Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1889-03-09

raj III Tor no Other reason, an lnstltu-
ton which is based upon the presump-
ton thai the state Of feeling between
two young persons viii remain the same
forever, as long as they live, which
is a natural impossibility, must necessar-
lily he thought failure.
| am astonished, however, that in the
discussion just going on, and the at.
tempts to find solution of the lrob-
lem, nobody thought of investigating
the matter from a historical point Of
view, Of bringing it into connection
with the general development Of man
kind and human society.
Certainly, the ortl odox who have
been taught to consider marriage a sac
rameut or divine institution, never
dream Of the possibility that the form of
the family may have undergone various
changes in the course of ages, and 9TH
ers than the students Of social develop
ment do not know the fact.
And yet it is well established, as well
as scientific re, earches can establish
things Of this kind that, considering the
great age of human society, the
homogeneous form of the family is COM
paratively a new one.
1t is proven by science that during a
state Of savagery form of the family
existed, which is called the consanguine
family, and which was founded upon
the intermarriage of brothers and sis
| ters in group, so that all the sisters
were jointly the wives of all the broth
ers. Traces of this system do still exist
| in Polynesia, where no other relation
ship is known than that of parent and
child, grandparent and grandChild, and
brother and sister.
The next form of the family which
appeared is called the punaluan family.
1t was founded upon the intermarriage
Of several sisters with each others hus-
bands in group, or the intermarriage
Of several brothers with each other
wives in group, the wives and hus-
bands, respectively, not being sisters or
| brothers.
This form of the family has existed in
Europe, Asia and America within the
historical period, and in Polynesia with
N the present century.
The Consanguine family. as we'll as
the punaluan family, were the result of
group marriages. In each case the
group of men were conformity married
to the group of women
Even if we consider the homogeneous
family as the third form of marriage in
the development of the social institu-
tons of the human race, it must not be
overlooked that during the transition
from the punaluan to the homogeneous
there were two intermediate forms,
namely, the pairing family, which was
founded upon marriage between single
pairs. but without exclusive cohabita-
ton. the marriage continuing during
the pleasure of the parties, and the pa
triarchal family, founded upon the mar
rage of one man with several wives.
Those who take a deeper interest in
this subject | refer to a most excellent
work written by Lewis II. Morgan, pub
lished by Henry Holt & Co., New York
the title Of it being; "AnCient Society;
or. Researches i'll the Line of Human
Progress from Savagery through Bar
harism to CIVILIZATION
Human society is not a creature but 4
| growth. 1t is Their efOre necessarily the
same with every social institution. The
family is growth, which has gone
through a number Of successive stages
in the course of development. No form
of it has at any time suddenly disap
peared and the other been put i'll it
place; but for time two forms existed
simultaneously until one had died out
and the other had taken root.
TO be COHtlnuedD