THE PRIMARY SOCIAL SETTLEMENT. 537 



Modern ideas of the family are based, of course, on monogamous 

 marriages, which many people seem to think did not exist either in 

 sentiment or reality until the Christian era. This is a big mistake. 

 In the original divine ordinance of marriage, " And the Lord God 

 said, It is not good that the man should be alone: I will make him 

 an help meet for him " (Genesis, ii, 18), and " Therefore shall a man 

 leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife; and 

 they shall be one flesh " (Genesis, ii, 24), monogamy is implied, and 

 also in what Christ said in Matthew, xix, 5, 6, and Mark, x, 7, 8. 

 Monogamic, polygynous, polyandric have always been numerators 

 over the common denominator, marriage, yet for reasons pertaining 

 to personal comfort the monogamic family has been the commonest, 

 and existed in higher nations long before the Christian era. But 

 Christianity gave a new motive for its existence. It made the under- 

 lying spirit of family life more important than the laws and customs 

 pertaining thereto. 



Among the Semites, confusion, trouble, and hatred ever resulted 

 from the practice of polygamy, which, though not prohibited by 

 Moses, was restrained and discouraged. The first-born, whether of 

 the beloved or hated wife, was to have his right, and citizenship was 

 denied to eunuchs. 



But even in the domestic darkness of polygynous households, 

 parental love often shone like a bright light, though sometimes it 

 was the light of favoritism. " And Isaac loved Esau." " Now Israel 

 loved Joseph." Hagar, lifting up her voice and weeping over 

 against the shrubbery where she had placed Ishmael, so that she 

 could not see him die, is a most pathetic picture of a mother's love. 

 The love of home, too, was strong even in the wandering days of the 

 patriarchs, who delighted to obey the frequent command, " Return 

 unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred." In other family 

 affections these old Hebrews are still an example for us. Ruth's 

 love for and companionship with her mother-in-law, ISTaomi, is a 

 touching part of the beautiful biblical idyl. Old age was revered. 

 The grandfather's blessing on the sons' sons was of greatest account. 

 His words were desired and cherished. Even Rameses sought and 

 obtained the blessing of the old man Jacob, who was given by the 

 king not simply a living place in some corner of Egypt, but in " the 

 best of the land." Brotherly love was often conspicuous in contrast to 

 brotherly hate. Joseph, the ruler, in the second chariot of Egypt, not 

 only looked after his father by express command of the king, but his 

 brethren and all his father's household, "according to their little ones." 



The influence of this primitive social institution, the ancient fam- 

 ily or household, has been felt in law also. Maine says : " It is this 

 patriarchal aggregate, the modern family thus cut down on one side 



