The Evolution of Morality. 241 



the family. There can be no settlement of any 

 ethical question by an arbitrary deduction of all 

 forms of conjugal relations from a single imagi 

 nary source along a single imaginary path. No 

 light is thrown upon the study of morals by an 

 appearance of deriving historic from prehistoric 

 institutions. Yet, in the study of the family, this 

 unfruitful method has for the most part been 

 followed ; and from McLennan s &quot;Primitive 

 Marriage &quot; to Xippert s recent valuable &quot; Ge- 

 schichte der Familie &quot; simple facts are obscured 

 by overshadowing speculative theories. What 

 forms of marriage now exist we know or may 

 know; what existed in historic times we have 

 some report of ; but beyond this horizon all is 

 darkness, and remains darkness, though Morgan 

 and Lippert would fain con jure up the unrecorded 

 past, and Letourneau in prophetic vision predict 

 the course of the yet unborn future. 



It is not, therefore, with theories of the evolu 

 tion of the family that moralists have to reckon. 

 Like other phantasies and bold guesses, these may 

 be passed by. But it is different with facts 

 actual observations made within the historical 

 horizon. These have a vital interest for the 

 moralist. And it is the merit of the evolu 

 tionist to have recognized their significance, 

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