TIJANSITIOX I'KOM 'I'lMhAL SOCIETY 2Hu 



must make sure oi" l(^^ilinlat(' male offspring." The con- 

 sequence was that tlie iiosition ol" woman was regarded 

 as inferior. Having lost the power of ))ersonal clioice in 

 marriage ^'she was compelled to take whatever husband 

 chance or fortune dictated." Her day of leadershii) in 

 household management liad passed and there remained 

 only drudgery within a liiuitccl si)]iere. Marriage de- 

 pended upon the wliim of her husband, so that she no 

 longer had any voice in its duration. Her duties were 

 often so arduous that she became prematurely old. Then 

 there was always the danger that her place might be 

 taken by a younger and more attractive wife. Tn this 

 way *'the natural love marriage of earlier civilization" 

 yielded to one of uncertainty and sensuality. But this 

 polygamous marriage system existed only among the 

 wealthy and powerful. Among the masses monogamy 

 was the rule, since it became too expensive for the ordi- 1 

 nary man to maintain more than one wife. Thus "the 

 marriage basis had become largely economic." ^^ An- 

 other and darker aspect of the fierce transition from 

 metronjwc conditions to the new organization, was the 

 enslaving of marriageable women of the conquered to 

 become the concubines of the conquerors. 



With the establishment of male descent and ancestor- 

 worship, clan headships and tribal chieftainships tended 

 to become hereditary in certain families. A binding con- 

 tinuity of tribal tradition was formed which held to- 

 gether in compact union not only the members of the 

 clan and of the family, hut also the living with the dead. 

 Thus there was social integration and the structure of 

 society became more coherent and substantial. Yet a pat- 

 ronymic tribe in which chieftainship had become heredi- 



