it with the least possible delay

, a .
2

T he s e ba r barous cu s toms f M on golia are naturally o

softened in China but without any essential change in ,

“

their mai feat ur e s There as well as i T artary the

n .
,
n ,

yo ung girl is considered as the property of her parents and ,

her t r aining is so pe r fect that she has not the s lightest

desire to be consulted before bein g marr ied rather sold , or ,

for ready money In the Chinese family dau ghte rs count .

3
,

for so little value that they are only called by ordinal um n

bers —fi t bo r n second born etc —

rs -
to which i s added a
,
-
,
.

surname Th price f the daughter when pu r chas ed is

4
e o
—
.

p aid to the p arents in two se p a r ate p o r tions the fi r st on

the conclusion f the agreement and the signin g of the o

cont r act and the other on the wedding day M a rr iage by

,
-
.
°

capt ur e ha s naturally gone ut of use in the old civilisation o

o f China but the trace of it s till remain s in the ceremonial

, ,

1 F ra rse Hist Un iv des Voy , t xxx v. p 1 18

t—
. . . . . .
, .

2
Burn es , H is t Un iv des Voy , xxx p 2 70
v 1 1.

t x
. . . . . .

3
1 38 H uc , C/z inese E mpire, v o l.
‘
L ettres E dzy ian tes , . .
p . . 11.

p 255
t
.

Ch ina, p 7
’
4 ’ ’
Co m e d H e ris s o n , j ourna l d un in te rpréte on . .

3
H uc , C/z inese E mp ire, v o l ii p 2 5 6 . . . .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L y: 1 1 7

for the bride i s li fted over the thre s hold f th conjugal o e

dwelling a s w the custom in ancient R ome
, as .

It ha s a ppeared s o natural to parent s all over th world e

t o dispose of their daughters a s they chose that many f ,
o

the abori gine s of India d early the s am the M ongols o n e as .

Th daughte s are s old by the p arents among th K lh

e r e o an s ,

the B dk the L im b
en the Kirantis the M u d
ars, o o s, ,
o n as ,

the Santals the O rao s the M u i the B i h the H

, n ,
as s, r o rs , o s,

the Boyar s the Naga s the G onds etc Th price f th

, , ,
.
1
e o e

girl va r ies from three to fourteen ru pees or i s reckoned in

,

head fcattle measures f rice Sometimes female mer

o or o .

c h di an i s rare nd dear for in s ome countrie s female

se a ,

infanticide ha s long prevailed ; it m y happen t that a ,

o o,

da ughte rs are condemned to celibacy as wit h the H ,

o s,
2
o r,

as with the Nagas that marriage s are delayed and that the , ,

b ride groom m ust often s ubmit to marriage by se r vitude .

3

Sometimes again the girl s are ca rr ied ff a s happens

, ,
o ,

amon g the K lh by the im patient b ridegroom s and o an s , , ,

after t h e rape a rbitrator s negotiate a settlement I t sho uld

, .
4

be remarked by the way that with the Nagas marriage by

, ,

servitude ha s its ordinary effect tha t f abasin g the hu ,

o s

band and raising the wife ; and in fact amo g these race s , ,
n ,

althou gh the wife pe r form s s evere labour h i s treated a s , s e

the eq ual of her husband .
“

In some aboriginal tribe s of Indi we even fi d matri a n

archal custom s Thu s with the Pani K h th husband s .
-
o ec s e

leav to their very indu s triou s wive s the care of t h eir pro
e

p erty In ma ryi g a man goe s to live with hi s moth r i

r n e n
-
.
,

law and o b ey s her a s well as hi s wife M oreover in this

, .
,

t r ibe the mother s negotiate the marriage s ; the father s hav e

not h in g to do with them .
3

A mong th Y k l the maternal uncle ha s the right to

e e r a as

claim for hi s sons the two elde s t daughter s f hi s s i s ter or o ,

to renounce them for an indemnity f eight image s f idol s 7 o o .

M oney alway s money " With all peoples and r ce s

,
a
marriage i s often reduced t pecuniary question I thi s o a . n

D lt n D
1 aip i E th l g q
o fB g l p im es c r t ve no o ' en a as s

D lt n l
.
, ,
2 4
I d ibid p 9 .
, . . i p
1 9 0 . a o , oc . c t . . 1 2 .

3 I d , ibid p 4 1 3
I d , loc
. . . . . . c it. p 41
. .

5 I a , ibid p 9 1
e
. . . .

7 S c h o rtt, Tra n s E tbn S oc . . .

( Ne w S ries ) , v o l. V 11 . p . 1 87 .
1 1 8 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

respect the Be rbers the Semites and the Ar yan s are not , ,

distin guishe d fr om ot h er h uman ty pes With ce rtain .

T oua r egs of the Sahara s ays D uvey r ie r it i s the daughte r , ,

herself wh i d m ifi the fat h e r and it i s after the old

o n e n es ,

Italian manner m tu that s h e gain s the price f, ore sc o, o

enfranchisement whi h is nece s sa r y for her marriage c .

“
T h fathe r before the ma rr iage of his da ughte r exacts
e , ,

fr om her the reimbursement levied her body f , on , o

what s he has cost her family and the gi r l dishonoured ,

acco r din g to u ideas but ransomed accordin g to local

o r ,

ideas is all the mo r e so ught after the greater her s uccess

, ,

in t h e commerce f her att raction s o .

” 1

In contrast to the Toua r egs t h e Semite s H ebrews and , , ,

A r abs attached and still attac h an eno r mous value to th

, e
virginity f t h e b r ide ; but mar r iage w not and i s not
o as

any the le s s for t h em a sim ple sale Th histo r y of Jacob s . e

’

m arriage has al r ea dy sho w n us that marriage by servitude

was pr actised by the ancient H ebre w s In later times the .

consent fthe woman became neces s ary which is great

o ,
a

ste p in advance but the h u sband none the le s s bo ught his

,

wife in some w ay o r other .

2

With contemp o rary Arab s marriage i s a s im ple sale with ,

o ut any dis guise A A rab jurist give s us t h e fo r mula f

. n o

it which is very clear It is as follo w s I sell y u my

, . :
“
o

daughter for such a sum I accep t Th same author .

“
.
”
e

s ays elsewhere Th woman sells in marriage a part of

:
“
e
her person In a purc h ase m buy an article of me r
. en

h di ; in a marriage t h ey buy the field f pr oc r eation

”3
c an se o .

It wo uld be im pos s ible to speak more plainly Neve r theless .

,

the consent f the woman i s nece ss ary ; it i s s he wh

o o

is s u pposed to s ell herself and the price of the bar ,

g ain constitutes her dow r y I t w the same with the . as

H ebrews
W h atever may h av been their religion the greater
.

e ,

n umber fthe Ar yan peo ples have al s o considered ma rr iag

o e

a s a commercial transaction Th Afghan M us s ulmans buy . e

their wive s and these are regarded a s a pr operty so much
, ,

r r
D uv ey ie , Touaregs du N ord, p 3 40
1

k
. .

2 Wa
e , E v olution of M ora lity , v o l ii p 6 8
rr n
. . . .

3 ll
S idi Kh e i , P rec is de jurispr uden c e m us ulm an e, t ad P e
’
r o

t
.

(q
u o e d b y E M e yn ie r) in E
.t udes s ur l I s la m is m e, pp 1 5 2 , 1 56
’
. .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 1 1 9

s o that in ca s e o f Widowhood they cannot t e ma r ry unle ss -

,

the s econd husband in dem n ifi es the family o f the fi st

r 1
.

I n Brahmanic Indi a the daughter i s al s o b ought from

the parent s A curiou s verse o f the C od e of Manu tell s u s
.

ho w the p urcha s er wa s indemnified in the ca s e o f s ubs titu

tion o f another per s on : If after having s how n a s uitor a “
,

young girl whos e hand i s g ranted to him another i s given

, ,

him to wife and s ec r etly brought to him he become s the

, ,

hu s band o f both for the s ame price s uch i s the decisio n o f

M anu 2 T hings h av e n o t much cha n ged at pre s ent
.
”
.

“
When they wish to s ignify that they are going to be
married say s an editor o f L ettres édfi antes in s peaking
,
z ,

o f the H indoo s they generally s ay that they are going to

“
,

buy a wife H owever the parent s do n o t ap propriate the

.
”
,

entire sum paid by the purchaser ; a great part o f it goe s to

buy jewel s for the brid e The ancient Malays o f Sumatra
3
.

had solved the conjugal problem i thre different ways n e .

Sometime s t h e man bo ught and led away the woman ,

according to the univer s al custom ; s ometime s th woma e n

bou ght the man who then came to live with her family ;
,

sometime s the two were married footing of equality on a .

4

We m us t note in pa ss ing that thi s la s t matrimonial form i s

v ry exceptio al
e n .

Thro ughout E urop a s well in G reco L atin antiquity a s e, -

among barbarians the young girl ha s formerly been con ,

sid d a s a negotia b le property and marriage a s a sale

e re , .

Th Saga s tell u s that the Sca dinavia

e father s married n n
their daughter s without con s ulting them —a fter the manner
o f savage s — d received an indemnity from the s on
an -
ln

law 5

W ith the G e r mans the daughter could not m r ry without

.

the authorisation f her father f her earest relative

o or o n ,

wh fi rs t received the earne s t money from the bridegroom ;

o
3

as for the bride s he received the l , p rice of th fi rst ose e, o r e

kiss and then the m g g b which constituted her dowry

, or en a e, .

1
lh t
E p in s o n e, P ic ture of tbc K ingdom of Cabul, v o l. i p 1 68
k
. . .

2
Code of M a n u, bo o v iii p 2 0 4
t
. . .

3 '
L ettres edifi a n tes , xiv p 3 8 2
r n
. . . .

4
M a s de , H is t of S um atra , p 2 6 2. . .

3
l
Nia s , S aga , v o l 1 pp 9 , 1 0 . . . .

3
Ram baud, H is t c iv ilfra n ;a ise , p 1 0 7
. , .
1 20 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A GE

In return the G erman wido w like the Afghan widow w a s

, , ,

the property f the pa r ents f he r h usband and co ul d not

o o

ma rry w itho ut t h ei r a ut h orisation

,

re- 1
.

In primitive G r ee e the daughter wa s pu rcha s ed either c

by present s to the father by se r vice s r ende r ed to him 2 or .

T h father could ma rr y his dau gh ter a s he thou ght well

e ,

and in defa ult f a s on co uld leave her by will with th

o , e
herita ge f which s he fo r med a part to a s t ran ger
o , .
3

At R ome also the dau ghter was t h e pro p erty of her

fat h er d until the time f Antoninus the fat h e r had the
, an o

ri ght to marry her when the hu s band h ad been absent

re-

t hree yea rs M arriage by purchase h d ce rtainly been the

.
4
a

primitive form f the con j ugal cont r act

o In r eality the .

f
c o n a rreati a solemn and r eli gio us union in t h e pr esence
o,

of ten witnesse s was a pat r ician ma rr iage Th u u or

, . e s s,

t h e consecration f a free union after a year f co h abitation

o o ,

s trongly resembles the Polynesian ma rr iage B ut the most .

commo conj u gal fo rm the one which succeeded the u u

n , s s,

and surely pr eceded the f ti w ma rr iage by pu c on arrea o, as r

c hase the mpti

,
c oe o .

C oem ption ended in time by becoming purely s ymbolic ;

the wife was delivered to the husband wh as a formality ,
o, ,

gave her a few p iece s of money ; but t h e ceremony is none

the less eloquent and it proves clea rly t h t in p r inci ple the
,
a

woman had been at R ome as else w he r e assimilated by the

, ,

p arent s to a t h in g to a venal ro
p p e r ty When
,
at A thens .

and at R ome an effort w made to give the ma rr ied as

woman a less subo r dinate position nothing more w done ,

as

than opposing money to money by inventing the dow ry

ma rriage ; and hence res ulted other inconveniences , on

which L atin writers have la rgely dilated and w hich we can ,

easily st udy to day fr om life But for t h e pr esent I m ust

-
.

not speak f them It s uffices to have prove d that all over

o .

the ea r th in all times and amon g all races ma rr iage by

, ,

p u rchase has been wi d ely p r a tised c .

N w the c ustom f ma rr iage by purchase has a ve r y clear

o ,
o
and very im portant s i gnification fr om a mo r al and s ocial
1 H is t S uc c es des F em m es . .

r l
.

2
A is to t e , P olitic s , v o l ii p 8 . . . .

3
L e go uv é , H is t M or des F em m es , p 8 6
l t
P au us , S t z c lz us —L ab o u aye , D i on f om az n
. . .

4 . l .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 1 21

point f view It im plies a profound contem pt f woma

o . or n,
and her com plete assimilation to hattels to cattle and t c , , o
thi gs in general O this point the R oman l w leaves
n . n a no

room for ambiguity since it make s no essential diffe r enc

, e
bet ween the marital law and the law of prope r ty In re gard .

to the woman a s in regard t goods po s session or u

,
o ,
s e,

continued for a year gave right f o w nership Whe n ,

a o .

a pplied t thi gs this po s session i s called u u pi

o n , s ca on

a pplied to the woman it is called u u Th di ffe r enc ,

s s .
1
e e
between the te r m s i s s li ght ; between the facts there is
n one In reality the wife and the child e s pecially the
.
,

female child have been the fi r st pro pe r ty po ss essed by man

, ,

which has even implanted in the savage mind the ta s te f r o

p o s session and the

, p retension to u s e and ab use the t h in gs
left enti r ely to his me r cy At R ome t h is became by the ju . s

g uir itium for

,
the woman the m u f the husband and an s o ,

for pr operty the ju ut di t but di f the pr o pr ieto r

s en e a en o .

But this ab use and this u nearly always e qually an abuse

,
s e,

also have contributed t a little t deprave man and to

,
no o

render him from the o r igin f societie s until u own day

, o o r ,

r efractory to ideas f equity and justic es pecially in what

o e,
relates to the condition f w oman o .

1
R C ubain, L o is
. c iv iles de R om e, p . 181 .
 C H AP TE R V III .

P R I M I T I VE P OLY G AM Y .

I P olygamy in Oc ea n ia , Afric a, a nd A m eric a —P l ygam y o an d

a l t —P l ygam y i A tr l ia i N C l d i d t F iji
.

soc i bi i y o n us a n ew a e o n a, an a

Th l gi im t w if at F iji —P lyg m y am g th
,

e e t d a e bi e an c o nc u n es o a on e

H tt t t
o d K ffi —E
en o s an mi r a f p l yg m y i A fr i
rs c o no c eas o n s o o a n ca

Br utal ity f h b d o h G b n—P l yg m y l im it d by h l

us an s on t e a oo o a e t e aw

o f ppl y
su d d m an d—I an ff t h m r l i y f w m n —C m
e ts e ec s on t e o a t o o e o

m i l fi d li y—M m b J m b —L
e rc a e t kn wn i bla k Afri —L g l
u o u o ove un o n c ca e a

m arr i g with h B g
a e at Mad g ar H i rar hi l p l yg m y at
t e on os a asc -
e c ca o a

M ad g ar—P l yg m y i P l y i i A m r i —J l
a as c o a
y k w
n o n e s a, n e ca e a o us un n o n

to t h f m al e ag —Th i t r wi am g h R d k i —R l igi
e e sav e e s s e -
ves on t e e s ns e on

s an cifi t l
p yg y Ma
esm — o
g mi t d i i Am r i o no a c en en c e s n e c a.

I I P lyg my i o A i a d i E pn P l yg m y m
s a g han n uro e - o a a on t e

ab rigi f I dia i B am g h O i k d h B tt
. .

o n es o n n o o tan , on t e st a s an t e a as

U i r l ity f prim iti — i t P r

,

n v e sa p yg y P l yg m y f h
l o m ve o a o a o t e anc e n e u
ia C h in d V di A r a — P l yg m y m g h G a l d t
h G r ma —
u s an
—
v ns , es e ,
y an e c ns o a a on e

t e e Ca fprim it i
ns l
p yg y Im uses o l ti n ve o a ts ev o u o .

I . P olyga my in Oc ea n ia, Afric a, a n d A m eric a .

We have seen that in the animal kingdom s pecie s are

s ometime s monogamou s sometime s polygamous but that , ,

in gene ral a gregariou s life a life in a s sociation favour s , ,

p oly g amy N w man . i s s urely theo most sociable

, f o

a m im l the r e fo r e he is much inclined to p olygamy like

a s, ,

the great ant hr op oid apes wit h w hom u pr imitive ,

o r

ancesto r s must have had more than analogy We h ave o ne .

al r eady s poken of the cause s which in h uman societies f o

t h e ea r lie s t ages dist urbe d the normal relation of the sexes ,

or t h e approximate eq uilib ri um between the n umber f m o en

and that of women We have s een how s avage life rapi dly .
 TH E E VOL U TI O N OF M A R R JA G E . I 23

u s e s up the men to s uch a degre that often in s pite of the e ,

cu s tom of female infanticide there i s still an exces s f ,

o

women s ufficient t im p o s e p olygamy Although p r imitive

o .

morality may not think in the lea s t f blaming t h e plurality o

o f wives it yet ha ppens that this polygamy to which all m

, , en

a spire in a s avage country i s s pontaneou s ly restricted ; and , ,

as with chimpan ee s and for the s ame rea s on s it become s

z , , ,

in fact the privilege f a small number f the s trongest d

,
o o an

the most feared the chiefs the sorcerer s , the priest s , , or ,

when there are any .

In Au s tralia for exam ple the adult men take po ss e ss io

, ,
n

o f the women of all age s and in con s e q uence t h e greater ,

n umber of youn g men cannot become pro prietor s f a o

woman befo r e the age f about thi r ty years o .

1

E nfo r ced celibacy is besides s oftened by the com plai s , ,

ance f the men al r eady p r ovided for the husband s if w

o , , e
m y so call t h em w h a r e gene r o us to the other men and
a ,
o ,

much mo r e j ealous of their rights f property than f their o o

conj ugal r ig h ts It is ea s y to have an unde r standing with

.

them and with the aid f a suitable pr esent to induce them

, , o ,

to lend their wives In N w Caledonia the chiefs and rich

. e
men only can indulge in the luxu r y f polygamy d i o , an n
thi s a r chi pelago the plurality f wives ha s already the char o

acter that it nearly al w ay s a ssume s in primitive country a .

If the N w Caledonian s ardently desire to have s everal

e

wives it i s not gene r ally with a s en s ual aim for among th , e

C k t h e genetic a ppetite is little develo ped ; their
an a s

reasons are f quite another kind Neither slavery nor

o .

domesticity yet exist in N w Caledonia H owever agri e .

,

culture i s already practised there and this require s h rd ,

a

labour fr om which the men es pecially the chief m like

, ,
en,

to exonerate themselves N w it i s polygamy that fu r nishe s . o ,

the C k with s ervile la b ou r which they cannot do with

an a s ,

o ut ; it exactly re places slavery T he r efore every man .

, ,

o f however little im po r tance he may be p rocure s a n umber ,

o f women in pro p ortion to the extent f the land he h a s o

i cultivation and al s o to the fi gure he mu s t make in th
n , e
worl d We shall find this s ervile p olygamy in many other
.

countrie s notably among the F ij ians wh resemble th

, , o e
N w Caledonians but at F iji p oly gamy had already
e ,

Ba din H i U i d V y t x iii p 3 4
1
u , st. n v . es o .
, . v . . .
1 24 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

evolved and b ecome com plicated It wa s accom panied b y .

concubinage A we shall s ee later t h is is gene r ally the

. s ,

case No w here do we find men passing ab r u ptly fr om

.

p oly gamy to mono gamy and long before ar r ivin g at the ,

latter wh e fi r st custom and then law restrains and

,
n

regulates the loose polygamy f the earlier a ge s the chang o , e

is only at fi r st effected in the form ; a man ha s a s mall
number f w ives wh with their childre enjoy certai
o , o, n, n

pr ivile ges b ut by the side of these tit ular wives h

, e

p ossesses concubines in greater les s umber In thi s or n .

m anner eve r ythin g is reconciled— mo r ality with sen s uality ,

an d the family w it h the interests of p r o pe r ty .

T h is égim w al r eady in fo rce amon g the M elanesia

r e as ns
of the F ij i Isles where the chiefs living i gr eat state , ,
n ,

acq uired in w y anothe r three

one four hund r ed
a or or
women of whom the greater n umber filled only the position
,

o f servants to th master and at the same time f con e ,

o

c ubi w ho we r e at the dispositio of the wa r riors or f

n e s, n o

the guest s Th wive s whose children in h e r ited w ere ve r y

. e

few in num b er They were dau ghter s f chiefs and their

. o ,

situation altho ugh less degr aded t h an that of the conc

,
a
bine s was still very h umble N t only did they resi gn
, . o

themselve s without di ffi culty to polygamy but they were

s ubj ected to a s in gular d uty—that f rearing for their
,

o
husba d chosen concubine Th fact is cu rious and
n a . e ,

wo r th the trouble f na rratin g Th b r ide takes w ith her o .

“
e

a youn g gi r l wh i s s till a child but wh promises to be

o ,
o

bea utiful and wh has bee carefully selected fr om the

, o n

lower class f the peopl It is a virgin destine d for her

o e .

hu s band She brin gs her up with th tenderest s olicitude

. e ,

an d when the girl is marria geable the queen on an , ,

appointed day undr ss es her washes her carefully and even

,
e , ,

p o ur s p e r fumed il he r hair c r own s her wit

o h flo w e rs
on , ,

conducts her thus naked to her h usban d presents her to ,

him and reti r es in s ilence

,
E xces s ive as it seems to u s .
”1
,

this absolute resignation is quite natur al among savages .

—
In pr imitive count r ies the married woman that i s to s ay
the woman belonging to a man —has he r self the con s cience
,

o f bei g a thin g a p ro p erty ( it i s proved to her often and

n ,

seve r ely eno ugh ) but she doe s not think of retaliating , ,

M h Vy1
il t t p 35
o e re n o ut, o . aux es, e c . , . 11 . . 2 .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 1 2 5

especially in what oncern s th conj ugal relation s M or c e . e

over as her condition i s oftenest that f a s lave over

,
o

burdened with wo rk not only doe s she not re s ent th ,

e
introduction f other w omen in the hou s e of the ma s ter
o ,

but she desi r e s it for the work will be s o much the les s f
,
or

her s el f T hus among the Zulus th w ife fir s t pu r chased

. e

s trive s and work s with ardour in the ho pe f furni s hing her o

husband with means to ac qui r e a second wife — com panio a n

in mi s ery over whom by right f seniority h will have ,

o ,
s e
the upper hand .
1

In con s e quence f this the greater umber of the men o n

in K ffi l d hav two three wive s and hence a certai

a r an e or ,
n

s carcity of feminine merchandi s e in the country ; th young e

men have di fficulty in providi g for them s elve s and many n ,

girl s are s old from infancy Th s ame customs prevail with .

2
e

the H ottentot s ; and both K ffi and H ottentots esteem a rs

the monogamic preaching f the Christian missionaries a s o

very im pertinent and thi s point both men and women ,

on

are a greed .
3

Alon g th whole cour s f t h Zambe s i s ay s L iving

e e o e ,

s tone the number fwive s

, the measure of a man s riche s o are
’
,

and the women are the fir s t t find thi s quite nat ural o .

It i s im portant t ob s erve that in s avag s ocietie s th o e e

woma could not live inde pendently ; for her celibacy is

n ,

s ynonymous with dese r tion and de s ertion would mean a ,

s peedy death T hi s i s eve th rea s on of th levirate f

. n e e ,
o

which I s hall h v to speak later

-
a e
‘

A for all the negroe s f A frica whatever the deg r ee f

s o ,
o

their civilisation savagery they have not even a s us picion

or ,

of the mon ogamic gim But in A fr ica l§ u lity is re

’
e .
,
a
‘

o , s en s a

only f th s econdary cause s f the plu r ality f wive s

o ne o e o o

s o stron gly de s ired by all the black s Their p olygamy is .

chie fl y founded economic motive s At the G aboon say s

on .
,
4

D u C h illu the su preme ambition f man is to p osse ss

a , o a
a great number f wive s Nothi g i s of more value to him
o . n ,

for they cultivat th ground and their s trict duty i s toe e ,

1
W it A b p l gy
a z l i p 99
—S t dm an W d
n t ro o o
g vo 2 ee an eri n s , etc . ,

l 1 p 4 —D l g g t
, , . . . .
,

i S
n h Af i
out r c a, v o t p 5 4 p 3 2 0 e e or ue , I er 1 1 1. 2 1.
C a m pb ll H i U i d V y t xx ix p 3 5 7
. . .
. . . . . .

2
e st n v es o
B r h ll ibid t xx i p
, . . .
, . . . .

3
uc e 4
, . . v . . 20 .

D u C h aillu, Voy dan s l Afriq

’
ue eguatoriale, pp 3 7 6, 3 7 7
. . .
1 26 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

serve him and furnish him with food Th wife i s alway s . e

p u r chased fr om her father at a p rice ag r eed on and often ,

fr om her earliest infancy In this ca s e she is placed un der .

the care of the h usband s c h ief wife Th h usband ’

. e

p pr o r ieto r does not inte r fere at all wit h the agric ultu ral
labo ur executed by the w ives ; he only requires them to
su pply him wit h foo d If he ha s bo ught them it is m erely .
,

as a profitable investment H consequently treats them . e

as slave s a s dome s tic animal s and has no scruple in

, or ,

lashin g them with a whip for nothin g at all and th us ,

causin g ine ffaceable s ca r s I have seen very few women .

,
”

says D u C h illu who had not trace s f this kind their

a ,
“
o on

bodies .
”

T h whi p which serves for these conj ugal co r rectio s has

e n
a do uble thon g made f hippopotamus or s ea w hide
, o -
co .

Y u sho uld hea r say s the traveller the worthy h usband “

”
o , ,

c r y ut Ah w r etch " do y u think I have bo ugh t you

o , o
fo r T h G aboon tribes of whom D u C h illu e ,
a

s peaks are reckoned the least civilised f neg roes ; but

, o
eve amon g the lea s t g ro s s f Afr ican race s the conju gal
n o

r egim and the degree of subjectio

e imposed on women are n

s carcel y lessened .

At T h k i and at Badagry etc whe C l pp t

c a ,
s poke ,
.
,
n a er o n

o f E n glish monogamy to t h e natives ll his audito r s ,

a ,

witho ut distinction of sex bu r st into a lau gh so absurd , ,

2

did the thing appear to them T h r o ughout Afr i a the . c

number of a man s wive s i s only limited by his reso urces

’
.

If as Schweinfur t h tells us amon g t h e Bon gos f the uppe r

, ,
o

Nile a man rarely has more than t hr ee w ive s it is sim ply

, ,

on acco unt f the s trict law f s upply and demand ; fo r

o o

a woman costs no less than ten iron plates each wei ghin g ,

about t w o pounds to whic h m ust be added t w enty i r on

,

s pear heads all preciou s a r ticles and not easily pr ocu r ed

,
.
3

A t Bornou also men i easy circ umstances have seldom n

more t h an th r ee wives ; and the poor have to content
themselves w hether t h ey w ill
,
not wit h monogamy or ,
.
4

B ut amon g the ne gr oes f K t and t h e Fantis of t h e o aar a

coast f G uinea polygamy is excessive In K t a private

o . aar a
2
1
D u C haillu, loc c it p 3 7 7 . S ec on d Voy age, e tc , pp 1 8 -48
. . . . .

3
Tbe H ea rt of Afric a, v o l 1 p 3 0 1
ha t
. . . .

4
D e n m an d C lappe rto n, H ist Un iv des Voy , xxv n p 4 3 7 . . . . . .
 A ND O E TH E F A M I L Y? 1 27

individ ual often has ten wives and a s many concubine s

but p r ince s knights often have threefold even tenfold
or or

that n umber I con s equence f this about third f

.
1
n o , a o

the inhabitant s are f pr incely royal blood A for o or . s

the F anti s p olygamy i s a s ource of riches

,
t only ,
no

thro ugh the labour of the women but al s o thro ugh the ,

s ale f the children f whom a la r ge d profitable trad

o , o an e

i s made This trait f moral s is t i the lea s t peculia

.
2
o no n r
to them throu ghout black Africa the right of the fathe r f o a
family includes that of selling th childre and h exerci s e s e n, e
it w ithout s cruple .

N atu r ally the last s entiment s w may xpect to fi d i e e n n

A fr ican hou s eholds are those f delicacy or moral nobility o .

H umble to servility in pre s ence of the ma s ter the wome ,

n
give the rein to their sha mele ss exce ss e s a s s oo a s they n

c an do it without dan ger .

In Bo r nou a wife never approache s her hu sb and without

kneeling When a Poul or der s
.
3
f his wives to prepar o ne o e
his s upper whic h im plie s that the ma s ter de s ire s her m
, c o

p any for the ni ght thi s s ignal favour i s received

, with tran s
p orts of j oy T h cho s en wife
. ha s ten s t obey
e and when o ,

the re past i s ready she proudly goe s to s eek the ma s ter ,

thu s humiliating her female colleague s wh retreat in con , o

fusion to their cabins t await their turn But all thi s o .
4

abject behaviour is merely by com pulsion and the women ,

recou p them s elve s well for it whenever they hav th e e

chance .

Th p oor women
e f the G aboon who lacerated by
o , are
w hi p s for no offence do t understand cha s tity and their ,
no ,

int rigue s con s tantly provoke conflict s and p l betwee n a a vers

the m f the villages Th obscenity of the M b tt

en o .
5
e on oo oo

women a s tonished Schweinfu r th w ell acquainted as he w , as

with negro cu s tom s Th Bambarra women ea s ily forget .
3
e

conj ugal fidelity for a bead ecklace a fine waist cloth etc ; n ,
-
,
.

and as in s o many other countrie s the hu s band—proprietors

, ,

1
r
G ay and D o c k ard, ibid v iii p 3 7 3 t x
r k h nk
. . . . .

2
r
B o die C ui s a , So jo urn of E zg/i t Yea rs on tlze Gold Coast
t xx
.

3
h
D e n am and C lappe rto n , H ist Un iv des Voy , v ii p 4 3 7
t xx
. . . . . . .

4
M o llie n , ibid v iii
p 4 39 . . . . .

3
D u C haillu, loc c it , pp 3 7 8 4 3 5 . . .
-
.

3
Tbe H ea rt of Afric a, v o l ii p 9 1 . . . .
1 28 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF jl/I A R R I A G E

have no s cr uple i hirin g ut their wives for a s ufficient n o

p r ice .
1

Neve r the le s s unautho r ised ad ulte r y is cr uelly punis h ed

,

thro ugho ut A fr ica ; but fea r is po w e r less to ens ur e to the

negro h usbands the purely comme r cial fidelity they exact
from their wives and the r efo r e in orde r to cor rect , ,

feminine morals they h ave reco ur se in e r tain pa r ts to ,

c

fantastic metho ds —to t h e M m b jumb w hic h M un go a o o

Park desc r ibe s St ran gely atti red and un r ecognisable a .

2
,

sin gular pe r sonage doubtles s a sorce r er appea r s in t h e , ,

evenin g after being called fo r by frightful ho w lin gs in t h e

woods and fi r st goes to t h e s pot w here t h e in h abitants
,

are accu s tomed to assemble to talk at t h eir ease This .

comin g is the si gnal for son gs and dances which last ,

into the middle f the nigh t Then t h e M um b jum b o . o o

designates the guilty or indocile woman Th latter is . e -

immediately sei ed s tri pped bound to a s take d vigo r z , , ,

an

o u ly beaten by t h e M um b
s h imself amid the acclama o ,

t ions and lau ghter of the assembly and es p ecially of the ,

other women .

In all negro Afr ica the husband s are gene rally st r an gers
to the j ealousy f honour which exists among the i t lli o n e

g ent husbands of c ivilised count r ies T h ey do not ca r e .

f
or mo r al fidelity based a ffe tio and fr ee choice , on c n .

Th e K ffi woman S h ut tells us is the ox of

a r , c o er ,

her husband A K ffi said day s peakin g of his

. a r o ne ,

w i fe ,
I have bought her therefore it is her duty to
“
,

wo rk .

T h neg r o relates another traveller ( M ontei r o ) knows

“ “
e , ,

neit her love affection no r j ealousy D urin g the many

, ,
.

yea r s that I have spent in A fr ica I have never seen a negro

manifest the least tenderness for a woman put his a r ms—
aro und her give or receive a ca r ess denoting some degr ee
, ,

o f a ffection o r love on one side or the ot h er T hey .

have no word in their language to s ignify love or

a ffection .
”3

A F r ench traveller say s also f the M ala gasies M odesty o ,

an d jealo usy are two sentiment s ve r y little developed

R ff 1
2
l N Vy
a P y d N eg
en e ,t p 4 auv . o . a ux a s es res, . 1 91 “
. 02 .
Hi U i d Vy st p 58 n v. es o t xxv
H rb rt S p
. . .
. .
, .

3 r S i l gy l ii pp 84 93
e e e nc e ,
oc o o , vo . . . 2 -
2 .
 A ND OF TH E FAIl/II L Y 1 2 9

amo g the M alagasie s

n of both sexe s and all ranks . T hey
p ush licence very far ”1
in their manne r s but q uite ,
unc on

sc io usly .

T hroughout b lack A fr ica indeed marriage doe s t , ,

no

exist at least in the sen s e w attach to the word It i s not

, e .

a civil i s titution much les s a sacrament ; it is a bargain

“

n , ,

delive r ing the wom an to the mercy f the buyer H e r e and o .

there however we s ee dawning s f legal marriage that i s to

, ,
— o

say a contract sanctioned by civil authority Among the

, .

Bongo s f the u p per Nile f

o exam ple a m wh wishe s ,
or ,
an o

to procure a certain woman generally a pplies to the chief or

to some dignitary wh enfo r ces hi s demand , o .

2

With the M alagasie s where the social organisation i s ,

much more com plex and qu i feudal there i s al r eady a as ,

ve r itable civi l marriage Th future pair accom panied by . e ,

their pare ts g before the judge the chief f t h e village

n , o or o ,

declare their intentions p y t h H i or mat r imonial ,

a e as n a ,

tax and the union i s concluded A is the case i many

, . s n

countrie s M l g i p olygamy already tend s towards

, a a as an
monogamy At M adaga s car as i China rich m have
.
,
n , en

o ne chief wife who has a house to herself and other

,

privilege s ; but by the s ide f the titular wife there are o

lesser wive s I shall have to ret urn to this hie r a r chi al

.
3 c

p olygamy which form s

,
sort of evolutionary connectin g a
link between primitive polygamy s ubjecting all the wives ,

equally before their owner and monogamic marriage But , .

for the pre s ent I mu s t pu r sue my s ummary inq uiry through

the land s f primitive polygamy
o .

I n the whole f Polyne s ia polygamy w general and

o as

unlimited There again the number f wive s was st r ictly

.
, , o

in proportio to rank and riche s There were however

n .
4
, ,

exam ples f volunta r y monogamy amon g the chiefs and

o
5
,

a m uch larger number f monogami s ts in s p ite f them o ,

o

s elves i the lower cla ss e s In s everal Polynesian is lands

,
n .
3

polygamy wa s already evolving towards monog my ; thus a ,

1
r
D up e, Trois M o is d M ada gas c ar, p 1 5 3
hw n rth
. .

:
Sc ei f
u Tbe H eart of Afric a, v o l i p 2 7
1
, . . . .

0
0
r
D up e, Trois M ois dM adagas c ar, p 1 5 3
rt h
.

-
.

s
P i c ard, P olyn es ia n R em in is c en c es , e tc , p 2 7 0
W t
. . .

u Th
es , Ten Years in S on t/ z Central P o l y n es ia, p 2 7 0.
n ll
. .

G
Bo ugai v i e , Voyages , p 2 44 . .
at Samoa at Ton ga in N w Zealand there exi s ted a
,
1
,
2
e ,
2

chief w ife exem pte d f om hard wo rk and having p emin

,
r ,
re-

ence ove r the othe r wives .

O ver all the gr eat A meric n continent poly gamy i s or a

ha s been in fo rce T h A ncas or Ar a ucanos f South . e o

A merica— noma ds and r obbers —buy ve r y dear wives

when they can and make concubines f all the prisoners
,
o

p r oc ured in thei r ra ias exactly after the manne r f thezz ,

o

ancient A abs Th p oo r o r the feeble among them as

r . e ,

elsewhere are ba dly pr ovide d and are fr equently reduced

, ,

to remain celibate or to have only wife F ,

4 o ne . or

the same reasons the youn g men among the O t m ,

o ac s

were often obliged to be contented with ld w oman an o ,

5

and the Charruas waite d till their fi r st wife grew ld before o

p r oc u r in g a youn ger H errero tells us also that in o ne .

3
,

H ondu r as fo r ce d mono gamy was gene r al eno ugh exce pt , ,

indeed fo r the chiefs w h appr o pr iated the women by the

, ,
o

ri gh t of the st r on gest In So uth Ame r ica as in Afr ica .

7
, ,

the women were ve ry fa r fr om rebellin g a gain t polygamy s

for there also all the ha r d wo rk fel l to them and t h e

, , ,

b urden fit was lightened in proportion to the number of

o

labou r e r s In the t r ibes that were al ready agricultural t h e

.
,

G uaranis for exam ple the men did not h in g to the land
, ,

but lea r ff the brushwood and timber ; t h e came the

c o n

women wh did all t h e sowing ha r vestin g pr e pared the

,
o , ,

fe r mented d r ink for guests without mentioning other ,

8

domestic ca res S uch a kind of life is necessarily u

. n
favourable to delicacy and even amon gst civilised people ,

habit ual ove r wo rk is ha r dly com patible with refined

sentiment s I all countries exclusi e love and jealousy
. n v

s uppose not only some moral develo pment but also a ,

ce r tain amount f lei s ure and of time and ca pacity to o ,

think It is the refore q uite natural t h at the savage woman

.

s h o uld seldom pretend to p o s sess a man for he r self alone ,

1
P r i h rd l i tc
p 37 a oc . c t 2
C k ( Th ird V y g ) H i U i d Vy t i p 7
. .
, .
,
2
oo o a e s t. n v es o x 0
D m t d U ill
.
, .
, . . . .

3 ’
u on rv e

t
.

4
cfr c a n ,
’ ’
A d O big y L l m m A m i i r p 4 3n zo e I er 0
t
.
,
. . .

3
V y g 2l T F m
o a e ( p 3 4 a erre er e, e tc I er 0
t ii p 8 9 ,
. . . .

3 ’
A d O b ig y l. i r n , oc . c t. , . . . .

7 H Sp r S i l gy l ii p 8e nc e oc o o vo 2 2

t ii p 3 8
.
, .
. .
,
.

3 A d O big y l i
’
r n oc . c t . . 0 .
.
, .
, .
 AN D OE TH E E A M JL Y . I 3 1

an d on thi s point th women f the R edskin s f North e o o

A merica think and feel like th G uarani w omen f B ra il e o z .

T h us with the O maha s the man hardly ever takes a

, ,

s econd w ife but with the consent f the fi t O ften the o rs .

1

initiative even co m es from her ; s he goe s to find her

hus b and and s ays to him M arry the daughter of my
, ,
“

b rothe r She and I are f the same fl esh

. It mu s t b e o .
”

admitted that Ame r ica i s the promised land f the o

matriarchate rathe r f maternal fi li ti ; polygamy , or ,

o a on

easily takes an incestuous colo ur there ; the wive s f o

the same man a r e often rel tives habit ually sister s a , .

In about forty f the R edskin tribes and surely they are o ,

no t the only ones when a m marries the elde s t daughter ,

an
o f a family he ac q uires by ex press privilege the rig h t f
, , ,
o

taking afterwards for wives all the sisters of the fi r st a s soon

as they become marriageable This was the cu stom f .
2
o
the O maha s th Cheyennes the Crees the O sa ges the , e , , ,

Black feet the C r ows the S pokans f Columbia the

-
, ,
o ,
3

Ch w a f L oui ian etc

an o n s o s a, .

Th custom w e t however obligatory Th wive s as no , , . e

w e r e not necessarily relatives at lea s t not nece s sarily , o r, ,

sisters Thus w ith the O mahas a man sometimes took a s

.
, ,

w ive s an aunt and a niece f his fir s t wife Among th o .

4
e
Californian s a m s ometimes married not only a grou p of an
s ister s but also their mother and i thi s res pect the
, ,
3
n
G r eenlander s imitated their hereditary enemies the R d
'

, e
s k in s But consan guine
.
3
t p olygamy wa s general
,
'

or no ,

among the savage t r ibes fNorth A merica Th p o s ses s ion o . e

o f a numerous flock f wive s placed a man above the o

common a s s urely a s that f large fo r t une does in o a

E uro pe ; religio even s a ctified this polygamy f in
7
n n ,
or

all countrie s it can accommodate itself to the dominant

morals T hus the Chi ppeways believe that polygamy is
.
,

ag reeable to the G reat S pirit f it i s a means f having a or o

nume r ou s posterity .
8

1
J w D r y Gw b S i l gy p 60 ( S m it/ i I
O en o se a a oc o o 2 z s on a n n s tit ution ,

L M rgan A i t S i ti
. .
, ,
2
o n c en oc e es , p 4 32
r ft l it l i p 7 7
. .
.
,
3
B an c o oc c vo 2

J Ow n D r y l
, . .
, . . . .

4
it p 6 e o se oc . c 2 0
r ft l it l i p 3 88
.
, .
, . .

3
B anc o oc . c vo
W k E luti f M lity l i p 5 5
, . . . . .

3
a e, vo on o ora , vo . . . 2 .

7 H Sp .r S i l gy l 1 p 8 3
e nc eI d ibid l ,
oc o o , vo . . . 2 .
3
.
, . vo . 11 .
p . 28 5
.
.
1 3 2 TH E E VOL UTI ON OE MA R R I A G E .

xcept the habit ual consanguinity of the w ives th

E , e

p oly gamy f the R edskin s has nothin g o r iginal in it ; it is

o ,

as elsewhe re the pr ivilege f t h e rich men Sometimes

, o .
1

also the gi rls are retained fr om infancy and then as , ,

ha ppen s with the N utk Columbians the buyer deposits o a- ,

ce r tain valuable articles as security In these polygamo us .

2

families of R edskins the ha r mony i s rarely dist urbe d ; and

the man alway s havin g the power to repudiate any wife as
,

he may plea s e only has to command very s ubmissive one s

,
.
3

H ere and there certain custom s a pp ear which have a

shade f monogamy about them ; for instance among the
o ,

Col umbian s every wife has her se parate habitation at ,

o r,

the least her s pecial fi id Sometimes the r e is a chief

, re s e .
4

wife having autho r ity over the ot h er wives But eve r y .

5

where the s ubjection of women in regard to man is ext reme .

A mong the Indians f N w M exico— and these a r e not by o e

any means the mo s t savage —the women have to pr e pa r e
the food tan the skins cultivate the ground fabricate the
, , ,

clothe s build the houses and groom the horses In r eturn

, ,
.

f t h is the men who s e s ole occ u p tions are hunti g and

or , , a n

w ar,beat their wive s without p ity and ofte mutilate and ,

n
kill them .
3

II P lyg my i A i d E u p . o a n s a an ro e.

We might already deduce some general ideas fr om u o r

ra pid s u rvey f s avage polygamy in O ceania Afr ica and
o , ,

A merica ; but it will be convenient before we do so to .

, ,

interrogate th p r imitive race s of As ia and E urope D o ubt

e .

les s the de s c i ption f their conj ugal manners and cu s toms

, r o ,

after all that precedes may seem monotonous nevertheless , ,

this monotony even is nstructive ; it proves that ll i in a

time s and places in de spite f di fference s of race climate

, o ,

and environment the evolutio of h uman groups is subject , n

to certain laws that the family marriage the con s titutio of
, , ,
n

ro
p p erty and s ocial
, or ganisation p as s throu gh a s erie s f o

1
D m o h V y pi p 5 g —B n r ft l i pp 68 9 5
en e c o tt o a c o vo 1 1
r ft l i p 5 D m n h l
.
, . .
, . .
, . .

2 3
B an c o oc . c i
t p 5 1 1. o e ec oc . c t 1 1.
r ft l i
. .
, , .
,
4
B an c o l i p ,77 oc . c t . vo . . . 2 .

3 3
I bz d v o l. i p 51 1 I bid v o l. i p 511
’

. . . . . . . .
 _
A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 1 33

neces sary ph se s ; in s hort that i ttempting to con s truct

a ,
n a

a s cience of s ociology w are not pur s uing chimera e a .

I re s ume therefore m y enumeration A mong th

_

, , . e
indigenou s tri b e s of I dia polygamy i s widely s pr ad n e ,

without however b i g universal ; for each one of thes

, , e n e
s mall peo ple s ha s evolved a s it h bee a b le mor or ,
as n , e
le ss rapidly Some among them .
p olyandrou s a d are ,
n

even monogamou s O ften enough p olyandry e exi s t s with . o-

polygamy th appearing a s moral a s the other
, e o ne .

With ll thes borigine s marriage or what we are

a e a , ,

plea s ed to call s o i ge erally concluded by purchase and

_

,
s n ,

the pric of the woma naturally o s cillate s according to th

e n e
law f s upply and dema d M o s t often it i s represented by
o n .

p oultry pig s oxen

,
cow s given to t
,
h parents F rom ,
or , e .

this manner f procuring wive s it s eem s that there al s o

o , ,

p lygamy
o i s the luxury f the rich or of chiefs A mong t h o . e
M ishmis the s e privileged individuals sometime s p osse ss
s ixty wive s Th M ishmi husband s form a rar exce ption
. e e

on one p oint— they are not at all exacting a b out the fidelity
of their wive s ; they con s ider t hem a s s lave s or s ervant s d ,
an

provided they continue to bene fi t their ma s ter s by their ‘

work the latter willingly s hut their eye s to thei rintrigue s

, .
1

A mong the s e p olygamo us tribe s which it would take too ,

long to enumerate m y b e counted th M i i th D phl ,

a e r s, e o as,

th Juang s the Khamtis the Singpho s etc

e , , , .

We must gain note i certain tri b e s th K hamtis for

a n , e ,

exam ple the monogamic pre emine ce f the fi rs t wi fe It

,
-
n o .
2
'

is one f tho s s ociological analogie s f which I hav

o e o e
already s poke and it is im porta t to point it out n, n .

Polygamy s till prevails with th mountaineer s of B t e o o an,

concurrently with polyandry It i s often inc estuou s a .

man willingly marrie s two s isters th an ad ult the othe r , e o ne ,

younger But no other ince s t i s recognised or puni s hed

.

e xce pt that committed betwee and mother n so n .

3

F arther orth among th Os tiak s a m f el s

-
n , e ,
an e no

repugnance t marrying s everal s i s ter s and i gene r alo ,

4
,
n ,

p olygamy i s very widely s pread among th no mad M ongols e .

A Y ako t for exampl n if obliged to mak fre quent

, e, e

1 D al t n D
'

2
ip i E b
o
f B gal pp
es c r 6 9 t I bid p 8
ve t n o. o en 12, 1 1
by a H i d a th r i R B it ig 8 7
, ,
.
, . . . .

3
Vy B
o au oota n , n oo u o n ev ue r an n ue , 1 2

Wk l i
, .
.

4 a e, l i 6 t
p oc9 . c .
,
vo . . . 2 .
1
34 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF MA R R I A G E .

jo urney s take s care to have a wife in every place at which

,

he s tops .
1

Th p olygamic
e égim i s also in great hono ur in the
r e

M on golian archi p ela goes f A sia in the Palos Islands in o , ,

the Caroline I s lands etc Among the Battas f S umat r a

, . o

it evidently begins to be distasteful to the women since the ,

p oly gamou s husband is obli ged to a s si gn to each f hi s o

wives a special hearth and kitchen utensils f her own with , o ,

which s he prepare s her food apart or with that f her , o

hu s band when she i s
, duty and req ui red by the on ,

m ster
a .
2

In this chapter I confine myself to primitive polygamy to ,

that f the gro ss e s t savage s barbarian s ; but there

o or are

ba r barians f every race d colour d the roots of all

o an , an

su perior civilisation s neces sarily go far down into pr imitive

savagery N w we have s en that the polygamic égim is
. o e r e

p revalent th r ou ghout the world among race s that a r e little

c ultivated we may hence conclude that the most civilised
nations mu s t have b egun with p lygamy and in reality it o , , ,

has been thus yw h d always In the a r ious

e v er e re an . v

civilised societies living or dead marriage has com

, ,
~

m enc ed by b in g p olygamous e It is a l w which ha s few . a

exceptions .

In ancient Pe r u the Inca s decreed monogamy to be

,

obligatory for the lower clas s e s Th Chinese attribute to . e

F H i their first soverei gn the instit ution
o- ,
f marria ge , o .

T his legendary kin g is said to have raised them ut f o o

p r omiscuity S uch also wa

. s the ol of Cecro ps in G reece r e , ,

and t h e s ame thin g happened in primitive I n dia Abo ut .

thirty year s ago a umber of erudite E u r opeans es pecially

n ,

the mythologists and lin gui s ts were s mitten wit h a blind ,

love for the Indian hymn s of the R ig V eda They s et t -

. o

w o r k to tortu r e the s e ld San s crit texts naturally obscure

,

o , ,

an d by subjecting them to a s ort of lin guistic examination ,

they w rung from them imaginary r evelations It w as .

de ided that a unique and marvellous race primitively

c ,

endowed with eve ry vi r tue and capacity had s prung up ,

o ne fine day s ome plateau other f Central Asia

on or o .

T h most enth usiastic

e f the m generously en dowed thes o e

H Sp n r S i l 1
. l e p 8 ce ,
oc o oo vo . 1 1. . 2 0.
2
[d , ibid vo l ii 2 2
9
. . . .

p
. .
 A N D OE TH E E A M JE Y . 1 35

hy pothetical Aryan s with s u perhuman faculties A French .

academician believed and declared that from the high

p lateaus of Pamir they perceived t h s ea distant however e , , ,

s om hundre ds f lea gues ; he affi rm s that they under s tood

e o

the circle s fth s tars and were omni s cient It i s to be

o e ,
”
.

p resumed that thi s model race w f nece ss ity mon as o o

ga m u o s ince its,was perfect T day however we mu s t . o- , ,

demoli s h all these castles in the air too lightly built in ,

p rimitive and chimerical A rya T h antiquity f the V edic . e o

hym s ha s had to be much s hortened and if we consent t

n , , o

read them without p r ejudice we shall have little admiration ,

f the author s tho s e gros s Aryans who tried to m ake their

or , ,

god s drunk in order t obtain cows and wh s acrificed and o ,

o

cut to piece s animal s and perha ps m their altars

,
en, on .

T here i s s u r ely room to su pp ose that their social conditio n

wa s not mo r e r efined than their religion O thi s point . n

the information that may be drawn from the V edic hymns

is vague and drowned in the wave s f reli gio us effusion o .

Nevertheles s the R ig V eda s peak s of s p ouses f the god s -

o ,

and f princes surrounded by their wives etc In fact a

o , .
,

document m uch more pr ecise and more recent th Code f , e o

M an u abu dantly proves that the H indoo s lik all other

,
n , e

p eoples have begun

, by being p olygamous .

I do t w in s ist on thi s p oint as I shall ret urn to it

no no ,

later In every country the primitive r aces have practi s ed

.

p olygamy w hen that ,

ha s been p ossible for them O u . r
E uro pean ancestors have not been mo r e s cr upulo us this on

p oint than u hyp othetical A r yan cousins f Central A sia

o r o .

C esa r tells u s that the G auls were p olygamo us and had the
a ,

ri ght f life and death over their wives Tacitus vaunt s

o .
1

much the mono gamy f the G erman s ; this mo ral featu r e o ,

s ay s he distin guishe s them fr om other barbarian s but he

, ,

confe s ses that certain G erman chiefs had s eve ral wives and ,

that a s it happens in all barb rous co unt r ies the wife wa s

, a ,

s old b y th pa r ent s f presents consisting f oxen horses

e or o , ,

and a r ms .
2

Polygamy was so nat ural to G erman moral s that long ,

after Tacitus the M e r ovin gian kin gs C l t i and his sons

, ,
o a re ,

f
or exam ple s till practised it that D agobert had t hr ee
, ,

wiv s and that Charlemagne himself was bi gamo us W

e , . e
1
De bello Ga llic o , vi . 1
9 .
2
G erm a n ia , xv iii
1 3 6 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF . MA R R I A G E -

kno w too that Saint Colum b an w banished from G aul

, , as

only for having blamed the polygamy f King Thie rry o

L t us r e gn ou r selves therefore to confes s the trut h
.

e 51 , , .

T h white r ace ha s no divine inve s titure

e L ike all t h e .

othe rs it has spr un g from animality like all the others it

, ,

has been polygamous and we have only to O pen u eye s , o r

to pe r ceive that in the pr esent day i countries re puted to
, ,
n
be the mo s t civilised and even in the cl sses reputed to be , a

t h e most distinguished the m ajo r ity f individual s hav , o e

polygamic in s tinct s which they fi d it difficult to re s i s t n .

We a r e now in a position to form a j us t o pinion f o

pr imitive p olygamy Its cau s e s are mani fold Th prin

. . e
c ip l one is often the dis pro p ortion of the s exes re s ulting
a ,

fr om the eno r mous mortality f men which savage li t o e

necessitate s Th de s i r e f giving the rein to a s ensuality
. e o

that there i s a s yet no thou ght f r epres s ing may have

, ,
o ,

a certain share in the matter ; but thi s motive which i s ,

p e r ha p s dominant in the p olygamou s anthro p oid a p es ,

quickly become s seconda ry in man .

E ven the lowe s t s ava ge i s more calculating and ha s ,

more forethou ght than the monkey H i fi rs t slave , . s ,

o ne

may s ay hi s firs t dome s tic animal is his wife E ven whe ,

. n
h e i s still a s imple hunter and omad he has always gam n , e
to be carrie d fire to be lighted a shelter to be erected
, , ,

without r eckoning that wives are very pt at gathe r in g a

edible fruits and s h ll fi h and rendering a thousand e -

s ,

services Beside s they give bi r th to o ffspring that can be

.
,

bartered sold even eaten at need

, ,
or .

It is therefo r e very de s irable to po s sess a s many as

, ,

p ossible f these beings

o fitted for suc h va r ious ends If
,
.

a man i s an agric ultu r ist the wife i s then f s till gre ter ,
o a

utility ; he puts u pon her all the hard w o rk ; she digs ,

p la ts
n so,
w s r ea p s even ,
and all for the p rofit f her master
,
o .

She i s besi des a subjected and feeble c r eatu r e w hom he

, , ,

c an t r eat j ust as he will and on whom h e can let loose his

instincts f b r utal domination By force or by ruse by
,

o .
,

c p tu r e
a by purc h ase he therefo r e pr oc ures himself a s
or ,

many wives as p ossible H o ften buys them in the l um p ; . e

fo r e am ple a lot f s isters or f r elation s f diffe rent a ges

x ,
o ,
o o .

T his dive r sity of g has its val ue fo r in ll the n ume r o us

a e ,
a

uses to whic h a w i fe can be u t the oun er on es a take c n

p y g ,
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 1 37

at eed th place of th elder when the latter are wor ut

n e e n o
or broken down
Polygamy begin s with e q uality— that i s to s ay th t th
.

,
a e
man s ubject s hi s little feminine fl ock to an e qual s ervitud e,
again s t which th wive s do t think f re b elli g they
e no o n , as
fi d it q uit
n atural for they r not of a more re fi ned
e n , a e
n ature than their proprietor By degree s however a .
, ,

certai hierarchy i s e s ta b li s hed amo g the wive s of the s m

n n a e
man Thi s come s to pas s whe the s ocial s tructure i s
. n
already mor complex whe th r e chiefs o ble s d
,
n e e are ,
n , an
prie s ts Polyg my in thi s c s i s re s trained Thoug h it
. a ,
a e, .

continue s to be the ta s t of early all men it become s the e n ,

privilege f the rich and powerful Th latter s ometim s

o . e e
even indulge in an exce s sive polygamy and it b ecome s ,

di fficult for them to maintain order and s ervil u b missio e s n

a m o g their femi ine fl ock F rom thi s time th y hav
n n . e e o ne
or more titular wives who rule over their com pa io s and
,
n n ,

are s ometime s exem pt from hard la b our T h s chief . e e

wive s are often daughters s i s te s or l ti f noted
’

,
r ,
re a ve s o
warriors f im portant men with whom th e hu s ba d i s
, or o , n

a llied and who s e prestige s omewhat protect s th wive s that

, e
they have given mor often sold I con s e quence f
,
or e . n o

thi s certain tendency to b ecome di s tinct per s onality

, a a

awaken s in the wive s them s elve s ; they in s i s t having their on

separate hearth and even their distinct apartment ; life in

,

the flock weigh s them on .

Polygamy then puts monogamic tendencie s Th on . e

greater number f s u perior race s have adopted thi s hier

o

archic l polygamy before reaching th legal monogamy in

a e ,

a mitigated form f which I s hall treat later It is im

, o .

p o r t nt now to de s cribe with s om details thi s p oly gamy

a e
o f su p erior race s .
 C H AP TE R IX .

P O LY G AM Y OF C I V I L I S ED P EO LE P .

I . 7 7m S tage of P olygamy — Prim itive po l ygam y— M an re5 1gns

n gamy
.

him l ft se o mo o

—W
.

II
A rab P olygamy l
hy the M uss u m ans ha r n
e m ai ed po y l
—
. ve

gam o ns r rt
The in fe io i y o f w an r l
om p oc aim e d by the Ko n ra
l a
Po yg m ic r tr
e s ic tio ns in the Ko ra — l n
n R e igio t
sanc io ns the rig ht
o f c on u
j gal r rt —
p po e y The pu crhas ed owm an T—h e c o n
jg p o
u a lre r

g tai f th r h t — D uti f th l m u h u b d — C l tia l

—
v es
p p o ep yg o e es o e o a o s s an e es

lo
p yg y m Th aM u ul m an m rr i g i l a i
e — F m l m r ha di
ss a a e s c e a e e c n se

Th p r l im ina ri
e f m arriag —
e D ut i d b l ig t i
es o f th M u ul e es an o a o ns o e ss

m an hu b d ; hi right —Marriag i K byl —C ru l ubj ti n f

s an s s e n a e e s ec o o

th e K byl wif —S al a d pur h e f th wif —E x

e i right f
e an c as e o e e c es s v e s o

th e Kabyl h u b d—Th Kabyl m arri g i i f r i r t th Ar b

e s an e e a e s n e o o e a

m rr i g —
a P l ygam y
a e d th ubj t i n f w m
o an e s ec o o o en
—M o n
.

I II P olyga my in E gypt, M exic o and P er u o gam y o f the

t— l
.
,

n bl i P ru
.

pr i e s ts in E gyp P o ygam y of th e I n c as and of the o es n e

— P l yg m y o i aM x i —P lyg m y with m n g m i
o f h n bl
t e o es n e co o a o o a c

t nd y
e e nc

d I di —P l yg m y n bi g
.

I V P lyg my i P i o a d n ers a an n a o a an co c u na e

f p rin rity f x l m r l ity i h A

.

P r i —S
i

o i c es n e s a ev e o se ua o a n t e v e s ta

P l ygam y a
o rding h R ig V d —P l yg m y i
cco h C d f to t e -
e a o a n t e o e o

Man —E l t i n f p l ygam y i I dia—H

n vo u o m g m y b am o o n n ow o no a ec e

t bl i h d
es a s e .

I Tb S t g f P lyg my . e a e o o a .

O u in q uiry is already su fficiently advanced to give u s

r
an idea f the fi r st phases f the evolution of ma rr iage
o o .

T begin with both in the case f human bein gs

o ,
o

and f anth r o poid ape s s e ual unions have not been

o ,
x

reduce d t any rule ; promiscuity has bee ra r e a d

o n n
 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R R IA G E . 1
39

exceptional b ut polygamy has been very common at least

, ,

a gros s polygamy not regulated in any way and merely

, ,

re s ultin g from t h e mono poly of the wome by the s tron gest n

or the richest men It ha s been a sort f conjugal anarchy

. o ,

admitting s imultaneously f various matrimonial form s o ,

as p olyandry te r m marria ge experimental ma r riage etc

, , ,
.
,

d urin g pe r iods of more or less length .

Be s ides thei r pr imordial l as child bearer s wives were ro e

‘
-
,

found very useful in other way s — eithe r f the s ati s faction or

o f s e ns ual desires or fo r the execution ,

f a numbe r f o o

p ainful la b our s ; and therefore men endeavoured to p ro

cure as many f them as p o ss ible fir s t b y capture and then

o , ,

by purchase or by giving a certain amount f work in

,
o

submitting to a tem porary se r vitude In the pr eceding .

chapter I have given the hi s tory f thi s pri m itive savage o ,

p olygamy which as yet no l w regulated a .

D uring the fi r st p hases f thei r social evolution all th o , e

human r aces have pr actised with mo r e less brutality ,

or ,

this gross polygamy We have s een — and it is a s ubject t o

whic h I shall have t retu r n —h w in the bosom f the

.

o o ,
o

p oly g amic régi m monogamic tendencies

e, have a pp eared ,

which b y degrees have ended by prevailin g amongst all

the more civilised race s The s e race s have resi gned .

themselve s to dopt monogamy at least legal monogamy

a ,
or .

I s ay resigned for it seems that monogamy costs m uch

“
,
”

to man ; in r eality law s and c ustoms hav eve rywhere e

attenuated the severity f it fo r him by va r ious com pr omise s
o

of which I s hall soon have to s peak .

II . A ra b P olyga my .

However amon g the su perior races there is

,
the ,
o n e,

Arab race w hich up to u

, w time has maintained and
,
o ro n ,

legali s ed the p olygamic gim while propagating d re

’
e, an

reg ulating it among the vario us people s that have come

under its domination If in this res pect the Arab race .
, ,

has been an exce ption t the general evolutio it is not o n,

because it i s less gifted than the others ; it h as su fficiently
p rove d this A cco r din g to the ancients a fantastic fi h
.
,
s ,
1 40 TH E E VOL UTI ON OE M AR R I A G E

the m re had the power f suddenly stopping the

ora , o
passage fs h i ps at sea reli gion ha s played this part for the
o ,

A rab s Theoretically all the great and s olidly constituted

.
,

religion s are incom patible with progre s s Although rela .

t i ly theym y a ppear innovation s at the moment of their

ve a

b i th yet they bar the route of the future and a s m uch a s

r , , ,

i s i their power o ppo s e all ulte r ior evolution Thi s is

n , .

im perative since they pretend to declare the immutable

,

will f divine per s onage s who are omnipotent omni s cie t

o , ,
n ,

and perfectly wise and who cannot con s e quently either ,

re t u h
-
o amend the la w s that they make and t h e m
c or ,
co

mands they give to poor human creatures N w I slamism . o ,

a ose amidst the full polygamic egim ; it s founder could

r r e

not even d r eam f establishing any other Polygamy w o . as

therefore established by divine right among the faithful ,

and a s at the bottom it acco r d with the primitive IS in

in s tinct s of m it ha s maintained it s elf in Mu s sulman

an,

countries from the time f M ahomet to our w days o o n .

F rom the sociological p oint f V iew thi s is a most inter o

e s tin g fact for it gives u s the oppo r tunity f s tudying

.

,
o

and estimating the polygamic egim in its full develop r e

ment .

L t u s listen at first to the Ko r an ; w will then con

e e -

s ult the Arabian jurists and the cu s tom s of co tem porary n

A rabs .

T ob egin with th holy book loudly proclaim s the , e

inferiority of women which natu r ally justifie s their sub ,

j ect i and
o n, thi s s ubjection i s great in all p olygamo us
countrie s There is no ambiguity on this point in th
. e

w ords of the prophet M are su perior to women by :

“
en

reason of the qualities G d ha s given them to place them o

above women and o u m mpl y M i w k ] i gi i g ,

eea se en e o e r ea : n v n

dw io r est w m V i r t uous women are obedient and

o o en .

submissive ; they carefully guard during their husband s ,

’

absence that which G d has ordered them to preserve

,
o

intact Thou s halt correct those w hom thou fearest may

.

be disobedient thou shalt put t h em in beds apa r t ti u

: : zo

f lt o t lb m but as s oon as they obey thee a gain do

. ‘

s za ed e
: t ,
no

s eek c use for quarrel with them G d is merciful nd

a . o a

g r eat .
”1

K r n S r t i 38 1 o a , ou a e, v. .
 A N D OF TH E FA MI Z Y
'
. 141

T hi s text i s eloque t It fi r s t of all con s ecrate s ma s culin

n . e
su periority b y divine right then marriage by purcha s e , ,

and la s tly the li b erty of th hu sb and to tre t his wive s

,
e a
with brutality .

T h restricti on s
e polygamy found i th Koran on n e are

very s ligh t M ar y not the women whom your fathe rs

:
“
r
had to wife it i s a s in and a b omination except what i s
: , :

already pa s t .
” 1

N ret r os pective e ffect here " We may conclude from

o

t h i s that up to the time f M ahomet the son s inherited

,
o ,

the harem f their fathe r a s is s till the ca s e in a number f

o ,
o

little despotic state s f negro Africa o .

Th holy book al s o command s res p ect f t h feminine

e or e

p ro perty of other s s ave in the ca s e f ca pture by w

,
f o ar o r o

religiou s i fi delity of the hu sb a d

n Y u fo r bidde to ‘

n
“
o are n

take to w ife free women wh married except tho s e o are ,

women whom your ri ght hand s hall p os s e ss a s slave s such

is th law f G d e 0 believers " whe
o o believing
.
” 2 “
n
women come unto y u a s refugee s try them A d if y u o ,
. n o

know them to be t r ue believer s send them t back to ,

no
their infidel hu s ban ds ; but give their husband s back what
they have expended f their dower In the Kora th or .
” 3 n e
respect f money is already much greater than f females
or or .

Th wife must b e p ur c ha s ed
e It is permitted unto y u to .
“
o

p rocure wive s with money and y u s hall keep them in , o

virtuou s ways avoiding debauchery G iv e u to her with . n

Who m thou dost cohabit the dower thou ha s t pro
,

”4
m ise d .

The ro
p p het coun s els the faithful with o ut however ,

commandin g it to have a s mall number f wives But ,

o :
“

if ye fear that ye cannot act equitably towards the orphans ,

t ake in marriage f s uch other women as plea s e you two or

o , ,

three four and not more

,
or ,
.
”

Th text ends with

e p ermi ss ion to the man merely t a o

p y a fictitiou s dowry to th wive s A ss ign dowrie s freely “

a e :

to your wive s and if it plea s e s them to give you b ack a

,

part enjoy it conveniently at your ea s e

”5
, .

A f the pro phet him s elf he was to b a b ove mo st f

’

s or , e o
the re s triction s which b impo s ed n other s 0 prophet
,

“
e o : ,
1
K ra S r t i 6 Ib d l i 3 3 5
'

Jo
'
'
ou a e, 2
‘

o n, v. . z . x . IO . za. v. .

2
M id iv . . 28 . 4
Mid iv . . 1 8.
r4 2 THE E VOL UTI O N OF MA R RJA GE

we have allowed thee thy wives unto whom thou hast give n
t heir do w e r and also the slaves which thy right hand
,

possesseth of the booty which G d h ath granted t h ee and o ,

the da ughters of thy uncle and the da ughters of thy aunts , ,

both on thy father s side and on thy mother s side wh h ave’ ’

, o
fl d with thee fr om M ecca and any other believin g woman
e , ,

if she give he r self unto the pr ophet 0 prophet if .

” 1 “
,

believing women come to thee for an asylum havin g ,

promised thee t h at they will flee idolat r y that they will not ,

s teal nor commit fornication no r kill their children and

, , ,

will not disobey thee in anything that is j ust believe them :

and pray for them G d is ind ulgent and merciful T his

o .
”2

last text gi ves a s ad enou gh idea f the morality of the o

A r ab women befo r e the time f M ahomet ; but taken o

toget h er with the precedin g one it show s how convenient ,

an d even a greeable it is to be the inte preter of the D ivine r

will .

With such facilitie s for rec ruitin g the harem f the , o

p pro het m ust have been r ichly furnished ; the r e fore he ha s

t ken care to fr ee himself fr om
a duty which he m o ne re c o

mend s to others of d o tum jug l Tho u mayest he

,
e z
'

c on a e:
“
,
”

says to himself either grant refuse thy embraces to

,
“
or

thy w ives .
” 3

O the contrary he says to vulgar believers Y can by “

n ,
e

no means carry yourselve s equally betwee wives in all n

respects thou gh you s tudy to do it the r efore turn not from
,

a wife with all m nner f aversion nor leave her likea in o ,

o ne

su s pense ; if ye a gree and fear to abu s e your wives G d i s , o

gracious and merciful .

”4

Polygamy is not rare in the world We have seen it and .

shall see it a gai in the cou r se f our inquiries ; but the

n o

p olygamy f the Koran h

o as an advanta ge over most of the
others ; it i s at once cele s tial and terre s trial for t h e paradise ,

f true believers is only an ideal harem Say 0 believer “

o : , ,

w hat shall I de la r e of greater benefit for those w h

c fear o

G d than gardens thro ug h which fl w river s of water whe r e

o ,
o ,

they shall dwell for ever and t h ere s hall be women wh o , ,

are pure vi rgin s etc D am s el s having la rge black

, .
5

eye s Therein h ll be agreeable dam s els whom no man

. s a ,

1
Ko r an , xxx iii .
47 .
3
1 6221 . xxx iii .
49 .
5
M id iii . . 13 .

2
Mid 4
1 28
’
. 1x . 1 2. l bio iv
. . .
 AM ) OF TH E FAM I L Y .
43

or geniu s hath d fl w d There s hall be youn g d e o e re .

1
an

beautiful virgins A d near them ( the elect ) s hall b e

.
2
n

ho uris with la r ge black eyes havi g com plexions like rubies ,

n

and pearls V erily we have created the dam s el s f Paradise

.
3
o

by a pec uliar creation .

” 4

Th whole f this s acred code

e tifi
o the inferiority f s an c es o

the woman and thi s inferiority ha s not been at all mitigated

,

in practice ; f iniquity always tenacious is far more so

or , ,

w hen it i s authorised by reli gion .

We mu s t otice however in regard to M u s sulman

n , ,

mar r iage a circum s tance which at fi rst sight i s s ingular it

, :

is that M h m t i m intervene s in nothing a s religion in

a o e an s , ,

all that that concerns marriage ; ll conjugal m atters a r e a

a b solutely private and even the civil power doe s not a ppear ,

any more than the religious power in the celebration f o

marriage .

A a g neral rule the future hu s band goe s to declare his

s e ,

unio t n the s heik o c di who then remits the minute or a ,

o f it to the interested party without kee p ing a co py f it , o .

Thi s formality is be s ides in no way obligatory the marriage, ,

i s considered as a private act and if afterw rds any dis pute s ,

a
should arise in relation to it the partie s concerned arrange ,

them well a s they as by ap pealing to the te s timonial c an ,

p roo f .
5

It all amount s to this that for M u s sulma s the wife is a ,

n
thing and the marriage a sim ple bargain Th wife i s
, . e
always s old to the husba d and the price i s di s cu ss ed either n ,

by her le gal representative b y her conventional gent or a .

Th nu ptial gift is even es s ential to m arria ge and if it has

e ,

not bee paid the wife ha s the right to refus e all intimate
n
commerce Th wife s ells her s el f say s Sidi Khelil ;
.
“
e ,
”

and every vendor has the ri ght to retain the m erchandi s e

s old until after taking the p ayment Before buying the .
” 6
,

s uitor i s allowed t the face and the hands f the bride ; o s ee o

for the hand s f the women are reputed to give an idea f
o o
her pers onal beauty .
7

A man ou ght whenever po ss ible to marry a virgin and , , ,

1
K ra 1 o n, Mid l 5 6 7 Q
11. 20 .l bi l i 2
. v. - .
3
a.
’
v . 22 .

4
M id l i 3 5 E M y i E d l l l m m p 48 5 ’ '

v e n e r, fu es s ur s a zs e, 1
S idi Kh l il t p 4 34 ( q t d by M y i )
. . . . . .

6
e , . u . . uo e e n er .

7
E M eynier, lac
. . c it . p . r5 9 .
1 44 I II E E VOL U TI ON OF MAR RI A GE

the bargain may be concluded s everal years before the

delivery of the merchandise If the girl is stil l a virgin .
1
,

no t emanci p ated but beyond the age w h en it i s con s idered

,

necessary to commence the special ol reserved to her sex r e ,

the father ha s the ri ght to im po s e marriage her on .

2

Th o rpha girl can also be married by the authority f

e n o

the Cadi if she is mo r e than ten years ld and if there

, o ,

is rea s on to fear that s he may lead an ir regular life .

3

In all other case s the consent of the gi r l is neces s ary .

This ci rcumstance let u s es p ecially note constit utes a , ,

real moral progre ss beyond savage polygamy and we ,

shall presently see that it i s not yet realised i Kabyle n .

Th consent of the girl i s given in two ways according to

e ,

whether she a virgin or not T hi s intere s ting pa r ticular

15 .

must be frankly declared du r ing the negotiation the Koran ,

commands t If the gi rl i s a vi rgin it is understood that

i .
,

mode s ty s hould depr ive her of s peech and in order to ,

s ignify ye s or no she must have recour s e to the language ,

of si gn s She can for exam ple s how her repugnance by

.
, ,

covering her face and her content by smiling But if ,

.

she is no longer kg t t s he i s allowed to speak oz v

'

z n ae a

freely .
4

We have s een that according to the Koran the woman , ,

owe s her master an absolute s ubmission ; and he in return , ,

whatever may be the n umber of hi s wives binds himself ,

morally not to leave any of them as i sus pense o ne

“
n .

This precept of the sacred code i s s pecifically carried out .

E very M ussulma owe s to his wive s an equal share f hisn o

nights and s he who has had the favour of the ight ha s a

,
n

ri ght to the following day also .

When the husband buys a fresh wife he is indebted to

her s even succes s ive nights if she i s a virgin ; for three
only in a contrary ca s e H has the r ight to re fu s greater
, . e e

exactions than this .

5

But the husband ha s other obligations H mu s t su pply . e

food to his wife even if h i s a ffl icted with a voraciou s

, s e
a pp etite T hi s last ca s e.i s con s idered a s a calamity but ,

1
E Meynie r, lac a t p p 1 5 8 -1 60
h ll t t
. . . . .

2
S idi K e i , ii pp 3 2 6 3 2 7 ( uo . . .
q d by M yei e n er ) .

3 ’
Joz a p 1 5 7
h l il t
. . .

1
E M eynier, Zoe c it p 1 5 8
. . . .
5
S idi K e , . 1 1. p 5 05
.
‘
.
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 1 45

the hu sb and mu s t resign him s elf to it or repudiate the ,

glutton .
1

T h husband owes b e s ide s to his wife or wive s water t

e , ,
o

drink water for ablution s and pu ifi ti

,
il to eat il to r ca o n s, o ,
o
-

burn oil for cosmetic unctions wood fo r cookin g and f

, ,
or

the oven s alt vinegar meat eve r y other day otherwi s e

, , ,
or ,

according to the custom i various countries H must n

'

. e
s upply them with a mat a bed— that i s to say a matt r e ss or
—
,

and a cover to put the mat These duties ha e cor on . v

relative right Th husband ha s the right to fo r bid his wif

s . e e

t
o eat garlic to eat or drink any other thing which may
, or

leave a di s agreeable odour H may interdict any occu pa . e

tion likely to weaken her or im pair her beauty F inally , .

2
,

if s he refu se s her conjugal o b ligation s without rea s onabl e

motives the husb nd can at will de prive her f s alt pepper
, a o , ,

vinegar etc Th s um total f the s e re s trictions render s

,
.
3
e o

Arab woman s p osition a very s ubordinate both

’
an o n e,

before and after marriage But th fat f the Kabyl . e e o e

woman i much more mi s erab le
s .

W r alway s heari g it repeated in F rance that the

e a e n
Kabyl man i s monoga m ous and con s e quently t s o
e , no

di fferent from ou rs elve s in thi s re spect a s the A ab ; but r

among th Kabyles a s among the Ara bs it i s polygamy
e , ,

which i s legal ; and if the greater number f the Kabyles o

are monogamou s i pr ctice it i s chiefly from economy n a , .

I s pite of their re publican cu s tom s

n f their res pect f , o or

individual liberty f the rights they accord to the mother,

o ,

and of certain safeguards with which they protect the

women in time f war cont ary al s o to the liberal o ,
r
t endencie s f the B rber s i relation to women the
o e n ,

Kabyle s of Algeria treat their married wome and their n

dau ghters a s actual s lave s and they a r e in this res p ect ,

inferior to the Arab s them s elves In all matter s that refer .

4

to sexual relations the Kabyle cu s tom s are ferociou s .

O utside f marriage all union

o f the s exes i s s everely o

interdicted i Kabyle d the married woma ha s no

n , an n
personality ; s he is literally thing po ss e ss ed a .
5

1
E M eynie r, Zoe c it p 1 6 5 I bz a p 1 6 6 2 3
'
’
1 5 221 p 1 6 7
t r
. . . . . . . . . . .

1
etc , des B erber“
'
‘
E S ab a ie , E s sa z s ur sedenta z res , in
'

. .

R ev ue d a n tfi ropologz e, 1 8 8 2
’ '

t t rn x t
.

5
H ano e au e t L e o u eu , L a K abylz e, p 1 48
'

11 . . . .
1 46 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

T he young Kabyle girl is sold by her fathe r her b rother , ,

her uncle s ome relation ( f o) ; i s hort by her legal

, or a e n ,

owner I announcing hi s marria ge a man s ays q uite

n
b luntly— I have bought a wife
.
,
“
When a father has ”

married his dau ghter the phra s e in ordinary u s e i s H , e

ha s eaten his daughter .
” 1

A mong the C h u f but it i s an exce ptional ca s e the

e r as, ,

gi r l i s con sulted the choice f a h usband when s he has

on o
attained the g of rea s on ; everywhere else the virgin
a e

daughter is never consulted and even th widow and , e

repudiated wife to whom the M u ss ulman law accord s
,

liberty cannot dis po s e of them s elve s in Kabyle countries

, .
2

In many t r ibes however the daughter can twice refuse , ,

the man that i s proposed to her ; but after that s he has

exhau s ted her right and i s forced t submit , o .
3

T h le gal owner f the Kabyle w oman generally give s

e o
her at her wedding garment s and j ewels ; or rather he
, , ,

lends them to her for it i s forbidden to the woman to ,

di spo s e f them and at her death the s e preciou s article s

o ,

mu s t b e returned to her relative s .

4

A e ss ential condition of the Kabyl marriage a of the

n e , s
Arab is the payment f a certain price generally de b ated
, o , ,

but which certain tribe s f s outher Jurjura have fixed once o n

for all Thi s price i s called the turban ( tfidm tfi) as
. an ,

with u s pi money is s poken f A penal s anction

n-
”
o .

guarantee s the payment f th t/dm m l d the delivery o e z a

‘
z an

o f th per s n s old
e o .
5

I pnrinci p le t h woma h right ver the e n as no o

6
’
l im m t/
z zc c z.

Be s ide s th purcha s money or fl m fl th K abyl

e e ,
zcz
’'
an z, e e
further s tipulate s in addition that he s hall receive a certain
quantity fprovisions ( cattle or food fl our oil butter) to b
o , , , , e
consumed during the marriage festivities .

T h villa ges which have t ifi d the tfi dm ifi have also

'

e ar e an

fi x d the amount of these presents

e .

Th father likewi s e stipulates for the b enefit of th

e ,
e
daughter who is s old a gift of g rment s and f j ewels ; but , a o

thi s gift dispen s e s the husband from providing in thi s

1
H t L t r
ano e au e t x L K byl p 48
e o u neu , a a
’

z e, t . 11 . . 1 .

6
2
I d , ibid p
. . . 1 49 .
4
Id ,. ibid p . . 1 62 . I d , ibid
. .

3 5
I d , ibid p
. . . 1
5 0. I d , ibid pp
. . . 1 52 , 1 53 .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 1 47

respect f the maintenance f the wife during

or year o o ne .

This is p artic ularly neces s ary b ecau s e the bride in q uitting , ,

her parent s leave s them all that she ha s received and

, ,
1

take s away nothing but her body .

It i s sometime s the mother who thu s make s the conj ugal

sale f her daughter but condition f being recognised
o ,
on o

as guardian ; and even then s he doe s not enjoy like the ,

father an unre s trained power and she has to con s ult her
, ,

daughte r .
2

O nce purcha s ed the Ka b yle w ife is entirely at the mercy

,

o f the h usband proprietor She must follow him wherever

-
.

it s uit s him to s ettle her only act ual po ss e s sion i s the

raiment which cover s her H husband ha s the right to . er
chastise her with his fi t with stick with a s ton or eve s , a ,
e, n
with a poignard H i s only for b idden to kill her without a
. e

rea s onably seriou s motive .

3

I f however when s he ha s b ecome a mother

, ,
h is , s e
unable to s uckle her child the law decide s that the hu s band ,

is obliged to provide a wet nur s e ; though thi s is more for 4

the child s s ake tha the mother s as she care s little enough
’
n
’
,

ab out the infant .

T h married woman i s con s idered s o entirely as p roperty

e

i n Kabyle that the prolonged bs ence f the ma s ter i s a o

allowed to s et her free In thi s ca s e she b elong s after four .

,

years to her maternal relation s wh hav the right to marry o e re -

her that is to s ay to s ell her—unles s the ab s ent hu sb and

—
, ,

,
t e-

h as left her a s u ffi cient provi s ion H owever the hu sb and s .

,
’

parent s can delay the di s solution f the fi r s t marr iage o ,

s ometime s for seven ye r s s ometime s f ten yea r s but a ,

or ,
on

condition f taking the place of the a b sent husband in

o

fu r ni s hi g the deserted wife with food and clothes

n .
5

T h K abyle woman therefore married

e not is alway s , , or ,

a thing po ss es s ed W e s hall s ee later that even W idowhood

.

does t enfra chis her Th ri ght f correcting the

no n e . e o
woman wh i s t under th power f a hu s ba d ceases
o no e o n

only when she has reached an g when marriage would b e :

a e
ste r ile and es pecially if she ha s in way abjured her s ex by
, a
mixing with men in the markets .
6

1
H t L t rn x L K byl t p 6 ’

ano te au e e ou eu ,
a a z e, . 11. . 1 1.
2 4 6
I d ibid p 5 I d ibid p 169 I d ibid p
1.
5 1 1 1.
t ii p 65 I d t ii p 46
. .
, . .
, . . . .
, . .

3 5
[d .
, . . . 1 . .
, . . . 1 .
1 48 TH E E V OL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

Ve ry often the a s similation f the Kabyle people to the o

F rench i s spoke of a s a thing rel tively e a y
n It appear s to a s .

me that the servile subjectio of the Kabyle woman i s an n

almost in s urmountable obstacle to this dr eam f fusion o .

Without doubt the marri d woman i F rance is only a e n

minor ; but in Kabyle she is still in the lowe s t s tage f o

s lavery In thi s respect the Berbers f Kabyle are on a
. o
level with the coarse s t s avage s ; t h ey even inferior to are
the Arab s althou gh the latter have pre s erved almost
,

unchan ged the polygamic egim f th old I slamite and r e o e ,

even p Islamite age s But in ll times d all countrie s

re- . a an
the ondition of woman is the mea s ure f the moral
c o

development f the whole people N w in rega r d to this

o . o ,

the r e is a gulf betwee Ka byle and civilised E urope n .

Th p olygamic e
e gi m ha s be s ides in eve r y country an
r e

almost nece s sary result—the slavery of women This is

, ,

natural A in the horde s f chim pan ees the male the

. s o z , ,

an th p m rO ph u paterfamilia
o or s only
o maintain
s s hi uthority , s a
by force and by xpelling hi s rivals s o in human s ocietie s
e , , ,

th p olygamou s hu s band
e hardly b anything but the c an e

p roprietor f s ubju g ated

o bein g s not darin g to as p ire to ,

freedom It may be remarked al s o that the polygamic

,

appetite s o habitual to m
,
cannot be s t range to an,
woman Both have the same blood and s har the me
,

. e sa

heredity Th polygamou s husband the r efore has always

. e , ,

to prevent o r repres s the straying of his feminine fl ck o

by clo se confinement or by te rr or U nder a polygamic .

regim the wife ha s scarcely any right s ; s he has c h iefly

e

duties .

I II . P olyga my in E gyp t,
M exic o,
a nd P eru .

I have dwelt long enough M ussulman polygamy on .

F r om a s ociologic l p oint f view it is extremely interestin g

a o .

It a ffords us the o ppo r tu ity f studyin g from life customs n o

w hich with di fferences of detail m ust have been those of

, ,
all ivili s ed peo ples at a certain pe riod of their evolution
c ,

and which probably have only been ke pt up among the

Islamites on account f the confusio f civil d religious o n o an

la w s these la s t giving t polygamy a s ort of consecration

,
o .

In all the great primitive barbarou s monarchie s th e

 AN D OF TH E F AM I L Y .

polygamy f the fi r st age s ha s been by deg rees re s trained

o

or abolished according to the mea s ure f s cial progre ss

,
o o .

I ancient E gypt polygamy w s till in force ; but

n as
a lready it wa s interdicted to the prie s t s cont rary to what ,
1

ha s happened nearly everywhere A a matter of fact and . s ,

by the s im ple ece ss ity re s ulting from the pro portion fthe
n o

s exes even when polygamy i s authorised and legal it i s

, ,

especially the luxury f rich and powe ful m ; the com o r en

m on people have everywhere been reduced to mo nogamy ,

wh ether they wi s hed it not U nder most of t h e great or .

early de s potic monarchies which had emerged from primi

tive s v gery thi s fact bec me legalised and plurality of
a a a ,

wive s con s tituted a privilege re s erved to th great one s e

o f the land .

In ancient Peru monogamy wa s o bligatory for m who en

posse ss ed othin g but not for th Inca and the noble s of

n , e
the ki gdom Thus th la s t Inc Atahual pa had three
n . e a, ,

thousand wive s co cubine s A generally happen s when

or n . s

p lygamy is rest r ained there wa s already

o hierarchy among , a
the wive s of the Inca ; of them who wa s obliged to o ne ,

be his s ister the y w re puted s uperior to the others

, eo a , as ,

and her elde s t s ucceeded hi s father O thi s p int a s

so n .
2
n o ,

on many other s ancient Peru had uncon s ciou s ly co pied

,

E gypt .

In M exico also monogamy wa s habitual f the poor , or ,

but the powerful and the no b les had number f wive s .

a o

proportioned to their rank and to their riches In M exico .

8
,

a s in Per u polygamy was mon gami c in the s ens that

, o e
one wife had p emi nence over the others and that her
re- ,

children lone inherited the p t lt itl and wealth

a a e rn a e .

T hi s polygamy f prince s and p otentate s who by right of

o ,

birth s o r bove the commo rul i s f und also in the

.
a a n e, o
great A yan em pires f As ia
r o .
4

1
D io do rus , boo k i 80
W r tt
. .

2
P esc o , H ist oftire Con q
'

uest af P em , v o l 1 p 46
W r tt
. . . . . .

3
P e s c o , H isl of Ik e Con q ues t of M exic o, v o l i p 121
r rt
. . . . . .

He r
be S pen c e , S oc iology , v o l ii p 2 8 3 . . . .

4
F M iille r, A llgem E t/ mogm , p 2 6 3
. . . .
1
5 0 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF MAR R I A G E

IV . P olygamy in P ers ia a nd I n dia.

The polygamy of th mona r chs of ancient Pe r si s eems e a

to have been co pied from that of the kings f E gypt or of o ,

the Incas of Peru They had numerous concubines and .

th ree four wive s f whom

or wa s e specially considered
, o o ne
as queen privileged wife
, or .
1

A for the Persian s of more ancient time s s till th

s ,
e
M a dean s w h drew up the sacred code f the Ave s t if
z o o a,
w refer to the Zend text we find they had a most severe
e ,

sexual morality Th Ave s tic code condemn s and punishes

. e

resort to prostit ute s s eduction s exual extravagances abor , , ,

tion etc Throughout that portion f th Avesta which

, . o e
ha s come down to u s there i s recognitio of polygamy no n ,

and the ver s e s which mention ma rriage have quite a

monogamic meanin g It s eems however s ays of the .

, ,
o ne
‘

t ranslators of t h e Avesta that amon g the ancient Persians ,

polygamy may have been authori s ed in case f sterility o

o f the fi r s t wife L ike anth r opo phagy polygamy is an

.
2
,

o r iginal s in with human societies But writings so ex .

e lu s ively religiou s d even litu rgic as the Avesta con s titute

an
very incomplet s ource s f information in regard to civil
e o
in s titutions T s tudy the marriage f the ancient Persian s
. o o

in the Ave sta s eem s about a s ill us ory a s it would be to

s tudy our s in a C atholic prayer b ook -
.

We know also from the Code of Manu and historical ,

and ethnographical document s that polygamy is and ha s ,

been far from being unkno w n i India and yet it is n ,

di fficult to prov from th text of the V edic hymn s that th

e e e

writer s of the s chant s have practi s ed it

e .

Thi s may be inferred however from s everal verse s I , ,

. n

the beginning th morals were coar s enough for abortion

e e

to be common L t Agni we re d in hymn kill

.
“
e ,
a a ,
“

the k h wh under the form of a brother hu s band

ra c asa o, ,
a ,

or a lover approache s thee to de s troy thy f u t

,
O r 1
”3
n

the other hand woman is held in s light esteem by the

,

s cred chant s S h i s being of incapable mind and

a . e a
“

H rb rt S p
1 r S i l gy l p 9 5
e e enc e , oc o o ,
vo . 11. . 2 .

C d H l 2
1 m m I r d lxx i
e ar ez / 1 nt o c

iii l t i
.
,
.
.
,

Rg V 3
z - H xx 45
’
oo a, sec . v . ec . v ii . . . v er . .
 A N D OE TH E F A M I L Y . 1 5 1

unfit f s eriou s em ployment

or In hymn Satchi the .
” 1
one , ,

da ughter f Bul m boast s f having ecli psed her rival s

o o an , o

in t h e eyes f her hu sb and A ce r tain number of verse s

o .
2

s peak of the wive s f the gods T h p raying cow s the s e

o :
“
e ,

wive s f Agni wish to obtain a proof of the virility f th

o ,
o e

god .
”3

In San skrit the word finger i s feminine and thu s very “ ”

,

often the fi ngers which handle th s acred mortar are called e

th ten wives f Agni
e o .
4

In short other account s leav u s no room to doubt t hat

,
e
in primitiv India a s elsewhere the great and the powerful
e , ,

have largely practi s ed polygamy from V edic time s .

5

That these cu s tom s have b ee tho s f Brahmanic India n e o ,

the text f M anu i anti quity and th report s f tr veller s

o n , e o a
in moder time s atte s t loudly enou gh O ver s of M anu
n ,
. ne e
regulate s the right of s uccession f s on s that Brahmin o a

may hav by four wive s belonging to di fferent ca s te s If

e .

a Brahmin ha s four w ives b elonging to four classe s i the ,

n

direct order and if they all have s on s thi s i s th rule f

, , e o

inheritance L t the s on f th Brahmin ( after h vi g

. e o e a n

deducted the b ull th chariot and th jewels ) tak thre , e , e e e

part s of the re s t ; let the of the K h t iy wife t k so n c a r a a e

two part s ; that f th V aisya part and half ; that f
o e , o ne a o
the So dra one part only
n , .
” 6

Another ver s e much mor s ingular declare s that the

, e ,

children of s econd wife b elo g to th per s on who ha s lent

a n e
th money to b uy her
e :
“
H who ha s e wif and who after havin g b orrowed
a e, ,

money f om s ome r mar ies another with it derive s no

o n e, r ,

other advantage tha th s en s ual plea s ure ; th children n e e

belong to the m who ha s given the money an 7 A for the .
”
s
king the Code of M a u permit s polygamy to him in th
, n e
large s t measure at lea s t under th for m f concubin ge H
, e o a . e

ou ght to have a tr p f wives who s e duty it i s to fan him

00 o , ,

a nd t pour water and perfume s over hi s augu s t person

o .

1
R ig- Veda, s ec iii , H ver 1 7 . . . . .

2 ’
I bia s ec v iii , H xv n , v e r 5 , 6
l t
. . . . . . .

2
I bia se c iii , ec
’
. iv , v e r 3
. . . . . .

5
I bid sec v ii , e c t v iii , H
. . v i , v er
. l . . . xx . . 2 .

E B urn o uf, E ss a i s ur lo Vea a, p 2 1 3

.
’ ’
. .

