166 SAVAGE SURVIVALS 



if a man were murdered the relatives of the mur- 

 dered man were the only ones who had the right 

 to do anything about it. They usually came to- 

 gether at such a time and consulted about the 

 matter, and decided what punishment or revenge 

 should be inflicted on the murderer. The rulers 

 of the tribe had nothing to say or do in the matter. 



In ancient Greece there were no officers whose 

 duty it was to prosecute criminals. " Indeed, " 

 says Lubbock, "it seems that the purpose of 

 courts of justice was at first not so much to pun- 

 ish offenders as to restrain the fury of the aveng- 

 ers. " 



The right of revenge has been gradually lim- 

 ited with the passing of the centuries. Laws have 

 been passed from time to time prescribing in 

 what cases the right should or should not be exer- 

 cised, and the extent to which punishment should 

 be inflicted. Today, among all higher peoples, 

 courts of justice have been established where any 

 one who is injured by another can go and make 

 his complaint, and receive satisfaction thru the 

 decrees of a judge. This is, at least, the theory 

 of courts, altho in practice courts are not always 

 just. The judge is generally assisted in making 

 his decisions by a jury who listen to the evidence 

 on both sides and then give their verdict. In- 

 dividuals are not authorized to "take the law into 

 their own hands." 



There are many vestigial survivals among 

 higher peoples of the old primitive practice of al- 



