The San Francisco call., 1896-05-06

The next paper was by Mrs. Frances
Fuller Victor, on Tribal Government"
She handled her subject as follows:
Tribal government we might naturally expect
to be an evolution from family governme tent, but a
brief review of the conditons Of society in prini-
tive periods reveals the that the tribe existed
before the family. 1t might also appear at the
hrst glance that the constitution OF tribal govern
ment is too primitive an simple to be considered
philosophically-an erroneous opinion If you
walk under the maple trees in spring you find the
ground strewn with dead blossoms between the
two wings Of which is a hard round pod, appearing
like joint connecting the wings. Cut open one of
these pods which have lain unheaded upon the
earth through the storms OF winter, and you find
in this little case, tightly folded, embryo tree,
would compare tribal government to this
folded tree, contained within a space less than
veloped as to show form and color. Within the
tribal pod is incosed all that evolution brought
10 Eight along the lines OF government from the
birth OF the human.
Another spontaneous opinion upon the subject 1
shall endeavor to present understandiDgly is that
forms OF government have been the Inventions of
single individuals. This also is untrue, all govern
ments having been evolved from the united
perience of the people governed own TO that point
in history where conquest was the aim, and where
great military chiefs sought TO establish one-nnan
power.
Scientists divide the early history of humanity
into two general periods-savagery and barbarism.
The first period is again divided into lower, middle
and upper savagery, and the second into as many
eras of barbarism, each subdivision being m arked
by All advancement In thought and achievement.
Government among savages is founded solely upon
persons and families, and is simply social, while
among barbarians 1t is fou nded also upon property
and territory, and becomes political.
All that we have been able to discover is that
every race of mankind began at the same starting
point and went through similar IL not Identical
processes some developing much more rapidly
than others for reasons existing, we suppose in
their environments. This inequality would oper-
ate after time in manner to further hinder the
| upward movement OF the less favored divisions of
| the human family, who became the slaves of the
more fortunate ones But whenever they be-
| came able to exercise inclination and Will some
| would of
! ernment manifested itself. These fundamental
principles have existed from the earliest period of
the intelligent life of man upon the earth and are
the same, more elaborated, which furnish the
that tiny seed contained the perfect tree?r
The earliest known social regulations concerned.
In the effort to rise above brute life primi-
tive man divided society into classes, founded on
sex. An example of this kind of classification is
still found in Australia, while traces of this sexual
| system have been discovered on the European and
American continents The australians were di-
vided into eight claSseS-four OF males and four of
females, and the rule OF marriage that a
woman of a certain class could only have for her
corresponding to her own. put the woman first
in my statement of the rule because in that primi-
tive period men occupied social position inferior
TO that OF women. as will be seen hereafter
The next stage of advancement: and which grew
out OF this, the division of society into gentes
or groups of related individuals which still re-
tained their descent in the female line. The mum
Der of groups in gems was fixed by rule, and O
gems took the name of some beast bird plant, as
the wolf, the raven the beaver or the stork, which
animal became the LOtem OF Inat division, serving
10 distinguish it from any other and to prevent
forbidden marriage relations. Under the regula
tions OF the gentes at first marriage restricted
to a portion of the males OF one gems with por-
ton OF the females of another arbitrarily decreed
This system was relaxed until in the higher order
! of savagery all the members OF each gems were
permitted to marry into any gems but their own
There is abundant proof that in the primitive
ages and so long men were nomadic In theil
habits the woman's part IN tribal affairs was q
most important one. In the natural world the
male takes very little care of the female She de-
tends herself and provides Tor her offspring In