6
Code of M a n n , ix v er 1 49 1 5 1 . .
-
.

7
I bid xi v e r 5
. . . .
152 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A RR I A G E

He refreshes himself with them from the cares f govern o

m ent and passes the night in their agreeable com pany
, .
1

We must not forget besides that t h e M ahabharata has , , , as

informed us the K h t iy practi s ed marriage by capture

,
c a r as
and polygamy .
2

T sum up in India as everywhere else polygamy has

o , , ,

e volved ; it has at first been common ; the w h en power n,

an d riche s have been concent r ated in the hands f a s mall o
number it has become the privilege f the great Th
, o . e
polygamy of the princes and f the rich Brahmins was even o

the first o bs tacle encountered in the seventeenth century

by the preaching of the Jesuit s in India .
3

In the pre s ent time it i s the same for the great and ,

cu s tom tolerates a s econd wife even to common hu s bands , ,

in c s e f sterility f the fi t I shall have to speak again

a o o rs .
4

o f the s e custom s in treating f concubinage o .

If we w sum up the general s ense f the umerou s

no o n
fact s which I have j ust pa s sed in review we s ee that with ,

the e tire human race polygamy ha s s ucceeded to the sexual

n
and conj ugal anarchy of the fir s t ages L ike all other .

in s titutions pr imitive p olygamy h g rad ually become

, as
regulated but always while keepin g the woman in a very
,

humiliating po s ition O fact f great im portance and . ne o ,

w hich ha s by degree s ruined the egim f a plurality of r e o

wive s even when custom law and religion authorised it i s

, , , ,

that polygamy became a l uxury W ithin the reach only f o

rulers as soon a s a tolerable s ocial condition rest r ained the

,

t
oo rapid mortality of male s Indeed from this mome t .
,
n

the sexual equilibri um f birth s com pelled the greater o

num b er f men to practical monogamy and thencefort h
o , ,

as H erbert S pencer j us tly remarks a public O pinion was ,

necessarily formed in favour f mono gamy O ften there o .

,

fore p olygamy constit uted legal pr ivilege it wa s expressly

, a
limited to kings gr eat men and prie s t s , ,
.

Besides this a hiera rchy became established among the

n umerous wives and o f t h em had p r ecedence
,
f her o ne o

companion s .

1
Code o f M an u v i l . v er. 2 1 9 , 2 2 1 , an d 2 2 4
Wak e
.
,
2
E v olution of M orality, v o l ii p 2 4 1
t t t
. . . .
,
3
L ettres éciijl, vi p 26 ; xv p 2 8 6 ; x1 1 p 4 1 6
Wak e
. . . . . . . . . .

4
, loo c it , v o l 1 1 p 2 30
. . . . . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 153

F inally legal monogamy wa s decreed b ut thi s monogamy

, ,

was in appearance only In practice the pai f it w

. n o as
softened by com promi s e s nota bly b y pro s titution which
, ,

was at lea s t tolerated and b y concubinage which rec ived

, ,
e
the con s ecration flaw
o .
 C H A P TE R X .

P R O S T I TUT I ON A ND C ON B I N E CU AG .

I Conc ubin age in General .

—Freq
ue nc y and ra
e so n o l a
f po yg m ic
ll t
.

ins tinc ts—Pa ia iv es o f m o n o gam y.

II —P imiti pr tituti —S l w ri f rupl

'

P ros tz tutz om
’

r ve os on o se o sc es

i t i —P
.

S p ial i at i n f pr t ituti
ec s o i o i il i d os tituti i thon n c v se so c e es ro s on n e

a i nt S t t f C ntr l Am ri a i Chi d jap n—Th ight f

nc e a es o e a e c n na an a e r o

ath r d pr tituti i J pan—Pr tituti i I di —R l igi u

,

th f e e an os on n a os on n n a e o s

t t t n — P r t itut i n i E ur p
,

p r i
os u i o os o n o e.

I I I V i u F m f Co ubi g —Th
ar o s or ubi t —
: o C ubi nc na e e c o nc na e o nc ne
—
.

t S m m d r f t f th a m
.

ca p i i J ud
v es d Hn m r i G r
aea an o e c eec e o e o e n ac s o e s e

k i d—S la
n ubi ve i Afri a i Aby i i
c o nc n es d M dag nr c n s s n a, an a as c a

tral Am ri —Cat g ri f th
,

L g l ubi t i C ubi t na e

i M xi —
e a c o nc na e n en e ca e o es o e c o nc

n Th
e l r wi
co i Tar tary
e d Ch i a—
es s e C ubi i
v es n an n o nc nes n

A yr ia am
ss g th A r b on d i I di — G
e r k h t ir i m a— Th
s, an n n a ee e a
‘

s e c on

i t R m —Th
,

cub i t i na e n an c en ubi t f th p im iti

o e th l i e c o nc na e o e r ve ca o c

l rgy—C ubi
c e by p r a ut i
o nc nes C t m p rary“
ubi ag ec on on e o c o nc n e

Why it d
-
t x i t i Kabyl —Th
o es n o el uti f ubi ag s n e e e vo on o c o nc n e.

I . Conc ubin age in G eneral .

connecting link b etwee polygamy and monogamy

As a n ,

concu b inage de s erve s special study .

Between in s titutions a s between organised beings there , ,

i s no sudden leap Societie s evolve s lowly ; it is by degrees .

that custom s become refined and that la ws are form ulated ,

of a less and le s s brutal kind It ha s been with marr iage .

a s with everything el s e T the confusion f pr imitive . o o

bestial unions when polygamy after the manner f chim,

o

p prevailed have s ucceeded s exual as s ociation s

an z ee s ,

regulated by law s d cu s tom s I hav s ucce ss iv ly an . e e

 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF MAR RI A G E . 1 55

de s cribed the s outlines or primitiv form s of marriage

e e ,

ending with polygamy which itself i s t incom patibl ,

no e

with a somewhat advanced civili s ation but which gener ,

ally by its re s triction s s oon develops a tendency toward s

, ,

monogamy .

Th aby ss is not s o very great that separate s polygamic

e
from monogamic marriage .

A w have s een p rimitive man b s ide s having

s e ,
purely , e a
animal a b sence of mode s ty ha s generally p olygamic ,

in s tinct s and nothing

,
be more natural s ince he c an ,

de s cend s from anthro poid pre c ur s ors and th great , e

monkey s h bitually polygamou s But the s olidity
are a .

o f in s tinct s moral immoral is alway s i proportion t

, or , n o

the dur tio of t heir ri s e N w during enormous chrono

a n . o ,

logical period s or cycles i com pari s on with which th ,

n e
historic a ge s of humanity but a moment our earest are ,
n

animal ance s tor s and u prehi s toric p u have as far

o r e rc rs o rs ,

as it w p o s sible lived i a polygamic égim It is there

as ,
n r e .

fore quite natural that most men even i the present time ,
n ,

s hould be much inclined to p olygamy and that primitive ,

societie s s hould o ly hav emerged s lowly and im perfectly

n e
from it while tem pering monogamic marriage b y p olygamic
,

p alliatives O f the s.palliative s th two p rincipal

e o e s s till e n
in u s e amo gs t the mo s t civili s ed people s are pro s titutio
n n
and concubinage which la s t become s a concu b inate when
,

legali s ed .

II . P rostitution .

It would certainly b out of place here to give a detailed e

hi s tory of prostitution H aving be s ide s repeatedly s poken
.
, ,

of it i the preceding chapter s I may now confin myself to

n , e
recapitulating the chief t rait s f it s evolution I primitiv o . n e
s ocietie s a s w know it i s general and in no way b lamed
, e , , .

F ree girl s d wome willi gly sell them s elve s and more
an n n ,

often s till they are an article of traffi c for their par t lik
, en s, e
any other merchandi s e .

N idea
o f s hame yet attache s t s exual u ion s
o as o n
considered in them s elve s Prostitution is a sim ple barter .

w hich s hock s no and venal love is merely re s trained

o n e,
b y re s pect for the pro perty of another Wome who e
.

. n ar
1 56 TE E E VOL UTI O N OF M AR R I A G E

already appropriated posse ss ed by a man are in princi ple , or ,

respe ted b ut solely by the s ame title as any other p o

c , r

p erty T.heir master s their husband s those who have bought , ,

or c ptured them have a perfect ri ght to hire them out to

a ,

whom s oever they will a s the Au s tralian hu s band s do d , , an

as the Polynesian one s did .

Whe the appropriation f women polygamic as much as

n o ,

po s sible became general the more than fickle in s tinct s f

, , o

pr mitive man p er i s ted none the le ss ; and as a matter f

i s , o
fact it is then that prostitution in the modern sense of the
, ,

word first arose O u ts ide the maj ority of wome regularly

, . n,
belonging t husband proprietors there existed i much
o -
, , n
smalle n umbers women trafficking their pers o ns either
r , ,

voluntarily for their own profit for that of th eir legal ,

or

p o ss e s sor s At S e for exam ple and in many other

. naar, ,

countries me r chants and s lave dealer s trade very pr o fi tably

,
-

in their feminine live stock .

We know also that in primitive Athen s th most , ,

e
eminent men pos s s sed troops of prostitute s and drew a e ,

large revenue from them for it i s very s lowly that pros titu -

tion and all that relate s to it ha s awakened any s cruple in

, ,

the human con s cience .

E ven at the mo s t glorious period of H ellenic civilisation ,

with what consideration were the mo s t distin guished h t i e a rae

’

s till regarded s ince Socrate s and Pericle s willi gly met at

,
n

the house fAspa s ia o

In all the more le ss cultivated societie s f the old or or o

new world prostitution has flouri s hed or continue s to

fl ourish It i s even in refined societies alone that pro s
.

tituti become s s pecialised and legali s ed and ends by

on ,

being regula ted by becoming i sho t kind f i titu , , n r, a o ns

tion s u pplementing legal marriage and being concurrent

,

with it
E v rywhere—i all countries and among all races
.

e n ,

prostitution ha s been continue s to be tole rated and , or , ,

s ometimes even honoured It existed in t h e gr eat states f . o

Cent r al America in ancient Peru in ancient M exico and , , ,

i N icaragua w here there were already prostitute s

n ,
d an

brothels In thi s last country the moral s were still s o

.

impure d continence although very relative s o di ffi cult

, an , ,

t be r that at a certain
o a ,
nnual fe s tival the wom en of all a
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 1 57

cla s ses wer authorised to abando themselv s to whom

e n e
s oever they plea s ed .
1

In the great societies founded by the M ongoloid race s ,

or the M ongol s of As ia prostitution dis plays it s elf in th , e

ope d y I n China tea ho us e s abound although th
n a .
,
-
, e
a ncient morality f the C ele s tial E m pire makes cha s tity a o

moral d uty for unmarried girl s d wome In Cochin an n .

China and Japan the contrary practice and theo r y are

,
on
2
,

i
n accord N moral brand f sham attaches to the
. o o e

p rostitute In Cochin
. China s ay s F inlay s on a father has -
, ,
3

the right to give hi s daughter f s mall s um f money to ,

or a o ,

a vi s itor even a s tranger without th reputatio f the

or , e n o
yo ung girl ufl i g any harm and without any hindra c
s
’

er n ,
n e
to her finding a suitabl husband afterward s In Ja pan e .

the tea hou s e s (t i y )

- more numerou s s till than
s a a are
in China ; in the large tow s they form vast q uarter s n ,

and som of them e very lux uriou s Th mode f are . e o

recruiting for inmate s s eem s at fi r s t improbable to a

E uro pean d thi s alon s u f
, fi ce s to s how the relativity of
an e
morality .

E verywher th ri ght of the father of a family

e
“
e over his
children ha s b egun by being unlimited In Ja pan it i s .

s till exce s sive even over married daughte , Thus M rs . .

Bou squet who wa s travelli g in Jap n a few years

,
n a
ago relate s that a s h was lodging one day in the
,
e
hou s e f young married co uple th father of the wi f
o a , e e
o ffered her t him and the husband did t dream of
o , no

p rote s ti g n .
4

A daughter re pre s ents a certain amount of ca pital ,

b elonging fi r s t to the father d then to the hu s band ; to an

alienate it without the con s ent of the proprietor is a theft ,

but with hi s authori s atio the action become s lawful and n ,

therefor parent s who are in di ffi culties negotiate their

e
daughter without any interve tion by the Japane s e law A n .

youn g girl i s ven admired when s he pro s titute s her s elf

e
from devotion Th Japanese romances r ep at to satiety
.
“
e e
the s tory of the virt uou s virgin wh voluntarily s ubmit s to o

thi s s ervitude in order to save her father from mise ry or to ,

1
B r ft l i
anc o l p 6 7 6o o. c t vo 11 .

V y t xxx i p id t xxx i p 3 34
, .
, . . .

2
Hi U i
s t. n v . ales
33 M o 1
3 v.

t t
. .
.
, . . . . . .

4
G B q L j j 6 I“
'
o us ue
.
p , e
p 4 a o n ae n os o urs . . 2 .
1
5 8 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R RI A G E

pay the de b t s f her b etrothed o In Japan hou s e s of .

” 1
,

pro s titution are a national in s titution the l w regulates the a

co s tume f the wome wh inhabit them and the du ration

o n o ,

of their stay O thi s point E urope has little to envy

. n
Ja pan But what is s pecial to Ja pan is that the tik /i
. a e e,

the inmates f the s e houses are placed there by their

o ,

parent s themselves and for a price that i s debated before ,

hand These inmates f the tea ho use s generally enter

. o -

them from the age of fourteen or fifteen years t live there ,

o

till they are twenty fi year s old They are taught to -

ve .

dance to s ing to play the guitar and to write letters

, , , .

They are lod ged in hand s ome a pa r tments where men g ,

o

to s ee them O penly and without any mystery .

T hey r i no way dishonoured by their trade

a e n many of
them marry very well afterward s ; it even happens that
re spectable citi en s g to s eek an agreeable wife in these
z o

houses f pleasu r e Th mo s t beautiful among them a r e

o . e
celebrated After their death their portrait s are placed in
.

the tem ple s In the tem ple f A x s ay s M Bous quet

.
“
o sa a,
”
.
,
“
i s found painting repre s enting several Japanese ladie s in
a
full dres s ; they are my guides tell me the portraits f the , ,
o

mo s t celebrated courte san s f Y eddo whic h are annually o ,

p laced here in t h eir honour So al s o D Schliem nn . r

. a

report s that he ha s s een statue s of deified courtesans in the

Ja p ne s e temples Their celestial intervention wa s implo r ed
a .

in n original manner Th s u ppliant s first wrote a prayer

a . e
on paper then ma s ticated the re que s t and rolled it into a
a ,

bullet which they shot with an air gu at the statues of these

,
-
n

stran ge divinitie s .
2

It is clear that th Japane s e di ffer very much from u in e s

th ir idea of feminin irtue They hav

e idea howeve r
e v . e an , ,

n d do not in the lea s t p ermit the women to l they ‘

a o v e as

p lease T hu. s the girl who gives herself to a lover witho u t

p ater al authori
n s tion i s le gally p unishe
a d by s ixty la s he s
with whip and the Japanese public would t endu r e in
a ,
no a

p lay the p er s onage of a young gi r l in love .

3

It is t the chastity of woman a s we understand it

no , ,

b ut her s ubjection that Japane s e morality re quires Th ,

. e

1
G B q t l
o us it t
ue p 8 7 oe. c 1 9 13
S hl i m n L Cl i
. . .
,
.
.
,
2
c e an l j p a z n e et e a on
t
.
,

q a D M ’
3
G B . L
o us Th e ue j ,p ( R
e u u tre au a on ev e a es e x ona/es,
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 1 59

woman is a thing pos s es s ed and h r immorality con s i s t s , e

s imply in dispo s ing freely of hersel f .

A regards p ro s titutio
s Brahmanic India is s carcely mor n, e
scru pulou s than Ja pan and there again w fi d religiou s , e n

p rostitution practi s ed in the temples analogou s to that ,

w hich in ancient G reece wa s practi s ed at C y pru s C orinth , ,

M iletus T en d s L e sb o s A bydo s etc

, e o , , ,
.
1

Accordin g to the le gend the Buddh him s elf Sakya ,

a ,

mouni when vi s iting th f mou s India town f V li

, e a n o es a ,

was received ther by the great mi s tres s f the cour e o

2
te s an s .

But th Brahmin s have t bee mor s trict in what

e no n e
concern s pro s titution tha th founder of the great n e
Buddhi s t religion O thi s point the account s of traveller s
. n

and mis s ionarie s s u pplement th s ilence f th Code of e o e

M anu T h writer s of L tt
. e fi t found religiou s
é g e res a
’
a n es

pro s titution Openly practi s ed in the Brahmanic tem ple s .

“
T h p eo ple hav
e of them th idol
e o ne ,
“
e
named C pp l in eigh b ouring hou s e ; ther h i s erved
o a a n e s e s

by prie s t s and by D /i s lave s of the god s The sev aaac z

'
, or . e
are pro s titut girl s who s e em ployment i s to d nce and to
e , a
ring little b ell s i cadenc while s inging infamou s s ong s
n e ,

either in the pagoda in the street s whe th idol is ,

or n e
carri d ut in state In thi s ca s it w
e o m tter f actual
.
”3
e as a a o

comm rce f trading for the pro fi t of th prie s t s and th

e ,
o e , e
l tter h d recour s without any s h m t w hat w call to
a a e a e o e

d y the adverti s ement to attract the cu s tomer s I heard “ ”

a .
,

relate s the same mi ss ionary publi s hed with th blowing ,

“
e
o f a trum pet that the wa s danger i freque tin g th
,
re n n e

D l u wh dwelt in the town ; b ut th t could

’
’
ev aaac o a o ne

s fely i s it tho s wh s erved in the tem ple of

a v e o

A old traveller S
n t confirm s the testimony
, f the
o nn era , o

mi s sionarie s of the seventeenth century H affi rm s that . e ,

like all th other H indoos the Brahmin s are much

e ,

addicted to libertinage and th at in their pract ical morality , , ,

it i s t co sidered no fault to have com m erce with

n a
a courte s a ; that they have licentiou s books in which
n

1
k
L e c y, H istory of E uropean M orals , v o l 1 p . . . 1 03 .

2
M rs S pie , L i f r
e in A nc ie n t I ndia , p 2 8
t
. . .

3 4
L ettres éa ijiantes, xii p 4 1 2 I bid p 4 1 7
’
. . . . . . .
1 60 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A GE

refined deb uchery is taught x p f a that they use e ro esso

love charms etc

-
, .
1

I st op here and pu rposely abst in from s peaking of

,
a
the prostitution f E uro pe We know too well that it has o .

always been very fl ourishin g as well in ancient R ome a s i , n

the M iddle Ages although they were so catholic In old , .

F r ance it established it s elf boldly in full daylight to such , ,

a deg r ee that s ome towns that of R ouen for exampl e had , ,

their p xé ét ju é wearing b ron e medal s with the arms of

ro n es r s, z

the town on them A for contem p r ry pr ostit utio it i s 2

. s o a n,
su perfl uous to call attention to the fact that it i s one of our
great s ocial di s ea s es .

T s um up the ori gin of pro s titution goe s back to the

o ,

mo s t p imitiv soci etie s ; it is anterior to all the forms f

r e o

marriage and it ha s per s i s ted down to our own day i

, n

every country and whatever might be the race reli gion

, , ,

form of gover ment or conju gal egim prevailing Taken

n , r e .

by it s elf it would s u ffi ce to prove that monogamy is a type

,

of marria ge to which mankind ha s found it very di f fi cult to

bend itself ; the very general exi stenc of the concubinat e e
completes the demon s t ration .

III V i u F m f C Oi g . ar o s or s o o nc n na c .

Betwee animal love that can b tasted with the pro s titute
n ,
e ,

and the noble s t monogamic union there i s a wide space , ,

which the concu b inate has filled L egal concubinage . or

the concubinate admitted and practi s ed a s we shall s ee in

, , ,

so many countrie s i s a rt of free m rriage tolerate d by , so .

a ,

c ustom rec gnised by law and exi s ting by the side f

, o , c o- o

mon gamic marriage the rigo ur of which it palliate s It

o , .

wa s at firs t a blending of polygamy with monogamy and ,

then undergoing it s elf an evolution analogou s to t h at which

,

has cau s d the doption by degrees f legal monogamy

e a o

among n rly all civilised people s it ended by becoming i

ea , n
its turn monogamic i ancient R ome I will briefly retrace n .

its ethnogr phical histo ry a .

In its primitive phase still very confus ed the concubinat , , e

ha s bee simply the conju gal appropr iatio of slaves
n . n ,

Hi 1
2
U i d V t xxx i p 3 5
s t. n v . es oy .
, . . . 1 .

De s m az e, Curiosité s des us tic es , etc

j 289
'

anc ien n es .
, p . .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y 1 61

e sp cially of women c ptured after a victory The s e were

e a .

p rt of the right s f the victor ; the captive s were con

a o
sid d a s booty and s hared i the sam way
e re ,
W e have n e .

already s een in D euteronomy that M o s e s authori s e s thi s

barbarou s practice and that it was habitual also among the
,

p rimitive A ra b s T h H omeric warrior

. s did the s ame a s e ,

various pa s sa ges f the I li d and Ody y prove o a s se .

I will quote a few f them T be gin with w find the o . o , e

Old priest Chryse s comes to offer Agamemnon a rich
ran s om for his daughte r and receives from the kin g f ,
o

kin gs the brutal re ply I will t set your daughter free no

o ld age s hall fi d he r in my dwellin g at Argos far from her

n ,

n ative land weaving linen and s harin g my bed G then

,
. o, ,

and provoke me not .

” 1

T h er s ite s s peaking to Agamemnon is still more ex plicit

, ,

Son of Atreus what more dost thou require ? What ,

wilt thou ? Thy tents are full f bra s s and f many mo s t o o

beautiful women that we give fi rst to thee w A h , , e, c e an s ,

when we take a to w n E lse w here Achilles s peaking f .

” 2
, ,
o

his beloved Briseis f whom he had been robbed cries , o ,

Why have the Atreides led hither this va s t army ? I s it

not for the s ake f the dark haired H elen ? A they then
o -
re , ,

the only men who love their wives ? E very wise d good an

man cherishes and loves his wife A d I also loved . n

B r iseis from my heart althou gh she w a captive , as .

”3

A d a little fu r ther
n , he make s a clea r di s tinction o n,

between th slave concubine and the legitimate wife

e ,

s weari g never to acce pt as wife a daughter of Agamemnon

n .

In the Ody y whe U lys s e s enters unrecognised his

sse , n

o w hou s e and sees pa s s before him in the vestibule his

n ,

female slaves laughin g and j y u , they go to play with o o s as

'

the suitors his feelings are not merely those f a lawful

, o

p ro prietor wh i s offended but f a jealous man whose

o o
'

harem ha s been violated At first he is tem pted to kill .

these wome which he actually does a little late r and he

n, ,

hears hi s heart cry ut in hi s bosom a s a bitch t ur ning

“
o , ,
aro und her young one s barks at a stranger and tries to ,

b ite him .
” 4

But such customs have prevailed here and there up to

2
I bid ix. .

2
I bid . 11 .
4
Odyssey , xx xx ii .
 1 62 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A RR I A G E

modern times In 5 4 8 in Peru when Pedro d la G as ca

. 1 , , e
had defeated the pa rty of Pi arr o he distributed amongs t z ,

hi s followers the widows of the colonists who were killed .

At A ste r abad after a small local revolt H anway saw the

, ,

Persian m gistrates s ell fifty women to the soldiers

a .

In L ivonia after the takin g of Narva Peter the G reat

, ,

coolly sold to the boyars the w ives of the inhabitants .

1

Bruce tells u also that in Abyssinia the victo rs habitually

s

take possession of the wives of the vanquished .

2

B ut if ca ptives erve or have se r ved some w hat in all s

countries to su pply the domestic conc ubinate they were not ,

the only ones rese r ved for t h is purpo s e ; female slaves ,

however procur ed were t reate d a s such Th fact is so , . e

well kno w n that I shall abstain from e s tablishin g it by

exam ples I only q uote one obse r ved at S k t in
. ac a o o,

tro pi al Afr ica fo r it proves clea rly that in a barbarous

c ,

count ry concubina ge or t h e domestic and se r vile

, u , c o nc

binate does not o ut rage mo rality in any w y and i s

, a ,

r ga r ded m rely from a comme r cial point of view At

e e .

S k tac when a married man has intimate r elations with

a o o,

one of the fema le slaves given as dowry to hi wife he n ed s ,

e

sim pl y r e place he r the follo w ing d y by another slave w h o a

is a vi rgin and of equal val ue O this purely me rcena ry . n

c onditio the c price f the h us band never occasions any

n, a o

confli t w ith the legitimate w ife

c .
3

T h relative and e called Ch r istian civilisation of the s o-

Abyssinians accommodate s itself ve r y easily to s uc h c ustoms .

By the side f the i the pro ud and indolent matron

o o z oro , ,

all the g r eat nobles have a troop of pretty se rvant girls with
s pri ghtly looks .
4

Th king sets the exam ple and natu r ally he goes fur ther
e ,

s till If any w oman ha s had the good luck to ple se him

. a ,

he s ends an envoy to invite he r to live in the palace This .

di s tinction is r eceived as it s h ould be the lady adorns :

he r self as quickly as possible and obeys w ithout a murm ur ; ,

but above t h ese concubines there is the wife queen the or ,

A far as they can ecclesia s tical dignitaries imitate laic

s ,

1H E d l f
o uz eau, l m l dtu m t p
es s ur es ac u tes
’
en ta es
2
es an z
'

a ux , . 11 . .

3 8 1 L A by i i p 3 es s s n en nes , 1
n
. . .

3
C l pp S d Vy
a l p 8 6
e rto n , L J l
ec on é d o .
,
vo . 11 . . .
4
e ea , o o re, 1 1.
 A N D OF TH E E A M JL Y . 1 63

one s Bruc found one the Abba Salam guardian of th

. e ,
-
, e
s acred fi third per s onage in authority in the church wh
re, , o
forced women to yield to him by a threat at the s ame time
piou s and o r iginal— the fea r of excommunication .

I have al r eady s poken f the M ala gasy concubinage f o ,

o

the chief wife ( di O ) having her own ap rtment and va -

e a

pr ivile ge s d ruling over the lesser w ives ( di k li) “ ”

, an va -
e ,

who live together i eq ual s ubmis s ion n .

1

In short th e domestic concubinate is la rgely practi s ed

,

over all central or barbarou s Africa .

Th ancient half civilised nations f central America

e -
o

did not disdain it either In Peru a s we shall s ee the .

, ,

monogamic égim w obligatory but only for the poorer

r e as ,

p eo ple .

In the M aya nation s the rich and p owerful practised the ,

concubinate witho ut any moderation At G uatemala the .

2
,

parents were filled with solicitude this p oint and when on ,

a yo ung noble ma rr ied a girl f his w rank w ho had not o o n

yet attained puberty they we r e ca reful to kee p him patient ,

by givin g him a yo ung slave a s conc ubi e who s e chil dre n , n,

ho wever would not be his heirs , .
3

I M exico there w e r e t hr ee kinds f concubines

n o
1 Y oung girl s not yet arrived at a marria geable age and
.
,

whom the p rent s usually chose for their sons at the reque s t
a
'

o f t h e latter T hese unions required neither ceremony nor

.

contract but they we r e often legitimated later when they

, ,

b ecame fruitful .

2 Partially legitimate w ives w h we r e also partially

.
,
o

ma rr ied retainin g only the characteristic tr it f the

, a o c on
ju gal ceremony— that is t h e tyin g toget h er f the garments ,
o

o f the half married ones T hese wives could not be

-
pudi . re
ated without a m otive but either they nor t h eir children ,
n

could inherit .

3 L astly the third clas s com prehended s im ple con

.
,

c ubi la rgely ke pt by the nobles and who ranked t

n es , ,
no
only lower than the legitimate wive s but al s o than the half ,

le gitimate ones All this s ystem is ingenious and it i s .

4
,

certainly diffic ult to state the gra dation bette r .

1
r
D up e, Trois M o is d M adagasc a r, p 1 5 3 . .

2
3
r
Ban c o ft , N a tiv e R ac es , v o l ii p 6 7 1
4
. . . .

d
I , i bid v o l ii p 66 4
. . . I d , ibid
. . . . . v o l. 1 1 .
p . 1 64 .
 1 64 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

owever common th concubi ate may b nowhere

H e n e,
do we fi d it s o wisely combined a s in ancient M exico
n ,

where four s orts of sexual association wer recogni s ed e

monogamic ma rr ia ge consecrated by l w and religion ; , a

semi legitimate marriage ; fr ee and d urable union with a

-

l gitim bl concubine ; and lastly free love e s ca p ing all

e a e , ,

regulation .

I shall proceed soon to take an e s timate f these customs o ,

so di fferent from u w but it still remains f me to o r o n, or

s peak of the conc ubinate amon g the su perior races ,

the yellow and the white Th M ongols f Tartary a r e . e o

monogamous in pr inci ple in the sense f having sol e ,

o o ne
legitimate wife ; but the rich and noble have by the side f o

this matron chief wife concubine s lesser wives sub or , or ,

j t
ec to the former who h as p r ecedence and rule over
,
them ,

who governs the house h old and w h ose child ren are con ,

s id d le gitimate and have heredita r y r ights

e re .
1

In China the conc ubinage of the M ongols has been care

,

fully regulated like everythin g else ; it is naturally a s el s e

, ,

w here the privilege of the rich and great wh sometime s

, ,
o
kee p a veritable ha r em and people it by purcha s ing pretty ,

girls scarcely ar r ive d at p uberty from their parents

, ,

( M aca r tney II i t U i d V y t,
xxxiii 4 7 s .A cco r din
n v g . es o .
,
. .

to the current mo rality f China the conc ubinate is blame d o ,

unless the legitimate wife remains sterile f ten t w elve or or

years F ormerly an attem pt w as made to restrain it by

.
3
,

only tolerating it f the mandarins and childl es s quad r a or

g i
e n ar an s
; but these seve r e 4
measu r es have fallen into
de s uet ude .

At the p resent day the Chinese conc ubinate ha s no ot h r e

c h k than human re s pect and public O pinion

ee It i s p . er

f tly legal
ec T h first or fi i f w if is an hono ured matron
. e c e e

she commands the l wi who w her res pect and esser ves, o e

obedience If a h us band attem pts to lower her to the rank

.

o f les s er wife he incu r s the bastonnade with a hund r ed

,

strokes of the bamboo but ninety only if th contra r y , , on e ,

H 1 V y g uc , Ya i t
o a e en p 3
— P éjé l k y t
rtar e, e tc 191 3
01 r va s I er

p 6 9 t ii p
.
.
, . . .
,

; 121
U i d V y t xxx iii p 3
. . . . .

2
Tim k ki H i ows , st. n v . es o .
, . . . 11 .

S i ib l d d M
3 L Cl i l p i Cfi i
’

n a o e as , a z n e et es u ss an c es ret en nes , t I er
t
.

4 ’

p 5 . 1 . H L E mp i Cfi i i ii p 55 uc , re n o se, . . . 2 .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y: 1 65

he t r ie s to r aise a les s er wife to the s upreme rank Th .

1
e

legal concubines the les s er wive s are s ubordinate to the

, ,

es p cially legitimate wife and are forbidden to a ss um the

e ,
e
dress reserved for her Th chief wife i s th mi s tre s f
.
2
e e s o

the house she is not only th mother f her w childre e o o n n,

but also the putative mother f the children of the le ss er o

wives Th latter children wear mourning for her and t

. e no

for their atural mother ; and it i s

n the legal mother on

that they lavish the expres s ion s f their res pect a ffectio o ,
n,

and obedience W e learn fr om Chine s e comedies that

.
3

rivalrie s s ometime s b reak ut between the matron and her o

fellow wive s ; but in general the Chine s e woma i s well n so

trained s o well brok n i from infancy that thi s is rare

, e n ,

enou gh and Chinese wive s have even been known to

,

counsel their hu s band s to take concubine s in the towns

where they may b long detained by b usine ss It i s we ll
e .
4

to remembe r by the way that the human b rain can retain

, ,

all kinds f im pressions and that morality and in s tinct s

o ,

s trictly res ult from the nature fthe life and education o .

Th conc ubinate mu s t actually have been ece ss ary for

e n

m an, for we see it practised by all race s and b y the whit , e

race s a s well a s the others .

W e know that the monarch s f ancient As syria had by o ,

the side of the single wife a good number f concu b ines , o ,

exactly like the Aby s sinian negroe s f u w days to o o r o n ,

o r,

kee p to anti quity like the gloriou s Solomon

,
.

Polygamou s a s they are the modern Arab s do t ,

no on

that account bstain from the concubinate E ven at M ecc

a . a
all the rich men keep i their hou s es with thei r legitimat n , e
wive s concu b ine s wh are generally native s of A by s sinia
,
o .

H owever if O ,
of these women becomes a mother the
ne ,

m rality of the country requires her ma s ter to raise her to

o

th e rank f legitimate wife Th M k y of the middle

o .
“
e e av

and lower class also buy young Abyssinian s laves teach ,

them to cook and to s ew make conc ubine s of them and , ,

t e-s ell th m afterward s advantageou s ly to pa ss ing s tra gers

e n ,

1 P authie r, C/z in e m oderne , p 2 38 . .

2
l
M i ne , R ea l L ife in Cic in a , p 1 6 1
t
. .

2 ’
ii p 2 5 8
H ue , L E mpire Clz in o is e, . . . .

4
l
M i n e , R eal L ife in Ch in a, p 1 6 1
r kh r t t xxx i
.

5
Bu c a d , H ist Un iv des Voy , . . . . .
p . 1 48.
1 66 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF AI A R R I A G E

e specially if they have been s terile ; in this comme rce they 1

unite p leas ure and profit .

T h concubinate is
e t m o r e rare among the Ar yans
’
no

than the Semite s Th monarchs of ancient Pe r sia had we . e ,

know a troo p of concubines and in all the great ba rbar ian

,

s ocieties the princely concubinate i s only th s urvival f

, e o
old cu s toms .

In India the B rahmins of the middle cla ss often have

one chief wife and at the same time several domestic ,

concubine s .
2

We have seen that in H omeric G reece the concubinate

wa s a general practice and i no w y cen s ured In later ,
n a .

times when G reece was mo r e civilised the pr imi tive

, ,

domestic conc ubinate disappea r ed but there always ,

remained to alleviate the enn ui f monogamic marriage o

what we call conc ubinage hetair ism which w o penly , or

’

,
as

pr actised by Socrates and Pe r icles If says L ecky on “ ”

.
,

this subject we co uld imagine a Bossuet a F en elon

,
“
or

figu r ing amon g the followers f Ninon de L enclos and o ,

p ublicly g iving her counsel on the s ubject f her p f e o ro s

i
s o na l d uties and the means f s ec ur ing adorers t h is wo uld o ,

be ha r dly less strange than the relation whi h really existed c

bet w een Socrate s and the courtesan Th d t eo o a .

” 3

All societies which have had any legal fo r m f ma rr ia ge o

have ado pted the concubinate either free or more o r less ,

regulated but it ha s nowhere been so precisely legali s ed as

,

in ancient R ome I s h ll say a few words about it not . a ,

that I intend to walk in the steps of u legists but in order o r ,

to show what a s si s tance ethnographical s ociology could b e

to the s cience f written law By it s mean s alone o the . c an

le gal text s which have been a hundred time s s tudied

, ,

commented on and criticised in an isolated manner a s if, ,

they related to s ociolo gical facts w itho ut analogy in the

wo rld be onnected with t h e gene ral evolution f custom s
,
c o

an d institution s .

At the bottom the R oman concubinate is e ss entially ,

s imilar to the other s ; it has merely been legalised wit h

B r k h r dt H i
1
uc U i d Vy t
a p 4 8 st nv es o xxxu 1
t —
. . . . . . .
, ,

S 2
H i U
o nn e rat,i d V y xxx i p 34 9 M id L pl
s t. n v. es o a ac e ,

t x iii p 43 3
. .
.
, . .
,

L ky H i
. . . .

3
ec f E ,p M l l
s t. o 8 uro ean ora s . vo . 1 1. p . 2 0 .
 A ND OE TH E F A M I L Y . 1 67

more care and transformed into an in s titution a s regular a s

,

marriage proper It w be s ides indis pensable i a country . as , ,

n

where the right f ma r riage the ju ubii was re s tricted

o ,
s c o nn , .

Th l g juli and F p i P pp
e e es also expre ssly authori s e
a a a o aaa

it .

In s hort the R oman concubinate was a free union

,

between a m and a woman not wishing an t being ,

or no

ab le t mar ry It was lawful to have as concubine a

,
o .
1

woman with whom marriage w as fo r bidden — adulteres s an ,

an actre s s a woman f bad life a freed slave Thi s la s t

,
o ,
or .

case w the m o s t freq uent m ost moral and the mo s t

as , ,

protected by the laws .

Th intention e f the pa r ties revealed either by a formal o ,

declaration or by the ine q uality of conditions determined

, ,

bet w een marriage and th concubinate Th dow ry w e . e as

o ne of the signs which s erved to distin guish marriage fr om

the concubinate .

Th R oman concubinate was only in fact a marriage f

e , ,
o

inferior degree Thu s a married man could not take a .

2

concubine A bachelor could t have s everal at the s ame

. no

time .
3

T h concu b inate im plied p ate r nity

e T h child w . e as c o n

s id d as a
e re atural child f the father ( tu li n o na ra s, non

p u ) though he did not enter the father s

’
v ulg o t c on c e s ,

family become his heir but followed the s tatu s of hi s

or ,

mother .
4

Th in s titution of the R oman concubinate evolved

e

naturally and it s condition s were more and more amelio

,

rated .

U nder Constantine the le gitimation of children born ,

fr om a concubinate w pe r mitted in a general w y by as a

mar r iage bet ween the father and the woma n wh had been o
his concubine up to the day f mar riage It was nece s sary o .
,

however that the man s hould not have at the time a

,

legitimate child But Justinian authorised the legitimation .

even in this la s t ca s e ; he granted al s o the bene fi t of legi

tim ti a to the children f an en fr anchi s ed slave marrying
on o

D m ng t I i 1
d G i 63 o e e n st t utes e a ns , s e c
R C b in L i i il d R m
, . .

2
pp 88 89 u a o s c v es e o e, 1 1

gt l
. .
, , .

3
D m i 63 o en e oc . c t sec
R C bai
. .
, .

4
l i p 88 . u n, oc . c t . . 1 .
1 68 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF AI A R R I A G E

her ma s ter pr ovided that the latter had not then any
,

legitimate children .
1

When Christia marriage had definitely abolished the n

Roman le gal concubinate custom nat ur ally br aved the laws , ,

and the lergy themselves w ere the first to s et the exam ple
c ,

thus provin g the truth f the assertion in G enesis It is o ,

“

not good for man that he s h o uld be alone F a lon g .

”
or

time the anointed of the L ord had wives or conc ubines .

Th latter took the pl

e f the former when by St ac e . o ,
.

Boniface St Anselm H ildebrand etc and the Coun ils

, .
, ,
.
,
c ,

the ma rriage of pr iests had become an atrocious c r ime .

In 7 at Cante r bury an investigation proved that the

1 1 1, ,

abbot elect f St Augustine h d seventy child ren in a

-
o . a

single village D uring many years a tax called by an .

2
,

expressive name ( ul gium ) was sy s tematically levie d by c a ,

v rious princes
a pr ests livin g in conc ubina ge Bette r
on i .
3

s till it Often ha ppened that t h e lay pa r ishioners oblige d

,

their p iests to have conc ubines Oy w y f p uti

r A ,
a o rec a on .

canon f the Co uncil f Palencia ( 3 ) anathematises the

o o 1 22

laics who act thus In his II i t y f ti C u il f .

4 s or o n o nc o

T rent Sar pi say s that many Swiss cantons had ado pted thi s
,

custom At the Council of Constance an im portant

.
,

s peaker Nicola s de C l m gi decla r ed that it was a

, e an s,

widely spread practice and that the laity were fi rmly

-
,

p ersuaded that the celibacy f the prie s ts wa s quite o

fictitious Bayle quotes this point the following on

remarkable passage— T
.

de f i ti ibu t adul “
ac eo o rn c a on s e

t ii a quibus qui alieni s unt p b

er s t i ac ludib r io ro ro c ae er s

e ss e s olent p d qu aut d m it pp ll tu ; d iqu

,
s a o n es e so o ae a e an r en e

laici u s que adeo p u um h b t nullos lib esse ut e rs as a en cae es ,

in pl i qu p hii non aliter li t p byt um t l

er s e aro c s ve n re s er o erare

nisi concubinam h b t quo l sic s ui s sit ultum a ea ,

ve c o ns

ux ibu or qu nec s ic quidem u s que qu qu sunt extra

s, a
e a e

p ericulum .

If leaving aside the middle g and its clergy we cast our

,
a e ,

eye s around us i the mo s t civili s ed and poli shed E uropean n

s ocietie s we that the concu b inate has indeed di s
,
see
appeared but th t its inferior form co cubinage i s very
, a , n ,

1
D m gt I o i d G i
en e 58 , n st tutes e a n s , se c . .

3
L ea, H i s tory f
o S a c erdotal Celibacy ( P i ade p
4
ia, 1 8 6 7 ) , p 2 9 6 hl l h ‘
. .

Id , z bzfl
d pp I d , z bz d p 3 2 4
'

. . 2 7 4, . . . .
 FA M I L Y AN D OF TH E
69 . 1

flourishing Centurie s of legal and r eligio us r estraint have

.

not been able to u proot it and the rigid monogamic ,

marr iage insc r ibed in u laws i s con s tantly set at defianc e o r

by ur cu s toms Nearly everywhere the number of births

o .

called illegitimate i s the i crea s e In France it on n .

con s tantly progre ss es

F rom 8 to 8 5 p1r cent 00 1 0 e .

8 6 to 8 1 0 1 10

8 to 8 5 1 21 1 2

Since that time the propo r tion has oscillated round in

F rance But in Sweden fr om 7 7 6 to 8 6 6 it ha s ri s e
.
, 1 1 , n
fr om p cent to In Saxony the return ha s been
er .

in 8 6 1 2

A t Pari s according to the calculations,

f A Bertillo o . n,

more than a tenth f the couple s were living in o

free union .

In fact if we interrogate all r aces all e pochs and all

, , ,

countries we s ee that t h e concubinate and concubinage

,

have flourished and s till fl ourish by the s ide of legal , ,

marriage O count r y alone is an exce ption to this

. ne

Kabyle But the exception confirms th rule If we find

. e .

in Kabyle neither concubinage nor concubinate neither ,

free union s nor natural child r en the reason is very sim ple , .

It i s that out s ide marri ge no sexual union is tolerated and a ,

in ca s e f illegitimate birth the mother and child are both

o

put to death whilst retaliation falls the illegal father

,
on .
2

The concu b inate i s therefore or at lea s t ha s been till ,

n o w nat ural to m n
, O e may say borrowing a locution a . n ,

from Bossuet that thi s i s proved by the expe r ience of all

,
“

the centuries It remains for me w to deduce from . no

the facts I have enumerated a sketch of the general

evolution which they repre s ent and to estimate their moral ,

significance Th evolution is f the sim plest Sexual

. e o .

union without restraint or law ha s been the commence

, ,

ment Then the right f the s tronge s t the riche s t has

. o or

created polygamic households In the s e hou s eholds the .

p riority wa s at last be s towed one wife ; but a s the on

hu s band did not intend to curb his changing humour he ,

kept by the s ide of the chief s pou s e either s laves or le ss er “

1 M B l oc kE urope P olitigue et S oc iale, p p 2 04 , 2 05

t rn x t
.
.
, .

2
H an o e au e t L e to u eu , L a Kab y lie, ii p 1 4 8 . . .
1 7 0 TH E E VO L UTI O N OE M A R R I A G E .

w ives to w h om in the end a legal position was acco rded

, , ,
.

T h e mono gamic regime makin g mo r e an d mo r e way the ,

time came —at R ome fo r exam ple — w hen th 1s dis guised ,

p olygamy was no lon ge r tole r ated and the concubinate ,

became a marriage of the secon d o rder bein g unable to ,

c o exi s t with the othe r

-
At len gth the r e was a pretence of
.

abolishin g it and there was no other mat r imonial ty pe

,

le gally rec ognised except the monogamic union lastin g till ,

the death f the h usband o r wife B ut c ustom h as r ebelled

o .

a gain s t the law and monogamy has been more a pparent

,

t h an real Prostit ution fo r the least refined ad ultery and

.
,

free union for the others have served as sa fety valves fo r ,

-

inclination s too inveterate d too violent to be cont r olled an

by legal texts H mo ral pu r ity gained the r eby ? S urely

. as
no t .M o r eove r there is in conseq uence a whole p pul
,
o a

tion of ille gitim te child ren too often aban doned by thei r
a ,

fathers and su ffe r in g fr om t h eir bi rth a legal indignity fthe

,
o

most iniquitous kind H ence ari s e a tho usand unme rited.

s uffe r ings which legislation must some day o r othe r

,

r emedy and from which t h e le gal conc ubinate has s pare d

,

China fo r example D oubtless t h e ideal is a fine t h ing

, .
,

but it is folly to sac r ifice the r eal to it and to legislate ,

without taking into account the re quirement s of human

nature .
 C H AP TE R XI .

P R I M I T I V E M ONO GAM Y .

I . Tfi e Mon oga my of I nferior R ac es —The

a a c aus es of m o no g m y
h f —In f ri r m n a
. .

The gyn e c o c rati th ry f B c eo o ac o en ra e o o o g m ic c es

a
R c es ic wh h l
p yga m i are o c ,
al th gh p ri r—C x i t n
ou su e o oe s e ce of

m o n o ga m y an d po lo gam y
—M o no
.

II M on oga my in tbe A n c ien t S tates f

o Cen tra l A m eric a
r —Ci il
.

n
arriag
.

gam y o f th e c ommo peo p e l in M e x ic o a nd Pe u v m e

i P r
n e u
— n a t —
.

III M m
g y i . A i E gyp
on o a t G y r y i E gyp
n I n c ent ec o c c n ts
’ ’
i
ra so ndé tre
—
.

IV M g y f
m . i T o no a
g d A by i i oGy ra y
t re o ua re s an ss n a ns . n ec o c c

a m g h T r g —F gil ity f M rri g i Aby inia

on t e o ua e s ra o a a e n ss

gam y i r al i y i
.

V M g my m g / M g l f A i
on o a M a on i ze on o s o s a -
o no n e t n

Th ib t—M difi d m
.

a a ta a a
.

e m
g y m g h
o T r re — M rr i g i C
o no h i a on t e s a e n n

—M trim ial l gi l a i n i Ch ina—C j g l d ili y f h Ch in

a on e s t o n on u a
‘
oc t o t e es e

w m —Japan m rriag
o en es e a e.

VI . Il/[o n oga my a nd Civ ilisa tion .

I . Tlze M onoga my of I nferior R ac es .

fter having s uccessively s tudied the in fe r ior form s f

A o

s ex ual and conju gal union s it now rem ins for u t ,

a s o

investi gate the most elevated of them — the that all o ne ,

o r nea r ly all the great civilise d s ocieties have ended by

,

adoptin g t least in a ppearance in their legal sy s tems

, a ,

monogamy .

O f the great cause s which have led t the adoption f o o

monogamic marriage the first is the s exual equilibrium ,

of bi th s as s oon as it was no longer disturbed b y the

r
c s ualties of sava ge li fe Witho ut doubt in a society
a .
,
1 7 2 TH E E VOL U TI ON OE M A R R I A G E

c om posed s ensibly of equal numbers f men and women o ,

the more powerful and rich may mono poli s e several

women by the ri ght of the stron ge s t but in doin g so ,

they wron g the community and public o pinio becomes , n

hostile to the practice It i s thus that w ith the Dyaks .

the chiefs lose thei r autho r ity and s ee their in fl uence

diminish when they indulge in polygamy although no law ,

forbid s it .
1

A nothe r au s e quite as powerful which contributed

c

greatly to lead to legal monogamy wa s the institution f o

individual and he r edita ry pr operty L M organ does not . .

hesitate to refer monogamic ma rr iage to this s ole origin .

Indeed in all soci ties more less civilised the desire for
, e or ,

he r itable pro pe r ty has quickly a ss umed a ca pital im port

ance ; the more or less equitable regulation f questions of o
intere s t and the anxiety to safeguard the s e interests fo r m
, ,

the solid basis of all wr itten codes N w nearly every . o ,

where the he r itage is t ransmitted according to fi li ti a o n,

s ometime s maternal s ometimes paternal but it is only , ,

1n

the monogamic égim that the parentage f children i s r e o

the s ame for all in the paternal as well a s the mate r nal
line .
2

O ver and above this moral motives have reinfo r ced the ,

g reat in fl uence s resulting from the laws f natality and the o

all powerful question s of interest In theory ideal the
-
. or ,

li fe long union f two being s giving and devoting them

-
o ,

selve s to each other engaging to s har good and evil , e

fortune is s urely very noble ; but
,
we s hall th , as s ee, e
realisation of monogamic ma rriage ha s everywhere b een
most gross and it i s di ffi cult to refer it to elevated as pira
,

tions U nle s s we are intoxicated with s entimentalism w

.
,
e

cannot believe with B h f that women naturally ,

ac o e n,
3
,

more noble and more s en s itive than their gro ss com panions ,

g rew tired f p rimitive het iri som and obeyin g p ower ful a
‘

, ,

r eligiou s a spi ations enthroned monogamic m arriage by

r ,

force becoming by the s ame s troke head s of the family

,
-
,

and inaugurating gynecocracy The s e Ama onian fables . z

are very energetically contradicted by history and th "

e no

graphy .

H rb rt S p r S i l gy l p 3
1
e e e nc e ,
oc o o , vo . 1 1. . 01.
2
I d , ibid
. . vo l. ii pp 30 1 ,
. .
302 .
3
D as M utterrec bt .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y: 1 73

N early i every ge d nearly in every place woman by

n a , an , ,

r as o of her n tiv weakne s s has been s u b ordinate to her

e n a e ,

companion often oppre ss ed by him and her s ubjectio i s

, ,
n
the more s evere a s the civili sation i s the more primitive .

It i s great error to b elieve that i all time s and plac s

a n e
monogamic union is the s ign and nece s sary s eal f o an
advanced civilisation A number f primitive tribe s are . o

monogamou s ; ce r tain monkeys are s o t Among the oo .

inferior monogamous race s I will mention the V eddahs of 1

the wood s o f Ceylon so low in intelligence that they have ,

not even names for the n umbers ; the B him f So uth oc an s o

Africa scarcely more develo ped ; the K u

,
2
i fA ustralia rn a s o ,

a mon g whom monogamy thou gh not obligatory is general , ,

.
3

Certain aborigines f India less primitive no doubt than o ,

4
, ,

the s e very hum b le s pecimen s f u s pecies but s till very o o r ,

s avage a r e al s o monogamous These are the Nag s wh

, . : a ,
o

are contented t mak their one wife work ve ry hard ; the

o e
Ki s ans wh limit them s elves to a sin gle wife and have t
, o , no

even any concu b ine s ; the P d wh s et a good exam ple 5

a an s , o
to more than s u perio r race for t only do they blame
o ne , no

p olygamy and only p racti s e it exce p tionally but they do ,

not buy their wives and leave to their youn g people the ,

li b erty f marrying as they plea s e

o .
6

Th form f marriage i s the r efore

e o t ecessarily con no n

n ec t d with the deg r ee of general civilisation

e T h contrary . e
is well proved s ince very civilise d people s hav ado pted
, e

polygamy s ometimes openl y and very often in

, ma sk ed , a
form M i s willi gly polygamous by instinct b ut he
. an n ,

is often forced to bend to the necessitie s f s ocial existence o .

T herefo r e in the s ame country and in the same race w

, , , e
may meet with tribes and eth nic g r ou ps ve r y analogous
in eve rything el s e but practising very dis s imilar conj ugal
,

forms It is not ra r e for exam ple to

. monogamy and , , see

p oly gamy elbowing each other T hu s the R edskin s are .

willingly polygamous and yet the Pima s the C m i , , oc o ar

co pas and a numbe r f tribe s the banks f the G ilo f

, o on o , o
C olorado and f N w M exico only marry o e wife whilst , o ne ,

1
D M as l utterrec z t S p n r S i l gy l p 99
2
e ce oc o o vo 11 . 2
d H witt K m il
. . . .
, ,
3
F
'

1so n an i o dR i , a aro an urua .

5
l
D a to n , E tlz n olog / f B enga l p
o , .
41 .

I d , ibid p 1 3 2
. . . .
3
Id . ibid p . . 28 .
 1 74 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

w ith the Navajo s the Comanche s etc a man ha s as many , ,

.
,

wive s as he can buy

,

1
.

With the Zapotecs o f the Isthmu s of Tehuantepec there

is no polygamy ; it is forbidden O n the cont ra r y with all
2
.
,

the Indians o f Col umbia p olygamy is general ; but t h e

O to m ac s, who are reckoned amon g the most savage are ,

monogamou s Neces s ity makes the law ; and althou gh it

.
3

may be the legal fo r m of ma rriage adopted by the superior

races monogamy does not im ply in itself an advanced
,

civilisation Besides the numerous facts that I h ave

.
,

p r evio usly quoted abun d antly prove that p oly gamy and
monogamy can coexist in the same society— th e fo r mer for
the sole use of t h e r ulin g cla s ses the latter fo r the common ,

eo
p p le .

II . Monogamy in tlze A nc ien t S ta /es cf Cen tral A m eric a

[ .

It w as thu s in
exico wh ere amon g the w ive s of the M ,
4
,

great men alone was called lawful ; her child ren

,
o ne

inhe r ited the pate r nal title d wealt h to t h e excl u ion of an ,

s

the others In Pe ru as in M e ico the la w with the bold

.
3
,
x , ,

pa r tiality which there is no attem p t to dis guise in barba r ous

societies permitted polygamy to the Inca and to t h e
,

enormous family f the In as while exactin g a st r ict mono o c ,

gamy from the poor State communism imposed on the .

,

count ry regulated the sex ual union s some what as ou r r ural

,

ro
p p r ietors reg ulate the co u lin
p g f thei r domestic animals o .

Pe r uvian ma r r age was a civil act ve r y com parable to

i ,

enfo rced military service in mode r n E u r ope E very year .

in the kingdom of C u co it was t h e pr actice to assemble z

togethe r in the squares f t h e to w ns and villages all the o

individuals of ma rr iageable g from t w enty four to twenty a e, -

six years for the men d fr om ei gh teen to twenty fo r the ,

an

w omen At C u co t h e Inca himself mar r ied the pe r sons

. z

of his own family and al ways in a public sq ua r e by puttin g , ,

in eac h othe r the hands of the di ffe r ent co uples I t h eir . n

1
D o m enec h
Voyage P i ttores que dan s les D es erts
’

o
’
u Nouv eau M onde,
r t
,

c o f , N at iv e R ac es ,
2
p 5 1 0 Ba n e tc v o l. ii p 6 6 1
t xl
. . .
. . .
,

M o llien , H ist Un iv des Voy , ii p 4 1 6

. . . . . . .

4
Fr Mu e , . ll r p 263 . .
5
I d , ibid p. . . 2 63 .
 A N D OE TH E F A M I L Y . 1 75

re spective boundarie s the chiefs f di strict s re s em bli g u o ,

n o r
mayors fulfilled the same function for the person s f their
,
o

o w rank or f an inferior r ank

n We are indeed told that th
o . e
con s ent of parent s was ne ssary but it w a s t a que s tion ce ,
no

of the consent f the int re s ted parties Be s ide s it wa s

o e .
1
,

st r ictly fo r bidden to marry outside the civil grou p f which o

the individual s formed a part In this case ma r riage s must .

Often have bee contracted between relative s mor less

n e or

n ea r A to ince s t there was little s eve r ity s ince the Inca

. s , ,

w as legally bo und to marry f his si s te r s with the o ne o ,

rese r vation that she mi ght not b his uterine sister and the e ,
2

s ame rule wa s at la s t extended to the no b le s of the em pire .

In sanctioning the civil marriage f the country th o , e

p ublic functionary the C u admini s te r ed to ,

the couple ra c a ,

the oath f conj ugal fidelity which acco r di g to P

o , ,
n .

Pi z z arre,w as generally ke pt ; perha p s because as we shall ,

see later t h e Per uvian law w as not tender t adulte r ers

, o .

T here does not a ppear to have been the least n uptial

ceremony in Pe r u In M exico on the contrary ma rr iage .
, ,

was celebrated w ith m uch show and it was religious T h ,

. e

bride wa s cond u ted in great pom p to the ho us e f the

c o

b r idegroom w ho came wit h hi family to meet h

,
Th s er . e

two pr ocessions mutually pe r fumed each other with boxes

o f b urning incense A fter this th futu r e s p ou s e s sat down
. e

on the s me mat and a priest ma rr ied them by tying the

a ,

ro b e of the bride to the mantle of the brideg r oom Th . e

p reca u tion had previo us ly been taken to consult the

diviners and a ugur s Nuptial festival s followed in w hich .
,

the newly mar ried co uple took -

p art T hey lasted four no .

days and the marriage w as not to be consummated until

,

thei r termination .

III . M onoga my in A nc ien t E gyp t .

In the ncient em pire s of central America the po s ition

a

of the w ife w as very s ubordinate —thi s is an o r dina ry fa t c

in ba rba r o us countries B ut in thi s res pect a sin gular .

,

exce ption seems to have exi s ted in ancient E gypt which ,

W Pr
1
tt H i f l C g f P
. e sc o l 1 p
,
—G r il o
st. o t ze on . o e ru, v o . . . 12 1 . a c as
de la V e ga , Com de los I n c as , pp . 2 5, 1 1 3, 2 1 8 .
2
I d , ibid
. .
.
1 76 TH E E V OL UTI ON OF M AR R I A GE

n everthele ss o ffer s s o many analogie s to ancient Peru .

This anomaly mu s t be described with s ome details b ecause ,

the believers in a prehistoric gynecocracy com placently rely

on it to s upport their theory .

T h gene r al a ss e r tion s f the writers f anti q uity on this

e o o

point have been confirmed by the demotic deed s recently

deci phe r ed I s hall briefly quote both
. .

L t us li s ten first t H e r odotu s on the subject f E gy ptian

e o o

women They have e s tablished laws and c ustoms opposite

:
“
,

for the mo s t pa r t to tho s e of the re s t f m ankind With

, o .

them the w omen g to market and t raffic ; the men s tay at o

home and weave Th men car r y burden s on the head

. e ,

the women the shoulders on Th boys are never . e

fo rced to maintain their parents unless they wi s h to do so ;
t h e gi rls a r e obli ged to even if they do not wish it F rom ,
.
” 1

this last rule it is al r eady logical to infer that the women

p ossessed and inhe r ited pro perty which is t ordinary in ,
no

p rimitive monarchies H erodotus adds t h at . no woman “

p erfo r ms sace r dotal dutie s towa r ds a divinity of either sex

the pr ie s ts f all the divinities are
o In a country so 1n e n .
” 1

p rofo u ndly r eli gio us thi s inter dict clea r ly p r oves that in
public O pinion at least the woman w held to be an '

, ,
as

infe r ior being Besides polygamy was permitted in E gypt

.
, ,

wh ich s uffices f itself to excl ude the idea f feminine

o o

domination in the family H oweve r H e r odotus r e lates .

,

that many E gyptians especially those that dwelt on the ,

“

ma r shes have like the G reeks adopte d monogamy

,
”
, ,
.
2

D i d u goes further t h an H erodot us

o or s H a ffi r ms that . e

in the E gyptian family it is the man w ho is s ubj ected

to the w oman Cont rary to the r eceived usage of othe r
:

nation s the laws permit the E gyptians to mar ry thei r

,

sisters after the exam ple of O si r is and Isis Th latte r in

,
. e ,

fact havin g cohabite d with he r b r other O siris swo r e after

, , ,

his death neve r to s uffer the a ppr oach f any man pursued
,
o ,

the m urdere r governed acco rdi g to the laws and loaded

,
n ,

men with benefits All this explains w hy the queen r eceives

.

more power and r espect than the kin g d w hy amon g ,

an ,

p rivate individuals the w oman r ules ove r ,

the man and that ,

it i s s ti pulated between ma rried co uples by the terms fthe ,

O

dowry contract that the man shall obey the w oman

-
,
.
” 3

H r d t
1
e o bk ii p 3 5
o us , I d bk
. .
p 4 . Di d . b k2 i p 7
. . 1 1. . 2 .
3
o o rus , . . . 2 .
 AN D OE TH E F A M I L Y . 1 77

The a ss ertio of Di d u s eems at fir s t s ight i dm i

n o or s na s
sibl everthele s s the demotic deed s in measure
e n , ,
a , c on
fi m it
r If the family s u bjection of the man w
. t g ral as n o e ne
in E gypt at lea st it exi s ted in a umber of c s e s In
,
n a .

reality the E gyptian law did not deal with marriage s d

, ,
an

the interested parties contracted them at their will N w . o ,

in virtue f the law of matriarchal inheritance th woma

o , e n
was often richer tha th man She c uld therefor dict te n e . o e a
how the marriag contract should be drawn up Th con e . e
jugal union was manife s tly before every thing a commercial
agreement s i c the word fiu b d doe s t ap pear in
,
n e s an no

the document s until after the reign of Phil p t r Th o a o .

1
e
E gyptian woman generally married u der the egim of the n r e

separate p ossession f property ; s he did not chang her o e

co ditio and pre s erved the right f making contract s
n n, o

without authorisation ; s he r mained a bs olute mi s tre ss e

of her do w ry Th cont r act also s pecified the sum s . e

that the hu s band w to p y to hi s wife either a s nuptial as a ,

gift as annual pension

, or a s com pen s ation in case f ,
or o

divorce .
2

Sometime s even by acts s ub s e q uent to marriage the , ,

E gy ptian wife could succeed in completely di s p o s ses s ing

he r hu s band and therefore the latter wa s careful to stipulate
, ,

as a precaution that his wife s ho uld take care f him during

, o

hi s life and p y the expense s of hi s burial and tom b

,
a .
3

T s um up it a ppears indeed that in ancient E gypt no

o , , ,

ma r ital power existed at least in the familie s f private , o

individuals .

This state of thin gs lasted till the time fP hil p t wh o o a o r, o,

in the fourth year f hi s reign established the p eminen e o , re - c

o f the husband in the family by decidin g that the ceforth n

all th transfer s
~
e f p ro perty made by the wife s hould be o

authorised by th husband e .
4

T he s e facts certainly very curious have seemed deci s iv to

, , e
a number of sociologi s ts who with B h f like to believe ,
ac o e n,

that in prehi s toric times the r e has exi s ted a gynecocratic

p eriod — age f gold w hen women reigned a s mi s tresse s
an o ,
.

and f which the mythic A ma ons were s urvival Th

o z a . e
ve ry incom plete acco unts that we po ss ess of the condition
R é v illo ut, R ev ue egypt ien n e,
’
1
1 880 .

2 3 4
Id , . ibid . I d ibid . . Id , ibid
. .
1 78 TH E E V OL UTI ON OE M AR R I A G E

and al of woman in E gy pt do not s eem to me to warrant

r e

the im po r tance that is attached to them .

In barbarous a s in civilised societie s there are three

, ,

g reat means of i fl u — religion milita ry power and

n enc e , ,

money In ancient E gypt D i d u tell s us woman was

.
,
o or s ,

judged unwo rthy f the pr iesthoo d and therefore inferior

o ,

from a r eligio us point f vie w S h e did not pos s ess any o .

warlike power Neither monuments nor writin gs nor

.
, ,

traditions make any mention of female warriors analogo us ,

either to the Ama ons of fable or tho s e of the kin g of z

D ahomey T he r e r emains the infl uence of money do ubt

.
,

les s an enormo us influence in all societies whe r e it can

accumulate i the hands of certain individ uals to the d t i
n e r

m ent of others N w everyt h ing proves that if in ancient

. o ,

E gy p t women have more or less enj oyed gr eat inde p endence ,

and have even abused it so a s to subj ect their husbands ,

they obtained it sim ply by the powe r f money o .

E vidently the o r ganisation f pr o pe r ty and the la w s of o

succession in E gypt pe r mitted women to be r ich o r to
become so and in on s equence to domineer ove r h usband s
, c

les favo ured in this res pect We s h all see hat in ancient
s . t
G r eece and R ome the same causes p rod uced the s ame
e ffects Is it e en neces a ry to g to ancient times to
. v s o

seek exam ples of feminine emanci pation even ve ry insolent ,

emanci pation based only ,

the dow ry or fort une ? We on

a lso have an abundance of pl utoc ratic Ama ons B ut t h ese z .

facts are not incom pati ble with th e legal s ubj ection of
w omen If they seem to have been ve r y common in
.

ancient E gy pt it is because le gislation did not meddle with

,

m a rr i ge ; and it must also be remembe r ed that the demotic

a

documents only mention a s is natu ral the cont acts of t h e , ,

r

u pper middle classes the pro pertied classes whic h of

or , , ,

course are a minority

,
.

S o little was gynecoc r acy insc r ibed in the laws and

customs f E gy pt that a sim ple royal decree de privin g
o
women f the disposition f their pr operty sufficed to cast
o o

them into the subo rdinate rank which th ey h ave occ upied
until the present time in all h uman societies but whic h , ,

p erha p s they will,

not al w ay s occ up y .

N everthele s s it is a note w o r thy fact that in a society so

,

rigid as the E gyptian a minority of women sho uld have ,

 A ND OE TH E F A M I L Y . 1 79

bee n able to o b tain legally a great a mount of independenc e ;

it con s titute s a remarkable exception and may perhaps , , ,

be re ferred to the influenc e of the Berb er races which , ,

according to E gyptia n tradition s them s elves pla yed an ,

im portant pa r t in the foundation of pr imitive E gypt .

IV . Tfie M onogamy of tlze To uaregs a nd A O

y ss in ia ns .

We have already s een th at u contem porary Ka byle s o r ,

although of Berber origin make th yoke f their wives very ,

e o
hard ; but it may be admitted that i thi s respect they ,
n ,

have been in fl uenced by numerous conquerors A certain .

emanci pation of women s eem s to be a characte r i s tic trait of

Berber s ocieties E ven at the pre s ent time among the
.
,

T ouareg s of the Sahara wh have preser ed their i d p d, o v n e en

ence and the purity f their race better than the K abyle s
o ,

the rich woman enj oy s a social po s ition analogous to that of

the ladie s fancient E gypt
o .

In spite of the M u s sulman law the Targ ui woman ,

p ractically im p oses monogamy the man S h would on . e

immediately seek a divorce if her hu s band attem pted to
give her a rival .

A mon gst the T ouare gs fili ti i s s till maternal and a on ,

con fers the rank T h child follow s the blood of the

.
“
e

mother ; the ”
f a slave
so n s erf father and a noble
o or

woman i s noble It i s the womb which dyes the child

.
“
,
”

they say in their primitiv lan guage A bsolute mistress

e .
1 “

o f her fortune her actions and he r child r en who belong to

, , ,

her and h her name the Targui lady goe s w here she w ill
e ar ,

and exercises a real authority She seldom marries .

” 2

befo r e the age f twenty and s he ma r ries a s she pleases the

o , ,

fathers only intervening to prevent mé lli She eats sa a n c es .

with her hus b and to whom however she owes obedience

, , , ,

and who can kill her in ca s e f ad ultery — ( D uveyrier o .

,

4
339 3
-
0

Th e T argui women know h w to read and write in o

greater number s than the men It is well kno w n beside s .

, ,

that rudimentary in s truction in reading and writing i s widely

Spread among the M ahometan p o pulation f North Afr ica o .

1
D uve y ier r , Tot2a reg da N ord, 33 7 .
2
Id . iOid .
1 80 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

It i s to the Targui ladies say s Duveyrier that i s due the , ,

p reservatio f the ancient L yb

ni ando ancient Ber b er an
writin g .
1

L e ving dome s tic work to their s laves the T rgui ladies

a , a
o ccupy them s elve s with readin g w iting mu s ic and , r , ,

embroidery ; they live as intelligent ari s tocrats

2
.

“
Th ladie s of the trib of the I f gh
e are renown d e o as e ,

s ay s again D uveyrier for their i i and their musical

,
“
savo r-v vre

talent ; they know how to ride m l i better than all their e za r

rivals Secure in their c g s they can ride race s with the

. a e ,

most intrepid cavaliers if may give thi s name to riders , o ne

on dromedaries in order also to keep themselve s in , ,

practice in this kind of riding they meet to take short t ri ps ,

together going wherever they like without the escort f any

, o

man . Targui gallantry ha s prese r ved f

” 3
the women or

o f the tribe f Imanan who a r e descended from the

o ,

ancient sultans the title of royal women ( tim k li ) on

, a no
‘
a n

account of their beauty and their s u periority in the art f o

m usic .

T hey ofte give concert s to which the m come from

n , en

long distance s decked out like male o s triche s In these .

concerts the w omen sin g while accompanying themselves on

the tambou r ine and a sort of violin ba T hey are o r re za .

m uch sought after in marriage because of the title of cherif ,

which they confer on their c h ildren .

” 4

T h Targ ui lady often sin gs in the evenin gs im provi s in g

e ,

and accom panyin g her s elf the ba If she i s ma ried on re za . r ,

says D uvey r ier s he is honoured all the more in proportion

,

to the n umber of her ma s culine friend s but she must t , no

show preference to any of them Th lady may o ne . e

embroider the cloak write on the shield of her , or on

chevalier verse s in his praise and wishes for his good

,

fortune H friend may without bein g censured cut the

. er , ,

name of the lady O the rocks chant her vi rtues n or .

F iends f di fferent sexes say the T o uare gs are for the ”

r o , ,

eyes and the heart d not for the bed only a s among the
, an ,

Arabs 5
”
.

Such cu s tom s a s these indicate delicate i t t which n s 1n c s

1 r r
D uv ey ie , To ziareg du N ord, p 3 8 7 . .
2
I d , ibid p 4 30
. . . .

3
I d , lac c it p 3 6 2 . .

:
. .

o
4
I d , z oi d pp 34 5 , 34 7
. . . . Id . loc . c z t.
p.
4 29 .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y: 1 81

are ab s olutely foreign to the Ara bs and to the Kabyle s .

T hey s trongly remind u of the times f our southern s o

troubadours and f the u d m u which were th

,
o co rs
’
a o r, e

q uinte ss ence f chivalry But it is im portant to otice

o . n

t h at with th Touaregs a s with the Proven c als and the

’

e ,

A qc uit i f the twelfth cent ury wh may well have had

a n e rs o ,
o

Berber ancestor s these divers ion s and gallantries were for

,

aristocrats and princes and in way prevented the general ,

no
s lavery f women T hese customs are curious ; they s how
o .

a degree of moral nobility and are wo r thy f note but at , o ,

th e s ame time we must gua r d gainst accordin g them a a

general value which they do not po ss ess It is im po r tant .
,

al s o to remark t h at the independence of the Berber lady

, ,

who is saved the trouble of grinding the corn of cooking , ,

etc rests on the magic power of money

.
, By means .
“

of accum ulation say s D uveyrier the greate s t pa r t f the

, o
fort une is in the hands f women —(p
,

In short it o .
,

is only by extraordinary power f ill usion that we can

an o

recogni s e i the relatively favourable situatio of th Berber

n n e
lady a case f Ama onian gynecocracy
o z .

In Aby ss inia which also i s not a gynecoc ratic country

, ,

the women enj oy very g reat libe rty ; their conduct is very
di s solute and their ma rriage very ea s ily b roken Bruc
, . e,
who fi rst made known to us the s e curious cu s tom s liken s ,

them to those f ancient E gy pt In A by s sinia h s ays

o .
,
”
e ,
“
the women live as if they were common to very e o ne .

T hey p r etend howeve r to belong by princi ple to

, , , , o ne
m an only when they mar ry but they do t act up to it , no .
” 1

D ivorce is s o ea s y in A bys s ini that B r uce s ays he ha s seen a

a woman s urr ounded by seven fo r mer husbands Th .

2
e
mo s t distinguished Abyssinian ladie s have cicisbei after the ,

Italia fa s hion f ld time s At their fea s ts according to

n o o .
,

Bruc again th lover s yield them s elves pu blicly to each

e , e

other Their eighb ur s t ta ble s imply t ke c re t hid

. n o a a a o e
them very im perfectly by improvi s ing with their cloak s a
wavi g partitio n T h young women f th province of
n .
3
e o e
Samen s ays Bruce came lone to trade with th travelle s
, , a e r .

1
r
B uc e , H ist Un iv des Voy , t xxiii p 3 5 8
—
'

. . . . . . .

2
r
B uc e , Tra els , e tc , v o l iv p 48 7
’
A d Abbadie, D ouz e ans
t
. . . . . .

li an te tl uopie,
'

1 9 1 pp 1 00, 1 2 8 3

t xx
. . .

3
r
B uc e, H ist Un iv aes Voy ,
’
. iii p 3 6 5 . . . . . .
1 82 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR RI A GE

hey were hard in thei r ba rgains with the exce ption f

T , o
one only in which they seeme d very reasonable and very
.

generous T h ey a greed to give rather than sell their

.

favours allegin g that long s olicitation s on one side and

,

refusals the other wasted time that mi ght be more

on
‘
'

agreeably em ployed It is clear from this that t h e .

” 1

monogamic egim fthe A by s sinians is more apparent than

r e o

real t h at it i s much modified by the extreme cicisbei s m

, ,

by the u f concubines f which I have already spoken

se o ,
o ,

and lastly by the abuse of divorce turnin g it into a ,

s uccessive polygamy .

V . M o nogamy a m ong tlze M ongols of A sia .

A mong the Asiatic M ongols monogamy is also not very

st r ict In Thibetan H imalaya polyand ry s eems to p
. re

dominate I t is not rare eithe r in Thibet pr oper where

.
, , , ,

on the othe r han d polygamy is not forbidden for the r e is , ,

no rigid legislation in regard to marriage Besides in these .

,

co untries as in many others gi rls enjoy com plete li be r ty

, ,

before ma rr iage and they u s e it without s uffering at all in ,

re putation .
2

It is singular t h at in L ama c Thibet in full theoc racy in 1 , ,

a country w h ere the praye r s and the practices of reli gion

enter in to near ly all the actions f civil life m a r riage o ,

escapes all ecclesiastical interference In fact the pr iests .

,

have nothing to do with it and all the matrimonial ce r e ,

mony whic h is pu rely laic consists in a simple mutual

, ,

en gagement entered into by the interested parties before

witnesse s .
3

T his la c anarchy f marriage in Thibet mu s t no doubt

1 o
be attributed to L ama ic bi gotry it s elf Th L ama s avoid '

. e
women holding marriage i contem pt and all the g reat n ,

functiona r ies as well a s many Thibetan s of the other

,

cl as se s f the s ame O pinion

, are R eligion does not
o .
4

concern herself with it ; she disdains it as in E gypt , ,

which s eems to show that a s ufficient degree of religious

,

Br
1
l i t xxiii p 5 5
uc e , oc . c t 2
U i d V y t xxx i p 4 7
. . . .
, .

T r r Hi
2
u ne
3 s t. n v es o

Id ibid t xxx i pp 43 7 4 5 4
. . . .
,
. .
,
’
3
.
,
Id b
. p 43 5
. . . , . . , z z a. . .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y .

madnes s hinder s theocratic legi s lator s from thinking of civil

in titution s
s .

But in rega r d t marriage both civil and religious law s o ,

are alway s s ubordinate to the ecessitie s re s ulting fr om the n

so ial condition and the pro portion f the sexes In

c o .

T hibet therefo r e in s pite

,
f the enti r e libe r ty allowed
,
o

to individuals the m a rr ia ge f t h e greatest number i s

,
o

m o ogamic quite as m u h as if the law had prescribed it

n c .
1

In Ta rta r y the omad M on gols have adopted fo r their n

matrimonial ty pe mo n ogamy tem pered by the domestic

concubinate I have s poken previously f thei r lesser
. o
“

wives f t h eir marr iage by pu r chase with the ce r emonial

,
o

of capt ure I need not the r efore r e peat ll this I will

.
, ,
a

only note i pas s ing that thei r gi rls h ave also ve ry loose
n

manners which a r e not always co r rected by marriage

,
.
2

A cco r ding to one f the most r ecent ex plo r ers f M ongolia o o ,

t h e prop o rtion f the sexes in that country is the inve r se of

o

that in E u r o pe T h women are m uch less n ume r o us than

. e

the men Thi s m y probably be the pr inci pal reason f

. a o

the celibacy f the L amas and f the real monogamy of o ,

o

the greater number f laymen who do not belon g to the o

a r istocracy .
3

Chine s e marr iage essentially resemble s M ongol marriage ,

but with a more s ettled ritual and a more uniform legisl a

tion It i s also monogamic with the palliative of th

.
, e

concubinate the lesse r wives f w h om I have al r eady

,
“ ”
o

s poken Besides this the s ubjection f women in China

.
4
,
o
is ext r eme When a C h inaman has only daughter s he is
.

s aid to have no child r en Th Chinese woman is ub .

5
e s

mi s sive in all state s as a daughter to he r parent s as a wi fe , ,

to h hu b d and as a widow to he r sons e specially to

er s an , ,

her elde s t son ( P uthi Chi M d

.

p .
6 T h a er, ne o erne, . e

young Chine s e girl has t even an idea that she may be no

con s ulted in the choice f a hu s band She i s b ought from o .
7

1
L ettres la ijian tes ,
’
xv p 200 t
I er p 6 9 — t t
. . . .

2
P réjé v alsk y, M ongo lia, H uc , Ta rtarie, I er p 3 0 1 .

t
. . . . . .

3
I d , ibid 191 p 7 1 3

H uc , L E mp ire c h ino is , t 1 1 p 2 5 8 —S iniba do de M as , Ch ine c t

. . . . .

4 ’
l
t
. . . .

i s a n c es Ch ret ien n es ,
’

pu s 1 81
p 51
h t
.
. . .

3
D u au C ily, Voyage a ute ur du m on de, 1 ii p 3 6 9 . . . .

3
l
M i ne , R ea l L ife c u Chin a , p 5 9 7 Id
, ibi
d p 1 59 . I . . . . .
1 84 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

he r pa rents and a pa r t of the sum a greed on is paid when

,

t h e cont ract is si gne d A in M on golia mat r imonial .

1 s ,

a r n gements are o ften settled not only fr om the infancy of

r a ,

the future wife and h usband but even befo re their birth , ,
on
the hypothesis f a difference f x The s e agreement s o o se fi’

a r e ma de by t h e fathers and mothers or in default of them , , ,

by the grandparents nearest r elatives L a stly the or .

3
,

women are excl ude d by law from inheritance and kept as ,

m uch as po s sible in secl usion s o that they sca rcely see ,

any besides their parents By m ar ryin g the yo ung

o ne .
3
,

Chinese gi rl sim ply chan ges masters T h bride say s .

“
e ,

a Chine s e author ou ght only to be a shadow and an echo ,

“

in the house Th marr ied woman eats neither with her

. e

husb nd nor with her male children ; she waits at table in

a

silence lights the pipes m us t be content with the coa r sest

, ,

food and has not even the right to touch what her
, so n

leaves .
6

China i s a country of very ancient ivilisation where the c ,

laws and rites have re gulated everyt h ing and consequently ,

there exi s ts a w h ole legi s lation with rega r d to m ar r iage .

T begin with conj ugal union i s fo r bidden between

o ,

p r
e s ons havin g the s ame family name and I shall have to ,
7

ret urn to this circumstance .

A in ancient R ome the law prohibit s marriage between

s ,

slave s and fr ee persons It absolutely fo r bids ma rriage to .

8

the priest s of F and to those f the t sect I t orders 0, o oo .

9

p ublic functiona r ies t to cont r act mar r ia g e with actre ss

noes ,

comedian musicians It seem s t h at in ancient times

s, o r .
10
,

in China a s in G reco L atin antiquity the father had the -

,
exces s ive right to unmarry his da ughte r fo r to remedy this ,

abuse the Chine s e la w pr onounces th puni s hment of a e

h undred strokes of bamboo on the father i law who should -
n
-

send way hi s son i law in order to marry his d ughter

a -
n- re- a
to a other Th Chine s e widow no longer belonging to
n .
11 e ,

her riginal family but to the family of her hu s band

o , ,
c an

1
H E mpi
ue, hi i t p 5 5 re cM il l it p
no s , 5 . 11 . . 2 .
2
ne , oc . c . . 1 1.
3 H ue , lac c it p 2 5 5 . . . .

4
G E S im o n, L a fam ille c hino ise, N ouv elle R ev ue, 1 8 8 3
t
.
. .

, o l
5 M i ne l c c it
p 1 54
3
H
. uc , E mpir
.e c h in.o is , 1 91
.
p .
3
. 2 68 .

7 P authier Chine M oderne 8 3

I d il
'
ia p 2 38 .
, , p 3
2 , . . . . .

3 I d ibid 1° 11 d 28 8.
, . . 1 d ib id I d , ib i p . . . . .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y .

be married by the latter M oreove r the contrac t f

re -
.
1
, o
bet r othal concluded between the parent s having a legal
value the family of the betrothed man wh die s before
,
o

the conclu s ion f the marriage has the right to marry th

o e
bereaved fi é fal s e widow who by the bye i s much
a nc e, o r ,
2
,
- -
,

honoured when she ha s the courage to devot her self to e a

celibate life .
3

We have seen that Chine e women are excluded from s

inheritance ; they have a r i ght howeve r in m arrying to a , , ,

small dowry either in money furniture but the value f

,
or ,
o

it i s optional It must be at l ast a chest f drawers or a

. e o

small t u u which the bridegroom is obliged to u pply

ro ssea , S

if the parents fail t d s o M oreover he mu s t also give o o .

,

the nu ptial bed Primitive and even cruel as .

4
the are
condition s and rules f Chinese mar r iage the Chine s e o ,

women s ubmit to them not only witho ut murmuring b ut ,

w ith a s ort f devotion broken in as they are by a lon g

o ,

ance s tral education A d be s ides for the Chine s e in . n ,

g enera l it i s a strict d uty t ma r ry fr om a tri ple point of o

—
, ,

view social political and reli gious E verybody m arrie s in

, ,
.

the Cele s tial E mpire and the n umber f male celi bates ,
o

over t wenty four year s f age i s quite in s i gnificant If a

-
o
'

s uitable opportunity f marriage does t present it s elf th o no , e

parents who are s overeign arbiter s in thi s matter d

, t , o no

hesit te to go to an orphanage to s eek a

a daughter i so n o r -
n
law .
5

In Ja pan during the feudal age the end f which we

, ,
o are
now witne ss ing m arriage wa s nearly identical with C hine s e
,

marri ge d there would be nothin g t s ay a b ut it in

a ,
an o o

particular if durin g the last few years the fever f reforma

, o
tion with which Japan i s carried away had not happily
, ,

modified marriage at lea s t in practice by giving the young , ,

girl a voice in th m atter and by awakening i s ome e ,

6
n
Japane s e con s cience s doubt s the s ubject f the pro s titu on o

tion of young girl s At the pre s ent moment everything in .

,

Ja pan i s b eing E uropeanised and the adaptation f u Civil , o o r

Code to the ld Japane s e cu s tom s is only a que s tion of tim
o e .

1
E S im o n , F a m ille Chinoise, N ouvelle R ev ue, 1 8 8 3
n
. .

2
I d , ibid 4
E S im o , loc c it
ln
. . . . .

3
M i e , loc c it p 1 3 . .
5
. I d , ibid . . .

3
Masana Maeda, L a S oc iete‘iaponaise, in R ev ue S c ientifi ue, 1 8 7 8 q
’

.
1 86 TH E E VO L U TI ON OF M A R RI A G E

VI . M o nogamy a nd C ivilisa tion .

T he fore goin g facts are su fficiently n ume r ous to enable

us to ded uce certain concl usions from them These fact s
taken as they are from nea rly all the non —
.

A ryan r aces
,

pr ove in the first place that the mono gamic égim is i r e n no

way the a ppana ge f the s uperio r races for among the o ,

lowest f human races some are monogamic In regard to

o .

marria ge w find t h at pr imordial conditions im pose the

, e

variou s forms of s exual uni n quite independently f t h e o , o

ca price f individual
o of the deg r ee of culture and social
s, o r

development .

In attem ptin g to e s timate the moral wo rth of a peo ple a ,

race a civilisation w are much more enlightene d by t h e

,
or ,
e

p osition given t woman than by the legal ty p e f t h e con

o o

j u gal union Thi s type besides is usually mo r e a pparent

.
, ,

than real In many civilisations both dead and livin g

.
, ,

legal monogamy has for its chief object the regu lation
o f s ucces s ion and the division f pr o p e r ty With m u h o . c

i te and e f
n a ve frontery many legislators have sanctioned ,

p oly gamy in reality by recognising the domestic concubinate

by t h e side f legal monogamy A fo r the position of the
o . s

wi fe wh is re puted to be s pecially legitimate it is often

o ,

much inferior to that enj oyed by the woman w h lives

_

under other conj ugal égim which are theo r etically less r es

elevated In the gr eater number f countries mo r e less

. o or

monogamic which I have j ust passed in review woman

, , ,

whether ma rried or not ha s been s ubj ected to extreme ,

s ubordination In an exceptional case h acqui r es a

. s e

certai independence where t h anks to maternal inhe r itance

n , , ,

s he can become posses s ed f personal real e s tate It is

o or .

to money alone and not to the mo ralising influence f

,
o

monogamy that woman in barbaro us countrie s owes the

,

p ower of attainin g a ce r tain inde p endence for the two ,

eo
p p le s w h have g r antedo it to h er t h e E gy p tians in ,

an tiquity d the T ouareg s f u

an w day lived live o o r o n ,
or

under a legi slation which autho r ises polygamy It is im po r t .

an t al s o to notice that in the valley of the Nile and in th ,

e

S ah ra feminine emancipation is only the p rivile ge f those

a ,
o

women who b long to the ruling and propertied cla ss e s

e .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y

Up o th whole in every country and i every time

n e ,
n ,

woman organically weaker tha man has bee more le ss

,
n , n or
en s laved by him unle ss in the ca s e wh ere legi s lation has
,

allowed her to use an artificial fo rce to s erve her a s a shield .

T his fictitiou s force before which virile b rutality ha s lowered

,

it s fl ag ha s been mo ey wherever the law s regulatin g

,
n ,

s ucces s ion have permitted women to rai s e them s elves to the

dignity f proprietor s
o .

A s imilar le ss on will be given u s by th s tudy f the e o

monogamic egim a m ong the white race s f As ia and f

r e o o

E urope . T h re also we s hall s ee riche s s rve woman a s a

e e
defe s ive d s ometime s v n o ffen s iv weapon again s t
n , an e e e ,

the s ev rity f law s and custom s

e o .
 C H AP TE R XI I .

H E B REW AND A RYAN M ONO GAMY .

I . M onogamy of the R ac es c alled S uperior —Th e m o no g m ic a 1 deal

a r l ity
.

an d the m o nog m ic ea .

II H ebrew M a rriage Mo n g my —Po sit io n of

—
.
-
o a and c o n c ubinage

rb —O blig t ry
.

the w ife Th e v i uo us rt w o m an o f the Bo o k o f P ov e r

rgi ity—Th
s a o

vi n e levit ate .

II I arri g i h A ta
M arriage in P ers ia and A nc ien t I ndia -
M a e n t e ve s

Ma ri g i In di —G n ral m —
. .

a x t r j t i f h
wif —
r a e n m
g y E m ab e e o no e e su ec on o t e
Pur h
e f h wif —M trim i l pr hibiti —Th id l
c ase o t e e a on a o o ns e ea

s p
—
o use M rri g i m d r I dia a a e n o e n n
— —
.

IV M i g i A i C m
arr a e W i d n b i L p i
nc e nt rea v es an c o nc u ne s ow os

ti n f th wif —M rri g i S part —C l iba y ha i d Th y g

.

o o e e a a e n a e c c s t se e o un

G r k gir l
ee im il t d t h ing—D wry—Th wif m ipa d by
ass a e o a t o e e e anc te
m o ne
y .

V M i g i
. A i R m
arr a e —M rri g f h il dr n —R l ti
n nc ent o e. a a es o c e e a ve

lib y f th
t
er R m w m an—Th P i p
o e o Th M
an o e atr a otestas - e an us

Th r k i d fm rri g —Th righ t fth h b nd—Th

ee n s o a a e fC t e s o e us a e c ase o a o

th E ld r—
e Th j bii—
e Th d wry die ff t
us c onn u e o an ts e ec s

i g —M rri g m g
.

VI B fl .u M i g d Ch i i
ar aro s M arr a e a n r st an arr a e. a a e a on

th eG r m n i th M iddl Ag
e a am g th S x f E gl d
s n e e es , on e a o ns o n an

M rri g a
a rdi g C h i ti ity
a e cco n to rs an .

I . M onogamy of the R ac es c alled S u erior p .

ft r long journey of xploration through th in ferior

A e a e e
form s f the sexual union amongs t mankind we have in the
o ,

p receding cha pter b e gun the s tudy of monogamy which all ,

the s u perior races have mor or less adopted in their legis e

a tion .

It i s impo ss ibl to deny that monogamy i s th oretic lly e e a

 TH E E VOL UTI OI V OF M AR R I A G E . 1 89

nobler th n th oth r m atrimo ial form s Nothing

a e e be n . c an
mor beautiful tha the unio of tw intelligent and refined
e n n o

being s freely ss ociati g their live s ft r ri p re fl ectio

a n f a e e n
“
or

better f wor s e
, or th marriag s rvic of E ngla d h
,
”
as it
e e e e n as .

But th r ality i s often very di fferent from thi s po tic ideal

e e e .

E ven among s t th mo s t highly civili s ed people s thi s s p n

e , o
taneous di s int re s t d d voted union ba s ed n moral nd
, e e , e ,
o a

intellectual s ymp thi s i s v ry rar ; it doe s not exi s t i

a e , e e n

civili s tio s s t ill partly b rb arous who s e monogamy ea s ily

a n a ,

accommod te s i ts elf t th s ubjection of women however

a o e ,

extreme W e s h ll s that it i s s o in studying this matri

. a ee ,

monial type amon gs t th H e b rew s at fi rst and fterward s e ,

a

among s t the Arya r ce s that i s to s ay among st th hum

n a , , e an
typ e whi h reputed p x ll Supe i r
s c are ar e ce enc e ro .

Th e e b rews s eem to hav been alon mong the

H e e a
Semite s in adopting monogamy t lea s t in general practice , a .

M oreover the Bible tell s u s th at concubinage wa s

,
t .
no

fo rb idden to G od s cho s en people In speaking f the

’
. o

dau gh ter s old by her father to a rich man th b ook f ,

e o

E xodu s u s ed language s u fficiently x plicit thi s point e on

I f she please t her ma s ter who hath b etrothed her to

no ,

him s el f then s hall he let her b redeemed to s ell her unto

, e :

a strange natio he s hall hav no power A d if he hav

n e . n .
e

b etrothed h unto hi s n h s hall deal with her fter the

er so , e a
manner of d ughter s But if he take t him a oth er
a . o
‘
n
'

wife her food h er raiment and her duty fm arriage shall

, , , o ,

he not dimini s h Th book f G enesis indeed tells u s

.
”1
e o

that a m s hall leave hi s father and mother d s hall

“
an , an
cleave unto his wife ; and they twain s hall b e one fl esh
but this famou s verse seem s to indicate the i l f the v o e nc e o

love rather than monogamic and indi ss oluble marriage .

D oubtle ss the s ubjection f the Jewi s h woman w not o as

extreme a s it i s in Kabyle it was ho w ever very gr eat
, , ,
.

H er consent to marriage w necessa r y it i s true when h as , , s e

had reached maj ority but s he was all the same sold t , o

her hu sb and We must note neverthele ss that s he had

.
, ,

Ex d 1
i 8 o G n i
us , xx 4 .
-
10 .
2
e e s s , 11 . 2 .
1 90 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

a recog ised right f owner ship and that the property f

n o , o
the hu s band wa s secu r ity for that f th wife and for her o e
dow ry ; but th hu b d none the les s held the wife i n
e
‘

s an
s trict de pendence Th s on g f the virtuou s woman at the . e o

en d f Proverb s i s generally quoted a s s ublime p ort r it of

o a a .

th J wi h wife by all thos w h still hyp ti d by the '

'

e e o are
‘

s e no se

presti ge f the called holy books H owever in reading

o so- .
,

these celebrated ve r se s with an un prejudiced mind w , e

hardly find mo r e than the po r t rait f a laboriou s s ervant o
bu s y and graspin g— She seeketh w ool and fl ax and
,
“
'

wo rketh willingly with her hands She ris eth while it i s .

