180 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



ing her off, or if the bride-price has been spent, then 

 they manifest complete indifference to her conduct. 

 The time which young wives spend with their parents 

 after the wedding is the merriest and freest time they 

 ever know. The young men hover about them like 

 flies, but the parents pretend to take no notice, and 

 even in most cases take advantage in their household 

 work of the serviceability of these aspirants. They 

 only strive that these connections may not be long con- 

 tinued and may not become notorious ; for this might 

 bring upon them unpleasant consequences from the 

 family of the husband and might lessen the quantity of 

 gifts which they might expect later. Maidens who no 

 longer expect marriage are not restrained at all ; and 

 if they observe decorum it is only from habit and out 

 of respect to custom." A Polish political exile not 

 long ago dwelt for twelve years among the Yakuts. 

 He paid much attention to their customs, and to him 

 we are indebted for the foregoing observations. He 

 tells us further that a bride-price (which may be con- 

 siderable) is paid on marriage, and that in former times 

 parents often paid a bride-price for a girl three or 

 four years old to be the wife of a son. She was 

 taken and brought up in the family of her youthful 

 husband ; and in fact the two children slept together 

 from infancy, although the marriage ceremony had not 

 then been performed. Moreover, an interesting light 

 is thrown upon the sexual morality of the Yakuts by 

 their tradition that when God made Adam and his 

 wife the latter bore seven girls and eight boys. Each 

 boy therefore as he grew up had a wife, except the 

 youngest. He asked God what he was to do for a wife. 

 God answered : " If you cannot get along without 



