A History of Matrimonial Institutions, Vol. 1 of 3

by George Elliott Howard

[127] "Communal marriage" is the name introduced by Sir John Lubbock, Origin of Civilization, 86, 98, 103, 104-9, whose theory is criticised by McLennan, Studies, I, 329 ff. "Gruppen- oder Hordenchen" is the term employed by Post, Familienrecht, 57, 58; Grundlagen des Rechts, 200, 201; Anfänge, 10 ff. For the so-called Australian group-marriage see Fison and Howitt, Kamilaroi and Kurnai, 50 ff., 99 ff., 159 ff.; the criticism of Curr, The Australian Race, I, 106-42, which should be compared with Kohler, "Das Recht der Australneger," ZVR., VII, 326 ff., 329 ff., 337 ff.; his Zur Geschichte der Ehe, 64 ff.; Cunow, Australneger; Spencer and Gillen, Native Tribes of Central Australia; and Crawley, Mystic Rose, 475 ff. In general, on group-marriage see Kulischer, in ZFE., VIII, 140; X, 193; Bernhöft, "Altindisches Familienorganisation," ibid., IX, 5 ff.; Schroeder, Das Recht in der geschlechtlichen Ordnung, 19 ff.

[128] On the horde see Bernhöft, "Zur Gesch. des eur. Familienrechts," ZVR., VIII, 167; Westermarck, Human Marriage, 41, 52; Friedrichs, "Familienstufen und Eheformen," ZVR., X, 194, 197, 198; idem, ibid., VIII, 378, 379; Kautsky, "Die Entstehung der Ehe und Familie," Kosmos, XII, 193 ff. (the Stamm); Post, Geschlechtsgenossenschaft, 4 ff.; Familienrecht, 57, 58; Kohler, in ZVR., VII, 381; Mucke, Horde und Familie; Grosse, Die Formen der Ehe, 59, 62; Frerichs, Zur Naturgeschichte des Menschen, 106, 107; Hellwald, Die mensch. Familie, 121 ff., 153; Gumplowicz, Outlines of Sociology, 110 ff.; and the literature cited below on the Australian class-systems, and on the works of Morgan and Spencer.

[129] Westermarck, op. cit., 52.

[130] For this class of evidence, see Giraud-Teulon, Les origines du mariage, 1 ff.: Post, Familienrecht, 57, 58; Anfänge, 17 ff.; Lubbock, Origin of Civilization, 69 ff., 104 ff.; Bernhöft, "Zur Geschichte des eur. Familienrechts," ZVR., VIII, 161 ff.; McLennan, Studies, I, 83 ff.; Morgan, Ancient Society, 500 ff., passim; Lippert, Geschichte der Familie, 168-80; Ploss, Das Weib, I, 331, 360 ff., 370 ff., 383 ff.; Kulischer, "Die geschlechtliche Zuchtwahl," ZFE., VIII, 140, 141; Friedrichs, "Ursprung des Matriarchats," ZVR., VIII, 370 ff.; Mucke, Horde und Familie, 65, 138 ff., who deny that these customs are evidences of promiscuity; as also does Schmidt, Jus primae noctis, 36 ff.; Kohler, "Ueber das Negerrecht, namentlich in Kamerun," ZVR., XI, 419, 422; "Studien über Frauengemeinschaft," ibid., V, 334 ff.; Zur Urgeschichte der Ehe, 14, 64 ff., 146; and elsewhere in his various monographs; Hellwald, Die mensch. Familie, 187, 326-29; Kovalevsky, Mod. Customs and Anc. Laws of Russia, 6 ff.; Schneider, Die Naturvölker, I, 267 ff.; II, 413 ff., who, rejecting the doctrines of evolution and survival, holds to the biblical legend of the "fall of man."

[131] The result of the recent researches of Spencer, Starcke, Westermarck, Letourneau, and others will be discussed in the next chapter.

[132] Read especially the section of Bernhöft, "Zur Geschichte des eur. Familienrechts," 161-221, on "Askese und Hetärismus," who is criticised by Mucke, Horde und Familie, 122; Guyot, Prostitution, 12 ff.; Mantegazza, Geschlechtsverhältnisse des Menschen, 366 ff.; and the detailed and learned monograph of Rosenbaum, Geschichte der Lustseuche im Alterthume (Halle, 1893). An examination of the whole subject is given by Westermarck, Human Marriage, chap. iv.

[133] In this connection are adduced the cases in which courtesans have been held in high esteem, sometimes in higher regard than married women, as in Athens and India: Giraud-Teulon, Les origines du mariage, 43-45; Lubbock, Origin of Civilization, 132, 133, 537, 538; Post, Geschlechtsgenoss., 31; Schroeder, Das Recht in der geschlechtlichen Ordnung, 244 ff.; Bernhöft, "Zur Gesch. des eur. Familienrechts," ZVR., VIII, 172-74; Kohler, "Ueber das Negerrecht," ibid., XI, 419; Westermarck, op. cit., 61 ff., 80, 81, who denies the inference of promiscuity from this custom and mentions many low tribes among whom chastity is observed. Cf. Friedrichs, in ZVR., VIII, 374 ff.; Schneider, Die Naturvölker, II, 473, 474, who ascribes the custom to religious impulse—the consecration of virgins to the cult of Aphrodite.

The custom, found among Egyptians, Tibetans, Wotjäken, American Indians, and other peoples, permitting girls freely to prostitute themselves before marriage is similarly put in evidence: Herodotus, II, 121, 124, 125, 126; IV, 176; V, 6; Post, Grundlagen, 187; Geschlechtsgenoss., 29-31; Familienrecht, 346; Buch, Die Wotjäken, 45 ff.; Kohler, in ZVR., V, 335 (Wotjäken); Bernhöft, op. cit., 165, 166; Giraud-Teulon, op. cit., 52, 53; Unger, Die Ehe, 12, 13; Hellwald, Die mensch. Familie, 220 ff., 343; Waitz, Anthropologie, II, 112, 113 (Africa); Ratzel, Hist. of Mankind, II, 128 (Brazil and ancient Peru); Pratz, Hist. de la Louisiane, II, 386 (Natches Indians); Stevenson, in XI. Rep. of Bureau of Eth., 19, 20 (the Sia); Turner, ibid. XI, 189 (the Innuit).

[134] On the so-called "Probeehen" or "Probenächte," see Buch, Die Wotjäken, 50, 51, 53, 57; Kohler, in ZVR., V, 346, 351, 338, 339; Post, Anfänge, 21; Düringsfeld, Hochzeitsbuch, 9; Schmidt, Jus primae noctis, 40; Weinhold, Deutsche Frauen, I, 261 ff.; Friedberg, Eheschliessung, 84; and especially Fischer, Ueber die Probenächte der teutschen Bauernmädchen, who gives a detailed historical investigation from the early Middle Ages onward, with interesting examples. Cf. Kovalevsky, Mod. Customs and Anc. Laws of Russia, 12, 13 (the Kirchgang or Dorfgehen of Switzerland, Baden, and Würtemberg).

Among the Todas, after a marriage is arranged, the bride has a proof-time of a night and a day. On the "expiry of this brief honeymoon," the damsel is required to make up her mind "either to accept or reject her suitor."—Marshall, A Phrenologist amongst the Todas, 212.