‘

yet night and giveth meat to he r household and a portion

, ,

to her maiden s She considereth a field and buyeth it ;

.
,

with the fruit f her hands she planteth a ineyard She

o v .

girdeth her loin s with strength and t gth th her , s re n en e

arms H. candle goeth not ut by nighter She o .

eateth not the bread of idlenes s We shall s ee later that .

the w i fe thou gh she might gain much money which s eems

, ,

to have been the ideal f the H ebrew husband according to o

the Proverbs was re pudiable at will with no other reason

, ,

than the ca pr ice of the master who had bou ght her F inally .
,

and thi s i s much more severe she wa s always oblige d to ,

be able to pr ove cloths i hand that s he w a virgin at ,

n ,
as

the moment of her marriage and this unde r pain f being , o

s toned L t u listen to the sac r ed book

. e s I f any man -
“

take a w ife and go in unto he r and hate her

,
and ,

seeking a pretext to repudiate her he im putes to her a ,

shameful c r ime sayin g I took this woman and when I

, ,
“
,

c me to her I fo und her not a maid

a ,
her father and
mother shall take h er and shall re present to the elde r s f o

the city in the gate the t okens f the damsel s virginity o

’
.
”

O f what kind were these p roofs ? T h followin g verses

,

tell us They s h all pread the loth before the elders f

,
“
s c o

the city A d the elders f t h at city sh all take t h at man

. n o

and chastise him and they shall amerce him in an hundred

,

shekels of silver and give them unto the fathe r f the ,

o

damsel B ut if this thing be true and the tokens f

.
,
o

virginity be t found for the damsel then they shall brin g

no ,

ut the damsel to the door of her father s house and the

’
o ,

men f the city shall stone her with stones that she die ;
o
because s he hat h wrought folly in I s rael to play the whore ,
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y 1

in her father s house ; s o s halt thou put evil away from

’

among you If we add to the preceding that by the law

.
”1
,

of levirate the childle ss widow whether s he wi s hed not

, , or ,

wa s awarded to her b rother i law we s hall b enlightened -

n- , e

a s t the unenviable positio of th married woma under

o n e n

th H ebrew l w
e a .

III . M arriage in P ersia a nd A nc ien t I ndia .

Of the conjugal custom s f the ancient Per s ian s w o e

know little Th only formal pre s cription that we fi d i
. e n n
the Ave s ta i s s trict prohibitio again s t mar ying a n r an
in fi del T h M a dean who commit s such a crime trouble s
. e z

the whole univers e b changes to mud a third f the :

“
e o

rivers that ru s h dow the mountain s ide s ; h withers a n e

thi r d f the growth f trees and f herb s which cover the
o o o
ea r th ; he take s from pure men a third f their good o

thought s f their good words f their good action s ; h e i s

, o ,
o

more noxio us than serpent s and wolves .

” 2

O Indian marriage we are better informed at first by

n ,

the Code f M anu and then by modern travellers India

o ,
.

has early practised mitigated monogamy Polygamy d . an

conc ubinage w ere the privilege f the Brahmin s d rich o an

K h t iy ; but the mass of th nation generally lived in

c a r as e
monogamy though neverthele ss imposing,
the mar r ied on
woman a most humiliating po s ition M anu proclaim s .

alo ud the neces s ary de pendence and incurable inferiority

of the weaker sex If women were not gua r ded they :
“
,

w ould brin g mi s fortune to two families M anu has .

“

bestowed women the love f their bed of their s eat

on o , ,

and f adornment conc upi s cence anger bad inclinations

o , , , ,

the desire to do evil perversity A little girl a young ,

.
”3
,

woman and an ld woma ought never to do anything f

, o n o

their own will even in their w hou s e D uring her

, o n .
” “

childhood a woman de pend s her father ; during her on

youth on her hus band ; her hu s band bein g dead on her

, ,

sons ; if h ha s no sons the near relative s f her

s e , on o

h usband ; in default f them those f her father if

or o , on o

1
D t h xx l q L A 2 ’
eu 3 c H 11 p 3 96 v e r. 1 - 21 o v e ac ue , v esta,

b k i pp 5 7
. . .
, .
, . .

3
C d f llI o e o /
a n u, oo x
. .
- 1 .
1 9 2 TH E E VOL UTI ON OE M AR R I A GE

s he ha s no paternal relative s on the s overeign , . A woman

o ught never to have her own way .
” 1

G iven s uch an utter subo r dination f woman it is self o ,

eviden t that the r e would b question of her choosin g e no a

husband It is the father s duty to marry hi s dau ghte r ; and
.
’

he need not wait till s he has reached pube r ty A father :

“

must give his daughter in marr iage t a young man of o

agreeable appearance and f the same rank acco r ding to , o ,

the law although s he may not have attained the g f

, a e o

eight years at which he ought to mar ry her , H owever .

” 2
,

if the father neglects the prime duty f marrying his

,

da ughter the law ordains that the latter shall proceed to do

,

it M a ri ge is sacred duty L t a girl although adult

. r a a :
“
e , ,

wait three years ; but after that period let her c h oose a ,

h us band f the same rank as he r self Th girl i s the

o .
” 3
e n
fr ee and her husband in marryin g her owes no payment to
,

the father Th father has lost all authority ove r hi s

:
“
e
dau ghter in delaying for her t h e time f becomin g a o

mothe r G i r ls cannot be married too soon ; at ei ght

.
”4

years ld they are given a hu s band f twenty eight ; t

o o -
a

twelve year s a man fthirty Some ver s e s in cont radiction

,
o .
5
,

to that which I have j ust now quoted forbid the father ,

fr om receivin g any gratuity whatever in marryin g his

daughte r not even a cow or a bull All grat uity s mall
, : ,
or

la rge constitutes a sale B ut the p r ohibition to sell his

” 3
,

daughter thou gh still ve r y little observe d is evidently of

, ,

p o s terior date ; and in India a s in all other co unt ie s the ,

r ,

daughter ha s been esteemed at first as me r chandise Th . e

la w im po s es at times ve ry cu rious rest rictions a man wh on o

is intending to marry H must not take a gi rl with d . e re

h ai r ,
bearing the name f a constellation of rive r a
or o ,
a ,

bi r d a serpent H mu s t not unde r pain fhell ma rry

,
or .
7 e ,
o ,

before his elder brothe r Above all he must not mar ry .

8
,

below his rank T marry a woman belon ging to the servile . o

cla ss i s f the Brahmin o r the K h t iy an enormou s
, or c a r a,

crime which lowers him to the rank f the Sondra s It i s o .

9

an un pardonable s in F him who drinks the foam of

,
“
: or

Code of M a n n , v pp 1 4 7 , 1 48 3
1 I bid iii p p 5 1 , 5 3
k
. . . . . . .

2 3 7 I bid bo o iii
I bid I bid ix p 90
k
. . . . .
. .

3
4
I bid p 9 3 . . . I bid . bo o iii pp 1 7 1 . .
, 1 72 .

9
3
[bid p 9 4 . . Ibid .
pp . 1 4, 1 5 .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y 1 93

the lip s f a S ud or who ha s a child by her there i s

o o ra, ,
no
expiation declared by the law H descend s to th i .
” 1
e e h

f l abode and his s on lose s caste

ern a A for the son of a
,
. s

Brahmanic woman and a S ud he i s a Tchandala the o ra, ,

vile s t f mortals T h young Brahmin after havin g

o .
2
e ,

received the autho r isation f hi s s pi r itual director and o ,

having purified himself by a b ath must mar r y a woman f ,

o

his w class w h is well made who has a fine dow over

o n ,
o ,
n
her body fine hair small teeth limbs f a charmin g s weet
, , , o
ne s s and the graceful movement f a swan
,
a youn g o or

ele phant But however the wife may be chosen s he is

.
3
, ,

held in a state f servile submi ss ion A wife say s the o .

“
,
”

Code can never be s et free from the authority f her

,
“
o

hu s band ; neither by s ale nor by desertion O nce only .

” “

a young gi r l is given in marriage ; once only th father s ays e ,

I give her .
”4

T aken a s a whole the s e anti q ue prece pts are still ,

ob s e rved i India In general monogamy prevails but

n .
, ,

the married woman is mine the le s s kept in a state f abj ect o

subjection It is s hameful s ay s Somerset f a vi r t uous

.
, , or

woman to know h w to read and dance ; these futile o

accom plishments are left to the bayadere Servant .

“
,

s lave are the habitual a ppellations u s ed by the husband

,
”

in addres s ing hi s wife wh re plie s by s ayin g M aster lord ,

o
“
, ,

wh mu s t take care not to call her husband by his name

o ,
5

and h a s not the right to s it at his table It is the parent s .

3

who negotiate the ma rr iage without any regard to the ta s te s ,

o f the fut ure hu s band and wife and thinkin g only f rank ,
o

and fortune A daughter is alway s marr ied or rather sold

.
7
, ,

in infancy often t a s exagenarian Brahmin and before

, o ,

s he is f age to manife s t y preference

o an .
8

T he s e account s which are as authentic a s p ossible , ,

enable u s to e s timate th H indoo marriage H owever e .

monogamic it may generally be it i s very inferior from a ,

moral point f V iew Th tyrannic l right l ft t the o . e a e o

husband hi s unlimited p ower the s ervitude of the wi f

, ,
e,

1
C d fM b k iii p
o 9e o I Oid p p 4 an n , oo . . 1 .
3
. .
-
10
2 4
I bid p 7 I bid i pp 1 x
S m r t II i V y t xxx i p 3 5
. . . . . .

5
oU i l e se , st . n v . c es o .
, . . . 2 .

3 7
I d ibid p 3 4 I d ibid p 3 5 1 0
,

t x p 3
. . .
. . . . .
,
'
3 difi a
I d ibid p 3 5 L.
, . . 0 .
-
ett res e n tes , . . . 2 .
1 94 TH E E V O L UTI ON OE M AR RI A G E

yielded negotiated in infancy the pride of caste and the

or ,

care fo r wealth outweighin g all other con s ide rations p , ro

claim loudly enou gh that matrimonial legislation in India

ha s been the regulation for the man s profit only f ,
’
,
o

in s tinct s of ve ry low order

a .

IV . III a rriage in A nc ient G reec e .

In primitive G reec the po s ition f woman was little

e o
better O one hand the I li d tell s u s that the e pithet
. n ,
a

woman thrown at man wa s the mo s t contem ptuous

”
a
insult ;
1
the other hand w hav s een that the gi rl w
on ,
e e as

purch s ed by the hu s band either by presents by services

a ,
or

rendered to the father ; i short that the hu s band might 2

n ,

have domestic concubines with the s ole rese r vation t h at

their children did not inherit fr om him In the fi rs t chant .
8

o f the Ody y the severe a p o s tro phe of T elemachus to hi s

sse

mother proves al s o that in the absence f the hu s band the o

wife wa s humbly s ubmissive to her s on s G to thy .

“
o
chamber ; attend to thy work ; turn the spinning wheel ;
weave th linen ; see that thy s ervant s do their tasks
e .

S peech belo gs to men and especially to me who am the

n , ,

ma s ter he r e Penelope like a well trained woman

.
”4
,
-
,

meekly allows hers elf to be silenced and obeys bearing in ,

her mind the sage discourse f her son o .

In later times the virtuous woman was s hut up in the

gy u
ne c em where she,
could only receive her p a r ent s the or
friends authorised by her husband She w not even .
5 as

admitted to festivitie s But while the wife w s emi

.

.
, as

cloi s tered in the conj ugal ho use the hu s band could at will ,

frequent and court the heta ir ( ém fp ) and the stran ger s ’

as ar
,

with whom the citi en s f Athens had not the ju z o s

c on nuOi and who were not admitted like t h e well born or

z, -

native Athenian woman ( l eép ) to the th m ph e t ev a es o o rs .

6

It is evident that at A then s primitive ma riage was r

regulated by the m with very little heed to the tastes
an
or p references f the woman A t Sop a r ta it was the .

1 I liad, v iii
3
11 . v 1 1. . Odyssey, xiv .

2
G o gue t, Orzg des L ois , t 11 p I bid i
ll tt nt
. . . . . .

3
C av a o i, L a Sposa dz M enec le ( o es ) p
, . 2 46 .
3
I d ibid p 2 39
. . . .
 A ND OE TH E F A M I L Y . 1 95

sentiment f s trict and ealous patriotism which in sp ired

o z

L ycurgu s in all hi s re gulations r e gardi g marriage Th n . e

obligation f marriage w legal like the military service
o as , .

Th young men were attracted to it by making them assist

e
t the gymna s tic exercise s of aked young gi rl s Thi s “
a n .

w asan incentive to marri ge and to use Plato s expression a , ,

’
,

drew them almost a s necessarily b y the attraction of love

as a geometrical conclu s ion is d awn fr om the p r emises r .
” 1

In the su preme inte r est of po pulatio love was fo r ced on n,

young men but it w for the sake f fertility Th young

,
as o . e
married cou ple were not allowed to meet except in s ecret
until the fi r st pr egnancy It w pr aisewo r thy for an ld .
2
as o
hu s band to lend hi s young wife t a hand s ome young man o ,

by whom s he mi ght have a child .

In u w day it is not very rare particularly in F rance

o r o n , ,

to see p oor you g men marry rich ld w omen Solon did

n o .

not permit this conjugal prostitution f man at Athens A o .

censor says Pluta rc h findin g a young man in th hou s e

,
”
,
“
e

o f a rich ld woman fattening as they s ay a p art r id ge fattens

o ,

by hi s s ervices to the female would remove him to s om , e

young girl wh wanted a husband o A t S p arta L ycu rgus .
” 3

w ent a s far as to put hardened celibate s under the ban f o

s ociety In the fi rs t place they were t permitted to see
.
,
no

these exercise s f the naked vi rgins ; and the magistrates

o

commanded them to march naked round the m arket place -

in winter and to s ing s ong com posed again s t themselves

, a .

T hey were al s o de prived f that honour and respect o

which the you g p y to the old n a .

4

Th young G r eek gi r l could not dis p ose

e f her p erson o

any mo r e than the Chine s e H indoo woman co uld She or .

w asmarried by her father ; in default f her father by her o ,

brother of the s ame blood ; in default f a b rothe r by a o ,

p aternal g r andfathe r T h right f b r others who .we r

“
e heirs e o

t their father to marry their s i s ter wa s not even exhausted

o

by a first marriage Th father f the family had the .

3
e o

power either to marry hi s dau ghter during hi s lifetime ,

or

1
r xx
L yc u gus , vi

l trh —
.

2
P u a c , Apophthegm s of the L ac edem on ia ns D em a ndes R om a ines, .

lxv 3
S o o n, v iii l
4
xxx
L yc u gus, vii r xxx
th n a all tt
. .
.

3
D em o s e e s, c f S te p ii in C v . o i, loc c it
. . . .

3
Isaeus, H eritage of M en ec les , 5 9
-
.
1 9 6 TH E E V OL UTI ON OF M A R R I A G E

to bequeath her by will as well as her mother who was , ,

a ss imilated like her to chattels pro perty D emosthene s

, ,
or .
“
,

my father bequeat h ed his fort une which w fourtee

, ,
as n
talent s myself age d seven years my sister aged five year s
, , , , ,

and our mother At the moment f dying when asked what . o ,

he would have done with u s he b e queathed ll th thi g , a ese n s

to thi s Aph bu and to D m ph t hi s nephews ; he o s e O o n es,

married my sister to D m ph t and gave at once two e o o n e s,
talents In the s ame w y s ay s D emosthene s again
.
” 1 “
a ,
”
,
“
Pa s ion dying bequeathed his wife to P h m i , It or on .
”2

mi ght ha ppen that the daughter the wife were by law or o ne

body with th estate Thus a dau ghte r in default f male

e .
,
o

heirs b elonged to the relation wh would have inherited i

, o n
her s tead and place if s he had not lived ,
.

If the r e were s everal relative s in the s ame degree of

succession the daughter was to marry the elde s t f them
, o .

F u r ther still she w obliged in this case to q uit her

, as
hu s band if previou s ly d even with paternal authorisation
, , an ,

she had contracted marriage In G reece to s afeguard or .

3
,

con quer her inde pendence a woman had no other resource s ,

than the s ed uction f her sex and the love she could inspire o .

She had ea rly recourse to the s e defensive weapons for ,

A ristotle think s it his d uty to put young men on guard

again s t the exces s of conju gal tenderness and feminine
tyranny the habit which enchain s the man to his wife
, .
4

At length in G reece a s it had happened in E gy pt money , ,

finished by protectin g the woman much more ffi i u ly e c ac o s ,

and even by givin g her s ometime s the advantage the on

conjugal field f battle Solon who knew E gypt began by o .

, ,

decreeing the ab s olute poverty f the ma rr ied woman o .

Th b r ide w to brin g with her only th r ee s uits f

e as o

clothes and s ome household stu ff of s mall value for he

, ,

wished marriage s to be made without mercenary venal or

views and wo uld have that union cemented by love and

,

friendship and not by ,

But thi s pr imitive legi s
lation could not s tand against th combined action f t h e e o

a ffection f the gi r l s parent s her w desire f ind

o
’
,
o n o e

p end and
e nc e, lastly the cu p idity of the hu s band and , ,

1
D m th
e Ag i Aph O
os e n es , a ns t o us .

2
Id F Ph m i or I S ori f Py h on .
3 saeus, uc c ess on o rr us
— n i
.

l xxx
.
,
3
4
lVi E hi c.iii 4 E m t i p 4 c s, v S . i 1 . c ono .
, . . . o o , v .
 A N D OE TH E F A M I L Y . 1 97

thus the practice of the dowry becam general T hi s e .

dow r y w con s tituted b efore marriage b y a public act

as .
1

Securitie s and bonds were given t as s ure the dowry and o

the condition s f marr iage Th dowry wa s mortgaged

o . e on

the h usband s pr operty and retu r ne d to th wife on the

’
,
e
dissol ution f the marriage When the woman could
o .

shelter herself behind the s hield f the do w ry she was o

much more respected and h even s ometime s tyran ised ,

s e n

in he r t ur Aristo phanes M enander L ucian etc pour

n .
, , , .
,

o ut endles s bitter crit icisms the haughty n d ext r avagant on a

rich woma n .

In the comedy f Th Cl ud the good S t p i d crie s

0

o e o s re s a es
I led so happily in the country good s im ple life without a ,

vexation care rich in bees in shee p and in olive s "

or , , ,

T hen I ma r ried the niece f M g l son f M g l I o e ac e s , o e ac es .

w as f the country she

o f the town ; s he wa s a ha ughty
, o ,

ext r ava gant woman a true C y Th wed din g day w hen

,
e s ra . e ,

I lay down by her I s melt t h e wine the chee s e and the

, , ,

wool ; she cares for pe r fumes sa ffron tender kis s e s expen s e , , , ,

good chee r and wanton transports I will not s ay that

she was idle—no —she worked hard at um m g me
.
,
”
r .

According to M enander reli gion served as an excuse to ,

wome for enormou s expense s U nder the pretext f

n . o

p iety they ruined their hu s band s by religio us sacrifices

accompanied with perfumes with golden clasps for th , e
s andal s d female slave s ceremoniously ranged in a
, an
ci r cle .
2

O nep oor hen pecked hu s band groan s in the s e terms

- :

Cur s ed b e the first man wh invented marriage and then o ,

the s econd and the thi r d and the fourth and all those wh
, , , o

imitated t h em O old h usband lament s I have

.
”
ne :
“

ma rr ied a witch with a dowry I took her to have her .

,

fields and house and that 0 Ap ollo i s the wo r st f evil s

, , , o .
”3

L i s ten a gain to this If bein g p oor you marry a rich

o ne :
“
,

woman you give your s elf mi s t r ess and not a wife ; you
, a
reduce you r self to be at the s am time s lave and poor e a
”

To sum up, in ancient G reece marriage im plied at fi rs t

1
I s ae us , S uc c ess io n o f Pyrrh us 3
nn r
M e a de The N ec hlac e
a ll tti
. .
,
2
Mysogy ne , F r 3 . .
4
C va o ,
La Sposa di M enec le, p 1 5 8 . .
1
98 TH E E V OL UTI ON OF M A R R I A GE

the com plete s lavery f the w ife wh w treated a s o ,

o as a
thing ; then by de grees conj ugal customs were mitigated ,

and the wife became a pe r son and even a proprieto r w h om , ,

her dowry p ersonal fortune could protect

or T hence .

forwa r d money produced its usual e ffect on infe r ior

ch a racters it debased infatuated individual s who were
: or
wit h out moral nobility ; cupidity blinded certain men ; the
insolence of money intoxicated certain women B ut this .

only occu rr ed among the rulin g classe s and the fate f , o

husbands reduced to conj ugal servitude b y love of a large
do wry doe s not conce r n u he r e s .

T h im p ortant feature in G reek ma rr iage i s that the

e ,

fi r st legislators re ga rded it solely from the point f V iew of o

increase of population and held individual libe rty especially, ,

t h at of the woman very cheaply Whatever we may think

, .

of this legal tyranny it attained its end perfectly Th ,

. e

small rep ublics of ancient G reece fl w d with men ; o ver o e

th us A ttic had four thousand

a h und r ed and sixty six o ne -

inhabitants to the s qua r e league —that is to say the ,

o
p p ulation was three time s more dense than that of F ra ce n

at pr esent .

V . M arriage in A nc ien t R ome .

In its general feature s R oman mar r iage does not greatly

diffe r fr om G reek but its evol ution has been more com plete
, ,

and the legislation the subj ect is better known to u

on s .

M a rr ia ges of children es pecially f little girls were the ,

o ,

rule at R ome since the nu ptial majority f gi r l s w fixed

,
o as

at twelve year s B ut they we r e often betrothed and even

.
,

married befo r e that g V ip i Ag r ippina dau gh ter of

,
a e . san a ,

A gr i ppa and of Pom ponia was promised to T ibe r i us from ,

her fi r st year Th D ig t authorise d betrot h al at the age

.
1
e es

of seven .
2

In betrothing h i s dau ghter the father contracted a civil

obli gation sanctioned at first by an action f damages
,
or ,

and later by infamy E very woman of twenty if s he wa s

.
,

1 F r i dl a d r M
e m i
n
—
e t pp 5 54
ce urs ro a nes , e tc 191 3
2 1 -2
I d ihid t xx iii pp
. . .
,
.
,
2
.
4 .A i d M l i
. . . 1 -1 . v s e o est on .
 A ND OE TH E F A M I L Y . 1 99

neither m arried nor a mother incurred the punishment ,

decreed by Augu s tu s again s t celibacy and childle ss ne ss .

1

We are indeed told in R oman legi s lation that the con s ent
o f the girl wa s nece s sary b efore pa ss ing finally to betrothal
and marriage But it is evident that the con s ent f a child
. o

o f twelve year s even less wa s illu s ory ; in reality th

,
or , , e
young R oman girl wa s married by her parent s T h young .
2
e

wife was still s uch a child that the day f her wedding , on o

she took a ceremoniou s leave of her plaything s and doll s ,

offering them up to the god s In reality it wa s not th .

, e
wife w h o made the engagement but the pers on s i who s , n e
power she found herself .
3

Neverthele ss R oman cu s tom s conceded t wome

,
o n a
certain liberty f manner s which the G reek s would t
o no
have tolerated Th R oman woma walked i the s treet s
. e n n ,

went t the theatre with the men s hared in ban quet s etc
o , , .

yet she was e s pecially in primitive R ome s ubjected fir s t to

, ,

her father and the to her hu s band A d be s ide s public

n . n , ,

O pinion obliged the woman to u s e in great moderation th e

p r actical liberty that wa s left t her Th famou s e p ita p h o e

f the R oman matron —d m m m m f it—i s well
.

o it ; l o a ans a na ec

known This e pitaph may perhaps exaggerate but it doe s

.
,

no t lie T hus Suetoniu s tells u s that the daughte rs and

.

grand daughter s f A u gu s tu s were compelled to weav and

o e
-

s pin and that the E m peror u s ually wore no other garme t s

, n
but those made by the hand s f his wife and s ister o .
4

L egally the R oman wife w

,
the property f her hus b and as o ,

wh o treated her t a s hi s e qual but a s hi s child At

,
no ,
.

R ome also conjugal u io had been looked at chiefly from

, , n n

the p oint of view f procreatio (L ib um qu d um o n eror eeren or

ca u a)
s Th wife who wa s th mother f three children
. e e o

acquired ce r tai independe c ; s he could mak will

a n n e e a
even during the li fetime f her hus b and and did not need o ,

to h ave recour s e t a t r ustee But the s ubjection fwoma

o .
3
o n

wa s very g r eat Th father inve s ted with the p t t

. e ,
o es as,

could s ell his child to a third party i m pium Th , n a nc i . e

1
r l r
F ie d an de , loc c it p 3 5 1
l trh
. . . .

2
P u a c , L yc urgus a nd N um a c ompa red, 4 , 2 .

3
r l r
F ie d ande , loc c it p 3 5 6
'

tn
. . . .

4
S ue o ius , Oc tav ius , xiv l
ltr
.

3
P u a c h , N um a P o mpilius , xv n .
2 00 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R R I A G E

m a nc ip ium , w h ich wa s almo s t a ri ght f propriety pa s sed o ,

afte rwards to t h e heirs of t h e owne r .

We have s een that the p t f m ili had the right to a er a as

marry his da ughter without con s ultin g her but he enj oyed ,

a ri ght more exces s ive s till that of ma rryin g her w h en , re -

his son in law had been absent for three yea r s It was
~ -
.
1

A ntoninu s only w h thou ght of de privin g the father f his o o

ri ght to annul the marr iage of hi s daughter T the p t t . o o es a s

o f the father succeeded the m u of the husband Th an s . e

woman i m u w con s idered le gally a s the daughter f
n an as o

her h usband and therefore as t h e sister f her chil dr en If

, o .

the husban d w as him s elf the son of a family t h e wife i ,

n
m an u w held a grand dau ghter f the father of the
as s -
o
family This entailed for her t h e extinction of paternal
.

p ower ( on her own side) and of gua r dianshi p and the ,

r i ghts of r elationship wit h the male members of her father s ’

family In t h e ma rr iage with m u the h usband became

. an s

the pr oprietor of all the dowry f his wife Th father o . e ,

howeve r could sti pulate that the dowry should be returned

,

to him if his daughter died without child r en or w p udi as re

ated T h l g fuli and P pi h d in fact im posed

. e e es a a a a , , on

the fathe r the obligation f giving a dowry to his dau ghter ; o

but the dowry could be appointed by third parties by the or

woman herself if she w uiju i and then also she had

, as s r s,

the right to sti pulate for some reservations .

T his terrible ri ght of m u wa s acquired by the husband an s

with every fo r m of marriage even the gr ossest of all the , ,

u u
s s, o r s im ple cohabitation durin g year ; but the wife o ne
could avoid the ti i m um by passin g three ni gh t s
c onven o n an

in the year out f the conj u gal domicile Th m u o . e an s

invested the husband with a large right f correction over o

hi s wife tho ugh in very grave case s he w t assemble the

, as o

family tribunal which included the child r en f cousin s

,
o

g e r man T hese
. family tribunals took co gnisance even f o

m urder co m mitted by the wife and they were still in use

.

un de r the em perors O t h e other han d the R oman .

2
n ,

husbands did not let their legal r i ght f beatin g thei r wive s o
fall into des uet ude for Saint M onica consoled the wives of ,

her ac quaintance whose faces showed mark s f marital o

Pl t
1
S y h au us , t c ns

M M D r y F il n
.

2
(p m )
’
L I li i m p ta e an c e e, ar . u u ,
o , e tc . ass i .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 2 01

brutality b y s aying t them Take care t control your

,
o :
“
o

ton gues . It i s the duty of s ervant s to obey their

m a s ter s Y u have made a co tract f s ervitude 1
”
. o n o .

T here were at R ome three kind s f marriage s which I o ,

have already amed— t Th u u re s ulting from a simple

n 1s ,
e s s,

continuous cohabitatio without contract ceremony a n, or ,

sort f Tabitan marriage ; d the mp ti purcha s e of

o 2n ,
c oe o or ,

w h ich I have s poken at length— that i s t s ay the legal o ,

r e gulation f the primitive marriage by pu r cha s e in u s e all

o ,

ove r the world at the origin f civilisation s Coem ption o .

,

without any palliatives delivered th wife s body and good s ,

e
’

to her husband ; 3 d the f ti ari s toc r atic mar

r ,
c on a rrea o, o r

i g in which the hi gh Pont iff of Ju p iter gave in the pre s ence

r a e, ,

of ten witness s a cake made f fl our water and s alt to

e ,
o , ,

the b r ide and bridegroom wh ate it between them Th ,

o . e

m an u ws conferred as the husband in the marriage by on

confarreation the s ame a s in the m arriage by u u and
,
s s

c oe mp ti oWe mu s t note that at R ome as in G reece the

.
, ,

religious ce r emony was in no way essential to the marriage ,

which w a laic and civil institution in the fi r s t place

as .
2

T hese three form s f marria ge very probably re pre s ent o

the evolution f the conjugal union in ancient R ome Th

o . e

u u s free cohabitation mu s t have been the commence

s, o r ,

ment then came th purcha s f the wife the mpti e e o ,

c oe o,

and at length the s olemn marriage f ti f the o r c on arrea o o

pat r icians But marriage with the husband s right of m u ’

. an s

s ubsisted for a long time and it conferred on him all the ,

cu s tomary licence f s avages f every country notably that

o o ,

o f lendin g the wife and this exo r bitant ri ght endu r ed till
,

the best days of R ome since the vi r tuous Cato f U tica used, o
it still in lendin g his wife M artia to his friend H ortensi us .

T his fact is curious and de s erves attention H o r ten s ius

, .

began b y asking for the loan f Cato s daughter Portia o

’

, ,

already married t Bi b ulus and the mother of two children

o , .

It was s ay s Plutarch with the object f s election that

, , o ,

he m ight have a child f good race he promised to retur o n

her afte r wa r d s to her hu s band O the refus al of C ato . n ,

H orten s ius fell back M a r tia Cato s w wife w h w on ,

’
o n , o as
at the time i t Cato w not at all shocked t th
enc en e . as a e

S ai t A g t i
1
C f i nb k i h i
u us ne, o n ess on s , oo x c . . x
.

2
R . C ubain , L ois c iv iles de R om e, p . 1 79 .
202 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

pro po s ition but referred it however to Phili p hi s fat h er i

, , , ,
-
n
law wh al s o s aw no ha r m in it A cont ract was the refo r e
,
o .

concluded between Cato H orten s ius and Phili p ; and , ,

M artia whom no , thou ght of consultin g was yielded to

o ne ,

H orten s iu s and afterwards taken back at the death of the

, ,

latter by Cato She wa s then the heir of H ortensius and

, .
,

Cato had t the lea s t s cru ple in receivin g her back with
no

her money at the s ame time .

1

T any o not versed in ethnog aphical s ociology these

o ne r
custom s seem improbable D oubt ha s been cast on this .

s tory of H orten s i us and Cato though it is atte s ted by t h e ,

A ti C t of Juli us C esar
n -
a o whic h Plutarch relies b ut it
a , on
has nothing ext rao rdinary f u We know that at fi r st or s .

woma was eve rywhere the ab s olute property f the man

n o .

Th m e u of the R oman husband was in the main only an

an s

attenuated form of pr imitive conju gal right which we know ,

included the power to lend ba r ter or cede the wife without , ,

con s ulting her Th case of Cato is then only a survival of

. e

preceding a ges .

Necessa r ily brief and incom plete as the é umé must be r s

that I can he r e give f conj ugal legislation at R ome it will

o ,

s uffice I h ope to give a clear idea of what R oman ma rr iage

, ,

w as . I s hould add that the law inspi r ed by the old ,

p atriotic s p i r it and the p rej udices f caste limited t h e r igh t o ,

of marriage the ju ,
ubii Th ju ts c on n were at . e s es n oc es

fi r st an a r istoc ratic privilege Th plebeian s co upled m . e ore

fera r u m A t. length the j u uh ii extended to marria ge s s c o nn

between L atin and R oman L ati and L atin and even ,

n ,

foreigner and foreigner Th child followed the condition . e

o f t h e mothe r which seem s to be a survival of the

,

ancient maternal family Another vestige f the same kind o

is fo und in the legal po s ition of pu ii—t h at is to say of

.

s r ,

children born of a mar r iage which is either prohibited or

incestuo us bi gamous These children irregula rly con
or .
,

ceived have a mother but no legal father ; they do not

, ,

come under the paternal power of the fat h er like the child ,

o f la w ful ma rr ia ge and cannot be le gitimated,

.
2

Th s tudy of the t r ansformations that R oman m arriage

e
underwent fr om the time of Numa to that of the em peror s
Pl t r h C1
f U iua cxxx i lx iii ato o t c a, v v

D m gt I
. .
,
2
i od G i en i 6
e , nst tutes e a ns, .
4 .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y 2 03

i s mo s t intere s ting for we can follow a com plete evolution

in regard to it which ha s never been s o com plete in any
other country At fi rst w fi d conjugal anarchy th
. e n , e

capriciou s union u u which could be and which w or s s, ,

as

in fact often polygamou s a s the ulterior per s istence f th

, ,
o e
concubinate proves ; then the marriag b y capture f e ,
o

which the trace remained in the marriage ceremony ; then

t h e ma rriage by purchase the coemption with its o r din , ,

ary con s equence the servitude f the wife which even th

, o ,
e
s olemn marria ge confa r reation did t aboli sh At
or no .

length this brutal law of the primitive ages relaxes Th . e

law which holds the woman under paternal power ( p t i a r a

p t t ) i s turned round
o es as Th father himself give s his . e

daughter i m ip ium to a third party who afterwa r ds

n a nc ,

enfranchi s e s her Sometimes it i s the p t i p t t which

. a r a o es as

is a check to the m u f th hu s band Th wife i an s o e . e ,

n
marrying without being subject to the m u remains
,
an s,

s ubj ect to he r father who can even claim her a gain

, .

B ut the in s titution f the dowry s obligatory and

o a

inalienable by the hu sb and th p ower f the woman to ,

e o

marry while remaining in the pater al family to have her n ,

p ara phernalia to inherit property f her father to control

, o ,

both f the s e and also the great facility f divorce ended

o , o ,

by rendering the R oman at lea s t the patrician matron

, or ,

almost independent U nder th em pire R oman m arriag

. e e

had become in fact a sort f free union i which money o ,

n
considerations played the predominant part Plautus .

already speak s f the dotal slave creatur f the wife s

o -
, a e o
’
,

managi g her property and ruling th hu s band

n e

A 43 en tum “3 3 31231 do“ impet ium

3 ’
v en didi .
1

H orace mentions the wife ruling b y mean s f her dow r y o

jux ( Od iii M a r tial declare s

”
d t t
o a a re git i um v r c on . .

that he wi s he s rich marriage ; it does not s uit him he

no ,

s ay s to be married b y hi s wife
,
ux i b l m or n a ere n o o c ae
”

( E n . viii F rom
. Senec to Saint Jerom who both a e,
s peak of it the dotal slave i s advantageou s ly re placed by
,
-

t h e fr i ed s teward ( P u t l m i t tu ) managing the

zz roc ra or c a a s ra s

1
A s ina ria, v .
70 7 2
-
20 4 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R R I A G E

a airs f my lady They went further still and as it

f
f o .
1
,

happens in R uss ia at the pr esent day they concl uded ,

fictitious marriage s ; but at R ome these false ma rr iages , ,

cont r acted f ready money had no other obj ect than to

or ,

elude the law s against celibacy .

2

VI . B a rbarous M arriage a nd Chris tian M arriage .

In order to avoid being too incom plete in this rapid

s urvey of marriage amon g all race s I will say a few word s
barbarous mar r iage outside the G reco—
,

on R oma world n .

T h ba r ba r ians of ancient E uro pe more

e les s mono , or

g m
a uo have dif
s, fered little from any others T heir mar .

i g resemble s that of their fellows of all races and all

ra e

times ; that which chiefly characterise s it is the s ubj ection

o f woma n .

Barbarous women s ay s Pl utarch neither ate nor dran k

, ,

w ith their h usbands and never called them by their ame

, n .
3

A mon g the G ermans w h were mo r e often monogamous , o ,

as Tacit us says the wife w pur cha s ed ; then the pu r chase

,
4
as

money was t ransfo r med into a dower accorded to the b r ide

under the name of m g g O or l ( ulum ) the price or en a e o sc e os c ,

of the fi r st kiss .

G erman betrothals which could only be ann ulled for a

s erious reason stron gly resembled L atin ones—that is they
,

, ,

were a s ale f the gi r l in anticipation by her legal owne r s

o .

It wa s necessa ry for t h e girl to have t h e co sent of her n

fathe r her neare s t relative for her ma iage A wido w

, or ,
r
r . s ,

having been purchased she belonged to the relatives of h er ,

dead h usband and co uld not mar ry again without their

,

leave Th feudalism of the M iddle Ages was ca r eful not

.
3
e
to emanci pate the woman and s h e remained a mino r or , ,

eve le s s since the Code f B um i says ( titre lvii )

n ,
o ea an o r .

E very husband can beat his wife when she will not obey
“

his commands when she curse s him o r contradict s him

, or ,

S 1
D m im — S i t J r m
e ne c a , eL atr
54 3 7 9 9 a n e o e, etters , 1
t
.
, , ,
.

F r i dl a d r M
2
p 36
’

e n e ce urs , e tc 1 91 3 0
Pl t r h O H
.
, .
, . .

3 d i
u a c , n ero otus , xx .

4
Germ an ia, v iii x .

3
l
L ab o u aye , H is t de la s uc c es des femmes
. . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y -
20
5

provided that he doe s it moderately and that death doe s ,

no t follow i con s e quence

n A mong the Saxon s the .
,

Burgundian s and the G erman s i general the widow w

,
n , as
subj ected to the rule f her elde s t a s s oon h had
o so n as e
a ttained the age f fifteen o .

In the M iddle Ages the woman s urpri s ed in committing

a dultery mi ght be executed by her hu s band who even had ,

the right to call in the aid f her In th ninth and o so n .

1
e
tenth centu r ie s however among the Saxon s in E ngland
, , ,

an advance that w quite exceptio al took place Th

as n . e

young girl could marry herself w not re pudiable at will , as ,

had h e r w property and her key s and th penal law f

o n , e o

her hus b and ceased to weigh upon her This progre s s w .

2
as

quite local and Operated s pontaneou s ly quite independently

, ,

of Ch r i s tian influence In fact Chri s tianity ha s only

.
,

emancipated women s piritually and its real influence , on

marriage ha s been injurious D oubtle ss the Christian wife .

might hope to become seraph in the next wo rld but in a ,

thi s she wa s only a s ervant a s lave In G reco R oman or .

-

anti quity marriage had been con s idered a s it ought to be a , ,

civil institution L egi s latio mor

. le ss s en s ible d n, e or an

intelligent regarded it simply from the point f view f

, o o

o
p p ulation .

Christianity which t ught that the earthly country wa s f

,
a o
no account and t xed with im purity all that related to
,
a

sexual union made marriage a s acrament and con s equently

, ,

an i stit ution quite apart from humble con s ide ration s f

n o

s ocial utility All sexual union outside marriage wa s re puted

.

c r iminal ; the ideal preached to women w the mystic as

mar r iage with G d Th p ious Constantine increased all
o . e

the penaltie s again s t s exual crimes A d ulte ry became again .

a capital offence the woman guilty of mar rying a s lave w as

condemned to death ; marriage wa s declared indi s solu ble
3

s econd marriages were blameworthy At the s am time . e

the father s f the Church and the preachers did not ce s e
o a
to utter the ir thunder s again s t woman di sparaging her , ,

and a b u s ing her a s an im pur creature almo s t devili sh e , .

T hi s encouraged the s evere legi s lation f th barbarian s i o e n

1
S um m a Ca rdin alis H ostiens is , lib v , D e A dulteris
Wk
. . .

a e , E v olut io n o M ora lity , v o l 1

2

3
f p 38 1 . . . .

Code T lib v i , tit I er . . .

.
206 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A GE .

conjugal matters I have previously mentioned some t rait s

.

o f t h ese brutal law s.I shall return to t h em in speakin g f o

questions connected with marriage which r emain still to be

t r eated f—adulte r y divorce and Widowhood We s hall
,

o , , .

then see how hu rtful the infl uence f Christianity has bee
o n
on marriage a d w shall come to the c oncl usion that in
,
n e

order to manage earthly a ffai r s well it is not good to keep

,

o u look s constantly raised to the s kies

r .
 C H AP TE R XIII .

A DU LT E R Y .

I .
—Adul tery c o n sidered as a th e ft
A dultery in Gen eral .

I I A dultery in M e la n e ia — I ndul gen c e and s e e rity o f Tasm an ian s v

and Aust ra l ian husban ds—A dul t ery at Ne w C al e do n ia

. .

l
II I A du tery in B lac h Afri c a — Am o ng th e H o tt ent o t s at the ,

a n na
.

G bo o ,
l
in m idd e Af ic a, in Abyssi i r .

IV . A dultery in P olyn es ia —P unish m ent o f unauth o rised adul tery

The fi re -lig te h r at N o uk ah iv a.

V A dultery in S avage A m eric a —

Am o ng the q
E s uim u a x—Sp ial ec

k —Obsc ene re tal iation

.

l ty am
.

e
p an o ng the R e ds ins .

VI . A dultery in B arbarous A m eric a . Am o g the P ipi e sn l in

Y uc at a n, x
in M e ic o , in P e u, in G u r at em a la .

V II . A dulter y am ong the M ongol R ac es a nd in M a laya .

—Am ng the o

n m ad Tart r
o a s, in T ibe h t ,
in C i hn a, in J ap n a , in M l y aa a .

A dultery am ong the E gyptians , the B erbers , a nd the S em ites

V III .

al t a lt r an nt t a n ra
.

P en y o f du e y in c ie E gyp m o g the H eb e s , th e A bs , rw
an d in K by e a l .

IX A dultery in P ers ia an d —P nal ty f adul t ry i P r ia

I n dia e o e n e s

l t ry i u—F r t rna l d auth r i d adul t ry—Th

. .

Adu e n th e C o de of M an a e an o se e e

ob l igati n fa d ubl go o o e v en ean c e .

X A dult y i th G w R m W ld —L gal adul t ry a rding

er n e re -
o an or e e cco

d S l n —P u i h m nt f ill gal adul t ry—Adul t ry i

.

t L y urgu s an n s
—
o c o o e o e e e n

p ri m it i R m — L x j u
veli L g a l g a o f th e fat h r —Obe n a e v en e nc e o e e sc e e

r tal iati —L aw f Ant inu f S ptim u S ru

e on sd f C
o on s, o e s ev e s, an o on

stan tine

—Am ng th
.

XI A dultery in B arbarous E urope o h rk e Tc e esses, the

—S i gular p nal ti
. .

V isigo th s, th e F ran c s, unde r Charl e m agn e n e es o f th e

M iddl e Ages .

X II . A dultery in the P as t and in the F uture .

2 08 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A GE

I . A dultery in G eneral .

We will w pa s s in review s ome f the principal

no o

p enalties ( the en ume r ation of all of them would be too

long) with which the men of all times and race s have
attem pted to repress adultery That the human species .

and especially the pr imitive un polished human s pecies i s

,

f the most ferociou s f the animal kin gdom s tands

,

o ne o o ,

o ut s t r ikingly from these investi gation s but it is pe rhaps in

regard to adulte r y that the cr uelty and inj ustice of men are
most st r on gly sho w n ; and by the wo r d men he r e we “ ”

mean the masculine half of mankind f generally the only , or

adultery which has been puni s hed ha s been that of the
woman A for the adulte ry of the hu s band men have
. s ,

been very slow in admitting that it wa s a wrong of which the

wife might com plain .

Th rea s on e f thi s revolting pa r tiality i s ve ry sim ple

o .

D iderot makes O rou tell it in his S upp lém t Vy g d en an o a e e

B ug i ill ; it is that
o a nv the tyranny of man has converted
e
“

the po ss e ss ion of woman into a pr ope r ty .

”1

O the whole
n u lo g inqui r y has a b undantly proved
, o r n

that ve ry gene rally in h uman societies marriage h as been

, , ,

or i s still a ba rgain when not a capture In all legislations

, , .

the mar r ied woman is more less Openly considered as the or

ro
p p erty of the husband and
“

is very often confounded , ,

absolutely confounded w ith thin gs p os s essed T use he r , . o ,

therefore without the aut h ority of her owne r i s a theft d

, , an

human societies have never been tender to thieve s Near ly .

everywhere theft has been considered a crime much mo r e

grave than mu rde r But adultery i s not a common theft . .

A n obj ect an ine r t p os s ession a r e pas s ive thin gs ; t h eir

, ,

o wner may well puni s h t h e thief wh has taken t h em but o ,

him only In adultery the obj ect f the larceny the wife o , ,

is a s entient and thinkin g being—that i s to say an a com

.
,

,
e

p li in
ce the attem p t her husband s p ro p erty in her own
on
’

p er s on ; moreover b generally has her in

,
hi s kee peing ;
he c anchastise her freely and glut his rage her ,
on

without any arm being rai s ed for her defence O the . n

D id r t S ppl m t t ii
'
1
e o ,V y g d B g i ill i CE
u e en au o a e e ou a n v e, n uv res, . .

p. 24 5 .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 209

contrary in letting loose hi s vengeance the hu s band will

,

frequently have public o pinion and law on hi s side when ,

the latter does not take on it s elf the puni s hment f the o

g uilty But let u s li s te once more to the elo que t

o ne . n n

language ffacts o .

A dultery in Mela nes ia

'

II . . .

In T asmania and Aust ralia the women were are ,

or ,

con s idered as the pro perty f the men We have s een that o .

in the s e countrie s there is care for decency cha s tity no or ,

and that wive s are often obtained by brutal rape Their .

pro prietors al s o make no scru ple f letting them ut o o ,

lending them ba r terin g them they have the fulle s t right

, or

to u s e or abuse them Th Ta s manians felt very honoured . e

if a white man borr owed their wives but they none the les s ,

chasti s ed and very cruelly t unautho r ised i fi d liti

,
o o, n e e s, o n

the sim ple ground a s their panegyri s t the R Bonwick

, , ev .
,

tell s us f their right f ownershi p In certain Australian

,
o o .
1

tri b es organised in classes the wome were re puted

, ,
n
common to all the individ uals f the same class but all o ,

intimate relation with a man of anothe r grou p was a most

grave ad ulte r y for both the guilty o es— social adultery n a .
2

In the greater number f N w Caledonian tribe s th o e e

p unishment f adultery is leftoto the care f the injured o

husband who kills the thief if he can but often content s

, , ,

him s elf w ith giving a seve r e punishment to his wife s ome ,

times inflicting a sort f s cal ping At Kanala however o .

, ,

adultery has al r eady become a social crime Th man wh . e o

commits it i s led before the chief j udged by t h e co uncil f ,

o

elde r s whom the chief presides ove r and executed th , on e

s pot But in 3
way another whether h incurs the
one or e
—the robbed
.
,

s ocial vengeance or that f the offended o o ne

o n e, rather and f his relative s the N w Caledonian

— o ,
e

wh o commits ad ultery risk s his life Sometime s however .

, ,

he can get off by p aying a fi after the ld G e r ma n e, o n

fashion O ften also i case f adultery committed by

.
,
n o

a married man the N w C aledonians practise s ing ular

,
e a

B wi k D ily L if 1
p 7
on c , a e, e tc .
, . 2 .

2
w
Fis o n an d H o itt, K a m ila roi, e tc .

3
h
D e R o c as , N ouv e lle Ca leaon ie, p
’ ’
. 262 .
2 10 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A GE

retaliation the adult men of the village sim ply violate

:

the wife of the delin quent Th wives f the chiefs .

1
e o
being much more sac red than the other s the slighte s t ,

attem pt the right s f their proprietors r isk s being cruelly

on o

p uni s hed M M l has seen a man condemned to

. . onc e on

death merely fo r havin g looked at the wife f the chief while o

she was picking up s hell s ; it was rega r ded a s trea s on 2

.

This ferocity in the re pre ss ion f adultery i s t at all o no

s pecial to M elanesia With s ome variation s it i s found i .
,
"

n
all time s and in all coun trie s It is worthy f rema rk also . o
that even whe the ad ulterous man i s puni s hed it is s im ply
n ,

becau s e he ha s robbed another hu sb and and not becau s e ,

he ha s failed in co jugal faith n .

III . A dultery in B lo c h Afric a .

We have previously s een that among the black p pul o a

tions f Afr ica marriage i s a simple bargain and that the

o ,

negre s ses are only moderately cha s te N w a s the purcha s e . o ,

o f wive s and the absence of chastity in the women are

factor s eminently suited to pr oduce ad ultery we s hall not ,

be surpr ised to find that it i s very common in Africa ;

it i s nevertheles s very seve r ely punished there but only ,

because it is a ve r y grave out rage prope r ty Amo g the on . n

H ottentots the husband having the r i ght of life and death

, ,
3

over his wife wives and bein g allowed to kill them for
or ,

the smalle s t offence naturally enj oys the same right with a , ,

m uch stron ger rea s on when they commit an unauthorised ,

infidelity for he can lend or let them to stranger s if he

,

likes .
4

In the tribe s where polygamy already inclines to mono

gamy and where the r e e xists a chief wife r uling ove r the
,

othe r s the gr avity of the crime of adultery is in relation to

,

th p osition occu p ied by the woman

e T hus at the G aboon .
, ,

D u C h illu tell s u whe r e the women are extremely dis s olute

a s, ,

a di s tinction is made in their i fi d liti Th adultery of n e es . e

1
L M o nc elo n R epouse Q i i d S io logie, in B ull
’
.
, an uest on n a re e oc .

d a n th rop , 1 8 8 6 2
L M o nc elo n , loc c it
’
S oc
t xx
. . . . . .

3 r h ll
B u c e , II is t L n iv des Voy , . vi p 47 9
'
. . . . . .

4
lx r ‘
A e an de , E xpedit ion in to the I n terior cy Afric a, v ol . i pp 9 8 ,
. . 1 73 .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y 21 1

the chief wife is an enormo us crime Th man wh ha s . e o

been an accomplice in it i s at the very lea s t s old a s a , ,

s lave ; but adultery with le s s importa t wives be at oned n c an

f by a large com pensation

or A f the woman her p u .
1 s or ,
ec

i y value often protect s her

n ar T h h usband proprietor ha s . e -

bou ght his wife and he cares very littl f the purity of ,
e or

her moral s s ince he ha s no s cru ple in making her o bject

,
an

o f tra f fi c ; therefo r e whenever s h e i s unfaithful without hi s

2
,

p ermi ss ion the conside ,

r ation f the co s t f p urcha s e and of o o

the possible profit f letting her ut often restrains hi s o o ,

vengeful arm H i s free however to puni s h . eto , ,

or

p a r do and
n, sometimes the cha s ti s eme t f adulte r y i s n o

ter r ible At Bornou for exam ple the guilty one s are
.
, ,

bound hand and foot and their head s are smashed by ,

b ein g s truck together At K t say s M un go Park the .

3 aar a, ,

two guilty one s are put to death With the S ulim there . o as
i s a singular exception to this Th adulterou s woman . e
me r ely has her head sh ved and s he lo s e s a privilege which a ,

i s pr obably f Be r ber origin — i that f q uittin g her

o v z .
, o

husband at will sim ply b y refundi g him the amo unt f ,

n o

p u r chase money he
-
h a p aid f her A ll the ve geance of s or . n
t h e hus b and falls on the lover and he make s him his ,

slave At Jo uida in Dahomey the o ffended hu sb and had

.
4
, ,

still the right in 7 3 f invoking judicial power in order to

, 1 1 , o

have his guilty wife s trangled beheaded by the public or

executioner H accom plice was not s pared and s ome

.
5
er ,

times say s Bosman he was burned at a slow fire This

, , .

c r uel wish to make delin quent s s uffer a long time is found

gain in U ganda where King M t caused adulterer s to ’
a es a
,

be dismembered havin g limb at a time ut ff and , o ne c o

thrown to the vultu r es wh feasted it before the eyes , o on

o f the s uffere r s With the Ashantees the husband as .
3
, ,

sove r eign justiciary can either kill his wife m arry her , , or
to a slave or ut ff her nose according to hi s plea s ure
, c o , .
7

1
D u C h aillu, Afriq ue equatoria le, pp 6 7 , 4 3 5
’
. .

2
R affe n e l, N o uv Voy a ux pays des N egres , t 1 9 1 0 2
p 4
t xx
3
. . . . .

3
h
D e n am an d C lappe rto n , H is t U niv des Voy , v ii
p 43 7
t xx
. . . . . . .

I d , ibid v iii
p 1 06
t
. . . . . .

3
D é m eun ie r, M ceurs des s ’
eren ts P eup les , I er p 2 2 3
k
.
. . .

3
S p e e , Voy to th e S ourc es of th e N ile, p 3 4 3
. . .

7
w h
Bo dic , E nglis h M iss io n to the A s h an tees .
212 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R R I A G E

We find thi s la s t punishment s pecially applied to adultery

in va r ious countries and D i d u will tell us the motive , o or s

for it O the Senegal coast the all powerful pr otection

. n -

o f money saved the li fe f adulterers and the offended o ,

husbands s pa red them in order t s ell them to E uropean o

slave t raders
-
.

In Aby s sinia the conj ugal bond is s o frail morals are so ,

s hameless and divorce is so ea s y that a dulte ry is r arely

, ,

taken in a t ragic light F ormerly the inj u r ed husband .

often confined himself to chasing fr om h is hou s e the

adulterou s woman clothed in rags for the occasion , .
1

IV . A dultery in P olynesia .

Polynesian customs alone wo uld s uffice to prove that i n

primitive count ries ad ulte r y is sim ply punished a s a robbery ,

o r commercial fraud A r egards s exual morality or rather . s ,

immo rality nothing can be com pared to what was practised

,

in Polynesia where all modesty wa s unknown where the hus

, ,

bands willin gly let out their wives and the intimate friend ,

o f the husband ( t y ) had the ri ght to share his wife with

a o

him But dissolute as they we r e these islander s we r e

.
,

ve ry dete r mined conj ugal pr oprietors and they s ometimes ,

p unished ad ulte r y with the mo s t extreme s everity T h . e

missionary M arsden r elates that a N w Zealand chief killed

, ,
e

his ad ultero us wife by dealin g her a blo w on the head with

his club Public O pinion a pproved of the deed d the
.
,
an

brothe r f t h e dead woman came to take the body only

o ,

mak ing a feint f retaliation because the pumh m t w o ,

s en as

considered to be me r ited .
2

Cook saw at Tahiti a native man punished in the s ame

w y for adulte r y by blows of t h e cl ub ; but in this case
a ,

there w the aggravatin g ci rc umstance that the woman

as

belon ged to a class s uperio r to his In s ome islan ds .

3
,

especially at Tahiti and Ton ga where the customs were le ss ,

s avage and licence wa s more unbridled than in N w

,
e

Dém i 1
l i t p 8 e un e r, oc . c t .
, . 1 61 3
. 21 .

j l f M
2
d i V
o urn a
y f h A lob p 3 6 a rs en , n o o t e s tro a e, 0

C k Hi U i d Vy t x p 3
. . .

3
oo , s t. n v . es o .
, . . . 1 .
 AN D OE TH E F A M I L Y . 21 3

Zeala d th women s ometime s got ff with a sim ple cor

n , e o

rection W m us t again remark that what w blamed

. e as

and puni s hed was not the ad ulte r y itself but adultery ,

unauthori s ed not commanded by the legal owner — i

, or n

s hort theft
,
.

At N uk h i say s Krusenstern the r e was a functionary

o a v a, ,

called the fi lighter w h lived with the wife of kin g

“
re- o a .

Th duty f this di gnita r y wa s in the fi r st p lace to obey

e o , ,

the queen and in the next to sup ply her hus b and s plac
,
’
e

with her in ca s e f prolonged absence hi s part Taking

o on .
1

thi s fact by the s ide f other s as for exam ple the unlimited o , , ,

r ight f the friend

o t y over the wife we l ly, or a o, ,
s e e c e. r

what the Polynesians understood by adultery .

V . A dultery in S avage A m eric a .

s quimaux wh are a s free from prejudice s in their

The E , o

co jugal customs as the Polynesian s have also at lea s t

n , ,

certain f them ado pted the cu s tom f joint hus b ands

o , o ,

i i O i who re place the hu s band in ca s e

c c s e ,
f ab s ence o .
2

The r e are some however wh blame the adultery of wive s

, ,
o ,

and believe even that the fairies would kill them if their
wives were unfaithful d ur ing their a bs ence But all th .
3
e

E sq uimaux t e qually ea s y going ; s ome

are n o f them th o , e
reindeer K i k f example kill at onc the man and
o r a s, or , e
woman taken in adultery .
4

T h R edskin s are alway s less t l

e t ; with them adultery o e ran
is a ve y serio us affai r althou gh they often also con s ider the
_

r ,

exchange of wive s a mark f fr iend s hip It is generally th o . e

h usb and who takes ven geanc as he pleases and he often e ,

does s o by cutting open with hi s teeth the o s e and som n , e

time s the ears f the guilty woman Thi s was the practic
, o . e

with the Comanche s the Yuma s and the Sioux But ,

5
,
3
.
7

the injured ro bb ed hu sb and i s at liberty t make a

,
or , o

1
Co o k
H ist Un iv des Voy , xv 11 p 1 2 t
r t
.
, . . . . . .

an c o f , N a tive R ac es , e tc
2
vol i p 8 1

t
. . . . .

3
l
l e R ec us, L es P rim itifs
i 4
D é m e un ie r, loc . . c it. , . I er .

p
. 216 .

3
h
D o m e n e c , Voy pittores ue, e tc , p 5 3 3 q
t
. . . .

3
Ban c ro f , N ativ e R ac es , e tc , v o l i p 5 1 4
t
. . . . .

7 D é m eun ie r, loc c it , I er p 2 1 9
. . .
o
. .
21 4 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

com position wit h the sed uce r H can at will either pardon .
1
e
— as did a M andan h usban d w ho sent t h e wife to h love r er
a ddin g three h o r ses to the present he can put to death
,
2 -
or
the fait h less wi fe and he r accom plice By a ra r e ex e ption . c

the O mahas r ecognised t h e r ight f the w ife to r even ge

,

h e r sel f an a dulte r o us h usban d d his mist r ess Wit h

0 11 an .
3

the O mahas also an ad ulte r o us wife wa s bound to a stake

, ,

in t h e prai r ie ab used by twenty or thi r ty men and then

, ,

abandoned by he r h usband We have seen t h at t h is .

4

ob s cene mode of retaliation is in u at N w Caledonia and se e ,

w shall find it again in t h e R oman E m p i r e

e Th mode of . e

ven geance with t h e R edskins whethe r of the h usband or t h e ,

t r ibe varied accordin g to locality but was often at rocio us

, , .

Thus the M odoc s of Califo r nia publicly disembo w elle d the

g ilty w oman A mo g the H another t r ibe
3
u p . f n oo sas , o
Califo r nian R edskins the male accom plice in t h e ad ultery ,

lost one eye if he was marr ied t h e injured man took

,
3
o r, ,

hi s w ife .

Th natives of South A me r ica we r e not more lement

e c

than their congene r s in the north Th Ca r ibees put both . e

g ilty ones to death T h G ua r ayos also punis h e d with

u 7
. e

deat h the accom plice in ad ulte r y as if he we r e a thief .

8

F r om this r a pid s ur vey of sava ge count r ies we m y concl ude a

that a dulte ry is eve ryw h e r e conside r e d as a r obbe r y only ,

but at the same time as one f the gr avest of r obbe r ies o .

Th man who i s guilty of adultery s uffe r s consequently by

e ,

vi r tue of the r ight of r etaliation a punishment mo r e or less ,

seve r e A for the ad ulte r ous woman s h e is generally

. s ,

chastise d by the husband pr opr ieto r with ext reme c r uelty -

,

no rest raint existing to mo de r ate his ven geance .

VI . A dultery in B arbarous A m eric a .

In the ba r ba r ous mona rchie s f all co untries the cha s tise o

ment f adultery is sca r cely miti gated and for a lon g t me

o ,
1

J1
O D r
.
y Om h. S i l gy p
o se 3 6 4 S m i h i
,
I it i a a oc o o ,
.
, t s o n an ns t ut o n,

188 5
Wk
.

2
l i p 4 8
a e, v o J O D .
y l . i .I d ib
2 id .
3
. . o rs e , oc . c t .
4
.
, .

3
B rf N i R
an c o t, l i p 35 at v e I d ibid p 4 a c es , e tc vo 0 3 12

t
. . .
.
, . . . . .
,
7V g dl T oya f m e a p 3 4 e rre- er e , e tc I er 0
.
. . . .

3 D O rbigny, L h ornrn e A m éric ain , t ii p 3 2 9

’ ’
. . . .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y 21 5

it i s directly in fl icted on the guilty woman by the husband

or the pa r ents .

With the Pi pile s f Salvador the man wh committed o o

ad ultery wa s put to death became the s lave fthe offended ,

or o

hus b and In Y ucatan the guilty ones were s toned p ierced

.
1
or

with a rrow s ; befo r e thi s they were im paled disjointed or .

2

A ccordin g to H errara among the Y ip the injured ,

z ec s

hu s band cut ff the no s e and ea rs f the adulterous woman

o o .
3

Th same autho r tell s u s that amon g the G u xl till

e the a o an s

woman w taken before the Cacique and if found guilty she

as ,

was cut in pieces and eaten .

4

In ancient M exico adultery w generally punished as

with s toning and in certain dist r icts this crime entailed

,
3

the quarteri g f th guilty woman ; el s ewhere the judge s

n o e ,

s im ply o r dered the husband to cut ff her no s e and ear s o .

3

In Peru the law also punished ordinary adultery w ith

capital punishment T here wa s chasti s ement terribl .
7 no e
enough for ad ultery committed with f the wives f th o ne o o e
I ca the
n ,
f the Sun the guilty man wa s b urnt his
so n o : ,

parent s were put to death and hi s h ou s e de s troyed ,

( Pi ar
z r o ) .

G uatemala o ffered exception ; ther th a ffair wa s an 3

e e
—
arranged by composition fine f preciou s feather s paid
a a o

to the hu s band Th latter could al s o re pudiate his wif

. e e,
or p ardon her i which la s t ca s e h wa ,
s much
n honoured e .

If the adultery w committed with the wife f gre t as o a a

lord the crime naturally acquired an exceptional gravity ;
,

the guilty m a was then s trangled if he w oble and if

n as n ,

s ervile wa s throw down a precip ice We s hall find else

,
n .

where thi s hierarchi ini quity f in this matter a s in e , or ,

other s various human s ocietie s and race s repeat them s elve s

, .

1
B r ft N i R
an c o l p 675 I d ibid
at v e l p 6 74ac es , v o 1 1.
2
vo 1 1.

t p 4 I d ibid t
, . . . .
, . . . .

3 4
Dém i l i e un e r, oc . c
p t 5 I er 22 1 91 22
tt H i C g f M i l 1 p 6
3
. . . . . . .
.
, .

3
Pr esc o , st. on . o ex c o, v o . . . 2 .

3 L Bi L A ég art, 6 8 es z t ues , 1
p
tt H i C g f P
. . .

7 Pr e sc o l 1 p 59
s t. on o e ru, v o

Ban r ft N i
. .
, . . .

3
R
c f h P ifi S
o , a t ve l p 67 3 ac es o t e ac c tates , vo . 11. . .
21 6 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

VII . A dultery a m ong the M ongol R ac es and in M a laya .

Thu s the M ongols of A sia seem to have copied the

M on goloids f Ame r ica With the omad Tartars a man
o . n

o f inferior class w h has committed adultery with a woman o

o f h is own cla ss p ays t h e inj u r ed h usband fo r ty fi head of -

ve

cattle ; but the h u s band must r evenge himself on the

inconstant wife Th law invites him to do so ; for if he
. e

kill s her the com pensation f cattle r emains his prope r ty ;

, o

if not it goes to th pr ince B ut if it happens that a man

, e .

of low condition h as illicit inte r cour s e with the wife of a

prince then the crime i s te rr ible t h e man is cut to p ieces

, ,

the faithless wife i s decapitated and the family of the guilty ,

man r educed to slavery If we may believe a modern .

1

traveller M on gol customs have become considerably modi

,

fi d e t h is point a dultery being now e tremely common

on ,
x
in M ongolia and so little repressed that the women h ardly
,

take the trouble to conceal it .

2

In lamaic T hibet they do not regard adultery as a

tragedy Th wife is co rr ected and the lover pays a fine to
. e ,

the h usband husbands w h en there are s everal

,
or , .
3

Chinese legislation is r elatively mode r ate in r egard to

adulte r y In t h e first place it expressly fo r bids the h usband
.

to lend or let ut his wife under pain of twenty fou r st r oke s

o ,
-

with the bamboo Th C h inese woman can ce r tainly be .

4
e

im prisoned fo r adultery but she is chiefly punished by ,

3

repudiation which is obli gato ry on the husband pain of

, on
t wenty st r okes of t h e bamboo She can howeve r be sold .
3
, ,

either by t h e husband o r by the j udge to whom t h e

o ffended h usband remits her In cont rast to certain .
7

barbarous legislations the Chinese law is mo r seve r e in , e

rega r d to ad ultery for the strong than fo r the weak .

“
Whoever the st r ength of his power or credit shall
, on ,

1
T im k o w s k i, H ist Un iv des Voy , . iii p 3 4 1 . . t xxx
. . . .

2
P réjé valsk y, M o ngolia , t I er p 6 9 .
.
. .

3
4
r r
Tu ne , H is t Un iv des Voy , t . i p 437 . . . xxx . . .

P auth ier, Ch ine rn odern e, p 2 3 8 . .

3
D av is , Ch in a, vo l 1 p 3 2 2 , e tc . . . .

3
P authie r, Chin e m odern e, p 2 3 9 . .

7
l
S in iba do de M as , C h in e et puis s a n c es c h rc‘
tien n es , t . I er .

p 5 2
. .
 AN D OE TH E F A M I L Y 21 7

take away the wi fe the dau ghter f a free man to make or o

her hi s w wife s hall be im pri s oned for th u s ual time

o n , e
and put to death by stran gu lation .
” 1

In Ja pan the law gives the offe ded hu sband the cruel n

and very gene r al right to kill the guilty one s if taken in

ad ultery and fo r bi ds h im to s pare one We find this latter
,
.
2

inj unction pe rha ps more humane than it ppears in ancient

,
a ,

R oman le gi s lation and elsewhere .

N othin g is at once mo r e monotonou s and more gha s tly

t han this et hnographic review of the p enalties against
ad ultery .

Sim ple death ha s t su ffi ced to punish this crime so no ,

enormous has it everywhere s eemed and thus other fi re ne

ment s f cruelty have been added—di s em b owelling cutting

o ,

in piece s the st ke t ,
a ,
e c .

So far among the race s we have been i vestigating

, n ,

Chine s e le gislation has been the wisest and mo s t just since , ,

cont rary to usual custom it enact s the mo s t severe p enaltie s ,

against the powerful man wh take s advant ge of his s ocial o a

p o s ition to commit adultery H er and there however . e , ,

we find s ocieties where adultery excites le s s fu r y The s e .

societie s are rare and they are t always the mo s t

,
no

civili s ed .

At Java f exam ple ad ultery is treated with clemency

,
or , ,

e s pecially if it i s t committed with the chief wife E ven

no .

in this last case th guilty at lea s t the man is often

e o n e, ,

only punished by public contem pt Th D yaks punish .

3
e

conjugal infidelity with a fine only for both pa r ties This , .

4

is a rare exam ple f clemency and it is given by a s till

o ,

barbarous race We look in vain for such moderatio

. n
amo g much mo r e civili s ed peo ples as we s hall s ee in
n ,

s tudyi g ancient E gypt and th Berbe rs and Semite s

n e .

1
P authie r, loc p 2 39 c it .
a
. . .

2
Masan a M eda, L a S oc itté japon a ise, in R evue S c ien tejigue, 1 8 7 8
W
.

3
aitz , A n th ropolo y , v o l 1 3 1 5
g p
at n
. . . .

1
[o urn a l o
f f j
um es B raoh, R a ah of S ara w ah, by C p M u d a ,
y .

vo{ 2,
11 .
p .
21 8 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

V III . A dultery among the E gyp tia ns, the B erbers ,

a nd the S em ites .

tell s us that in ancient E gypt the man w h o w a s

D io do rus
guilty of adultery r eceived a thousand lashes whil s t t h e ,

w oman s uffe r ed the am putation f her no s e a very s p ecial o ,

penalty which we have seen used in A me r ica and neg r o

,

A fr ica which we shall find also amon g the Saxon s of

,

E n gland and for which D i d u has given us the reason

, o or s .

Th le gislator, he says has intended to deprive the “

”
e ,

woman f attractions which she h d only made use of for

o a
s ed uction .
” 1

T h Bible also is not tender towards ad ulterers

e , ,But .

it makes no distinction between the c ulp bility f the man a o

an d the woman stonin g is fo r bot h T h is terr ible punish .

ment is not only inflicted on the faithle s s W ife but on the ,

i t tfi
n c o n s an é T h accom plices even a r e put to deat h
a nc e . e .

T here are ho w ever s ome distinctions and precautions are

, , ,

taken to mitigate the rigour of the law ; thu s the g uilty

woman is only condemned to be s toned if the crime has
been committed in the city If in the fields the man alone .
,

i cu r s stoning ; it is thu s admitte d that the woman may

n
2

have su ffe r ed violence Be s ides this two witnesses i .

,
are n

all cases necessa ry to e s tablish the c r ime L as tly the slave

,

.
,

woman is not puni sh ed with death .

3

Th ancient Arab s we r e not more clement to wa r d s

e

adulte ry than their cousins of Palestine and the Bedouins , ,

w h have pr ese r ved mo r e of the

o ld c ustoms s till consider O ,

adulte ry as the greatest f c r ime s B urckhardt tells u that o . s

with them the adulterou s woman is beheaded either by her

father her b r other These are m orals that g far
or .
4
o

beyond the pre s cri ptions f the Koran It would seem o .

that Mahomet much given to s exual plea s u r e s himself had

, ,

not the co urage to be too severe others H indeed on . e, ,

call s the adulte ry f woman the infamous action p o

“ ”
ar

ex llce but he directs neve r theless that the c r ime be

enc e, , ,

p r oved by four witne s se s M oreover the woman can .

3
,

1
Di d o i p 78o rus , B r k h rdt N t t p 84 4
u c a otes , e c 11 .

D t r
. . .
. .
, .

S r
.

2
m y xx ii
eu e o n o i 8 3
o u ate , v

L iti
. .
,
3 i us , x x 2 0 -2 2
ev c . .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 21 9

escape the puni s hment by s weari g fo ur times before G d n o

that she is innocent and that he r husband has lied If , .

1

s he i s convicted both she and her accom plice receive a

,

hundred lashes in public Then the woman must be sh ut .

up until death visits her G d find s her a mean s f ,

or o o

s alvation all of which is relatively mild eno ugh

,
” 2 .

A lthou gh M ussulmans the Kabyles of Al ge r ia do not ,

keep to t h e somewhat humane prescri ptions of the Ko r an

in rega r d to ad ulte r y In gene ral they a r e p itiless towards .
,

all infractions of moral s With them a kiss the mo uth . on

i s e quivalent to adult ry and costs more than an assassina e ,

tion E very child born ut f mar r iage is put to death a s

.
3
o o ,

well a s its mother If th family tries to s pare the guilty .

4
e

o ne , the Djem aa stones he r and im po s e s a fine the on

relatives Th child and mother a r e s toned by the

.
5
e

Dj em aa the family E ven w hen a woman i s actually

or .

separated from her husband he r adulterous child is killed ,

but t h e fate f the mother is left to the di s cretio f the

o n o

relatives .
3

Whoever carries ff a woman e specially a ma rr ied o ,

woman and fl ees with her becomes a public enemy and

, , ,

the village where the fugitive s have taken refuge m ust giv e

the m up under pain f war Th man is put to death and o . e ,

the woman i s restored to her family w h do not s pare , o

her .
7

C us tom authorise s the deceived husband to s acrifice his

wife and if he rarely does it he i s only hindered by th
,
e

lo s s f the capital s he repr esents ; but u s age require s the

o

re pudiation and the husband m ust be s ides take a s t r ikin g

,
8
, ,

and bloody vengeance on the love r At the very least he .

9

must sim ulate it m us t fire perhaps the guilty with , , , on o ne

a gu loaded only with powder and strike or slightly wound

n ,

hi s wife s lover H has thus s aved his honou r ; he is

’
. e
content with little a s in u ro s e water duel s With the ,
o r -
.

Kabyles more than elsewhere marriage is a mercenary

, ,

1
Ko r an , S ou rat xx ie, v. 8 2
I d , ibid iv 19
t L t ur t
. . . . .

3 H an o te au e e o n eu x K abylie, iii 2 09
,
pI d
. . .

4
I d , ibid 1 ii p 1 8 6 ibid p 7 4
t
. . . . . . . . . .

3 9
I d , ibid iii p 2 08 Id , ibid p 1 8 7
t t
. . . . . . . . . .

3 13
I d , ibid ii p 1 8 7 Id , ibid iii p 7 4
t
. . . . . . . . . . . .

7 I d , ibid
. . . iii pp 2 1 2 ,
. . 213 .
2 20 TH E E VOL U TI O N OF M A R R I A G E

a ffair ; consequently ad ultery nat urally has pecunia r y co use

q u
en c e s .T h us in com p ensation for
, ad ulte ry the or

abd uction f hi s wife the h usband has a right to the

o ,

amount f the pur chase the tham th o r to an indemnity

o ,
an , ,

sometimes arbit rary sometimes ta r iffed ; but this com ,

1

pe nsa ti on in money is distinct from the retaliation and in ,

no way h inders it .
2

L astly t h e Kabyle le gislation formally interdicts the

,

ma rr ia ge of the ad ulte r ous w oman with her accom plice .

3

Beginnin g with M elanesia and r eachin g Kabyle I have ,

s o ught amon g very di ffe r ent races forming altogethe r the ,

maj o r pa r t f mankind the penalties used o r decreed

o ,

against ad ulterer s Th r es ult is a lamentable en ume r ation

. e
of sa guina ry follies I have passed by in s ilence the
n .

le genda ry or exce ptional su ffe r in gs I have not s poken f . o

w omen c r ushed under the feet f ele phants violated by o ,

stallions bu ried alive etc Th common reality alone

, , . e

more than s uffice s to show that man still far from bein g ,

ve ry deli ate in conjugal

c amo r o us matters conside rs or ,

ad ulte r y a s a great crime es pecially f woman It remain s ,

or .

for u to see how the race s callin g them s elves p x ll

s ar e ce enc e

no ble— the Ind — E uro pean race s —hav rega r ded thi s fault
o e ,

so difli ult to pardon

‘
c .

IX . A dultery in P ers ia a n d I n dia .

T he A vesta does not mention adultery in ancient Persia .

In mode r n Persia it ha s been punished with fe r ocity except , ,

natu rally when it w committed by the Shah wh chose

,
as , o ,

acco rding to his fancy any young girls or women amon g ,

h is subj ects witho ut any one dari g to find fault with him
,
n .
4

B ut f or
p rivate individuals adultery was an abominable
c r ime ; the m wh had committed it w put to death ;
an o as
t h e woman t reated f cou r se mo r e s everely w tied up
,
o , as
alive in a sack and t hr own into the water .

T h Code
e f M anu give s us very com plete information
o

1
H an o te au e t L e to urn eu , K aby lie, t 1 1 p 1 5 9 x
t
. . . .

2
I d , ibid ii p 1 6 5
t xxx
. . . . . .

3
r
C ha din , H is t Un iv des Voy , i p 25 1
. . . .
“

. . .

4
. r ll
G D o uv i e , Voyage en P erse, t 1 8 13 p 2 5 1 . . .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 221

in regard t the penalty f adultery i ancient India In

o or n .

the fir s t place it i s under s tood that th adultery of the

,
e
hu sb and o ught not to trouble th wife at all A lthou gh e .
“

the conduct f her hu s band m y b b lameworthy and he

o a e ,

may give him s elf up to other amour s and be devoid f good o

qualities a vi r tuous woman ought con s tantly to revere him

,

a s a god Th adultery of the w oman is naturally q uit

.
” 1
e e
another thing If a woman pr oud f her family and her
.
“
,
o

importance i s unfaithful to her husb nd the king shall

,
a ,

have her devoured by dogs in a very frequented public

place If a woman f high rank the love r also i s t
”2
. o ,
no

s pared . Th ki g shall condemn her accom plice t b e

“
e n o

burned a bed f red hot iron

on F the les s ari s tocratic
o .
” 3
or

adultery th puni shment varie s accordi g to the ca s te

e n .

“
For adultery with a protected B r ahm nee a V ai s ya lo s es a ,

all hi s p rope r ty after imprisonment for a year ; a K h t iy

,
c a r a

is condemned to p y a thousand pana s to hav his head a ,

e
shaved and watered with urine f an a ss F the o .
”
or

Brahmin th penal ty i s very lighte A ignominiou s .

“
n

tonsure i s ordered in s tead f ca pital punishment for a o

Brahmin in the case s where the puni s hment of the other

classe s would be death Th S ud the cont rary wh .
” 4
e o ra, o n ,
o

hold s criminal commerce with a woman belongi g to n o ne

o f the three fi r s t cla ss es s hall b de prived f the ,

“
e o

guilty member and of all hi s posse ss ion s if she w not

, ,
as

gua r ded ; but if it wa s s o he loses both hi s goods and his ,

exi s tence It mu s t be noticed also that very slight i

.
, ,
ev
dence ufli to prove adultery
s c es T p y little attention s . o a
to a woman to send he r flower s and perfumes to frolic
, ,

with her to touch her ornaments vestments to s it with

,
or ,

her on the same couch are con s idered by wise men as ,

proofs of an adulterou s love

” 3
.

On the other hand the husband if he ha s had no , ,

children can o b lige hi s wife to give he rs elf either to his

,

b rother to another relative

or A nointed with li q uid .
“

butter and keeping s ilence let the relative cha rged with ,

this o ffic approach during the night widow

e childles s a or a

woman d en gender
,
an s ingle s on but never s econd o ne , a .
”

1
Code of M an u, v 1 5 4 4
I bid v iii 3 7 9
k
. . . . .

2 3
I bid bo o v iii 3 7 1
. . . I bid . v iii
374
. .

3 3
I bid p 3 7 5 . . . I bid . v iii 3 5 7
. .
222 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR RI A GE

T he in the following verse the Code alters Some f

n, , :
“
o
those wh under stand this q uestion well t h ink t h at the aim
o ,

o f this p rece p t is not perfectly attained by the birth of a

s ingle child and that women may legally e gender in this
, n

manner a s econd son O ve rs e ce r tainly less ancient

.
” 1 ne , ,

contradicts these curious texts which are evidently s urvivals

.

of pr im itive c us toms according to which the husband

,

di s posed as he pleased f hi s feminine pr o p erty oMore .

modern Brahmanic legi slation still authorises the husband

to kill the wife and her love r if taken in ad ultery and t h e r e ,

would be nothing new to u s in this if as in Ja pan and as , , ,

formerly at R ome the law did not formally interdict him

,

fr om killing only of the tw culprit s

o ne o .
2

X . A dultery in the G rec o-R oma n World .

However Aryan India m be s he di ffers very remarkably ay ,

fr om us L t us look now at the w y in which a dulte ry has

. e a

been rega r ded in E u r ope and to begin with in the G reco , , ,

R oman world We know that in l i antiquity marr iage

. c as s c

wa s quite cr udely considered as a civic d uty and looked at ,

from the sin gle point of view of p opulation L ycurgus and .

Solon enco uraged the im potent h usband to favour the

ad ulte ry f his young wife Speakin g f the la w s of
o . o

L ycu rgus Plutarch say s H la ughed at t h ose who

, e
revenge with w and bloodshed the commu ication f
ar n o

a marr ied woman s favour s ; d allowed that if any

’
an , o ne

in yea r s s houl d have a yo un g wife he might int r od uce to ,

her some handsome and wo r thy young man whom h most ,

e

approved and when she had borne child f this gene r ous
, a o

race brin g it up as his w Also he permitted that

,
o n .

if a man of cha r acter sho uld entertain a passion fo r a

ma rried woman u pon acco unt f he r modesty and the o
beauty f her c h il dr en h e might b g her husband
o ,
e

that he might be allowed to plant as it we r e in rich , ,

and fertile s oi l excellent children the con genial offs pr in g

, ,

of excellent pa r ents Thi s is marria ge considered with

.
”3

1
Code of M an u, ix 60 , 6 1
t
. .

2
xiv p 3 7 8
’
L ettres edzfi an tes , . . . .

3 l r
P uta c h , Lyc urgus , i xx x .
 AND OE TH E F A M I L Y . 223

o ut the least prej udice from the s trict point f iew ,

o v

of social utility Solon imitate s L ycurgu s

. thi s point on ,

but w ith re s triction which recalls the Code f M anu

o ne o ,

that the wife f impotent husband s hould with hi s

o an ,

p ermi s sion f cour s e ochoo s e a lover from

,
among th e
neare s t relative s f the s aid husband o .
1

Cu s tom someti m es went fu r ther than the laws and ,

Plutarch relate s that Cimon f Athen s w h w a model o ,

o as
o f goodne s s and greatne s s f ou l lent his w ife to th o s ,
e
rich C lli a But that did t prevent the law s f Solon
as .
2
no o

from authori s ing the hu sb and to kill the adulterer .

3

F u r ther the law p uni s hed with civil degradation the too
,

indulgent hu s band and authori s ed the family tribunal s to

,

condemn to death the guilty woman whom the hu sb and ,

himself executed before witnesse s L a s tly a l w f D raco .

4
,
a o ,

which w never abrogated delivered the adulterous lover

as ,

to the disc r etion f the husband After all s ave for the
o .
5
,

g oo d o f th state ebefore which everyt

,
h in g had to bend this ,

G reek legi s lation only consecrates the ld primitive right by o

which the wife wa s the property of her husband .

In all that concern s ma rr iage ancient R ome s ingularly

resemble s ancient G reece H cu s toms and regulation s .
3
er

regarding the wife were at fir s t f a sava ge atrocity Th o . e

term ad ulte r er begins by bein g applied to the woman alone ,

and the law f the T Tables arraigned the guilty wife

o en

before the domestic tri b unal ; s he was condemned d an

executed by the relative s them s elve s— C g ti t uti o na n ec a n o

l t
vo en . F amily t r ibunal s continued t exi s t during the o

whole period f the re public and even later concurrently

o , ,

with the law juli but custom s s oftened and death w

a , as
commuted to banishment to tw hundred mile s from R ome o

at the le as t with th obli gation f wearing the toga f the

,
e o o

co urtesan Th fl g t d li t naturally authorised th

. e a ra n e e c o e
hus b and to kill the wife the s pot ; as for the lover he
on 7
,

could keep him tortur him mutilat him f i h im

, e , e ,
ra an se

1
P u l trh a c , S olon , xxx vi .

2 3
Id . S o lon , xl i v.
4
L e go uv é , H is t M ora le des F em rn es , p 1 8 2
. . .

3
r
M en a d, M orale a v a n t les P hilos op hes , p 303
k
. .

3
L ec y, H is t of E uropean M ora ls , v o l 1 p 3 1 2
Wk
. . . . .

a e , E v olution of M o ra lity , v o l ii
7
p 85 . . . .
2 24 TH E E VOL UTI ON OE M A R R I A G E

(I dare not give the sens of thi s picturesque word ) and e

deliver him to the fe r ocio us lubricity of h is slaves L w
,

. a
and public O pinion a utho r ised the husband to fleece the
su rprised love r and thus torture co uld be made a mean s of
,

extortin g money fr om h im .

Th eL x j uli enacted either by J ulius C es ar

e a, a or
Augustus atte m pted a r efo r m of mo rals
, By the te r m s of .

this law which was in fo rce till t h e time of Justinian t h e

, ,

h usband co uld not kill his wife taken in adulte r y w itho ut , ,

being punis h ed a s a murde r er Neither could he put the .

love r to death unles s he were a slave a g between (Z ) a , o- en o ,

come dian a fr eed man of the husband

,
or f the family or o .

B ut the husband coul d h old him pr isoner twenty ho urs in

o r der to pr oc ure witnesses Th father had more extensive . e
rights t h an the husband ; he was authorised in c se of , a

fl g t d li t to kill hi s da ug h ter and her lover but he

a ra n e e c o, ,

wa s to kill them both and immediately H owever to , .

,

enable him t t thu s a s j u s ticiary he must have the

o ac ,

p t t
o es as still and the crime mu s t have been committed in
,

hi s house or i that f hi s son i law Th L x juli

,
n o -
n- . e e a

p unishes the ad ulterous man by the confi s cation f the half o

of his goods ; it decrees the same punishment for the

w oman and besides forbids her to ma rry afte r the r epudia
, , ,

tion which wa s obligatory for the h usband Th latter w as

, . e

obliged even to d r ive a w ay his w ife at once for fear of being

called a g between This same L x juli m ade ad ulte r y
o- . e a

a public crime which eve r y citi en co uld b r in g befo r e the z

t r ibunals and it punishe d with the sword t h e adulte r o us

,

man By deg rees and towards the Christian epoch t h e

.
1
, ,

legislation r elative to adulte ry was amended .

In hi s quality of philosophe r the E m pe r or Antoninu s w as

more l m t and j ust t h an his predece s so r s ; by one law

e e en

he inte r dicted the husband who mi ght himself be p um ,

res

ably guilty f adultery to kill sue his wife s urpr ised in

o ,
or

f g
la t
ra n ed li t By deg r ees
e t h e
c ocustoms
. became in time
so free and so tole rant that Septi m us Severus havin g enacted ,

new la w s a gainst ad ulte ry t h e cons ul D ion Ca s si us found , , ,

at R ome three thousand plaints on the r egister fo r this

cau s e T heodosi us s ays ecclesia s tical w r ite r mitigated
.
2
, an ,

1
I n s titutes , iv tit 1 8
t
. . .

2
F rie dlan de r, M oeurs R om a in es , e tc .
,
. 1 9 13 p 367
. .
 A ND OE TH E F A MI L Y 2 25

the penaltie s again s t adultery ; he a b olished an ancient

R oma c ustom ins pired by the idea of retaliation according
n , ,

to which the guilty woma s hut up in a little hut w give n, , as n

to the pa ss er s by wh even wer to be furnished with little
-
,
o e
bell s to attract attention Th same igno b le penalty w .
1
e a s,

w have s een in use among several

e f the R edskin tribes
, o ,

and thi s fact proves with many other s the original equality , ,

of the mo s t divers e i p rimitive s avagery Y ieldi g to rac e s n . n

the ardo ur f a w convert Con s tantine legislated with

o ne ,

fury again s t all mo r al outrage s and decreed w ithout , ,

wincing the puni s hment f death again s t adulterer s of

, o

both s exes .

Ju s tinian reformed and moderated legal s everities H i . s

code condemn s the adultere ss to be whi pped t have her , o

hair s haved and to be s hut in a convent f life if her

,
or ,

husband does t take her back before the end f tw yea r s

no o o .

In compari s on with the exce ss f eal s hown by Constantine o z ,

thi s is nearly merciful We have already said enough of th . e

relaxation f manne rs under the wiser Paga emperors

o n .

A marriage which was almo s t fr ee procured f you g or n

wome of the a r i s tocracy an independence without much

n

re s t raint ; and in practice at least and in s pite f the , , o

laws adultery had ceased to be the abomin able crime w hich

,

it had begun b y b eing .

2

XI . A dultery in B arharous E urope .

O urance s to rs f ba r barous E uro pe have had as reg rd s

o ,
a

adultery customs q uite a s fe r ocious as tho s e f the savages

, o

of any other r ace T hese s am customs we r e still found

. e

recently among the Tche rkes s e s f the Caucasus whe r e the o ,

injured husband s haved the hair f the guilty woman s plit o ,

her ears and s ent her b k to her parents w h sold her

, ac ,
o or

p t her to death Th love r w a s generally killed by the

3
u . e

hus b and hi s relatives With the L ghi the husband

or . es s,

wh had t killed his adulterou s wife in fl g t d li t

o no a ra n e e c o

could have her jud ged by the council f the t r ibe and o ,

S r t 1
Hi t E loc lib p x iii
a es , s . c c es .
, . v. , c a . v .

F r i dl a d r
2
M p 367
'

t e n e e c azurs , t . I e r.
Kl pr th d G am ba H i U i d Vy t
. .
, .

3 a o anl p 435 , st . n v . es o .
, . x v. . .
 22 6 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF MA R R I A GE

s he was then condemned and s toned a fter the H ebrew

fa hions .
1

In the G e r manic and Scandinavian co unt r ie s ad ulte ry has

p r imitively been considered as an eno r mo us c r ime Thu s .

the ancient D anes punished adulte ry with death whilst ,

m urder w as only fine d Th old Saxons began by bur nin g . e

alive the ad ulteress and on the extinct fi r e they h ung or ,

stran gled her accomplice In E n glan d King E dm und .

a s similated ad ultery to murder Kin g Can ute o rde re d that .

the man s hould be banished and the woman s ho uld ha e ,

v

her nose and ea r s slit .

Tacit us te lls us that with the G ermans the d ulteress w as a

made to walk naked th r o ugh th e V illage s P r io r to the .

o rdinances f Can ute this old G erman custom wa s still

o

p r eserved in E n gland H head shaved and h er body . er ,

ba r e to the waist the woman w d r agged ut of her , as o

h usband s hou s e in the pr esence of her relations and then

’
,

whipped to death thro ugh the streets H lover was hu g . er n

on a tree .

According to the la w s of the V i s igoths and in virtue of the ,

law of re taliation the adulte re s s w given into the hands

,
as
o f the wife f her lover if the latter was ma rr ied
o A d if ,
. n

t h e lover had no child ren hi s goods we r e confiscated to the ,

p r ofit of the injured h usband ( lib .

Th p enalties
e en d ed by becomin g entirely p ec unia r y ,

especially fo r the man Th fifth section f t h e Salic law

,

. e o ,

and the thirty fi fth s ection of the R i pua r ian law both inflict
-
,

a fine f two h und r ed pence on whoever abducts a ma rr ied

o

w oman A law of Charlemagne orde rs t h e ravishe r to

.

resto r e the wife and all that she h carried ff If the as o .

h usband does not exact a com po s it ion the she r i ff take s up ,

the matter banishes the guilty man and condemns h im

, ,

to p y a fine f sixty pence In the M iddle Ages the

a o .

ad ulteress w generally s h ut up for li fe i a convent d

as n ,
an

lost her d owry Whippin g w sometimes added to the s e

. as

p uni s hments as is p ro ed by an,

o r dinance made in v

T h la w s of Kin g John
e of Charles l Bel e

o f L ouis XI sho w t h at certain to w ns preserved t h e

.

o ld custom f makin g the adulteress u naked t hr o ugh the

o r n

Kl pr th
1
d G am b
a Hi o U i d V y t l p 44 8
an a, st . n v . es o .
, . xv . . .

2
D es m az e , Curios ites,
’
e tc .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y 22 7

city L a s tly until 7 8 9 legi slation although moderating

.
, 1 , ,

its severity remain s undecided varie s according to place

, , ,

circumstance and even social po s ition ; but the atrociou s

,

and coar s e penaltie s f ancient time b oli s hed and o s are a

forgotten .

XII A dult y i th P t d i th F utu

. er n e as an n e re .

L ike all u ethno gra p hical s tudies thi s also a f

o r fi rm s th , e
l w f p r ogre ss
a o We have seen s avagery pa s s into barb arism
.
,

and barbarism into civilisation We have seen ad ultery

punished at fi rs t a s a robbery—but a mo s t execrable robbery
.

-
an d the ch s tisement falling chie fl y
a the wom n a s being on a

a property in revolt F her alone fi delity i s o b ligatory

. or .

