The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-02-04
THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN WIVES
Light O. Loves Who Have Helped
Make History.
Left-Handed Marriages From Aspasia
to Lady Hamilton.
A Novel Wow of an Old subject-Exam
pies OF Female Briiliancy aud
Frailty-some Interesting
Precedents.

A disciple once asked Confucius what
he would consider the first thing to be
done, if entrusted with the government
of state. His reply was: 1.-THE recti-
fication Of name" We fear, however,
that this would exceed the power of any
one governor or government. Yet it
would be an immense desideratum if
things could be called by such names as
would accurately denote them; if we
could use terms OF scientific precision
for the ordinary affairs of life. Ig-
norsnce, prejudices and customs have,
however, so warped ideas that words
which have one meaning to one person,
have others to others. Thus, the class
of which we now treat is variously
termed mattresses, concubines, Left
handed wives, according to the feeling
or fancy of the speaker. Gibbon de-
ecribed them as holding medium posi-
ton, "below the honours of wife, and
above the infamy Of prostitute" This
description appears just one. We,
therefore. shall treat them as concu-
bines-women who share bed and
board. although not legally married.
There are not few in this country.
When social statistics shall have be-
come more searching and accurate, we
may be surprised at the number. But
they have no lawful statue with us, no
matter how numerous, or how infuen-
tial they may be. We do not recognize
them. Marriage is steadily decreae-
ing, and the social evil" steadily grow
ing. The registrar general can tell us
this. Are we then to disregard any of
the causes of matters so grave? We
think not. And We believe also, that
our know nothing policy must accentu-
ate both evils. We cannot compel men
to marry, but we can do much to amei-
crate the condition of the victims of
celibacy and of their offspring.
If we may believe philosophers, pros
tuition was the first condition OF
woman, concubipage the second, mar
rage the third. In much Of the world
she is still in the first or second stages,
and in the most civilized states ell three
exist together, so much 30, that by an
intervention of things marriage is often
modified prostitution, and concubinage
modified marriage.
Concu binage fourished most among
pnlygamous people, and was therefore
diyinely sanctioned and even command
ed in the Old Testament. A man, too,
might ravish beautiful captive, but
could rot afterwards sell her, as in
Deuteronomy: 1T shall be if thou
have no delight in her, then thou ehalt
not sell her, because thou hast hum bled
her, The patriarch and prophets in
dulged in concubines freely. Solomon
had 700, besides 800 wives of rank. So
that by the Mosaic law, concubine
and her children possessed special rights
and privileges.
Under the empire of Rome, natursles
liberi and concubines were gradually
admitted to limited rights of succession,
and their legitimation by subsequent
marriages made their status complete.
The married woman had more digni-
fed position, but concubinage WAS con-
sidered filter union when the woman
was OF inferior rank. In the latter case
The father had not the patria potestas-
power of life and death over his chill
dren-as in marriage; otherwise the
unions differed but little. The concu-
bine was reputable" woman, and
might be charged with adultery in the
same way as wife. This kind of con-
cubinage is still in force in several coun-
tries, as in Germany in particular, where
it is called Halbehe (half marriage), or,
as in France, leit-hand marriage, be-
cause in contracting it the left hand ia
used and the marriage ceremony omit
ted. Both parties are bound to each
other forever, but the woman may not
take the husbands name or title.
Neither succeeds to the property of the
other, but if the father leaves no lawful
children, his children by his concubine
take third of his estate.
By the French law, the presence OF q
concubine in the house entities the wife
to divorce. The 18th canon of the
first council of Toledo, AID. 400, de-
clares that he who with a faithful wife
keeps concubiue is accommodated,
but that if the concubine serve him as
wife. SO that he has only one woman,
under the title OF concubine, he shall
not be rejected from communion. This
referred to inferior priests as we'll as to
laymen, for at that time the former
were allowed to marry. The subsequent
councils extended the term concubine to
disreputable women generally: 80 also
did the rubric of the concordat between
Francis and Leo \ in 1917.
In most Mahometan and other
polygamous countries, female slaves are
used as concubines, and possess GER
tain status. In Rome this connection
was called contubernium, and was also
applied. where slave married slave. 1t
was inferior to the other we have men
toned, and was named concubinatus.
In Spain, by the ancient Fueros, which
succeeded the Lex Visigothorum, con-
cubinage was recognized under the
name OF barragania. This was contract
by which the concubine received
the right to bread, table and
knife.'' Some fueros (stat=te laws)
gave the faithful concubine, apart from
contract, right of succession to one
half of the mans acquired property.
But in 1925 the council of Valladolid OBJ.
jected to the barraganis OF priests. The
Gragas--the ancient law of Iceland
recognized the trilla, or ccncubine, at
the came time with the husfreyia, or
lawful wife, although they were not
permitted to live in the same dwelling.
Bv the Danish hand vesten the concu-
bine who had publicly lived with man
and partaken of his meals for three
winters became a lawful wife. In all
these laws we see attempts, more or
less successful, to render justice to the
concubine and her children.
From the time when Athens became