592 LECTURES AND ESSAYS [1880- 



are brought up, and from the prevalence of immorality 

 and other effects of polygamy that tend to sap the strength 

 of a race. Now, what follows from this ? That those 

 parts of the country where intermarriage with Africans 

 prevails are not in a position to expand in population, 

 and swamp the true Arabs of the uplands. Among the 

 debased populations of the coast, and also in the blood 

 of great families, and generally among the wealthy and 

 luxurious, the African element is considerable, and one 

 is startled at first sight by such a fact as that the High 

 Shereef of Mecca is as black as a pure negro. But it is 

 precisely the wealthy and luxurious stocks that are 

 checked in their natural increase by unhealthy physical 

 and moral conditions of life, while the Bedouins multiply 

 at least fast enough to maintain their own place, and send 

 off a certain number of emigrants to the towns to balance 

 the negro immigration. The suppression of the slave 

 trade, whenever that is effected, must cause serious 

 changes in the constitution of the urban populations of 

 Arabia, and the problems of redistribution which must 

 then arise will be of the greatest interest to students of 

 human society. I venture to predict that one result 

 will be the very rapid disappearance of many of the 

 corrupt and exhausted stocks which at present hold wealth 

 and influence in Jeddah and Mecca. On the other hand, 

 if Arabian society has sufficient elasticity to adapt itself 

 to new conditions the ultimate consequences cannot be 

 otherwise than most advantageous, for without slavery 

 polygamy, and the evils that flow from polygamy, can 

 hardly exist. Yet the abolition of polygamy, without a 

 change in the law of divorce, will not suffice to place 

 family relations on a sound basis ; for at present many 

 of those who are not able to indulge in a plurality of 

 wives which often involves the maintenance of separate 

 establishments at least gratify their changing passions by 

 divorces as frequent as those of Rome under the Empire, 

 with fatal effects on the education of their children. 