A to the adulterou s hu sb and he i s punished if at all

s , , , on

the gr o und f having abu s ed the property f another and

o o ,

not in the least becaus e he ha s been unfaithful to hi s w o n

wife By slow degree s however equity a s sert s certain

.
, ,

right s and at the s ame time custom s are humanised

,

marriage become s le s s and le ss a contract f slavery “

o

for the woman ; and in s pit f the recoil caused by , e o

catholicism progre ss re s ume s it s cour s e and we begin to

, ,

fore s ee the time when m arriag bein g in s tituted rational,

e on

and j u s t foundation s adultery will di s appear ,

nearly s o ,
or ,

fr om u cu s toms and u l w s
o r o r a .

B ut surely that time i s far di s tant O u con s cience is . r

s till im pregnated with the morality f pa s t age s that u
so o o r

p ublic O p inion and u j uries willin ly

g p ardon
o a m wh
r an o

murder s hi s adulterous wife while they are full f mercy for , o

the co jugal i fi d liti f thi s ferocious justiciary Th

n n e es o . e
antique morals which hold woman as a servile pro perty
belon gi g to her husband s till liv in many minds T hey
n e .

will be extingui s hed by degree s Th matrimonial co tract . e n

will end by being the s ame kind f contract as any other o ,

freely accepted freely maintained freely di s solved ; but

, ,

where constraint has disappeared dece ption becomes an

unworthy offence Such will b the opinion f a fut ure
. e o
h umanity more elevated morally than ours
, D oubtless it .

will have no longer any tender indu lgence f conveniently

.

or
dissimulated adultery but the other hand it will no
, ,
on ,

longer excu s the avengi g hu sb and

e n .
 C H AP TE R X IV .

RE U D I T I ON
P A AN D D I VOR C E .

I . I n S avage Co un tries .
—The right r
o f e udia
p ti on in Ne w Ca e do n i l a ,

am o ng th e Ho tt t t
en o s , th e Bo ngo s, th e S o ulim as , th e F n is, at th e
As ha t —D i r n ees l
in P o yn es ia Th e igh o f e pudia io n in Am e ic a
vo c e — r t r t r .

II D iv orc e an d R epudiation a m ong B arbarous P eoples I h Abyss in ia, —

—Th
.

at —R
.

H aiti e n q
fi r of th e Djebe lT - a
gg ale e pudiatio n am o ng th e
Be do uins r g —R pudi ti n am g th K byl —Th
an d th e To ua e s e a o on e a es e

pr t d Ka b l
ev e n e
y w m — ”
Th i urg t K byl w me o an e
“
ns en
”
a e o an

R pudiat i
e am g th Ar b —D i r am g th Ar b —Obl ig t ry
on on e a s vo c e on e a s a o

di r —R pudiat i n
vo c e u t
e 1 irgi ity D i r o by m ut ual
o n ac c o n 0 n o n -v n - vo c e

n t i P ru d Thib t —R pudi ti m g th M g l
,

co s en n e an e e a on a on e on o s

R pudiat i
e i Ch i —O bl ig t ry di r
on n i Ch i —R pudi ti
na i a o vo c e n na e a on n

a i t I di —R pudi ti m g th H br w —R pudi ti i
nc e n n a e a on a on e e e s e a on n

Gr —E l uti
eec e f r pudi t i
vo d di r on i i t R m
o e a on an vo ce n an c en o e

Di r d Chri ti ity—R pudi ti

v o c e an i b rb r u E ur p i F r
s an e a on n a a o s o e, n an c e ,

i th M iddl Ag
n e e es.

I II . The E v olution o f D ivorc e .

I . I n S a v age C o untries .

I have no longe r to demonstrate t h at woman h as

been t reated wit h ext r eme b r utality among nea rly all
p r imitive eo
p p les In the lo w est sta ge of sava ge.r y — as for ,

exam ple in Aust ralia and Tasmania— woman bein g exactly

, ,

assimilated to a domestic animal who can be beaten , ,

wounded killed and even eaten her association w ith man

, , ,

does not me r it t h e name of ma rr iage and consequently ,

t h ere is no question amon g these races of divo r e nor c ,

even of re pudiation Th man being able as master to . e , , ,

di spose of the life of his w ife has in addition the right to , , ,

send her away or abandon her if he choo s es , ,

.
 T HE E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E . 22
9

In N w C aledonia where the stage f th mo s t b rutal

e ,
o e
s avagery is past where the wife i s no longer carried ff a s in
,
o

A ustrali but bought from her legal owners the di ss olution

a, ,

o f the conju gal union i s s till ill re gulated Th m can -

. e an

chase away repudiate hi s wife Th cou pl can al s o pa r t

or . e e

by mutual agreement the children following s ometimes th ,

e

mother and s ometime s the father ; nothing is uniform But .

1

the purchase f the woman protects her already somewhat

o

against murder A h re present s a ca pital the husband

. s s e ,

often h e s itates to kill her or even to drive her away ,

.

T h H ottentot s f the D amara t r ibe have thi s point

5

e o on

s imilar customs to the N w C aledonian s They do not e .

he s itate to send away the wive s f whom they are tired and o ,

w hom they can re place In C ff i th hu s band s hav .

2
a rar a e e

also every ri ght without exce ptio over the wive s they hav
,
n, e

bou ght In middle A frica which is much more civili s ed

.
3
, ,

divorce and r epudiation are rather le ss s im ple and often gi e ,

v

p lace to restitutions indemnities or .

With the Bon gos in ca s e f divorce the fathe r mu s t give

, o ,

back a part f the uten s ils fi arm s f which he had

o or re- or

ceded his dau ghter H i s even forced to a total restitution

. e ,

if the husband keep s the children while re pudiatin g the wife .

In the la s t case there i s evidently an idea f indemnifying o

the hu sb and f the charge he undertake s and this view f

or , o

the matter is t uncommon in Afric A mong the Bongos

no a
4

marr iage i s con s idered a s simple commercial transaction a

an d it i s the s ame in the whole f Central A frica e s pecially o ,

among the S ulim where the wome hav the power f

o as, n e o

leaving their hu s bands to unite them s el es t anot h er man v o ,

on the sole condition f returning to their husband propr ietoro -

the s um that he has paid to purcha s e the m from their

p arent s H. o w ever thi s rare and s ingular liberty i s taken
,

from them if they commit adultery But eve i thi s last . n n

ca s e they are treated with relative mildne ss A we have .
3
s

p reviou s ly s ee the s am cu
n,s tom i s o bs erved among the e

1 M o n c elo n, R tponses au Q uestionna ire de S oc iologie, in B ull de la .

’
d a nth rop 1 8 8 6
a t xx x
. .
,
2
ll
C m pbe , H ist Un iv des Voy , i p 3 43
t xx
. . . . . . .

3
h ll
B urc e , ibid vi
p 47 9
hw n th
. . . . .

4
Sc ei f
ur , The H eart of Afric a , v o l 11 p 2 7
a t xx
. . . .

3
L in g, H ist Un iv des Voy ,
. v iii
p 1.0 7 . . . . .
2 30 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A GE

F anti s of the G old Coast where the woman wh quits he r , o

husband without a se r ious r eason takin g he r c h il d en w ith , r

he r need only p y him a fixed indemnity— four ackies

, a

( twenty two shillin gs and ixpence ) for ea h child

-
In th S c .
1
e
same way the Ashantees conside r child r en a value worth
keeping ; thu s their women can marry after a th r ee yea r s re -
’

absence f thei r hu s band ; and in case of the t r aveller s

o
’

return it is the second mar riage which holds good only all
, ,

the children that are his become the prope r ty f the first o

hu s band In fact that equal s an indemnity s ince in Afr ica

.
2
, ,

children are generally considered a s a commercial val ue .

In Polynesia the conjugal bond could be untied as it was ,

tied with the g r eatest ease In the M arquesas Isles the

, .

husband and wife parted f m utual accord in case f o ,

o
incom patibility f tem per and all wa s over but if without
o ,

his autho r isation the wife deserte d the conj ugal but to
follow a lover the h us band watched fo r her and administered
,

furious and repeated co r rections At H awai the marriage .

3
’

w as also di s solved at will if the husband d wife were ,

an

agreed on this point At Tahiti the union s were of the .

4

frailest the h usband and wife parted without ceremony ,

and the child ren were no ob s tacle for by a pr evious ag r ee ,

ment they we r e made over to one other of the partne r s or .

3

It w the same in the Caroline Isles where thou gh t h e

as , ,

race w diff rent the cu s toms we r e analogous and mar r ied

as e , ,

C ou ples could divorce themselves at will .

3

T hi s fr a gility of marria ges is common in savage count r ies .

Th man always has the ri ght of re pudiation and very often

e ,

the reci procal right exists al s o Thi s fact see m s even less .

r a r e amon g savages than it i s later at the middle pe r iod of ,

the development f civili s ation when the pat r iarchal family

o ,

is solidly establi shed .

In North Ame r ica meaning of cou rs e s avage A merica

, , , ,

the classic land of the mat r ia rchate man neve r thele s s enj oys ,

nearly always the right of r e pudiation often without limi ts ,

Br di C r ik h a k Th G ld C
1
o e u s n e o oas t.

U i d V y t xx iii p 4 5
,

B di h H i
2
ow c st n v es o v 2

M R dig t D
. . . . .
, . .
,
3 i S
. a g p 79
ue , ern ers auv a es , . 1 .

844
4 ’
R d lO i
ev ue e r en t , 1
t p6
.

M 3
h Vy
o e ren il o ut, o . a ux es , e tc .
, . 11 . . 2 .

3
Freyc in e t, H ist Un iv des Voy . . .
, t . x v iii.
p 8 2
. .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 231

b ut certain tribes either admit divo r c by mut ual con s ent e ,

or

limit the right of re pudiation recogni s e certain right s of ,

or

the wife Th M l m ut E squimaux d r ive away their

. e a e o e

wives at will a s do also the K m t h td l their con

,
1
a sc a a e s,

g e n e rsf A sia ; but ow ith the E s quima ux hardly any

2
, ,

but a fr ee and capricious union is known ; there i s a s

yet no du r able marriage It i s nearly the same in . a
certain number f A merican tribes whe r e divorce is o ,

easy at t h e will f the two parties A mong the D kota o . a

Santals the wife who i s ill treated by her companion

ha s the ri ght to retire ; but she cannot take the child
ren without the hu s band s consent Th ma rr iage f ’
.
3
e o

the Iroquoi s and f some other neighbou r ing t r ibes w

,
o ,
as

also broken by mut ual consent These R edskins lived in .

great common hou s es each inhabited by a fraction f ,

o ne o

t h e tribe a g and consequently that

,
ens , of the divorced , o ne

couple whose r elations dominated in the g remained en s,

the r e ; the ot h er wa s forced to depart Th R edskins f .

4
e o

C ali fornia also pr actised thi s easy d mutual divorce Th an .

“
e

Navajo s still recognised the ri ght f the wife to leave her o

hu s band but already the masculine point of honour entered

,

into play and the de s erted h usband wa s o b liged under pain

, ,

o f r idic ule to reven ge himself by killi g some

,
At n one .
6

G uate m ala the wife and hus b and could pa r t at w ill and on

the slightest pretext Th M oxos f South America only .

7 e o

regar ded ma rriage as an agreement that could b e dissolved

by the will of the tw parties But in many other R e dskin o .
8

tribe s the right f divorce seems fa r from being recipr ocal ; o

it is r e placed to the detriment f the wife by repudiation

,
o , ,

which the h us ban d ca n pronounce with a word According ’

to t h e A bb é D omenech it is the fear f t h is terrible word , o

which maintains an appearance f harmony among the o

many women in the interior f the Indian wigwam s With o .

9

the Chi ppeway s a man take s buy s a girl of t welve and or ,

1 r t
Ban c o f , Zoe c it , v o l i p 8 1 . . . . . .

2
Be n io usk i, H ist Un iv aes Voy , t
’
xxx i p 4 10
th tt t
. . . . . . .

3
. . r
l O D o s ey, Ow e /t a S oc iology , S m i s o n ian I ns i u io n, 1 8 8 5 .

r
_

4
L M o gan , A n c ie n t S oc ieties 6 Id ibid p 5 1 2
r t
. .
.
, .
. .

7 Id
, ibid v o
5
B an c o f , loo c it , v o l i p 4 1 2 l ii p 6 7 2
t
. . . . . . . . . . . .

8
.
’
A d O rbigny, L lz om m e A m é ric a in ,
'
. 11 p 2 1
. . I .

9
I d , Voy p it /on , e tc
. .
p 5 11 . . .
232 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A GE

sends her back whe he i s tired f her Th Chinook n o .

1
e

husband can al s o repudiate his wife according to his

capr ice In a t r ibe of the Na h ua s the husban ds enjoyed
.
2
,

the same r ights but on condition of exercising them the, on

day after t h e ma r riage ; the ex pe r imental union preceded
the d urable one In N w M exico the h usband repudiated .
3
e ,

at will on condition only of restoring his wife s po ss e ss ions

,
’
.
4

A s in gle word f the C ib husbands also su fficed to

o ar ean

dismi ss t h e wife Th same r ule is found with the .

5
e

Abip al s o where the husband can r e pudiate hi s wife

o n es , on

the sli ghtest pretext .

6

T h concl usion to be dr awn fr o m all the s e facts is that

e ,

there are no more fixed rule s for divo r ce than for marr iage
in sava ge societie s But a s the w ife i s more ofte bou gh t .
,
n
or captured it i s quite natu r al that he r o w ne r should send
,

her a w ay at his pleasure Wherever divo r ce is mutual it is .

,

when the w ife co s ts little to obtain or W he r e the ties f rela , o

ti
o ns h ip a r e well defined between the members of her and
her t r ibe her g who then think themselve s bound to
, or en s,

affo r d h er a ce r tain protection .

II . D ivorc e a na
’
R ep uaia tion
’
a m ong B a rba rous P eoples .

hese fr ee and fragile mar riages a r e found in societie s

T
more civili s ed than those of the Polynesians and the
A me r ican India s Bruce tells u s that in Abyssinia n .

ma rr iage is in reality only a fr ee union without any sanction ,

or ce r emony ; couples unite part and unite a s many , ,

re-

times a s they like The r e a r e neither legitimate nor ill giti . e

mate child r en In ca s e of divorce the child ren a r e divided

.

the gi r ls belon g to the fathe r and the boys to the mother , .

7

M d Abb di a ffi rm s also that Abyssinian mar r iage i s

.
’
a e

pu r ely civil and al w ays di s soluble he dds that it is dotal a ,

and exists for r ich men with the concubinate It is

c o -
, , .
8

1
B r ft l i
anc l i p
o 7
,
[d an
oc . c l p 6 t .
,
vo . . . 11 .
3
4
.
, . vo . 11. . 2 1 .

2
l i p 4 l a ibi l i p 5
’
I a ibid vo 2 1. a . vo 11
t p 34 ,
. . . . . . . . .
, .

5 L y al T
o f . a erre n e, e tc
err .
, . 1 61 3 . 0 .

6
D b i h if A A
o r tz f l A bip
o fP g y
e r, l p 97 n c c oun t o t ze on es o a ra ua vo 11 .

V y t xx iii p 3 6 5
, . . .

7 Br
’
Hi U i
uc e , st
. n v . aes o .
, . . . .

‘
3
D A bba die, D ouz e 1 00, 1 28 .
’
dans la lz a ute E t/z z op ie, pp
'

an s .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 2
33

q uite certain that divorce i s largely u s ed in Ab y ss inia since ,

Bruce says he has s een a woman s urrounded with s eve n

fo r mer husband s In H ayti the only negro country that i s
.
,

civili s ed in E uro pean fashio n we find either preserved Or ,

instit uted by the side f legal monogamic marriage fre

, o , e
union s which recall the R oman concubinate Th pe r so s . e n

thus pai red are called placed ; they s uffer no contempt “ ”

on thi s account and their children have the s ame right s a s

,

those f person s legally marr ied There are at H ayti ten

o .

time s more placed persons than married one s ; they

“ ”

s epa r ate le s s often tha n the latter are divorced and have ,

b etter moral s But in general the free union

.
1
what ,
o r,

come s to the same thing the power f divorce left to th ,

o , e
tw united parties i s r are enough i countrie s more
o ,
les s n or

civilised M ost u s ually it is the husband wh even with

. o,

o ut any cau s e f adultery i th wife ha s the right t

o n e , o
repudiate her It is thus for example at M adaga s car
.
, , ,

whe r e in order to r epudiate his wife a hu s band need

, ,

sim ply declar hi s re s olution to the magist rate wh ha s

e o

received the notification of the marriage ; it is only necessa r y

fo r him to p y for th s econd time the l i
a duty e z as na , o r on

marr iage When once he ha s declared hi s intention the

.
,

hus band ha s still twelve day s grace to retract it b ut if he ’

exceed s this delay the repudiated wife become s her w o n

mi s tre s s and fr ee to marry again .
2

In Kordofan among the Djebel T gg l the great legal

,
-
a a e,
3

motive f repudiation i all the primitive legi s lation s

or n ,

s te r ility j us tified proceeding that w ere ab s olutely savag

,
s e .

T h ce r emony wa s called the

e fi ( drum t um pet ) A nc r or r .

w oman b ein g a pparently s terile the hu s band before pudi , ,

re

ating her called noisily together all his male relative s who
, , ,

after a feast all had intimacy w ith the b arren wife If thi s
, .

heroic expedient did t re s ult in pre gnancy the hu s band no ,

s old hi s wife by auctio agreeing t return to hi s obli ging n, o

relatives the di fference if any b etwee the fir s t price and th

, ,
n e
sum she wo uld fetch in the auction E xtraordinary as thi s .

c ustom f fi may s eem to u s it is apa r t from th

o ne r , , e
final sale b ut the repetition with more shamele s sne ss of
,

1
A i B ant M i g d
'
nn e i es it i, it / l b
a rr a e, as t w as , as s, a n as s z ou a e.
2
D upré , Trois M ois
a M adagas c ar, p 1 5 3 . .

3
D C uny, journ al a o Voyage a S iant et a E l 0béict,
’
en 1 8 7 8
.
5 5 .
234 TH E E VOL U TI ON O F MARR I A GE

analogo us practices in Indi and even in ancient G r eece in a,

case of wel l prove d sterility in the wi fe

,
-
.

T h Bedouins and the T ouare gs in gene r al have nothing

e

com parable to the fi of the Dj ebel T gg l but among ne r -

a a e,

them the ext reme facility and excessive frequency of re

p u di
a ti
o ns renders ma rr iage nea rly illuso r y Ac o r ding . c

to B urckh ar dt re pudiation i s so common with the former

,

t h at a man sometimes has fif y wive s i s ucce ss ion t n .

1

With the Touaregs f the Saha r a the wives themselve s o

can demand divorce and w have seen that they th us , e

fo r ce thei r hu s band s to bend to monogamy in spite of the ,

Koran and f thei r polygamic a ppetites It seems that in

o .
2

ce rtain of their tribe s the women make it a point of hono ur

to be often re pudiated O nly to have one husband is in .
,

their eyes a humiliatin g thin g and t h ey a r e hear d to say

, ,
“
Tho u a r t not wo r th anythin g; thou hast neither beauty
nor merit men have disdained thee and would have none ,

of thee .
” 3

This is quite in accord with the l i ll habitual a sser a er

to the primitive Berbe rs in regard to ma rr iage In this .

res pect however u Ka byles f Al ge r ia cont rast with the

, , o r o

othe r ethnic grou ps f their race Their conj u gal c us tom s o .

are most rigid ; neithe r liberty libe r tinage exist for the no r

wife amon gst t h em Thei r custom s in r ega r d to re pudia

.

tion and divorce are consequently ve ry curious and a r e ,

w o r th studyin g in detail I Kabyle ma rr ia ge is t r eate d . n ,

literally a s a comme r cial affair f t h e most serio us kind o ,

especially for the women wh are owned as thin gs by t h ei r ,

o

h usbands Th custom s and the K u ho w eve r forbi d

. e a no ns , ,

the exchan ge of wives and the husband who s e w ife has fled ,

fr om the conju gal dwelling is fo r bidden to sell the fugitive

except to a man f the t r ibe and even then he is not allowed
o ,

to have the p r ice Still the Kabyle husband has pr ese r ved
.
4
,

t h e r ight f repudiation and this r i ght he alone enjoys and

o , ,

with o ut re s triction .

There are in Kabyle two kinds f re pudiation I one o . n ,

the husband sim ply says I repudiate thee ; and he ,

“

B r k h r dt l
1
u c i a , oc . c t .

D 2
y r i r l
uv e i p 4 9
e oc c t 2
t
. . .
, .

3
l Vy N eg
’
R ff a enepy o p 355 an a s aes res , l er
Ha t a t L t r x K byli t ii p 64
. .
. . .
,
4
no e ue e o u n eu ,
a e, . . . 1 .
 AND OF TH E F A M JL Y .
35

re peats thi s formula three times Th wife rema ns depend . e i

ent on him until he sells her by mean s of a pr ice of d m p re e

tion If he acce pt s from the father or s ome other man

.

thi s price (lf i) he mu s t when the sum is once co unted

e a
’
,

o ut declare befo r e witnesses that he give s up ll right s over

,
a

hi s wi fe Then and only then the ma rri ge i s di ss olved

.
, , a .
1

U nder the othe r fo r m f re pudiation the hu s band says o ,

“
I re pudiat thee d I put s uch um e thy head , an a s on .
”

Th formula is pronounced once twice and thrice

e In , , .

thi s ca s e the hu s band i s irrevocably bound and by paying ,

the s um fixed the wife ha s the power to marry again ; at the

,

same time the h usband can specify the conditions can s ay

, , ,

for exam ple that if the woman i s married to s uch such

, or

a man the price f redem ption will b e doubled tri pled

,
o or .

Sometimes the um is s o great that it amount s to an b s a so

l ute interdiction f any fre s h m arriage and th woman is o , e

then desi gnated a pr evented When o ne

the formula f repu diation ha s o ly been pronounced once

o n

or twice the hu s ban d can b y mean s f a fine paid to the

, , o
'

a enz
y a and with
a, the con s ent of the father i law take back -
n- ,

hi s wife ; b ut he lose s his reputation and his te s timony i s ,

no longer legal If the fo r mula ha s b een pronounced three

.

times it i s i r revoca ble A for the other revocation public

,
. s ,

opinion doe s not admit that it may b e revoca b le unless it ,

has only been declared once and that the hu sb and fi d a , n

p rie s t w h will con s ecrate

o a fresh union .
3

If after repudiatio the Kabyle woman marrie s gai

,
n, a n,
and become s a widow the first hu s band can retak her , e
witho ut repayment and without fi a ne .
4

Without pronouncing the formu la of re pudiation the ,

Kabyle husband has the power to send his wife b ack to her
family with the con s ent fthe said family If the husband
,
o .

ha s se r ious rea s on s f di splea sur h s e d s her to her o e e n

p arents without forewarning them mounted an a ss and ,

on ,

conducted by a s ervant a egro Thi s treatment is so or n .

ignominiou s for the wife that it i s qual to repudiation and e ,

p ublic opinion then forbid s the husband to tak her back e .

Sometime s i ca s e f proved adultery th hu s band s e d s

,
n o , e n

Ha t 1
t L t rn x R éyli t ii p 78 '

no e au e e ou eu a e, 1
[d ibid t ii p
. . . .
,
2
77 1
I a ibi t ii p I a ibid t
.
, . . . . .

3 ’
4
77 u
.
,
a. .
p 79 . . 1 . .
,
. . . . 1 .
2
36 TH E E VO L UTI ON OF M AR R I A GE

the wife back to her family after having shaved her head ; ,

the guilty one i s then for ever dishonoured and how ,

eve r bea utiful she may be she never finds anothe r hu s

band
,
}

In case f re pudiation fo r any motive whateve r the

o , ,

Kabyle h us band h as the r i ght to kee p all his children gi rls ,

and boys even those at the breast A for the re pudiated

, .
2
s

woman s h e always r et urn s to her parents and it is to these

, ,

last that a man must apply to marry her ; but the new
mar r i ge cannot be concluded until after the payment to
a

the fi rs t husband f the pr ice f the redem ption o o

whi h is sometimes mo r e s ometimes less than the
c , ,

tl az /l
nz a n price f the fi rs t acquisition
z, o r G enerally too O .
, ,

t h e parents profit by the O pportunity to claim a su pplement ,

or gratification Th fat h er o ften agrees fi r st with the

. e
h usband reimbur s e s him for the t/ am tl and afterwards
,
z an z,

n egotiate s his dau ghter a s he please s In a certain n umber .

of t r ibe s the h us band can di r ectly s ell hi s wife but Kabyle ,

mo rality re pr oves t h is practice and permits t h e wife in that ,

3

case to reti r e to he r fathe r w h ere s he r emains prevented ,

( li m u k t) however if the father is po w erful he risks

’
za ao o , ,

sometimes ma rrying hi s dau ghter and the t r ibe at nee d ,

stands by him In any case the r epudiated Kabyle woman

.
4
,

can only m arry after a delay gene r ally of fo ur

months which is co formable to the pr escri ptions of
,
5
n

the Koran If she flees the count ry the pa rent s must

.
,

resto r e to the h us band the tfi i tl l f i for this c r

n an i or e a
’

last can no longe r gain them a new suitor Th whole .

6
e

o f this égim i s very p a r tial to t h e husband

r e H o w eve r as .
,

p u blic O p inion in Ka b yle is s ove r eign it has decree d a ,

few p r otective measures for w oman recalling fr om afar ,

the prove r bial libe rality of the Be rbe r s in conj ugal m atters .

T hus tho ugh the w oman is de pr ived f the ri gh t of divo r ce

, o ,

sh e is allowed a ri ght f insurr ection if s he has j u s t “

o
”

com plaint s to make In this case she b e gin s by telling . o ne

o f her r elatives w h fetche s her back to her father O penly, o ,

the husband not being permitted to o ppose ; it remain s to

H n t u t L t r
1
a x K byli t p 8
o ea e e o u n eu a e, 11 . 1 1
I d ibi t ii p I a ibid t
. . .
,
2 5
84
’
a
p 73 1 11 . 1
Id ibid t ii p 8
.
.
, . . . . . .
, . . .

3 5
ibid t ii p
’
I a. 9 . . . . 1 . .
, . . . . 1 0 .

I d , ibid t ii p
. . . . . 1
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 23 7

him either to repudiate the fugitive t let her b a or o e

prevented It i s understood that cu s tom protect s
o ne .
”
an

in s urgent wife only whe s he take s refuge with her

”
n
relative s Some tribe s have tariffed the tfiam tl ; and i
.
1 an c n
ca s f repudiation the husband can only exact receive
e o or

the ordained sum A f the tariff fthe re pudiated woma . s or o n,

it is nearly always more than the t/dm tfi price f the z an , or o

virgin d the widow This i s done counting the avidity

an . on

o f th hu s band to urge him to p ermit

e ,
fresh mar r iage a .
2

L astly it is the rul that after four year s ab s ence

’
,
th e on e

part f the hu sb and the union i s di ss olved and the woma

o n

is free Thi s i s a wi s e law whic h certain E uropean code s

.
3

mi ght b orrow with advantage from Ka byle legislation .

It is a veritable godsend for s cientific s ociology to be able

to know in it s minute details all this curiou s re gulatio Of n

Ka b yle ma r riage T often we are forced to content u. OO o r

s elves in re gard to s av ge barbarou s people s with gene r al

,
a or ,

as s e r tion s that have to be com pleted a s well a s may be from

acco unt s that are incohe r ent s ometimes contradicto r y and , ,

always fragmentary H ere we posse ss a whole barbaro us .

code quite an assemblage f old Be r ber cu s toms which

, o ,

are more le ss confounded with the precepts f th

or o e

Koran .

Th law f M ahomet it s elf is only a s ort Of com p romis

e o e
between the ancient cu s tom s f Arabia and the Biblical o

p rece p t s relatin g to marriage O certain s ide s the A rab . n

customs are superior to the s everity f the K abyle k u o an o n s,

but on other s they are inferior to them as for exam ple in , , ,

not a ffordin g to t h e w ife the ri ght f insu r rection o

“
.
”

It i s necessary to di s tin guish between the text f th o e

Koran and practice which ha s notably dep arted from it ,

s ometimes for the better sometimes for the wo r se Th ,

. e
Ko ran leaves to the h us ba d the absol ute right of repudia n

tion It orde r s that if the form ula f re pud ation ha s been

. o i

p r onounced three time s the hus b and cannot take back t h , e

wife until she has been married to nother ; it pe r mits him a

to do it therefo r e in the contrary ca s e It s pecifie s that

, , .
4

the r epudiated wife should have a s uffi cient maintenanc e

provided for her d that the hu s band sho uld not kee p th
,
an e
1
Ha t t L t rn x K byli t n p 8 [d ibi
'
n o e au e e ou eu a e, 1 2 a.
[a ibi t ii p K ran n
. .
, . . .
,
3 4
8
'
.
,
a. . . .
9 13 0 . o , . 22 ,
2 0 .
238 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R JA G E

dower she brou ght with her ; that the h usband sho uld have 1

fo ur months grace to retract his decision ; that if the

’
2

re pudiated wife is suckling an infant the husband o r in his , , ,

default the next hei r s hould s upply her needs d ur ing the
, ,

two yea rs that the suckling shoul d last .

3

Th Ko r an orde r s r e pudiated wives not to

e marry befo r e re -

three men s t rual periods not to di s sim ulate their pregnancy , ,

“
if they believe in G d and in the day Of j udgment ; and o
”

in the last case it advise s the husbands to take them back .

4

L astly the law f M ahomet encoura ges amicable a rr an ge

, o

ment s and these by money payments between ill asso rted

,
-

cou ples ; it autho r ise s t h e husband to s ell a divo r ce to his

wife for a ces s ion with her consent of a po r tion of her, ,

dowry This i s what the te ts w hich are both legal and

.
ls
x ,

sac red declare this then is the theo ry We will now s ee

, : , , .

what is the practice a s regard s repudiation and divorce i n

Al geria at the present time .

T h e r e are t hr ee gr ad uated formulas of re pudiation fi r st ,

the discontented husban d says simply to the wife G ,

“
O

a w ay and if he has only said it once twice he may

,
”
or ,

ret ract hi s decision s econd but if he has said Thou a r t , ,

“

to me a s one dead or as the flesh f swine it i s fo r bid den

,
o ,
”

to take back the re pudiated wife until she has been m a rr ied
to another and then r e pudiated left a w ido w ; lastly
, or ,

the r e is a form ula so solemn that it entails a sepa ration for

ever it is this L t thy back be turned on me hence forth
,
“
e ,

like the back f my mothe r o .

” 6

A y n of these sensele ss rea s ons which have often the

o ne ,

force f law with unenli ghtened races can be set aside and
o , ,

t h e repudiation counted null when it has been pr onounced

during a critic l pe r iod Of the woman Th woman with
a .
7 e

child ,
t h e cont rary can be re pudiated b ut she has a
on , ,

ri ght to an allowance du r in g pregnancy Act ual custom .

”8

also admit s vol untary divorce at the proposal of the wife , ,

for a redem ption paid by he r to her master Sometimes .

the initiative comes from the h usband who kno w in g that , ,

his w ife desire s her liberty s ays to her I repudiat , ,

“
e

1
Ko r an , n . 2 29. 3
I bia 1 1 2 3 3
’
.

5
. .

2
l é ia ii 2 2 6, 2 4 2 4 l ia’ ii 2 2 8
b l aid iv
'

. . . . . . . . 1 27 .

M eyn ier, E tudes s ur i l s la m is m e, pp 1 6 8 , 1 6 9

’
6 . .

8 Id
, ibid 1 7 4
7 I a , ibid p 1 7 8
. . . . . . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y: 2 39

t h ee if tho u givest me this p lliu of H erat or thi s hor s e

,
a nz , , or

this camel etc It is then a sort of divorce by m utual

,
”
.

consent and the two part as good friends

,
.
1

L astly there is obli gato ry divorce p r onounced by the

, ,

Cadi , on the plaint f the woman when the h us b and is o ,

im potent w hen i spite f these matrimonial convention s

,
n o

he tries to com pel the woman to quit the house f her o

p a r en t s ,
when he has
or co rr ected her with excessive
b r utality Then the divorced w ife goes a w ay taking her
.
2
,

do wry with her .

T aken alto gethe r these customs w hile conforming to , ,

the s pi r it of the K oran have in a ce r tain meas ure im pr oved ,

the position f the ma rr ied woman This i s because progr e s s

o .

i s the law f the s ocial as well as the organic worl d ; more

o

o r less slowly more less quickly it ends by modifyin g in

,
or ,

p ractice even theoc r atic le gis lation s which are the most ,

rigid f all But t h e ld c ustoms are still found almost

o . o

intact in certain dist r icts f Ar abia whi h have r emained o c

mo r e or les s com pletely isolated Thus in nea r ly all .

A rab co unt r ies there is es pecial rea s on which j ustifies o ne

immediate repudiation f t h e ma r riage and that is the o ,

ab s ence of vi rginity when it ha s been affirmed in the ,

agreements precedin g the union But in Y emen this .

ci r c umstance justifies fa r mo r e than mer re pudiation ; it e

e cu s es the murder of the b r ide ; it is a pr actical retu r n

x 3

to t h e ld law pre s erved i the Bible orderin g the guilty

o n
woman t b e stoned o .

A fter the m nner f all b arbarou s le gislation s that

a of ,
o

M ahomet h co rr ected or at least t r ied to restrain certain

as , ,

es pecially ferocio us customs ; but the other hand it has ,

on ,

g iven the force f law t some p artic ularly c

o r ying abuses o ,

and has th us rendered them more di fficult fredre s s This o .

is generally the case In all barbarou s s ocietie s the . .

subj ection f wo m an i s more or les s s evere ; customs

o or
coarse laws have regu lated the savagery f the fi rst ana r chic o

ages ; they h ve doubtless set up a ba rr ier a gainst pr imitiv

a e

fero ity they have inte r dicted certain absol utely terribl
c , e
a b us es f force b ut they have only re placed the s b y
o , e a

1
M eynie r, Etudes
’
s ur l I s lam is m e .

2 ’
I a , ibia p 1 7 4
t xxxi
. . . .

3 h
Niebu r, H ist Un iv des Voy . . .
, . .
p 3 30
. .
24 0 TH E E VOL UT] ON OF M AR RI A GE

se r vitude which is s till very heavy is Often iniquito us and ,

no longer permits to legally possessed women those esca pes

,

or capricio us ly acco r ded liberties which we re tolerated in ,

savage life We s hall have to prove this fact mo r e than

.

once in continuing u ethnographic s tudy f divorce in o r o

ba rbaro us societies .

I ancient Peru the liberal and reasonable custom f

n o
divorce by m utual consent w adopted At Q uito at as .
1
,

least whe r e marriage wa s not civil and obli gato ry the

, ,

marr ied pair had the power f sepa ratin g by mutual accord o .

In M exico divorce was merely tolerated Befo r e being .

allo w ed to break the co j ugal tie the cou ple were obli ge d n ,

to submit thei r difference s to a s pecial tribunal which afte r , ,

a minute examination fthe facts and three hearin gs f t h e o ,

o

pa r ties sent them away without p r onouncin g j udgment if

, ,

they pe r seve red in thei r desi gn Th t r ibunal co ul d it ?

e ,

s eems fo r bid the separation but it did not expr essly

, ,

a uthorise it Its s ilence however e qualled a s entence of

.
, ,

divo r ce .

T his l ux ury f legality this p r etence f placin g the con

O , o
j ugal union out of reach Of t h e caprice or inj ustice of one
o f the p arties can only be met with in societies al r ea dy
,

advance d in o rganisation .

In lamaic T h ibet where marr iage is a simple civil ,

convention with which the theocratic gove r nment of the

,

count ry does not interfere marriages are dissolved as they , ,

are made by mere mutual con s ent ; but this consent is

,

necessa ry and there only results a se paration analogous to

,

ou r s and takin g from the separated cou ple the p o w e r to

,

re marry Wit h the nomad M on gols w find in s pite f a

-
.
3
e ,
o

relative civili s ation the absolute rig h t Of r epudiation left ,

to the h usband alone as it i s in savage count r ies T h ,

. e

M on gol husband wh is ti r ed f his w ife whom besides o o , , ,

he has purch ased can send he r back to her parents wit h o ut

,

g ivin g the least r eason ; he sim ply lose s the oxen shee p , ,

an d horses t h at he has paid fo r he r O their side th . n ,

e

p a r ents make no di ffic ulty Of takin g h e r back fo r they hav , e

th e right to sell h er again Th M on gol wife can also . e

Pr tt C q f P
1
esc o , on uest o eru .

Ia C q 2
fM i l i p 8 on uest o ex c o, v o 2
V y t xxx i p 4 37
. .
, . . .

T r r Hi 3
U i
’
u ne , s t. n v . aes o .
, . . . .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L K 24 1

s pontaneou s ly q uit her husband ; but thi s i s not so sim ple a

matter becau s e s he repre s ent s a value It is a capital that
, .

has fl ed ; therefore the parents must send her back four

time s following to the hu s band pr oprietor If the latter -
.

p ersist s in not receiving her the marriage i s di ss olved but , ,

in that ca s e the parents must r e s tore a pa r t o f the cattle

previously p aid by th e ma r ital purcha s er In s hort r e pu
1
.
,

diat io n and divorce a r e con s idered in M ongolia entire ly

as commercial t r an s action s and always arranged for the ,

advantage o f the hu s band .

Th e Chinese have regulated this still q uite p r imitive

divorce and while leavin g to the husban d the right f
, o
repudiation they have carefully s pecified the condition s
,

O f it
A C hine s e husband can repudiate his wife for adultery ,

s terility immode s ty disobedience to her father and mother

, ,

o r to him loquacity or p ro p en s ity to slander

,
inclination to ,

theft a jealous disposition or an incu r able m alady These

, ,
.

m tives however no longer su ffice when the wife has worn

o , ,

mournin g f her father i law her mother i law when

or -
n- or -
n-

the family ha s become rich in comparison with its former

p overty ; d la s tly when the wife ha s no longer a father or
an ,

mother to receive her If heedless of these inte r dictions .

, ,

the hus b and repudiate s his wife all the s ame he become s ,

liable to receive eighty s troke s of bam b oo and mu s t tak ,

e
her b ack T the husband alone b elon gs the right f
?
o o

re pudiation b ut the l w admit s divorce by mutual con s ent

, a .

O the other hand it ha s taken good care to con s ecrate th

n ,
e
s er it ude f the wife by ordering that if s he fl ees from th
v o e

conju gal abode when the husband refu s e s a divorce she ,

shall be puni s hed by a h und r ed s trokes f bamboo and o ,

may be sold by her hu s band to any willi g to ma r ry o ne n

her Chinese legislation absolutely refuses th right f

.
3
e
“
o

insurrection to the wife which the Ka b yle K u

”
,
an o ns ,

rigorous as they are to women have granted F divorce , . or ,

as for everythin g el s e C hina i s at the s tage f mitigated , o

or h umane barbarism Th foundation f her laws ha s . e o

r mained savage but a le s s ancient spi r it has attem pted t

e ,
o
modify their severity It ha s limited the right f re pudiation . o ,

H Vy d 1
l T i t
ue , p 3 o . a ns a artar e, . 1613 . 01 .

2
P authie r, Cnin e M oaern e p
’
, . 2 39 .
24 2 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

at fi rst in the power of the master ; it has specifie d the

im pediments ; lastly it has sanctioned divorce by m utual ,

consent which still t ifi ou r legislator s

, e rr es .

A ncient In dia h d also left the r i ght of re pudiation to the

a

husband but she had no place for divo r ce in her legislation

, ,

and had im posed no rest r iction on t h e goo d pleas ure of t h e

husband if the r e existed of t h e cases en um r ated by the o ne e

Code A wife given to intoxicating liquo r s having bad

- “
,

mo rals g ven to contradicting her husband attacked with

,
i ,

an inc urable disease a s le prosy or wh has been s pendthrift

, , o
o f hi s wealth o ught to be re place d by anothe r
, A sterile .
”

wife ou gh t to be r eplaced in the eighth year ; the wife whose

child r en are all dead i the tenth year ; t h e wife wh only,
n o

bea r s daughters in the eleventh ; t h e wife who speaks wit h

,

bitte r ness instantly ,

F one whole year let a h usband
.
” 1
or

bear w ith the ave r sion of his w i fe ; but after a year if she ,

continues to hate him let him take what she possesses only , ,

giving her enou gh to clothe and feed her and let him cease ,

to cohabit wit h h e r .
” 2

H ere it is no lon ger a que s tion of divorce by mutual con

s ent nor of pr otective measures for t h e wife If she is
, .

legally re placed without bein g repudiated and then if s he ,

aban dons with an ge r the conj ugal abode s he must b im , e

p r isoned or re p udiated in the p r esence f w itnesses T h o

?
e

p r olon ged ab s ence f the h usband doe s not set fr ee the

o

wife even when she has been left without resources She
,
.

must patiently await the return of the absent master du r ing ,

eight years if he i s gone for a pious motive ; six years if he

is travellin g for science glory ; th ree year s if he is roam or
i g the wo r ld for his plea s ure
n When these delay s have .

expi red t h e deserted

,
i s none the less mar r ied ; s he has
o ne

only the p o w er to g to seek the t r aveller o .

4

L ike the w riter s of the Code of M anu those of t h e Bible ,

have tho ught ve ry little f the right s f woman in legislating o o

on divo r ce and repudiation .

Th book of D euteronomy very accommodating for th

e ,
e

hu s ban d authori s e s him to re pudiate his wife when she

,
“

find no favour in his eyes beca use he hath found s ome ,

uncleanne s s in her ; he has only t put lette r of o a

“

1 Code of M am e, ix 80 8 1
p p
. . .
,
2
I oz zi p 7 7 l bid p 8 3
’

. . .
. . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M N y , . 243

divorce in her hand and may not take her again eit h er if
, ,

s he is re pudiated by another hu s band or become s a widow .

1

With much s tron ger rea s on a man can repudiate an im

mode s t wife A for the wi fe s he could only demand a
?
s ,

divorce for ve r y grave cau s e s if the hu s band wa s attacked :

b y a contagiou s malady ( lepro s y ) ; if his occu pation s we r e

too repugnant ; if he deceived her ; if he fi t itu lly ill a a

treated her ; if he refu s ed to contribute t her maintenance ; o

and if after ten year s f mar r iage his im potence wa s well

, o ,

estab lished es pecially if the woman declared she needed a

,

son to s us tain her in her old g But even then it w a e

? as

the hu s band wh w reputed to h ve s ent away hi s wife

o as a ,

and s he lo s t her dowry .

All these antique legi s lation s bear the woman with on

s hameful iniquity Th mo s t humane have confined their

. e
effort s to placi g a few slight restriction s the brutal good
n on
plea s ure Of man which noth i g holds back in s avage
,
n

s ocietie s But it is im po r tant to notice that certain tribe s

.
,

still more le ss buried in s avagery hav regulated divorce

or , e
with humanity enough d e quity enough to put to s hame an

the theocratic legi slators f the g eat barbarian s ocieties o r .

We discover again thi s iniquitou s s pirit i regard t n o

the respective situation s f th man and the woma i o e n n
marriage in the G reco R oma world b ut it become s -
n ,

moderated a s ancient civilisation p rogre ss e s In primitiv . e

G reece the right f re pudiation i s left to the man and h
o ,
e
u s es it whenever he thinks he ha s legitimate motives f or

doing T his right continued in more civili s ed G reece ,

but it wa s gradually re s tricted Neverthele s s it w alway s .

,
as

a great dis h onour f a woman to be re pudiated E uri pide s

or .

m ake s M edea s ay D ivorce is alway s s hameful f

,
“
or a
woman . In A m / u M enelau s s peaking f hi s
naro
’
ac z s, ,
o

dau ghter H ermione s aid I will t that my dau ghter

, :
“
no

s ho uld be driven from th uptial b ed ; s ave that all that e n ,

a woman can su ffer i s relatively without im portance ; b ut for

her to lo s e her hu sb and i s to lo s her life At Athen s e .
”

repudiation s were fre quent and they would hav bee more , e n

D t r1
m y h xx i
eu e o no c v . v er. 1, 2
M l m l ( th ird p rt )
, . .
'

sc a i a

A W il L F
.

3
m j i p i
e a er
n e u v e, as s r
n
L i t ii p 6
.
, .

G g
’
O ig o uet, r . aes o s, . . . 1.
2 44 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A F F LA GE

s o if con s iderations interest had not often hinde r ed th

of e

good pleasure f the ma s ter o H was obliged in fact by . e , ,

the conditions f the l w in repudiatin g his wife to r esto r

o a , , e
her dow r y or p y interest at the rate fnine Oboles M o r e
,
a o .
1

ove r the relatives who we r e gua r dians f the wo man co uld

, O
clai m by law a pension fo r he r maintenance A persona ge ?

of E urip ides c r ie s mo urnfully Th riches that a wife :

“
e

b r in gs only s erve to make her divo rce mo r e diffi ult c .

” 3

H owever the ri ght f divorce was recognised for women

, o ,

but c ustom held t h e laws in check by rende r in g it difli ult c

for w ives to perform any public action and by imposin g ,

on

them the confinement f the gy um o nec e .

4

A t R ome divorce evolved mo r e r a pidly and more m c o

p l t
e e ly than in G r eece In pr imitive R ome w see at . e
fi r st as u sual the ri ght f re pudiation allowed to t h e
, , o
husband and forbidden to the w ife R om ul us says .
“
,
”

Plutarch gav the hu s band power to divo r ce his wife in

,
“
e
case f her poi s onin g his children
o counte r feitin g his ,
or
keys committing ad ultery and if any other acco unt
,
or , on
he put her a w ay she was to have one moiety of his goods ,

and the other wa s to be consec rated to Ce res Th .

” 5
e

R oman h usband co uld al s o put away his wife for

sterility H wa s however obliged to assemble the family
?
e , ,

before h and fo r consultation If the ma rr iage h ad been con .

t r acted by con farreation it h ad to be dissolved by a ont r a c

di t y ceremony diffa rr eation

c or
7 In the ancient law when
,
.
,

t h e crime of the woman led to divo r ce she lost all h er ,

dowry L ater only a sixth was kept back by ad ulte r y and

.
, ,

an eighth fo r other c r imes At len gt h divo rce by consent ?

( Oon a g ti ) wa
ra s introd ‘
u
czced in s p ite f the censors ; and o

then both parties had liberty of divorce only with certain ,

p ecunia r y di s advanta g e s fo r the husband w h ose fa ult led

to the divorce Th us t h e adulte r o us h usband lost a dvantage
.

of the terms which usage acco rded for the re s tit ution of the
dowr y In the last stage of the law the guilty hu s band lost
.

the dowry the ,

ti p p t
or up ti
’
aona Inve r sely if the
o ro er n as .
,

1
D m th e osAg i Apl b
en e s . I d Ag i
a n st N io us 2
a ns t eera .

F 3 ( q t d by Ca all tt i)
. .
,
3 E ripid u M l ipp es , e an us , r 1 uo e v o

L ky H i
. .

ec f E p Ms t. o l t l ii
uro ean
p 8 7 ora s , e c vo 2
P l ut r h D m
. .
. . .
,
5
R m l xxx R m i i 6 ’
o u us , v. a c ,
e a naes o a n es, x v .

( Un iv ers pittoresq
8 I bia p 4 8 8
’
7 I talie anc ien ne ue) , p 4 8 7 . . . . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 24
5

wife divorced without a cau s e the hu s band retained a s ixth ,

o f the dowry for each child but only up to three s ixths ,

-
.
1

Th formula of the R oman re pudiation recall s by it s ener

e
getic concisene ss the K abyle fo r mula and it s eem s e specially ,

t o r elate to the property R tu fi é t T h wi fe : es as a e o

?
e ,

even though s u bjected to the m u obtained at last th en s, e

power f divorce by s ending th p u ium to her husband
o ,
e re a
’
,

wh wa s then forced to s et her free from the m

o u In an s
?

s hort divorce became in time very easy Cicero re pudiated

, .

his wife Terentia i order to get a new dowry Augu s tu s n .

forced the hus b and f L ivia to put her away although s he o ,

wa s with child Seneca speak s f wome counting their

. o n
year t according to the Consuls but to the umber
s, no f ,
n o
their hu sb and s Juvenal quote s a woman wh wa s married
. o
eight time s in fi years St Jerome mention s another wh
ve . . o,
afte r having had twenty t hree hu s bands married a man wh -
,
o

had had twenty three wive s -

.

Con s tantine humbly obedient to the Chri s tian s pirit

,

w hich had invaded hi s base soul rest r icted the cases of ,

divorce t three f each s pous but al w ay s admitted

o or e,
mut ual consent and under Justinian the full li b erty f
, o

divorce reappeared in the Code .

4

F r om it s origin C hristianity combatted the morals called

paga which name even wa s a re proach Ab andoning the
n, .

mode s t reality it lo s t anchor from the first and wa s

, ,

dro w ned in a sea f dreams Marriage in s tead f b eing o .

, o

s im ply th union of a man and a woma in order to produc

e n e
ch ildren b ecame mys tic ; it wa s the sym b ol f the union
, o
O f C hrist with hi s church ; it w tolerated o ly and as n ,

the church e specially condemned divorc Neverthele ss e

.
,

cu s tom and good s en s e held out a long tim agai s t e n

ecclesia s tic l un r eason and it w very s lowly in the

a ,
as ,

twelfth century only that the civil law prohibited divorce ,

.
5

St Jero m e had allowed a s did afterward s the Christian s f

.
, o
the E ast that adultery broke th bond f marriage a s well
, e o

for the wo m an a s the man which i s sim ply just ; but thi s ,

sentiment wa s ondemned and a athematised b y th c n e

Council f Trent which thu s returned contrary to th
o ,
6
, e

1 2
I talie a nc ien ne, p 48 8 R C ubain, L ois Civ iles de R ome, p 1 8 3
k
. . . . .

8 5
I talie an c ien ne , p 48 7 L e c y, loc c it , p 3 5 2 I a , ibia’

n xx
. . . . . . . .

S ess io iv , c an 1 7 . . .
2 46 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A F F LA G E

opinion of Papinian and the ancient jurists to s avage ,

cu s toms which m ake the wife the s lave and not the
, ,

companion f her h usband , o .

Amon g the G ermans and the Scandinavians the man ,

alone h d the right f repudiation accordin g to th e almost

a o

universal usage f barbarou s peoples ; however divorce by

o ,

mutual consent w tole rated Th Salic l w also p as .

1
e a er
m itt d divorce
e d we find in M ,ulphu the form of an
an arc s

act of divorce by mutual con s ent Th husband and .

“
e

wife such and s uch a one s eein g that discord trouble s their
, ,

marriage and that love doe s not rule in it have agreed to ,

s epa ate and leave each other mutually free without

r , ,

opposition from either party under pain f a fine of one , o

p ound .
”

T h pagan Irish had rendered divorce useless by in s titut

e
ing marriage s f one year at the end of which the wife could
o ,

be repudiated by the tempora r y husband and even ceded to

another for a fresh year These ex perimental mar riage s .

were made or unmade sometimes on the fi r st of M y and ,

a ,

sometime s the first f November f each yea r

on o o
?

R e pudiations at the will f the h usband a r e still in use o

among the T h k f the Cauca s us whose c ustoms

c er e s s e s o ,

have more than feature in common with those of our

o ne

ance sto r s f barba r ous E ur ope With them the husband

o .

can r epudiate in two ma ners either by sendin g a way his n :

wife in the presence of witnesses and leaving the dowry to ,

the parent s which im plies the liberty to marry gain for the
,
a

r e pudiated wife ; or by s im ply driving the wife away and ,

then he can recall he r again durin g year o ne

?

In F rance under the two fi r st race s the man co uld put

, ,

away the woman ; he could even which is more rare and ,

ori ginal re pudiate his family and leave it after a decla r ation
, , ,

befo r e the j udge and this de s t royed all rights f inheritance

,
o

on both side s L ater under the influence of the Catholic

.
,

cle rgy wh by reason no doubt of thei r want of practical

,
o , ,

experience in the thing s of the flesh claimed ene rgetically

“
,
”

the r ight f regu lating all conj ugal questions a distinction

o ,

c t
1 d l Ci il F
R mb d H i
a au st
p 7 e a v ra n 1913 10
P r fa
. . .
, .
, .

2
B A b i d J b i ill Hi i p im i f Si H
’
r o s e u a nv e, e ce to s t. ns t . r t
. o r .

M i
a ne

G am ba H i Vy t
.

3
K l pr h a ot U i l
et l p 43 5
, s t. n v . c es o .
, . x v. . .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 24
7

was made between the separation f a b ode (g tfi um ) o aoa o

’
or

and com plete divorce (g i ulum ) ; the fi rs t only was a oao

’
v nc

p ermitted Th Church
. alway s a sseuming to b e immutable , ,

maintained in theory th indi s solubility f the s acramental e o

mar r iage and it needed the great movement of the F r ench

,

R evolution to s hake for a moment the Catholic prej udice

again s t divorce which w incom pletely established in
, as re-

o u F rench code a few year s ago

r But the brutality .

o f u ancient conjugal cu s toms s urvives still and they

o r ,

are not up to the level f u legi slation imperfect a s o o r ,

that i s M any husbands alway s treat their wives as slaves

.
,

a gain s t whom everything i s lawful s ince in a hund r ed s uits

for s epa ration or divorc there are ninety— to inety
,

e o ne n
"

three made by wive s account f crueltie s and s eriou s on o

injurie s Above all u ju r ies almost invariably ac quit the

?
,
o r

husband who ha s murdered his adulterou s wife So di ffi cult .

is it to put ff the ld man o o .

”

III Tl E luti f D i . ze vo on o vorc e .

O u va r iou s researches
r the s ubject of divorce have led on

u s to nearly unifor m conclu s ions They all s how u s that .

,

however dissimilar may be the count r ie s the epoch s or ,

the union f man and woman begins with very r are

o ,

exce ption s by the com plete s lavery f the latter and her
, o ,

a s s imilation to domestic animal s over which m h all , an as

po ss ible ri ght s f ti i that f driving a w ay Then
, a or or o .

a s the a ges move their cour s e we see s ocieties which

on

become by de gr ees civilised and in prop ortion to this ,

advance the condition f the woman im prove s At o .

first the man could kill her if s he di spleased him ; the n,

cases fad ultery apart he contented himself with pudi ti g

o ,
re a n

her ; next the s everity f this right of repudiation at fi r st

, o ,

unlimited was mitigated ; then it wa s restricted to certain

,

well d fi d cases ; some right s were even granted to th

-
e ne e
repudiated woman At length her w right was recogni s ed
. o n

to s eek divorce in order to e s cape from intolerable treatment .

At last a return w made to divorce by mut ual con s ent

as ,

which had been allo w ed in a good n umber f primitive o

M Bl k E 1
p P
. li ig t S
oci l p ,
6 uro e o t ue e oc a e, . 21 .
24 8 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R RI A G E .

s ocieties before a ri gid legi s lation generally theocratic had

, , ,

crystallised in codi fyin g them s ome o f the old ba r barou s

, ,

customs The Catholic pr ej udice itself absurd as it was in

.
,

re gard to ma rriage became humani s ed by time D oubtle s s

,
.

the Chu rch continued in pr inciple to condemn divorce ,

but she allowed a good n umber of cases f nullity f o o

ma r riage un doin g th us with

, hand what she attem pted
o ne
to build up with the other and willin gly or not compound
, , ,

ing and compromi s in g with the world

“
.
 C H AP TE R XV .

W I DO WH OOD AN D TH E L E V I R AT E .

I Widow hood ti with t Wid wh d in S av age Countries —S o c ie ou

—Th wid w n id r d pr p rty by h H tt nt t d at h
. . es o oo

e o co s e e as o e t e o e o s an t e

G b na —\Vid w h d i K ra k at K
oo e tc d i M da o oo n ou n o, aarta, an n a

— —
,

n
.

g r
as ea T h w i f Q R le W id wh d m
v es o g h R d uee an av a o o oo a on t e e

sk i —S ifi
ns d m t il at i n
ac r f wid w c es an u o s o o s

i —Wid wh d i Bh
.

I I Wi
’
l i B b
’
C
a o w z ooa n ar a rous ou n tr es . o oo n o o tan

P l y n dri Wid wh d—Wid wh d i Ch i —

.

o a c T f
o fi i h w id w oo o oo n na ra c n t e o

G l ifi i f Wid wh d—S i id
or c at o n f w id w —Wid wh d
o o oo uc es o o s o oo

i
n I di — D t i n f wid w —S
a —Wid wh d i I l m it
u es o o s uttees o oo n s a e

c ou ntri —P iti gi n t h id w i h K ran—P iti gi

es os on ve o t e w o n t e o os on ven

to h w id w i
t e h Bibl —Wid wh d i Kabyl i —Th
o n l ping
t e e o oo n a e s ee

f t — Wid wh d i
oe us a i nt R m —O pini n f h Chri tia
o oo n nc e o e o o t e s n

Ch r h u d m arr iag —W id wh d i barbar

c on s ec o n E r p d es o oo n o us u o e an

i h M iddl Ag
n t e e es.

I II Tb L i .
—Th l irat i M l an ia am ng th R d k i
e ev rate. e ev e n e es , o e e s ns ,

th O ti k
e h Ki ghi
s h Afgh a
a s, i th C d
t e f Ma am g r s, t e ns , n e o e o n u, on

th e H e b rw e s.

IV . S um m a ry .

I/Viaow lzooa in S avage Coun tries

’ ’
1 . .

We have ve ry little knowledge to the conditio of as n

widow s in th lowe s t huma s ocietie s It i s one f e n . o
tho s e que s tion s f s ocial organi s ation hardly noticed by o

the travellers to whom we look e specially for information .

T be gin w ith we may a f

o fi rm that W idowhood regarded ,

a s a s pecial c ndition recognised by customs and laws doe s

,

o ,

not exist in very anarchic societie s V oltaire has s ome .

whe r e said that the origin of divorce was doubtle s s posterior

by some days to that f m a rriage With much stronger o .
25 0 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A F F LA G E

rea s on may w e infer that the existence of s ome kind of

mar r ia ge i s nece s sary before there can be any W idowhood .

Widow h ood therefore doe s not exist in societie s w h ere

, ,

promi s c uity or tem p orary mar r ia ge pr evail s N wi dow . o

hood is possible for exam ple in the tribe of the Au s t ralian

, ,

Kamilaroi whe r e all the women of a cla ss are common to

,

all t h e men f the same clas s It became otherwise from

o .

the time that eit h er by ca pture purcha s e , any other , ,

or
means woman became the particular property of
, man o ne .

T henceforth it wa s neces s a r y to re gulate in some w ay the

condition of the widow widows G enerally the solution or .

of the pr oblem has been very s imple t h e widow wh has : , o

been habit ually captured or bou gh t by the deceased does ,

not cease after his death to be regarded a s a thin g or p ro

p erty ; she is part of the inhe r itance by the same title as ,

chattels domestic animals Sometime s ho w ever s pecial

or .
, ,

obligations or t r o ubles are im posed on h er ; Kolben tells us

that in passing to a fr esh husband the H ottentot w idow ,

must cut o ff a joint of the little fin ge r ; but to cut off a

fi g joint was a common custom with the H ottentots on
n e r-

t h e death of a r elative and the women did it o r w ere , ,

forced to do it more o ften than the men Th ere is not h in g

,
.

in t h is particula r to the condition f t h e widow At the o

?

G aboon a man s wive s belon ged to his hei r and if the

’
,

deceased was of im po r tance in the tribe they m ust r esign ,

themselves to a pe r io d of mo urnin g and f W ido whood o ,

w h ich last s a yea r or two Th end f this mournin g i s . e o

marked by a gr eat festival o rgy which D u C h illu has or ,

a

thus desc r ibed Th wive s of the deceased ( he had seven ) e

were radiant they we r e going to quit their widow s ’

clothes and join the festival like b ride s Th heir had the . e

ri ght to marr y them all but to show hi s generosity h e h ad , ,

ceded t w o to a yo un ge r b rot h er and one to a co usin They .

”

dr ank bum p e r a fte r b um pe r ( palm wine ) and t h en be gan to ,

dan e c Th
. wives danced But what dances " Th
“
e . e

most modest ste p was indecent .

”2

In equato r ial A fr ica the son inherits the widow s f h ,

o 1s

1
Bu c r h ll e H ist Un iv a es
’
Voy t xx v i. p 32 1 .
—Th o m pso n , ibid ,
t xxix
. . .
, . . .
,

. .
p . 1 63 .

l Afrigue e uatoria le, p q 2 68 .

’ ’
2
D u C haillu, Voy . aan s .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 25 1

father it i s thu s in Y ib
: Sometime s they s old arr a
?
are
s im ply if they have h d no children by the deceased hu s
,
a
band In K ouranko widow s have a milder fate They
?
, .

are numerou s ; for as youn g girls they have gene r ally been , ,

s old by their p arent s to old hu s band s ; but acco r din g to

L aing the custom
,
f the country render s them fr ee and o ,

makes them their own mistres s es as soon a they are s

widows and they profit by this immediately to choo s
, e
themselves a yo un g husband and lavi s h care s and atten ,

tion s him ; it i s then their t ur

on Neve r thele ss the n ?
,

custom f cla s sing widow s with the heritage s eem s ve r y

o

general in negro A frica It exist s with the B m b f . a arras o

K t
aar a, where at the death f prince his succe ss or put s
, o a ,

the wives of the deceased mon rch up to auction E ve if a . n

old and h orrible they s ell ea s ily and dear f m like the
, , or en
honour f s ucceedin g to a kin g We shall find the s ame
o
?

usage again in M adagascar at lea s t in the no ble families f , o

the H ovas O ascending the throne R d m sim ply ke pt
. n ,
a a a
all his father s wives S obligatory i s thi s on the r eigning
’
. O

soverei gn that at the death f the s ame R d m his widow

, o a a a,

R l w
an av a o b u d to kee p by the title f w i
as o all her
n , o ves,
h usban d s widows Then in a g r eat council held after her
’
.
,

elevation to the throne it w decided that the Q ueen ,

as

R l co uld not marry again but would be free to take

an av a o ,

lovers at her will and that all the children b orn f the s e
, o
fu gitive unions should be considered a s the legitimate p os

t ity of R d m
er By thi s i genious mea s ure ll wa s
a a a
5
n a c on

ciliated —respect to custom the liberty f the queen and

.

, o ,

the regular succe s sion to the throne .

We shall find again in ve r y di fferent co untries this s avage

custom f conside r ing widow s as s im ple pro perty tran s
o a ,

mis s ible by inheritance Sometimes th heir s ucceed s . e

s im ply to the deceased hu s band ; s ometimes he acce pt s
and exact s an indemnity in case the w i dow ma rr ies , re -
.

Such wa s al r eady the custom with the Smoos of Cent r al

A me r ica T h ere the widow s belon ged by right to th
. e

1
C lappe rto n , S ec ond Voy age, p 9 0 . .

2
I a , ibia p 1 5 6
’

t xx
. . . .

3 ’
L ain g, H is t Un iv aes Voy , v iii
p 71
t
. . . . . . .

4
R affen e l, N ouv ea u Voy age o u P ays des N egros , . I er .

p 38 9
r
. .

5
D up e, Tro is M ois a M adagasc ar, p 1 2 4 . .
252 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

relatives f the decea s ed husband and in order to

o

contract afr esh t h ey had to p y to these r elatives what was

, a

calle d w idow money Inversely with the K lik t t if

“
.
” 1
, e a s,

a w oman ha ppened to die ve r y soon afte r h er ma rr iage t h e ,

husband w ho h ad bought he r could claim he r pr ice back

from the pa r ents ; he h ad been deceived in the q uality f 2
o
the me r chandise .

This w not all ; as lon g as the mourning lasted the

as ,

w idow was always considere d in certain districts as havin g , ,

duties to fulfil towards her dead husband rather towards , or

his shade Thus w ith the Sambos of Cent ral America she
.
, ,

had to fu r nish a s uffi cient quantity of food durin g a year to

the tomb f the decea s ed ; and it wa s the s ame in M exico
o 3
.
4

In many of the R ed s kin tribes s econd mar r iages are not

tole r ated by cu s tom till afte r a very long delay exacted for ,

reasons that have nothin g savage in them ; it i s s im ply that

the child r en of the fir s t marriage may be grown out f thei r o
early infancy and the cu s tom is obligatory f the man as
,
or

well a s fo r the woman Th Selish widow only marries . e

after two yea r s ; but the delay is sometimes from two to 5

t hr ee years for the wido w er as well as for the widow ?

With the N — Perc é s of Columbia the widower can ma r ry

ez ,

a g ain at the d f one yea r With the O maha s the delay

en o .
7

w as much lon ger from four to s even yea r s for the man and
,

the woman This r ule w very s trict and in ca s e of it s

. as ,

in raction the pa r ents f the dead husband had the r ight

f
, o
to st r ike and wound but without killing the w idow who , ,

mig h t be too ha s ty in mar rying again In a pa r allel ca s e .

,

t h ey confined themselve s to taking a pony from the

man ; this was becau s e a man could defend himself O
8
. n

the contrary if the widowe r waited much beyond the le gal

,

time before ma r ryin g again the parents relative s f the ,

or o

dead wife thou ght them s elves obliged to intervene T his .

man said they has no one to sew hi s mocas s in s let us

,
”
,
“

B r ft N i R
an c of P ifi , t l i p 73
at v e ac es o ac c, e c .
, vo . . . 1 .

I d ibid l 1 p 77 vo 2
r ft l i p 7 3
. . . . . .
,

B an c o oc . c t 1
t
. .
, , .

Dfi
’
D m e i E p i e un e r, P pl p 44
s r t aes z ren ts
’
eu es , I er 2
r ft l i p 7 7
.
. . .

B an c o ,
oc . c t .
, . 2 .

h
D o m enec , Voyage P ittores ue, e tc , p 5 1 6 q . . .

r
Ban c o ft, N ativ e R ac es , e tc , v o l i p 2 7 7 . . . .

. r
O D o s ey, Gin a/t a S oc iology, in S m itlc son ia n R eports , p . 2 67
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 25 3

s eek a wife for When they did s o the widower wa

him .
,
s

bound to accept their offer ?

T hi s question f widows has evidently b een very em

o
har r assing f p rimitive societies
or T hey have either bee n .

ke pt r sold accordin g a s it might be agreea ble or

o ,

advantageou s But another very s im ple way f getting rid

. o

o f the encumb r ance has been to s acrifice them the tomb on

o f the dead husband Nothing i s less rare tha s uch . n

immolation s in s avage countries and these atrociou s acts ,

are often in spired by a ffectionate sentiment s by care for ,

the fate which await s the decea s ed hu s band after de th a .

H w can they let him travel alone o

o that dangerou s n

j ourney beyond the tomb ? Thi s is the reason of the

widely s pread cu s tom f human s acri fi ce s which chiefly o ,

con s i s t o f women and s lave s I quote a f w facts f thi s . e o

kind simply a s s pecimens

, .

In certain tribe s f N w Z aland the widows were o e e

s tran gled the tomb f the decea s ed husband In
on o
?

equatorial Afr ica at Y o u ib when the king dies four f

,
rr a, ,
o

his wives and a number f s laves are forced to poi s on o

them s elves Th poi s on is p ou r ed into a parrot s egg for

. e
’

them and if it doe s not produce any e ffect the patie t s

, n

must su pplement it by hanging themselve s At Jenna .

,
on

th e Niger at the death of a chief

,
tw f hi s widow s ,
o ne o r o o

must commit suicide the s ame day in order to furnish him ,

w ith plea s ant com pany in the country beyond the tomb f ,
o

which he is goin g to take pos s e s sion At Katun ga the ?

,

chief w ife f the decea s ed king is obliged to poison her s elf

o

on the tom b of her hu s band in com pany with the eldest ,

son and the princi pal per s ona ge s of the kingdom All .

these victim s must be buried with the dead master ?

Th ma s sacres by which the death f the ki g of

e o n
D ahomey is solemnised a r e well known and in them al s o ,

the wives play an im portant part a s victim s We know that .

the primitive G ermans had analogou s cu s toms ; for savages

of all countrie s to whatever race they belong re s emble
, ,

each other and re peat them s elves .

1
O Do r se y, loc c it.
t
. .

2
M o e re nh aut, Voy p . a ux ties , e tc .
, . 1 1. . 187 .

3
C lappe rto n , S ec on a Voyage, v o l 1 p 9 4
’

an r t xxx
. . . .

4
R and
. L J
de , H ist Un iv des Voy ,
. . . . . .
p 54
. .
25 4 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R R I A G E

mong vario us peoples funeral s acrifices a r e re placed by

A
mutilations more less voluntary and especially obli gato r y
or ,

on widows A exam ples I m y mention the am putation

. s ,
a
o f the little finger by the H ottentots the M elanesians and , ,

the Cha rr uas ; and t h e ga sh es which Polynesian widows

made on their face s and bodies These bloody demon s t r a .

tions were obligato r y d far from co rres ponding to a real , an

grie f A t N uk h i
. Po r ter saw a widow the fune r al
o a va ,

wo unds still fre s h on her neck brea s t and arm prostit ute , , s,
herself to A merican sailors ?

T h is review of savage manners and custom s in r e gard to

widows has only been a lon g enumeration f cruelties and o

iniquities and these althoug h much les s ened in ba r barou s

, ,

countrie s do not by any mean s di sa ppear

, , , .

II Wid w / i E O u C u t i
. o z ooa
’
n a r a ro s o n r es .

Th natives f H imalayan Bh t a r e sometime s

e o o o an

monogamous sometimes polygamous and sometimes

, ,

p olyand r ou s and these variation s naturally affect the con

,

diti of W idowhood A mong the monogamou s and

o ns .

p olygamous the widows can only marry a gain after a

,

delay f th r ee yea r s Th is regulation which we h ave

o .
,

already fo und amon g the R edskins has do ubtless been ,

dictated by t h e s ame rea s ons ; and taken with many ot h er

similarities exi s ting in very dis s imilar races and co unt r ie s it ,

tend s to prove that scientific s ociology can be more t h an a

mere name or ima gination In the H imalayan Bh t a . o o a n,

wido w wh o has no re pugnance to polygamy has many

chance s f mar rying again if she has a youn ger siste r still
o ,

free whom t h e ne w h usband can marry at t h e same time

,
?

In pol yandro us families there can ha r dly be any r eal widow

hood for the woman Thus at L adak if the eldest b r other .
, , ,

the h us band in chief ha ppens t die his property a ut h o r ity

,
o , , ,

and s hare f t h e wife pass to the next broth er whether t h e

o ,

latter be not f the husbands

or This is a sort of
o ne o
?

levirate which naturally exists in polyandrou s households ,

P rt r H i Vy t
1 ’
o U i
e st.i p 33 n v a es o xv 1
by a H i d th r R
. . . .
, . .
,
2
Vy g B
o a e da aota n ,B i ig n oo au o , ev ue r ttan ue,
1 824 .

M o rc ro ft an d Trebe c k 1 p 3 20
’
3 s Trav els , v o l. . . .
 AND OF TII E F A M I L Y? 25 5

and obviate s at once the q uestion of W idowhood so em ,

harrassing to the other forms of mar r ia ge T his question .

o f widows has been s olved very g r o s sly and s ometime s ,

very c r uelly in the M iddle E m p ire

,
China proper or .

Altho ugh certain s ides the ld C h inese civili s ation put s

on o

o urs to shame it is very back ward in relation to all that

,

concern s widow s We have previously s een that during

.

her whole life the s u bjection f the Chinese w oman i s o

extreme that she owe s obedience fi r st to her pa r ents then

, ,

to her husband then to he r son and that s he is married

, , ,

or rather s old without being consulted at all But w idow

,
.

hood doe s not even set her free for s he re presents a value ,

whi h the relatives f the hus b and inherit and which they
c o ,

hasten to profit by It often ha ppens therefore that the

.
, ,

Chinese widow is made to marry a gain or rather is s old , ,

again and this time also no

,
dreams f a s king her
, ,
o ne o

consent Th child at the b r east if there i s

. e is , o n e,

incl ude d in the bargain In o r der to mode r ate the haste .

o f covetous parents the law has been obliged to intervene

, ,

and prevent the sale f the widow before the ex piration o

o f the time f mo urnin g Th

o Chi ese widow if she . e n ,

wishes to esca pe thi s traffi c in her person and is without ,

fo r tune ha s no resource exce pt to become a b

, o nz ess.

T hose widow s only who s e rank riches place them abov or e

the common are a ble to pass the re s t f their days without
,
o

bein g united t a fre s h hu s band ; this po s thumou s fidelity

o
1

is much encoura ged in China by public o pinion w henever ,

intere s t doe s not forbid it Th betrothed maiden wh . e , o

may become a widow b efo r e being a w ife is much esteemed ,

if she burie s herself for ever in an enforced so r row ; but

nat urally a reci procal demand is not made
,
the b on e
trothed man w ho may lose his fi e If the rich widow a nc e .

w h remains incon s olable i s much pr aised s he who refu s es

o ,

to s urvive her husband receives gr eater honour Tablet s .

a r e erected in the temples i memory f young gi r l s who n o

have killed themselves the tombs f their betrothed on o ,

and twice a year certain m andarins mak oblation s in their e

honour With much s tronger reason is thi s done f real

?
or

widows .

L 1
elifi t x iii pp 349 3 5 3
ettres c a n tes ,

D l ittl
. . .
.
,
2
S i l L if f M C/ i
oo p 78
e, oc a e o e z n ese, . .
256 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R R I A G E

In 8 5 7 the P ki G tt published a dec r ee accordin g

1 e n az e e ,

a tablet to the memory of the wife f a mandarin who had o

p oisoned herself hearin g of t h e death of her husband

on

in a battle a gainst the rebel s The s e suicide s of wi dows .

are perfo r me d in public w ith great pom p and solemnity ,

.

In Jan ua r y 8 6 tw youn g widow s thu s committed

1 1 o

s uicide at F u Chow in presence f seve ral thousand

o -
, o

s pectators Anothe r did the s ame at the end f D ecembe r

. o
1 86 It wo uld seem therefo r e that the s e suicides a r e
o
?
, ,

freq ue t enough even at the p resent time

n F r om b . o ser
va ti made during the A n glo F rench E xpedition to
ons -

China it appea r s that they a r e generally widows without

,

c h ildren relations wh thus sac r ifice them s elve s ; they

or o
do it openly and with m uch ceremony A month befo r e .

hand the widow goes in procession t hr o ugh the town as

ha s been thu s d ib d — Tw executioner s headed
, ,
“
esc r e z o
the procession ; then came musician s ; then men dre ss ed
i coarse linen tunic s with hoods carr yi g parasols little
n ,
n ,

p agoda s boxe s f,p erfumes and streame r s Ao fter them ,

.

came a third executioner followed by a second grou p ,

bearing poles surmounted by figures f fant stic animals

,
o a .

A d lastly came a mandarin s palanquin surrounded by

’
n ,

n umerou s s ervant s f both s exes dressed in mou rni g o ,

n ,

w hich con s isted of grey linen In the palanqui was the . n

heroine f t h e fét a youn g woman dressed in red ( t h e
o e,

im perial colou r) and crowned wit h a blue diadem H

, . er

red satin robe wa s ornamented with lace and gold em

broidery Thi s s olemn proces s ion had no ot h er obj ect
.

than to announce the s uicide to the public and invite them ,

to attend it the followin g moon day for day Th

on , . e
youn g widow w exact in appearin g at the rende vou s
as z ,

and tranquilly h un g herself at the date fi x d e .

”2

With di fferences f form and mode of execution India o ,

devotes he r wido ws to a s imilar fate .

It seems indeed that in India al s o the widow is or has

, , ,

been considered as the property of the relative s of her dead

,

h usband f a verse f the Code of M anu orde r s that if

, or o

she h been ste r ile a relative shall endeavour to make her

as ,

conceive V ery s trikin g and primitive is the inequality of

.

1
S iniba l do de Mas , C /z ine et C/z retien n es , t
les P uissanc es 19h p 55
t
. . .

d H é riss o n, journa l a n u in terprete en C/c in e, p

’ ’’
2
Co m e . 1 32 .
 A ND OF TH E F A M JL V .
57

the obligations im po s ed by Indian law on the widower and

on the widow ?

H ere i s the law f the hu s band E very D widj knowin g

or a

the l w wh see s hi s wife die befo r e him if she h obeyed

a ,
o ,
as

these prece pt s and is of the s ame class as him s elf must

, ,

burn her with consecrated fire s and w ith uten s il s f sacrifice o .

”

-
After having accompli s hed thus with consecrated fi r es th
“
e
funeral ceremony of a wife wh ha s died let him cont r act a o ,

w mar r ia ge and light a s econd time t h e nu ptial fi 2

”
ne ,
A re . s

fo r the wi dow her duty i s very di ffere t A vi tuous woman

,
n :
“
r ,

wh desi r e s t obtain the same abode f felicity a s her

o o o

h usband mu s t do nothin g which may dis please him either

, ,

d urin g life after death or L t her willin gly emaciate her .

”
e

body by feedin g flower s root s and pure fruit s but a fter

on , , ,

losing her hu s band let her t pronounce th name f any ,

no e o

other man — But the wido w wh through the desi r e f

.
“
,
o, o

having children is unfaithful to her hu s band incurs con

, ,

tempt here below and will be excluded from the celestial

abode whither her husband ha s gone — Nowhere in thi s
,
” “
.

Code is the right f taking a s econd hus b and assigned to

o a

virt uou s wife .

”3

T h obli gation
e t to marry again and e s pecially that f
no , o

livin g on flower s and fruits are s u fficiently vexatious but , ,

they are nothin g to the suttees bu r ning alive f widows

,

,
or o ,

which were quite recently common in Be gal Th Cod n . e e

o f M anu does not s p eak f thi s abomina b le c ustom though o ,

it w very ancient for D i d u mentions it and relate s

as ,
o or s ,

how the two widows f C t u an Indian general under o e e s,

E umenes dis pute d the hono ur of burnin g themselves with

,

t h e co rpse f t h ei r h usband Th descri ption which

o . e

D i d u gives co r res p onds in every detail with what took

o or s

p lace at the suttees quite recently ; so s low t change o are

these ld theoc r atic societies O

o f the wives say s . ne o ,

D i d u co uld not be bu r nt becau s e she was with chil d

o o r s, .

T h other advanced to the funeral p ile c r o w ned with myrtle

e ,

ado r ned as for a w ed din g and pr eceded by her relatives , ,

who san g hymns in he r praise Then after havin g di s tributed .

her jewels to h er friends and domestics s he lay down on the ,

f M a n u, ix 6 4
2
1 6 7 , 1 68
’
1
Code o . . I bia v . . .

3
I bid
. v. 1 5 6, 1 5 7 , 1 6 1 , 1 68 .
2
5 8 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A F F LA G E

funeral pile by t h e si de of he r h usband s body and died ’

,

without utterin g a cry ?

At that time according to D i d u the l w only allowed

, o o r s, a

the sacrifice of one wife In t h e ei ghteenth centu ry it wa s .

more exactin g In fact the w r iters f the L tt é fi t

.
, o e res az
’
a n es

have desc r ibed in detail seve ral s acrifices of this kind Th . e

c ustom was no longer ob s erved exce pt by w ives of grandees ,

and es pecially f rajahs but all f these were bur nt save

o o ,

the women with child whose s u ffering wa s only defe rr ed , .

In 7 at the death f the Prince of M a ava aged

1 1 0, o t ,

eighty yea r s all his wives to the n umber f forty s even

, , o -
,

we r e b ur nt wit h his corpse which was r ichly adorned and ,

placed in a large grave filled with wood Th victims . e ,

wh o w e r e covered w it h precio us stones ste pped at first very ,

b r avely on the funeral pile ; but the moment the flames

r eache d them they utte r ed loud cries and r ushed on
, ,

each ot h er Th s pectator s succeeded i calmin g them

. e n
by thro w in g a number of pieces of wood at t h em ; after
ward s their bones w e r e gathered up and thrown into t h e
sea and a tem ple to thei r h ono ur was erected over the
,

g r ave A t that
?
date and in that p art of the count r y , ,

even women with child were only temporarily spared till

after thei r delivery Tw oth er princes vassals of M ?
o ,
arav a,

havin g died at the s ame ep och and leavi g the seven ,

n ,
o ne

teen the other t h i r teen w idows all t h ese unfortunate

, ,

creatures w e r e bu r nt toget h e r exce pt one who bein g with , , ,

child co uld not sac r ifice he r self until later T h s uttees

,
. e

we r e not a legal obli gation ; relative s even tried to dissuade

the widow s from it ; but the point f honour and t h e fear f o , o

p ublic o pinion or rather of public contem pt were stron ger

, ,

with them than love of life Th mode of burning va r ied ? e

in di ffe r ent provinces In Bengal the woma w bo und . n as

firmly to the co r pse and the two bodie s we r e cove r e d with ,

bamboos In O rissa the widow threw herself the pile

.
,
on ,

which wa s in a pit grave In the D eccan a country or .

,

w h ic h w in gr eat part Tamil and where s uttees were m uc h

as ,

mo r e rare t h e widow sat the pile and placed the head

,
on ,

o f her dead husband on her knees She r emained thus .

,

Di d b k i p 34
1
o o rus , oo x x
t x iii pp 3 8
. . .

2
L idifi ettres an tes , . . . 2 ,
2 .

3 ’
I bia p 32
’
I bia p 30 . . . . . .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y: 2
59

motionless until s he was s u ffocated by the s moke over

, , or

thrown by the fall of heavy logs f wood previously attached o ,

with cords to po s ts placed at th four corners f the pile e o .

It i s s aid that in certain province s th victim w intoxicated e as

with Opi um beforehand Sometimes also pr o per p u . , re c a

tion s t having been taken it happened that s he r ushed

no ,

madly out of the flame s and was t h en brutally thrust b ck , a

by the s pectators ?

T hese fr i ghtful custom s which have hardly yet dis ,

appeared from India are but su r vivals fro m the time s f , o

sava gery such brutalitie s we r e habitual in number f

: a o

p rimitive s ocietie s a s I have p revio usly,

shown .

In the Kora in the Bible and among th Ar ab s or

n, ,
e ,

rather the contem poraneo us Islamites we find nothin g ,

analogou s to this ; but the position given to t h e w idow i s

none the less unenviable .

A ve r se of the Ko r a s how s u s that before the time f n o

M a h omet s on s inherited all their fathe r s wives a s a matter
’

f cou r se in A frican fashion T ho u shalt not ma r ry the “

o , :

women wh have been thy fathe r s wive s it i s an abomina

o
’

tion and a bad practice We have seen that t h is m ost .

” 2

g ross custom a gain s t which

, M ahomet inveighs still p revails ,

in va r io us count r ies and es pecially amon gst the negroe s f

, o
tropical A fr ica It m ust have been gene ral at the time f
. o
M a h omet even amon gs t th A rabs since the p r o phet
, e ,

states that hi s law need not have any retros pective e ffect
L t t h at remain roceeds the s ame verse which has
“ ” “
e p , ,

already been done .

T here is one p oint however on which the Koran i s in , ,

advance of the gr eater umber f barbarou s societies and n o ,

eve of the Bible It r eco gnises in fact t h e r i ght f a

n .
, , o

widow to inherit from her husband ; this ri ght gives her a

fourth if there i s no chil d and an ei ght h only in the
, ,

cont rary ca s e But notwithstanding this the widow w

?
as
often abandoned what is wor s e confounded w ith the
,
o r, ,

he r itage Th Bible w less kind to the widow It

. e as .

s pecifies indeed that the fo rtune of the husband is secu r ity

for the per s onal e ffects and the dow ry f the wife but it o
does not place her among her husband s hei r s Th Jewish
,
’
. e

1
L ettres ea
’ ’
ifia ntes , t . x iii p 27 .

r
. .

2
Ko an , iv 2 6 . .
2
I bici iv . . 14 .
2 60 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R IA G E

w ido w was a c h a rge on her child r en or if she had none , , ,

o n he r o w n family ? Th e abandoned widow had no other

reso rce than her share in the o fferin gs and public cha r ity
u ?

T h e in j unction is indeed given not t o a f

flict he r ; it w ould
3

c ertainly have been bette r to gr ant her some ri gh ts .

In J ud ea the wi fe w bought by her h usband ; it is

a , as

t h e r efo r e p b bl th t in pr imitive tim s s h e fo r med a

ro a e a ,
e ,

part f h is w ealth as is the case

o w amon g the M uss ulman
, no
A fgh ans and amon g the Kabyles .

I A fghanistan t h e wi do w bein g a mo r t ga ged p r o pe r ty

n , , ,

cannot ma rry until the pr ice f pur chase paid for he r by

re- o

her decease d h usband h as been reimbur sed to the pa r ents

of that h usband In a great n umber of Kabyle tribes the
.
4
,

wido w remains h un g to he r dea d h us band— that is to “ ”

say she is co unted pa r t of t h e h e r itage G ene rally h

,
?
s e

r et ur ns to h e r family and her fathe r or h er r elatives sell h er ,

a se ond time I f ho weve r she has c h il dren es pecially

c .
6
, , ,

m ale children s h e cannot be forced to marry a gain ; but

,

then t h e son redeems he r o r she deducts fr om the pr o pe r ty ,

o f he r chil dr en the sum necessa r y to redeem herself from

p ate r nal p ower I the t r ibe of Ait F l
.ik hei
7 r s have by n
'

, ,

p re -em ption the privilege f ma r ryin g t h e wi dow d t h at

, o ,
an
w ithout havin g to p y t h e tfiam tl It is unde r stood t h at a an z
?

wh ile a waiti g the d y wh en s h e is to be dis posed of again

n a ,

the Kabyle w ido w is bo und to t h e st rictest c h astity If s h e .

becomes with child s h e is p unishe d by stonin g ,

?

L ike the Bible and nearly all othe r le gislations the , ,

Ko ran only allo ws the ma rr ia ge of a widow a fter a cert in a

term of delay In t h e Koran this te r m is four months and

.
,

ten days ; and if the woman is with c h ild the delay m ust
10
,

extend till after her delive r y But the r e are s ome pr e g .

nancies t h at a r e eithe r ima ginary fictitio us and w h ic h or ,

come to nothin g yet in Arab countries s uccessions are ,

s us pended acco unt f them If at t h e moment f her

on o .
,
o

husband s death a woman t h inks herself w ith child she

’
,

1
L e v itic us , xxu 1 3 . .

2
D e te
u r
o n o m y , v i 1 2
3
xx
L e v itic us , m m 1 3
. . . .

. lh
M E p in s to n e , P ic ture of tbe It ingdom of Ca bul, v o l 1 p
'

. . . 1 68 .

5
H an o te au an d L e to u n e u , K a in/lie, p 1 5 6 r x
t t
. .

9
5
I d , ibia ii p 1 5 6 I a , ibid iii p 7 7
'

t
. . . . . . . . . . . .

7 I d , ibia 1 ii p 1 5 8
’ 1°
Ko an , ii p 2 34 r
t
. . . . . . . . . .

8
I a , ibid
. . ii p 1 5 7
. . . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 26 1

p la esc he r g i r dle on the body f the deceased ; note i s take o n

of it and t h e time awaited If the w aiting is vain at t h e

,
.
,

end f eleven months the w idow is visited and examined by

o

mat r ons ; and if neve r theless the profe ss ed pre gnancy ha s no

res ult the child who r efuses to be bo r n i s called a s lee p
,
”

for an indefinite time H enceforth t h e widow i s free and if .

,

s he ends b y becoming a mother her child a w aited s o long , , ,

is r e puted to be the son f the hu sband dead years before o ,

and inherits from him ?

Thi s sing ular prej udice is common to the Kabyle s and t o

the Arabs A numbe r f M uss ulman legists have vainly
. o

t r ied to overcome it All that they have been able to do i s

.

to limit to fou r five year s generally to four the duration

or , ,

o f thi s pr etended sleep f the f etus “

o o
?

T h widow has not been more worthily treated at the

e

origin f G r eco R oman civilisation tha i the othe r

o -
n n

ba r barous civilisations It would be stran ge if it were s o . .

We have seen that at Athens the w oman even when ,

ma r ried w as part f the pate r nal pat r imony ; that the dying
, o

h usband could leave her by w ill to a fr iend wit h his goods , ,

and by the same title ; that at R ome the wife wa s bought

and subjected to th te rr ible ri ght f th marital m u e o e an s .

F a lon g time at R ome a s in China at the pr esent day

or , ,

the widows w h did t ma r ry were particularly hono ured

o no
T h widower ma rr ied again immediately after hi s w ife s
’
e

death widows on the contrary were in any case forbidden

, ,

to marry before a delay f six months afterwa r ds extended o ,

to twelve months and that under pain of in famy for t h e

,

father wh had made the mar r iage for the husband w ho

o ,

had taken the w idow and late r for t h e ma rr ied woman also
,
re - ,

when infamy also a pplied to women By degrees R oman .

c us toms and laws im pr oved this point as othe r s on on .

T h L g juli and P p i F pp
e e es a encouraged second a a o cea

ma rr ia ges in o pposition to the ancient prejudice ; the

,

I titut
ns o r dained t h at when the wido w was p oo r and
es

wit h out dowry sh e co uld inherit from her h usband one

,

fo ur th if the r e w ere th r ee child ren and a full masc uline ,

share if the r e we r e none But the t r i um p h of Christianity ?

H 1

—
d
a n o te au an t p 74 . 11 . . 1 .

Id p 2
E M y i
’

75 1 E d l I l mi m p 75
e n e r, tu es s u r s a s e, 1
D m gt I
. . . . . .

3
o i end G i e
p, 3 3 6 n st t utes e a us, . .
262 TH E E VO L U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

was t h e signal for a r et r ograde movement Constantine .

r et ur ned to the old ideas f primitive R ome and w ent o ,

so far a s to inflict second marr iages pecunia ry

on

p enalties which were to b e paid to the children of the first

,

marriage In acting th us the neo phyte em peror w

?
, as
actin g up to the logic of the Ch ur ch i whose eyes marr iage ,
n

itself w an evil rendered necessary by the sin of Adam

as ,

an d by whom second marriages were em phatically con

?
d m
e ne d
F r om the fusion f C hristian doctrines with the gros s
o

customs of more or les s barbaro us E uro pean r aces on the ,

s ubj ect f women and mar riage the r e r esulted fo r th

o ,
e

widow a position of ext r eme s ubj ection A mong the G . er

mans as amon g the Afgh ans and Kabyles t h e wi dow
, ,

became again the prope r ty of her w family and i order o n ,

n

to ma rry h it w as necessary to p y a pe ial pr ice the

e r, a S c ,

rez
pu w hich wa s double the m u diu or price f the fi rs t
s, n nz o

p r chase Salic la w dec reed that at the g of

?
u Th e a e

fifteen the son should be the guardian f his widowed o

mot h er T h L ombard law decides also that the widow

. e

s h all not marry a gain without the con s ent of h e r son ( sectio n

and this consent was necessary even for her to

enter a convent Thu s Theodoric adoptin g w ith bar ba r o us
.
,

fury the opinion s of the Chu r ch on second marriages ,

promul gated a law interdictin g widows from mar ryin g

again and condemning to the flames any man who should
,

be convicte d f h avin g had comme rce wit h them

o .

T h ese obj ections to second ma r ria ge or at least the ,

blame attached to them by public O pinion are common in ,

many ancient societies We have found them in In dia in

.
,

ancient R ome and G r eece etc We can only att r ibute this
, , .

w y of thinkin g sensele s s and unj ust a s it is to a so r t

a ,
f ,
o

deliri um of pr o pr ieto r shi p in the h usband wh pretend s ,

o

still to rule over and possess his wife fro m beyond t h e tomb ,

b ut chiefly to the desire f avoidin g disturbances in the o

t ransmission f here dita ry wealth when the women we re
o ,

able to have possession s of their w Th levirate of which o n . e ,

I am no w goin g to speak remedied the latter inconvenience s

,
.

1
I ta lie a n c ien ne, p 4 8 8
k
. .

2
L e c y, loc c it , v o l ii pp 3 2 1 , 3 2 4
. . . . . .

3
r l
G i aud-Te u o n, Orig du M ariage, e tc . .
p 336
. .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 2 63

III — T/ . ze L evira te .

The levirate is the name given to the obligation im posed

by custom or law on the b r other of the decease d husband
to m a rry his s i s te r i la w when she became a widow T his
-
n- .

cu s tom f the levirate which for a long time has been

o ,

tho ught pec uliar to the H ebrews is very w idely spread and , ,

is fo und amon g r aces most widely diffe r ing from each

other There i s surely good r eason for it in s ava ge
. or
ba r ba r ous societies w he r e f a woman abandonment or
wo uld mean death .

I will enume rate s ome of the peo ples who p r actise the
levi r ate be ginning a s usual with the inferio r r aces
, .

We meet the levirate fi rs t in M elanesia at N w Caledonia ,

e ,

w here the b r other i l w w h ether he be already married or

-
n- a ,

not must ma rry his brother s widow immediately

,
’
.

We also find the levirate amo g the R edskins p n ,

ar

t i ul ly the Chi ppeways ; and at N ic ragua where the

c ar a ,

widow belon gs either to the brother neare s t relative f or o

he r deceased husband .
1

With the O stiaks the next b r other f the husband is ,

o

obliged to ma rr y his widow widows ; fo r the O stiaks or ,

like the R ed skins often take for wive s whole set f,

a o

s i s ter s It i s th same with the K i ghi and in general

?
e r s,

with the nomad M ongols T h Afgh an s also make it a ?

e

duty f the brother i —

o law to marry his s i s ter i law her
-
n -
n- ,
on

becomin g a widow ?

T h Code e f M anu im poses the l i t even

o the ev t a e on

brother of a betrothed man wh dies When the o :

“

h usband of a young girl ha ppens to die after the betrothal ,

let th b r other f the hu s band take her for wife

e o Th
”5
e

object f thi s legal prece pt in India is to give a posterity

o

to the decea s ed b r other ; for th followin g verse seems to e

limit the duration f the cohabitation with th widowed o e

1
B r ft N i R
an c o l p 67
at v e ac es , v o 11. 1
Ca r m R i b i /
.
, . .

2
st e , dB ief d j /
e se er c z te 845 8 5 3 p 5 6
un r e a us en a i ren , 1 -
1 , . .

5 M ac L e n n an , p 1 5 8 . .

4
. l h
M E p in s to ne , P ic ture of tlz e [( ingdofn of Ca bul, v o l. 1 p
. . 1 68 .

5
Code of M a n n , ix 6 9 . .
2 64 TH E E V OL U TI O LV OF M ARR IA G E

fi a n c ee,and it seems indeed t h at all comme rce is to cease

after t h e first pre gnancy ?

We will w consi de r the H eb r e w levirate which i s only

no ,

a p a r tic ula r case of a ve r y gene r al fact .

We fi d t h e levi r ate mentioned tw in the Bible At

n rc e .

fi rst in G enesis J udah said unto O nan G in unto thy

“
, o

br othe r s wi fe and pe r fo r m t h e duty of an h usband s brother

’
,
’

unto her and r aise up seed to t h y b r ot h er Again in D e uter

,
.
” 2
,

o no my : If brethren d well to get h e r and of t h em die , o ne ,

and have no son the wife of t h e dead s h all not marry

,

without unto a st ran ger ; he r h usband s brot h er s h all g i ’

o n

unto her and take h er to him to wife and pe r fo r m the

, ,

duty f an h usband s b r other unto her A d it shall be

o
’
. n ,

that the fi t born w hom she bea r et h s h all s ucceed in the

rs -

name of his b r other wh ich is dea d that his name be not ,

blotted ut of Is rael
o T h H eb r e w levi r ate was there fo r e
.
”3
e

a so r t of obligato ry and fictitio us ado ption f a ne ph ew by o

the deceased uncle We shall soon see t h at in all pr imitive

.

or barbaro us s ocietie s t h is ado ption is la rgely practised and ,

that it is absol utely equivalent to a real fi li ti a on .

T h ver s es w h ich follo winform u that w ith t h e H eb r e w s

e s , ,

the levi rate was rathe r a mo r al than a legal obli gation ; the
brother i — -
law cou ld even refuse it ; but in r e fusi g b
n n ,
e

incur r ed the p ublic contem pt and h d to s ubmit to a ,

a

degr a ding ce remony A d if the man like not to take :

“
n

his brother s wife t h en his brother s w i fe shall g up to t h e

’
,
’
o

gate unto the el de r s and say M y husband s b r ot h er r efuset h

’

, ,

to rai s e up unto his brother a name in Is rael h e will not ,

p e r form t h e d uty f an h u sband s bor ot h er unto me then the ’

elde r s f his city sh all call him and s peak unto h im d if

o ,
an

h e s tand and say I like not to take her ; then shall h is

, ,

b r other s wife come unto him in the pr e s ence of the elde r s

’
,

and loose his s h oe from ff his foot d pit in his face o ,

an S ,

and she shall answer d say So shall it be done unto t h at an ,

man t h at doth not b uild up h is b rot h e r s house A d his ’

. n

name s hall be called in Is rael T h house of him that hat h ,

e

his shoe loosed .

” 4

In India t h e princi pal obj ect f t h e levirate applied o ,

1
2
Codg q a n u, lx ,
70 ,
3
1
‘
tr
D e u e o n o m y, X X V 5 , 6 . .

G e ne s is , xxxv m . 8 . I bid xxv 7 - 1 0. . .

 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 26
5

to the w id w dfi é was to fur nish the deceased man with

o e a n c e,

a fictitio us son w ho co uld pe r fo r m fo r him th sac r ifices to

,
e

the mane s a duty fthe hi ghest im portance in the religion f

,
o o

B rahma F the H ebrews a m uch mo r e practical people

. or ,

than the H indoos t h e levi rate h ad only an earthly object ,

that of kee pin g up the name family of the decea s ed and or ,

all t h at belonged to it It may be compa r ed with the .

obli gation im posed at At h ens on the nea r est relative in

the masculine line to marry the hei r ess or to s upplement ,

at eed the im potence f the husband

n o .

Th ld p ractice f t h e levirate s till exists in Abyssini

e o o a
with this c ur ious detail that it i s a pplied during t h e ,

lifetime f the h usband if he has been the victim f an

o o

accident frequent in th Aby s sinian wars f emasc ulation

,
e ,
o .

T h mutilated husband being th us struck wit h what mi ght

e ,

be called virile death hi s brother s ucceeds him in hi s

“
,

ma r ital right s and d uties ?

Some sociologi s ts too much gi en to theori s e have t r ied ,

v ,

to pr ove that t h e levirate was a remnant f p olyand ry o .

Ce r tainly the levirate is practised under a polyan dr i c

r égim but polyand r y has never been more than an x p

e, e c e

ti l mo de of marriage and there is hardly any t r ace

o na f it , o

amon g the N w Caledonians the R edskins the M ongolse , , ,

the Afghans the H i doos the H eb r ews the Abys s inians

,
n , , ,

etc wh all f them pr actise diffe r ent varieties f levi r ate

.
, o, o , o .

T h m uch more natu r al reasons that I have given above

e

a ppear to me quite su fficient and more probable .

IV . Co nc lus io ns .

r om a consi de r ation of all these facts w e fi n d that the

F ,

fate o f the w ido w has va r ied acco r din g to the matrimonial

fo r m in use and according to the degr ee o f civilisatio n but
,

t h at it ha s not always been ameliorated in p r oportion to

,

t h e gene ral pr og r ess L aws and cu s tom s have ever been .

kind to the wi do w er It h as been ve r y diffe r ent fo r t h e .

w oman and he r position has pe rh a p s been bette r fr om o ur

, ,

p oint o f view in e r tain p r imitive societies

, than itcbe ame , c

later Th us in the confu s ed state o f primitive families

.
, ,

Et/z iopie
’
1
A d Ab badie , D o uz e y da n s la Iz a ute
'

ans de s c our 273

.
, p . .
2 66 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R IA GE .

w hen men lived eithe r in a fr eedo m almo s t borde r in g on

p r omisc uity or in grou p s h alf p olyand r ic o r polygamic and
, ,

more es pecially in polyand r ous countries the r e was no ,

actual W idowhood or state o f bein a wi d ow for woman

g , ,
.

The disa ppea r ance o f o n e of the men with whom she lived
in intimate relation s made no great change in he r position .

U nder a polygamic régz m e it is q uite othe rw ise ; for then t h e

'

w ives are pr ivate pro perty T h eir master has nearly always .

bo ught them and t h eir s ubjection is very great T h e r e

, .

fo r e at the death of t h eir maste r they are t reated exactly

, ,

like thin gs ; they follo w the fate of the goods an d pass into ,

the hands of t h e heir who can kee p o r sell them Some ,

.

times however they are sac r ificed in greate r o r less n um

, ,

bers onthe tomb f the dead husban d whom they m ust o ,

contin ue to se r ve and love in the futu r e life .

U nder a mono gamic egim societie s a r e generally mo r e r e

civilised and the dominatin g idea s a r e t h en the care of

,

r
p p o erty and sometimes
, the er
p p etuation of the name .

T h widow c nnot inhe r it for the p ro perty must not be

e a ,

divided S h e i s then a most emba r ra s sin g incumbrance

. .

Sometime s she is persua ded to follow still into the next

wo rld the h usband w ho has pr eceded her thit h er ; this i s
the most radical s ol ution Sometimes he r relations ma rry .

her again and obtain a s econd price for her ; sometime s

,

she is provided for by the levi rate .

T races f these ancestral iniq uities a r e s till pr ese r ved in

o

o u modern codes which tho ugh nea r ly emanci patin g the

r , ,

w idow push the fanaticism f con s an guinity s o far as t to

, o no
consider her a s the relative of her h usband as concerns
ro
p p e r ty F r om . a social p oint f V ie w the whole f this o ,
o

s urvey f the treatment f widows is not fl attering fo r

o o
h umanity In s hort from a mo ral point of vie w the easy
.
, ,

1 es ig ti na with w h ich men and women bear W idowhoo d

on ,

p laces mankind as re ga r ds nobility,

f sentiment far below o ,

ce r tain spe ies f animals as for exam ple the Illinois

c o , , ,

p a r aquet ( P itt u I lli i )

s for acwhom Wsidowhood and no s ,

death a r e s ynonymo us as w ell for the male as t h e female ,

.

D oubtless it mi ght be alle ged t h at even in called so -

highly civilised s ocietie s people do not mar r y a s a r ule from

any lofty s entiment but that is s urely a poo r excuse .
 C H AP TE R XV I .

TH E F MI LI L L N
A A C A IN AUS T RAL I A AN D AM ER I CA .

II —M lanes ian rape—F ir t f r m atio n o f

Tlz e F a m ily in M e la n es ia e s o

s o ie t ie s —E x gam y—Th e Aus tr al i n c l a ns —Na ti e m arr iage s t ate

. .

c o a v

M rri ge o f c l an a m o ng th e K m il ro i—Th eir s c ial in c es t —H o w a

a a s a a o

c l n riginat —F ic t it i u fraternity and the tot m —H w indi idual

a o es o s e o v

m rri ge is m ade a m ng th e Kurn ai—M ate r na l fi liati n —Agn at i n

a a o o o

tends to be c o nstitut d—E o l utio n o fth e fam ily in M elane ia

e v s

I I I l e F m ily in A m eri a —The R e dsk in c l ns —C o m m n

.

. a c a o

d w ll i g —R igh t
e n s t x gam y f h lan—C l
s a nd f h du ies —E o o t e c an s o t e

P bl —Th f m il y am g h
ue I di f S h Am ri a—R l on t n an s o ut

—
os e a e o e c e a

ti hip a m
o ns g h R d k i —
on C m m i m tMa r l fi li i
e e s ns o un s te n a at o n

D i t in t i n b t w n h m tr i r h at
s c o e d h m at rn l fam il y—O rigin
ee t e a a c e an t e e a

of h id
t e f l at i n hip
eas o re o s .

I . l e F a m ily .

I shall now attem pt to r etrace as clea r ly as I can the

history f the evolution f the family first of all ascertain
o o ,

ing the facts that have b een ob s erved and then usin g thes , e
facts a s a touchstone to try the s olidity f the variou s o

sociological theories that have bee put forth on the subject n .

A mong the s e theories there are som which have been very , e

favo urably received and not without rea s on Insu ffi cient ,

.

as they might be they reduced a chaos f fact s into order

,
o ,

and contained a certain amount f truth All f them are o . o

o pen to criticism and conte s t both becau s e they are th , e

fruit f a too hasty generalisation and because their authors

o ,

have claimed for them a certainty which s ociological fact s

do t e s ily bea r out H uman grou ps have always lived
no a .

a s they could without carin g about theori s ; their social

, e
2 68 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A GE

cond uct inevitably results from a s ort of com pr omise in t h e

conflict bet w een thei r appetites t h ei r a ptit udes and t h e , ,

necessities dictated by their ph ysical envi r onment .

Be fo r e h a r din g any gene ral concl usions I s h all be

az ,

ca r eful as be fo r e to refer to com pa r ative et h nograph y and

, , ,

to inte rr ogate t h e va r io us h uman races fr om the lo w est to ,

the most elevated This inquiry will enable u to fo r m a

. s

rou gh idea wit h a certain a pproximation to trut h in regard

, ,

to t h e probable evol ution of t h e family in humanity But .

in o rde r to a ppr oach this s ubj ect with sufficient im pa r tiality ,

it is absolutely necessary to clear u minds from all the o r

c ur r ent t h eories in r e gard to the family T h ere is in fact .

, ,

no t h eme which has ins pi r e d mo r e em pty orato r ical lu ub c ra

tions Th doct r ine has been fi r mly h eld t h at the family

. e ,

as we have it institute d in E urop e d in E uropean colonies an ,

is t h e (l id l t h e sac r ed and imm utable sociolo gical

ea n ea ,

ty pe E thno graphy ho w eve r and even history tea h us

.
, , ,
c

t h at the pr esent familial ty pe of E urop e has not always

existed and that it is the r es ult like eve r ything else of a
, , ,

slo w evolution ; fr om whence it is r easonable to infer that

it w ill s till contin ue to be modi fi ed B ut facts a r e mo r e .

eloquent than reflections ; I will the r efo r e a ppr oach them ,

be ginning with the lowest human race s the M elane s ians ,

.

II . T/z e F a m ily in M elanes ia .

In my sketc h of the family in the animal kin gdom I ,

have alrea dy had o casio to r ema rk t h at the family s uch

c n ,

as we unde r stand it is not indis pensable to t h e maintenance

,

of societies since t h e ants d w ithout it in thei r r epublics

,
o ,

in which w e find neit h er pate r nity nor maternity in the ,

sense w atta h to them but sim ply th ree classes of

e c ,

in dividuals t h e b r eede r s t h e yo un g and t h e ed ucato r s

, , , .

With t h ese last t h e workin g ants by a pa radoxical con

, ,

t di ti
ra c mate r nal love has su r vived the at r o ph y f the
o n, o

g ene r ative function ; it is even p ur ified d widened fo r it an ,

is lavished wit ho ut partiality all the yo un g ones whi h on ,

c

fo r m t h e h p of the r e public and thou gh thu s dil uted it

O e ,

seems to h ave lost none of its ene rgy .

Not h ing at all similar is seen in inferio r h uman societies ,

 AN D OF TH E F A 111 1 12Y . 25 9

but the family is still however in a co fus ed state ; pate r nity

, ,
n ,

in the social s ense f the word doe s not exist ; fi li ti i s

o ,
a on

es pecially m aternal but the actual degrees f consanguinity

,
o

a r e not well di s tin guished in detail ; pa r enthood is not yet

individual but is constituted in gro ups
,
.

In the present day we may still st udy this familial con

fusion in ce r tain Australian tribes We have seen t hat .

ma r riage what goes by that name res ulted in Tasmania

, or , ,

A ustra lia Bali etc from a violent and br utal r a p e generally

, , .
, ,

r atified by a com pensation and a s im ulation f retaliatio o n

bet w een the tribe of the woman and that of the ravisher .

A mon g the least s vage t r ibe s f M elane s i this ra p e is

a o a,

o ften fictitious in which case it i s no more than a s ur vival

,

but sometimes it is still real d it surely must always have , an

been so at t h e ori gin of the Aust ralian societies B ut .

h oweve r gr o ss these societies may be the y are none t h e less ,

the res ult f a lo g evol ution In the inte r ior f Bo r neo

o n . o
the r e are still existi g human bein gs com pared with whom
n

the Australians are civilised peo ple The s e ab s olutely .

p rimitive savages f Bo r neo a r e p r obably

o the r emains f o

n e gr o id peo ples w h must forme rly have been the fi r st

'

,
o

in h abitant s of M alaya They roa m the forests in littl . e

ho r des like monkeys ; the man

,
rat h er the male ca rr ies ,
or ,

o ff t h e female and cou ples with her in t h e thickets Th . e

family passes the nig h t under a large tree ; the chil dr en

are sus pended from the b r anches in a so r t f net and a o ,

gr eat fi r e is li ghted at the foot f the tree t keep ff the o o o

w ild beasts A soon a s the c h ildren are ca pable f takin g

. s o

care of themselves the parents t urn them ad r ift as animals

,

do ?

It is doubtless th us after the manne r of the g r eat ,

m onkeys that pr imitive human societies have been fo r med

, .

Wit h the c h im pan ees the s e ho r des can eve r become very
z n

large for the male progenitor will t end ure r ivals and
,
no ,

d r ives away the yo un g males as lon g as he is the st r o gest n .

T h fi r st men we r e s ur ely mo r e sociable because

e f t h ei r , o

h uman natu r e Th youn g males f the human horde

. e o

w e r e able to remain in gr eate r or less umbe r withi the

, n ,
n

association but t h e j ealousy f the pr ogenito r i chief the

, o -
n-

fa th er of the family m ust often have obli ged them t

,

, o

L bb k O ig C i il p 9
1
u oc , r . v .
, . .
2 72 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

p r ocure or seve ral females by ca pturin g them from

o ne

neighbou r ing rival hordes ; they thus became mo r e

or
or less exogamous ; and in thei r emb ryo societie s marriage , , ,

or rather sexual union ende d by bei g prohibited , n

between brothe r s and s isters not because there was the ,

least moral scru ple about ince s t but becau s e within the , ,

limit f the horde the young women were claimed by t h e

o ,

most robust males who would not yield them up We , .

know that thi s i s s till the ca s e in the Au stralian tribes ?

In this gros s s ocial state it is neces s arily the mother wh o

is the centre f the family ju s t as she i s in the families f
o , o

mammifers it is therefore q uite natural that the chil dren

, ,

should bea r her name and not that f their fat h er which o , ,

fo r that matter is not always easy to designate When

, .

once t h e custom of exogamy was well established what ,

was at fi r st a nece s sity ended by becoming an obligation ,

and men were forbidden to unite themselves with wome of n

the grou p to which they belonged and which bore the ,

same name as their w Such is s till the general rule in o n .

A ustralia But in Australia thi s grou p is o fte only a

? n

s ub tribe a g
-
, clan ; for the h o rde s becoming too
en s or ,

numero us are s ubdivided into factions large familie s

,
or ,

who unite together fo r common defence g o r v en

'

ean c e .

Th children of each gro up belong sometime s to t h e clan

e
o f t h e mothe r and t h e r e is then no le gal pa r enthood
,

between them and their father ; also in case of war the 3

, ,

son m ust j oin the maternal t ribe But this is not a ?

unive r sal rule and in m any tribes the children now belong
,

to the paternal clan .

5

T he s e are general ca s es common to the greater part of ,

the Australian tribes but not to all There are s ome w h ,

. o

have o rganised their mar r iage and their family into classes ,

thus re gulatin g in a certain mea s ur e the pr imitive con

, ,

fusion and establishin g by this ve r y regulation s ort of

, a

1
L ang, A bo rigines of A ustralia E y e , D isc ov eries in Cen tra l .
— r
A ustra lia , v o l 1 1 p 3 8 5 . . . .

2 ’
G rey s journ a l, v o l 1 1 c h 1 1 . . . .

3
lr
Ty o , R esea rc lzes in E a rly H istory of M a n k in d, v o l i c h ix . . . .

1
‘
r l r
G i aud-Teu o n , p e e , Origin e de la F am ille, p 4 4 . .

5
F olklore, etc , of th e A ust ralian A borigin es ( Ade aide , pp 2 8 , l
— w tt
. .

5 0 , 5 7 , 5 8 , 6 5 , 6 7 , 8 7 ,
8 9 , 9 2 , 9 3 F is o n an d H o i ,
K am ilaroi a n d .
~

K ur na i, 2 1 5 .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 2 71

limited promi s cuity Th word classes em ployed by . e

“
,

t r avellers who have mad us cquainted with these curio us e a

customs i s im proper for neither s ocial cla s se s nor ca s tes
exist in Australia Th ese —
, ,

called classes are sim ply sub

. so

t r ibe s or clans analogo us to the R oman g

,
ens .

In ce r tain of these tribe s a s ort f cate gorical promiscuity o

is kept up T hus amon g the tribe s fM ount G am b ier fth

.
,
o ,
o e

D arlin g R iver and of Q ueen s land each tribe i s divided

, ,

into two sub t r ibes and within each f the s e clans all the
-
,
o

men are re puted brothers and all the women are s isters , ,

and all marriage b etween the s e brothe r s and the s e si s ters is

s trictly forbidden This is a primordial l w ; the violatio
?
a n

o f it is an act f the dee pest guilt w hich not only s tain s the
o ,

individ ual but the grou p t which he b elong s ; it i s more

,
o

than ince s t and the Australian s who have a very lively

, ,

sentiment f duty feel intense horror of s uch an act But

o , .

if eve r y man i s brother t all the women in hi s clan the o , on

othe r hand he i s hu s band to all the women f the other o

clan of his tribe C onseq uently ll the men f one gro up

.
,
a o

are called husbands by all the women of th other and e ,

inversely M arriage with the s e Au s tralian s i s t therefore

. no
an individual act a s with us ; it i s a s ocial condition
, ,

re s ulting from the fact f birth H owever the act ual o

?
,

comm unal union i s t o bligato r y in the lea s t A man no .

or woman may s to p at the nominal or re puted marriage ;

they may merely call each other husband and wife ; but
in princi ple the ri ght is admitted and the m some
, , en
time s offer tem porary wive s f their w class to strangers o o n
who vi s it them Thu s in th tribe f th Kamilaroi
.
3 e o e ,

near Sydney every man f th K ubi cla ha s the ri ght

,
o e n
to call my w ife every per s o of feminine s ex belongin g
“ ”
n
t o the I pai clan and to treat her as s uch There i s, .

no need of prop osals or of contract or f ceremony ; a , , o

man i s a husband by right of birth but the intimate union ,

doe s not im ply a s sociatio by cou ple s ; the woman pa s se s n

from one to the other or even from s everal to several ,

ot hers O the other hand within the limit f the clan all
. n , o
the men and all the wome call each other brother s and
,

n
s isters and are bo und to res pect each other In unitin g
, .

Fi d H w itt K m il
1 '

i dI
s o n an i 5 o ,
a a ro an furn a , 0 .

2 5
I d , ibid
. . I d , ibid
. .
272 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R IA GE

w ith the men f the other sub tribe havin g conj u gal r i ght
o -

ove r them the women do not on that acco unt cease to

,

r eside in t h eir w clan the sub t r ibe f thei r brot he r s

o n ,
-
o
“
.

M a rr ia ge within this ub t r ibe i s the abomination of s -

desolation t h e sin fo r w h ich t h ere is no fo rgiveness Wh

, . o

ever commits it is o utlawed fr o m society d r iven from ,

the t r ibe t racked t hr o ugh the woods l ke game and put to

, i ,

death H has dishono ur ed the association and t h e

. e ,

child ren wh o a r e bo r n of t h ese social incests a r e exte r

mi t d na e T h us all real consan guinity has been set asi de
?
, ,

and a fictitious frate r nity c r eated between all the membe rs

of t h e s ame clan s imilar to pate r nity by ado ption Is t h is
, .

a r tificial parenthood the res ult f practical exogamy or h o ,

as

it on the cont ra ry pr o duced it ? We cannot tell ; but

, ,

whe r ever it exists its rule is absol utely inflexible If f , .

, or

exam ple as o ften h appens in Australia t h e im portant men

, , ,

t h e h iefs the sorcerers t h e s tron g adults sei e a e r tain

c , , or ,
z c

n umbe r of w omen for t h eir pe rsonal u they only do it in se ,

con fo r mity to the law f exo gamy betwee the s ub t r ibes o n -

.

If one f t h e wome th us confiscated r un s away d is

o n an

t ken s h e is not r esto red to t h e man wh h d usurped

re - a ,
o a

p ossession f her but belongs by rig hot to those who h ave

ca ugh t h e r
,

M o r eove r ce r tain nei ghbo ur ing tribe s a r e s ubdivi ded

,

into ub t ribes o r clans of t h e same name ; t h ey have

s -
,

p r obably s pr un g one fr om t h e ot h e r at some fo r mer period .

If it ha ppens t h at a man steals a woman fr om of these o ne

t ribes the ca pt ur ed woman i s immediately inco rpo rated

,

into the co rr es pondin g clan of the ravis h er s tribe d she ’

,
an

becomes the sister f all the women f this clan to “ ”

o o ,

w h ich will also belong her children A for the ravisher . s ,

he is always a member of anot h er g or clan of the same en s, ,

t r ibe If t h e t r ibes f t h e capt ured woman and of her o

—
.

ca pto r are not symmet r ical that is to say h ave not co rre ,

s p d i
on g lan s then
n the woman
c may become
-
the fo un der
o f a new lan belon ging to the tribe f the man w h o has
c o
carr ied h e r ff o
?

If a woman i s ca ptured by a party f wa r riors and not o ,

Fi1
dH i t K m il
so n an i dK i p p 6 5 66
ow t a a ro an urn a
d H w i t q t d by G ir d T l
. .
, , ,

Fi2
so n an fil i
o O gi t ,
uo e au - e u o n, s, n ri n es

dn M ariage et de la F a m ille, p . 1 20 .
 AND OF TH E F A M JL Y . 2 73

by individ ual only the first care of the ca pto r s is to

o ne ,

inflict on he r a collective violatio on the condition how n, ,

eve r th t none f them belon g“) a clan homonymo us with

a o
f t h ei r p arty is an
,

that f the ravished woman ; if a y

o n o ne o

exce ption to thi s he must abstain from s o doin g ,

?

T h s i gn f the fi ctitiou s fr ate r nity of the Kamilaroi and of

e o ,

all the Australian tribes organised in the same manner is a ,

common emblem the t t m All the men bearing the same ,

o e .

t t m are united by the bond f a conventional fr ate r nity

o e o ,

which is none the les s strict for t hat reason Th t t m has . e o e

evidently been invented in p im iti epoch when the a

'

r ve ,

different degree s of con s an guinity were not ea s ily dis

t i gui h d and were therefore re placed by an artificial
n s e ,

union far wider than the limits of the natural family .

Whenever a single individual wi s hed to esca pe fr om this

t ribal ma rr iage he was obliged to resort to va r iou s tifi
,
ar c es .

O ne of these transitional processes has remained in use in

the K u i tribe in G i ppsland V icto r ia
rn a , , .

T h term s s till in u
e with them to desi gnate kins hi p se

recall the former existence f a fraternal ma r riage ; but o

in practice they have none the le ss adopted in dividual
ma r riage Th m anne r in which these individual mar r iages
. e

a r e contracted probably indicate s what mu s t have happened

in primitive times w h en s ome innovators attem pted to ,

esca pe fr om tribal marria ge by carryin g ff the women o

they preferred and were only admitted to their tribe

, re -

after having obtained pardon and the ratification f o

t h eir audacious ente r pri s e A mon g the Ku i eve r y . rna

marriage must be made by the capture f one f the o o
women f their tribe even when this rape has been p
o ,
re
ceded by fr iendly exch ange f sisters which is usual
a o ,

enou gh This simulated rap e is punis h ed by a simulation

.

of ven geance Th fugitive s are pur s ued ; they are even

. e

ill treate d but sho r t of bein g actually killed Their p uni s h

-
, .
~

ment is sim ply an act f obedience to ancestral c ustoms o .

When all is concl uded and the fu gitive cou ple reinstate d ,

among their people the woman belongs to the man w ho ,

has carried her ff; he i s no lon ger obliged to o ffer her

o

to the vi s itors f his clan as old Australian hos pitality

o ,

1
Fi d H w it
so n q t d by G ir d T l
an o fil
t, i O igi
uo e au -
eu o n, s, n r n es
du Mariage et de la F a m ille, pp 8 6 88
. .
- .
2 74 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF AI A R R I A G E

requi r ed ; she belon gs to him alone Sometimes the

1
.

ravis h e r legalises his r i ght of sole pr o prietor by fi r st givin g

notice to his friend s and offering t h em the use of his wi fe
, ,

after which he can kee p he r to him s el f ?

In pro portion as t r ibal marriage was bein g t ran s

fo r med owing to the breaches ma de in it by indivi dual
,

instinct the consan guineo us family w gradually arisin g in

, as

place f the collective and fictitious family

o It seems most .

likely that uterine fi li ti the mate r nal family w first

a o n, o r ,
as

establi s hed Th Australian M otas still have fili ti by

. e a on

the woman s side and amon g them the pro pe r ty of the

’
,

uncle is tran s mitted to the uterine ne phew but al r ea dy the

p aternal family is beginning to be constituted d the ,
an

relatives on the male side seek to redeem the h eritage by

means of an indemnity With other and m o r e advanced ?

Aust r alian tribes fanatical evol ution is mo r e com plete ;

,

masc uline fi li ti is al r eady instituted and agnation

a on ,

ado pted ; the r e is even a wo r shi p f the manes f male o o

ancesto r s Th M elanesians of Aust ralia and Ta s mania
?
e

p r esent therefo r e a tole r ably com plete p i t ur e of the

, ,
lu c e vo

tion of ma rr iage and f the family fr om the primitive ra pe o , ,

follo w ed by a t r ibal pe r iod in w h ich marriage i s merely a

limite d and regulate d pr omi s cuity and in which r eal con ,

san guinity is re placed by a fictitiou s frate r nity down to t h e ,

r egim of individ ual ma rr i ge and masc uline fi li ti

e
p a a o n, re

i u ly passin g th r o ugh ute r ine fili ti

v o s o r t h e mate r nal a o n,

family We shall fi d t races of t h is evolution amon g ot h er

. n

races but nowhere is th lo wer stage so well pr eserved as i

, e n
A ustrali a
.

III . m e F am ily in A meric a .

N othin g similar to the gr oss t r ibal marriage f the o

A ust r alian Kamila r oi is to be found amon g the A me r i an c

Indians w h ose familial o rganisation h o weve r st r ikin gly

, , ,

r ecalls t h at f the M elanesian clans thou gh already in a

o ,

highe r degree f evolution o .

Fi1
d H witt l
s o n ani p I d ibid
o , oc . c t.
, . 2 00 .
2
.
, .

3
r
G i aud-Te u o n , loc c it l . .
, p 4 47
. .

4
G iraud-Te u o n, fi ls , loc l . c it , p 4 4 6
. . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 2 75

T he tribe s f the R edskin s we r e and are still divided

o , ,

into phratries which are again s ubdivided into clans Now

,
.

these clans are com po s ed f real or fictitiou s relative s In o .

each phratry the corre s ponding clans have the s ame t t m o e ,

and it is strictly fo r bidden to marry a woman belon ging to

the grou p b aring the same t t m This o rganisation is
e o e .

very ancient ; it existed in M exico at the time f the o

S panish conquest and t h e F rench fo und it in the eighteenth

,

century amon g the R edskin s f Canada Th H u r ons o . e ,

Cha rlevoix tells us were divided into three clans the wol f , ,

the tortoise and the bear Th t t m emblem f the

,
?
e o e ,
or o

clan s erved to s ign t r eatie s This is a gene r al fact and

,
?
,

the s ubdivi sion f the tri b e into clan s or g t is observed

o en es

amon g the T i much Indian s the Choctaws the Iroquois the , , ,

O mahas the Indians ,

f Columbia etc etc E ach clan o ,
.
, .

form s la rge family inhabiting s ometimes a common

o ne ,

house as do still the Indians of the Pueblos as did the

, ,

Iroq uois at the time they were fi r st discovered and as did ,

the M exicans at t h e epoch of the Spanish con que s t Th . e

“
long houses f the I r o quois w ere buildin gs a hund r ed
”
o

feet in length A large corr idor closed at the two ex

.
,

t m iti
re by a door traver s ed its entire length T the
es , . o

right and left f thi s central corridor and o pening on it

o , ,

were stall s niches each servin g as the a partment f a

, or ,
o

family Th number f the s e families varied from five t

. e o o

twenty ?

Th member s of a R ed s kin clan had common ri ghts and

e

duties When a man died any per s onal obj ects he mi ght
.
,

p ossess were de p osited in his tomb fo r they mi ght be usefu l ,

to him in the future life Th r emainin g pro perty f the . e o

deceased belon ged pr inci pally to the clan or the g til ; ,
en es

his near relatives however were con s ide r ed first Th us , ,

.
,

amon g the Iroquois the widow the child r en and the , , ,

m ate r al un les claimed t h e largest part while a very small

n c ,

p ortion f the heritage came to the b r other s Th gene ral

o . e

p rinci ple was that the r

p p o e r ty should remai in the clan n .

In the pr esent day th ld cu s tom s are modified and with e o ,

II ist et desc rip genefrale de la N ouv elle-F ra n c e,

'
1
e tc
t
. . .

2 [bid v p 39 3
— h tan t
. . . .

2 . r
L M o gan , A n c ien t S oc ieties, p 7 0 La on . .
, Voy .
, e tc . . 11.

pp . 1 04 , 1 8 3 .
276 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

t h e I r oq uois the C r eeks the Che r okees the Choctaws the

, , , ,

Crows etc there is no longer any gentile heritage ; all

,
.
,

passes to the child r en

1
.

Th p olitical o r ganisation was

e s till is re publican , or ,
.

Th emembe r s of a R edskin clan have the right to elect

and to dep ose the chief f the comm unity and the libe r ty o ,

to ado pt stran gers They a r e united by a strict s olidar ity

.
,

and h ave a mut ual duty to help and to aven ge each othe r .

A d lastly they have their council and t h eir se pulture in

n

common ?

B ut the most ri gorous obli gation for the members of

t h e same clan i s that f not ma rryin g in it T take a o . o

wife h avin g the same t t m is con s ide red as a most ul o e c

p abl act ; it is a crime sometimes punished by death

e
?

T h I r oq uois l w r e gulatin g ma r ria ges r ecalls in a ce r tain

e a ,

degree t h at which takes place among the Kamilaroi of

,

A ust r alia T h us an Iroq uoi s f the Seneca t r ibe and of

. o

the Wolf clan mu s t not marr y a woman belon gin g not ,

only to his w clan but to all the clans f the same name
o n , o
in t h e five othe r t r ibes of the I r oquois O the other hand . n ,

he is pe r fectly free to m ar ry in any of the seven other clans

o f his o w n Seneca t r ibe In short an Iroquois may be ?
,

endogamous i the tribe but he must be exogamous fr om

n ,

t h e p oint of view of the clan clans or .

Th motive f the pr ohibition f marr ia ge wit h in the

e o o

clan is al ways the s upposed relation s hi p Thu s t h e law .

o f the Ti h Indians fo r bids a man f the C h it

n ne g c lan o s an

to ma rr y a woman of the same clan because that woman i s

his s ister .
“

T h children al w ay s belong to the g

e or clan of their en s, ,

mother .

T h ese r ules vary more less fr om tribe to tribe exc pt or e

the pr ohibition of ma rr iage within the clan wh ich I s stri t

,

,
c

and gene r al T h us among the O ma h as a man may take

.
, ,

a w ife i anothe r t r ibe even if this w oman belon gs to a

n ,

clan of the same name as his w ; but h e cannot marr y o n

wit h in hi s own clan because all the women of this clan are ,

1
. r
L M o gan , A n c ient S oc ieti es pp 5 2 8 5 3 1
3
'

, . .

2
I d ’, ibid pp 7 0, 7 1
. . Id , . . i bi d. p 97 . .

4
L . Mo rg loc c it p 5 1 3
an , . . .

5
N otes on r
Me 7 in n elz , H a dis ty, in S m it/i son z an R eports , 1 8 66.
 A ND OF TH E F A M JL V 277

reputed t b hi s relation s — s i s ters aunts nieces daughter s

o e , , , ,

etc We shall see presently to what w omen the s e variou s

.

a ppellatio s which among the R edskins have a much

n ,

wider s ense than with us are a pplie d , .

1

T he s e customs very analogous ones were in forc

,
or , e
with a great number f A merican tribes At the present o .

day the Indians f the M oqui P ueblos still live in their

o

common habitation s as at the time f the conquest d ,

o ,
an

they a r e divided into nine clan s ?

In the Pueblo f O yb the re lative s f a married o ra a o

woman wh dies take her pro perty and he r child r en only

o ,

leavin g to the husband his ho r se his clothes and his , ,

wea pons ; for by ma rrying the woman doe s not cease to

3

belong to her original clan A mon g the Pi pile s of Salvador .

a genealogical t r ee with seven b ranc h es was painted th on e

wall of the common hou s e and save in the case f a gr eat , o

service rendered to the cla a man co uld not inte r marry n,

with any person s related up to the degre indicated b y the e

genealogical tree In reality this people had g t beyond

?
, o

familial confusion of pu r ely t t m i relation s hi p but the

,
or o e c ,

p rinci ple regulating conju gal unions had t yet changed no .

In Y ucatan mar r iage between person s f the same name o

that is to say f th s ame clan — entailed the penalty f

, o e o

being considered a s a renegade Th g A bip .

5
e
’

s av a e o n es

were also exogamo us according to D b it h ff Thi s ,

o r z o er .

r ule naturally gives way in prop ortion a s civili s atio n

develops Th Nahuas still prohibited marriage between
. e

con s anguineous relative s ; but at Nicarag u the p r ohibition a

only a pplied to relatives of the fi r st degree .
6

W e have p r evio usly seen in desc r ibing the family ,

amon gs t the animals that it i s habitually mate r nal ; it i s ,

around the female t h at the youn g grou p themselve s A . s

f the male if he does not abandon the family he exercises

or , ,

no other function but that f chief f the band It must o o .

s ur ely have been thus that th fir s t human horde s we r e e

formed and when m became intelligent eno ugh to take

,
an

note of fi li ti it wa s uterine parenthood alone that h

a o n, e

1
O m aha S oc iology, p 2 5 5 , in S m ithson ian R eports , 1 8 8 5
.

r
.

2
L M o gan , A n c ien t S oc ieties, p 1 7 8 5 I
d , i bid p 5 3 5
r t
. . . . . . .

4
Banc o f , N a tiv e R ac es , e tc , v o l ii p 66 5 . . . . .

5
I d ibid v o l ii p 66 5
. .
. .
5
I d , ibid v o l 1 1 pp 2 5 1 , 6 6 6
. . . . . . . .
278 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A GE

conside r ed w orthy f account T h primitive family w o . e as

mate r nal fo r in the confusion f s exual unions pate r nal
, o
fi li ti
a on would have been difficult to dete r mine ; no im
p ortance w the r efo r e attached to it in early times and
as ,

the fat h er w not looked u p on as the pa r ent of hi s child r en

as .

We shall find the maternal family at least t races f it ,

or o ,

in many countries but it is especially among the Indians of ,

N ort h A me r ica that it has been t h e best prese r ved and t h e

best studied In th ei ghteenth cent ury it w al r eady
. e as

remarked by Cha rlevoix L fi t u and L ahontan that the ,

a a , ,
1

R edskins always bea r the name f their mothe r and that it o ,

is throu gh a man s s ister that his name is t ransmitted to ’

descendants T h Ame r ican clan is based . uterine

e on
fi li ti
a on it comprehends all t h e descendants in the female ,

line f an ancest ral moth er real

o hypothetical I t is , or .

t h e r efo r e exactly t h e cont rary f the a gnatic g f the o en s o

G r eco R oman world

-
.

T h R edskin clan i s com posed f all the families re pute d

e o
to be related to each other it is a little r e public having t h e
right to the service of all the women for the c ultivation f o
t h e soil and of all the men for t h e hase wa r and d tt
, c , , ven e as .

It i s to t h e woman t h at the wig wam family d w ellin g or

belon gs as w ell as all t h e obj ects p ossessed by t h e family

, ,

an d t h e whole is t r ansmitte d by h erita ge not to the son , ,

but to the eldest da ughte r to the earest mate r nal r ela or n

tive sometimes to the b r other f the deceased woman

,
2
o .

N evertheless t h is he r itage must be understood in the sense

,

o f a sim ple us ufruct It was the mate r nal clan in reality .

wh w o the proprietor d none of the membe r s of t h e

as ,
an
comm unity co ul d se r iously alienate the social property .

T h husband alone in most of the tribes had no ri ght over

e , ,

the goods over the children ; they all r emained in the

or

maternal clan ; it w maternal fi li ti which regulated the

3
as a on

n ame the k d t h e he r edita ry ri ght s in the clan A s ort

,
ran ,
an
?

of comm unism r ei gned th e r e All the p r ovisions wheth er .

,

they we r e the pr oduce f t h e soil f t h e chase of fishin g o ,

o , or ,

we r e placed in public storehouses under the cont r ol of an ,

a ged mat r on ; and if it ever ha ppened that a family had

Vy g 1 t p 54
o a es , e tc .
, . 1 1. . 1 .

2
. r 4
l
A G i a ud-Te u o n , fils, Orig da M a riage, e tc , p . . . 191 .

3
I d , ibid p 1 8 6
. . . I d , ibid p 1 7 7. . . . .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 2 79

exha usted it s provi s ions another family immediately came ,

to its aid ?

But maternal fili ti was is in force even whe r e the a on ,

or ,

clans did not live in common houses as we find it still ,

among the M ohicans th D ela w ares the N g tt the , e ,

arran as e s,

Pequots the Wyandots the M issou r is the M i it i the

, , ,
nn ar s ,

Cro w s the Creeks the Chickasaws the Cherokees etc

, , , ,
.

With the I r oquoi s and the H uron s the father s ay s , ,

C h a rlevoix was almo s t a stranger to his children

,
A mong .
“

the H uron s continues the same ob s erver dignity and

,
”
,
“

succe s sion are inherited through the women It is the s on .

o f the si s ter who succeeds and in defa ult f him the next ,
o

relative in the female line .

” 2
“
With these peo ples says L fi t u marriages are ,
a a ,

arranged in s uch a w y that the husband and wife do not a

leave thei r w family to e s tablish a family and a cabin

o n

independently E ach one remain s at home and the

.
,

child ren born f the s e marriages belong to the families that

o

have produced them and are counted a s membe r s f the ,

o

family and cabin of the mother and not at all as belon ging ,

to tho s e fthe father Th possession s of the h us band do

o . e

not go to hi s wife s cabin to w hich he i s him s elf a s tran ger ;

’
,

and in his wi fe s cabin the dau ghters are heir s in prefer

’

ence to the m ales wh have nothing there but mere , o

s ubsistence .
”
“
Besides this continues L fi t u the wife s cabin ha s
,
”
a a ,
“ ’

rights over the product f the hu s band s hunting ; all f this o

’
o

m us t be contributed duri g the first year and half o ly n , a n

afterwards .
”4

T h mothers negotiated the marria ge s and naturally did

e ,

so wit h out cons ulting the intere s ted partie s When the .

a ffai r was once settled presents had to be m ade t the , o

gentile relative s f the b r ide It w the ca r e f the s e

o . as o

re lative s in ca s e of conjugal dissen s ion s between the

,

ma rr ied pai r to attem pt a reconciliation and to prevent

,

a divorce At the pr esent time among the Santi Dakota s

.
5
,
-
,

1 A G ira d T l
. O ig d M i g p u 85-
e u o n, r . u a r a e, . 1 .

2 C h rl ix H i
a d l N ll F
ev o
p 39 5 st e a ouv e e ra n c e, 1 v.
t
, . . . .

3 L fi a M d S
tau, g Am i i p 69
ceurs es a uv a es
’
er c a n s , 191 e tc
I d ibid t ii pp
3
. . .
,
4 .
, 5 68 . . . . 2 2, 2 .

5
L M o rgan , A n c ie n t S oc ieties , p 4 5 4
. . .
280 TH E E V OL U TI O N OF M A R R I A G E

if a wife is ill treated by her hu s band the mother i law has

-
,
-
n-
the right to take back h er dau gh te r ; the h us band s p o wer
,

m ust yield to he r s D oes t h e institution f fili ti by ?

o a on
w omen o r the mate r nal family entail as some have
, , ,

p retended t h e égim of the ,mat r ia r hate ? N

r ort h A me r ica e c

bein g p x ll the co unt r y of exogamy and of the

ar e ce enc e

mate r nal family the theorist s of the primitive mat r iarchate

,

h ave often d r awn a rguments from thence which it is interest

ing to wei gh .

A t the e p och durin g which the Seneca Iroquois s till lived -

in their lon g houses it seems that the influence of the

“
,
”

women in the comm unity was ve ry gr eat Th mis s ionary . e ,

A r t h ur W r i ght w rote in 8 73 It was t h e custom f

,
1 or

t h e women to gove r n the hou s e Th provisions we r e i . e n

c ommon ; but woe to the unfo r t unate h usban d or love r t oo

i dle cl umsy to bring h ome fr om the c h ase a s u ffi cient

or

booty W h atever the number of his children the value

. or

o f the goods he possessed in the ho use he might be o r dered ,

at any moment t take up his blanket and pack ff A fter o o .

”

that unless he obtained the intercession of some aunt o r

,

g randmot h e r he was fo r ced to obey ret ur n to his own clan

, , ,

or cont ract an alliance elsew h e r e T h women w e r e the .

“
e

chie f po w er in t h e clans and they did not hesitate when , ,

necessa r y to de pose a chie f d make him enter the

, ,
an re-

ranks of sim ple wa rr io r s Th election of the chiefs al ways . e

de pended on t h em ” 2

A mon g t h e Wyandots t h e r e is in every clan a co uncil

.

com posed f fo ur w omen elected by the female c h iefs f

o o

t h e family These four women choose a chief f the clan

. o

fr om among the men then the t t m of the clan is painte d o e

on t h e face f this chief Th council f the tribe is fo r me d

o . e o

by an assemblage f the clan councils ; fou r fifth f it o -

s o ,

t h e r efore consist of women Th s achem chief f the

,
. e ,
or o

tribe is chosen by t h e chiefs of t h e clans

,
?

C h a rlevoix relates t hat in 7 t h e Natche Indians 1 21 z

we r e governe d by a ve ry des potic chief the S u who was ,

n,

J1 w. D r y OO
m h S i l
en gy o se , a a oc o o , p
. 26 1, in S m iths on ia n
R p t 885
e or s , 1 .

L M rg
2
A i t S i tio p 45 5 an , n c en oc e es , . .

W w ll W
.

J P y d t G . m t o e ,
an o o v ern en ,
in S m ith son ia n R eports ,
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y: 281

succeeded by the son of his nearest of kin This w th . as e

female c h ief and she had like the Sun the powe r f life
, , , o

an d death over the p eo ple A t the death f the female . o

chief in 7 her husband not belongin g to the family f

1 21 , , o

t h e S u was s trangled by her son accordin g to custom

n, , ,

and that without prejudice to other human sac r ifices Th ?

e
ancient S panish chronicle rs al s o s peak f the s ubmission f o o

the husbands to their wive s in Nicaragua ; they s eem to

have been treated as servants ( H e r rer Aud g y ) a, o o a .

L astly amon g the R edskins the mat r ons had the right
,

to ba ptise the children —that is to say to make them enter ,

either the maternal the paternal clan or

?

T hese fact s are curiou s T h ey p rove indeed that with .

, ,

the R ed s kin s the women enjoyed a notable influence ,

es pecially in ancient time s With the Seneca Iro q uoi s .

-

they could ex pel the incapable h unter ; but this w as

evidently by their title of housekeeper s f the cla o n .

A mon g the Wyandots they fi gu r ed numero usly in the ,

council ; but neverthele ss the s u preme chief wa s man

'

, a .

A f t h e woman chief f the Natche Indians we fi d an

s or -
o z ,
n

equivalent f it in ce r tain littl despotic monarchies f

o e o

black Africa Among the Ashantees and in D arfo ur etc

.
, , .
,

the pr incesses dominate their hu s bands their lovers by or

the pre s tige f royalty N othin g is more natu r al than that

o .

a plebeian hu s band should be st ran gled on the tomb of his

wife with other human victims when we consider the ,

p r evailing idea s f futu r e life and

o th ab s olute s ervility f e o

the s ubject in primitive monarchical state s I fact the . n ,

p o w er fo women among the R edskin s was mor a p parent e

t h an real C h arlevoix himself declares that their domina
.

tion is fictitio us? t h at they are in domestic life the slaves

“
, ,

o f their husband that th men hold them in profound

, e
contem pt and that amongst themselves the e pithet f
, , , o

woman is a cutti g insult n .

Im portant a ffairs we r e kept secret fr om them ; polygamy 4

w as habitually pe r mitted to the men but p olyandry was ,

nea rly always prohibited to the w omen In fact amon g .

,

the R edskin s the woman i s the slave of her husband d ,

an

1
C h rl ix l a iev ot i pp 7 7 7 9
, oc . c t .
, . v . . 1 -1 .

2
L M rg A i o S i i an ,p 6 9 n c en t oc et es , 1
ix t
. . .

3 C h rl a pp 3 9 7 4
e vo ,
I d ibid
. v. i p 7 .
- 21.
4
.
, .
, 1
. v . . 1 2 .
28 2 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

the latte r thinks so slightly f he r that fr equently the men o ,

live conjugally fo r yea r s without comm unicating wit h t h ei r

wives ot h e r wi s e than by s i gns as o w ing to exogamo us ,

ma rr iage they s p eak di fferent languages Th a uth ority ?

e
t h at the husband s concede to their wives in certain t r ibes i s
enti rely domestic it is household royalty a .

T h us with t h e S li h
, the cabins containing the
e sc e s,

p r ovisions are confided to t h e women and the hu s band ,

h imsel f can take nothin g without t h ei r pe r mission T h ? e

h usband the son commands in the woods and

or th e on

p r ai r ie ; but in the inte r ior f t h e wi gwam it is t h e most o

aged woman or the mother w h o gove r ns and assi gns to eac h

o ne his place ?

T h ese custom s and the mar r ia ges by tud have led s e rv1 e
s everal observers to att ribute to t h e women a considerable
.

a ut h o r ity which they d t really possess In fact they o no .

,

are nearly always purchased and very submi s sive Th ,

are . e
maternal family and the matriarchate a r e very di fferent
things T h first i s common ; t h e second is very rare if
. e ,

indeed it ha s eve r existed Th Aust r alians who have the . e ,

maternal family none the less t r eat their wive s as we should

,

no t da r e to t r eat u domestic animals o r A d a gain in . n ,

o r der that fi li ti by the female side s h ould give women a

a on

notable social influence it is necessa ry t h at society sh ould ,

be ve ry civilised that there s h o uld be exchan geable values

, ,

and that women s h o uld become rich by inhe r itance T h en .

t h ey a r e in a position to exercise the po w er that fortune

g ives in eve r y ount r y But
c amon g the R edskins p.rivate
p pro e r ty as yet hardly exi s ted the clans p reserved the p rior
c laim ; pers onal prope r ty had not a great value ; there we r e
no domestic animals ; it was difli ult fo r any individual c ,

man o r woman to become rich L astly the chief occ upa

, .
,

tions those w h ich we r e r epute d noble t h ose also which

, ,
on

the exi s tence f the t r ibes de pen ded we r e the chase and
o ,

war ; now the women took no pa r t in these They have .

not the r efore been able to exercise a dominant influence ,

even in the tribe s whe r e they we r e t r eated with relative

mildness A mong t h e R e dskins in gene ral all the painful
.
,

1
L bb k O i
u oc C i il p
, r g5 . v .
, . 1 2 .

a n s les dis erts da N o uv ea u-M aude, p 08 .

2
D o m en e c h , Voy .
p itt.d .
5
2 I bid
p 5 43
. . .
 A ND OF TH E F A M LL Y . 28
3

labours fall to the women exce pt the fabrication f , o

a r ms It i s she who takes ca r e f the home who cooks
. o , ,

p pre are s the s kins and the furs gathers the wild rice di gs , , ,

s ows and reap s the mai e and the vegetable s d r ies th z ,

e

m eat and the root s f the winter pr ovision makes th or -

, e
clothe s and the necklaces etc She even wo rks at th ,
. e
construction f ba r k canoes but in this man come s to her
o , ,

aid With that exception he confines himself to hunting

.
,

and fi ghtin g smokin g eatin g d r inking and slee ping In

, , , , .

his eye s work is a dis gr ace Such a r e the c ustoms f ?

o

livin g R edskin s Were they different last century ? N t . o

at all if we may believe the authorities even wh a r e

, o

invoked by the mode r n theo r ist s f th American matri o e

arc h t Cha r levoix tells us that the H uron hu s bands
a e .

p r ostituted thei r da ughters and their wive s fo r money that ,

2

the Sioux cut off the noses f their unfaithful wives and o

scalped them d that all the hard work w

,
3
anleft to as

the women the men glorying in their idlene s s L fi t u

,
?
a a

enumerates with still gr eater detail the m any and painful

, ,

occu pation s f the wo m en d he narrates the sto r y f

o ,
5
an o a
husband who b urnt his ad ulterous wife at a slow fire It ?

is t then amongst the R ed skins that we can find the

no

mat r ia r chate Thei r familial s ystem is none t h e less very

.

curious es pecially if w com pare it wit h that f the

, e o

A ust r alians .

T h familial clan f the A u s tralians and f the R edskins

e o o

enables u to ret race the origin f th idea s of kin s hi p

s o e .

N othing similar seems to exist amon g t h e animal s In t h e .

be s t endowed sp ecies t h e parents es p ecially the females , , ,

have an instinctive love f t h eir youn g but only a s lon g as o ,

they are young A fter that pe r iod they no lon ger recognise
.

them and often even drive them away

, .

M wh
an, has ce r tainly begun hi s existence in the same
o

way a s the animals has early attained not t ideas f , ,

o o

p r ecise fi li ti but to a vague idea f consan guinity

a o n, o

1
h
D o m ene c , loc c it , pp 3 38 , 4 2 5 , 4 6 7
t
. . . .

2
h l x
C ar e v o i , journ a l, e tc , vi
p 39
t t
. . . . .

3 I d , ibid , 4
. v p 2 7
. 1 . . Id , ibid ,
. vi
.
p 44 . . . . . .

5
M a urs des S auv ages , 1 1 2 6 6 ; iii 5 6 , 6 9 , 7 0 , 7 2 , 7 6, 9 2 , 9 7 , 9 8 ,
. .

1 20 .

5
Ibid , 1 . . 11 .
pp . 2 74, 2 7 5 .
284 TH E E VOL U TI ON O F M A R R I A G E .

between all th members f hi s horde In these little

e o .

p rimitive g r o u p s no distinctio
,
h at fi r st b en ma dne as e
b tween real and fictitio us kinship All the men f the
e . o

same clan have been b r othe r s all the women have been ,

si s ters and by the help f an inveterate habit f exogamy

, o o ,

a gros s morality ha s been fo r med w h ich condemned social ,

incest But a s the life f the clan was before all t h in gs

. o , ,

communal while marriages within the clan were pr ohibited

, ,

it w decided that the clans of the s ame name—that i s

as ,

those who had s prung from the other— s h o uld be united

o ne

by a so r t f social marriage all the w omen of the

o ,
bein g o ne

common to all the men of the other Then in the ou r se .

,
c

of time the instinct f individual appropriation havin g

, o

un dermined the primitive comm unity the women were ,

dist r ibuted amon gst the men ; they fo r med families whic h
were often sin gular ones and of which I shall h ave to s peak
,

a gain T here was no lon ger pr omiscuity from clan to clan

.
,

but the wife was to be taken from an allied clan T h fi r st . e

fi li ti a whic h was establis h ed was s urely maternal fi li ti

on a on

p rimitive con j ugal confusion wo uld t p ermit of any ot h er no .

B ut at len gth when the family became mo r e or les s

,

instituted the relations could be classified and the degree s

, ,

of con s nguinity distin guished

a .

It was not without di ffi culty t h at man succeeded so far .

A lon g p e r iod of time was req ui r ed to disentangle t h e skein

o f family r elationshi p s ; and fictit ou s kin s hi p tm u d to i c on e
be confounded with r eal kinshi p f many ages Chan ge or .

came only by a slow evolution which we will w pr oceed ,

no

to study .
 C H AP TE R XV II .

TH E F MI LI L L N
A A C A AN D I TS EVO LU T I ON .

I . The Cla n a m ong th e R eds hin s .

—
P r im iti ve fo m r of th e T ibe r
Th e C l an
r l ati n am g th
.

II Th e F a m ily a m ong the R edshins C

- l as s e s o f e o s on e

O m ah a —Th f m il y a m g th I r q th O m ha
. .

s u i S e a t on e o o s- en e c as , e a s, e c .

Prim iti fam il i l t g

ve f th R d k i —A d pt i na d it m ir l
s a e o e e s ns o o an s ac es

Ri se d l uti n f m a ul i fili ti i Am ri —E x g m y d
an evo o o sc ne a on n e ca o a an

e n do gam y.

I II The
i F am ily — Rar ity f
n P olyn es ia . —M aternal fi lia tio n o

x g m y—H w i m rriag —Th t rm f k in h ip—Th f th r

.

e o a a a an a e e e s o s e a e

hum bl i g him l ft th m l hil d—Ad pti ni P ly i

n se o e a e c o o n o ne s a.

I V Th F m ily m g th M g l
e a F a m il i l x g m y am g
a on e on o s. - a e o a on

— n — t a
.

th Me g l K i h i
on
p by l
o s E l u i n f k i h
s ip by l c ass e s vo o o ns c sse s.

V Th Cl . d t h F m ily —
e Th E ur p an fa m il y h
an a n t b n
e a e o e as n o ee

ll ul f i ti —Th prim iti l

.

th e ce e o so c e es e ve c an .

I . The Cla n a m ong the R edshin s .

In the precedin g cha pter we have seen the nature

o f R edskin exo gamy which it has sometimes been ,
on

attem pted to const r uct theories of conjugal evolution

a pplicable to the entire human race A a matter of fact . s ,

the North American Indian s marry within their tribe ; they

are the refore endogamou s as rega r ds the tribe but they do ,

no t take their wives from their w clan and con s e quently o n ,

they are exogamo us as regards this clan But the cla . n

bein g com posed f r eal s upposed blood relation s th o or -
, e
exogamy of the R edskins i s actually nothin g mor than u e o r
o w prohibition very much extended
n f marriage s with i , , e n
certain degree fkin s hi p s o .
286 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

T here i s really nothin g he r e whic h resembles ma r riage by

ca pture so often classed with exogamy but the latte r may
,

very easily c exist with the former and may even be the
o ,

gene ral rule in more savage t r ibes It prevailed we are .

,

told amon g the Ca r ibs to such a degree that the wive s did
,
1

not s peak t h e same lan guage as their h usbands .

H w w o the A me r ican t r ibe originally fo rmed ? E ither

as

consan guineo us h ordes have ranged themselves side by

s ide o r which is more pr obable a horde becomin g too
, , , ,

n umerou s has swarmed Analogou s gr o ups pr oceeding

,
.
,

from it have fo r med la rge families remaining all the while

, ,

attac h ed to the o r i ginal stock but constituting nevertheles s , , ,

distinct communitie s confederated with each other and ,

with the pr imitive clan which at length became in dis ,

ti gui h bl from the othe r s

n s a e Th whole f these clans . e o

taken together re present a t r ibe If the clans a r e too .

n umero us they grou p themselve s in twos or threes etc

, , ,
.
,

wit h in the boso m of the tribe and th us fo r m what in ,

p rimitive G r eece were called p h t i the bond bet w een ra r es,

them being a lesser de gr ee f kinship At firs t mar riage o .

,

wa s pro h ibited w ithin t h e phratry and afterwards exogamy ,

was rest r icted to the clan s Th clans com posing t h e . e

phratry h d festivals in common and conside r ed themselve s

a ,

bo und to aid each other in revengin g wron gs Th clan ?

e ,

o r g is a group f pe r sons united by a clo s er con

ens , o

san guinity but in the female line Th chil dr en f the

, . e o

w omen of the clan remai in th e clan of t h eir mother n .

“
Th woman bea r s the clan
e say the Wyandot Indians? ,
”

j ust as u ancesto r s said Th womb dyes the chil d

o r ,
“
e .
”

E ach clan has its t t m ( a tortoise bea r eland or fox o e , , , ,

In t h e lo g ho us es of the I r oquois in the Pueblos

“
n
”
,
or ,

the members of each clan even had a common habitation in ,

whic h each family h d its own cell ; but the members f a o

this cell family belon ged to di fferent clans as the husban d

-
,

was not f the s ame clan as h is wife and sometimes did not
o ,

inhabit t h e same d w elling We have hea r d it said many .

times t h at t h e family is the social cell ule N w this is

“
.
”
o

evidently false in regard to t h e Ame r ican t ribe and to all ,

1
M ac L e n n an P rim it iv e M a rriage p 7 1
ln
. .
, ,
2
A Gi . r aud-Te u o , loc c it p 1 7 0
.
-1
72 . . .

3
Po e w ll ,
R eports of S m ithson ian I n s titution , 1 88 1 .
 AND OF TH E FAM IL Y . 287

tribes that are organi s ed the same plan In them it i s on .

the cla which is th e social unit or cellule to kee p to t h e

n , ,

meta phor favoured by H S pencer and it is feminine . ,

fi li ti
a which determines the kinshi p W h at is this kin
on .

shi p i the female line in it s details ? That i s w hat we

n

m ust now procee d to inquire .

II . The F a m ily a m ong the R eds hins .

T he manner in whic h the different degr ee s f kinshi p o

a r e unde r stood and named varies somewhat amon g the

dive r se R edskin t r ibes ; but in gene r al the simila r ity is , ,

very great and gr eat also is the confusion between real

,

consan guinity and fictitious kins h i p A mong the O mahas

—
.
,

for exam ple five classes f kinshi

, p a r e reco gnised t t h e o rs ,

n ihi kin sh i p arising from a very distant common ancesto r

e ,

2n d the clan kins h i p ; thus the families whose tents

,

adjoi each other w hen the trib is assembled are f t h i s

n e , o

kinshi p ; 3 d kinshi p by the cal umet dance —that is to say

r , ,

by ado ption ; 4 th kinshi p by marr iage includin g th , ,

e

husban d wife s on d da ughter s husband ; sth kin s hi p

, , , an
’

o f blood relation incl udin g the clans f th mother grand

-
, o e ,

mother and fathe r

,
?

T h O ma h as admit the r e fore enti r e g r o up s

e f ,
called , o so-

kin s folk quite unknown in our individualist societies ; and

mo r eover the ado pted kin s men are held exact ly
,
the on

same footin g as the others .

If we confine ours elves to real kinshi p we s h all s ee t h at ,

it is unde r stood in a very wide manner I will sim ply give .

,

as a detailed exam ple a de s c r i ption f the family amon g ,

o

t h e I r oquois Senecas and the O mahas With t h e Iroquois .

Senecas the direct line both ascen ding and descen din g is
, , ,

ve r y short It does t go far ther t h an grand father and

. no

g r andmot h er and gr andson , and grand dau gh ter T h -

. e

mo r e distant ancestor s and descen dants a r e all comprised

witho ut distinction in the same cate gorie s ; they fo r m
g rou p s f gr andfathers
o o r g r andsons In collate r al line . a ,

t h ey pr oceed by gr o ups in the same manner Th us f , .

,
or a

1
O w n D r y Om h S i l gy p
e o se 5 i R p
, f Smi h i
a a oc o o , . 2 2, n e orts o t s on an

I n st itut ion , 1 885 .

288 TH E E V OL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

w o m a n, t h e sons and daughters of a siste r a r e r eckone d a s

h er w sons and da ugh te r s and t h eir children are her
o n ,

g r andchildren T h collate ral kinshi p is then confounded

. e

at lea s t in te rminology with kinshi p in a di rect line O

,

, . n
the contra ry the sons and da ughter s of a woman s broth r
,
’
e
a r e only her ne phe w s and nieces H w can w explai . o e n

t h is familial confusion on one side and thi s distinction on ,

th e ot h er ? It m y probably be attributed to the habit f

a o

the R edskins to ma rry a lot f s iste r s at the s ame time o .

A woman counts her s ister s child r en as her own because

’
,

the h usband f that siste r whom we s hould call her

o ,

brot h er i law i s vi r tually her hu s band also Inve rsely f

-
h -
, .
,
or

a m a n, his brother s children or h is fraternal nieces d

’

, an
neph ews are reckoned as his w child ren ; their c h ild ren
, o n
are his gr andsons grand dau gh te r s w h ilst the child ren
or -
,

an d g andc h ild r en of h is s ister are only his ne phews and

r
nieces F ollowing u previou s line of reas oning we a r e
?
o r ,

led to su pp o s e that these denominations f kinshi p g o o

back to a distant e poch when b r others had th i wi in , e r

'

ve s

common but abstained from ma rr yin g t h eir w sisters

,
o n .

T his su ppo s ition i s confi r med by t h e examination of t h e

collateral ascending kin s hi p T hus either in the case f a .
,
o

m an o r woman the father s brother t h e pate r nal uncle

,
’
, or ,

is reckoned as t h e fathe r and his sons and dau ghte r s are ,

reckoned as b r others and si s te r s

Th si s te r s of the father
e f any p erson bearin g t h e ,
or o

title of fathe r are called a unts Th child ren of these

, . e

aunts are cousins F a man the kins h ip of uncle is . or ,

restricted to the brothers fthe mother and t h e child ren f o , o

t h e s e uncles are co usins Th mother s siste r or the . e

’
,

maternal aunt is counted as a mother ; her children a r e

,

not ne phew s and nieces but sons d daughters All ,

an .

siste r s real or fictitio us a re mutually mothers f all their

, ,
o

c h ild ren Th children f a man s b r ot h ers are t his

. e o
’
no
ne ph e w s and nieces but his sons and daughte r s ; h is ,

sisters chil dr en a r e his ephe w s and nieces ? pr obably

’
n

beca use these names have been given at an e poch when t h e

b r others ma rried grou ps f sisters in common but not o ,

their own siste r s .

1
w r
L e is M o gan A n c ien t S oc ieties , p 4 3 6
, . .

2
I d , ibid p 4 38
. . . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 289

The O maha R edskins disting uish the de grees of kinshi p

almost the same w y t h e I r oquois Senecas F
in a as . or

them also the most distant ascen dants a r e all grandfathers

or gr andmot h e r s T hey class
. all t h eir relatio s in grou p s n ,

formed of individ ual s virtually bro ught to gethe r by similar

de grees of consan guinity alliance Whole cate go r ies f or . o

in divid uals mo re or less n ume r ous are called brothe r s

, ,
or

fathers f a man o r woman all those whom the father of a

o

p erson calls b r others are fathers t that p er s on ; all tho s e o

whom the mother f a woman calls hu s bands are also

o

father s to that woman Th ame mother i s given to . e n

“ ”

all the women r e puted a s s isters to th mother to the e ,

aunt s niece s f the mother and al s o to the virt ual wives

or o ,

o f the father .

A man has virtually f wives all the wive s of hi s brother sor ,

and also their widows account f the levirate

,
on o .

If a man ha s a brother i law wh is at the same time the -

n- o

hu s band f a paternal aunt the sister f that man i s the

o , o

grand dau ghter f the brother i law

-
o -
n- .

A man become s your brother i l w if h i s me r ely th -

n- a e e
husband f a paternal aunt becau s e he can mar r y your
o ,

Si ster.

T h hu sb and
e f a daughter o f a niece or f a grand ,
o ,
o

dau ghter is a son i law

,
-
n - ?

All the s ons and all the da ughter s of p erson s re puted as

father s and mother s call each other brother s and iste r s S .

All the wive s real virtual f the grandfathe r are called

, or ,
o

g randmothers ; so are also all the mothers or g r andmothers of

the father s and mothers and all the wome that the fathers ,
n

and mothe r s call sisters .

A man co unts as his sons all the s on s of his brothers or

of his vi r tual wive s ; but the sister s f these son s are h is o
sisters A w oma calls the sons and dau ghters of her
. n

b r other s her ne phew s and nieces but the c h ildren f her , o

sister are counted a s her own children ; becau s e their
father is virtually her hu s band .

A mong the O maha s a man call s his sister s children

’

ne phew s and nieces A per s on f either sex count s a s

. o

grandchildren all those who are called the children f hi s o

s on s daughters ne phew s and niece s
, , reputed a s such
, ,
or .

Ow n D r y l
1
i e
p 55 o se , oc . c t .
, . 2 .
29 6 TH E E VO L UTI ON O F MA R RI A G E

A man counts a s uncles all tho s e whom his mothers call

b r othe r s and as aunts all the sisters f hi fat h er o s
and the wives of his uncles A man has for brothe rs i .
-
n

law the husbands f his father s sister ; for they are the o
’

r eal virtual h usbands of his si s ters a woman has t hem

or
fo r vir tual husbands ?

V a r ious prohibitions f mar r ia ge result from the s e con o

v en ti l kinshi ps
o na A man may not ma rr y the wome t h at
. .
n
h e call s daugh ters f a s i s ter grand dau ghters etc
o , or -
, .

A w oman may not ma rr y the men w h are her sons the o ,

son s of her si s ter of her aunt or f her niece w h o a r e

, o , or
h e r brothers etc ,
?

But an O maha may marry any woman wh is not a blood o

relation provided t h at s h e does not fi gure amon g t h e

,

p rohibited fli it i a n es
?

We have not such detailed information r egarding the

other R edskin tribe s ; but we know enou gh f them to be o

cert in that their sy s tems f kinshi p are very analogous to

a o

t h ose f th Iroquois Seneca s and the O maha s F iliation

o e .

i s everywhere maternal e ce pt in certain tribe s in the cou r se , x

o f evol ution nearly every w here also it is a c r ime to ma r ry
a woman havin g the same t t m o e
?

A mon g the M andans P w i and A i k i a man ,

a n es , rc ar e s ,

calls h is brother s wife his wife also Amon g t h e C r ows a

’
.

w oman calls her h usband s brother s wife he r comrade ’ ’

but among the Wi b g she calls her si s ter I som ”

ne a os . n e

t r ibe s a man wife ister s hu s band i s called his brother

’
S
’
S S
’ “
.
”5

Some ve r y severe and inconvenient rules of decency have

res ulted fr om the s e fictitiou s kin s hi ps wit h their prohibitions ,

of ma rr ia ge .

T h us amon g the O mahas the yo ung girls may only s peak

, ,

to their father brothe r and grandfather A w oman avoid s

, ,
.

p assin g be fore her da ughter s h usband a s m u ch as p os s ible ’

and unles s under extraor dina r y circumstances a woman does

, ,

no t s p eak directly to the father f her h usband A man o .

never add r esses a w o r d to the mother or gr andmother of his

w i fe ?
In the last century among t h e Iroquois a young , ,

1 w
O e n D o s ey, loc r . c it .
,
pM ac L p . 25 4, 2 5 5 .

d p 2 56 P rim i ti v e M a rriage, p 9 7
'

2 I d , z bzfl
. . . e n n a n, . .

3
I d , ibid p 2 5 7
. . . .
5
L . M o rga n , A n c ien t S oc ietz es , p 4 40 . .

5
O w e n D o s e y, loc r . c it .
, pp .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y . 29 1

man was dishono ured ifhe sto pped to converse in public with
a young girl who wa s certainly within the proh ibited de gree
o f kinship F a youn g Iroquoi s girl to call the h us band
?
or

o fher aunt by his p e r sonal name was con s idered a grave act ,

indicatin g a c ul pable li i a so n
?

F rom the m anner in which th R edskin s under s tand e

kins h i p we may infer two t h ing s fi r st that they mu s t have
, ,

p assed th r o ug h a familial sta ge in which grou p s f brother s ,

o

ma rr ied gro ups of s ister s d pos s essed them in common an ,

thus combining polygamy and p olyand ry since they attach ,

little value to r eal consan guinity and their kinshi p s are ,

ve r y often fictitious and seco ndly that they make no di ffer ,

ence between real fi li ti and ado ption and in t h i s they a on ,

resemble sava ges and even barbarians f all countrie s o .

A mon g the O mahas the word used to signify ado ption

means literally to take for one s o w n son T h ado pted
’
.
” 3
e
child is alway s t r eated as the fi t born and takes hi s place rs -
,

the father who adopts him refu s es him not h ing and gives ,

him a s ha r e in all his wealth Th real fathe r on hi s s ide . e , ,

makes pre s ents to the adopted father A d la s tly there is a . n ,

p rohibition f ma r riage du
o r ing four year s between the t w o
familie s acco unt of the kinshi p created b y the ado ption
, on
?

Sometime s an entire clan adopt s another Thus the .

Wolf Iroquoi s were adopted by the F alcon Iro quoi s and the
- -
,

effect of t hi s adoption wa s that the two clan s becam com e

p l t
e ely a ss imilated the new comer s taki
,
g the kin s hip s f -
n o

the adoptive clan ?

Th ado ption of enemie s taken p ri s oners after
e battle ,
a ,

is s till more curiou s This adoption has almost miraculou s

.

e ffects it exting ui shes the ferociou s hatred which the R d e

skins al ways feel for men belon gin g to rival tribes ; more
than t h at it makes the ca ptive warrior become the husband
,

of the woman w hom he ha s perhaps rendered a widow ,

or

of the dau ghter who s e father he may have killed Th . e

R ed s kins have it should be s aid very exaggerated ideas
, ,

on the s ubj ect f warlike valour A combatant m us t

o .

never surr ender unle ss very severely wounded E very .

L 1
dfi ett res t p 3 ‘
e z I bid p
a n tes , .
44 x1 1 . . 1 0 .
2
. . 1 .

2
4
w r
O e n D o s ey, loc c it p 2 6 5 . . . .

I a , ibid p 2 8 1
. . . .

r
M o gan, A n c ien t S oc ieties, p 8 1 . .
292 TH E E VOL U TI O N OF M A R R I A G E

w arrior w ho is taken prisoner i s dishonou r ed and held as

dea d by h i s tribe and his captors generally to r t ur e him to
,

death H o w eve r in t h e last cent ury the most fe r ocious o f

.
, ,

the R edskins t h e I r oquois sometimes s pa red a few pr isone r s

, ,

to o ffe r them to t h e w ives o r da ugh te r s whose relations had

been kille d T he latter had the po we r either to put them
to death in order that thei r shades mi ght serve as slaves to
,

their fat h er b r other or hu s band etc who had fallen or to

, , , .
, ,

pardon them and even ado pt t h em , In thi s last case the .

,

enemies of the previous i ght took a place amon g the n

war r iors f the clan and were no longe r distin guished from
o ,

the ot h ers .
1

T h is system of kinshi p in the familial clan is curious ,

beca use it holds real consan guinity very c h ea p u h it t ,

n es a
i gly confus in g real with fictitio us kinshi p
n d thus forming , an

classes of fictitious relation s It seem s to pr ove the exist .

ence f an ancient pe r iod f pr omiscuity d uring w h ich

o o ,

there was scarcely any thou ght of determining with pr ecision

the degree s f consan guinity of individuals Nat urally the
o .
,

fi r st form of the family wh ich wa s mo r e less v guely or a

outlined in the confus ed grou ps anterior to the familial

clans was the mate r nal family ; but thi s sy s tem of fi li ti
,
a on

by classes is in no way incom patible w ith pate r nal fili ti a on .

U p to the pr esent time k in hi p in the female line s

p r evails amon g most of the R edskin t r ibes Ce r tain of .

them ho wever are evolving in t h e direction f masculine

, , o

fi li ti a and thi s movement was already commencing at

o n,
the clo s e of the last centu ry Th transformation began ?
e
w ith t h e chiefs and more p owerful men Among the .

Thli k it of R ussian A me r ica the great men al r eady give

n s

t h e pate r nal name to t h eir children ; but the p oorer peo ple
are still i the stage of uterine fi li ti
n Ce rtain t r ibes a on
?

have quite recently adopte d the s ystem f pate r nal fili ti o a on .

It is owing to E ur o pean infl uence that t h is c h an ge is

o pe ratin g and its accomplishment i s only a question f
, o

time Th Oj ibways have only taken t w o generations to

. e
effect the adoption of agnatic fili ti A similar evolution a on
?

1
Voyages du ha ro n de L ahon ta n , e tc , t 1 1 pp 203 , 2 04 . . . .

2
. r
A G i aud Te u o n , loc c it , p 1 9 6
-
l . . . .

3 l r
H o m b e g, S hiz z en iiher die Vo lher des R uss ic hen A m eriha, p 3 2 . .

4
. r
L M o gan , loc c it , pp 1 66 , 344 . . . .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 2
93

w as spontaneously accomplished i the gr eat states f n o

Central America In Peru maternal fi li ti w s till in

. a on as
gene r al u s e but the paternal family w be ginnin g to
,
as

a ppear I the mas s f the nation say s G omar the he r it

. n o , a,

g w
a e as transmitted to ne phew s and not to son s but in the
family f the Inca s direct male descendants alone h d the
o a

right to avail themselves f their o r i gin and son s inherited o ,

?

It seems that in M exico the familial evol ution may have

been more advanced for there it is al w ays the p ate r nal
,

personality which pr edominates and it is the father wh , o

dictate s to the chil dren rules f cond uct and moral pr ecept s o .

Th e mothers exho r t thei r daug h ters to be s ubmi s sive to

their husbands to obey them and strive to please them
, .

T h familial customs which I have j ust described a r e

e

general in Ame r ica ; they are not universal as rega r ds

exogamy for H earne tells u s that many C h i ppeways f
, re
quently take to wife their si s te r s dau ghters and even , ,

mother s We know on the othe r hand that t h e Peruvian

?
, ,

Incas married thei r s ister s and that th r o ughout the Per uvia , n
em pi r e no ma r ried o ut s ide t h e administ rative di s trict
o ne .

In some parts fAmerica the dive r sity is still gr eater Th

o . e
Caribs mar r ied their relative s with the excep tion f siste r s? , o

indisc r iminately ; the Indians f G uiana on the contra r y o , ,

p ractised totemic exogamy like the R edskins ,

?

Th e Indians of G uatemala we r e unacquainted with

m ate r nal kinshi p T hey willin gly ma r rie d their s iste r s
.
,

p rovided they wer not children f

e the same fathe r and o ,

amon g them the child ren belon ged to t h e clas s f the father o
even when the mother w a slave A mon g the M ayas as .
5

descent w as also reckoned in the male line In various ?

savage t r ibes of M exico t h e women did not in h erit A mon g .

the I ty and in Y ucatan the name f the child was fo r med

as o

by combinin g the name s f the fathe r and mother ; the o

mot h e r s name ho w ever had the precedence

’
, , .
7

Th e monk Thevet relate s that the Indian s f B r a il o z

2
H r
S p e n c e , S oc iology , v o l 11 p 340
. . . . .

I d , ibid , v o l ii p 2 1 8
. . . . . .

3
Sq r
uie , S tates of Cen t ra l A m eric a , p 2 3 7 . .

1
‘
r
B e tt, I ndia n Tribes of G u ia n a , p 9 8
r t
.

5
Ban c o f , loc c it pp 6 64 66 5 . . .
, .

5
r
L M o gan , A n c ien t S oc iet ies , p 5 3 8
r t
. .

7
B an c o f , loc c it v o l 1 1 p 6 8 0
. . . . . .
2 94 TH E E V OL UTI ON OF M A R R I A G E

al ready pu sh ed the agnatic s ystem at least in theory to it s , ,

mo s t ext reme limit s ; for they a ffi r med he says that in , ,

p roc r eation the part of the father is predominant and ,

t h at of the mother only secondary T h gene ral con ? e

c lu i to be drawn from t h ese very dissimilar fact s is t h at

s on ,

we should abstain fr om forming any ab s olute theorie s on

t h e s e gr eat sociolo gical que s tions f m a rriage d the o an
family which a r e s till s o far from b eing elucidated
, .

III . The F a m ily in P olynesia .

by the female line seem s to be generally ado pted

F iliatio n ,

not only in Polyne s ia but in many M elane s ian M icro ,

or

i
n e s an archi pelagoes It has been found in t h e F iji Islands .
,

at Ton ga and the Ca r olines etc But exo gamy even the ,
2
.
,

exogamy of t h e clan after the Ame r ican fashion appears , ,

ra r e It existed at Samoa but in any ca s e it s eems t to

.
,
no

h ave been a gene r al custom ?

In N w Zealand endogamy predominated and marriage

e ,

with a w oman of another tribe was even prohibited unless ,

an im portant p olitical motive co uld be given as an excuse ?

E n do gamy wa s also pr actised i the H w i Islands In n a a an .

the M ul gr ave I slands eve ry ma rr iage req uired the sanction

of an assembly f all the fr iends and r elatives or rather of
o ,

the whole clan for the interest f the community w

,
5
o as

involved in it .

In t h e H w i Islands there existed a confused kinshi p

a a an

by classes analogous to that of the familial clan amon g

,

t h e R e dskins but much more gro s s G roup marriage f

,
.
-
o

b r others and siste r s prevailed but generally the brothe r s ,

did not ma r ry their w siste r s A for the names o n . s

ex pre s sin g the de grees f kins h i p they were names f o ,

o
classe s Th H w i had no wo r ds to express fat h er
. e a a an s
“ ”

or mothe r
“
T hey u s ed the wo r d
.
”
t which “
a,

si gnifies pa r ents T say fathe r they added t h e

.
”
o
“
,

wo r d h “
which signifie s male M h i h
a n a,
”
male ”
: z a a na,

1
Th t Si g l i é d l F
ev e , n iq p
u ar t s5 e a ran c e a n tarc t ue, . 21 .

2
. r l
A G i aud-Te u o n , loc c it , p 1 6 7 . . . .

2 r
H ubne , S ix s em a in es en l o ly n és ie in R ev ue des D e ux -M on des ,
’
1 886
t
.

4
Y a e , N ew Z eala n d, p 99
l n
. .

5
P au di g, II ist Un iv des Voy , t xv i p 4 5 9
. . . . . . .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y 295

p arent mother they used the combinatio

. To s ay , n,

Mhi z a female pa r ent There w no ex pre s sio

oua hin a, . as n
f
or son “
daughter T hey used the word h ihi
”
or
“
.
”
e ,

child little one to which they added h

,
or u hi , ana or o a n a,

as before according as the child wa s male or female Th

, . e

language had term s f brother si s terno Th or

“ ”
or
“
.
” 1
e

wor d em ployed to ex press wives i s collective ; it applies “

to the wife s ister as w ell as to the wife pro per and signifies
’
S ,

literally female ; in the same w y f husband they

“ ”
a , or
“ ”

us ed the wo r d h ( male ) and a pplied it also to the an a ,

husband s b r other and sister s husband All the s isters f

’ ’
. o

a woman we r e called the wives f the husband f that “

o o

woman even whe they were not actually s o Th

,
”
n
?
e

H w ia h ad no ex pres s ions f g randfathe r

a an s grand or
“ ”
or
mother T heir word h p u signifies an ancestor of any
.
”
a na

degree beyond the father and mother (m hu ) Neit h er had a .

they any s pecial denomination f grandson g r and or

“
or

dau ghter A brother s and si s ter s did not generally

”
. s

intermarry the women called th husband or husbands f

, e o

their isters not husbands but intimate com panions

S ,
“
,
” “ ”

( )
l ?
p un a ua

It wa s possible for either the paternal or maternal family

to evolve fr om thi s confused s ystem of kin ship ba s ed at ,

fi rs t a pparently the promiscuity of brothe rs and sister s ;on

but it wa s the latter which at first aro s e and in the time of ,

Cook the rank and dignity of the chiefs were transmitted

in the female line A sin gular cu s tom noticed by Cook in ?

the Society Isles may pe r haps be interpr eted in the sen s e

o f maternal fi li ti They s poke f the transmission a on . o

o f the title and di gnity f the chiefs to their fi t o rs

bo r n and t h at even at the moment f birth A soon as

,
o . s

t h e wife f a chief had given bi r th to a son the father w

o ,
as

reckoned as de po s ed and became a sim ple re gent he owed ,

homa ge to hi s s on and mi gh t not re m ain in hi s presence ,

w i hout uncoverin g to the waist

t A t T onga mate r nal .
5

fili ti a w well established ; rank was tran s mitted by t h e

on as

r
L M o gan , A nc ient S oc ieties , p 3 7 4
1

—
. . .

2
I d , ibid p 4 2 8
. M ac Le nn an , P rim itiv e M arriage, p 3 7 5
. . . . .

3
. r
L M o gan , A nc ien t S oc ie ties , p 4 2 8 . .

r
D e V a igny, Q ua/o w e an s a ux iles S a n dw ic h , p 1 4
k t
. .

5
Co o ( S e c o n d V o a
y ge ) H ist U n v d es Voy v 1 1 p 4 1 7 -5

t
, . . .
. . . . .
,

M o e re nh o ut, Voy a ux iles , e tc , ii p p 1 3, 1 5

. . . . . .
2 96 TH E E VOL U TI O N OF M A R R I A G E

women who s ometimes even rei gned and the father wa s

, ,
1

not counted as the parent of his c h il d ?

O f late yea rs and manifestly under E uro pean in fl uence

, ,

t h e familial system has become modified in Polynesia At .

T onga masculine fi li ti i s being s ub s tituted by de grees

a on
fo r feminine fi li ti T h M aoris of N w Zealan d have
a on
?
e e

also a do pted a gnatic fi li ti but this new system s till j ars a o n,

a gainst ancient usages which formerly harmoni s ed with th ,

e

maternal family .

T h is evol ution of the family in Polynesia has p robably

had f its sta r tin g point a confused pr omiscuity d afte r
or -
,
an

wa r ds s ystem f classification f relations in w h ich real

a o o ,

and fictitious ties w ere ha r dly di s tin guis h ed fr om each

other With t h e slight im po r tance attached to r eal con
.

san guinity mi gh t very nat urally oexi s t a great facility to c

p r actise ado p tion T his w a s abused to . s uch a deg ree in

t h e Marq uesas Islands that it wa s not uncommon to see age d
p ersons g etting t h emselves ado pted by c h ild r en d even ,
an

animals w ere ado pted also T h us a c h ief had ado pted a .

d g to w hich he had ceremonio us ly offered ten p i gs and

o ,

some precious ornaments ; he had him constantly car r ied by

a hihi and at the banquet s f the chiefs the animal had
no o ,

his a ppointed place by t h e side of his adoptive fathe r ?

T h ere w as no distinction gene rally ma de between t h e real

and t h e ado ptive parent and we may hence concl ude ,
5

that t h e degrees and bonds f kins h i p we r e not w ell o

distin gui s he d .

IV . The F a m ily a m o ng the M o ngols .

The family of t h e Po lynesians and more es pecially of ,

theH awaia n s ,may w ell have been as L M o rgan s upposes , .

,

the primitive familial ty pe f the A me r ican R edskins It o .

has fo r its basis a m a rr ia ge whic h is at once polyan dr ic

and polygynic bet w een gr o ups of siste r s and corr esp ondin g
,

1
Th . We st
Ten Yea rs in S o uth Cen t ra l P oly n es ia, p
, . 2 60 .

2
r
M a rin e , Voy to th e F rien dly I s la n ds , e tc , v o l ii p 1 65
rk
. . .

E s ine , I s la n ds of th e Western P a c ifi c
. . .

3
.

4
M R adigue t, D ern ie rs S a uv a ges , p 1 8 1
. . .

5
r r
M a in e , I o nga I s la n ds , v o l ii p 9 8 . . . .
 A IVD OF TH E F A M I L Y . 29 7

grou ps of brother s and it results q uite naturally in a s y s tem ,

of kin s hi p by classe s holding real consanguinity ve r y c h ea p ,

.

It seems probable that analogou s sy s tems of kin s hi p may

have been adopted by the g r eater number of the A s iatic
M on gols T hi s may at least be infe rr ed from the fr a g
.

mentary but si gni fi cant accounts with which explorers hav e

s upplied u s Amon g the Y u k Samoyedes it is forbidden
. o ra ,

to marry a woman of the same t r ib ( rather clan ) Th e or

?
e
eo
p p le among the Kalmuck s are subject t restrictions of o

t h e same kind in rega r d to marriage which must not t k ,

a e

p lace within three four de grees of kinshi p Th g r eat or . e

men howeve r for who m the laws are more lenient in all
, ,

co untrie s sometime s obtain immunity from the s e i

,
nc o n

i t obligations but t h e p o pulace is ve r y much shocked

v en e n ,

at their laxity G reat men and dogs they say have no

.
“
,
”
,
“

kin Neverthel s s the sons of the great men who often

. e , ,

also mar ry their si s te r s i l w alway s take a wife in anot h er -

n- a ,

cl n Kin s hi p by classes surely existed among the M on gols

a
?

only a few centuries g for Baber the founder of the a o, ,

M on gol E m pi r e of D el h i s peak s in his M m i f f ,

e o rs o o ne o

his lieutenant s amed L gu Kha wh posse ss ed a ,

n en er n, o

whole tribe of maternal uncle s the Dj dj uh h formi g ,

en o a ,
n a

p eople w h lived in the mountain

o s of the P u j u b n a
?

V . The E volution o f the Sys tem o f K in ship hy Classes .

These facts and the infe r ences they s u gge s t enable u s

, ,

to solve a di ffi culty w hich has embarrassed an eminent

sociologi s t L M o rgan to whom we owe u ac q uaintance
, .
,
o r

with the details f the c urious sy s tems of kin sh i p by classes

o

prevailin g amon g the Polynesian s and the R edskin s .

M or gan i com pa r in g term for term the denominations

, n , ,

in dicatin g kin s hi p among the I r o q uois Seneca s d the -

an
Tamils of India fo und them identi al as to m eaning and,
c

n umber and he admit s but not witho ut he s itation that

, , ,

there ha s bee in both race s a parallel and s p ontaneous

n, ,

L th a m D 1
p i E h l gy a l p 4 55 , es c ri t ve t no o ,
vo . 11 . . .

2
M ac L enn an ,
loc . c it .
pp 7 8 , 7 9
,
.

3
A Gi. r aud-Te u o n , l Orig du M ariage, p
. . 2 68 .
298 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

evol ution T hi s way of ex plainin g ethnic imilaritie s i s

?
S

ce r tainly in gene ral ve ry le gitimate At fi r st s igh t it often .

a ppea r s tr ustwo r thy and saves the t r o uble of inventin g,

fanta s tic migr ations In thousand s f cases men of every . o

pe r iod eve r y co unt r y eve r y race have conducted t h em

, ,

selves i the same w y had the same ideas realise d the

h a , ,

same inventions adopted the s ame pr actices without kno w

, ,

i g each other witho ut even s upp osin g t h e existence f the

n , o

ot h er peo ple s and this sim ply beca us e all of them were
,

p art of t h e gr eat h uman family B ut bet w een t h e .

M on goloids f No r th A merica their cousin s f N o r the r n

o ,
o

A sia and t h e H w i
, t h ere is probably the bond of a
a a an s ,

distant d common origin and besides this the nomad

an , , ,

M on gols f Asia have more t h an once p enet r ate d into

o

India U p to the present time half savage M on gol t r ibe s

.
,
-

occ upy entire regions f the H im l y h M on gols and o a a a .

Tamils h ave had w i de and long communications with each

ot h e r d urin g prehistoric ages ; it h as t h e refo re been p os

sible for t h em to borrow m utually their system of kins h i p .

T h e r e exists quite a chain f peo ple s incl uding the Tamils o ,

of India the lea s t civilised M on gols t h e American R d

, ,
e

skins and lastly the greater umber f the Polynesians all

, n o ,

o f wh om have formerly ado pted o r still practise systems f ,

o

kinship base d not con s ang uinity but on a classification

, , on ,

mo r e less fictitious
or .

Th fact is interestin g; but it is some w hat bold to attach

e

to it as M o rgan has done a universal value and to pretend

, , ,

that all h uman r aces have passed th r ou gh this phase of

kinshi p by classes Even in t h e count rie s where this.

familial fo r m pr evails it is subj ect to more than ,

o ne

exce ption and it i s pr obable t hat each great human ty pe

, ,

havin g h ad it s s pecial centre f creation has evolved o ,

p h ysically and p ys chically in it s w manne r sometime s o n ,

unconscio usly imitating t h e othe r s but quite as often ,

d viatin g fr om them according as the envi r onment t h

e , , e
di f fi c ulties to be ove r come and the necessities f th e ,
o

s t r uggle for exi s tence im posed it such or suc h a line on

o f c o n duc t

1
. r
L M o gan , Conjec tural S o lutio n of the O rigin of th e C la ss ifi c atory
S ys tem of R ela tion s h ip, in P 7 oc eedings of t he A meric an A c ademy of
A rts a n d S c ie n c es , 1 8 6 8 .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 2 99

H owever it may be if we condense by cla ss ification all

, , ,

the notion s that have been collected in relation to kinshi p

by classes amon g t h e Aus tralians the Tamils the pr imitive , ,

M on gols the M ongoloids Of North America

,
d those f an o

Polynesia we may retrace the evolution of kin s hi p b y

,

classe s with sufficient a ppea r ance of truth .

T o begin with the r e must have exi s ted hordes which

, , ,

tho ugh doubtless huma were still ve ry be s tial as re gards n,

t h eir in s tinct s and intelli gence In the s e hordes which .
,

were not very numerous the women being taken po s ses s ion ,

of by the mo s t robust ld males the yo un g ones were o ,

obli ged either to quit the gr ou p to remain i it by or n

ravi s hing one two women from rival ho r des ; f
or or

exo gamy was a necessity Th least advanced f the . e o

A ust r alian tribes seem to be s till in thi s primitive stage . .

A t len gth a little o r der w as p ut into this diso r de r by t h e

hor de breakin g up into clans ; it w then decided that all as

the men and all the women f each clan should be brothers o

and isters and should not inte r marry and that on the
S , ,

other ha d all the men f a clan houl d be the husband s f

n ,
o S o
all the women of the nei ghbouring clan sim ply by ri ght ,

o f birth T h Kamilaroi
. f A u s tralia may re present the
e o

s econd stage .

In Polynesia the pr inciple is the s ame but the idea has ,

become restricted and defined G rou ps of real brothers .

marry gro ups f women actually sisters thu s fo r min g hou s e

o ,

hold s t once polyandric and polygamic ; but t r aces f the

a o

antique ma r riage by fictitious gro ups f b r othe r s and o

siste r s a ppear again in the term s used to designate t h e
vario us degrees of kinship These terms are in reality .

p u r ely l ifi t c ass
y d take little account f real
c a or ,
an o
consa guinity
n .

A mong the R ed s kin s a w and important restriction ne

has been establis h ed M a rr iage o utside the clan is . c on

ti u d but not ma r ria ge by gr o up s

n e , f siste rs and b r ot h ers o .

That t h is w as done in pr imitive times howeve r i s p r oved , ,

by the familial vocab ulary O the other hand t h ey have . n ,

clearly r enounced polyandry and ado pted polygamy w it h ,

not le s s clearness but this p olygamy is s pecial and it i s ,

generally a grou p f s ister s w h marry the polygamo us

o o
h u s band .
3 0 0 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

As for the term s of kinship they are alway s general and ,

c lass ifi c ato r
y Th relations are denominated by gro ups
. e ,

and t h e title s of kinshi p do not in the least corres pond to

the ties of blood .

L astly among certain nomad M on gols of As ia the s trict

, ,

p rohibition to marry w ithin the clan and the terms of ,

kin s hip a pplyin g to gr ou ps how that forme rly a familial , S

:

system analogous to that f the A m e r ican R ed skins ha s

, o ,

been in u s e .

M oreover this l ifi t y s ystem is pr eserved entire in

, c ass c a or

the denomination s f kinship by t h e Tamils of India But o .

among these last and also among ce r tain M on gol p pul , o a

tions of T h ibetan H imalaya the pr imitive family at onc , , e

p olygamic and p olyandric that f th e H w i islande r s ,

o a a an ,

ha s evolved after its w manner which it i s interestin g to o n ,

notice .

Th Polynesian or rather the H w i family fo r med

e , a a an ,

essentially by the conj ugal union of a grou p of brothe rs

with a gr oup of siste r s may evidently be rest r icted in two ,

ways E ither in the lon g run polyan dr y is fo und i rk s ome

.
, ,

t h e men will no lon ger share their w ive s even with b rothers , ,

but find poly gamy very convenient ; in thi s ca s e the

b r others cont ract isolated ma rriage s prese r ving nothin g ,

of t h e old w ays but the custom f ma rryin g wh en possible o , ,

a grou p f sisters the R edskins have done and still d

o : o

this O on the contrary f

. r, reason or another and ,
o r o ne ,

mo s t often on acco unt of the relative s carcity f women o ,

the H w i mar r iage evolves i another di rection

a a an n .

T h brother s contin ue to mar r y in a grou p ; but instead

e ,

of ma r ryin g s im ult neo usly several siste r s t h ey take only a ,

one w i fe and posse ss her in common this time it is in t h e :

di rectio of p olyand r y that pr imitive gr ou p marr iage has

n -

evolved F rom the H imalaya to Ceylon w find a lon g

. e

t rack f ethnic gr o ups wh have th us t ransfo r med t h eir

o o

marria ge T h mo untaineers of B h t the Na r s ce r tain

. e o o an ,
’'

i ,

other abo ri ginal t r ibes of India and a part of the po pulation ,

o f Ceylon w here the T amils have la rgely immi grated are

, ,

all f them the r emain s or land m ark s of an ancient layer

o

o f p olyandric po pulation t r ave r sin g t h e w h ole of H indost n a .

All t h ese fact s can be classed in a satisfacto r y manner .

T h us united d placed in a se r ies t h ey com plete and

, an ,
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
3 6 1

throw a li ght on each other and how us the r eason f ,

S o

cu s toms which before a ppea r ed inex plicable .

A ll this evolution is q uite admi sible but it is im portant s

,

to r estrict it to the po p ulation s with w h ich it act ually a ppea r s

to be connected d not to make f it a universal l w
,
an o a ,

a pplicable to the whole human race .

VI . The Cla n a nd the F a m ily .

Inde pendently f their intrinsic interest the facts t h at

o ,

I h ave so ra pidly enumerated have a very wide bearing .

T aken alone they s uffice to de s troy altogether the general ly

,

ac ce pted ideas a s to the origin of human s ocieties Th . e

c urr ent doct r ine s o often asserted and manife tly ins pi r ed
, ,
s

by the E denic tradition of a ter r est r ial Paradise and by the

memory f the R oman family insist s that h uman s ocietie s
o ,

have al w ays and everywhere started with the family and by ,

thi s word is under s tood the pat r ia r chal family essentially ,

com posed f the father and the mother

o at most the , or

mot h e r s and the children F r om t h is fi rs t family g r ou ped .

,

s ubmissively a r ound a ugust chief the father similar

o ne , ,

families are s upposed to have s pr ung which side by side , , ,

con s tituted t r ibes citie s and states This familial unit

, , .
,

su ppo s ed to b e primo r dial this cellule f societies is ,

“
o ,

held to be particula r ly re s pectable ; the chief who gove r n s

it des potically the father has somethin g enchanting about
, ,

him At hi s voice the celestial wrath bur s ts witho ut mercy

.

on the child b old enough to brave it E ven as late as the .

last cent ury the pate r nal malediction had the effect f a
,
o

mo r al thunde r bolt ; in romances and theatri al plays the c

write r s often had recourse to it in order to e ffect the

catastro phes f their plots o .

We are fo r ced in the pre s ent day to renounce thi s

traditional notion We mu s t bid adieu to the primitiv
. e

p at r iarchate T h .
patria r chal even s im ply paternal
e ,
or

family doe s not date at least in most ca s e s from th

, , , e
origin of societies .

Th truly p r imitive stock is no other than the clan that

e ,

is a s mall consanguine gr ou p in which the kinshi p is still

,

very much confu s ed It wa s not i a day that the first . n

36 2 TH E E V OL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E .

men succeeded in constructin g genealogical trees or ,

even in determinin g with any precision the de gree s f o

c onsan guinity N t only does the father not stand ut as
. o o

a pr inci pal persona ge fr om the backgr ound f the familial o

clan h e ha s not even yet any reco gnised social existence

in the little gro up ; in s h o r t t h e act ual physiological fathe r
,

has had in pr inci ple no a s certainable relations h i p with hi s

c h ild ren fo r mar r ia ge wa s anythin g but monandric
, .

Wit h in the primitive social unit the familial clan every , ,

one was consan guine but in a confused way ; the w ives h d

,
a

several h usbands and the husbands seve ral wives ; t h e

,

degr ees of kins h ip we r e not individ ual but a pplied to ,

classes f individuals At t h i s perio d f social develo p

o . o
ment it was di ffi c ult to distin guish as yet the r eal from the
p ossible fictitio us consang uinity fr om real consan guinity
,
.

E ve r y h ad gro ups f fathers mot hers brothers and

o ne o , , ,

sister s fili ti and the true ties f con s anguinity in

: a on o

numerous cases could not be di s cerned .

In these grou ps of consan guine individuals these cl n s ,

a
with kinshi p still confused the firs t thin g that became mo s t
,

habit ually differentiated was not the paternal family for ,

that co uld s ca rcely exist s eeing that the father of a child

,

was not easy to desi gnate ; it was the maternal family ,

which we will w pr oceed to examine

no .
 C H AP TE R X V I II .

TH E MA TER N A L FA M I LY .

I . The F am ilia l Clan a nd t h e F a m ily p roperly Th e p o b

s o -c a lled. - r
l
ab e e v o l uti n f th f m ily—I t
o o e a c ann o th av e be e n unifo m r —W
hy th e
ut ri
e ne f m il y h
a b n mmas ee c o o n.

II . Th e F a m ily in Afric a —Th e a rn l f m ily m

m te a a a o ng th e
n gr t i i i M ad g r am
.

e f A f ic a, in E gyp
o es o r ,
in Abyss n a, n a as c a , o ng th e
r
A ab s an d Kaby es l .

I II . The F am ily in M a laya .

IV The F a m ily a m ong t he N a i rs of IlI ala ha r

. -
Th e fe m a l e p ro

tr x th r
.

ge n i i , th e m o e -
be e — l r
Th e un c e am o ng th e Nai s

—
.

V Th F m ily m g h A b igi
. e a
f B g l C xi t
a f on t e or n es o en a o -e s e nc e o

th m t rn l d p t r l fa m il y
.

e a e x g my d d g my
a an a e na e o a an en o a

d —I xi t i ry diff r t
.

VI Th C e ouv a e ri —T h t e s s n ve e en c o un t es e

ad i tiqity —Th
. .

c o uv e ad i nt m p r ry E r p
n an u e c o uv e n c o e o a u o e

S ig ifi n i f h adc at o n o t e c o uv e .

V II . The F rim itiv e F a m ily .

I . The F a m ilia l Cla n a nd the F a m ily p roperly so c a lled

-
.

the concl usion f the pr ecedin g cha pter I have

At o
vent ur ed to sketc h the pr obable evol ution of the family or ,

at least t h at wh ic h m ust h ave been effected amon g the

gr eate r n umber f M elanesians Polynesians A me r ican
o , ,

R e dskins T amils and ancient M on gols Th s mall

, ,
. e

p rimitive societies foun d ed by these races seem to h ave

be gun not with the family in the s ense we give to t h is
, ,

wo r d but by g r o ups f consan guine individ uals with still

,
o

ve ry con fused fi li ti Th familial fo r m w hich fi r st a on . e

emerged fr om this primitive clan w most often a as

matrimonial association between several sisters t h e one on

hand and s eve ral b r other s the ot h er Then fr om this on .

,
36 4 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R IA GE

household at once p olygamic and p olyand r ic s pran g some

, ,

times the p olyan dr ic family w h en several b r ot h e r s h ad a ,

sin gle wife in common and sometimes the polygynic family

, ,

when a sin gle man m ar r ie d or bou ght s eve ral women wh ,

o

mi ght or mi ght not be siste r s to eac h other

, , .

But has t h e familial gr ou p evolved in the same manner

all over the ea r th and among all race s ? E xce p t for the
count r ies p r evio usly enume r ate d precise and detailed i ,
n

formation is wantin g and w e a r e red uced to conjectu r es

,

which are mo r e o r less probable Wit h rare exce ptions t h e .

,

races w hich it r emains for us to examine h ave definitely

emerged from primiti e familial confusion and they h ave
v ,

a do pted eit h e r mate r nal paternal fili ti H ave they

or a on .

fi rs t passed throu gh t h e familial clan wit h classes of fictitiou s

o r r eal relations ? We cannot ce rtainly affi rm it Th . e

existence of a t t m and t h e custom of exo gamy see m to

o e

bear w itnes s in favour f this hy pothe s i s ; but these are

o

ins ufficient proofs Th t t m does not necessarily im ply

. e o e

consan guinity ; and exogamy may be dictated by ve ry

diverse reasons for we often find exogamic t r ibes living
,

side by side with endo gamic tribe s .

What is still mo r e gene r al than the clan is the institution ,

of the maternal family uterine fili ti but this familial

,
or a on
ty pe i s not invariably deduced fr om a previou s familial
clan A mon g many animal s pecie s t h e mate r nal family
.

exists without there ever h aving been either clan or g en s .

A a matter of fact in humanity as well as in animality t h e

s , ,

ute r ine family e s tablishe s itself s pontaneously whenever ,

the male abandons t h e female d her pr o geny This an .

familial type will the refore necessa r ily a ppea r in eve ry ho r de

w h e r e there is no durable pairin g of males and females f ,
o

men d w omen I eve ry et h nic gro up livin g in p r omi

an . n s

cui ry for exam ple uterine fi li ti s h o w s itself and it will

, ,
a on ,

be the same under a polyand ric égim unless fictitiou s r e,

p aternity is established In sho r t for t h e ado p

. tion of the ,

pate r nal family it is im pe r ative t h at the wives houl d be

,
S

appropriated by a pa r ticular m thou gh it i s of no im po r t an,

ance whether the marriage be monogamic or polygamic .

But thi s posse s sion of or more w omen by one man to

o ne

the excl usion of all othe rs pr esupposes already a com plex ,

social condition which has necessa r ily been preceded by a

,
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L x 36 5

p eriod f gro s s savagery

o when only uteri n fi li ti was ,
e a on

p os s ible N w it i s.a rule thatoncient cu

,
s tom s e dure for a n

a long time and s urvive th s ocial conditio which had

,
e n

given birth to them .

II . The F a m ily in Afric a .

Th e uterine family i s f fr om being rare in negro Africa ar ,

but thi s doe s not in any way hinder th man from e

exercising a di s c r etionary power over his wife wive s and or ,

s till more over his children We have previously seen h w . o

lamentable the fate of woman i s among the ne gro African s ,

and h w exces s ive are the right s f the father of th

o
“
o e
family since he can traffic in hi s children without re b uke
,
”
.

This virile de sp otism may ea s ily coexist with th ado ption e

of uterine fi li ti In one K ffi tribe the m u s ed their
a on . a r , en
o w children t bait their tra p s for catching lions
n o and yet ,
1

mate r nal fili ti preva il s in K affraria ; only it doe s not

a on

govern inheritance This mode f fi li ti i s do pted b y . o a on a

other race s a s well a s K ffi In G uinea s ay s Bo s ma a rs .
“
,
”
n, 2
“
if it plea s es t h e daughter of a king to marry s l ve her a a ,

children are free Among the F antee s the chief s l v ha s

.
”
, a e
the r i ght s of succes s ion to th exclu s ion f th but the , e o e so n
latter is only de prived of paternal succes s ion ; th property e
o f hi s mot h e r as di s tinct from that of hi s father come s to
, ,

him At Dahomey there seem s to be in the r yal family

.
3
, o ,

a symbolic s urvival of the maternal family At th death of . e

the kin g his sister exercises a re gency f e eral day s d
,
o s v , an
her duty is to occu py the throne in reality and to remai , n
seated it as lo g as a s ucce ss or has not bee a ppointed
on n n ?

B ut t h is does not in any w y hinder the p o pulation s of a

D ahomey fr om ado pti g a s a general cu s tom not only n ,

masc uline s ucce s sion but eve the ri ght f primogeniture , n o .

5

Barba r ous a s D ahomey may be it i s already a s ociety of t , oo

com plex a st r ucture to accommodate it s elf easily to the
1
l
L ay an d, journ a l of E th n ologic al S oc iety , 1 8 69
’
.

2
Bo s m an , Voyage en Guin ee, p 1 9 7
t n
. .

3 w h
Bo dic , Obs erv ation s s ur lo G ouv ern em en t des A c hantis ( c o ll e c io
W alk e naer, xii t
ln
. .

4 r
A G i aud-Te u o , Orig de la F a m ille, p 2 1 6
r rt
. . . .

5 r
H e be S pen c e , S oc iology, v o l ii p 340 . . . .
306 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R IA G E

mate r nal family H thi s s avage mode of fi li ti been . as a on

fo r me rly in u t h e r e ? It is possible ; but t h e sho r t r egency

se

of t h e kin g s siste r is a ve r y ins uffi cient proof of it I

’
. n

easte r n Afri a amo g the V u g u and also amon g

c ,
n o az e o ras,

the Ban galas of Cassan ga t h e uncle h a s the indefeasible ,

r i gh t to sell his ne ph e w s and in so doin g h e has t h e st r on g ,

a p pr oval f public o pinion o Why say t h ey sho uld a .

“
,
”
,
“

man r emain in nee d wh ile his br ot h e r s and siste r s h ave

c h il dr en Y t this relates to t r ibes lo g under A rab
? ”
e n

infl uence In the same r egion the V u m im gene rally

.
,
o a r as
consider the son f thei r iste r as t h ei r h eir in pr efe rence to
o S ,

thei r o w n chil dren A mon g the B d t h e Ba r ea s

.
1
az e s an ,

su ession is also in the mate r nal line and the hei r s a r e in

c c , ,

the fi r st degr ee the eldest son f the eldest siste r ; d in

, o an

the secon d de gree t h e second son fthe same siste r etc In , o ,

2
.

so uthe r n Afr ica t h e child r en belon g to t h e maternal uncle ,

who also has the r i ght to sell them It is the s ame amon g ?

the Basuto K ffi With these last as a K ffi chief in formed

a rs .
, a r

me it is again t h e ne ph ew who s ucceeds to the t hr one

,
?

Th M k l l K f
e a fi howeve r seem to be in process of
o o o a rs , ,

a doptin g pate r nal fi li ti ; or at least t h ey combine it w ith a on

mate r nal fi li ti byc om pellin g the h usband as L ivin gstone

a o n, ,

info r ms u to r e deem h is chil dren by t h e payment of a tax

s, ,

w it h o ut wh i h t h ey w o ul d belon g to t h e mate r nal gr and fat her

c .

I s h o r t t h e r e is no unifo r m r ule amon g t h e K f

n ,
fi f a rs , or

L e va ill t has seen a t r ibe with w h om t h e in h e r itance w as

an

t ransmitted at a man s death to his wife and male chil dren ’

,

to t ex l usion of t h e daughte r s w hich is again a t r ansi

he c ,
5

tio n al régim e .

In some dist r icts f central Africa among populations o ,

that a r e h alf civilise d d mo r e -

less conve r te d to ,
an or

M h m t i m mat r ia r c h al customs still persist

a o e an s ,
O th . n e

Ni ge r t W w w
,
a d at Bo ussa it is t h e gr an dmothe r w h o
o o an ,

gr ants o r r e f
u ses to h er gr and da ugh te r t h e p e r mission to -

mar ry Th c ur iou s pr ivile ge t h at acco r din g to L ain g the

?
e , ,

B rt 1
j u y h G
on, L h p 37 o urn e to t e rea t a es , . .

2
. r
A G i aud Te u o n , loc c it , p 2 1 1-
l . . . .

3
L M agyar, R e is en in S ud-Afric a , pp 2 5 6 , 2 8 4
. . .

4
C h L e to u n e au, B ull S oc r 1 872
t xx
. . . .

5
L e v aillan t , H is t Un iv des Voy , iv p 2 1 0
t
. . . . . . .

3
R an d
.
J
L a n de , H is t Un iv des Voy ,
. xxx p r . . . . . . 2 44 .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
3 07

Soulima have to quit their hu s band when they plea s e i s

, ,

p e r ha p s of matriarchal ori gin al s o .

1

T h exo gamy f the clan which frequently coexists with

e o ,

uterine fi li ti is met with here and t h ere in Afr ica

a o n, .

B urton ha s proved the existence of it amon g the Somals ,

2

and D u C h illu has found it at t h e G aboon Traces f th

a .
3
o e

maternal family s till exi s t have existed in A frican , or ,

societie s t h at are more le ss barbarou s but which have or , ,

ho w ever emerged fr om savage r y ; in M adaga s car Nubi

, ,
a,

A byssinia d es pecially in ancient E gy pt

,
an A mon g the .

H ovas of M adaga s car not only w ealth but political dignities , , ,

and even sacerdotal functions are transmitted to the ne phew , ,

the siste r s son T h S l do the s ame as the H ova s

’
. e ac c a av as ,

and amon g them the women f hi gh rank willingly take o

h usbands of in ferior rank wh s im ply become thei r servants ,

o .

A for the child r en they inherit the rank and r i ghts f their
s , o

mothe r Th same cu s tom s prevail among th Nubi

"
e e an s , o r

did formerly prevail ; the Arab chroniclers tell u s that among

them the herita ge belonged not to the son f the deceased ,
o ,

but to the nephew the s iste r s son Th Nubi ju s tified ,

’
. e an s
this custom pertinaciou s ly by saying that the con s an guinity ,

of the sister s son had the advanta ge of bein g incontestable

’
.
5

A d lastly Nichola s f D ama s cu s s ay s the s ame thing f

n , o o

the E t h iopians .
6

Without the proof of y ab s olutely preci s text we an e ,

have an accumulation ffact s which render it very probable o

that in ancient E gypt mater al fi li ti wa s in force I
, , n a on . n

a preceding cha pter I have s poken f the exce ptional o

p o s ition granted to the fr ee w oman in the kingdom f the o

Pharaoh s I will recall in p as s i g that until the time f
.
,
n , o

Ph il m t
o who de prived women of the right to dis pose f
e o r, o

t h eir pr o pe r ty the word l u o m neve r occur s in marr iag

,
z s a z
’
e
deeds Beside s thi s public deed s ofte only mention the
.
7
, n

mother up to the time f this same K ing P hil m t wh

, o o e o r, o,

being evidently a determined parti s an of the patriarchat e,

1
L i g Hi
a n U i d Vy g t xx iii p 6
st. n v. es o a es , v 10
B rt n F i
, . . . .

2
u F
o p p 4
,
rs t oots te s , e tc .
, . 20 .

3
Eq i l Af i
uator a r c a.
4
N 6] B ll S
0 G g t xx p 94 ( q t d by G ira d T l )
u oc . ae
’
eo r 2 uo e u -
eu o n
A G ir d T l n O ig d l F m l/ p
.
, . .
, . .

5
. au -
9 eu o ,
r . e a a z e, . 20 .

6 7
1d ibid p 2 08 z bia . 2 48 .
’
. . . . [d , .
p .
308 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

ordered the names f contractor s to b regi s tered accord o e

ing to the paternal name Also in the valley f t h e Nile .
1
, o ,

t h e hie r oglyphic fune r al insc r i ptions fr equently bear the

name of t h e mothe r without indicatin g that of the father ,

and it is only in demoti inscri ptions that paternal fi li ti c a on

is mentioned We m ust add t h at in E gy pt women co uld

.
2

reign and that du r in g the lifetime f the monarch who w as

, o

thei r h usband they divided w ith him the s ove r ei gn honou r s ,

and even accordin g to D i d u received t h e larger s h are

,
o o r s,
3

of them All these facts s eem to attest that in E gypt fr ee

.

women enj oye d an exce ptionally favou rable position d , an

t h ey render probable t h e ancient existence of uterine filiation

in the valley f t h e Nile Th e r e a r e howeve r some con
o .
, ,

t di t y facts es pecially the genealo gy of t h e chief pr iests

ra c or , ,

of w hich H ero dotus s peaks and also the incest uou s ,

endogamy customa ry in the r oyal families Accordin g to .

H e r odotus the E gy ptian pr ie s ts showed him at T hebes

, , ,

t h ree hundred and forty wooden s tat ues re pr esentin g -

o ne

hig h priests all bo r n one f the other in the ma s culine line

-
, o :

E ach of these s tatues he says re presents a P i m i “

”
, ,
ro s

born f a P i m i
o F r om wh ich it would result that in
ro s .
”4

E gypt at least in the sacerdotal caste masc uline fi li ti

, ,
a on

w as established from the highest antiquity for a h undred ,

and forty one gene r ation s re pr esent s omet h in g like ten or

-

eleven t h ousand yea r s M ate r nal fi li ti is also gene rally . a on

connected wit h exogamy w h ile t h e P h araohs habit ually ,

m arried their siste r s Accordin g to D i d u t h is w . o o r s, as

even obli gatory In the ancient royal records the .

5

qualities of sister and wife f kings are often fo und o

united U nder the Ptolemies all the queen s have bo r ne

.
,

bot h t h ese titles ; and we may pe r haps refe r to an ancient

t ra dition of E gyptian o r igin ce r tain customs which recently
exi s ted in the Soudan Abyssinia and M ada gascar A t , ,
.

M as s e
g in
n a,the So udan Barth tells us that O thman ,

Bo ugoman Sultan of M g had among hi s wives

,
as s e na, o ne

o f his s isters and one of hi s dau ghter s At the end of the .

seventeenth century the sister of the kin g of Abyssinia di s ,

p layed a s um p tuo us style of living p eculia r ly feminine

1
. r
A G i aud-Te u o n , Orig de la F a m ille, p l : . 2 33 .

2
I d , ibid p 2 3 2
.
4

5
H e o do tus , ii
. . . r . 1 43 .
3 D io do rus , i 2 7 Id , i 2 7 . . . . .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
3 09

The sister of the em peror ap pear s in public mounted on a

mule richly ca parisoned havin g by her s ide her women ,

bearing a dais over her From four to fi h undred . ve

wome s urround her s inging vers e s in he r praise and

n , ,

p layin g the tambour in a lively and graceful manner A d .

” 1 n

at the pr esent time among the M alagasy nobility marriag , ,

e

between b r other and sister is very common . .

2

T here is ce r tainly nothing farther fr om exogamy tha n

mar r iage s between brother s and siste r s ; but to say th , e

t r uth there is no logical and nece ss ary connection between

,

the form of fi li ti and exo gamic or endogamic customs a on .

Th M ala gasy contract what we s hould call ince s tuou s

e

marriage s while pre s erving maternal fi li ti ; the Ar ab s

,
a on

and Kabyles the cont rary in o b edience to the p ,

on ip ,
re s c r

tions of the Koran have a horror of ince s t Th s acred ,

. e

book prohibits man from taking to wife his mother a ,

da ughter siste r his paternal or maternal aunt his gr and

, , ,

dau ghter his mother i law his dau ghter i law o r eve
,
-
n- ,
-
n- , n
his nur s e and foster si s ter A man was not to ma r ry two -
.

si s ter s at the s ame time Thi s is indeed a limited exogamy ; .

3

and yet the K or n e s tabli s he s the paternal and eve patri a n

a r chal family very clearly Th s tudy f t h e family i . e o n

M alaya and among the aborigines f India will com plet o e
the proof that in the s ame country and in the same race , ,

various system s f marriage family and fi li ti may o , ,

a o n,

coexist and that con s e quently we mu s t guard again s t

,

formulating too s trict s ociological law s i regard to the m n .

III . Tfi e F am zZy in M a laya .

Sumatra there were three kind s of marriage s— t th

At Is e
wife or r ather the family f the wife bou ght the man who
,

, o , ,

hencefo r th b ecame her pro perty worked for her pos s essed , ,

n othing f hi s w wa s liable to b e di s mi s sed and could

o o n, ,

commit no fault without the proprietary family bein g re

s pon s ible for it exactly a s the R oman ma s ter an s wered for
,

1
L t J fie t i p 3 7 ( V y g E / i pi d m é i
tres az
’
an tes , . v. . 2 o a e en t z o e ie
'

dec n ,
6 72 om et, m 1 6 9 8
.
j P .

2
r
A G i aud-Te u o n, Orig de la F am ille, p l 2 58.
rt
. . .

3
Su a , iv . 2 7.
3 10 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A GE

his slaves ; d the man d the woman co uld marr y a

en ,
an on
footin g f equality ; g d the man bo ugh t his wi fe or wives
o r , .
1

T h fir s t form of mar r ia ge that

e f s e r vitude of the man , o ,

who in s tea d f marrying is married by t h e family f his

, o , o

wi fe has fallen into desuet ude in M alaya but it has left

, ,

behind it in certain dist r icts the system of mate r nal

, ,

fili ti
a It is t h e maternal uncle wh i s the head of t h e
on . o

family or in default f him the elde s t s on f the wife s

, , o , o
’

family If there is neither uncle

. son ld enou gh it is no r o ,

the mother who b ecome s the head f the family and the o ,

father only take s her place in ca s e s he has disa ppea red and ,

when all t h e children are minors At the deat h of a man .

,

hi s property does not go to his wife child ren but to hi s or ,

maternal family and in the first place to his brothers and ,

s isters Th married man also continue s to live in h i s

. e
maternal family ; it i s the field of his w family t h at he o n
c ultivates and he only accidentally assi s ts hi s wi fe I
, .
2
n
s hort under this system the individual whether man
, , or
woman is not set fr ee in the lea s t fr om the family in w h ich
,

he i s born it is f this family that the woman bears or

child r en ; fili ti and inheritance mu s t therefore follow

a on
the maternal line B ut it is not at all the same throu ghout .

M alaya Marsden tell s u s that a man sometime s b uys hi s

.

wife by givin g a sister in exchan ge ; he m us t therefo r e be 3

the proprietor f hi s sister d consequently f the wife o ,

an o

whom he pr ocures by means of this barter .

In the A roo I s le s the men buy t h eir wives by g m g

t ,
tv

gon gs clothes etc to the parents f the women , .

,
o .
4

At T imor the i law buys his wife th us from his

,

s o n- n -
father i law and the latte r can remain owne r of the
-
n- ,

child ren if they a r e not incl uded in the bargain ; but 5

these customs are not easily com patible with the system
o f the mate r nal family and take altogether they prove , , n ,

that in M alaya the family is not by any mean s constituted

in a unifo r m manner We shall see that it is the same with
'

the primitive races of India .

1
r
M a s de n, H is t of S um atra, p . . 262 .
2
A G ir ud T ul O gd l a - e o n, ri e a F am ille, pp 1 9 9 , 2 00, etc .

M r d n H i t f S um t
. .

3 a s s o a ra
e ,
. .

W ll M l y A / ip l g
a ac e , a a re z e a o, v o l. 11 . p . 1 69 .

5
A G ir ud T u
. l l it p a - e o n, o o. c .
, . 265 .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
3 1 1

IV . Tlze F a m ily a m o ng tne N az rs of M a laoa r .

In the first place we have to inquire what the family is ,

among the Nairs of M alabar w h ose c urious polyand r y I ,

have previo usly de s c r ibed Th Nairs f M alabar are not . e o

by any mean s savage s ; they fo r m an aristocratic caste .

We have seen how from a ve r y early age ( ten to twelve ,

year s ) the young Nair gi rls after having been s olemnly

, ,

deflo w ered by a s t ran ge r w h ha s been paid to pe r fo r m , o

this task practised th widest polyand ry without any ot h e r

,
e ,

restriction than the prohibitions r elative to caste and t r ibe .

A is usual and even nat ur al Na r p olyand r y coexists with

s ,
i

a sy s tem of mater al fi li ti P r ecautions a r e taken in

n a on .

o r der that the fr ee and ume r o us unions of the Nair ladies n

s hould not dest r oy the family T h Nair h usbands are . e

reduced to the mo de s t ol of p r o genito r s and it is to the r e

wife that t h e fortune f the family belon gs It is not o .

,

ho w ever the mot h er who gove r ns the family but her

, ,

brother T this b r othe r belon gs the duty of brin gin g

. o

U p hi s ne p hews of p rotectin g them and f

,
mourning fo r , o

them if they happen to die ; in reality he is an av uncular

, ,

father and when he dies his ne ph ews i herit his personal

,
n

ro
p p erty In the N a ir
. family the p olyandrou s mot h e r is
much res pected and the next in h onour to her is her ,

eldest daughter who will r e place h er in h e r ol of mother

,
r e

bee the pr oducer f child r en Th Nair h usbands the

,
o . e ,

father s only enter the house of their common wife by t urns

,

and ce rtain days ; they have t even the r i ght to sit

on no

down by t h e side f their wife their child r en ; they are o or

mere passing guests almo s t st r an ge r s ,

.
1

If we re gard these facts a certain side it a ppears as if on ,

we may at la s t have found amon g the Nairs in a country ,

where the matriarchate incontestably rei gns the le gal p ,

re

emi ence f woman ove r man the m t

n o p t t It ,
or a ern a o es as .

is in fact the Nair w oman who p osses s es ; it i s through

, ,

her that wealth is transmitte d and given the égim f free , ,

r e o

p olya dry it
n i s di f
fi cult for N,
a ir children to know their
o w father M oreover in variou s p olyand r ic countries of
n .
,

1
B h f A ig B i f pp
ac o en , 6 7 8 ( q t d by A G ir d T l
nt . r e e, . 21 , 2 uo e . au - eu o n,
lot . c it. , pp . 1 5 0,
31 2 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E

M alabar, the p — eminence f the woman in the family

re o
has influenced t h e political o rganisation and thus an entire ,

female feudal s ystem ha s arisen the bond s f su e rainty ,

o z

an d vassalage re p osin g a fictitio us polyandry Th us in on .

,

F eb r uary 8 8 7 the E n gli s h journal s anno unced that the

1 ,

S ultan f the L acca dives having become the vassal f

o ,
o

E n gland had notified to his subj ects his new position by

,

means of a proclamation in w hic h he explained that he had ,

ceased to b the l u o e and s ubject f his ancient

z s a na
’
o

s u e rain the Bi b i of C
z , ; for by a special favour an nan o r

the government f Ceylon had con s ented to admit o

him to the number f the l o t hat is to say of

o z a s a n as ,
’
,

the direct vassals of the Q ueen f E n gland We must , o .

note that for the Indians f this r egion the Q ueen f o o

E n gland is the dau ghter of the E ast India Com pany

“ ”
,

and live s in a palace in L ondon with many men A d . n

now what i s the real value f this polyandric matriarchate ? o

It is surely more a pparent than real Among the Nairs .
,

as everywhere el s e pro perty a ss ures to the m or woman

, an
wh poos s esses it an im p ortance in ro
p p ortion to its val ue .

T h Na r lady then b eing a pro prietor i s hi ghly e s teemed

e i , ,
.

B ut it doe s not follow that thi s e s teem is equal to undis

p u t dedomination D oubtle ss amon g the Nair s the man
.
,

as husband does not exi s t ; nevertheless he is a war rior and

, ,

even a very fierce one But milita ry fo r ce has t h is in .

common with money that it is nowhere des pise d T he r e ,

.

fore in the family of his s ister the Nair man is anythin g

, ,

but a subo r dinate We have j ust seen thi s It is h e wh o

. .

g overns and b r ings up the c h ildren of his sister by he r

numerous husbands H is in reality t h e chief of hi s . e , ,

sister s family and what he loses as husband he gain s a s

’
,

u ncle .

R educed to their true val ue t h e p olyandry and the ,

familial gim of t h e Nairs still remain a sociological

re
’
e

fact f the g r eatest inte r est It is at once the most com

o .

p l t
e e and t h e most logical f p olyand r ic systems In o .

reality the Nair marria ge doe s not only or s pecially incl ude
,

g r ou ps f brother s or sister s ; full liberty i s given to t h e

o
woman save only th re s t r iction s of clas s There i s no
, e .

attem pt a s i Thibet to create a ma s culine pseudo fi li ti

, n ,
-
a o n,

by arbitra r ily attributi g s uch or s uch children to s uch n or

 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y . 1
3 3

s uch h us band s mon g the Na rs the maternal family is

. A i ,

instituted in all it s plenitude and lastly their polyand ry i s ,

in no way thwarted by t h e pr o portio of the sexes fo r if n ,

the woman may contract ma r riage with s eve r al men each ,

o ne of the latter in his t urn ha s p ower to enter several

conj ugal a s sociation s T his matrimonial egim is therefor
. r e e

p e r fe tly com p atible with the maintenance f the p o pulation

c o

and the equilibrium f the sexes o .

V . T/ze F a m ily a m o ng tlz e A/

z o rzgin es f
o B eng l
a .

If w proceed with u investigation s by studying the

e o r
familial and matrimo ial egim f the abori gines f n r e o o

Ben gal we shall find among populations havin g pr obably a

, ,

common o r i gin systems of family and marria ge which are

,

very dissimilar .

H ere d there we discover the maternal family

an , or

custom s provin g that thi s familial fa s hion has formerly been

in force .

According to Buchanan among the B untar w ho are , ,

nei gh bo ur s to the Nair s a father is free d urin g h is lifetime

,

to make pre s ent s to hi s ch il dren but at his death all that ,

he p ossesses goe s to his sisters and their child r en Th . e

Kochh also have no kin s hi p o r s ucce s sion exce pt thro ugh

, ,

the w omen Th mothers ar r an ge the ma rr iage s ; the

. e

fathers never inte r fere and the husband goes to live with
,

his w ife and his mothe r i law whom he obe ys A f -

n- ,
. s or

widows they c h oose themselves yo un g h usbands w hen t h ey

,

are ric h Amon g the Y k l of Southern India the

. e r a as ,

mate r nal uncle ha s the r i ght to claim fo r his sons t h e two

eldest dau ghters of his sister Amon g t h e Khasia s it is to .
1
,

the son f the siste r that the power of the R aj ah is trans

o

m itt d but this prince s s ( K

e i) ha s not the r ig h t to a n zv ar

marry herself ; she is s ubject to reasons of state and he r ,

husband is cho s en by the assembled peo ple Th G a r os .

2
e

have established the rule that in marr iages the r i ght f , o

initiative belon gs to the woman ; it is the youn g girl wh o

di s tinguishes the man of her choice tells him s o and invite s , ,

S h r tt T
1
E fi
o S l (N
ra n s S ri ) t n oc vo v 11 . ew e es
D al t
, . . .
, . .

2
E / l gy f B g l p 5 4
o n, t z no o o en a , . .
3 I4 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R R I A G E

him to follow h er A y a dvance made by a man i s con . n

s id d a s an ins ult to all t h e clan ( m / i ) of the girl and

e re a zar ,

in o r der to ex piate it libations f beer d sacrifi e s of pigs ,

o an c

are required all of them at the ex pense f the m / f t h e

, o a z a rz o

man Th ma rr iage of the G aros answe r s exactly to t h e

. e

ceremony f ca pt ur e only the actors hange pa r ts ; it is here

o ,
c

the bride gr oom wh o pr etends to refuse t h e b r ide r uns a w ay ,

and is cond ucted by force to his fut ur e wife amidst the

lamentations of his relations At the death of a man .
1
,

amon g the G a r os the w ido w remains mist r ess of the ho use

, ,

but t h e ot h e r pro pe r ty passes to a collateral hei r who ,

ma rr ies the widow and sometime s her dau ghte r also .

If we w ere to confine ou r selves to the consideration and

inte r pretation of these facts only we mi gh t nat urally con ,

c lud t h at t h e familial egim of the abo r i gi nes of Ben gal

e r e

is mater n al but cont r adictory facts are not wa ting n .

A mong t h e B huiy alt h ough t h e demand in mar r iage is as,

made by the gi rls a s with t h e G a r os the s ons receive the , ,

name s of t h eir male ascendant s ; the eldest s on takes t h e

name f t h e grandfat h er ; the second son takes that of the
o

great grandfat h er and the names of collaterals are given to

-
,

the ot h er s ons A mong t h e M u i it is the fat h er w h o

.
2
as s,

negotiates the marria ge of his da ugh ter or wh sells her , o ,

rather f a certain number of measure s f rice solemnly

, or o
measu r e d and delive r ed .
3

A mon g the M alers f R ajmahal it is a gain the father who o ,

places his dau gh te r s hand in that f her future husban d and ’

o

exhorts him to love his wife Th K dh have adopted .

4
e an s

s uccession in the masc uline line with a division f prope r ty , o

amon gst the sons Th servitude of the women amongst .

5
e

the Korwas i s very great ; they are o ppr essed with work ,

and till the fields d gain the daily bread whilst the men an ,

h unt or re pose Th M i hm i buy t h eir w ives have as

.
6
e c s ,

many a s t h ey can proc ure and own them like chattels , ,

s ince at a man s death all his wives exce pt t h e ’

,

mot h er f the heir pa s s to t h e nea r est male relation

o ,
.
7

A mon g the M undas fter the decea s e f the fat h er of a ,

a o
family the sons live together until the majority f the
,
o

1
D lt E h l gy f B g l p 6 3
a o n, t no o o en a , . .

9 4 6
226
’
I d , ibia p
’
Id , ibid p
. . . 1 42 . I a , ibia p. . . 273 . . . . .

3 5 7 ’
I a , ibid p
. . . 2 33 . I a , ibid p. . . 294 . Id , ibia p
. . . I6 .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y 315

youngest f the m they then proceed to divide the pro perty

o ,

incl udin g their sisters w h are exactly a s similated to cattle ,

o .
1

Th O e share the widow s among s t the brother s and

o rao n s

cousins in the s ame way a s t h e M unda s sha r e their si s ters .

2

We find therefore no uniformity i the familial organisa

, ,
n

tion of the Bengale s e abori gines ; and it is the same in

regard to thei r exogamy endogamy E xogamy is or .

common T hus the Ju g are divided into exo gamou s

. an as
tribes Th Khond s think it humiliatin g to marry the
.
3
e

women f their w tribe It is mo r e manly in their

o o n .
,

Opinion to go and t k a wife fr om a distant neighbo ur

,
a e

hood Th M u ip.
4
are divided into four clan s
e nn o re e s ,

wh d not interma r ry
o o A mong t h e Santals it i s forbi dden .
5
,

to men to marry in their o w n clan but their chil dren belong

to the paternal clan Th L im b ( near D arj eelin g) are .
6
e oos

also exogamous but evidently oscillate between t h e mate r nal

,

and paternal family ; for the da ughter s remain in the

tribe or rather in the clan f their mother whilst the s on s o ,

belon g to the paternal clan but only after the father ha s ,

p aid a certain um to the mother T h G aros sare divided .

7 e

into s eve r al clan s m l i and amon gs t them a m or a zar s, , ,

an
mu s t not marry in his w clan but in another appointed o n ,

clan in which from time immemorial his family ha s been

,

accu s tomed to take wives .

O ther abori gines f Bengal are endogamou s Thu s it i s

o .

im perative f the daughter s f the Ab to marry in their

or o o rs

own clan the sun and moon would cease to s hine

, or .
8

A ccording to H eber the Karen s of Tena s serim more t han, are

endogamou s for amon g them marria ges between brother
,

and sister father d daughter are frequent enough in the

,
an ,

present day
9
.

What may w deduce from the s e cont r adictory facts ? A

e

general conclusion which I have expres s ed several times ,

1
D lt E / l gy f B g l p
a o n, t zno o o en a ,
. 200 .

2 3
I a , ibid p 1 5 8
’
I a , ibia p 2 7 2
—
. . . . . . . .

4
hr
M ac p e s o n , R eport on tfi e K lz on as
’
Ac c ount of tire R eligion of tlz e .

M on as in Orissa , p 5 7
’

a ll h
. .

5
M c c u o c , A c c oun t ofthe Va lley of Ili a n n ifi orees , e tc pp 4 9 , 6 9
nt r
. . .

6
H u e , A n n a ls of R ural B engal, p 2 3 6 . .

7
. r l
A G i aud-Te u o n , Orig au M ariage, p 2 6 6
’
. . .

6
l
D a to n , E t/z n ology of B engal, p 2 8
r rt
. .

9
r
H e be S p en c e , S oc iology, v o l ii p 2 1 8 . . . .
3 6 1 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A E E JA G E

over amely that in what concerns the evolution of

: n ,

m a rr ia ge and f t h e family there is no absolute law

o , .

Nevertheless by reason f the familial and mat r imonial

, o

confusion usual in the greater n umbe r f primitive societies o ,

mate r nal fili ti has been ado pted more often than paternal
a on ,

and has frequently preceded it .

VI . T/ze Couvade .

here is a custom at first si ght extraordinary but s till

T ,

common enough whic h m us t h ave a r isen during t r ansi

,

ti l e pochs w hen polygamic or monogamic marriage

o na , ,

having become established the husbands have exerted ,

themselves to a ffi r m thei r parental right s d to substit ute , an

ma s c uline fi li ti for the ancient ute rine fi li ti

a on In the a on .

s ame way a s in ce r tain count r ies Abyssinia for exam ple , ,

1
,

in order to pr oclaim an adoption the ado ptive father simu ,

lates some mate r nal practice sometime s goes so far a s to ,

o ffer h i s breast solemnly to hi s ado ptive son s o in ve r y , ,

different countries t h e husband has found no better w y

,
a

to prove his pate r nity t h an to s imulate c h ildbirth and hence

the ve y sin gular custom of the couvade
r .

A t fi r st si gh t it seem s very foolis h for the hu s band to

,

take to his bed immediately afte r the delivery of h is wife ,

and for a ce r tain n umber of days to be n ur se d and tended

by the mother he r self .

T h existence of t h e c ustom has often been questioned

e .

It will not be ut of place therefore to quote a uthentic

o , ,

facts which put all do ubt to silence T hese facts a r e .

numerous enou gh and have been ob s erved in various part s

,

o f the globe ; in A me r ica A sia and E uro pe , ,

.

In N w M exico amon g the L agune r o and the Ahom

e ,

ana when a w oman is delivered of a c h ild the father g es

, ,
o

to bed fo r six or seven days and scr upulously ab s tains fr om ,

eatin g fish or meat A soon as a Ca r ib became a father .

2
s ,

he t a
'

went to bed and si m ulate d childbi r th by suitable

o nc e

cries and conto r tions the women of the hamlet hastened

to hi s side and congratulated him on hi s happy delive r y .
3

1
D Abbadic , D ouz e ans dans la fi aute Et/z iopie, p 2 7 2
’

nr t
. .

2
B a c o f , N ativ e R ac es, e tc vol i p 5 85
rtr t
. . . . .

6
D u Te
’
e, H is toire aes A n tilles n p 37 1 . . . .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
3 1 7

T he Choctaw R edskins formerly had an a alogous cu s tom n .

Brett and I m T hur have obse r ved thi s lying i n

“ -
n
”

among the Indian s of G uiana T h father B r ett says . e , ,

g oes to his hammock q uite naked takin g the most ,

indecent posture and he remains t h ere some day s as if

,

he were ill receiving the congratulations f his friend s and

, o

tended by the women of the nei ghbo urhood whilst the ,

mot h er f the ne w born infant goes about her cooking

o -

without receivin g any attention .

1

Th testimony f the jes uit D b it h ff

e o in regard to o r z o e r,

the Abip is t le ss ex plicit Amon g t h e A bip

o n e s, no :
“
o n es

f So uth A me r ica he s ays as soon as the w ife has given

”
o , ,

bi r th to a child the hu s band i s put to bed and

,
ully ,
c are i

tended ; he fasts f a certain time Y u would s w ear that

or . o
it is he who has ju s t been delive r ed I had forme r ly read .

o f this and smiled at it not bein g able to credit s uch folly , ,

and s upposing that thi s barba r ous custom w related more as

as a joke than seriously but at last I have s een it with my ,

w eye s amongst them M o r e recent testimony confirm s 2

”
o n .

what I have j ust q uoted In 8 4 M M a e Commis s ioner . 1 2 . z ,

G eneral in F rench G uiana himself p r oved the custom ,

o f couvade among the Indian tribes the river O y p k on a o .

In 8 5 M V oisin j us tice of t h e peace in a comm une f

1 2 .
, o
F r enc h G uiana ascending in a canoe the rive r M ana
, ,

received ho s pitality ni ght in the h ut of some G alibi

o ne

Indians O awakin g he learned that d ur in g the ni ght and

. n ,

behind a partition f folia ge which se parate d his hammock

o

from the ho usehold f his hosts a chil d h d been bo r n o ,

a .

Th e mother had utte r ed no sound and at dayb r eak M , .

V oisin saw her g to the river si de and make her toilet

o -
,

t h en take her ne w born child and throw it several times

-

into t h e water catchin g it as it rose to the su r face and then

, ,

wi pin g it with her h ands Th h usband the contra r y . e , on ,

remained all the while in hi s hammock actin g the invalid , ,

and r eceiving with the greate s t s eriousness the attention

lavis h ed on him by his wife .
3

Th e couvade comedy is not always so com plete In .

certain tribes it is attenuated and become s more symbolic , .

6
. r
A G i aud Te u o n , Orig o u M a riage, p
-
l .
’
. 1 38 .

H istoria de A bipon ibus v o l ii

p . . . 23 1 .

6
B ull S oc d A n tnrop ( u y
.
’
. . J l
3 I 8 TH E E VOL UTI ON OE M AR R I A G E

Thu s in Cali fo r nia w hen the mother is delivered the , ,

fathe r is content to kee p to the house d abstain from an

eatin g fish and meat .
1

A mon g va r io us t r ibes of So uth America the husband of

the woman limits the pra tice to a few hygienic p c re
cautions ; t h is is the ouvade red uced to its sim plest c

ex pression .
2

T his c ustom w found i As ia amon g the Ta r tars as n , ,

by Ma r o Polo It still exists in Ben gal amon g t h e L k

c .
,
ar as,

altho ugh atten uated ; t h e occasion of a birt h t h e pa rents on

quit t h e house the wife and h usband are both decla r e d
,

unclean for ei ght days and d ur ing that time the h usband ,

cooks the foo d After wh i h t h e ma s c uline fili ti of the

. c a on

c h ild is pr oclaimed by solemnly givin g him the name of

h is gr an dfather We shall be mistake if we imagine .
6 n

that t h e couvade is s pecial t very inferior races Th o . e

G r eco R oman w riters have quoted a certain number f
-
o
exam ples ob s erved amon g the barbarians of the ancient
worl d St r abo r elate s that the Ibe r ian women after the ,

exam ple f tho s e of the Celts Th racians and Scyt h ians

o , , ,

q uit t heir beds as soon a s they are delivered d give them ,

an

up to their h usban ds w hom they tend D i d u tells ,

"
o or s

u that in Co r sica after a woman ha s given bi r th to a

s ,

child the husband goes to bed as if he were ill and he

, ,

remains there an a ppointed number of days like a lyin g i -

n

woman .
5

In hi s A g uti Apolloni us of R hode s s peak s of a

r o na ca

eo
p p le of T ib d on the north we s t coast
are n e of A sia e s, -

M ino r w ho h ad the custo m of the couvade

,
A soon :
“
s

as the mar r ied women are delivered their husband s ,

g r oan lie on ,
beds and cover t h eir head s A ll this time
,
.

their wives give them st r en gthenin g food and pr e pare baths ,

for them suitable for lying i women It is probable that -

n .
” 6

more than one trace of this lyin g i s till exists in E ur ope -

n ,

in s uperstitiou s and po pular pr actices Q uite recently a .

R ussian has info r me d me that it is s till in use in the

Baltic provinces but naturally in a form of s urvival in ,

1
Ban c o f r
t , N a tive R ac es , v o l i p 4 1 2
t
. . . .

i p 2 37
’
A d O rbigny, L lz om me A m em c a in ,
’ ’ ’

lt n
. . . . .

6
D a o , E t/z no logy of B engal, p 1 90
tr
. .

6
1
‘
S abo , iii 1 6 6
D io do rus, v 1 4
. .A rgona utic a, u . . .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y .
3 1 9

which the meaning is lo s t It is ho w ever com plete .

, ,

eno ugh ; the h usband goes to bed utters gr oans and ,

c r ies and h is n i ghbo urs hasten to h is s ide A d lastly

,
e . n ,

M L é on D onnat tol d me lately that he had dis ove r ed

. c

t h e co uvade still pr actised in t h e little island f M arken o ,

in t h e Z uyd e rse e .

H o w eve r st r an ge it may be a c ustom that is thus widely ,

s pread in count r ies r aces and e p ochs extremely diverse , ,

m ust have had a se r ious It cannot b e ’‘

i a et ra s on re .

att r ib uted to mere ca pr ice .

N w t h e on ly pla usible ex planation is that whi h give s

o c

to the cou ade the val ue of our registry f birth N t

v o . o ,

pe r ha ps all over the w o rld but he r e and there at the

, , ,

moment when the effo r t w bein g made to found the as

p aternal family at least ,

to determine
or masc uline fi li t i a o n,

some very sim ple—minded t r ibes conceived t h e idea f o

symbolisin g the s hare f the man in pr ocreation by the o

g r oss mimicry of childbi r th By this p ractice so w ell .

,

cal ulated to s t r ike the attention the fathe r openly affi r med
c ,

his pate r nity d doubtless acqui r e d ce r tain ri ght s over

,
an

the w bo r n chil d L t u note t h at t h e custom has been

ne - . e s

es pecially pr ese r ved amon g t h e Ame r ican In dians t h at i s ,

to say in a co unt r y w h e r e the system of t h e mate r nal

,

family h as been d still is widely s pr ead Th co uvade

, an , . e

p robably re p resents an fl t to eme r ge from it eIt ’

sh o
or ws .

that the man will no lon ge r share his wife wives that or ,

he claim s to have child r en which are certainly hi s o w n ,

and wh w ill do ubtless in h erit his possessions It is in

o .
,

s ho r t a revolt f individualism a gainst pr imitive com

,
o

mu i m n s Th .mimic r y is gr os s and stran ge but in a

e ,

social condition whe r e t h e r e exists neit h er la wyer nor ,

mayor no r register f civil acts testimonial p r oo f is the

,
o ,

g r eat resou r ce and in o r

, der to make
, it s u re and du r able ,

men h ave willin gly had r ecourse to st r iking and com plicated
p r actices which a r e calculated to en grave the remembrance
o f a fact on the memory f those present o .

Th p rocedu
e r e f p r imitive R ome o o ffers us many
exam ple s of the same kind ; and notably in the formali
ties of emanci pation w hen t h e R oman father made , ,

thre time s in s uccession a simulation f s elli g his

e ,
o n

S O Y) .
3 20 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R RI A G E

VII . Tlze P rim itive F a m ily .

In the precedin g pages I have collected together w ith

as m uch exactit ude as I could all that we kno w f the
,

, o

familial clan and the maternal family It wo uld be h ld . o

to assert that such have been the primitive and alway s
necessa ry forms f the family It is indi s putable how o .
,

ever that they are or have been very common in all co un

,

tries and in all races But these are type s of familial .

association al r eady re gulated and com plicate d Ante r ior .

to them the r e must have existe d in the little h uman ho r des ,

a com plete anarchy mo s t often cha racte r ise d by t h e de s

,

po tism f the stron gest male dominatin g a small flock f

o , o
women and c h ildren who w ere m eekly submissive to his
—
,

ca pr ices i fact a s o r t f bestial patriarchate A mong

n , o .

t h inly scattere d r aces witho ut intelli gence

-
industry , or ,

p r actical mono gamy w e s tablished at the ve ry outset as .

We know that this wa s the case w ith the s tu pid V eddahs of

Ceylon when they w d d i sim ple families in the
,
an e re
~

virgin fore s t s of thei r island inca pable of con s tit utin g even ,

the smallest horde A soon as men have gro uped them . s

selves i small societies regulated even in a sli gh t degr ee

n , ,

t h e familial clan with its con fused kinshi p must fr equently

have been constituted but on plans wh ic h we r e necessa r ily ,

variable acco r din g to t h e conditions and xigencies f the e o

s ocial life All t h at was possible ha s surely been attem pted ;

.

sometimes regulated pr omisc uity for each man claimed his ,

r igh ts sometimes t h e mixed p olyand r ic and polygynic

,

ho use h old elsewhere sim ple polyandry when the women

, ,

were scarce and at othe r times monogamy

,
.

I re peat all that w ,

com patible with the maintenance as

of t h e l ittle social gro up must have been t r ied at first ; d an

then selection ass ur ed the permanent ado ption of such

or s uch a system A soon as men began to take note of
. s

de s cent it was always ute r ine fi li ti that they held in

,
a on

account ; pate r nal descent w less evident d less easy as ,

an

to pr ove it has been nea rly eve ry w he r e the latest and the ,

widely s pr ead c us tom f t h e couva de pr oves t h at it was not

-
o

established without di ffic ulty It ha s ended however by .

, ,

trium phing ll over the world in the state s that are still
,
a ,
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
3 2 1

barbarou s but which have a com plex s ocial and political

,

structure where the pr imitive tribal égim ha s more les s

,
r e or

di s a ppeared and whe r e a line f demarcation su ffi ciently

, o

s trong s e parate s the intere s t s f the individual from those

o

o f the grou p to which he belongs In short the social

.
,

transfo r mation from which the paternal family ha s arisen

h as nea r ly always coincided wit h a radical c h ange in the
r egim e of p r o perty which ha s s imultaneou s ly b ecome indi
,

vidual at least familial

o r, , .
 C H AP T E R XIX .

F M I LY N I V I L I ED OUN TR I E
TH E A I C S C S .

I Tb F m il i c Cl i F il i t i n i j p —Tr
a y n fa i t
z na . -
a o n a an ac e s o nc en

i Ch i a —Fi t it i k i h ip i Chi —Th p i

.

fr t rna l fi li i
a e at o n n n c o us ns n na e atr

arc h i C h ina—
at e Th Ch i
n l a —Th id f h f m ily i h e nes e c n e ea o t e a n t e

p l i i l rg i i
o t ca o an sa t o n

—Th prim it i l
.

I I Tb F m ily m g l S m i i R
. e a a on m t g ze e t c ac es. e v e c an a on

t h Ar b —Th prim it i
e a s lan am ng h H br w —L aw f i h rit
e ve c o t e e e s s o n e

an c e am g h H br w —Th
on t et ri i r d h g r m i t r
e e s e u e ne s s te an t e e an s s e

Th m t r l f m il y i Ph
e a e na i ia a n oe n c

M n i g f h w rd B r b r
.

II I 7 7m F m ily m g / B l a a on t ze er >ers -
ea n o t e o e e
—
.

M t rn l fi li i n nt
.

a e m
a g h i
at o n B r b r d T rga on t e a c e e e s an o ua e s

Tra f h
c es i t rg n i t i
o t e f h
an c e n l am g h K byl o a sa on o t e c an on t e a es

— Th t l patri r hat m g h Kabyl —Cat g ri fh ir

e ac ua a c e a on t e es e o es o e s.

IV I l F m ily i P ze i —N a r f h f m il ial l
n d f
ers a O t ac e o t e a c an an o

x g m y—I t
.

e o a d g m y—M rr i g by r t i m d r P r i
nc e s uo us e n o a a a e en n o e n e s a

Th right fp im g it r
e o r o en u e.

V Tb F m ily i I di —Th f m il y i V di Indi —

e a n n Th p tri a e a n e c a e a

f M a —Th r igh t f pr im g it r —P t r i y
. .

arc h i h C d
ate n t e o e o nn e o o en u e a e n t
by gg t i n—Tra
su es fth fam il i l l
o d f h m at r l f m il y i
c es o e a c an a n o t e e na a n

T m il I di
a d C yl
n a an e o n.

V I Tb G R m e F m ily rec o Th prim it i o g an M t r l a e ve en s a e na

—Ut ri frat r ity d g r m

. .

fi li i i Cr t
at o n i pr im it i
n Ath
e e, n ve e ns e ne e n an e an

fr t r ity—P a r l fi li i
a e n i h O
te n a —Th P i p at o n n t e res tes . e atr a otest as at

R m o e
— t an— t
.

V I I I k F m ily i B b e E
a p Th C n l i l I ar a ro us uro e e e c c nc es uo us

d g m y f h Iri h —Th S l m i —Tr fm t r l fi li i

. .

en o a o t e s i e av r ac es o a e na at o n n

G rm y
e d am g h P i t
an an on t e c s .

I . Tlie F a m ily in Cfiin a .

In orde r to st udy the family under the latest forms that it

has assume d we m ust set asi de all st r ict distinction of ra e
, c .

D oubtless t h e w h ite races have ended by excelling the

 TH E E V OL U TI ON OF M AR R I A G E .
3 3
2

others d by attaining a higher degree f moral s ocial and

,
an o , ,

intellectual develop ment Nevertheless the ethnic grou ps .

, ,

belon gin g to the race s clas s ed together Ol a s inferior en oc ,

have emerged from sava gery d formed large societies ,

an ,

which have b een ve r itable trainin g s chool s for the men f o

their race .

N w in all th States which have s ucceeded i attaining

o , e n

some degree of civilisation the paternal family i s th type ,

e

that has bee fina lly adopted It was thu s in Peru in M exico
n .
, ,

and even in ancient E gypt whe r e King P hil m t gave the , o e or

finishin g stroke to the mate rnal family which had s o long

flourished in the valley f the Nile With much more
,

o .

rea s on in China a country very civilised after it s w ,

o n

fashion an analogous evolution mu s t have been e ffected

, .

Indeed in China pro per there are s carcely any trace s f

, ,
o

the maternal family le ft but they are s till visible in Ja pan ,

whose civili s ation has been entirely borrowed from Chin a .

In Japan a s fo r merly among the Ba s que s fi li ti is

, , a on

su bor dinated to th tran s miss on of the patrimony whole d e i an

i li
na e n a e t d It to the fi t born whether boy gi rl that
. 13 rs ,
or ,

the inheritanc i s transmitted and he h i s forbidden to

e , or s e
abandon it At the time f marriage th hu s band or wife
. o e

mu s t take the name of the heir heire s s who marrie s and or ,

p ifi
ers o n the ro
p p erty
es F iliation i s therefo r e sometime s .

maternal nd sometime s paternal ; but the maternal uncl

a e

s till bear s the name of s econd little father ; the pate nal “
r
aunt i s called litt le mothe r the paternal incle s called
“
,
”
1 1
“
little father etc M arriage betwee grou ps f brothe r s
,
”
. n o

and other gr o ups of sister s h a s been common enough in ‘

p rimitive societies to enable u s to see in this familial

nome clature the t races f one of those ancient union s at
n o

once monogamic and polygamic .

In China the lan guage it s elf atte s ts the ancient existence

of a marriage contracted by a grou p of b r others havin g
their wive s in common but t mar rying their sister s A ,
no .

Chinaman always call s the s ons of hi s brother his s on s “

,
”

whil s t he consi der s those of his s iste r a s his ne phews ; but 2

th e virtual rather fictitious fat her s b r other s and sons

, or , , ,

L ubbo c k , Orig C iv zfl
1
l, p . . 1 7 7.
2
L H M o gan , S ystem s
. . r o f C on s anguin ity , e tc .
, in S m t/zs on z a n
Con trrbutz o n s , v o l v ii p p . x . .
3 4
2 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

a r e di s tin gui s hed from the real fathers brothers and , ,

sons by t h e e pithet lass added to their a ppellation

,
“
c
”
.

T hus t h ey say clas s fathe r cla s s son cla ss brother — that

,
-
,
-
,
-
”

is to s ay the man who belon gs to the class of the fathe

, r,
to that f the son to that of the b r other It is the re
o , or .

fore s im ply the American nomenclat ur e perfected We .

1

h ave pr eviously seen that in China pr ope r t only the ,

no

paternal family but the p atriarchate are r igorously e s tab

, ,

li h d ; that woman i s in extreme subjection and always

s e ,

disinhe r ited ; but certain im pediments to marriage can

2

only relate to an ancient familial organisation which ha s

now disappeared In all the va s t C h inese em pire there .

are sca r cely more than from to two hundred family o ne

'

names and the Chinese call themselves the peo ple f a

,
“
o

hundred families N w in China all marriage bet w een . o

p ersons bearin g the s ame name is p rohibited In cer tain .

3

village s every one has the same family name ; two or th r ee

thousand persons fo r exam ple are called sh ee p ox , ,
“
,
” “
,
”

“
hor s e etc all f them appellations agree n g well with
,
”
, o i

clans having corresponding t tem But however it may o s .

4

have been in the pa s t at th p t day masculine fi li ti , e re se n a on

is w ell e s tabli s hed in China and nine deg rees f kin ,

o

shi p i the direct line a r e distin guis h ed which an old

h ,

Chinese autho r has enume rated as follows All men who

come into the w o rld have nine deg r ees f kinshi p— namely o ,

my w generation in the firs t place then that of m y

o n ,

father of my grandfather and f the father and grandfathe r

_

, , o

o f my gr and fat h er In a descendin g line come the gener .

ation f my son that f my gr andson then that f his son

o , o ,
o

and his grandson All t h e members of one same gener .

ation are brothe r s to eac h other L t us note that this .

”
e

fi li ti a s ho r t a s it i s i s still a ss ociated with kinshi p by

o n, ,

classe s .

D oubtle s s t h ese accounts taken alone wo uld be uffi , , in s

cient but united wit h those which the study of the family
,

1
M rg n l o i p 4 a , oc . c t .
, . 22 .

2
G E uge n e S im o n , L a F a m ille C/z in oz sfle in N ouvelle R e v u e, 1 8 8
3
—
.
.

2
D av is , Tire Ck i s v o l i 2 8 2 P a uth ie r C lz in e nz oclerne,
n e e , p , . . . .

2 38
p ‘
1
. r
A G i a ud Te u o n, Orig o u M a
’
l
riage, p 36 3 . . .

5
L M o gan, loc c it , pp
. r . .
 AN D OF TH E F A MI L Y .
3 2 5

among the Australian s the R edskins the Tamil s t has , , , e c .

,

furni s hed us with they warrant u s i believing that the ,

n
Chi nese paternal family is the last te r m of an evolution
havin g for it s s tartin g point the familial cla and having -
n,
’

pa ss ed throu gh the maternal family .

L t us add in conclu s ion that th sy s tem of fi ctitious

e , ,
e
kinships i s reflected throu ghout the governmental organisa
tion of China In reality the political structure of China
.

is only an enlarged py of the family Th em peror i s c o . e

the reputed f th f and even mothe r f all the em pire

a e o .

Th mandari w h gove r n s a to im is the father f t h at “ ”

e n o v o

town and he him s elf has for governmental father the

,
“ ”

mandari f a s uperior g rade whom he obeys

n o ,
'

.
1

We shall now discover trace s of a s imilar volution of e

th family among the Semite s and Berbers
e .

II . Tfi e F a m ily a m o ng S em itic R ac es .

When we read the word patriarch i u current “

n o r

literatur u thought s in s tantly fl y to the chief f the

e . o r
'

ancient Semitic and e specially the H ebraic family the

, ,

little tyrant hold n g grou ped under his des potic s way his
i

wives child r en and s la ves— that is to say the patriarchate

, , ,

in all it s s everity with the power f life and death att r ibuted
, o

to the patriarch But thi s Semitic patria rch ha s t . no

exi s ted from the beginning ; he i s the re s ult f a long o

ante r ior evolution and like s o many other peo ples the , , ,

Semites have b e gun with the confused kinshi p f the o

familial clan We have previo usly found in studying

.
,

p rimitive marria ge amon g the A rabs an ancient égim ,

r e

o f free p olyand r y analogous to that of the Nairs , At .

thi s di s tant e poch t h e wo m an s till bore children f her or

clan and this clan wa s so much like a large family that

, ,

in the p resent day even in certain parts f Arabia th , o , e

wo r d u s ed f clan literally si gni fi es fl e s h
or T be f “
.
” 2
o o

the same clan therefore w to be f the same fl esh

, ,
as o .

It wa s in l ti ly recent e poch that paternal fi li ti

a re a ve a on

w as established among the Ara bs In the time of th . e

L t é ifi t p 64 1
e t res a
’
a n tes , xv 1
R S m ith [f
. . . .

2
/p t p 48 .
, i ns u , e c . . 1 .
3 6 2 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M A R R I A GE

p rophet the prohibition s f marria ge were still on the o

maternal side and in all ages the collateral kin s hip with
,
1

uncles and aunt s ha s been con s idered very lose in c

A rabia .
2

A mong the H ebrews individual pr o pe r ty w as instituted ,

in very early time s for it is all uded to in G enesis But , .

6

various custom s show clearly the ancient existence f o

communal clan s T hu s the inhe r itance es pecially the .

,

paternal inheritance m us t remain in the clan M a rr iage

, .

in the tribe i s obligatory for dau ghte r s L t them marry :

“
e
to whom they think best ; only to the family of the t r ibe
,

of their father s hall they ma rry So s hall not the inhe r it .

ance of the hildren of Israel remove from tribe to tribe ;

c

for every f the children of Israel shall kee p himself to

o ne o
‘

the inhe r i tance of the tribe of his fathers .

”4

M oses in s tituted three clas s es of heir s first the children : ,

then the agnates and then the member s of the clan or gen,

tile s Th H ebrew father did not inherit from hi s son nor

.
5
e ,

t h e grandfather fr om his grandson which seem s to indicate ,

an ancient e poch w h en the children did not yet belon g ,

t the clan of their father

o .

F a long time among the H ebrew s the german sister

or

w as distin guished from the uterine si s ter ; the kin s hi p with

this last was considered much closer In primitive Jud ea a . a
man could ma rr y the fi rs t but not the second T the Kin g , . o

of E gypt and to A bimelech who re proac h e d Ab r aham f , or

having pa s sed Sarah ff a s his sister the patriarch re plies o ,

F indeed s he is my s i s ter ; she is the da ughter of my fathe r

or ,

f my m t/ and she became my wife

”
but t t/ ugl t
’
no ze a a c er o o zer, .

In the same w y Tamar could become the wife of Amnon

a ,

for she was only his pate r nal siste r Th father f M ose s .
6
e o

and Aa r on married his f th it w h wa s not le gally a er s

’
s s e r, o

hi s relation Ab raham him s elf could marry hi s pate rnal

.
7

sister and his b r ot h er Nabo r took to wife h is frate r nal

,

niece th daugh te r f his br ot h er But by degrees

,
e o .
6

p aternal kin s hi p w as recognised by the s am title as e

R S m ith K i h ip
1
. t pp 47 5 , ns , e c .
, . 1 , 1 1 .

2
I d , ibid , p 1 5 9
. . . .
6
2 S am ue , iii 1 6 l x .

3
G e n e s is , iii 1 3 xx . .
7 x
E o dus, v i 2 0 . .

4
Num be s , r xxx
v i 4 -8 . .
6
G e n e 5 1s ; xl 2 6 -2 9 . .

5
Num be s , X XX r
8 11 II .
-
.
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
3 7
2

mate r nal kinshi p and L eviticu s advances as far as to ,

expressly forbid marriage with fat h e r s siste r s w e ll as ’

as
'

with mothe r s siste r s “ whether they be born at home

’

,
1
or

abro ad D o ubtless all these indications have t h ei r value

.
”

they are h oweve r only indications d it is es pecially i

, , ,
an n

p la c ing them b y the side f s imilar fact s observe d amongst o

other peo ples where the existence f the materna l family o

an d the familial clan is indis p utable that we are inclined to ,

accord to them the s am si gnifica ce In sho r t it i s clear e n .

,

that the H eb r e w s early ado pted paternal fili ti and the a on

p at r ia r chate .

T h memory f a distant e p och of co nfused kinshi p a d

'

e o n

o f free s ex u al unions had howeve r remained in Semitic , ,

t radition S h i th indeed i his H i t y f F fi i i

. an c on a o n, , n s or o ce n c a,

says that the first m jb the nam of their mothe r en o re e ,

becaus th en th wom en yielded themselves witho ut shame

e e

to the fi t m rs A mong the Berber s f m ili l

‘

c o e r 2
luti
. a a
'

e vo on

is much asie r to f ll w th with th Semite s and its

e o o an e ,

lower pha s es are more evident

_ _

III . Tlie F a m ily a m ong t/ie B eré ers .

During late yea r s the meanin g of the word Berber ha s

become considerably widene d We are now inclined to .

consider as varieties of the same very ld race the men

,

of Cro M gnon , t h e ancient inhabitants of the cave of

-
a

M entone t h e ancient V ascons the Cantabrians Iberians

, , , ,

Gu an ch Kabyle s Berbers and T ouaregs etc All these

o s, , , , .

p eo ples a r e tho ught to belong to one great human ty pe

which w may call Berber d of which numerous p
,

e , an re re
t ti
sen a s till exist Anterior to all A siatic migration and
ves .
‘

fr om t h e time f the stone g t h i s race seems to h ave

,

o a e,
occ up ied the south of G a ul and S pain the Canary Isles , ,

and Norther A fri a At the present d y the most n c . a

im po r tant e pi gonic grou ps f the Berb er r ace are the o

Kabyle s d the Touaregs f the Saha r a Several writers

an o .

of anti q uity have told us how the family f the ancient o

Berber s w as fo r merly instituted and w know i u what , e

'
ae v s

L it i x iii 9 1
ev c us , v

f C ar a P p
. .

2
E b i fG pl i
us e 1 us o aes e , re arat on o os e , .
3 28 TH E E VOL UTI ON O F M A R R I A G E

it is among contem porary Berbers We are therefore able .

to give a ro ugh outline f it o .

Th gene r al haracte r istics

e f the Berber family s eem to
c o

have been a privileged po s ition accorded to women d an

maternal fi li ti with tendencies even to the matriarchate

a o n, .

S peaking f the Cantab r ians Strabo writes A mon g the

o , :
“

Cantabrians usage requi r e s that the hu s band s hall bring a

dower to his wife d the daughters inherit bein g cha rged,
an ,

with the mar r iage ftheir brothers which constitutes a kind o ,

f gynecocracy word gynecocracy is surely too1

”
o Th . e

strong We have here probably an account f a custom

. o
which still exi s ts in Ja pan and which exi ted quite recently , s
in Basque count r ie s that of leaving to the fi t born w h ether , rs -
,

boy or girl the administration of the inalienable pat r imony

,

of the family and of obliging his h wedded partner

, or er

to take the name and abode f the family Th i s is what o .

M l Play has formerly called the family s tock ; but this

e -

—
.

family stock may and doubtles s mu s t have existed pr imi

, ,
c c -

ti ly with maternal fi li ti
ve a on .

T his last is still i force among the T oua r e gs of t h e n

Sahara and I have previously s poken of the great i d p d
,
n e en

ence which their women enj oy and especially the rich and ,

noble ladie s At R hat for exam ple by inhe r itance s and by

.
, ,

t h e accumulation f productions it ha s come to pas s that o ,

nearly the whole of the real property has fallen into the
hands of the women We know t h at in ancient Egy pt .
2
,

where the Berbers were largely re pr esented the women also ,

enjoyed a very similar po s ition A a con s equence of t h is . s

r égim the rights and pretension s of the Be r ber ladies have

e,

become s o inconvenient for the men that many of t h em ,

p r efe r to marry slave s T h family among the T ouare g s .

6
e
will s urely evolve as it formerly did in E gypt and as it has
, ,

done with the Kabyle s where the mo s t rigo r o us patriarc h ate ,

has at len gth re placed the ancient maternal family I . n

Kabylie ho w ever traces of the ancient o rganisation ante r ior

, ,

to R ome and to Islamism still exist Th Kabyle village

,

,
. e

has in its t r ibe a political per s onality whi h stron gly recall s
, ,
c

the clan M any customs indeed a r e e ident s ur vivals

.
, ,
v

of an ancient communal o rganisation Th us w ith the .

,

1
St r abo , iii . 18 .

2
D uv ey ie r r , Touareg du Nord, p 3 39 . .
2
I d , ibid
. .
 A ND OF TH E FA M I L Y .
3 9 2

Ka b yle s mutual assistance between fellow citi en s i s a strict

,
-
z

duty E ven in a forei gn land the fellow citi z en mu s t b e

.
-

hel ped at the risk of all interest s and at the peril o f

,

one s life Whoever fail s in this duty inc ur s pu b lic con

’
.

temp t ; he is even punished with fi and made res ponsible a ne ,

for the losses su ffe r ed by the deserted com patriot E ve . n

the Kabyle of another tribe mu s t at need be s uccoured or , , ,

his tribe may brin g a plaint before the j m a fthe trib to a e

’
a o e
which the egoist belong s and the latter i s puni s hed or ,

re primanded .

In a Kabyle village when an individ ual erects a buildin g , ,

he ha s a right to t h e as s istance f all the inhabitant s In o .

the same way the greater pa r t fthe field labour i s performed o

b y mutual a ss istance But all thi s refers to the men for .

1

woman there r emain s no trace either f the maternal family o

or of the more le s s se r iou s advantage s which it generally or

confers wive s and mother s O custom however and

on . ne , ,

one only still recall s ancient m anne r s this is the ri ght f

,
“
o

rebellio , of which I have s poken elsewhere

n
”
.

We are acquainted with the date at wh ich the last s eal

laced s ubj ection woman It was
'

w as p th e f t h K bon
yl o e a e .

only a hundred and twenty years g t h at t h e men refused a o

henceforth a legal p osition t w m in the succession f o

'

o en o

males At present the Kabyl e woman whether married

.
2
, or
not lon ger inhe r its
, no .
3

T h Kabyle K e u admit six categories of heirs t a no ns : rs ,

the ro unive r sal heirs— that is to say all the male

O e or ,

de s cent the di r ect line thro ugh males and all the collaterals
, ,

descendin g th r o ugh males of the paternal b r anch ; d the 2n

ascendants throu gh males on the pate r nal side — the father

,

gran dfather and gr eat g r andfather ; 3 d the uterine brother r

-
, , ,

heir t a legal p o r tion ; 4 th t h e master and the freed man

o , ,

a e
p o heirs f eac h other ; 5 th the E oa that i s to say the ,
o ro -
,

community havin g its a ss embly f major citi en s th y m a o z , e a e

'

a,

and being a civil pe r sonage ; 6 th the m O/ f the 4

,
en s e e o

karo ué constituting the village H oweve r the collaterals

as, .
,

1
H t L t r
an o eau e t x K byli t p 59 e o u neu a e, 11 .

I d ibid ; t ii p
.
,
. .

2
.
, 83 . . . . 2 .

3
I d ibid p 86 2
E S ba i r E
.
, .
, . .

’
B l i
’
i l g i be i R
’

. a t e , ss a s ur orz n e a es er res s ec en ta res, n ev ue

’
d A n t/z ropologi e, 1 882 .
 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF IlI A R R I A G E
/

of all de gr ees may in h erit in default of ascendants d an

descendants In all this list there is no mention f w omen

.
1
o .

I fact whatever p r o pe r ty a Kabyle woman may have

n ,

been able laboriously to amass it falls to the male descent , ,

to the ascendants or to the husband to the collaterals ,

‘

,
or

in the paternal line It i s only i default of this cloud f . n o

male hei r s that the succession to the pr o perty gained by a

Ka byle w oman devolves at last her dau ghters her on , or

mot h er g randmother F rom all the preceding facts

or .
2
,

and in s pite f ga ps in our information we may h o wever

,

o , , ,

s uppose t hat in the Berber world also the f m ily h a . as

evolved in passin g throu gh three degr ees which w have ,

e

alrea dy found amon gst various races and which are the com ,

m u l clan the maternal family and the patriarchate

na , ,
.

IV . Tfie F am ily in P ers ia .

T his evolution s eem s therefore very common ; it is a

gener l fact but we are not yet warranted in allin g it a
a ,
c

law Thus as far as our information goes which it is true

.
, ,

is not very com plete no trace of it is to be found among ,

the ancient Pe r sians with whom we will w begin our , no

inte rrogation of the Aryan races from t h e p oint of vie w ,

of thei r familial o rganisation If the familial clan wit h .

confused kinship has ever existed in ancient Persia it can ,

only have been at an ext r emely remote e poch ; the r e is no

trace of it in the A t A d mo r e than this t h e most ves a . n ,

ancient accounts show us the patriarchal family in the ,

H eb r aic sense of the word in s tituted amon g the M a deans ,

z

a le gitimate wife purch sed fr om her parents and by ,

a ,

t h e side of her a greater o r les s number f concubines and o

lastly dominatin gall the rest the father of the family having
, , ,

th ri ght of life
e death over the wives and c hildren or .
8

N t only does the clan not exist but exo gamy is re placed
o ,

b y the most incestuous f endogamies Thus Strabo relate s o .

that followin g a ve ry ancient custom the M agi mi ght have

,

1
H t a t L t r x K lyli t pp 8 7 8 8
an o e ue e o u neu az e, 1 1. 2 2
I a ibid t ii p
. .
, .
,
2
.
97, .
, . . . 2 .

3
Da r es te ,
’
S ur l a n c ien a roit aes P erses in B ull ae l A c adem ie
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ '
aes
— r
, .

M ora les c l P oliti ues, 2 3 rd O c t 1 8 8 6 q

S t abo , xv 1 7
'

Sc ienc es . . . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y .
331

commerce with their w mothers Acco r ding to Ctesias o n .

1
,

m arrla e
g between mother and w a common thing in so n as

Persia and this not from s udden passion but by deliberate

, ,

p r o posal al s e judgment L ucian his part says ” 2

by f ,
.
,
on ,

expressly that marriage between brother and si s ter among

the Pe r sians w perfectly legal Indeed i various passages
as .
,
n

of the A t con s an guineous union s are recommended d

ves a , an

praised In th y f the Ma deans who s e s acred cod

.
3
e e
‘

es o z , e
ex pressly fo r bade all alliance with i fi d l endogamy even n e s, ,

when x i w evidently moral and they encou raged

"

e c es s v e,
‘

as

it to s uch a degree as t approve of the kind f incest which o o

i s re garded a s the most criminal by nearly all other peoples ”

Neither is ther any trace f the matriarch te i ancient

e o a n

Per s ia unle ss w choo s e to s ee ve s tige f it in the le gend

, e a o

acco rding t which in the tim f the mythic m o archie s

o , e o n ,

th elde s t dau ghter of the ki g had the right to choo s e her

e n

husband hersel f F thi s pu rpo s e all the youn g noble s of

. or

the country we r e a ss embled together at a festival and the ,

p rinc ess signi fi ed her p reference by throwing an oran ge to

the man who plea s ed her best I mention this tradition .
4

that I may omit nothin g but it evidently constitute s a most ,

in s igni fi cant proo f M odern Per s ia bein g M ahometan has.

, ,

re gulated marriage and the family in accordance with the '

Koran We find however by the side of the perpetual

;
, ,

mar r iage which only death divorce can di s solve a fo r m or ,

o f conjugal union le ss solemn and more e phemeral and ,

which is t ge erally reco gnised by law in count r ie s even

no n

s lightly civilised I sp eak f marria ges for term

. rather o a , or

the hirin g fa wife fo r a time d for a fixed price U nions

o an .

of thi s kind a r e le gal in Pe r sia T hey are a greed befor . on e

the j udge d at the ex pi ration f the cont ract or rather
, an o ,

the lease the interested parties may rene w the engagement

,

if they think w ell In a co trary ca s e t h e woman can only

. n ,

contract anothe r unio f the same kind after a delay f n o o

forty days If before the expiration f the conju gal lease

. o
the man desire s to break it he can do so but only , ,
“

on

condition f placing in th hand s of the woman the total

o e .

S t rab
1
o , xv . 20 .

2
S a n c t ijoa n n is Cbrysos lom i, O p i 38 4, . . an d x .
5 73 .

3
4
A H o v e lac ue , A v esta, p 4 6 5
.
q . .

L D ube ux, L a P erse, p 2 6 2

. . .
3 3 2 TH E E V OL U TI ON OF MA R R I A G E

sum sti pulated in the cont ract Th o ffs pring of these .

1
e

tem porary unions or of any sort f union are all equal

,
‘

o ,

befo r e the Persian law which me r ely su bject s them to the ,

right of primogenitu r e At the death of the father the .

,

eldest son thou gh born of a s lave mother take s two thirds

, ,
-

o f the s ucce s sion T h remainin g third of the pro pe r ty i s

. e

divided amon gs t the other children but in s uch a w ay that ,

the share of the boy s i s half as large again as that f the o

girls T his right of primo geniture and the s e advanta ge s

2
.

g r anted to boys excl ude all i de f m t lfi li ti in the a o a e rna a on

c ustom s f modern Pe rs ia and we have seen that there wa s

o ,

no trace f it in ancient Persia ; this race the r efore s eem s

o

not to have pa ss ed throu gh the phase fthe maternal family o ,

nor perha ps through that f the cl an o .

V . Tno F a m ily in I ndia .

In India on the contrary certain cu s tom s and tradition s

, ,

a ppear to be true s ur ivals relatin g to an ancient organisa v ,

tion f exogamic clan s with maternal fi li ti

-
o But of a on ._

the s e ld c ustom s the s ac r ed books retain no trace In

o .

V edic India the family is already patriarchal since the ,

husband is called p ti which si gnifies ma s ter ; but this a ,

V edic family is of a most restricted kind It is com posed .

,

es s entially and sim ply,at fi r st f the h usb nd and wife w ho o a ,

become t h e father and t h e mothe r ; then of the son and of

the daughte r wh a r e mut ually brothe r and si s ter Th
, o . e

grand parents belon g to the anterior family ; the uncles

and a unts are part of the collate r al families Th Code of .
3
e

M anu is already less excl usive for it admits a s w s hall , ,

e

s ee a fi ctitiou s fi li ti ; but it i s still patriarchal and

, a on , ,

accordi g to M anu the daughter s occu py an entirely s ub

n ,

ordinate p osition I t i s a son and a chain f male

. o

de s cendant s that it is im portant to have ; religion even

makes it an obli gation ; for the ancestor s of any man wh o

has not a son to perfo r m in their honour the s acrific

i e

1
L D ube ux, L a Perse, p 4 68
har t xxxi —L
. . .

2
Un iv aes Voyages, 2 36
’
C din, H is t . . . .
pp . 2 30, . .

D ube ux, loc c it , p 4 6 8. . . .

' '
3
E B urn o uf, E ssai s ur le Veaa, p 1 90
. . .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
3 33

to the manes the S d l are excluded fro m the cele s

, or r aa za,
’ ’

tial abode It i s nece s sary to have a son t p y the debt

. o
“
a

of the ancestor s By a son a man ga in s heaven ; by

.
” “
,

the s on f a son he obtains immortality ; by the

o , f so n o

this gr and s on he rise s to dwell in th s un Th C ode of

” 1
, e . e
M an u already proclaim s the ri ght of primogeniture It i s
.

by means of the eldest that a man pays the deb t f the so n o

ancesto r s ; it is therefore he w ho ou ght to have everythin g

h is obedient brothers will live under his g uardianshi p s ,
a

they have lived under that f the fat h er on condition o ,

2
,

however that if the s ons are of di ffe rent mot h e r s th e

, ,

mother s of the younger ones are not of s u perior rank to

that f the mother of the eldest son Th s on f a brah
o .
3
e o

manee for example would not yield precedence to the

, ,
so n

of a k l it iy ca s te i s alway s f t h e first consideration

c zc
’

r a: o .

But the quality f son may be ac q uired otherwise than by

o

community of blood Thu s a h usband may as we have .

,

seen have hi s sterile wife fertilised by his younger b rother

, .

Th child thu s conceived is re puted to be s on f the hu s

_

e o

band nevertheless in the s uccession he i s given the s hare , ,

o f an uncle only and not the double share to which he ,

w ould have had a right if he had been the real s on by 4

flesh and blood If a man has the great mi s fortune to have

.

only da ughte r s he can obviate thi s by charging hi s dau ghter

,

to bear him a s on F this pur pose it su ffi ce s for him to . or ,

say mentally to him s elf L t the male child that she :

“
e

g ives birth to become mine and fulfil in my honour the ,

fu neral ceremony Th thu s engendered by mental

.
” 5
e so n
incest and by s ugge s tion as w should say to day is per
'

, e -
,
'

f tly authentic
ec H is not a grandson but a real and true
. e ,

son and he inherits all the fortune of hi s mate r nal g rand

'

father with the li ght cha r ge it of o fferin g two funeral on

cakes —one to his w father his father according to the flesh

,

o n , ,

the other to his m aternal grandfather or father according to ,

the s pi r it Th law f M anu doe s not totally di i l it

.
6
e o s n ier

dau gh ters but it cuts down their s hare considerab ly U nde r

, .

p ain of de gr adation brothe r s must give their siste r s bu ,t ,

only to their german s i s ters the fou r t h f thei r share to , o ,

1
Code of M an u, ix . 1 37 .
4
I bicl ,
. 1 2 0, 1 2 1 .

2
I b d , 1 0 5 , 106 5
M nt ,
3
i . .

6
i
I biai ,
127 .

12
5 . 1 32 .
3 34 TH E E VOL U TI O N OF M A R R I A G E

enable them to mar ry Another verse accords to the .

1 2

dau ghter the inheritance f the maternal p r o pe r ty om posed o ,

c

of w hat has been given to the mother at he r mar r iage But .

to be capable of in h eriting this da ugh te r mu s t still be ,

celibate In the contrary c s e she merely receives

. a ,
a
'

present In short the whole Brahmanic co de is base d in

.
, ,

w hat concern s the family on masculine fili ti and the , a on

p at r iarchate Nevertheles s c us tom s that a r e ke pt up by the

.
,

side of t and doubtles s spite of it prove that certain

i , in ,
.

in

p a r ts f India there mu s t fo r me r ly have exi s ted exo gamic

o

clans and a sy s tem of maternal fi li ti a on .

But it is im portant to remark that the s e survivals are ,

or

were met w ith es pecially in Tamil dist r icts in M alabar

, , or

Ceylon w hich were in great measu r e colonised by Tamil s

, .

In certain small kin gdoms f M alaba r a s late as the seven o ,

t
een th century the right f succession w as tran s mitted
,
o

t h rough the mother ; a princess co uld al s o if s he pleas ed , ,

marry an infe r ior Cu s tom s till desi gnated a s b r others to

.
6

each other the children either of two brother s two sisters or ,

but the children of the b r other and of the s ister wer only e
german cousins Cert in familie s never made any parti .
4
a
tion th us preserving the cu s tom of the ancient familial clan
‘

,
.
5

Whereve r feminine fi li ti p revailed it was the sister s a on ,

’
son

w ho succeeded the defunct R ajah So also in the eastern .

6

p art of Ceylon the ro

p p ert y was t r,ansmitted to the sister s ’

son to t h e excl usion f the sons T concl ude I will

,
o .
7 o ,

mention the custom also very widely s pread in India of , ,

not marrying a woman of the same nam e .

We mu s t be ware of exa ggerating the value f the s e partial o

fact s ; they permit us however to infer that in ce r tain parts of , ,

India and es pecially amon g the Tamils the family has at first ,

been mate r nal and ha s slowly evolved fr om the pr imitive clan

,

.
,

VI . Tlz e G rec o-R o m a n F a m ily .

The c h ief obj ect of this book bein g to s t udy the evolu tion
of th e family d of ma rr iage I need not describe detail
an ,
ln

Code of M an u, ix
2
1
. 1 18 .
p 3 20 .

2
1 1 nd , 1 3 1 1i
, t xiv p 3 9 6
t
. . . . . .

3
L ettres c rii/z a n tes , xiv p 38 7
6
Mac L e nn an , loc c it 1 89
'

. . . . .
, p . .

7 S ac ho t, l l le
’ ’
Ceylo n , p
O . ae 27 .
 AND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
335

the G reco R oman family w hich has beside s s erved as a

-
, , ,

theme for s o many w r iter s It certainly ap pears contr ry to -

. , a

the opinion of t h e R omans them s elve s to have eme rged ,

tardily enough fr om the pr imitive clan g T his or en s .

R oman g wa s composed really fi titi u ly of con

en s ,
or c o s ,

san guine individ uals livin g under an elected chief and , ,

'

h ving t h e same name Th union f several g / formed

a . e o en es

the u i or the pl t y G ro uped toget h er the phratries

c r a zra r .
,

or curi constituted t iOu A d lastly the as s embly f

ae r s . n ,
o

th t r ibus formed th natio

e R ome Athen It i s e n : or s - 1

t h erefo r e the clan o r g and not th family w hich has , ens, e ,

been at R ome and t At h ens the llul ac ordi g to the ,

a
-

ce e, c n

fa hionable ex pression f ancient society

s ,
o .

2 At the dawn of history t h ese clan s were already agnatic ; ,

they had adopted paternal fi li ti and each fthem claimed a o n, o

a common ma s culine ance s tor ; but the ri ght f the g to o en s

the heritage and in certain ca s e s the posses s ion f an g

,

, o a er

p u b /i no s,s till p roved the anti q ue community of p roperty ;

and a number of indications and tradition s bore witne ss in .

favour ftheexistence of a prehi s toric phase ft h maternal

o o e

family precedin g a gnation B h f g oe s much further

,
. ac o en ,

and not without a s how f rea s o H insist for exam ple o n . e s, ,

that kin s hi p in the L atin clan may at first have bee n con -

fu s ed H alleges
.
‘

this point that in the time of Num

e ,
on
-

, a
t h word p
e i id s igni fi ed , not the murder f a father but
arr c e o ,

that f a free man f some ort ; that in the family trib unal
o o s

the cognates f the wife fi gured and that the cognates wore
o ,

m u i g f each other ; that the co gnates f the wif and

rn n
'

o or o e,
-

those f the hu s band of a wife had over her the ju uli

o ,
s os c ,

or the ri ght of embracing her etc lastly that the E t ruscan , .

,

Servi us the founder f plebeian libe ty was conceived says

, o r , ,

the legend during a great annual festival when the peo ple
, ,

reve r ted to primitive sexual disorder .

2

Th G reek yé r esembled the R oman g It s

'

e vo s ens
~

memb ers had a common se pulture common p roperty the , ,

mutual obli gation f the d tt and a r chon o ven e a, an .

3

In the protohisto r ic clan s of G ree c e maternal fili ti a on

was fi rs t f all es tabli s hed
o Th Cretans said motherland . e

1
. r
L M o gan , A n c ien t S oc ieties , pp 3 5 , 6 7 . .

2 r -
l
G i aud Te u o n , loc c it , p 4 1 1 . . . .

3
r
G o te , H ist of G reec e, v o l iii p 9 5
.
'

. . . .
3 36 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E

and not fathe rland ( pi ) In pr imitive Athens wa r s .

the w omen had the right f votin g and their chil dren bore o

thei r name —privile ges whic h were taken fr om them says the
,

legend to a ppease the wrath of Ne pt une after an inunda

, ,

tion Tradition also relates that at Athens until the time

.
1
,

of Cec r o ps c h ildren bore the name of thei r mothe r

, .
2

A mon g the L ycians says H e r odot us the matri rchate , ,

a

end ured a long time d t h e c h ildren followed t h e statu s , an

of t h eir mother U terine b r ot h ers were carefully distin
.

g u i h sd from german br ot h ers fo r a lon g period in G reece

e

t h e former a r e called 6p yd p w in H omer and the latter o

‘
O 7 t
,

amp r
-
d ute r ine fr aternit y wa s re ga r ded as muc h more
c t an

close L ycaon pleading wit h Achilles says in o rder to

.
, , ,

a ppease him that h e i s t t h e ute r ine b r other of H ecto r

,
no .
3

A t At h ens and S parta a man co uld marry hi s father s

’

siste r but not his mother s sister In E truria the funeral

,
’
.
4

inscri ptions in the L atin lan guage make much mo r e f re

quent mentio of the maternal than the paternal de s cent

n .

Sometimes they mention only the name f a child and that o

o f hi s mother ( L ars C i son of Canlia sometimes a ns , ,

they indicate the father s name by sim ple initial s whil s t ’

t h at of the mother is written in full .

5

A in so many ot h er count r i es the paternal family s uc

s ,

c ee d d the mate r nal family in the ancient world but not

e ,

without di ffi c ulty T begin with the fact of marriage did . o ,

not su ffi ce alone to establish paternal fi li ti ; the decla r a a on

tion of the father was necessary as well in G r eece as in ,

R ome In his O t i E hylu puts in o pposition before ’

. res e a , I sc s .

M inerva the old mate r nal ri gh t and the new p aternal ri ght .

T h chorus of the E umenides r e presentin g the peo ple

e , ,

defends the ancient c ustoms ; Apollo pleads for the inno

t
v a o rs ,and en ds by declarin g in a fit f patriarchal deliri um ,
o ,

t h at the child is not of the blood f t h e mother It is o .

“ ’

not the mother who begets w fi t i ll d l fi ild she is a s ca e zer c

only t h e nurse of the ge r m po ure d into her womb ; he wh o

be gets is the father T h woman receives the ge r m merely . e

1
A G ir d T l n l i au
p 8 9-
eu o oc c t 2
t
.

x
, . .
, .

V rr
.

2
q a d by S A g
o, i C
uo e i y f G d l iii p 9 t . u us t n e , t o o , vo . v . .

2
M ac L e n n an, loc . c it .
, p . 2 44 .
4
I d , ibid pp 1 7 7, 2 7 5

(q t ln
.

r
. . .

O tt Miille r an d B ac ho fe n uo ed by A Gi aud-Te u o 28
5
. ,
. , pp .
3,
as guardian and when it pleases the gods she preserves it
, ,
.

Th O r estes f E uri p ides take s up the s a m e theory whe

e o n

he s ays to Ty d u — M y father has begotten me and

n ar s
“
,

thy da ughter has given birth to me as the earth receives ,

the seed that another confides to it ; without a father there ,

could be no child These patriarchal theo r ies nat urally .

”

consecrated the slavery f woman Th laws of Solon still o . e

recognised the right f women to inherit in default f o ,
o

p ate r nal relations f the male sex to the fourth deg r ee but
o , ,

in the time f I u the law refu s ed to the mother any

o s ae s

p lace amon g the hei rs f her s on o .

1

In fact t h roug h out the hi s toric pe r iod the G reco R oman

,
-

world i s pat r iarchal In G reece and at R ome woman is .

des pised subjected and pos s es s ed like a thin g ; while the

, ,

p ower of the father of the family is enormo us It i s p i . es ec

ally s o at R ome where nevertheless the family is t yet , , ,

no
strictly consan guineous for it include s the wife children , , ,

and slaves and where agnation has for its ba s i s the p t i

,
a r a

p t t
o es as All those a r e agnate s who are under the s ame
.

paternal p ower who have been who could be if their

, or , or ,

ancestor had lived long enough to exerci s e hi s em p i r e .

Wherever the paternal p ower begi s there also begin s n ,

kin s hi p Ado ptive children are relation s

. A son .

emancipated by his father lo s e s his ri ghts f a gnation o .

” 2

At the commencement of R oman hi s tory we s ee therefore , , ,

clans or g t com p osed of families f whom s ome are

, en es , o
—
,

p atricia that n is able to indicate their a g

,
natic lineage
and the others plebeian Th ju t upti a r e for the . e s ae n a
e
”

former ; the latter unite without ceremony m f um ,

ore era r .

Th family i s p ossessed by the p t f m ili ; he i s the

e a er a ar

king d priest f it and becomes

an f its gods w he his
o , o ne o n

s hade goes to dwell amon g the manes In this last case .

,

the family s im ply chan ges masters the neare s t a gnate t k “

a es

tfi f m ily
e a s ay s the law of the T welve Tables Something
,
”
.

ve r y similar exi s ted in G reece for we have seen that at ,

Athen s the ri ght f marrying their si s ter s left to b r other s

o ,

who were heir s wa s not ven exhau s ted by a fir s t marriage

, e .
3

_
1
r
M o gan, A n c ient S oc ieties, p 5 48 . .
—M ac L e nn an , P rim itive M a r
ri dge, p 25 5
a
. .

2
H M ine , A n c ien t L a w , pp
. . 1 4 1 , 1 42 .
6
I saeus , H eritage of M en ec les .
33 8

Th e instit ution of individual rat h er familial pr ope rty ,

or ,

t hat o f masculine fili ti and f pat r ia rchal monogamy

a o n, o ,

dismembered the g which at len gth became merely e ns ,

nominal Th la w f the Tw elve Tables howeve r still

. e o , ,

decides that the s ucces s ion shall be vacant if at the deat h ,

of the fathe r the nearest agnate refuses to take the

,
“

family and in default f an agnate the g til shal l take

, o en es

the succession Th nominal g persisted for a lon g

. e ens

time in the ancient world thu s every R oman patrician had

th ree ames —that of his g that f his family and hi s
n en s, o ,

personal name At A thens in the time of Solon the g

1
.
, ,
en s

still inhe r ited when a man died witho ut children .

Th lon g duration f G reco R oman society enables u to

e o -
s

follow the whole evol ution of t h e family in it I t wo uld be .

going beyond the facts to a f fi r m the existence f a still o

confused consan guinity in the ancient g ; but it seems ens

very probable t h at this g fi r st ado pted t h e maternal and en s

then the paternal family which last became somewhat ,

modified in the s en s e f t h e extension of feminine rights

, o .

T his exten s ion wa s slo w d it wa s not till the time ,

f an o

Ju s tinian that equal sha r es we r e given to sons and da ughters

in succession or even that widow s were ent rusted with t h e
,

care of their child r en .

V II . Tlze F a m ily in B arbaro us E urop e .

O rg anisation into clans more or less consan guineo us then ,

into phratries and tribes seems nat ural in many primitive ,

societies ; d outside the G reco R oman world the ba r

an -

ba r o us p opulations of E uro pe had all ado pted it In these .

clans has kins h i p begun by bein g confused ? H exo gamy

,
as

p revailed ? O t h ese partic ular p oints precise info r mation

n

is wantin g ; do ubtless evolution cannot every whe r e have

been uniform O thing is howeve ce r tain namely that
. ne ,
r, , ,

the Celtic p o pulations have preserved the instit ution f the o

clan m uch lon ger t h an any ot h e r s In Wale s and Ireland .

the clan was still the social unit ; it was res ponsible for t h e
c rimes of its members paid the fines and received the ,

c om p en s ations In I l d d surely elsewhere there

. re an , ,
an ,

1
A Gi. r aud-Te u o n , l loc . c it .
, p 3.
7 2 .
 AN D OF TH E F A N/I L Y .
339

was an g p ubli u allotted amongst the members f the

a er c s o

clans Individualism prevailed i the end a s it did eve r y

. n ,

whe re A certain portion f the common soil re s erved in

. o ,

u s ufruct for the chiefs w at la s t s ei ed by them a s ,

as z

individual pro perty ; but all the membe r s f a clan we r e o

r eputed as fk i and at a man s death his land wa s allotted

o n,
’

by the chief amon gst the other families f the clan or p t o se .

1

The s e clans however we r e anything but exogamous if we

, , ,

may believe St r abo wh a ffir ms that the ancient Irish like ,

o ,

the M a deans married without distinction their mothers

z , , ,

and si s ters Iri s h marriage had i way the st r ictness f

.
2
n no o

ma rr iage tem porary unions were freely allowed

'

th R m
e o an ,

and cu s tom s havin g the forc of law s afeguarded the e

ri ght s f th wife O ther E uro pean barbarians
o e the .
3
,
on

contrary were exogamou s and prohibited under pain f

, , o

s evere punishment a s whipping d r ownin g marriage , or ,

between member s f the same clan T h m i f the o .

4
e r o

southern Slav s m y be considered as a s ur vival of the s e a

ancient barbarou s clans s ometime s endogamous sometime s , ,

exogamou s .

In becoming subdivi ded into families have these littl , e

primitive clan s ado p ted mate r nal fi li t i ? T his i s p ossible ; a on

but whe they came in contact with the R o m an wo ld the

n r

greater number had al r eady the p aternal family L t us . e

noti e however that the Irish law far from s ubj ectin g the
c , , ,

mother accorded her a p osition equal to that f the father

,
o .
5

L t u also recall the following passa ge f Tacitus

’
6
e s p p o ci ro os

f the G ermans Th son f a sister is as dear to h is

“
o : e o

uncle as to his father ; s ome even t h ink t h at the fi r st f o

the s e ties is the most sacred and close ; and in taking

hosta ges they prefe r e phews as inspi r in g a stronger attach n ,

ment and interesting t h e family mo r e s ides We may

, on .
”

add to this that in G ermany the mother could be the

g ua r dian f her child ren ; that the Salic l w
o m d t 7 a , n on e en a a,

1
H M aine , E arly I ns titution s , pp 1 1 3 , 1 1 6 1 2 4
. .
, .

0
1
S t abo , iv 4r . .

H M ain e , loc c it , p 7 6
3
0
. . . . .

51

ll
B e , journ al of a R es iden c e in C irc ass ia, v o l i p 34 7 . . . .

H M aine , loc c it
1
0
. . .

6
D e m orion s Germ a n orum , xx .

7
l
L abo u aye , R ec k erc li es s ur la c ondition c iv ile et polit iq
ue des fem m es ,
e tc , pp 1 66 , 1 6 7
. . .
3 40 TH E E VOL U TI ON O F M AR RI A G E .

admitted to the succession in default f children the father , o ,

and mother the brothe rs and s i s ter s and then the si s ter of
, ,

the mother in preference to that f the father L t u s o . e

remember al s o that in Slav comm unitie s women have a

, ,

ri ght to vote and may be elected to the gove rnment of the

,

community ; but this is still a long w y ff the matri

1
a o
arc h t or even uterine fili ti
a e, Th Saxon law ( tit a on . e .

the Burgundian law ( tit and the G erman law ( tit . .

lvii d xcii ) only admit women to the s ucce s sion in

. an .

default of male a s cendant s the law of the Angle s prefers

pate r nal agnate s even to the fi fth degr ee before women
, , .

T um up there are only two p recise te s timonie s that

o s ,

may be quoted in favour of the ancient exi s tence f o

maternal fi li ti amon g the barbarians f E urope— that f

a on o o

Strabo relatin g to the Ibe r ians and the ca s e of the Picts

, ,

amon gst whom t h e li s ts fking s s how that father s and son s o

had di fferent names and that b rothers succeeded in s tead

,

of s on s F rom this ab s ence i th rarity of proofs in

.
2
, or a er ,

favour f the ancient existence of the maternal family

o

amon g the barbarians f E uro pe mu s t w conclude that it o , e

has never existed ? N t at all ; we can only say that t his o

ancient fi li ti is po ss ible and even probable but a s yet

a on , ,

insu ffi ciently established .

W h at ca not be dis puted is that always and everywhe r e

n ,

eo
p p les who are in p r ocess of civilisation have ado p ted
the paternal family according even excessive powers to the
,

father of the family What is pr obable is that in the .

,

maj o r ity f cases paternal fi li ti has succeeded to maternal

o a on

fi li ti
a and to more le s s confused familial fo r m s I s
on or .

thi s paternal even patriarchal family the final term of

or

familial evol ution H evolution never as yet arrested in as ,

it s course said it s la s t word in re gard to marriage and the

,

family ?
A G ira d T l n l
1
i .
pp 4 4 u -
eu o , oc . c t
.
, . 1, 2 .

2
M ac Le nnan , P rim itiv e M a rriage, p . 1 01.
 C H AP TE R XX .

M RR I
A E N AG F M I LY N
A D STTH E RE EN T A I TH E PA ,
THE P S ,

N FUTURE A D TH E .

I Tfi P —S i l gy d l t i n —S i l gy d i tifi
e as t. oc o o an evo u o oc o o an s c en c

m th d— n f m rriag d h fam ily—Prim iti

.

e Th bi l gi al r
o e o o c e as o o a e an t e ve

f rm
o fm arr iag —I
s o l t i —C a g i e pr im it i
ts e vogr p u on o ns n u ne o us ve ou s

Th l t i f h f m ily—Th t g f h i
e e vo u on o t el i —F r m m
a e s a es o t s e vo ut o n o co

m im
un s i di id l i m —Ad a tag
to n f h pr im it i
v ua slan —P l y v n es o t e ve c o

m d t t i t i
an f birth
s a s cs o s.

t —
ga y
II H P Pr nt m arri g i E r p —Th da g r f
resen a e n u e n e s o

l iba y a rding A B rtill n—Th y m arry h

e e se o e
—Im p rf t
. .

ce c cco to . e o e w o c an e ec

t g ri f l ib t —M y d m atrim y—S l t i n by m y
ca e o es o c e a es o ne an on e ec o o ne

M rr iag by p r ha
a es u c se

—Pr hi t ri p pl till r i i g—P r gr i

.

I II Ti F re uture e s o c eo es s su v v n o ess s

l aw f h w rl d—Th m ani g f m at rim ial d fam il ial

.

"

th e o t e o e e n o on an

l t i n —S i l gi al rhyth m —F t r
ev o u o oc o o ll ti c i t i —Th s uu e co ec ve soc e es e

f m il y
a d i ty—Pr gr
an f
so c e j ga l di r d— T h m aorr i g f h
es s o c on u sc o e a e o t e

f t r —H rb r t S p n r
uue e d M taig —S l w
e e f
ce ial an on ne o n es s o so c ev o

l i —C n r ati
ut o ns o d inn
se v t r —N th i g di ; rythi g i
ves an o va o s o n es ev e n s

rnwd
e e e .

I l P t . e as .

In the preceding cha pters I have attem pted to describe

how men of all countries and all race s have more less or

constituted and o rganised their marriage and thei r family ,

and for this purpose I have patiently classified a multitude

of fact s collected s i ngly by army of observers an .

M oreover i conformity with the method of evolution

,
n ,

and in order not to neglect the mo s t distant sources I have ,

prefaced my minute in q uiry into marriage and the family

amon g men b y an i ve s tigation of th same kind in re gard n e

to animals M i s either a demi g d nor an an gel ; he

. an n -
o

i a primate mor
s intelli gent than th other s and his e e ,
 3 4 2 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R IA G E

relationship with the nei ghbouring s pecie s f the animal o

kingdom is mo r e s trongly s hown in hi s p s ychic than in hi s

anatomical traits .

V M ore than once I fear the accumulation f detailed , , o

fact s which fo r m s the gr o undwork of this book may h ave
fatigued my readers ; but this is the only condition on
which it is po ss ible to give a s olid ba s is to sociology It .

i s in fact nothin g less than a matter f creatin g a w

, , o ne
science We are s carcely b eginning to be really acquainted
.

with mankind to take a com plete s urvey f it in time

, o
and s pace N w this wo uld be quite im po ss ible without
. o

the help of com pa r ative ethnography We must regard the .

existin g inferio r races as survivals as prehisto r ic proto , or

historic ty pes that have p r sisted th r ough lon g ages and e ,

are still di fferent step s of the ladde r f prog ress ; it is

on o

this view alone which we shall fi d s ugge s tive and enligh t n

i g; and it i s in strict correlation w ith the method of
en n

evolution to which indeed it owes it s value

, , , .

T h innumerable dissertation s
e the history f mar r iage on o
and f the family which a ppeared previou s to the rise
o

o f scientific method have neces s arily been devoid , f o

accuracy and es pecially of breadth of thought A thick .

veil concealed the r eal origin f the s e institutions ; o

r eligiou s le gends that had become venerable
,
account on
of their antiquity paraly s ed scientific investigation T
, . o

submit u s ocial institution s to the great law f evolution

o r o ,

by mean s f di s agreeable re s earches w as not to be tole rated

o ,

by public opinion In fact if m arriage and the family

.
,

have been constantly modified in the pa s t we cannot ,

maintain that these in s titution s will remain for ever crys

t lli d in their p resent state
a se U ntil thi s revol utiona y . r

idea had taken root and become s uffi ciently acclimatise d

in public Opinion all called social s t udie s were sca r ely
,
so -
c

mo r e than em pty l u ub rations F r om time to time c .

,

no do ubt a few bold innovators b r avin g scoffs or even

, ,

ma r ty rdom have dared to construct t h eo r ies f new

,
o

s ocieties ; but being insufficiently informed t h ey co uld

, ,

only c r eate U to pias ontemned by the mas s f the publicc o .

Scientific sociology b uilds its edifice stone by stone ; its

duty is to bind t h e p r esent to t h e most distant past ; its
honou r w ill lie in fu r nis h i ng a solid basis of o peratio n t o
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y 343

the innovator s f the future but thi s new branch of human

o

knowledge can only grow by su bmitting to the method of

the natural sciences Before everything el s e it i s im portant .
,

to classify the fact s that have been ob s erved Thi s cour s . e

i s im pe r ative It is dry and lends it s elf with di ffi culty t

.
,
o

o ratorical e ffu s ion s but no other path can lead to th truth

,
e .

M y con s tant anxiety ha s been to be faithful to it and a s ,

an anthropologi s t I have es pecially borr owed my material s

from ethnography Ste p by ste p and following a s much .
,
"

as po ss ible the h ie r archic order f human races and f o o

civilisations I have desc r ibed the mode s f ma rr iage and

,
o
o f the family ado pted by the numerous varieties of the
human ty pe I have endeavoured to note th ph ses f their e a o

evolutio and to s how h w su perior forms have evolved

n, o

from inferior ones N w that I m at the end f my . o a o

inqui r y it will be well to s um up clearly its re s ult

,
.

Th prime cau s e
e f m arria ge and the family is purely o

biological ; it is the powe r ful instinct of re pr oductio the n,

condition f the d uratio f s pecies and the o r i gin f

o n o ,
o

which i s nece ss arily contem poraneous with that f primal o

organisms fproto plasmic monads multiplying themselves

,
o ,

by uncon s cious s cissi parity By s low s pecialisation of . a

organs and functions in obedienc to the law s f lu , e o evo

ti o n ar
y selection vario us animal type s have
,
been created ;
and when they have been provide d w ith se parate sexes and
conscio us nervous centre s procreation has become a tyran ,

nic need d r iving males d females to unite in order to

,
an

fulfil t h e important function of re production J .

In this res pect man is s trictly a s similable to th other

_

animals and with him as with them all the intoxication

,

o f love has for it s initial princi ple the elective a f fi nity

o f two generatin g cellule s of di f ferent sex So f thi s is . ar,

mere biolo gy but it re s ult s amo g s uperior animals i

, ,
n ,
n

sociological phenomena in pai r ings whic h endure after th ,

e

satisfaction f procreative eeds and produce in o utline

o n ,

s ome forms f human marriage o rather of sexual union , or ,

in h umanity namely promiscuity polygamy and eve

— , , ,
n
monogamy O u most primitive ancesto r s u precursors
. r ,
o r ,

half men and h alf a pes have certainly had ext r emely gros s ,

cu s tom s which a r e still in great measure preserved amo g

,
n

th le as t develo ped races

e .
3 44 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AR R I A G E

T he study however f contem porary savage s ocieties

, , o

prove s to us that absolutely unb r idled promiscuity without ,

rule or restraint i s ve ry rare even in inferior h umanity

, .

In exce ptional c s e s individual s f both s exes may hav

a ,
o e
abandoned themselve s f common acco r d to promi s cuity ,
o , ,

as did t h e Polynesian i ; but these instances relate to a reo s

acts of debauchery and not to a regulated social condition

,

com patible with the maintenance f an ethnic grou p o .

T h conju gal form nearest to promi s cuity is the colle

e e
tive marriage f clan to clan— as for exam ple that of
o , ,

the Kamilaroi amon gs t whom all the men of one clan

,

are reputed brothers to each other and at the same time ,

hu s band s of all the wome f a neighbou r in g clan n o ,

re puted al s o s ister s to each other O t h er varietie s f . o

s exual association are more common and may be arranged ,

under the general heads f promi s cuity polygamy p oly o , ,

and ry and monogamy We hear also of tem po ra ry unions

,
.
,

marriages for a term and partial m ar riages concl uded at a,

debated price for certain day s f the week only etc o , .

E very possible ex periment com patible wit h t h e duration f ,

o

savage barbarou s societie s ha s been tried

or is still , ,
or

p r actis d amon
e gst variou
, s races without the least thou ght ,

o f the mo r al ideas generally p revailin g in E u r o pe and ,

w hich u metaphy s icians p r oclaim a s innate and nece ss ary

o r .

H avin g elsewhere demonstrated at lengt h the relativity f o

m hty I will
o ra ,
t g over the gr ound gain but will
no o a ,

q uote thi s point some lines f M ontai gne

on T h laws o e

of conscience which we pretend to be derived fr o m nature

, ,

proceed from cu s tom ; every one havin g an inwar d vener

ation for the o pinions and manner s a pproved and received
amon gst hi s own people cannot without very great reluct ,

ancy de part from them nor apply himself to t h em without ,

a pplause T h common fancies that we find in re pute

. e
eve ywhere abo ut us and infused into our mind with the
r ,

seed f our fathers a ppear to be most unive r sal and

o ,

g enuine F r om
. whence it come s to p ass that w h atever i s ,

o ff the h in ge s of c ustom i s believed to be also f f t h e hin ges o

of reason Th p artial ma rr ia ges of the H

.
” 1
e i y h Ar abs ass n e

are su r ely ff the hin ges f u custom ; and it i s the same

o o o r

with polyand ry which border s on the s e partial ma rr ia ges

, ,

1
Mo n taign e ,
E ssays ; Cus tom .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y 345

but i s much more widely s pread L ike everything el s e .

,

polyandric marriage has evolved from its mo s t com plet , e

form that of the Na r s to the polyandry i u s e in Thibet
, 1 ,
n ,

which already incline s toward s monand r y and the paternal

family Primitiv p ly d y h ea s ily ari s en from the
'

. e o an r as
marriage by cla ss e s practi s ed by many s avage cl n s ; but a
most often it i s polygamy which ha s s pr ung from it .

A d the latter mu s t fre q uently have bee

n e s tabli s hed n

fr om the first i primitive horde s s im ply by the right of th

n , e
s tronge s t .

M an may be monogamou s in th very lowe s t deg r ee f e o

savagery and s tupidity ; certain animals s o ; but in are
hum nity it i s mor often the in s tinct of polygamy which
a e

predominate s ; and therefore when in th cour s e f the , e o

p r ogre ss ive evolution f societie s monogamy at length o

became mor l and legal men have been careful to s often

a ,

its ri gour by maintaining together with it concubinage and

pro s titution and by generally leaving to the hu s band the
,

right of re pudiation which ha s early lways been refused

,
n a
to the wife This injustice appeared q uite atural f a s
. n , or
the wife had u s ually been captured or b ou ght she was con ,

s id e red a s the p ro perty f the man and held in s trict s ub o ,

jec t i
on A.t length in it s last form monogamic
,
mar r iage , ,

which had at fir s t been th a s sociatio f master and a e n o a

slave tended more and more to become th unio of two
, e n

p erson s living,
footing of e q uality
on a .

Th family ha s under gone a s imilar evolution

e Apart j .

from a f w exce ptional cases f precocious monogamy

_

e o

( V eddahs B him ,
ethnogr
os phy sho
an s , w s u the a s

greater number of sava ge races livin g in little con s an guine

gro up s in which t h e kin s hi p is s till confused and the s oli da r ity
,

s t r on g Th de gree s of consan guinity are t well defined

. e no
real kin s hip is easily confounded with fictitious kinshi p d ,
an

classe s of relation s created ranged under the s ame title

are , ,

although very di fferently united by ties of blood T h . e

woman nearly alway s bear s children f her grou p or clan or , ,

and thi s clan is very often exogamic ; this exogamy is

p racti s ed from clan t clan and only within the
o t r ibe T ,here .

i s no absol ute rule however and it is not unusual to see

, ,

endogamy elbow exogamy .

I n the large d confu s ed family of th e cl an all the

an ,
3 4 6 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF . MA R R I A G E

member s of which were bound together by a st r ict s olidarity

of interests and a real or fictitious kinship the restricted ,

family became gradually e s tablished by a reaction of indi

vidual interests O account fthe more less com plete
. n o or

confu s ion of sexual unions the first to become detached ,

from the consan guine clan was the maternal family based ,

on uterine fi li ti the only fi li ti capable of su r e proof ;

a o n, a on

but the great association f all the member s of the clan o

s till exi s ted By the simple fact of birth in thi s little ethnic
.

gro up the individual had right s to the territory f the clan

, o

an d his s h are in the common resource s ; his clan were

bound to give him aid a s sistance and at need ven ge ance
, , , ,

also In prop ortion as the family a s sumed m ore distinct

.

pro portions in the clan it tended to become se pa r ate fr om

,

it and t h en nearly always it was based not mate r nal

, , , on
but on paternal fi li ti T hi s did not come to pa s s in a
a on .

day ; it took a long time to arrive at the point of attributing

to such or s uch a man the o w nershi p f one o r more o

w omen and their pr ogeny Th ridiculou s ceremonial f . e o

the couvade was pr obably invented du r in g this pe r iod f o

t ransition when it wa s no easy matter f a m to obtain

,
or an

the r ecognition f his paternal title and right s by the other

o

men f the clan F a long time the mate r nal family

o . or

re s isted the enthronisation of the pate r nal fa m ily d he r e , an

and there it succee ded in maintainin g its existence a d in ,

n
se rving as a basi s for the tran s mis s ion of inheritance F . o r,

w hethe r paternal maternal the institution f the family

or , o ,

when well consolidated had for its re s ult the parcelling out
,

of the po ss essions of the ancient clans and the creation f , o

familial individual pro perty

or the r uin s of the ancient on

common pro pe r ty F inally nothin g more remained of the

.
,

clan g but the sign or t t m the name and a kinshi p

,
or ens , o e , , ,

al s o nominal between the various families that had come

,

from it .

Th system and the vocabulary f kin s hi p were then

e o

renewed ; to the l ifi t y mo de grou ping t h e relations

c ass c a or ,

by classes w ithout m uch care as to consan guinity has

, ,

s ucceeded the descriptive mode which ca r efully s pecifies ,

the degree of consan guinity of each pe r son and distin guishes ,

a direct line fr om collateral lines and i which eac h ind i ,

n

vidual is the cent re of a gro up of relations ,

 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
3 47

a remarka b le book whi h ha s t yet had all the

.

1
In ,
c no

s ucces s it de s erves L ewis M organ believes he ha s ,

recogni s ed fi s tages in th evol ution f the family t

ve e o : 1s ,

the family is consanguineous — that is to say founded the , on

marriage of brothers and sister s f a grou p ud several o z ,

brothers are the common h us band s f their wives who are o ,

no t si s ter s 3 d a man and womanr u ite

,
but without exclu n ,

sive cohabitation and with faculty f divorce for ,

or th o o ne e

othe r ; 4 th then come s the pastoral family f the H ebrew s

, o ,

the m rriage f
a man with seve ral women ; but thi s
o o ne

p atriarchal form ha s t been univer s al ; 5 th at last no ,

a ppeared the family of civilised s ocietie s the most modern , ,

cha racterised by the exclusive cohabitatio f man and n o o ne

o ne woman N t taking thi s cla ss i fi cation too literally and
. o ,

reservin g a place f varietie s and exce ptions we have here or ,

five s tages which mark tolerably well th evolution of the e

family i humanityn .

T h moral directio
e of thi s s low transformation i s evi n

dent ; it p roceed s from a communism more les s exten s iv or e

to individualism ; from the clan where all i s s olidarity to , ,

the family and the individual having their w inte r ests , o n ,

which are as di s tinct a s po ss ible from tho s e fother families o

and ot h er individual s E ach has endeavoured to g t j . o ne e

for h imself as large a s hare as pos s ible f that which was

_

formerly held in common ; each man ha s aimed at obtain

ing a more and more exclusive right over property wife , ,

and child ren F rom the s e a ppetites more economic than

.
,

ethereal hav at len gth proceeded the patriarchal family

, e ,

mono gamy and familial property and later individ ual

, , ,

ro
p p erty ; the e gim of the family and that
1
r f p r o perty
e o

h ave evolved in company B ut t h is t r ansformation has .

been e ffected by extremely slow deg r ees ; f a lon g time or

t h e w egim bore the m ark f the ld

ne r e in certai n o o o ne

right s reserved to the clan i certain prohibition s in certain ,

n ,

obligations which still im po s ed s ome s oli darity

, indi on
v idu l — as f exam ple the le gal injunction to he lp a m
a s , or , an

in pe ril t ha s ten to the assi stance f village pl undered

, o o a
by robbers the gene r al duty f h os pitality etc all of them
, o , .
-

p r ece p ts formu lated by the co des f E gy pt and India and o ,

1
. r
A G i aud-Te u o n, On g du M a riage, l . e tc .
,
p .
42 8 .
—L . r
M o gan ,
A n c ien t S oc iet ies , p 38 9 . .
3 48 TH E E V OL U TI ON O F M A R R I A G E

s till to be found in Kabylie and which have di s a ppeared ,

fr om o ur frankly individualistic or rather egoi s tic modern , ,

legi s lation s .

It is indisputable that this evolutio h everywhere coin n as

cided with a general progres s in civilisation and the advance ,

ha s been s en s ibly the same among the peo ple s of all races ,

on the sole condition that they s hould have emerged from

s avagery E verywher i the end the paternal family and
. e, n ,

monogamic mar riage hav become a s ort f ideal to which e o

men have st r ive to conform their cu s toms and in s titution s

n .

It ha s very naturally been concluded that these last fo r ms of

the family and f conj ugal union have intrin s ic s ociologic
o an

superiority over the others that in all times and place s ,

they strengthen the ethnic gr ou p and create for it better ,

conditions in its struggle f exi s tence But thi s reasoning or .

has nothin g strict in it ; civili s ation i s the result f very o

com plex in fl uences and if a certain social practice ha s been

,

adopted b y inferior race s it does not logically follow that it ,

i s for that reason only bad in itself What seem s indi s

, ,
.

p u ta bl i se that man ,
tends willingly toward s individualism ,

and yield s him s elf up to it with j oy a s soo as that become s n

p o ss ible to him thank s to the general

,
progres s f civili s ation o .

A t the ori gin of civili s ation s in a tribe of s avage s , ,

surrounded with perils and painfully stru gglin g for ,

exi s te ce a more or less s trict solidarity is im perative ;

n ,

the a ss ociate s m us t nece ss arily form as it were a large

c o-
family in w h ich a more or les s communal g m is es s en
,
re v
’ '

tial Th children the weak ones and the wome hav

. e , ,
n e
more chance of s urviving if in s ome mea s ure they belong
to the entire clan ; perpetual w soon cut s down a great ar

number of men it is therefore neces s a y that their wido w s r

and chil dren should find s u pport and protectio without n
di ffi culty and the gim of the clan with it s wide and
,
re e ,

confused kinshi p lends itself better to t h is hel pful fraternity

,

t h an a s trict distinction f tuum and m um applied to o e

p pr o erty and p er s on s T h same may be said

. f patria rechal o

p oly g amy which ,

often flo u rishe d the r uins of the clan on .

F or this egim to become general it is nece ss ry that in the

r e ,
a ,

et h nic gr ou p the p ro portion of the s exe s should be to the

,

advantage f the feminine s ex ; in this case it is im pera

o
tive and evide ntl y b ecome s favourabl e to the ma intena nc e
,
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y
.
34 9

of the s ocial body ; in fact it guarantees the women again s t

de s ertion augment s the number f birth s and assure s
,
o ,

to the children the care f one more adoptive mothers o or ,

if the real mother ha ppen s to die Th o pinion f . e o

H erbert S pencer who quite a p i i attribute s to mono
,
r or

gamy a diminution in the mortality f children is a 1

o ,

most ha ardou s z By the la s t cen s u s taken in Algeria

o ne .

we lear not without surpri s e that the increa s e in th

n, ,
e

indigenou s M u ss ulman and p olygamic population wa s much

su perior to that f the most prolific f the E uropean mono
o o

gamo s s tate s
n Polygamy may therefore have it s utilitaria
. n

value and thi s i s the case as s oon a s it adapt s it s elf to th

, e
general condition s f s ocial life o .

II Tl P t . ze res en .

It i s ma y centuries since E urope ado pted monogamic

n
ma r riage a s the legal type f the sexual union That there o .

exists by the side f regular mar r iage a con s iderable ma r gin

o ,

in which are s till found nearly all the other form s f sex ual o

a ss ociation we do t deny ; but in F rance for exam ple

,
no , ,

two third s f the populati n live so enti r ely under the

-
o o
r egim f le gal monogamy th t it would be evide tly s u per
e o , a n
fl u u to describe it here ; it i s i sub s tance the R oman
o s ,
n ,

marriage the bonds f which Chri s tianity ha s s triven to

,
o

lighten In th general o pi ion mar r iage s uch a s u laws

. e n ,
o r

and c us tom s re q uire it to be is the most perfect ty p , e

p o s sible of con j u gal union ; and this current a pp reciation

has not b een a little s trengthened by a learned treatise ,

frequently quoted and f which I cannot dispen s e with , o

sayin g a few wo rds .

In 8 5 9 a j us tly celebrated demogra pher whom I have

1 , ,

the h onour to call friend D Adol phe Bertillon published ,

r .
,

a monogra ph marriage which made a great s en s ation

on ,
.
2

T h is wo r k bristling with figures scru pulou s ly collected

, ,

an d s trictly ccurate p rove s a s eem s to prove that the ,

or

celibate third f the French popu lation is by rea s on f it s

o ,
o

celibacy struck with decay and play s the part of an inferior

, ,

1
S oc iology, v o l. 1 1 . p ”304 . .

2
r l
A tic e , M arr
’
iage , in the D ic tion na ire en cyc lopedigue des sc ien c es
médic ales .
35 0 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF MA F E I A G E

race by the side of the married t w o t h i r ds In com -

.
e

para t i
ve tables which ,
are extremely clea r A Be r tillon ,

follows ste p by step the di ffe rent fates f the mar r ied and o

unmar r ied and he s hows us that at every g the celibate

, a e

p p lation is st r uck by a mortality nearly twice as great as

o u
t h e other ; that its births merely make up 4 5 p cent er .

of it s annual los s e s ; that it counts every year t wice as

many ca s es of madness t w ice as many s uicides twice as , ,

many attem pts ro

p p erty on and twice as many mu
,
r ders
and acts of personal violence Consequently the State h as .
,

to maintain for this celibate po pulation twice as many

p risons ,
twice as many as y lums and ho s p itals twice as ,

many unde r take r s etc The s e r evelations absol utely true

,
1
.
,

as raw re s ults caused a great commotion i the little public

, n

s pecially occ upied with demogra phy and sociology Their .

alarm was soon ca lmed .

F rom his inte r estin g work A Bertillon had drawn con .

e l us ions which we r e very do ubtful takin g s urely the e ffect ,

f
or the ca use by att r ib utin g t h e infe r iority of the celibate
,

p o p ulation solely to its celibacy If thi s be so we have .

,

only to ma rry these weak ones in o rder to raise them ;

but the s uperio r ity of the mar r ied p o p ulation which ,
on

the whole i s indis putable does t nece s sarily imply the ,

no

s upe r iority f the marr iage state

o .

It is in consequence f economic hindrances and f o ,

o

p hysical p sychical
or infe r io r ity that in t h e g r eater n u mbe r
, ,

o f cases p eo ple resi gn themselves to celibacy

,
Those who .

wish to marry cannot al w ays do s o and A Bertillon knew , .

bette r than any t h at the numbe r of ma rr iages t h e g

o ne ,
a e

at marria ge the number

, f child r en by m rr i ge etc o a a ,
.
,

de pend in th mass not on individ ual capr ice but on

'

e ,

causes alto get h er general Setting aside money con .

side r ations — w hich are so powerfu l and to which I shall ,

p resently ret ur n — and confining u calculation to per s on s o r

o f normal en dowment it is probable that there i s more

,

ene rgy mo r e moral and intellectual vitality in tho s e who

, ,

b ravely face the risk of mar r iage than in the timid

celibates but it i s certain that the celibate population ,

taken as a wh ole includes the maj ority f the human waste

, o

o f a count r y At the time when A Bertillon wrote hi s

. .

A B rt ill l 1
i . e o n, oc . c t .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y .
35 1

lea rned t r eatise in 8 5 9 statistics prove the existence in

,
1 ,

F r ance of infir m persons of whom the g reater ,

1

n umber were evidently condemned to celibacy by the very

fact of their infirmity O the other hand it is pr obable . n ,

t h at amo g the be ggars pro perly s o called there is a la rge

n , ,

ro
p p ortion of celibates wit h out counting the in fi rm ; w ,
no

in 8 4 7 there were
1 beggars in F r ance .
2

T these lists f unwilling celibates must be added

o o ,

es peciall y the vi r ile pop ulation in the army t h e mo r tality

, ,

in w hic h was a s w well know do uble that f the e , o

the I st Jan ua r y 8 5 the

,

civil po pulation N w . o , on 1 2,

F ench a r my co unted
r men T these matri .
3
o

monial non values cont r i butin g a la rge r tithe to sicknes s

-
,

and death m us t be further joined the celibates fr om

,

r eligious vows Th censu s s how s . f t h e latte r e o .

Wit h out any ill feeling towar ds the Catholic clergy we

-
,

may be allowed to hold the o pinion that the very fact of a

man s vo win g himself to celibacy —that is to s ay f setting
’

,
o

at no ught t h e desires f nature and the needs of the o

society fw h ich he fo r ms a pa r t— merely for meta physical

o

motives often im plies a certain deg ree f mental infe r iority

,
o .

T h s pecial statistics
e f the little ecclesiastical world are o

not publis h ed in F rance ; but M D uruy havin g once had .

the ha ppy thou ght of asce r taining from the ju dicial pi geon
hole s the numbe r f c r ime s and misd meano urs committed o e

by the membe r s f reli gious orders engaged in teac h in g o ,

com pa r ed with tho s e f lay schoolmaste r s d ur ing a pe r iod o ,

o f thirty months the r es ult of the inq ui r y showed t h at

, ,

p r o p ortionally to t h e n umber of schools the fo r m e r we r e ,

guilty of fo ur times as m any misdemeanours and t w elv e

times as many c r imes as the latte r Short as the pe r iod .
4

o f obser ation was this eno r mous diffe r ence gives matter
v ,

for r eflection altho ugh it may not have the value f a law
, o .

B ut the p rinci pal cause s w h ich influence mat r imony are

the greater less facility f e istence d the extreme
or o x ,
an

im po r tance attached to money A a general rule li fe and . s ,

death tend to balance each othe r and the p opulations ,

who s mortality is g r eat h ave as com pensation a rich bi r th

e , ,

M B l k S i iq d l F
1
. t p 55
oc ,
ta t st ue e a ra n c e, . . .

2 3
I d ibid p 98 I d ibid p 5 6 2 0
A B rt ill
. . .
, . .
, . .
.

4
ril M rig l i
. e on, a t c e a ra e,
”
oc . c t .
35 2 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF MA R R I A GE .

rate We invariably see the number of mar r iages and

.

bi r ths increasing a fter a serie s f pr os pero us years d o , an

v ic e versd G eneral cau s es have naturally a greater i fl u
. n

ence on th po pulation living from hand to mo uth Th

e . e
well to do classe s esca pe this and we even find that the
- -
,

chances of marriage f the rich increase du r ing years f or o

high prices .
1

We can scarcely attribute to anythin g else but an excessive

ca r e for money and a foretho ught pushed to timidity some
ve ry dis quieting traits in u marriage and birth rate s i o r n
F rance I w ill merely recall by the way the continually
.
, ,

decreasing exces s of u birth s which if not sto pped by o r , ,

radical social reforms can only end in u fi nal decay ,

o r .

Th fear of ma r ria ge and the family is the p a r tic ular

e

feat ure of French m t im i lity T h desi rable age for a r on a . e

mar r i ge says A Be r tillon is from twenty two to twenty

a , .
,
2 -

fi ve for men and from nineteen to twenty for women In

, .

E n gland more than half the marria ges for men ( 5 4 in 0

1 0 00
) and nearly two thirds f tho s e f women are con
-
o o
tracted b efore the age of twenty fi N w this is only -
ve . o ,

the case in F rance for and in Belgium fo r f the o

marriage s A demogra phical phenomenon f the same

. o

kind is ob s erved in Italy where only 3 men ut f 2 2 o o 1 000

marry befo r e t h e g f twenty—

,

fi A t Paris where the

a e o ve .
6
,

st r uggle fo r existence is more severe and whe r e the care for ,

money is more pr edominant late marriages abo und and it , ,

is only a b ove the g f forty for m and thirty fi for a e o en -

ve
w omen that the ma r riage rate equals and even exceeds , ,

that f the w hole f F rance ; it is self evident that the

o o
4 -

result f this must be a decrease in the total f birth s by

o o

mar r iage Whether these facts pr oceed from the growin g

.

di fficulties f existence from a fea r always a ugmentin g

o ,
or ,

a lso f trouble and care

, o fr om the s e two causes com ,
or

bi d and mutually s trengthening each other the co us e

ne ,

q u enc e i s the same marriages are becoming more: and

more s im ple commercial tra nsactions from whence ari s e s ,

the worst and most shameful of selections selection by —

money A a moral demogra pher A Bertillon thunder s
. s ,
.

a gain s t what he calls the system f dower more “

o

A B rt ill n art i l
1
M rri g
. e l i o , c e a a e, oc . c t
.

2 3 4
I d , ibz a I d , ibid
’
I d , ibid . . . . . .
 AN D OF TH E F A M I L Y? 35 3

p culiar to the L atin races since we get it from R ome

e , ,

whe r r cour wa s doubtle ss had to it in order to eman

e e se
c ip t patricia wome from s trict conjugal servitude
a e n But n .

the remedy ha s b ecome an vil and it i s s urely to the love e ,

of th dowry rather th n to the b eautiful eye s of th

e a
“
e
ca s ket that mu s t be attributed whol li s t oftrue marriage s a e
by purcha s e much mor commo in u w country than
,
e n o ro n

el s ewhere Sometime s it i s ld m wh conj ugally pu

. o en o r
cha s young girl s and s ometimes old women who buy
e ,

young hu s band s I will es pecially notice this la s t category

.

o f marriages by p urcha s e A re gard s them F rance is . s ,

unworthily distingui s hed beyond other nations I u . n o r

table s f s tati s tic s for exam ple the proportionate number

o , ,

of marriage s bet we bachelors from eightee t forty yea r s en n o

and women of fi fty d u pward s i s ten time s greater than an ,

in E ngland .
1

M a rriages w it/i Wom en f F ifty

o Yea rs a nd up w a rds .

( I n a m illion m a rriages .
)
IN F NE
RA C IN EN L ND G A
A ge of A e of
B ac h e l o rs . Ba e l
o o rs

to years
.

1 8 20 to 20 years
20 25 2
5
25 3°
11 3) 3 0

3 ° 2» 35 v 35
35 9) 4° 1) 4°

We m ust remark in com paring these table s that fi r st

, , t he
grou p includi g the married men from ei ghteen t twe ty
,
n o n
year s with women f fi fty and u pwards is unknown in o ,

E n gland ; d that the se ond grou p that f the married

an c , o
men of twenty to twenty fi year s with women of fifty -
ve

years and u p ward s i s s carcely re presented Th com , . e

pari s on i s not flatterin g f us It is im portant to note or .

al s o th t the s e figures only refer to firs t marriages Tables

,

, a
f the same kind s howin g the marriage s between young
.

o ,

A B rtil l l i 1
. e o n, oc . c t .
35 4 TH E E VOL UTI ON OF M AE E I A GE

girl s d old men an between aged widow s and young , or

men would add to u confusion d b i g to u though ts

,
o r , an
‘

rn o r
the picture sq u exclamation which Shake speare puts int
e o
the mouth f King L ear— F i " Fie l F i " Pah " Pah "
o
“
e e
G ive me an ounce of civet good pothecary to s weete , a , n
my imagination .
” 1

M arriages w it/z All en f

o S ixty Yea rs a nd up w ards .

IN F ANC E
R IN EN L NDG A
N
.

Age l
O f G ir s .
um ber o f
Age o f G ir s . l
1 5 to 20 yea rs 1
5 to 20 years
20 25 20 2 5
25 11 3° 25 1: 3°
3 ° 11 35 3 ° 11 35

III . Ttze F uture .

What will marriage and the family becom in the future ? e

Fo r o ne who i s t a prophet by s u pernatu ral ins piration

no ,

it is ha dous to mak e prediction s Th future

z ar th . e ,
ne v e r e
le s s is born from the womb of the past and after having
, , ,

p atiently scrutinised the evolution f bygone age s we may o ,

legitimately risk a few inductions with regard to the ages to

come D ou b tless the primitive forms of ma rri ge and th
. a e
family will per s ist if t for eve r a s H e r be r t S pencer
,
no ,

believe at least f a very lon g time among certain inferior

s, or

r ace s protected and t the s ame time o ppre s sed by climate s

,
a

which the civili s ed man c nnot brave with im punity a .

T hese backward p rehi s toric race s will continue to s ubsi s t

in unwholesome region s as witnesses of a di s tant past , ,

recalling to more develo ped race s their humble o r igin But .

with these la s t the fo r m of marriage and of the family ,

w hich has incess ntly been evolving cannot evidently

a ,

remain immutable in the future T h little human wo rld . e

knows no more repose than the co s mic environment from

whence it ha s s pr ung and which enclo s s it A mon g , e .

1
K ing L ear, Ac t iv S c . . 6 .
 A N D OF TH E F A M I L Y .
35 5

p eopl es a s m g in div idu a l s v ita l

a on urren n d se l ec , c o nc ce a

t ion d t h e ir work N w wh it i a m tt f ins t it u t ion

,

en s a er o s
‘

o . o ,

so essen tia ll y v ita l a s m arriage a d t h e fa m ily t h e l e a s t n ,

a m el io rat ion i f t h e h igh es t im po r ta nce ; it h a s a n i fl u

s o n

e nc e on t h e n umb e r nd q u a l ity f fres h gene rat ions nd

a o , a

on t h e fl es h d sp irit f peop l es All t h in gs b e in g e q

an o u al .
,

t h e p repon de ra nce wh e t h e r p a c ific o r no t will a l ways fa ll t o

, ,

t h e n at ions wh ic h p r o du ce t h e gr eates t n umb e r f t h e m os t o

r o bu s t m os t in t e ll igen t d b es t c iti ens Th ese b e tt e r , an z .

en do we d n at ions will o ft en a b so rb o r r epl a ce t h e o t h e r s

,

an d a l ways i t h e l on g ru n will b e doc il e l y im itat e dbyt h e m

n .

E t h nogr a p h y a d h is t o ry s h o w u s t h e t ru e sense f e v o lu t ion

n o

i the pa t
n S oc ie t ies h a v e cons ta n t l y a dva nce d fr o m con
s .

fu s ion t o dis t inc tion M o oga m ic m a rr iage h a s s u ccee de d

. n

t o v a r io u s m o r e con fu se d m o des f sexu a l a ssoc iation S o . o

a l so t h e fa m ily i t h e ul t im at e r es iduum f v a s t co mmu n ities
s o
o f ill d fi d r e lat ions h ips
-
e ne I n it t ur n t h e fa m ily it se l f h a s
. s ,

b eco m e r es t ric t e d At fi r s t it w s t ill a so r t f l ittl e c l a n

. as o

an d t h en it w r e du ce d t o b e essen t ia lly no m o re t h a n t h e
as
v e ry m odes t gr o u p fo rm e d by t h e fath e r t h e m o t h e r d , , an
t h e c h il dren At t h e s a m e t im e t h e fa m il ia l p at rim on y
c rumbl e d j u s t a s th at f t h e c l a n h d be en p r e v io u s l y
.

, o a

p a r ce ll e d o u t ; it b ec a m e in div idu al Wh at i r ese rv e d f . s or

u s i t h e fu t ure ? Will t h e fa m ily be r econs t it u t ed by a s l o w

n
m o v e m en t f r e t r ogress io a s H e rb er t S pence r b e l ie ves ?
o n, 1

No t h in g i l ess p r o b a bl e
s .

I s t itu tions h av e t h is i co mm on wit h r ive r s t hat t h e y

n n ,
1

d no t e a s il y fl w b a c k t o wa rds t h e ir so ur ce
o o I f t h e y so m e .

t im es see m t o re t r ograde it i gene r ally a m e r e a ppea ra nce ,

s

res ul t in g fro m a so r t f soc io l ogic rh ythm I n t ru t h t h e d

,

o . en
d t h e be ginn in g m y a ss um e a s u pe r fic ia l a n a l ogy m a s k in g
,

an a ,

a p r o fou n d diffe rence Thu s t h e u nconsc io u s at h e is m f th e

. o
K fii h a s no t h in g i co mm on wit h t h at f L u c r e t iu s
a rs n d o an
no t h in g c a n b e l ess a n a l ogo u s th a n t h e a n a r c h ic e q u al ity
,

o f t h e F u gi d Am e r ic a n in div idu a l is m
e an s an If a s i .
, s
p r o b a bl e t h e in div idu a l is t e v o lu t ion a lre a dy so l on g b egu n
con t in u es i t h e fu t ure t h e c ivil ise d fa m il y—t h at i t o y
, , ,

n , s sa
t h e l a s t co ll ec tiv e u n it f soc ie t ies — mu s t aga in be di
,

o s
in t egr at e d d fin a ll y s ub s is t no l on ge r e xcep t i gene a l ogy
, an n
sc ien tific ally r e gis t e r e d wit h e v e r inc re a s in g c a r e ; f it i -
or s,
1
18
'

S oc z olog f, v o l. 1 1 .
p 4 . .
35 6 TH E E VOL UTI ON O F . M A R RJA G E

an d a l ways will be im po rt n t t o be a bl e t o p r ej u dge ho w

, a
t h e v oice f th e a nces t or s m y spe a k in the in dividu a l
.

“
o a
B ut e v en fr o m t h e c rumbl in g f t h e fa m il y will fre ult t h e
.

o s
r e ons t it u tion f a la rge r collec t ive un it h a v ing co mm on
c o ,

i n t e r es t s nd r es usc itat in g u n de r a no t h e r fo rm t h at so l id
a .

arity wit h u t w h ic h no soc iet c a n en dur e

o
y .

B ut t h is n w co ll ec tivit y wil l in no w y b e cop ie d fr o m

e
-
a
t h e p rim it ive c la n Wh e th e r it be ca ll e d S t t e di tric t . a , s ,

c a n t on o r co mmu ne it go ve r n m en t will be at once

, , s
despo t ic d l ibe ra l ; it will r ep r e s e v eryt h ing t hat wo ul d
an

b e ca lc ulat ed t o inj ure t h e c o mmu n ity bu t i e ve ryt h ing

s
n
lse it w ill en dea v o ur t o l e a ve the m ost co m p l et e indepe nd
,

ence t o in dividu a l O ur a c tu a l fa m il y c ir c l e i m os t oft en

s . s

v e ry im pe rfec t ; so fe w fa m il ies c a n giv e o r k now h ow t o

a a a a t t a a t
,

g iv e, h e l th y p h y ic l m o r l , d i n e ll ec u l
s e du c t ion o an

t h e h ild th at i th is do m a in la rge encroa c hm en t s o f t h e

, ,

c ,
n

S tat e w h e th e r s m a ll o r gr e at a r e p r o b a bl e e v en des ira bl e

, , , .

T h ere i in fa c t a gre at soc ia l in t e r es t b fo r e w h ich t h e

s, , e
p re t en de d righ t s f fa m il ies mu s t be e ffa ce d I n o rde r t o
o .

p r ospe r nd l iv e it i necess a ry t h at t h e e t h n ic o n i l
a , s soc a

u n it s h o ul d in c ess a n tly produ ce a u ffi cien t n umbe r f s o

in div idu al s w e ll en do we d i b o dy h ea r t d m in d B e fo r e
t h is p rim ordia l need a ll p rej u dic es mu s t yie l d all ego is t ic
n , , an .

in t e r es t s mu s t b en d
,

But t h e fa m il y n d m a rr ia ge ar e c l ose l y c nn ec ted ; t h e

a o
fo rm e r c a nno t b e m o difie d so l on g a s t h e l att e r r e m a ins
u nc h a n ge d I f t h e l e gal t ies f t h e fa m ily a re s t re t c h e d o ,

w h il e soc ia l t ies a r e dra w n c l ose r m a rr ia ge will h a v e t h e

.

sa m e fo rt u ne F o r a l on g t im e m ore r l ess s il en tl y a s l o w
.
,
o ,

w o rk f dis in t e gr at i n h
o b egu n d we see it a ccen t u ate d o as , an

e ve ryd y L ea v in ga s ide m o ra l s wh ic h a r e diffic ul t t o app e

a ,
r

c iat e l et u s s im p l y tak e th e n um e r ic al res ul ts wh ic h s tat is t ics

.

fu rn is h u s w it h i r e ga r d t o div o r ce d ill git im a te b ir t h s

,

n an e .

I n t h e fi v e co u n tries co m pa re d a s fo ll ows t h e inc rea se f , o

div o r c es h a s b een con t in u o u s d p r o gress iv e dur in g t h ir t y an

y e a r s d i
an F r a nce th n um
n b e r h a s d o ubl e d e .

The n umb e r f ill egit im at e b ir t h s foll o we d s imul ta neo u s l y

,

a n a n a l ogo u s p r ogr ess ion I n Fr a nce during t h e pe r io d .

,

1 800 1 -
8 5 it w 0 ,5 pe r ; n was w r o te M B l oc k in 1 00 o ,
.

8 6 9 it h a s gr a du all y r isen t pe r At the a m e

.

o s

k
1 ,

M s oda /e,
' '
1
. Blo c ,
E urope polz lz gue at p . 2 04 .
 A ND OF TH E F A M I L Y .
35 7

t im e and a s a c onsequ ence f t h is de m ogra p h ic m o ve m en t

, o ,

t h e p r opo rt ion f free u n ions h a s cons ide ra bly inc re a se d

o .

IN C R E ASE o r DI VO RCES .
1

Toe/ req f
uen cy f div orc es in
o 1 8 5 1 -5 5 being 1 00 , w iz at bar it bec om e
during t/z e fol/o w ing yea
r s

th r rt
A Bertillo n c alc ulated is p opo ion fo r P is at
. o ar a b ut a
t h t h r ul t a r m l t h l a l t u at
en t B ut ese es s e s i p y e ogic con in ion
.

of t h v lu t
e e o io n o f m a rr a
i ge is inIt th
e sense o f n e e. a vr
ra
in c e s in g in di id v u al l b rt
i e y, espec i y fo r woall n, m a t h at t h
is
v lu t b t
e o ion 1 5 e in g e ffec e d B e tween en an d w o en em m th
j u al r lat h av at r t b
.

con g e ions e fi s e en ne y e e yw e r a rl v r h
e fo r m
m a t r t l av t h m a r ta l
s e s o s es , en i despo is t m b am l l
ec e s o w y
att u at at m
en e d, and R o e, fo r ex p e , w e e e g d am l h r t h ra ua l
m ta m r h b t ra ur a l h t r
e o p os is m ay e ce d d in g on g is o ic pe io d, r
th r th
e po we o f e p aterfa m ilias, w ic h h at r t
fi s had no i i , lmt
at l th b a m urb
en g th
ec e c e d ; e pe son i y o f e w o nr al t th ma
was m r m r a t u at
o e and o e ccen e d, an d e igid th ri ge o fm a rr a
t h r t t ur th ubl
e fi s cen ies o f e R ep ic was ep ce d n de r l a u r th
e
m r a rt
E p i e by so o f f ee nion r u Do ub tl t h m v m t
ess is o e en .

a r l r t r ra u r th
neces s i y e og de d n de e in fl ence o f C is i n i y;u hr t a t
bu t a a l a h a
, th l
s w ys ppens in e ogic o f in gs, it s, ne e th ha vr
r um
th ele s s, es ur ll
e d its co se ; it wi beco e o e and o e m m r m r
v t ll ur l a t h
e iden , an d wi s e y p ss e po in t at h h t
w ic it s oppe d
m r al m
in i pe i R o e .

am m a rr a ll t u t ub t th
.

1
M ono g ic i ge w i con in e o s s is ; it is e
la t m r
s co e , an d c
-
mu h t h m t r th
e os w o y and es ides, e b th
b al a th m ak alm t a t bu t
,

nce o f e se xes es it os necess i y; it

Wi ll h a v m r m r u al t
e o e and o e e q i y in it, an d ess and ess o f l l
l a l r t ra t
eg es in O n is poin t I . th g d a m la t
o fi n d y se f in
A
m l
J B1
r.till
e E tud d m
o n, g fi
fi g i u
e eu
’
di p 6
o ra
’
e a vorc e, . 1 .
358 TH E E VOL UTI ON O F M AR R I A G E

a cco rd wit h t h e m os t cel ebr ate d f m o de r n soc iol ogis t s o ,

H e rb e rt S pence r wh i no t v e ry b o l d h o we ve r on t h ese
,
o s ,

de l icat e po in t s I n p r im it iv e p h a ses h e s ays w h il e

,
“ “
.
,

pe rm a nen t m onoga m y w de ve l op in g u n ion i t h e n a m e

,

as n
f th e l w — t h at i o rigin a lly t h e a c t f p urch a se—w
,

o a s, o as
a cco u n t e d t h e essen t ia l p ar t f t h e m a rriage d u n ion i
,

o an n
t h e na m e f a ffec t ion w no t essen t ial I n t h e p resen t d y
,

o as a
u n ion i t h e n a m e f t h e l w i cons ide red t h e m os t
.

n o a s
im po r ta n t d u n ion by a ffec t ion a s l ess im po r ta n t
, an A
t im e w ill co m e wh en u n ion by a ffec t ion will b e cons ide re d
.

t h e m os t im po r ta n t d u n ion i t h e n a m e f t h e l w t h ean n o a

l ea s t im po rta n t d m en will h o l d i rep ro bation t h ose

,

conj uga l u n ions i wh ic h u n ion by a ffec t ion i dissolv e d

, an n
”1
n s .

M on taig e once w r o t en W h a v e t h ou gh t t o m ak e o ur
:
“
e
m a rr iage ti s t r on ge r by tak in g a way a ll m e a ns f disso lv in g
e o
it ; bu t t h e m o r e w h a v e t igh t ene d t h e cons t ra in t so mu c h
e ,

t h e m o r e h a v e w rel axed d det ra c t e d fro m t h e b on d o f

e an
will d a ffec t io
”?
an n
I t i t h e re fo re p ro ba bl e t h at a fu t ur e m o re o r l ess dis ta n t
s

w ill in a u gurat e t h e e g im f m ono g a mr ic u n ions e ofr ee l y con ,

t ra c t e d a d at nee d freely dissolve d by s im p l e mu t u a l

, n ,

consen t a s i a lr e a dy t h e c a se wit h div o rces i va r io u s

,

, s n

E ur ope a n co u n t r ies — t G ene v a i B e l gium i R o um a n ia a n ,

n

e tc d wit h sep a rat ion i I ta l y I n t h ese div o rces f t h e

, ,

, an n o

fu t ur e t h e co mmu n it y w ill on l y in t e rv ene i o rde r t o s a fe

. .

n
—
,

g u a r d t h at w h ic h i f v ita l in t e r es t t o
s o it t h e fat e a d t h e n

e du cat ion f t h e c h il dr en But t h is e v o lu t ion i t h e

o n

m a nne r f u n de r s ta n din g d p ra c t is in g m arr iage will

.

o an
ope rat e s l o wl y f it s u pposes a n en t ir e co rrespon din g
or

re v o lu tion i p ubl ic Op in ion ; m o reo ve r it re qu ires a s a

,

n
co r o ll a ry p r o fo u n d m o dific at ions i t h e soc ial o rga n is m
,

,
n .

Th e r eg im f l ib e r te o
y i m a rr ia g e d t h e d
n is in t e g r at ion f an o

o ur a c t u a l fa m il ia l t ype a r e on l y poss ibl e on con dit ion

t h at t h e S tat e o r t h e dis tr ic t a gr eat n umb e r f c a ses in o ,

i r e a dy t o a ss um e t h e ol f gu ar dia n d e du c at o r f
,

s r e o an o

c h il dr en ; bu t b e fo re it c a n tak e on it se l f t h ese im po rta n t

fu nc t ions it mu s t h a v e cons ide r a bl e r eso urces at it dispos a l
,

,
s

wh ic h t o d y a r e w a n t in g
-
a I n o ur presen t egim t h e . r e,

fa m il y h o we v e r de fec t iv e it m y b e s t ill cons t it u t es t h e

, a ,

H rb rt S p 1
r S l gy l ii p 4
e e e nc e , oc i o o , vo . . . 10 .

3
ta
M o n igne , E ssays, v o l. ii p . 1 5.
 3 59

s a fes t and a lm os t t h e on l y s h e l te r fo r t h e c h il d and we ,

c a nno t t h in k o f des t r oyin g t h is s h e l t e r b e fo r e we h a v e

,

cons t ru c t e d a l a rge r and b e tt e r one .

Tra ns fo rm at ions so r a dica l a s th ese c a nno t e v iden t l y b e

wr o u gh t ins ta n ta neo u s l y by a m e r e c h a n ge o f Vie w a ft e r
, ,

t h e fa s h ion o f pol it ic a l r e v olu t ions No th in g is m o r e .

c h im e r ic a l t h a n t o fe a r o r t o h ope fo r t h e s u dden destruc

t ion o f o ur a c t u a l fo rm s o f m a rriage o f t h e fa m ily and o f , ,

p r ope r t y ; bu t t h e r e is no do ub t t h at a ll t h is is t o tt e r in g .

Th e a l a rm an d t h e l a m en tat ions o f so m a n y m o r a l is t s b o t h ,

lay an d religio ns a r e no t t h e r e fo r e w it h o u t so m e fo unda

t ion S oc ie t ies h a v e a l ways e vo lv ed bu t t h e ra p idity o f
,

.
,

t h is e v olu t ion is a cce l e r at in g ; it is in so m e so r t p r opo r , ,

tio n ate t o t h e s q u a r e o f t h e t im e e l apse d I fe a r t h at in th e .

e yes o f o ur descen da n t s we s h all a ppea r s l a ves o f r o u t ine ,

a s o ur a nces t o r s a r e in o ur s
F o r t h ose wh o h a v e no t fi rml y ra ll ie d t o t h e s ide o f t h e
.

gr e at law o f p r o gr ess t h e fu t ur e is full o f t e rr o r It .

h a s a l ways b een t hu s ; t h e a pos t l es o f p r ogress h av e

,

a l wa ys had t o o ve rco m e t h e r es is ta nce o f t h e sec ta ries

o f th e pas t .F r o m t im e imm e m o r ial ce r ta in D ya k t r ib es ,

we r e a cc u s t o m e d t o fe ll t r ees by c h opp in g at t h e t ru n k wit h

a h at c h e t pe rpe n dic ul a rl y t o t h e fi bres O ne day so m e
re v o lu t ion a r ies p r opose d m ak ing V —
.
,

s h a pe d c u tt in gs in t h e ,

E ur ope a n m e t h o d The D ya k conse rv at iv e p a r t y insp ir e d

.

by t h e r e ga r d due t o c u s t o m we r e w r o t h at t h is and
,

, ,

p u n is h e d t h e inno vat o r s by a fi ne Ne ve r t h e l ess I do no t

1
.
,

do ub t t h at t h e n e w m e t h o d h a s t r ium p h e d in p r a c t ice ; it
was fo u n d a dv a n ta geo u s B ut t h is inc iden t is in m in iat ur e ,

t h e h is t ory o f a ll t ra ns fo rm at ions s m all o r gre at

.
,

,
.

I t is ve ryce rta in that in soc ie ties wh e re m a rriage bygro u ps

h al f po lya n dric and h a l f po lyga m ic had b een in s t it u t e d fo r
cen t uries t h e b o l d a gitat o r s who att e m p t e d t o s ub s t it u t e
,

in div idu a l u n ion we r e cons ide r e d at fi rs t a s da n ge r o u s

r e v olu t ion a ries and t h ose wh o dis m emb e r e d in t o fa m il ies
,

t h e co mmu n a l cl a n on ly s u ccee de d at t h e cos t o f great

dif fi c ul t y an d pe r il Thu s in t h e Ores z eia o f E sc hylus o f
.
’
z
z

wh ic h I h a v e spo k en in t h e l a s t c h a p t e r t h e c h o ru s o f t h e
,

E um en ides giv es v o ice t o t h e p r o t es tat ions o f p ubl ic op in ion

,

aga ins t t h e es ta bl is hm en t o f t h e p at e r n al fa m ily in G reece .

1
j ourn al I n d A re/z ip
.
,
v o l. 11 . p 54. .
 3 6 0 TH E E VOL U TI ON OF M A R R I A G E .

l
The p r os pec t s wh ic h a l arm t h e conse rvat iv e sp ir it s o f t o day -

are ,
in t ru t h bu t t h e l a s t co n se q u e n ce o f th at a nc ien t
e v o lu t ion S tat is t ic ia ns w ho a r e no t e v olu t ion is t s p r o v e
,

.
,

w it h o u t u n de r s ta n din g it th at t h e in disso lub il it y o f m a rr iage

b eco m es m o re and m o re in t ol e ra bl e fo r in div idu al s Th e re
,
1
.

is a s it w e r e a t ide o f disco rd con t in u a ll y r is ing wh ic h

ren de r s c o nj u ga l s ta b il ity m o r e and m o r e p reca r io u s Th is
, ,

g r ie v o u s s tat e o f th in gs dis t resses o n th e ot h e r h a n d t h e

m o ral is t s fo r ne it h e r do t h ey see th e r e a son o f it T he
, ,

s urp r ise o f t h e fo rme r is n o t m o r e j u s t ifie d t ha n t h e

.
,

la m e ntat ion o f t h e l atte r I t is no t h ing m o re t h a n t h e

fu t ur e wit h its h a b it u a l e fi ro nte ry pe r s is t s in
.

wh ic h
'

, ,

r is ing o ut o f th e p a s t The fa in t h e ar te d c ry t o us th at
,
-

e ve ryt h in g is co m in g t o a n e n d I t is no t so ; on the
.

con t ra r y e ve ryt h in g is a b o u t t o b e r ene we d F r o m t h e

, .

m os t dis ta n t s t one age t h e h is t o ry o f hum a n ity h a s on l y

been a l on g se ries o f regene rat ions Far fr o m m o urn in g
,

1 .

wh en t h e w o rl d see m s t o b e en t e r in g a pe r io d o f fr es h l ife
.

le t u s rath e r r ejo ice and say a ga in wit h L u c re tiu s

C dit
e im r r u m
en it t xt u
e v tu t nov a e e r sa e s as
S m p r t x a li a liu d r pa ra r
e e e e t1s e e n e c ess e es .

1
I
. t
Ber illo n, Zoe . c it. , p 61. .
 IND E X .

A bys s i ia Th
n ub i at i 1 62 e c o nc n e n, utr
Ad l e y in M l , 21 7 aa a
gam y i t
,

M
lut m ral r
o no 179 n, in E gyp , 21
Di fw m i 1 81 am
F a ility f div r
ss o e o s o o en n , o ng th e H eb e w s , 21 8
c i 181 o o ce n, am o n g th e A r b s , 21 8 a
Ci i b i i 1 8 1 am a
D iv r
o ng th e K b yles , 21 9
r iar
c s e n,
ia
L vi rat by ma u lati r
i 23 2 o ce n, in P e s an d I n d , 220
i 26 5 n w o ld, 222 ma
at a rta
e e e sc on n, in th e G ec o R o
A d p ti m 3 16
ti u ma r
o on Sp , 222

w m Li at t
,

A by i i n an en , c en s nne s A h en s , 223
ss1
s o o
0 at m R o e , 222 225
A d p ti
o am gth R d ki 29 1
on on e e s ns , am o ng th e Tc h e rk es se s o f th e
au a u
ar ar u ur
i P ly
n 296
o n e s 1a , C c s s , 225
i A by i ia 3 1 6 m b b o s E o pe , 225
A du lt r y i a i t ax
n ss n
M i ddl Ag am
,

th
r
e n 204 e e es , o ng th e n c en S o ns ,
,

am ma
226
Of i g ,r al 208
id r d a th ft 208
n e ne , f u a ra
o n g th e G e
in e d l F n c e , 226
v uti
n s , 226

c o ns
i M ln i
i N w C a l d ia 209
f
e e
e an es a
as e ,

and Ch s ri tiau iti at mi

Th e e o l o n o f, 227
n y, 245

A f ri a 10
ddle , 1 6 1
ut r r
n e e on , c a , Th e c o nc b n e 1n
i n n e ro
g c 2 A d l e y i n neg o , 21 0
am g th H tt t t 210 ,

fami
i B r u 21 1
on
at th G ab 210 e
e
o on ,
o en o s , Th e
A ath yrse s , P o
g
r ly in , 3 05
mi uit
a r r tituti
sc
"lis en us , S c e d p o s
y o f th e , 4 0
o n i n , 46
'

n o no
at K t 21 1 aar a,
,
A ma a
z o n s , Th e s o c lle d age o f, 1 05
am g th S ulim 21 1
on e as , v
A m bl forn is in orna ta , L o e a1 c h ite c tu1 e
é
o
at Y uid 21 1
Am ri a P r tituti tral 1 56
o a, o
i Uga da 21 1
n n e c i os on n c en
i S n ga l 21 2
ene
,

C ubi at i 1 6
onc
,

n e n, 3
,

i Ab y i ia 21 2 F ami lia l la m 26 7
,

n ss n c n
ia 2 2 ,

Th fami ly i
,

Am r u
i P ly
n o n es 1 e 27 4 n,
i N Z ala d 212 ,

m bat f ti kl ba k 10
Am r u
n ew e n o o s co s o s c e c s,
at Tahiti 21 2 ,

A nal y t ll t cr s e m bat
a us , o o s
?1 1
s c o
at N uk hi 213 ,

i th A m ri a P r mi uit y f 43
o a va , o
avag 213
P r tituti f gi rl am g t th
n e e c n s e, A d m
n a it an es , o sc o
am g th E im 213 on e s u a ux, os on o s
,

on s e,
am g th R ki 213
.

on e e s ns , 58
am g th Omah a 214 A imal L v am g 1 0
i S uth A m ri a Am r u pr f r
on e s . n s, o e on ,

i b arb a r u Am r i a 21 4 Gr
n o e c o o f 17
s e e en c es o
f th mal am
, ,

i t M x i 21 5 g 18
n o s e c o s s n e ss o e e on
i a D u bl p i i
, ,

m
i P r u 21 5 M a rriag
n n c en c o, r
a 8 a rn a on J
d tg fam ya m
e e

M at ria r h at am g 1
n e e an g 20 le 1 on
i Guat mala 21 5
, ,

P at r ia r h at am
n e c e on 2
am gth M g l 216
x
, ,

D iv r t yp
on e on o s, g 21
c e on
i Th b t ual a iati ,

n 6 i e 21 e s f es o se s s oc on
i C hi a am g 1
,

M a rr ia g am g 21
n 6 n 21 on 2
i Ja p
, ,

n 21 7 an , e on ,
3 6 2 IND E X .

An imal I f ri r hav t mat r al a ta ri m at

r
B b ylo n H e i s
’

, 45
s, n e o e no e n
l v tituti at
,

Vtia ri uam f rm26 f

21
o e,
atta
Re io ns p o s
t i
on , 45
mic e nden c es o f, 134
am v rt rat
o s o s o B s, o no
on g on B att a
le , L w o , o ng e e b e s, 1 6
Th family am
,

S h rt m r u am
e g 29 on Law o f, 1 1
f l v th y u g
,

o f
n ess o o e or e o n A o o s, o ngth e A nalis c ris tel
am 31
V i tg f th mat rim u r
on la tus , 1 1
ar a on oial typ
,

e on e o f b l e h e on s , 1 2
m a a ia
D iv r f ma rriag am
a 35 o o f C n d n ge es e , 12
a ia
A a ria
e s g 35 o e on , o f g ll n c eae , 1 2
ns gins , m i uity f 43 o us ro sc o , of use , 1 2
P m i uit
A t h r p ph agy
A n ses , ro 41 sc o o f etras urogallus , 1 2
n o mili l f th B d
o a o e e o f Tetras um bellus , 13
ki 26 . ,

u i
r k r a t ra f rm
s ns , Bee s , R ep b l c o f, 23
A t O i Wo e s , nc es l o s , 23
f rm 2 at riar at
n s, ity fR ubli
r f 23 o e cs o
W
,

M
Ara b F rat r a l p lya dry
o r ers , anc es o s, 3 ch e o f, 24
at u
s,
a i t 39
nc en
f w if am g th
,
f th
e n o n o e
r r a i fami am r t
D e h o f Q e en o f, 24
a be s , Th e ly o ngs , 327
M e n ng o f th e w o d, 408
Th mat r a l family am g t 3 28
L o an o 52 e on e,
T mp y m m g am
f p lya dry f th
g 68
i rd L v am g t 1
e o rar a a es on e e n on s
C au
, ,

E th ti t u r am
s es o 82 o n o e, s, o e on s 1
fa i t 82 t f 13 ,

f da ught r
P ly d o an o n c en s e c o n en s o
am g L v da
,

L v p a rad
I f ti i n an c e o e s on o f 3 e nc es o 1
th a i t 88 ,

ti al l v pa rad f 13
e nc e n o f 13e es o
C l l g d f i fa ti i d 8 3 I t
, ,

r
'

a s, e en o n n c e, n en on o e es o
C mmu ity f iv am
,
C m d m
F rat r al p lya dry f th r f 3
’
o ng th 8 4 w es on a s a ou o 1
'
o e,
at d t fh ummi g 14 ,

T rm ma rriag am P r limi a ri ab ri dg d with ld 1 5

e n 84 o n o e, D ec o e n es s o n ,

P at ria r ha l ma rria g am
g th 8 on 5
r tai tr g r th a
n e
- e es
e e e, o
F ma l
,

c g th e on e. e f es o ce n, s on e n
mal 1 5
M a rriag b y a p tu r am g th M al m r ard t 1 5
86 es ,

Am r u att m p t
e c e on e, es o e en
f mal
,

m r d li at i l v tha th r
99 o o f 15
s e s o es o
P lygam y f th
,

v rt b rat 1 5
o 1 89 o e, o e e c e n o e n o e
ubi at am g th 161
Adult ry am g t h Am r u
C o nc n e on e, e e es ,
e 18 on e, 2 l ti
o o am g ths s e ec on on e
R p u diati
e am g th 2 7 3 9 on on e, 3 2 f mal f 1 7
e es o
Wi d h d am g th 5 9 gam y am
, ,

M
gam y f r tai
ow oo on e, 2 o no g 27 on
ia 6 1 Fi kl m
,

A rya P lygam y am g V di 1 35 1 5 0 Am r u fa i f r tai

A i i P ly
re o s n o n es , c e 28 o no o ce n,
s, o on e c o o 8
s n c es o ce n, 2
I f t id am Th fami ly am g t 29
, ,

g 1 50
t r al l v am g t
n an 1 c e on , e on s ,

A y m
A
r o
ssoc iati S i gular f rm f x u l
i 1 34
an a ,
o n, n o s o se a ,
Ab
r tai m
ce
f s en c e o

ft d v i d fpat r
f 29 n es o
e n
,
o e on s

A yr ia C
56 P l o o s, o en e o o e
ubi at i 165 m u30
D tal marriag
ss onc n e n n 0v e ,
A th P at al l v d v l p d am g
,

P r tituti
e ns , o 1 20 e in, ern o e e e o e on
at 5 6 ma y 30
Adul t ry at 222 Sh r t
os on 1 n
f l v f y u g
, ,

e o th
n ess o o e or e o n
Wi d w h d at 26 1
,

am g t 3 1
B i rt h S x ua l r lati d ma r
o oo on s
A tti a; D ity f p pulati i 1 98 , ,

A u t rali ti u m ra l f y u g
c ens o o on n, s, e f e on o an
Li
,

gi rl i S x ua l r lati
s a, c en o s o s o o n i g 73
r a e,

A m r u pr f r
s50 n, e f 74 e on o
R a p i 90 B it h
,

Ca p tu r k Am r u battl f
e n, c es , f 18
o o s e e e nc es o
fw m B la k
,

i 90e o o en n, c c oc o o s es o 12
L a f w if i f w ma am
, ,

o n o 3 e n, 12 B him
oc L an s , g thoa n o o n on e,
F am ilial la i 26 27 0 c n n, 1, 58

a if r a ia r mi uit
in , 27 0, 27 2

a ri
C l o ni n I n d n s , P o
t th K amilar i f y o f, 43
sc
To tem am o ngs e o o , Celiba c i a va ta
D s d n ges o f, c c o d ng to

C m m u l marria g t ra it ry i m ri
A rt ill o n , 349
i at a
.

na e ns o n, Ce l b e s c o p se t he w s te o f th e
o
Mat r a l fami ly i t ar ik ra am
p o pulatio n , 3 50
l3 2
C el s , W l e
Au t ralia f am r u a r
74e n n, 2 pe o ng th e, 9 3
b att l
i ma rria
s L ns , aw o o o s e C e ylo n , P o ly n d y in , 7 8
am th 5 8 m
i a rimitiv r mi uit
on e, C h ld ge s in R o e , 1 9 8

Avu ulat Th am g th Na r 3 1 a rria a tu r y in , 42

m g i th 1 91
'

A t
ves a , ar a e n e, Ch n , P e p o sc
nc e, e, on e 1 s, 1 M ge b y c p e in , 1 1 6
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i mi ddl A f r i
Ch n os on n, Co n c b n e n on
ubi at i 64
, ,

C onc n e n, 1 n 62 e ca, 1
M gam y i i A by i ia 1 6
M a rriag b y p u r h a i 183 tral A m ri a 163
o no 1 83 n, n ss n ,
2

t M x i 1 63
e c se n, i C n en e c
S u b mi i f w ma i i a i
,

A dult ry i
18 5
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21 6 e n, i M n g lia 1 64
on o
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,

i t A yria 1 65
e i 24 5 on n, n n
Wi d wh d i 2 i a
,

Wi d w h d f b ri d i 25 5
o oo n, 55 n nc e n ss
at M a 1 6 ,

t P r ia 1 66
o oo o es n, ec c 5
Th family i i a i
,

m latu r i 323 i Gr
32
e n, 2 n n c en e s
F amily
,

f f rat r a l ma rriag i
no e nc e n, n 1 66 e ec e ,
at R m 1 66
am g t h Cath li l rgy
l
g
e n n, o e,
za
ce o e

Tra ubi b u gh t by lab u r

g on e o c c e 1 68
f fami lial la i
,

C of
Th p at r a l family i 3 24
c es o 3 24 c n n, o nc ne o o
am g Zulu 1 25
ff r d by if at F ij i 1 24
e e n n, on s,
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b w r
c 1 3 24
o s ns n, o e e w e
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m
,

j uamgati a 4
Ch l ayd m ul era. ac ata, o e o e s C f
o n arrea t o 20 o e, 1
o 14 C on on ,
Ch order dors alis , 6
at r al l v r g lg 4
on ae,
vati f p i 20
m C q u t ry am
C
a paterfam ilia s ,
Ch ro P e n o e o ns e on o s ec es ,

d p r av r tai b i rd 25
0 ; o e g t 0
on 1 n s ec s , 1
ivi i ati
F amilia l i A m ri a 26 7 am g b utt rfl i 10
C l s on e es c e n s, Th l e f 0 aw o 1
C la
,

F amilia l i A u t ralia 26 7 27 0
n, n e c on e es ,
, ,

am g fi h 1 0
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, n s , ,
on s es ,
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13 g m y f am g t h R d ki C uva d 3 1 6
, ,

i N w M xi
4 xo a o , on e e s ns , o e,
27 5 n e 3 16 e c o,
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es o 27 5 on e e s ns , am g th R d ki 3 1 7
on e e s ns ,
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on am g th
,

o se o e, on e am g th Ab ip
on 317 e o ne s ,
R d ki am g th G li bi 3 1 7
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e 27 5 s ns , on e a s,

i S uth A m ri a 3 1 8
Th f th P u bl
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,

am g th Ta rtar 3 1 8
o n s 27 8 n e e s n, n o e c
Th familia l v luti ,

e d it an s e o on , on e s,
am th R d k i 28 5 ga l 3 1 8
,

on e e s ns, i Bn en
dt family 30 am g th C lt 3 18 ,

am g th Th ra ia 3 18
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S ial llul 301
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e,
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an e on e c ns ,
f t h familial i C h i a 3 23
, ,

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c es o e n n n o s c
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,

C r t S d m y i 63
c es o nc en on e ft h
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K ab yl
,

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8 28 es , e e, o o n,

VP rimitiv
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334 e, n ee c e ,
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Cl er Th ubi at am g a i t
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,

on n c en pe o ple s , 7 2
(fi th li 68 u am ki
Cl rgym S x u l r lati f b i rt h
o c 1 e c e n c y, R les o f, o ng R e ds n s , 290
,

iiu am ia
at r a
en , e a e on o s efl o ratio n , R e l o s , in C b o d , 47
e
g
am g 7 on 5 M e n l, m m t h e S ac c alav es , 6 7
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C mmu i m i th R d ki la i t i ia
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o n s n 27 8 e e s n c n, D o c e , F ac li y o f, in Ab yss n , 18 1

ubi ag i
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p r tituti
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g
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Vi aEriuur pf rm1 68 f 160 am
,

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o s o s o am at
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,

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f i K abyli 1 69 a
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,
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in t h e C o l n e I sl nds , 23 0
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am g th H b r w 161 a i t ru
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am g th A rab 1 6 1
on e e e s, in n c en P e , 240

amai i t
i p rimitiv G r
on e s, in l c Th b e , 240
am o ng th e M o ngo ls , 241
i m d r P ru 1 6 2 r
n 1 61 e ee c e ,
n o e n e , am on g th e H eb e w s , 242
 6
3 4 I ND E X .

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d r p u diati M at r al i P ru 29 3
o e, 4

am g ba rba r u p pl 23 2 P at r al i P ru 293
an 228 e on, e n , n e ,

d m d b y C h ri tia ity 2 5 P at r a l i M x i
on o s eo es , e n , n e ,
c on e ne s n 4 e n 29 3 n e c o,
v luti f 7 ,

ia 294 ,

d C h ri tia it y 2 7
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,

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,

tr
s n , nen c a nre o e, ,

am g th a i t I ri h 246 i fth mat r al at H awaii

on e e ns , 4 i

M d r
on e n c en s ,
G en es s o e e n , ,

umb r f i E u r p i f th pat r al i P ly
7 o e n, 24 295
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g
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2
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1 49
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R yal i t i 66
,

i A f ri a 305
o n c es n, G e n es s o e e ne,
M gam i a i t 175
Pr t d r Th mat r al i K ffi l d 305
on o n n c en n c
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,

n nc en e e n
,

n a r an
,

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A du lt ry i A f ri a 306
76 77 1 , 1 on e n e es , 5

Th m t r a l fam ily i
18 e n, 2 i n eas rn c
am g th Nubi 3 7 ,

Th pat r a l family i
e 308
a e n n, on e ans , 0
i E gyp t 807
Th pat r al i D h m y 30
e e n n, n
E ma ulati i Ab y i ia 26 5
,

Th mat r al i A f ri a
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, , ,

mat r al i M adaga a r
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g e e n
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, , ,

tu u i P r ia 330
1n en , Th e e n , n sc ,

E q uimau x L i ti u m r l f 58 t r a l i E gypt 308

I n c es o s, n e s ,
307
Th a e n n
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s c en o s o a s o e
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,

b y a ptu r am g th 94
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am g th ab rigi f B gal
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M
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a 0 c e on e, on e o nes o en ,

Th mat r a l i B ga l 3 1 3
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f i ll gitimat birt h Th pat r al i B

th 36 e, 3 e e n n en

ga l 3 14
, ,

Th p rimitiv
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r e, nc reas e o e e s e e n , n en ,

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n, 1 e 3 20 e,
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fty la am g th R d ki i Ch i a 32
,

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Th pat r a l i C h i a 3 23
o , 4 n 3 3 n, 2
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Tra fth mat r a l am

,
e o e e n e n ,
on e e es , 5

H b r w 3 26
g th
Mat r al am g t th a imal 21
21 c es o e e n , on e

am g t th mammif r 25 Th mat r a l i P h
e n , on s e n s, e e s, 0

i 3 27
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on s e e s, e e n n oen c 1a ,
am g t th a imal 29
,

M a t r l am g t th N ai r 8 1 Th mat r al am rb r
on s e n s, on e e e s,
g th
Mat r al at R m 202
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, ,

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,

Th p at ria r hal i V ed I dia 33 2

2
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M at r al i A u t ralia 27 4 Th mat r al i I d a 333

f t h 267 n o e, e c , n 1c n ,

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on
,
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, ,

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27 8 e 334
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335
d th mat riar hat
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i fth pat r l i G r
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G en e s s o e e na ,
n eec e ,

am g th O mah a 28 7 on e s,
E v luti at R m 347
am g th R d ki 287 i b a rb r u E u r p
f th o e,

am g th I r qu i S a 28 7
on e e s ns , o on o e,

Th pat r a l i b rb a r u E u r p
3 38
latur
o s e n ec s, n a o s o e,
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N m o f am g th R d
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ki 288 s ns ,
,

Th mat r l i G rma y 33 9
3 39
E v luti f th am g th R d
i th p a t p r t d futu r
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ki 292 es e n an e,

pat r al fam ly
s ns n e s , ,
,
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i th p a t 341
e n e3 1 s o e i
am g th 29 2 on e, n e s ,
 amily S tag f th a rdi g t L i rl i ritif ia
r
H o w , nh e in I nd , 3 3 4
M rga 3 7
F es o e, cco n o G s,
a a i t
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,

o n, 4 G e e c e , L o n o f w e in nc e n , 5 3
A tual tat m
a rria a tu r
S o do y in , 63
F at h r Th p t t
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f at R m M
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o es as o , o e,
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am g up ri r a imal 7
F ec n on, C o nc b n e in p e , 1 61
u i at
F u dalit y P lya dr i i M ala b a r 31 u j ti
on s e o n s C o nc b n e in , 1 66
m
ta r
S b ec o n o f w o en in , 1 9 5
M at r al am g th T ua
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r u j ti
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m
P at r a l l v i r arria
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Fi h tai 24 M a i t
ta ma rria ge in nc e n , 19 4
s es , e n o e n ce n,
Do l
F ra ma rria
C t yi
o ue r 0 n, 1 ge in , 1 96
i m di va l 1 60 v uti
A dult r y i f u da l 226 ut r
nc e , tituti s on n e ae ,
E ol on o f ge in , 1 97
e n e A d l e y in, 222
R p u diati i f u da l 24 6 u iati
,

L at m rriag i iv r
e on n e , Rep d o n in , 243

r
e a 35 2 es n, D o c e in , 243
M alt h u ia i m i 3 5 2 imitiv a
D wry r ma r mat r a fami
s n s n, Th e p e c l n in , 3 3 4
o d it u lt
an s es s on Th e e n l ly in , 3 3 5

Di p r p r ti at ma rria g i 3 23
i g ira e 35 n, 2 Th e gens in , 3 35
on e n, at a fami
G res is o f t h e p e rn l ly in ,
3g é
s o o es

G a lli a Am r u mbat f 1 2 G r k P r mi uity f th a i t 41

G
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f C a a da A m r u b attl Pr t d d i a i t E
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H aw au, K n s h p b y c l s se s in , 29 4
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r f 5 on o on
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E s s e n ia f 6 en o en o n o , n on e, 1
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Adu lt ry am g th 21 8
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at R m 334
G rma Di v r
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P lygam y f 1 3 5 am g th 2 2
mat r al family am g th
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R p u diati am g th 242
,

Th e e n on e, e on on e,
Wi d wh d am g th 25 9
pat r a l family am g th Th l vi rat am
o oo on e,
Th e e n on e, e g th
e 263 e on e,
La w f u i am g th 326
Tra
s o s c c es s o n on e,
L aw f u i am g th 339 mmu al la am g
Ma rr iag b y p u r h a
s o s c c e s s on on e, f c es o c o n c ns on
am g th
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S u bj ti H ta ir i G r
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N
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o oo on e, r o i P l o i 60 es n o nes a ,
s, os f am g t h A da
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ma rri d by th fath r i I dia 1 92

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M a rriag f littl at R m 1 98
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C j ug l al i P r mi uity f th 26
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,

ma rri d by th gra dm th r at I mm d t y P rimitiv

on fl ttl 1 07
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a P lygamy f th 1 48
56
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t fth i M u ulma ma r
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p rmit am g th K ar 66
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p 65 eo es ,
riage , 1 44 e on e ens ,
3 6 6 I ND E X .

t am g th Pa rth ia 66 Mo rh m p rary ma rriag

a i t P r ia 66
I nc e s on e ns , Jew s of oc c o, Te o es
in n c en e s am o ng t e, 67
m g th S yth ia 66 ,

J us primes n oc tis , 45
a a ar
a on e c ns ,
R yal i E gyp t 66
o n iiu
R e l g o s , in M l b , 47
f t h I a 66 am
. .

i t I r la d 66
o ng th e N as am o ns , 4 7
a a ri
o e nc s,
i a
riia i a
n nc en e n in t h e B le c I s les , 47
R ya l i S iam 66 i
,
o , n , S e gn o l, 47
i Bh
ar t fri
n t 33 oo an , 1 in Co c h n C h n , 48
am g th M
H rr r f i K
on 309 e es , o fp e n s an d en ds , 5 0
yli
P r imi tiv p r mi uit yi A du lt ryam
o o o n a e,
li K ab yl g t th
,

p r tituti
I ni 2 e o sc n, 4 es, 219 e on s e,
R pu diati am g t th
M a rria g b y ap tu r i 9
ligi o us 6 os on i n , 4 e on on s e,
R igh t f i f h w if
P lygam y i B ra h ma i 1 5 1
e c e n, 3 t o n s urre c 1o n o t e e,

P r tituti
o n n c, 6 23
Wi d wh d am g th 260
ab rigi
i
H rr r f i
os 9 on n, 1 5 o oo on e,
P lygam y am g th t am g th 309
Tra
o on e o n es o o o n c es on e,
la am g th
i i th ab ri
f 35
o 1 f th c es o 3 28 e c n on e,
gami t d tu l a i ta am g t th
,

M
g
o no c en e n c es n e o l a nc e on s
g
~
ss s e,
gi
D i i h r ita
f 1 33
n es o 9
R p u diati f th w if
,

e i 242 on n, s n e 3 29 nc e o e e,
Wi d w h d i 256 o oo n, L aw f u s i am g th
o s c c es s o n on e,
M itigat d m gam y i
I f ri rit y f w m Kab yli M a rr i g b y p u r h a i 1 45
1 91
e o no n, 29 3

ma rr i d b y t h fath r i Ta riff f th w ma i
n e io 19 1 o o en n, e, a e c se n,

f ma rr iag i
D gh tar1 er e e e n, o 1 6 e o n n, 4
diti
Marr ag by l
l g2 E ti l s en a c on on o n,
1 s
e

t ma rr ia g i 192
’

fj w l t th w if i 1 46
hi i 19 2
e urc as e n, i 4
L a
S ubj ti
P hib ti
ro i o ns o e n, o n o e e s o e e n,
f w ma i 1 9 2 f t h wif i 1
Ma rr iag f li ttl gi rl i 1 93 f rr ti
S ub
'

ec on o o n n, ti ec on o e e n, 45
f th h u b a d
A dul t ry i 2
e o e s n, B ig t s o co ec on o e s n
e n, 20 i l 7 n, 4
Th l vi at i e 263e r e n, Th w if a th i e p d
e i 147 n o s se s s e n,
g
Th familyi 3 3 2 F at f w ma m 1 7
pat a r h al fami ly i V di
e n, e o o n 4
Ab ubi ag i 169 ,

33
T ri n e f se nc e o c on c n e n,
32
c c,
K ifi R i gh t f th h i f am
Th pat ria r h at i 332 Kam a i R gulat d pr mi uit y f
a rs , g th
o 47 ec e on e,

P rim g itu r i 333 til 44

e c e n, ro , e e o sc o

P at r ity b y ugg ti M a r i ag m
o en e n, e,

H w dau gh t r i h rit i 33 3 K i h i p O r gi
e n i 333 s es on n, r t h 27 1 e a o e,

Th m at r al family i
o e s n e n, ns fi f 28 3
i n o eas o
la i th H a waii I l
, ,

e e n n, b c ss e s 294 n e s es ,
V es fa i t la i 834 o nc e n c ns n, T v luti f by la
e e o 97 on o c s s es , 2
divi d u ddt m , ,

In h 111 as s c c ee e o co 801
mu i m 3 7 F i titi u i C h i a 325
K ra i f ri rity f
n a 4 c o s, n n
In fa ti i d mmitt d by mal mam
n c e
,

co e e o Th
n, d th e, an e
,

n e o o
m if w m
gi rl am t A rab
34 e rs , 1 0
o en , 4
g th a i R t i ti p lyg m y i th
§3
o s on e nc en s, es r c o ns o n o a n e,
1 a 4
C l tial p ly
P ur ha
y i th
L g d f C i 83
r
e en o a s, e es 1 42 o n e,
Th pat e igh t f i P ly ia ft w if i th
R u ruai M a rriag am f A tra
e e o , n o nes ,
c se o 141 e e n e,

am g th V di A rya 1 5 0 g th
1 3 1 , e on e, o na

vat r Fat f 35 9
on e e c ns , lia , 27 3

a rk L v f 1 2
I nn o o s, e o ,

M ternal pres ienc e

a rva Th i a ur vival 23
I n s ec t o f, 22 L o es o
squ % y c10
, , ,

L a rv F rt i l 23
am o ngs t
rri a Pdr mi priimt itiv aa i i t
c L
) e r , e, s s ,

M at r al l v i t ril 23
I el n , Th e e c l n n, 338 a
e, e e,

L w f am r u b attl am g th Au
I sh , o sc u y o f th e nc e n , 41 e n o e n s e e,
am a i t
mp ra r ma rriag am g
I nc e st o ng t h e n c en , 66 a o o o s e on e s
w m
L vi rat am g th H br w
Te o y es on th e, t li ra 57
an o en ,
Th
D iv r
e e, e, on e e e s,
am th a i t o ce o ng e nc en 246 1 91
d Wi d wh
,
d 1 91
P r tituti f u g gi rl i
an o oo
Japa
,

n, os on o yo n s n, 5 1 Th 263 e,
i M a la ya 26 3
M riag p
i
P ros t t ut
i 7 in , 1 5 n
; i N w C al d ia 263
,

ult r i 7
at e 18 5 n e e on
am g th R d k 263 ,

Th mat r a l famil i
Ad e y n, 21 on e e s l ns ,
am g th M g l 263
m atu r i y n 3 22
e e n on e on o s,
F amili l a no en c l e n , 324 am g th Afgh a 263on e ns ,
 INDE X . 6
3 7

vi rat i I dia Lo v Co nj
ugal, in fm ale c h impa
am g th H b r w 263
Le e nz ees ,
e
e n n
é
,

on e e e s,
i A b y i ia
n ss n
Lo n a f th w if am avag 5 2
o e e
,
on s es , Mac rop us , C h n es e, p i at al l v f 24 ern o e o
am g th R d k 5 Ma da as c ar, Th e mat al f mily i ,

am gth A rab 5 3
2 ern a n,
éé
on e e s n s.

i a t qu G r
on e s,
t
a ti qu R m 53
I n c e s in , 309
n n i
n
53 e
e o
eec e ,
e, a m t C j ug l f r d m f 1 41
M ho e , on a ee o o ,
d th d b tum
Civi l ma rr iag am g th
jug t 1
i Au t ra lia 5 7
an e e z c on a e, 42
n s Malaga i s es , e on e,
am g th B u h m 5 8 ,

v Th a r f 3 Ma la ya Adul t ry i 21 7
on e s en , 1 29

Th l vi rat i
Lo e, e sn e o e n,
kl6 , ,

263
d r ut
aoc o r di t H n o aec e e e e n,
Th famil i
,

a rdi gt S h p h au r 9 M a rriag y p u r h a i 3 1 0
an 8 ,
e 309 n,

d pai r f S umat r a Th r
cco n o c o en e e c se n,
M ala y md f
,

a rdi g gI mitati f Ch ri t 10 ma rriag w ith th 1 1 9

an 9 in s o , ee o es o

M a l P a rt f th i th a ima l fami ly
cco n o on o s e e,
i i
,

i b i rd 1 1
n t 10
ns ec s , e, o e, n e n ,

i th la r k 1 2 M alth u ia i m N atu ral 20

n s, 2
1

fb i rd 1 3 i F ra
n e s n s
da
, , ,

p a ra d f T tr M ammal M a r ia
nc e s o s, n 35 2 n c e,
am g 25
pa r d fb i r d M a rria g
es o ph i llu 13 e as asan e s, s, r 9 on
th familyam
,

al pa ra d fb i rd 1 3 g 25
a es o 3 s, 1 e an e on
I t ti
,

P mi it i t h
ur t f b i r d 4
n en on es o s, ro sc 31u n e,
N p lya
,

y i th
r
co s o s, 1 o o 31n r n e,
Chlam ydera ma c o lata, P lygam u i ti f 3 2
C j u g l d v ti
b o we s of o o s s oc e es o
f fma l
.

14 on a f e o on o e es o
hou s e o f th e A mblyorn is in orn ata, 32
,

M a l i fa ti i d t 34
Th ta x
m
t ur
14 e n n c es a o
ti a
n e ys o f n igh ng les , 1 4 mi pla ,

av r ir G ra d u r d i f ri rity f 2
o e ono 2 c ce 0
s o n gs o f w e e b ds , 1 5 n e an n e o o
Th i ti t f i t bli d 1 7 R al p la
,

O ri gi
e ns nc o s no n e f 2 ce o
Ch i am g a imal 7 , , ,

o ce i n, on n s, 1 f 71 n o
S l ti am g f mal 1 7 M a u Th f h u b a d at R m
,

am g f mal b i rd M a rq
e ec i on n, on e es , n s, e, o 200 s n o e,
S l ti u tt R igh t f 48
M a rr B i l gi a l r igi
e ec i on n, on e e s, e e, o

E x lu iv
,

17 ia e , f 1 n o
Og
o o c o
fb it h
,

c s e, o 18 c es , j t f 2 ec o
E s s e ntial id tity f ith a imal en o w n s am g a imal 20
on n
,

s,
am g mammal 25
VP raimitiv
,

dm
Mat r a l w a ti g i l w r ri u typv lutif am fga imal 35
an 19 an , on s,
e n i n n n o e an o s es o on n s,
mal 2 , ,

M at r al i pi d r 22 S t ra g f rm
s, 1 54
e e o on o ,

P at r al w a ti g i pid r a impl p i ri g w ith ma y

e n , n s e s, n f 64
e o s o ,

B i l gi a l r a f mat r a l 22
e n 2 n n n s e s, 2 s e a n n
,

avag 64
M at r a l i th t ril la rv 23 E x p rim
o o c e s on o e n s es,
tal 6 7
,

P at r a l i r E x p rim
e n n e s e e ae, e en
tai fi h 24
,

ta l i Ca da 67 ,

P at r a l f Chi
e n n ce n s es , e en n na
t l am
, , ,

M
P at r al
pu s , 24 E p im th O m i
e n
e n
,

f Ch m i p
o

f o
n es e
ro
ac ro
s a ter a
x
I6
er g en a , on e to es ,

t l am g th S
,

P at r al
m ili p im
a7
24
as , x er en a th l , on e on a s,
f th G t t u
t l am g th Ta rta r
e n , o e as eros e s

P at r al f t a d 25
l iu 25 E p im
e rus ,
x er en a , on e s,

P at r al i t h P ip E x p rim
e n o o s, 6l
,

tal at C yl 6 7
M at r al i r p ti l
25
T m p ra ry am
e n n e a, e en e on ,

Vat firtir gt igfhit igaalli iald du k6 28

, ,
25
M r
e n , n e es , e o g th J w , f on e e s o
n c e ae , 2
T m p ra r y am
e o o , n 67
o oc c o ,
w
Fr
s s n c e o g th T py 68 on e a re s ,
Pa i f a al g u a imal at N uk h i 68
, ,
i
Fr
s s on o n o o s n n ee , o a v a,

am g th H tt t t 68
,

P at r al ab t i rtai mal
dm
Fr
an 29 an , ee , on e o en o s ,
i A b y i ia 68
b i r d 29 P a rtia l f t h H
e n , s en n ce n e e e, n ss n ,

P at r al w a ti g i p lygam u T m p ra ry i P r ia 68
s, ,i y h 68
o e ass n e s,

b i rd 3 1 T m p ra ry am
e n n n n o o s e o n e s

g th A ab 6 9
, , ,

P at r a l d v l p d i ma y b i rd th righ t f t h tr g t am g
s, e o , on e r s,
e n e e o e n n s, e o e s on es on
,

ma y avag p pl 69
P at r a l d m at r a l i b r i f i x ual pr p rti fbi rth
31 n s e eo es ,

du rati w ith b i rd 3 1
e n an e n s e n a l th e se on o
pg
, o o s,
on s,
3 6 8 I ND E X .

Mar iage Ini i ion in

g
, t at t o, by th e N i ar s, a rriag i primiti G r 120
M e n ve eec e ,
o
rm mh l wwithh th Arab at R m 1 20
b y aptu r i Ch i a 1 1 6
o e,
Te ’

atriar a it th Arab
, o t a, e s, 85 c e n n ,
P b y m u at R m 1 20
aptu r 85
c e s, s o e,
D tal at A th
,
by c
a tu r i I dia
e, 89 o 1 20 e ns ,
D tal at R m 1 20
,

aptu r
by c p e n n 93 o o e,

ap tu r am g th E q imau x mpti at R m 1 20
, ,
by c 93
fa rr ati at R m 1 20
e, by c oe on o e,
b c u b
y
e on e s c on e on o e,
S t am g th B
,

aptu r am th R d ki
i5 e, g 1 29
on e on os ,
b
g
yc e o ng e e ns , 95 u h S rcifi ti as e , f 1 20
yp
s ca on o
am th K m
o ng e a s c hatdale s , 95 l w ith th
v l g i 1 29 e a a as es ,
,

am g th K almu k 96 M u ul ma dl i 1 3
by p u r h a w ith t h M u ulma
on e c s, ss n an a c 4
am g th T g
on 96e ann ans es , c se
,

e ss ns ,
m “
g 81 a33 2
T “
3 ?B g 1 9 7 u ulma i a tra t f al
a " 1;3
am
M
on 9 0 es 0 en a ss n, s c on c o e,
i N w Z al a d 98
s

i A ra bia 99 VC i rgi itty if thirl iMMu uulumama 1 43

n e e n , 43
n , n n e ss n,
i Jn 1 00
av o ns en g ol 1 4 n ss n, 4
am g h B ti 100 jug t i M u u lma
at S part 100
on e eo an s , D bitum e c on a e n ss n,

Ma rital righ t i M u ulma 1

a, 1 44
t R m 1 00
i Ci r a ia 1 01 b y pu r h a
a o e, s n ss n, 45
n c ss i Kab yli 1 45
c se n e,
i Wal tial diti f Kabyl 146
,

Fr at P a ri 1 69
n 1 1 es 0 E ss e n c on on o e,
am g th S lav 1 01 ,

b y a p tu r S i Th f r m f
on e s ee , s,
d ivili ati
,

b y p ur h a a Fij i 1 03
c fl ti f 102
e, ca on o e o o 1 73 an c s on ,
Civil i Th ib t 1 8 2
, ,

by p u r ha f rvitu d 1 06
c se n e
i C h i a 1 83
, , ,

P r matu r by gi rl i N w C l
c se o se e. by h urc as e n n
apa 1 8 ,

H b r w 184
e e, s n e a e i n n, 5
d ia 1 07
d P r ia 1 9 1
on e e
am th H tt t t 107
on
,

e o en o s , i a i t I dia
n n c en
,
n an e s ,
i A
b y pu r h a
n st 1 07 ee , i th A
n te 1 91 ves a ,
i P ly ia 1 07 i I dia 19 1
i S uth Am ri a 1 07 P r h i b iti
n o n es c se n n
f i I dia 1 92
, ,

t Gr
n o e c o o ns o n n
i I dia 1 08 i a i
, , ,

bli gat ry at S pa r ta 19
n n n n c en 94 e ec e , 1
i a i t I tal 1 08 ,

P r matu r D tal i G r
n n c en 5
fy
o o
ittl b y am
, ,

e e, o g th e o s on e o 196 n ee c e ,
R ddi i a i t R m 1 98 ,

f i Gr
o 1 08 es , n nc en o e,
i R u ia 1 08 E v luti
a d h ildr am g th
n ss o on o , n 1 98 e ec e ,
i at R m
,

Ta r ta r 1 08
f d
o ec e s e c en on e b y nf co a rrea t o
201 o e,
mp ti at R m
b y rvi tu d 109
s, by c oe 0 o o e, 2 1
se e, by w at R m 01as o e, 2
am g th R d ki 109 D tal at R m 200
i C t ral A m ri a 1 09
on e e s ns , o o e,
v luti f at R m 201
,

am gth ab rigi f B gal 1 10 B a rb a r u d C h ri tia

n en e c , Th e e o on o , o e,

am g th H br w 1 1 0 with th G rma
on e o n es o en ,
o 204
s an s n,

by pu r h a ai ti 205
on e e e s, pu h rc as e 204 e e ns,

Fr
c1 10 se , rs an ,
am g th H tt t t 1 11 at H ayti 233
T m p ra ry am g th I ri h 2 6
on e o en o s , ee ,
am g th K fli 1 1 1 ,

tral A fri a 1 1 1 C mmu a l i A u t ra lia 7 0

on e a rs , e o , on e s , 4

C mmu l t ra it ry
i C n en c o n n s 2
at S k t 1 1 2 , ,
z

at K u ra k 1 1 2
ac a oo , o na A t
, ns o in us ra
o n o, li 27 3 a,
i P ly
n o ia 1 3 n es 1 m a th R d ki
o 27 5 e e s ns ,
th R d ki
,

ith th R d ki 29 3
Th r r t f at S umat ra 309
m a o 11 3 e e s ns , Ln os s uo us , w e e s ns ,

M xi b y p ur h a
i C n i 114 o rn a , ee s o s o
i M a la ya 309
, ,

b y pu r h a
i N
tral Am ri a 1 15
n ew 114 e c o, c se n
i B gal 3 15
,

am g th G uara i 1 5 Tr a f f rat r al i Ch i a 3 23
i C n en e c , c se n en ,

T rm i P r ia 33 1
on e n s, 1 c es o e n n n
am g th M g l
, ,

am gth Tu r ma 1 1 6 i th p a t p r t d futu r 341

on e on o s, 1 15 e , n e s ,

th fr q u
on e co ns , n e s e se n an e,
I flu fm
, ,

i Ch m H
ii ai gm 1 1 d 1 1 7
n n enc e o y y on e on e e en c
m x i
t h A ra b
f 3 1
'

a ) o r1 n ia, o 5
m i g
o e es o ,

ti
F ra
a or e 11 8
s, Th g f l
e a e o f 352 e ec on o
am g th Afgh a L at
,

i B ra h ma i I dia D i p r p rti at i F ra 35 3
on 8e ns , 1 1 e , 111 3 nc e , 52

Th futu r
n 19 n c n , 1
s o o on e n nc e ,
am ng th S a di avia 1 19
i t h futu r 358
f 3
am g th G rma 1 19
o e c n n ns , e e o 54
b y aff ti
,

on e e ns , ec on n e e,
 IND E X . 6
3 9

M atriar hat a imal 2 rr aa t varitau am tfami

M o li y ir
a r
c e in n s, 4 o s o ngs b ds 27 ,

M o g n L , S ge s o fth e
d t h mat r al family 202
i b n 24 ees , , ly c c o d
.
~

u iary f th T ua r g w m d ra
an e e n , g in 7 to , 34
P ec n , o e o e o en, M o s es a n i pe n w ar, 9 3
M mb J m
u o u bo , 1 28
M a Th ubi at i 1 65
ia A dult ry i 209 a r P l a dr
ec c e c onc n e n,
M la
,

itiati i ma r i ag am g th y o f, 80
e n es e n, i s, o y n
Th fami ly i 268
,

truati
e n, In on n r e on e,
M d vulati
M xi P lygam y f t h gr at i fi mat r a l famil am th
en s 8
o n an o on,

avu u a r fami l am
e c o, o 1 48 o e e n, e e n y ong 81 e,
M gam y f t h p p l i
o no 9 o e eo e n, 14 Th nc l o ng t h e ,
Th u bi at i a i t 163
e c o nc n e n n c en 31 e y

gam y i fami ly am g th 3 11
,

M
Th pat r a l family i 29 3 a l p lya dry f th 3 2
o no 7 n, 1 4 Th e on e,
R ati
P r mi uit y f h i f
e e n n, on o n o e, 1
A dul t y i 21 er n, 5 N m q i
a a uo s , f o sc o c e s o
M d ty G
o es i f 56 en es s o h t e , 44
1 P lygam y f t h N t lity u gulat d am g fi h
, ,

M
N atu r p r i fi ati f atural
on 0 s, o 1 33 o e, a a nre 24 e on s es ,
ub i at am g th 164 , ,

fr 5
h e c onc n e on e, the, e e son c on o n
M gam y am g t h
A du lt ry am
ono 82 on e, 1 o c es ,

g th fd i
am g t Dj b l T gg lé
e 2 6 on e, 1 Ab s e nc e oi 34 es n n,
R pu diati am g th 2 0 Nfi
D iv r
e on on e, 4 e Th
r, e, on e e e - a a
am g th 2 0 ,

r R a ri g
o ce on e, 4 23 3
Th family am N m i f y u g
th
r El
e 96 on e, 2 e es a eon o a, e n o o n
M k y P lygam y tai 33 w ith th
on
r r at d f h ummi g bi rd 1
22
e s, o o ce n, e,
M gam y i tai 33 N t D
P lygam y f a t h r p m rp h u 3 3
on o n ce n, es s , ec o e o n -
s, 4
N w C a l d ia S d m y i 6
,

A du lt ry i
o o n o o o o s, e e on , o o n, 2
M g m y f 33
C j o no
uga l l f f mal am g t
on
a o
o ve o
,

e es on s ,
T h l vi rat i
N i gh ti gal A m r u
e
209 e
26 3
e
n,
e n,

w dp k r 27
33 n g f 14
e, o o s s on o
gam y f g ld at m ,

M N
i pa rr t 27 rati 3
ono o o en oo ec e s,
j
o c es , R us tes , 2 02 o e,
f th I lli N t it th b a i
f ra pa i u a imal 27
o e no s o , u r lo n fg e s s o en e o n,

f a t h r p m rp h u ap
o c o s n s,
O ma h a Th fam i ly am o g t t h
f rtai a p
o n o33 o o o s es , s, e 28 7 n s e3

P a ram ia G rati i th 6
o ce 2 n es , 4
i P ly ia 29
P ar t Th p w r f 1 0
n o nes 1 oec e ne on n e,
da w i g am g th B atta
, ,

R i gh t fp r pr i t y f v r h i ldr
n n 1 33 on e s, en s , e o e o 5

da w i g am g t h R d ki
,
n n 131 on e e s ns , o o e o o e c e n,
da w i g am g t h a b i gi
,

P a ri F marri g at 1 69
n n f on e or n es o 6 10
I dia 1 33
P r l ta ria b ligat r y i P r u 1 49 P a rr t C j
n s, ree a es
,

ugal fi d lity f Illi i 27 ,

i M xi
o e n, o o n e o on e o no s ,
f t h p pula f m ili at R m 3 3 3
, ,

P rimit v P at r ity b y u gg ti
o e o 1 9 ce n e c o, 4 P a ter a as o e,
i I dia 333
f i f ri r r a
17 1 i e, e n s es on n n
at R m 33 7 ,

P at i a r h at am
o n e 1 71 o c es , P t i P t
a r a o es tas o e,
C au f 71s es o 1 r c g th a imal 21 e on e n s,
I d al f 7 S miti 3 25
,

t ral A m i a 1 7 4
e o 1 1 e c
i I dia 3 3 2
, ,

A dmi i trativ i P ru
i C n en er c n n
,

at R m 3 3 7 ,

i M xi P r ia I
n s 74 e, n e 1 o e,
n 17 e c o, 5
,

e s t i a i t 66
n c es n n c en
i a i t E gypt 1 7 P lygam y i a i t 15 0
, ,

f th T ua r g
n nc en 5 o n n c en
d Ab y i ia ubi at i a i t 1 66
, ,

A dult ry i
o e o e s an ss n ns Th e c onc n e n n c en ,

79 1 220 e n,
am gth M g l 1 8 2
on e on o s, Th fami ly i e 33 0 n,
i Th b t 1 8 2
n i e N la i
o c 330 ns n,
i Ch i a 8 5 tu u d gam y i 330
,

T r m ma rr iag i
n n 1 I nc es o s en o n,
d ivili ati
,

H b rai d A r ya
an c 186 s on, e 33 1
- e n,
Law f u i i 33 2
f u p ri r ra P ru S d m y i
e 1 89
c an n, s o s c c e ss o n n,

H b r w 89 P r l ta ria m gam y bligat ry

o s 1 89
e o c es , e , o 62 o n,

d i r alit y 1 89
e e 1 o e n o no o o
I d al
,

e an n e in , 1 4 9
mitigat d i I dia 9 , ,

i th futu r 35 7
n c ub ii age in , 1 6 2
gmi i g
e n n 1 1
,

m am
t g f a rdi g t A ut r
n e e, ol n s rative o no g y in , 1 7 4

B rti ll
Ad
iv r a
van a es o cc o n o A d l e y in , 21 5
i t
.
,

O rigi
D o c e in n c e n , 240
at r a
e 3 9 o n, 4
M tai g fla w i fami am
a rdi g t 349
on ne , f n o s o c o nsc enc e Th e p e n l ly o ng th e
a
M r lity Va ria bi lity f 7 3 at r a
cco n o, I n c s o f, 29 3
o a , o , i
P geo n s , M e n l lo e in, 30 v
3 7 °

lo v 25e in P o ly amy Arab 1 39

no t e xi gl m i m
, ,

s t in mam m als , 3 1
a i t ra R t r i ti ra
s a s and, 1 3 9
o f th e
r
nc e n A bs, es c o ns o n , in t h e K o n, 1 40

b i rt h 7 4
x ual pr p rti f
se o o on o
C l tial i
e es
111 13gypt , in
, n
M xi
th e K o a
e c o , an d
n , 1 42
in P e ru ,

f gi rl 7 6 u j ti
s, 1 48
d i fa ti i d
an n n c e o s, an d m
th e s b ec o n o f w o en , 1 48
d al f gi l 7 t
r 6
r
in E gyp , 1 48
x
an s e o r s,
h tb al 76 at i
in Me c o , 1 48
a i t r ia
as n o g ee n e ne o f th e g e

B rit
Th th
V i ra
e e by f 7 7 n ra in n c e n P e s , 1 50
g g o

f t h A ra b 7 7
f h i
,

am
77
rav mauti i ia
o t e an en o ns , o ng th e ed c A y ns , 15 0
o e s, in B h n c I nd , 1 5 1
f t h G ua
f t h N w Z ala d r 7 7
o h
e 77 nc es , Th e e ol o n o f, 1 5 2
i ti t
f t h Ma rqu a I la d r 7 7 fav u r r
o e e e n e s, G e n es s o f t h e in s n c o f, 1 5 5

i A m ri a 7 7
o e es s s n e s, m ay o t
th e g o w h o f p op ula
ti
f th a b rigi ia i ti u m ra
n e c o n, 3 49
f I dia 7 7 u
,

r
o e o ne s o n P o lynes , L c e n o s o ls o f yo ng
f th H i d
,

gi ls in , 50
i ti u m ra
o e 77 n oo s ,
at C yl 7 8
F ra t r al i Th i b t 7 8 ra tituti ir
e o n, L c en o s o ls in , 5 9
e n n e P os o n o fg ls in , 5 9
am g th T da 80 , ,

i iv
f th Nai r 80 r m a mua
on e o s, L e s ng o f w es in, 60
o e s, F ee do o f wo e n in , 60
f Th ib t d f Nm m 8 1 m
i t A rab ia 8 2
o e an o S h am eless l ng ge o f th e w o e n
i a
,

f A ra b 8
n nc e n i11 , 6 l
C au
,

F rat r al i Arab ia 84
Th e A reo is o f, 6 1
'

s es o 4
,

m
ral 86
M at ria r h al 8 7
i gn e ne
e n ,

,
n ,

at r a r t i fa ti i
S o do y in 6 1
P e n l igh o f n n c de in , 11 3
am
P atr ia r h a l 8 7
c P o lyg y in , 1 29
,

M o nog am
utr
c in , 1 29
v luti f 8 8
e e o on o
,

A d l e y n 21 2
ta
,

fami l in , 294
F u p igM ala ba r 3 11 i at r a fami
d ly m y i R ho a1 33 n eo n, Th e

al f th Na1r 3 1 2
e i l G en e s s 0 p e n l ly in , 29 5
R ti ti
,

a on o e s, A do p o n in , 296
Po gam y f alli a
ly
,
u ati it tti a
fav u r gby iabi lity 3 1 ra fav ur
o 26 n c e ae , Pop l o n , dens y o f, in A c , 19 8
o s oc I nc e s e o f, o m tim
ed s o e es
f mammal 3 2
,

lygam
f rtai m t fat r at m
o s, by 3 49
k 33
r i ati ri ti t
o ce n on s s, P o tes tas , h e , o f e he R o e , 1 99
u ap
P rimitiv 1 22
P el b
th p m p
r
f o an ro o 33 or o s e s, o n , R gh o f, 48
i t
i O a ia A f ri a d Am ri a q
e, Th e gh o f, and t h e gh o f c o n
u t 48
Pr M at r al f i
n ce n c an e c es
, , ,
i ,

t 22
r trai i g 2 P rim g itu r R igh t f 333
22 1 e sc e n c e , e n o ns e c s ,
C au
,

P r r ativ i ti
ses es n n 1 2 o en e, o
C al d ia 1 23
,

t O i f9 ,
‘

ubi g at F ij i 2 P r mi uity am g
Oh t f i N
ec o n ew e on oc e e ns nc r 11 o
, ,
ia l a imal 26 , ,

th m a u r e
c o nc
f w a lth
e s t h Zam e o
na e
e on
, 1 4
e
o
o
sc
fth I r u p
e
am g th mammal 3 1
i 26
c te
on
s
soc
ec o r s ,
e n s,

b i 1 25
mi m tiv f i Afri I f th r h
es on e s,
,
a tag f 3 7
i th l w t f rm f x ual a
E c o no c o es o r, n c a, b
e e as een s e o
ia ,

r tmrai am
1 25
d ar
s e o es o o se sso c
d by t ti 38
f
riar am ti g tlvi rth umab rat
es ne e e n es s o on ,

g t
Ex iv i C t ral Afri a 7
w o en B g 26 on s e on os , 1 e on s 38 e e es ,
c e ss e, n en c 12 s e xc e ity 3 9
o na n n
ia 1 29 Ca h uma
, ,

i S uth A m ri a i t h Tr gl dyt 3 9
i P ly
n o n es se 0 39 n,
f th I dia
,

o e n ns n o e c ,
n e o o e,
o f th e Agath yrs e s , 40
am g th R d ki 1 31
on e e s ns ,
i t r
o f th e A ns es , 4 1
a ig f w a lth am g th R d
s n o e on e e
rimitiv r k
o f th e an c en I is h , 41
ki 1 31
s ns, o fp e G e e s , 42
i A ia
n d i Eu
i d B g ta 1 33
s an 1 32 n ro e ,
P rrimitiv
in t h e Tim oeus , 42
imitiv ia
e , in C h n , 4 2
dp l
ro an in co n,
f th
o di e y 1 35
o c ans , P ia
e , in I n d , 42
f th G au l 1 35 o f t h e A n dam anit e s , 43
o
f th G ma
e s,
ia a if r a
P r im itiv
o e
1 36
1 35 er
e,
ns ,
ofc e rtai a ri
o f th e I nd n s o f C l o ni , 43
n bo ia
n e s o fI n d , 43

E v luti o f 1 37 on o o f th e Z apo ro o ss ac k s , 43

f ivili d
,
iiu t ia
R el g o s , o f e Ansar n s , 43
1033
o c 1 se 08 ,
Th t g e s a e o f th e Y az idies , 44
 I ND E X .
S7 I

Pr miR uitu at f h Nh mK q i hi f
amilar i
Re ds ns ,ki arr iag am g th 27 6
M
yo t
rmat
o sc e a a uo s c e s, 44 e on e,
ita am g th 27 5
N u iv r a l ta
I nhe
d
r
eg l e o ft e o 44 nc e on e,
al fami ly am g th
.
, ,

Pr p r t pa r t vr
f
22?
o n e s s ge o 44 e n on e,
Ri ht
,

h il r
o e y, g o f, of en s o e
C mmu i m i t h la
Pr tituti Th p w r
c d e n, 1 06 o n s f th 27 8 n e c n o e,
os R i I dia
on, e o us , n n 46 e f th w m
o e am go e o en on
at b l ous , y o n 46
,
th 27 8 e,
R li i u i th Akili f w ma am g th
fy u g girl i Japa
e g o s, n e s enus , 46 S bj t i 11 ec on o o n on e,
o o u
n s n n, 5 1 28 3
D t i a i tR m la am g th
u rabl
o a l, n nc en o e, 51 Th e c n 28 5 on e,
h a ma ia 7 Th fami ly am
gi rl am atu r am g th
o no e 111 T s n , 5 e th 286 on e,

iém
gl d m it on th e A n a an e s , 58 F ili l
s m a no en c
g
s e on e,
l i rs n P0 yn e sia, 59
Re am nc en S em a i t A d p ti am g th 291
tu u marriag am g th
o us , o ng t h e o on on e,
it 86 es , I nc es o s es on e,
E v luti f 15 5
o on o
A th v luti f th family am g
,

im iti
238 t l A m ri a 1 56
r 1 56 ve en s , Th e e o on o e on
th
f pat r a l fili ti
9 n ra e c 29 2 e,
i Ja pa am g
,

i B ra h ma i I dia 1 5 9
n 157 n, G i
e n es s o e n a on on

d div r
n n c n th 293 e,
i B u ddhi t I dia 1 5 9 pu diati
,

i m d r I dia 1 5 9 av g u tri 228

n s n , Re o n an 228 o c e,

i Fr
n o e n n i n s a e co n es ,
i t h M i ddl Ag i N w C l d ia 229
,

n anc e 1 60
n e e e s, n e a e on
d ub i ag 1 5 4 am g th H tt t t 229 ,

M a ria g
an c onc n e, on e o en o s ,
fl v am g th R d ki 23
am g th E quimaux 23 1
'

u bl
e os , th
r 114 es o o e in e, on e e s ns , 1
la
at M adaga a r 233
Th f th
e c 27 7 ns o e, on e s ,

am g th Dj b l T gg l 233
sc
t p i u a imal M gam y f 27
,

am g th T ua r g 234
a ac o s n s, ono o , on e e e -
a a e,

m A u t ralia 90
t p 89
a e on e o e s,
,
am g th K abyl 23 4
am g th gr f A fri a 9 2 am g th A rab 23 7
s , on e es ,

Th x
i N w G ui
p iatie e
on
f i A u t ra lia 9 1
a 91
e ne
on o
oes o
, n s
c ,

,
i C hma 2
on
am gth M g l 240
on
e
e on
s,
o s,

am g th I dia fAm ri a 92
n e ne n 41
i I dia 2
, ,

am g th Ta rta r 9 am g th H br w 242
on e n ns o e c ,
n n , 42

am g th H br w 93 i Gr
on e s, 3 on e e e s,
on e e e s, n 2 3eec e , 4
dM at R m 2
am g th G rma 246
w in 93
ar, an o ses , o e, 44
am g th C lt 93
t a ri g f
i w n ar on e e s, on e e ns ,
e n g am
o g a im l 21
n on n a s, am g th S a di avia 246
on n n ns ,
W th t lyuN m i E l
o e c
m 22 am g th T h k
F amilial a th r p ph a gy f i f u dal F ra
i e e es a e on o , on e2 6 c e r es s e s , 4
t d ki
e s ns , n o o o n e 2 6 nc e , 4
m L a f th w if i a i t 5 3
b y a ptu r at
th 26 e, Ro e, o n o e e n n c en
S d m y am
,

M
M arriag b y a ptu r am g th 9 5
o og th 62 on e, a e c e 100
im l t d t a lav at
,

f p r t ti f r lati
e c e on e, Th w i e e as s 1 a e o s e
R igh t
,

v rw m i l M a rriag b y farr ati at 1 20

o o ec on o e o ns 04 1

M a rriag b y p ur h a at 1 20
o e o en c l 4 e c on e on
P lygam y am
, ,

S i t r w iv M a rr ia g b y w at 1 20
o g th 1 31 on e, e c se
am g th 1 31 ,

M a rriag b y mp i at 1 20
s e es on e, e ne
P lygam y a ig f w a lth am g
,

D ta l ma rr ag at 1 20
o s n o e on e c oe t on ,

C j ugal
th 32 e, 1 o 1 e
u bm i i f w m ubi at at 1 66 ,

M a rr iag i a i t 1 98
on s s s on o o en Th e c o nc n e
am g th 32 ,

M a rriag f h i ldr
on e, 1 e n nc en
M gam i t d i am g th at 1 98 ,

R lativ li b r t
o no c en e nc es on e, es o c en
f t h w if at 1 98
,

S u bj ti u i r d a daugh t r
1 30 e e e o e e
fw m am g th Th w if
,

ec on o o en on e, e e co s e e as e
h u b a d at 1 98
Adul t r y am g th 21 3 f t h fat h r at 1 99
1 32 fh o er s n ,
e on e, Th p e otes tas o e e
Wi d w h d am g t h 25 2 fth h u b d at 200
,

Th m
D tal ma rr iag at 200
o oo on e, e an na o e s an
R ul y am
,

Th l vi rat am g th M a rriag b y w
fd es o g th 29 8
ec en c on e, o e
at 201 ,

M a rriag b y
e e e on e, e as
mp ti at 201
,

m f th 27 5
M a rria
Th t e o te s o e, e c oe o
la am ti at 201
,

Th e c th 27 5 n on by f e c on a rrea o
g
e,
mm u f th la L a w m at 201 ,

v luti f ma rriag at 201

Th e c o on o se o e c n o n 0 o en
am g th 27 5 on e, Th e e o on o
,

e
D uti la am g th 27 5 ubii at 202
E x gam y fth
,

Th mat r al family at 202

f th es o e c n on e, Th ju e s c on n
la am g th 27 6
,

o o ec n on e, e e n ,
372 IND E X .

Ro m
D iv r
e,
at 2
at 202
Th e spurii , S utte e s , I n dian , in th e e o fAl e n de ; tim xa r
m r i
o ce 44 25 7
R p u diati at ,

e on in o de n t mes , 258
Wi d w h d at 61 u i u t m am
,

o oo 2 S c c e s s o n, C s o s o f, o ng th eR e d
at 33 ,

ki
Th p rim itiv
Th g e ens 5 s ns , 27 7 , 27 8
la at a am
,

Th p t ria r h at at 33 7 ri
e e c n L ws o f, o ng th e K b yles , 3 29

Th righ t f u
,

a a
r
e a c e L w s o f, in P e s a, 33
e i f th g o s c c es s o n o
,

e en The i t
gh o f, o f t h e gent iles at
il at 338 m
rma
t es R o e , 338
Th v luti f th fami ly at
e e o
,

on o e , a
L w s o f, am o ng th e G e n s , 33 9

Th v luti f ma rriag at 3 7 Tamil Th fami ly am g th

Th mat r al f m ily m
e e o on o e 5 s e 96 on e, 2
B t
, ,

312 1721 imp t

u 5 1 7
ia H u rabl pr tituti i gt h 3
0 e e n a a on e, 34
10 1 f 7 c o r anc e o Ta sm n
a
o no e os on n,
Th ma d
, ,

a rt f pu b rt y 8
ef 8 n ess o 6
C u pli g f th
,
so o e T t w
a o a s, 16 o n o e,
am g t a d 8 ,

C am b dia
T r mit
on o s, T hi
c n t an , 9 o n, 4
m mammal 8 R pu bli
y i l gi l r a Am r u
a o s, e es , f 3 e cs o ,
Th f 9 so n o Tetra ph i ll us,
dg
s o o ca
: 3
e e as an e o o s
uma l v 9 ,

M ral p iti T r um b llu Am r u

an n o e, 0 1
mb at f 3
A m r u b attl
o f 17 os on o , et as e s, o o s co so , 1

f am r u
Te tras ll uro a us , f 2 o o s es o 1
S a lm B att l Th i b t P y d y m 7 8
,

M at r al l v am g C ivi l ma rri g i
on, 11 es o o o s, e , o an r ,
e n 24 18 2

W
o e on a e n,
S avag L a f t h w if am
,

h au r d h i th ry f l v 9 lt ry il
es , o g 52 n o e e on i 182 n,
A du
,

D iv r
S h p
c o en e an s eo o o e, 16 e l 2
h ia t am
S g r R i gh t f th
S c I ns , g t h 66 n c es on e, o c e 1 11 , 240
m th K ffi Wi d w h d i 25 4
w M xi T ad P at r al l v
e no o e, a on e a rs o oo n,
i N w Z ala d
,

P lya dry am
n e d e n an e e co o s, f 2 e n o e o 5
T da
,

S x ual by f mal am g th K amilar i f

t e c 7 4 o s, g th
o 80 n on e,
S l ti
.
,

A u t rali
e ec on, 7e e e s, 1 T ot e m Th e, on e o o
S mit Th fami ly am
, ,

Th p atria r h at
e es , g th e32 on e, 5 27 3 s a,
f th R d ki
familyam g th I r q u i g P at r l ri gh t r d m d by
e f th c e o e, 325 o 27 5 e e s ns ,

p r tituti
S e nec T o uare
28a
s, he on e o o s, s, e na e ee e
am g t h 1 8
S x P p rti
os on on e, 1
M gam y am
Th p r p rti M at r a l fi li ti
e es , f thro 75 o on o e, o nog th 7 on e, 1 9
e f th d i fa ti
o o on o e , an n n am g th 7
e n a on on e, 1 9
id 7 c e, 5 I d p d n f w m
e en am g en c e o o an on
S iab ility ft m f m w ak
Pr t
oc o en c o es ro e ne ss , th 17 9 e,

g d r alt rui m 31
3 1 d d gy e en m y f 18 1 e nec o ac o
R p u diati am g th ,

fav u rabl t p lygamy 3 Th p u ia ry mat ri r h at

en en e s s , e on on e, 23 4

S i l gy B i l gi al rigi
o e o o 1 e ec f th n a c e o e
w m
,

ur f 0 T u r am t E th ti f bi rd 3
oc o o f 3 o o c o n o 3 28 o en ,
Th a ima l
, ,

Th r h y h m Tr l dyt P r mi uity am
e n so c es o ,
1 o n en s , f s e c , o s, 1

Tu rk y L agu
ef 3 5 t s o 5 og o es,
g t h 3 9 o sc on e,
Th m t h d f 342 f f mal
,

uima x 58 g m t th
e e o o e s, e e o e e, a a s e
m y am g t h E q
o on e
,

s u mal 30 es ,
i N w C al d ia
,

n 2
e e on 6
i N w Z a la d 6 2
n e e n
,

(fan s at R m 200 o e,
am g th R d ki 62 ,

i P r n 62
on
e u,
e e s ns ,
V rt btrrat t hC qruattryr am
e e es ,
i mal
g th
am g
0 o e on e, 1
at M a 63 ec c S g g en e e n es on
i t h E a t 63
.
,

r Gprrma d b63y th C lt d th
n e s th e, 15
L w f b attl am
,

P r mi uit y ra r am
e ess e e e s an e . a g tho 16 e on e,

i Gr
e ns ,
Vi rgi ity am g th H b r w 90
o g th
sc 38 e on e,

i C r t 63
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u t ry at 322
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,

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,

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,

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S utt fwid w i I dia 257
,

ees o o s n n ,
n en a e c ,
 I ND E X .
3 73

Wi do wh oo d am o ng the Re ds ki ns 25 2 Wiv es ur a
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.
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I d p d n e en en c e o o e 4
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,

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201 o e,

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o n
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,

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m ri a P w r f am
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W m F r d m f i P ly ia 60
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a am o ng th e Re ds ki
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a am a S h am l la guag
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a ti qu r
Lo n o f, o ng t h e A bs, 5 3 e es s f i P ly n e o n o
a ,

a ti qu m f i A f r i a 1 27
L o n o f, i n n e G ee c e , 5 3 i 61
n es a,
a S h am l
u t ra ia I f ri r it y f i th K ra
Lo n o f, in n e Ro e, 5 3 e ess ness o n c
a , ,

lut m ral
Lo n o f, in A s l , 57 n e o 1 0 o n e o n, 4
a am u m f i Ab y i ia
uimau x
,

Di
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,

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l 94
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“
u a am ,

P r mi uity f 44
th e o en o f th e h sb nd, o ng
Kafiirs , 1 28
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Y idi
az es , o sc o ,

A u tr alia 5 0
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i t r am ma r f i P ly
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.

ti u ma r f i avag
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s e s, n t 1 33
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a o ro s, u ty f 43
o is c i o ,

TH E WALT ER S COTT P R E S S , NE WCAS T L E -ON-TYNE .

 Cro w n 8 71 0, Cloth . P ric e p er H alf M on , 63 .

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E D ITED BY H AVE L O C K E L L S I .

Illu trat
s ed Vo lum es, co n tain ing betw ee n 300 and 400 page s .

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and J A R
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I I
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t r v um f at o llo w sh o t r i t r v lM i l di
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O he ol es to n e a s, nc u n
a ua ” “
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tr t att r gr trial v l pm t Th a t r
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M “

r a i v ut
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ar n i o es or s e r es 1

P ro f E D Co pe , o P r f G F F it g ld P r f G ik i Pr z e ra o e e, of
a tr W P r f A C H a dd H f rd P
. . . . . .
, . .

J s o w ( isc o nsin ) , o P f C o n, ro er o ro f
W
. . . . .
, .

a
1 P e rso n, S idney ebb, e tc .

L o n do n : WALT E R S C OTT, 24 Wa r w ic k L ane , P at r e nos te r R o w.

 E D ITE D BY WI L L IAM AR C H E R .

CR O WN 8 o o, CL O TH , P R I CE 31 6d P E R VOL UM E . . .

am d f m f H rik Ib
Th e n e an aadva i g d y by d y i E gla d
e o en s e n are nc n a a n n n .
”

Th a rt f r t ra l ti d t p rh a p y a v ry h i gh lit ra r
umb ri g b pr t v r i
e o os e ns a on t o es n o e s o e e s a
i E gla d b u w h av h itati
far it h g ( V l I d am g th v ry b t a h i v m t i th at
n n n i e e no es Ib on n n e n e ese n e s on o se n ,

ki d f u g rati
so as as o ne o s . . an on e e es c e e en s , n
A d my
”
n , o o r en e on .
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ca e .

Wit/i P o f tire A at iz ar and B iograp/ nea l I ntroduc tion

rtra it o
’

TH E L E AG UE O F Y O U TH ( never before
’ " ”
A D O L L S H O US E ,

t rans lated ) an d
“
T H E P IL L A R S O F S OC I E TY
, .

G H O S TS , AN
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E NE M Y
O F TH E P E O P L E, and
“
TH E
WI L D D UC "
K . Wt
i h an In o d c o y No e tr u t r t .

L AD Y
I NG E R O F O S TR AT, T H E V I I NG S AT H E L G E
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K
L A ND ,
” “
TH E P R E TE ND E R S
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i h an I n o d c o ry No e Wt tr u t t
rtr a t
.

and P o i o f Ibse n .

VOL 1 14
E M PE R O R AN D G AL L E AN I .
"
A VVO I ld-H is t ri
o c D ra m a .

s t/z Vo lum e in P reparat ion .

j US T I S S UE D . C row n 8 71 0, P ric e On e
ROS MERS H O L M A D ram a in F ur A t o c s.

By H e n i r k Ib s e n. Tr a lat d by C ha r l
ns e es A r c he r .

JU S T I S S U E D . I
PR C E O N E S H IL L I NG .

CR O WN 8 71 0, R E VI S E D A N D C H E A P E R E D I T/ 01V

NEW S P IR IT
.

TH E .

BY H AV E L O C K E L L IS .

a ik k it i i it fu ri u Mr
r
I t is e s y to dis l e his bo o , is po s s ble to dis l k e o s ly
i u a k i i t i u u t it t
. .

i itiativ mi t a m t r v uti a r
E ll s h as p od c e d b o o w h c h w ll be h o ly d s c ss ed, n o do b , fo r
if l os s a y e o l it a k
y ; b ut is n o t
is no hing

i r ar —
no t n e , we gh on b o o to be
Sp eaker
”
d s eg ded
mi ra i f rmati
.

ti u ati t
.

on , fi rm in p, s m l
matt r a t t r u u a rk i matt r
“
Ad ble in n o n
g in s yle , ap rec ia tive in
e . An l o ge h e n s u l w o , o th fo r its a m b 1 tio n a n d fo r s e
”
.

L o n do n WAL TE R S C O TT, 24 Warw ic k L a ne , P a te rn o s te r R o w .

 S E C ON D E D I TI ON; WI TH P R E F A CE .

'
C row n 8 7 m, C lo tfi, P ric e 3 s 6 a . .

CAREER OF A NIHILIST .

A NO V E L .

BY S T E P N I A K,
’
A ut/z o r o f Tbe R uss ia n S torm Tli e R uss ia n P easa n try ,
’
R uss ia unaer tlz e Tz a rs, etc . etc .

a rg ti f th E gli h pu bli w r a di g Ru ia fi t i
The l
fthi w r k th fi r t
e s ec on o e n s c no e n ss n c on

w ill b i t r t d i th a pp a r a
e n e es e n e e l w r ittnc e o s o , e s n o ve en

i E gli h by a R u ia I t im at ly a q uai t d w ith th lif f lu

k
n n s ss n n e c n e e e o rev o

r r
.

ti o nary R u ia t h l
ssb at d aut
as h i
e ce eh giv i t h i b e a v iv id o s, e es n s oo

p i tu rc f th m
e o a r d w a
e y f th m
n n e s an d w m g g d i t
s Oh e e n an o en en a e n e

str u ggl aga i t th e y t m f d p t i m u d r w h i h th

ns e s s e u bj t f
o es o s n e c e s ec s o

th T r liv d l t u i t th ry h t d r t f Nihili m
xhibiti g that u btl p y h l gy w hi h w hav l a t t l k
e za e , an e s s n o e ve ear an s ec e o s .

B ides es e n s e s c o o "
c e e e rn o oo

fo r as a s p ia l t r a it f Recu ia w r it r t hio v l i fu ll
ss f t ir ni g e s, s no e s o s rn

i id t
nc dp
en , an f th m t p w r fu l
o s se ss es o ne o d path t i pl t t b e os o e an e c o s o e

f u d i th w h l a g
o n n e ffi t i o e r n e o c o n.

O ne e p e c s x t a Nihilis t r ma
by S epni oto be f ll o f th e
nc e t ak u
a tua t
c tuat
li ie s o f th e si a
io n , to displ y the ge n ine and in im e s e n i u t at t
m t f r v lut a r t
io n y s o c ie y in R ssi , and to c or ec n o t u a
fe w o fthe r t a
ly k
en s o e o

at r d fr m
im pre ss io n s fo m e ly g he r r
li t w h w th a t e o no v e s s o on no

t
s oc ie y by h e at
s y an d d ha d ar a
Th r a d r w ill t b
x—p tati N
s ec o n - n e e e no e

r a d thi t ry
.

di a pp i t d i thi
s o n e n s e ec o n. O o ne c an e s s o

w ith ut d p i t r t
’
o A t/ um
ee n e es z erz ce

d r m a rk a bl
. .

A v ry br illia t v l ju t pu bli h d by Wa lt
b th ta lk flit r a ry L
e n an e e no e s s e er

S tt w hi h w ill d W hav ld m
a d a m r fa i at i g b k tha S t p i k C
co , c s o on e e o e on o n. e e se o
”
N i/ ili
’
re o e sc n
of n oo n e n a s areer a i sz .

Lo n do n : WA L T E R S COTT, 24 Warw ic k L an e, P at r e no s e tr Ro w .
 D emy 8 00, C lo t/z, 4 2 0 P ages, P ric e 7 s 6 a .
’
.

A S H O R T H I ST O R Y

ANGLO SAXON FREEDOM .

TH E P O L I T Y O F TH E E NG L I S H - S PE A K ING R AC E .

By jA M E s K . S
H O M E R, P r of
ess o ri n Wa sh ing o n t Univ e r ity; Au h r
s t o of

A L ife f
o Young S ir H arry Van e, e tc .

I n th is b oo k a n e ffo r t i m a de t o co m p ress a s k e t c h f
s o

cons t it u t ion al h is t o ry f a pe r io d f ne arl y tw t h o u s a d

or o o n

y e a r s fr,
o m t h e t im e f t h e T e u t ons
o f C es a r d T a c it u s o a an

t t h e B r it is h E m p ir e
o d U n it e d S tat es f 8 9
an A n gl o 1 0 . o

S axon po l ity i it l on g h is t o ry h
,
n s s h o wn a dap tation t o ,
as

t h e nee ds f e v e r va s t e r mul t it u des d h igh e r c ivil is ati ns

o an o ,

m a n ifol d de vel p m en t d e l a b at ion one sp irit h o we ve r

o an or , , ,

s urviv in g t hr u gh o u t it all a pp a r en t i t h e de l ib e r at ions f

,

o , n o

t h e a nc ie t folk m oot s a s i t h ose f a m o de n P rl ia m e t

n -
n o r a n .

I t i th is u n ity w h ic h i t ra ce d i t h is h ighly in t e res t in g d

s s n an

brill ia n t ly wr itt en b ook

-
.

A v o lu m e in w h ic h P r fe o H os m e r bly p r o o ss r a

po u n ds d ju s t ifi e h i w e ll k n o w n ie w
an s s Th -
v s . e

w r k m igh t
o e r y p r pe rl y b u se d in c h oo l s but i
v o e s ,
s

a l s o in te r es t in g t gr w n peop l e d m y b e s t r o gl y
o o ,
an a n

r eco m m en de d t m ec h n ics in t it u t es w r k m en
o a
’
s ,
o
’
s

c lub s ,
d anp ubl i c l ibr r ies — A tn un a . en £ 7 .

L o n do n : WAL TE R S C O TT, 24 Wa r w i c k L a ne , P at re no s e tr R aw .
 Al on /li ly S k illing Volum es . C lot/i, c ut or u n c ut edges .

TH E CA M E L OT S E R I E S .

E D IT E D BY E RNE S T S RH Y . VOL UM E S AL R E A D Y I SS U ED

R OMANCE OF KI NG ARTH U R . I RI SHF AI R Y AND F OL K TAL ES .

TH OR E A U S WALDE N ’
. E PI CTETU S .

E NG LI S H OP I U M EA TE R -
. TH E E NGLI S H P OE TS .

L A ND OR S C ONV ER S ATIONS JOH NSON

’
. E S S AY S OF D R . .

PL U TAR CH S ’
L IVES . E S SAY S OF WI L L IA M H AZ LI TT .

RE LI G I O ME DI CI, 8m . L A ND OR S PE NTA ME R O N, 8m
’
.

S H E LL EY S L E TTE RS
’
P OE S TA LE S A ND E S S A
’
YS
WAKE F I E LD
. .

P R OS E WRI TI NGS OF S WI FT . VI CA R OF .

MY S TU DY WI NDOWS .
P OLI TI CAL OR ATI ONS .

G R EAT E NG LI S H P AI NTE RS CH ES TER FI E L D S LETTE RS

’
. .

L OR D B Y R ON S ’
LETTE R S . TH OREA U S WE EK
’
.

E SS A YS BY L EI G H H U NT . S TOR I E S FR OM CAR LETON .

L ONGF E L LO WS ’
P R OSE . AUTOCR AT OF TH E B RE A KF A S T-TA BLE

G RE AT M U SI CAL C OMP OSERS . JA NE EY RE .

MAR CU S A U R ELI U S . E LIZ A BE TH AN E NG L AND .

S PE CI ME N DAYS I N AMER I CA . WR ITI NG S OF TH OMA S DAVIS .

WH ITE S ’

SELB OR NE . S PE N CE S A NE CDOTE S
’
.

DEF OE S S I NG L E TON
’

. MOR E S U TOPIA
’
.

MAZ Z I NI S E SS A S Y SA DI S G U LI S TA N
’ ’
. .

P R OS E WRITI NGS OF H EI NE . E NG L IS H FA IR Y TALE S .

RE YNOLDS ’
DIS CO R S ES U . NOR TH ER N S TU DI E S .

S S
P AP E R OF TE E LE AND AD DI S ON . FA MOUS RE V I E WS .

BUR NS S LETTE R S
’ ’
.
A R I S TOTL E S E TH I CS .

V OLS U NG A S A G A . P ER I CLES A ND A S PA SI A .

S ARTOR R E S AR TU S . AN NAL S OF TA CI T US .

WRITI NG S OF E MER SON . E S S A Y S OF E LI A .

SE NE C A S MOR ALS
’
.
B ALZ A C .

DE MOCR ATIC V I STAS U SSET S YS

DE M P LA
.
’
.

F
L I E OF L OR D H E RBERT .
COR A L RE EF S .

E NGLI S H P R OSE .
S H E RID AN S P LA S
’
Y .

IB S E N S P I LL ARS OF S OCI ET
’
Y . OU R V ILL A G E .

Lo n do n : \VA L TE R S C O TT, 24 \Varw ic k L a n e, P at r e no s e trR o w.

 G REAT WRIT ERS .

A N E W S E R IE S OF C R T C AL I I B I O G R A P H IE S .

Ed it d by P r f
e o es s o rE R IC S R O B E R TS ON, M A
. . .

M ONTH L Y S H I L L I N G V O L U M E S .

V OL UM E S A L R E A D Y I S S UE D

I
L F E O F L O NG F E L L O W By P r f E ri S R b t
m t r a itt r k
. o . c . o er so n .
A os M ea d ble l le w o
”
Li verp ool
-
erc ury

L IF E O F C O L E R ID G E
. .

By H a ll C a i
r vi r u itt t r u ut it i rit r at it rar
ne
i—f
.

“
B e and go o s, wr en h o gh o w h sp an d g e l e y
k s ill
m S c o ts an

L I F E O F D I C K E NS k T M a r ia l
. .

By P
matt r t at r i t r ati
ran z s.
N t it ta i ma
. .

ik
av at a
r
h s n d ng th e
k
o

r
D c e n s and his w o s
mm
w
u u ti
ss of
m a r t i v um
u ar if
e h h as b e e n p n e d e l
w e s h o ld, n l w e c a e c o s s h s o l
a m t
ng to
e, .

u ar v i t i r a ati f t r i ut r m v
h e b e en lo s s to en d an y p o p l l e o f E ngl n d s
’
ec o os
op l n o e l s as b e n g e lly s Th e d ffi c l y Is e o e d b y
k —
s ac o y
p itt
.

I n M arz ials s l A the n ceum

’ ”
le b o o
I I I By] K igh t
. .

L F E O F D A N TE G A B R E L R O S S E TT
r r
n
at t ai t fu t
. . .

M K “
r n igh t s
’

p ic ture o f t h e g e po e an d p n e is t h e lles an d
t u i —
.

b es d ye t p res en te to t h e p bl c Th e Grap h ic

L I F E O F S A M U E L JO H N S O N l F G ra t
. .

By C l
r rf—rm u ju m t
o o ne n
a t ta k it i
. . .

a ur a
C o lo n el G n h as p e o ed h dil ge n c e ,
h is s w so nd dg en
ta t
goo d s e , an d N cc cy I llus tra ted L o n do n ews
,

L I F E O F D A R W IN
. .

By G T B e ttan
a u y
i ti u r k
. . . .

— r
M M fD arwin is n d an d c ons c en
’
G T B e ttan y s
r. . . e o so o s wo .

S a tu da y Review
By A Birr ll
.

L I F E O F C H A R L O TTE B R O N TE
ar tt r t i ar m r
e
k mu t
. . .

t rt a r i
Th o s e w h o no w c h of
C h lo e B o n e w ll le n o e , an d h ose
k t i a ut — i t at
irr
who no w no h ng b o h er w ll fi n d all h is b es wo h le n ng in
M raa t k
B e ll s
’

p le s n b o o S t Janws Gaz ette

’

L I F E O F TH O M A S C A R L Y L E By R G a r
. . . .

t LL D ne t
i a mira k Nti u m r f i it u — fai r
. . .
, .

t r u ar rk
Th s is d
an ble b o o o h ng c o ld b e o e el c o s an d er
ta i tak if
.

”
w ay in w h c h he h gh C lyle s l e an d w o
2
h
’
n 18 es us o s . P all
M a ll a z e tte

L I F E O F A D A M S M I TH
.

By R B H a lda M P
Wr itt x
ne,
ith a ld m mplifi d wh d ali g with
. . . . .

“
pi uity en w e rs c se o e e e en e n
mi i
ec o no m c s c enc e
”
o ts an

L I F E O F K E A TS
. .

By W M R tti
V
I dp
aluabl f th ampl i f rmati w h i h it tai —C m b idg
“

nd e en en t
e or e
.

e n o
. .

on
o s se
c
.

c on ns . a r e

L IF E O F S H E L L E Y By Willia m S h a r p
.

riti i mh titl t— apit l m graph t b ra k d with

.

th b t b i gra p i
Th e c hi c s s en e s c a on o o e n e
W mi t R i w
.

e es f S h ll y o es o e e es t ns er ev e

L I F E O F S M O L L E TT By D av id H a a y
. .

A a pa bl r rd —f a w rit r w h till r mai f th gr at ma t r

. nn .

c e ec o o e o s e ns o n e o e e s e s
fth E gli h v l S t d yR i w ”
o e n s no e a ur a ev e

L I F E O F G O L D S M I TH
. .

By A u ti D b
t ry fhi lit rary d ial lif i L d ith ll it h um r u
. s n o so n .

vi i itu d i h r r t ld uld t ll it b tt r
Th e s o o s e an soc e n on on, w a s o o s
d p a th ti
”
an e c c ss es , s e e e o , as n o n e c o e e e .

D a ily Nem .
 I
L F E O F S C O TT r Y B P r of
j abl k —A b d F P g esso on e.
Th i i a m t
.

r Bla k i
s s os en o y e oo . er een ree res s.

L IF E O F B U R NS By P r f
dit r r h p r uad d Bla ki t wr it
o es so c e
tai ma d a hit
. .

ab ut u r — M ll G
Th e e o h ce nly e w en e e s e c e o e
"
B P a ll az ette

By F r a k T M a r ial
o ns . a .

L I F E O F V I C TO R H U G O
v lum r t t i a m r h a d f rm th a
. n . z s .

M M
“

v r h a db —k g v th mma ry
arz ials s
’
r o e p e s en s o us , n o e n o n an y
at i k
.

ab ut h lif f h r at p t S r y i w
E gli h
n s or e en F en c h n oo i es , e su 0 wh s no wn
”
o t e e o t e g e oe . a tu da R ev e .

L IF E O F E M E RS O N B R i h d G a r tt L L D
N r rd f m r lif y d b m r d i rabl — rd R i
. c ar ne , . .

”
S ev ew.
’
0 ec o o E e s on s e c ou e o e es e. atu ay

L I F E O F G O E TH E By Ja m S im
a bi graph r f G th i b d
es e.
Jam im m t
qu ti M
.

M“
r . es S e s
’
co p e en c e as o e o oe e s eyo n
es on . G -
an c hes ter ua rdian .

L IF E O F C O NG R E V E B E dm u d G
ritt admi ra l bi gra h y — d m
. n o sse .
M G
“
r. h os s e as w e n an e o p .
"
A ca e y .

L IF E O F B U N Y A N By C a V a bl
t a r iativ d valuabl m m i r —S m
non en es .
A m t i t i
.

“
os n e ll gen pp ec e , an e e o c ots a n.

L IF E O F C R A B B E By T E K bb l
.
,

ar— r v d rtai a t f
o e
li h p t i S h ak
. . . .

“
N
atu r d fh uma if m r
o E ng s oe s nc e es pe e h as o b se e ce n s pe c s o
m
”
n e an o l A n l e o e Clo s e y th en aeu

L I F E O F H E IN E By Willia m S ha r p
. .

a dmi rabl m ra p m r f ll i tt p t — l v l f
. .

r tk d d th r li h rk S m
An e o nog th h o e u y wr en u o e e e o
m th a
”
ec en no w le ge an c ri tic rs n any o e E ng s wo c ot3 an

L IF E O F M IL L By W L C u r t y
. .

m path ti d di r imi ati m m i r —Gl

o ne
A m t
. . . .

”
os sy e c an ld sc n ng e o asgow H era
L IF E O F S C H IL L E R ry W N v i —
. .

By H
r t th p t lif a at r d d i tu r S m
. en . e ns o n .

”
in ly
’
P es en s e oe s e ne o un e p c e c o ts an

L I F E O F C A P TA I N M A R R Y A T
. .

By D av id H a ay
t i —b p rai r
nn
W av h ma hi h M a a h
. .

j u ti t m rd R i i
e h e no h ng ut se fo r t e nn e n w c r . H nn y as
”
d one s ce o hi S a tu ay ev ew

L IF E O F L E S S ING
. .

By T W R ll t
t b k f h ri —M h r G rd
. . . o es o n .

”
O f h
ne o t e b es oo s o t e se es. anc es te ua ian
L I F E O F M I L TO N By R i h rd G a r tt L L D
.

v r b m r h rmi ad quat l t ld —S i h L d
. c a ne , . .

By F r d r i k W dm r
H as n e e een o e c a n gly o r e e y o
”
c o tt s ea er

L IF E O F BA L Z A C
. .

. e e c e o e.

L I F E O F G E O R G E E L I O T By O a r Br w i g . sc o n n .

L I F E O F JA N E A U S TE N By G ldwi S m ith . o n

By Willia m S ha rp
.

L IF E O F B R O WN ING .

L IF E O F B Y R O N
.

By H R d N l . o n. o en oe

L I F E O F H A W TH O R N E u r C way
.

By M . o nc e on

By P r f r Wa lla
.

L I F E O F S C H O P E NH A U E R o es so c e.

L I F E O F S H E R ID A N By L l yd S a d r
.

o n e s.

L I F E O F TH A C K E R A Y By H r m a M r iv l d F ra k
.

e n e a e an n
T M r ia l
.

. a z s.

L iorary E dition o f Great Writer s, D emy 8 7 m, 2s . 6d .

L o n do n : \V AL T E R S C O T T, 24 \Varw ic k L a ne , P at r e no s e tr Row .
 C an t e r
E D I TE D B Y WI L L I AM S H AR P . I N 1 / M O NTH LY V O LU ME S .

Clot/z , R ed E dges ls . R ed R oan , G ilt E dges 25 . 6d .

C lot/z , Un c ut E dges ls . P ad M oroc c o, Gilt E dges

. 5s .

K E E L E S C H R I S TIA N Y E A R B A L L A D E S A N D R O ND E A U S
J it d b y J
'
’

Wh it
.

C OL E R ID G E Ed b S kips e y Ed G lee so n
e e
W
. .
. . .

L ONG F E L L O Ed E H o pe IR I S H M I N S T R E L S Y .
y it
. . . .

C AM P B E L L E d by H ogb e n E d e d b H H allida S p arlin g

it y n
. . .
. . .

M I L T O N S ’A R A D I S L O S T
SHEL LE Y E d e d b y J S k i pse y
J ra a
'

W W
. . . .

OR D S OR TH E dite d b B ds h w , M A LL D
.

i t
. . . . .

E dite d b y A J S ym ng o n
J JA C O B T E B A L L A D S
. . . .

B L A KE Ed b o s e ph S ki s e y E dite d b y G S M ac uoid
W
. . .

H I TT IE R
. . .

d b y E va o pe . AUS TR A L IA N B A L L A D
W
. . .

P OE E di te d by Jo s e h S kips e S la de n , B A
rria J
E dit e d b y D B
c h m on : g it
. . . . . .

C H A TT E R T O N B y J M OOR E E d e d by oh n D o n
U t
. . . .

B R NS P o em s E di e d b y
U
B R NS S o n s
.

Jo s ep h S kip s ey
fi
B OR D E R B AL L A D S
i
E d te d b y G h R To s o n ra am armt .

W
. . . .

M AR L O E S O N G -T I D E B y P B M s on
d y P E P in k e rto n
J
. H . .
. . . .

KE A T S E di te d b y o h n B o gh e n
it
ODE S O F H OR A CE
a ati Vr
.
. .

a a rri
H E R B E R T . E d e d b y E R h ys Tr n s l o n s b y S ir S de e e, B t
U
. . .
.

H GO Traua b D e n C n to n O S S I AN E dite d b y G E To dd
W U ait
.

E L F I N M S I C . E d by A W e
. . . . .

CO PER E te d b y E v a o pe
U m
. . . . .

S H A K E S P E A R E S P o e m s , e tc
i iam a r
'
S O T H E Y . E d b y S R Th o ps o n
t U it at
.

E di e d b y W ll
. . . .

Sh p C H A C E R E d ed b F N P o n
E dite d b y W L e w n i W
. . .
. .

E ME R S O N P OE M S O F
U it
ILD IF E
rt
. . . .

S O N N E TS o f th is C E N T R Y E d e d b y C h as G D R o b e s , M A
E di e d b Will t iam a r
. . . . . .

Sh p P AR A D I S E R E G A I N E D
W it J rita a
.
.

H I TM A N E te d b y E Rh ys E d ed by B ds h w , M A , L L D
i am u
. .
. . . . . .

S C O TT M arm o n , e tc C R A B B E E d e db y E L plo gh
W
. . . .
.

D OR A G R E E N
i m ar
S C OTT L a dy o f t h e L a k e , e tc E LL
it
E d e d b y W llia it Wi iam
. . .

rai m
Sh p D orling
r r E d ed b ll
it
. .

P R AE D E d e d b y F ed C o o p e F AU S T E di by E C g yle
ar
. . .
. . .

A M E R I C A N S O NN E T S
H O G G B yhis D augh te r, 1\l rs G den
it i iam a r E d e d b y W ll
.
. .

G O L D S M IT H E d b yW Tire b uc k
.

. . . .
Sh p .

L A ND O R S P O E M S
r
’

MA C KA Y S L O V E L E T TE R S
t it a f
’ .

t S ele c e d an d E d e d b y E R d o d
.

S P E N S E R E di e db yH o n R N o e l
. .

. . . .

G R E E K AN TH OL O G Y
CH I L D R E N O F T H E P O E T S
r r it ra am m
.

it i t
.

E d ed b y E c S R o b e s o n E d ed b y G h R To s on . .

it H UNT A N D H O OD
. .

J O N S O N E d e db yJ A S ym o n ds
E dit d b y J H a r d P a ti g
. . . .
.

B Y R O N 2 V o ls ) E d b M B lin d . . . .
e . w oo n n .

TH E S O NE T S O F E R OP E
t a i t
E di e d b y S W dd n g o n
H U M OR O US P OE M S
.

E dit d b y R a lph E Cai

J r
.

t
.
ne
.

e
R A M S A Y . E d by
. .

L Ro b e s o n
it
. . . .

E dit d b y a F S h a rp
L Y TT O N S P L A Y S
’
D OB E L L E d e d b y M rs D o b ell
. . .
.

it tr u ti ar
e
D AY S O F TH E Y E A R . .

W h I n o d c o n b Wm S h p
.

E dit d b y William Sh a rp
G R E AT O D E S
it
. . .

P OP E
H E I NE
.

it r k r M E R E D I TH S P O E M S
E d e d b y o h n H o gb e n
E d e d b y M rs K o e e
. e .

E dit d b y M B th m E dw ar d
’

U
. . .
.

B E A M O NT
it J t r P AI N TE R P O E T S
F L E TCH E R e a s
-
.
e . .

E d ed by S F le c h e
W P a rk
. . .
-
L E S , L AM B , E dit d b y K i t
.

BO
t i iam
E di e d b y W ll Tire b uc k
WO M E N P O E T S
e ne on es .

S h a rp
.

E dit d b y M
E A R L Y E N G L IS H P O E T R Y
.

it a au a t i
.
e rs
E d ed by H M c
ar
l y Fi z g b b o n
. .

U t
. .

E di t d b y P r y H ulbu rd
S E A M S I C E di ed b y M rs S h p L OV E L Y R I C S
it
.
. .

H E R R I C K . E d e d b y E rn e s tR h ys .
e e c .

WAL TE R S CO TT 2 W r i k La '

P at r trR . 4 a w c ne , e no s e ow .
 P O P U LAR B O O KS IN 3 VO L . S ETS
BY O L I E R V W
E N D E LL H O L M E S WA L TE R S A A G E L AN D O R V
W
, ,
C H AR L E S L A M B, L E I G H H N T, I L L I A M H A L I TT E TCU Z , .

By O L V E R I W E ND E L L HOL M E S .

The Aut oc rat of

the Breakfast Tab e -

l
The Poet at

the Breakfast Tab e -

l
The Professor at

the Breakfast Tab e -

l .

W
R educ ed fao s im ile o f H OL ME S an d L A N D OR .

3 Vola , Cro w n 8 00, Clo th, Gilt Top, in S hell Cas e Pric e 4 8 6 d . . .

3 Vo ls . Cro w n 8 120, Clo th, Gilt Top, in Clo th Pe des tal Cas e 5 8
V arat at 1 16 a h
.
, ,

Th e o ls m ay b e h ad sep ely

r i t T p A ti qu
e c .

af
.

Als o in H l i
P o l sh ed M o o c c o , G l o , n e .

UN I F OR M WI TH A B O VE

I
S E L E C T O NS F R O M L AN D O R ( I N 3
I —I M A G I N A R Y C O N V E R S AT I O N S

2 —P E N TA M E R O N
.

3
—P E R I C L E S AN D A S P A S I A
. .

V I N TH R E E O LU M ES

rl es Lamb W
Essays of Cha ill iam Hazl itt and Leig
h Hu
nt , , .

V S IN TH R E E OL UM E

I I
M E D TAT O N S O F M A R C U S A U R E L U S I .

I
T E A C H N G O F E P C TE T U S I . M O RAL S O F S E N E C A .

L o ndo n : WA L TE R S C O TT , 24 \Va rw ic k L a ne , P at re n o s te r Row .

C ro w n 8 00, a ho ut
350 p15 . ea c h, C loth Co ver, 2s . 6d .
p er 7101.

H alfpolzlvhc d M o roc c o, gilt top, 5 s

-
.

COUNT TOLSTOI S
’
WORKS .

follo w ing Volum es a re alrea dy iss ued

I
A R U S S AN P R O P R E T O R I .

TH E C O S S AC K S .

I V AN I L Y I TC H ,
AN D O TH E R S TO R IE S .

T H E I NV AD E R S ,
AND OTH ER S TO R IE S .

MY R E L I G I O N
L FE I .

M Y C O NF E S S I O N .

CH I L D H O O D B O Y H O O D Y O UTH
, , .

T H E P H YS I O L O G Y O F WAR .

A N N A K A R EN I N A ( V ) . 2 OLS .

WH AT TO DO ?
WAR A ND P E AC E .
( 4 V o L s .
)
T H E L O NG E X L E , I AN D O TH E R S TO R I E S FOR C H IL D R E N .

SE V ASTOPOL .

T H E K R E U TZ E R S O N ATA, A ND F A M L I Y
H A P P NE S S I .

Umform w ith the a hove .

I M P R E S S I O NS OF R U SS IA .

BY D R . G E O R G BRA ND E S .

L o ndo n : WAL T E R S CO TT , 24 Wa r w ic k L a ne , a r
P te no s e tr Ro w .
 N E W B O O K L E T S .

Cro w n G ilt L ettering, On e S hilling ea c h .

B Y C O U NT L E O T O L ST O I .

WH E R E L OV E IS , T H E RE GOD

IS ALSO .

TH E T WO P LG R I I MS .

WH A T ME N L VE I BY .

TH E G O DS O N .

IF Y O U N E G L E C T TH E I
F RE, YO U

DON
’
T P UT IT O UT .

P ubl is h e d o r igin a lly i R u ss ia a s t ra c t s f t h e peop l e

n , or ,

t h ese l ittl e s t o ries possess a ll t h e gr ace té d po w e r

,
n arv e an

w h ic h c h a r a c t e r ise t h e w o rk f C ou n t T l t
o d wh il e o s o I, an

inc ul c at i g i t h e m os t pene t r at i g w y t h e C hr is t ia n ide a s

n n n a

o f l o v e h um il ity
, , d c h a r it y a r e pe r fec t i t h e ir a r t fo rm
an ,
n

a s s t o ries p ur e d s im p l e
an .

L o ndo n : WA LTE R S C OTT , 24 Wa r w ic k L ane , P at r

e no s e tr Row .
TH E O X FO R D LIB RA RY .

H a nds ome ly bound in B lue Cloth , Gilt Top, Unc ut E dges ,

P R C E 28 I . E AC H .

C o m pri ses th e m st o p u l W rk s fopS ar D o o C O TT, IC K E N S ,

L Y TTO N , M A R R YAT, L EV O V WN
ER, H LI ER E DE LL OL M E S,
S H E RI D AN , e tc , an d . or igi al N v ls by N w Au th rs
n o e e o .

BARNAB Y RUDGE TH E WH I TE S L AV E .

I Y S HOP
.

OLD CUR IOS T CH ARL ES O MAL L E

’
Y
P I C KWI C K PAPE RS
.
.

NI CH OL AS NI CKL E BY
.
M IDS H P MAN I E AS Y .

B R IDE OF L AMME RMOOR

.

OL IV E R TWIS T
.

MARTI N OH UZ Z LE WIT
.

H E ART OF M DLOTH IAN I

S K E TC H E S BY BOZ
.

L AS T OF TH E BARONS
ITY
.

RODE RIC K RANDOM

.

OLD MORTAL .

I
.

PE RE GRINE p ICKL E TOM CR NG LE S L OG

I I
.
,

I V AN H OE CRU S E O F TH E M DGE .

K E NI LWORTH W
.

.
COL L EE N BA N .

JACO B F AI TH FUL V AL E NTINE V OX

I
.
.

p E TE R S I M PL E N IG H T AND MORN NG .

PAUL C LI FF ORD BUN AN Y

K
.

F Y
.

OF MART RS
’

E UGE NE ARAM OXE S BOO

F K
,

E RN E S T MAL TRAV E RS MANS I E LD PAR .

AL IC E ; o r, the Mys e ies tr

.

L AS T OF TH E M OH CANS I
R IE NZ I .
.

POOR JAC K .

PE L H AM TH E L AMPLI G H TE R
Y
,

Y
L AS T D A S OF P OM PE I I .
JANE E R E
F
I I F
THE S COTT S H C H E S .
P i L L AR OF I RE .

WILS ON S TALES ’
.
TH R ONE O F DAV I D .

TH E I NH ERI TANCE BOM BEY AND S ON .

YF
.

V AN IT A IR
E TH E L L INTON
.

A MOUNTAI N DAI S Y
.

.
I F
N EL IC E
H AZ E L ; P ilp i t Ligh th
o r, er o n ous e.
B EUL AH

V I CAR O F WAK E F I EL D .
H ARR Y
LORRE Q UE R .

B UR NS S POE MS
,

PR INCE ft h H OUS E fDAV ID

o e o
Y
.

WIDE WI DE WORLD S H ER I DAN S PL A S

’
.

W Y
.
,
AV E R L E
V I L L AGE TAL E S
.

W
.

Q UE NTI N DUR ARD

BE N-H UB
.

UNC LE TOM S C AB N
’
I .
TAL IS MAN .

ROBINS O N C RUS OE .

Lo n do n : WA L TE R S COTT, 24 Wa r w i c k L a n e, P at r e n os e tr Ro w .
 -
I
RE S S UE IN I2 MO NT HLY V O L U MES .

o
C m m e n c in g F e b rua ry 25 t h , 1 8 9 1 .

S t ro ng y B o und in C l lo th , G i t To p, l e ac h

WI L S O N ’
S
OF THE
A N D O F S C OTL AN D
HIS TORICAL, TRADI TIONARY, AND IMAGINATIVE .

R E V I S E D BY AL E X AN D E R L E IG H TO N .

NO c ll o ec tio n o f tale s publi h

fo rm e v e e njo ye d s o s e d in a s e rial r
gre at a p o pu arity as
“
l
TH E TAL E S O F TH E B OR D E R S and
r u c sl s
c
th e s e re t o f th e i s c e s ie in th e fa t t the y are s to rie c h at s
r s s se
in th e t ue t e n lus
o f th e w o rd, il trating in a c
g p i an d
r a h
u al l
nat r m rs
s ty e th e ann e an d cu s m s r l s
to , t
ia and s r s
o ro w ,
s s c sl m
in an d b a k idings , o f th e m e n and w o e n o f w o m th ey h
a r s r s
tre t Th e h e o e an dh e o in e o f t e h se adm irab le s s
to rie b e lo n g
a l m l um
.

t o e v e ry r nk o f if e, fro th e k ing and n o b e to th e h ble

pe as an t
h v al w ys b s ly
.

“ ”
T T HE
O BO AL E S im m
F TH E R DE R S a e a e en en e

p pul r w ith th y u g
o a d w h th r w v i w th m i th ir
e o n an e e e e e n e
m al p t v h icl f i tructi d mu m
,

or as ec o r as e th es or ns o n an a se e n t, e
c ll ct d s i s f m s a p r t y f h l thy d i t s ti g
,

o e e er e or re e or o ea an n e re n
lit tu
e ra u iv ll d i th l g g
re nr a e n e an ua e .

Th S e m ay Th
c ots wh anh av r ad th al i th
s s ose o e e e t es n
h libr a ri
e
u i ldy m i hi h h y
nw e to t b fu d i
es n w c ill t e are o e o n n t e es w
we l m th publi at i
co e fth i e a h a dy d ll pri t d diti
c on o s n e t, n an we -
n e e on
”

id ri g h attra tiv
,

ay
.

“
Th D ed Ad i un ee C v ert ser s h s -
on s e n ow c e are t
h th r ga r d d illu t ra i g S tt i h lif t rtai i g
es e
tal e s, w e e re e as s t n co s e , o r as en e n n
it m
e fr m a
s o th r ob d u bt f th ir
n c e, ti u d p pu la rity
e e c an e no o o e c on n e o

W la t r ad th m i
.

e s lu m
e th i f fam ily Bibl
e n vo d es e s ze o a e , an we are
la d t ha pp r tu ity t r
v e an o a quai a ith t h m i a
o n o en ew o ur c n t nc e w
gm m u h m r ha dy d l ga t
o e n
”
or so c o e n an e e n .

L o n do n : WA L T E R S CO TT, 24 Wa r w ic k L a ne , P at r e no s e tr Ro w .
 Q uarto ,
c loth ele a n t
g , gilt ed es
g , em blem atic design on c over, 65 .

M a y also he ha d in a v a rie
ty f F aoncy B in dings .

TH E

A M U S I C I A NS B IR TH DAY B O O K
’
.

E D ITE D E L E O N O R E D E S TE R R E K E E L IN G
’
BY .

h s a u n iqu e Birt h day B ook Aga ins t e a c h dat e a r e given

T i is .

th e n a m es f mu s ic ia ns wh ose b ir t h day it i t oge th e r wit h a

o s,

v er se qu o tat ion a pp r op riat e t o t h e c h ra c t e r f t h eir diffe ren t

-
a o

co m pos it ions pe r fo rm a nces A spec ia l fe atur e f t h e b ook

or . o

cons is ts i t h e r ep r o du c tion i f s im il e f a u t ogra p h s

n n d
ac -
o , an

a u t ogr a p h ic mu s ic f l ivin g co m pose r s Th sel ec tions f v er se

, o . e o

( fr o m b e fo r e C ha u ce r t t h e p r esen t t im e ) h a v e b een m a de wit h

o

a dm ira bl e c ritica l ins igh t E n gl is h v e r se i r ic h i u tt e ra nces f

. s n o

th poe t s a b o u t mu s ic
e d m e r e l y a s a v o lum e f poe t r
,
an y a b o u t o

mu s ic t h is b oo k m a k es a c h a rm in g a n t h ol ogy Thr ee sonne t s by .

M Th eo do r e Watt s on t h e
r
. Fau s ts
,
f B e rl io S c hum a nn
“ ”
o z, ,

a nd G o u no d h a v e b een w r itt en spec ia ll y f

,
t h is v o lum e I t i or . s

illu s t r at e d wit h des ig s f v a rio u s mu s ic a l ins t rum en ts e t c ;

n o , .

a u t ogr a p h s f R ub ens t ein D v o rak G re ig M a cken ie V illier s

o , , , z ,

S ta n fo r d e t c e t c
, .
, .

To mu s ica l a m at e urs t h is will cer ta in ly p r ov e t h e m os t

att ra ct iv e b irt h day b ook e ve r p ubl is h ed —M h t G u di .
”
a nc es er ar an .

O f t h ose h a pp y ide a s t h at see m s t o h a v e b een ye a rn in g

ne O

for fulfi lm en t Th b oo k o u gh t t o h a v e a pl
. e e ve ry ac e on

mu s ic s ta d —S tti h L d
n .
”
co s ea er.

Lo n do n : WAL T E R S C OTT, 24 Wa r w ic k L ane , P a tr t

e no s e r Ro w .
 P rint ed on A uti ue P aper q
Crow n 8 720 B oun d in B lue Clot/z ,
. .

eac h w ith s uit able E r na tic D es ig

n bler n on Cov er, P ric e 3 s 64 7 . .

A lso in v arious Ca lf a n d M oroc c o B indings .

Wo m e n s ’
Vo i c es An An t h o l o gy of the
a ra t r t
.

t
m os Ch c e is ic P o em s by E nglish , S c o t c h, and I ih Wm
rs o en.
t
E di e d by M rs illi m S h rp W a a
S o n n ets th is e ntu ry Wi t h
. .

of C an
x au
.

E h v a s ti e E ss y o n th e S o nn e t E dited by Wm Sh ap r

T h e C h i l d re n o f the ts nt h o l o gy
. . .

Poe An A
r a Wr te rs o fThree
.

fro m E nglis h and A m e ic n i C en tu ries E di ed t

r
r r r
.

by P o fess o E ic S R o b e tso n

re d S o n g
. .

S ac . A Vo l u m e of Rel i gi o u s
V erse S e le c t e d an d a rra nge d by S m a u l Wa ddi gt
e n on

t u r y f Au s tr l i n S o n g S e l e t e d
. .

A Cen o a a c
an d t a
E di ed by D o uglW a x s B S l den , B A
.

O o n.

J o b i t e S o n gs S e l e te d
. . . .
,

ac d B l l ds an a a . c
an d t t t
E di e d, w i h No M q e s, by G S ac uo id

I r i s h Mi n s tr e l s y E d i t e d w i t h N o t es d
. . .

. an
tr u t a a ar
,
In od c io n, by H H llid y S p ling

T h e So n n e t s f E u r o pe A Vo l u m e f
. .

o . o
T r a at
n sl t
io n s a ra a u Wa
S e le c e d an d r nge d by S m el ddingto n

E r l y E g li h d S otti s h Po e t r y
. .

a n an s c .

t
S e le c M a au a F t
e d an d E dite d by H c l y i z gibbo n

f t h e N o rt h C o u ntr i e Ed it ed
. .

B l l ds
a a o
ra a
.
,
t u
w i h Intro d c tio n , by G h m R To m so n

S o n gs f the S
. .

d Po e m s
an An o ea
r t
.

t
An h o lo gy o f P o em s D esc ip iv e of th e S ea t
Edi e d by M rs
W a ar
. .

illi m S h p

ry l n d
.

S o n gs a nd Po e m s o f Fa i a An
tr rra
.

t
An h o lo gy o f E nglish iry P o e y, Fa t
s e le c e d and a nged, wi h t
tr
an In o duc io n, by A h t E dw ard rt u r Wa it e.

S o n gs a nd Poe m s of G t h e r e t Do m i n i o n a .

t
E di ed by W . t a
D Ligh h ll, o f M o n e l
. tr a .

L o n do n WAL TE R S C O TT , 24 Wa r k a at r ter
w ic L ne . P e no s Ro w .
 Clo th E lega n t, Cro w n 8 710 4 1 6 P ages , w ith 4 8 ,

I llus tra tion s . P ric e 2s . 6d .

T H E C E N T E NA R Y

L IF E OF WE S L E Y .

BEG INNING w i t h t h e e arl y ho m e O f t h e Wes l e ys at

E p w o r t h t h is b io gr p h y t r a ces Jo h n Wes l e y s l ife at
’

, a

C h r t e rh o u se an d ub se q
a ,
u en t ly at C hr is t C hur c h
s ,

O x fo r d an d hi c a r ee r a s F e ll o w o f L in c o l n
,
s It .

desc r ib es h i do in gs as a m is s io n ary in t h e c o l on y O f
s

G eo r gia ; hi m ee t in g aft e r h is r e t ur n w it h B hl e r
s , ,
o

a n d h i br o t h e r M o r av ian s a nd Wes l e c n v e r s on ’
s
y s ,
o i .

I t t h en de l s w it h th e p e rio d o f his o pen air p r e ac h

a -

in g fi r s t n e a r B r is t o l aft e r w ar ds in L o n do n w h e r e
, , ,

h w s O ft en l is t en e d t o by c r o w ds o f fi v e to t w en t y
e a

t h o u s an d h i it ine r ary as a p re ac h e r an d the gradu l

,
s ,
a

e s t bl is h m en t o f M e th o dis m t hr o u gh o u t the k in gdo m

a .

S ym p t h e t ic all y an d abl y w rit t en

a t h is v o lu m e , ,

de a l in g w it h a m an o f s u c h spe c ial gift s as We s l e y

p osses se d — g ift s ,w h ic h h e e m p l o ye d w it h s u c h e ffec t

dur in g hi e x t r ao r dina r y l ife
s w ill be r e ad w it h ,

in t e r es t by all w h c are fo r the his t o ry o f c aree r

o a

de v o t e d t o gr e at O bjec t s .

L O N DO N : WA L T E R S C O TT, 24 WA R WI C K L AN E .
 C OM P A C T A N D P R A C TI C A L .

[n L imp C loth f or the P oc het . P ric e One S hilling .

THE EURO PEAN

F RE N C H I T A L I AN
S PAN I S H G E R MAN

C O NTE NT S .

to Tra v ellers —E ueryd y a E xpres s io n s —A rriuing t a

a n d L ea v ing a R a ilw a y S ta tion —Cus tom H o use E nquiri e —[n s

a Tra in —A t a B uj et a n d R esta urant—A t an H o tel P aying a n

’
-

H otel B ill—E nq uiries in a Tow n On B o a rd S hip—E m ha rhing

a n d D is em ha rhing—E xc urs ion b y Ca rriage—E n guiries as to

D iligen c es —E nquiries as to B oa ts —E ng ging a Apa rtm ents

Was hing L is t an d D ays f W

o ec h — Res ta urant Voc a hulary

Telegra m s a n d L etters , et c , etc . .

Th e c o n en st t of th es e tt
li le h a ndbo o k s are so a rr a n
ge d as to

per m it dir t d im m diat f r

ec an e e re e enc e . All di lo g a u es o r e n uir ies
q no t

id r d a b lu t ly
c o ns e e tial ha b
so e u rp ly x lu d d thi g
e s se n ve een p o se e c e , no n

b i g i t r du d w hi h m ight
e n n o ce th t r av ll r r ath r th a
fu c a it c on se e e e e n ss s

him A f w hi t
.
gi
e i th i t r du t i
n s are w hi h will b f u d
v en n e n o c on c e o n

valuabl t th u a u t m d t f r ig t rav l
e o o se n cc s o e o o e n e .

L o ndo n : WA LT E R S CO TT , 24 Wa rwic k L a ne , P at r
e n o ste rR o w.
 T H E C O NTE M P O RA RY S C IE NC E S E R IES .

3335 ] :
I
6
Crow n 8 71 0 . P ric e 3 s 6 d Cloth; H a lf M on , 6 s 6 d
. . . .

B a c t e ria a n d T h e ir P ro d uc t s .

WO O D H E AD BY D R . S MS I .

V itt
r by Den S im W dh a d th r
r tly a pp i t d D ir t r fth L b t
s oo e e ec e n o n e ec o o e a o ra
f S urg
.
,

h C ll g
e o e d P hy i ia
es o i L d it i lu d a fu ll di u i
eo n s a n s c ns n on o n, nc es sc ss o n
au f H ydr ph bia C h l ra D ipth i d C u m pti d ali g p i
K h di v ry Th w rk will b pi u ly illu tr at d by m i r ph
c s es o o o ,
o e , e r a, an o ns o n, e n es ec a
’
D r oc s sc o e e o e c o o s s e
f Ba t r ia
. . c o -
o

h s o t c e , e c .

C row n 8 71 0, C loth, rs .
; C ut a nd Unc ut E dges .

a
Strit ] T HE C A NT E R B U RY P O ETS .

[Aggy
The M AY V o l m e w ill be u
Am e ric a n H um o ro us Ve rs e .
t
An ho lo gy, S e lec t e d an d E di e dby t JA M E S B A R R , E di o tr o fthe D etroit F ree P r

be g e r at r pa rt
e of th e c o n t t en s o f thi v lu m r i h i ha ra t r i ti
s o e, c n c c e s c Am e i r
no ur , w ill be r
e n ti ely n e w t o th e gr at
e m aj r ity f B r it i hor a d r o s e e s.

C row n 8 710, Clo th, C ut a nd Un c ut E dges .

R e ad
THE C AMELOT S E R IE S . M ay z i
Th e JU N E V o l m e w ill be u
S h o rt e r S t o rie s of D ic k e n s .

S ele c t e d and t
E di e d, w i h t an I nt r du ti
o c o n, by F R AN K T . M A R Z I AL S .

here w ill he N O VOL UM E o f this S eries iss ued on April 2 :

US T I S S UE D . Crow n 8 710, P ric e One S hilling .

os m e rs h o lm : A D ra m a in F o u r A c t
BY H E N R I K I BS E N . T r n l t e d by C H A R L E S A R C H E R
a s a

L o n do n : WA L TE R S CO TT, 2 4 W w i k L a P
ar e c t R n e, at rn o s e r ow .
A ll BO O KS M A Y BE RECA ll ED A FTER 7 DA YS
.

Re n e w a ls a nd Re c ha rge s m a y be m a de 4 da ys p rio r to t he due do t

i
Bo o k s m a y be Re ne w e d by c a ll n g 642-3405 .