224 DEVELOPMENT AND PURPOSE CHAP. 



stages the incomplete natural family, the Patriarchate, the 

 Individualist family, and the Social family. 



With the development of the family the whole position 

 of women is intimately bound up. Broadly the develop- 

 ment here is a particular case of the generalisation of rights. 

 The superior rights generally claimed by the male are a case 

 of group-morality, and the growing recognition of the 

 equality of status due to woman a simple application of the 

 general ideal of universalism. Historically the case is 

 complicated by the many factors affecting marriage and the 

 family life. Comparing the patriarchate with earlier forms 

 of society, we receive on the whole the impression that 

 women have lost rather than gained status, and there are a 

 few cases in early society when they appear to have an equal 

 or even a superior position to men. Nevertheless, guided 

 by the general and omitting the exceptional, we may regard 

 the position of women in the earlier societies as varying 

 from one of inferior rights to one little distinguished from 

 a servile status. This status is qualified by the social 

 respect which they have enjoyed uniformly in mediaeval 

 and modern Europe, by the ethics of chivalry and the code 

 of the c gentleman.' A higher stage was reached for a 

 time in Roman law, and has been regained in modern 

 Europe, where it is being rapidly developed to the point 

 of according the woman, married or unmarried, full 

 equality of status, civil, social and political, with the man. 



The right of property is recognised in early society in 

 the sense in which other rights are recognised. But the 

 most important property, the land, is more often common 

 to the group. If it is subdivided ownership is hardly 

 distinct from occupation, and when separate property 

 arises it is still rather to the kindred than to the individual 

 that the land belongs. So far private property as a basis 

 of personal enterprise and accumulation hardly exists. 

 With the growth of authoritarian society a feudal tenure 

 of land is generally found in which property is associ- 

 ated with office, rank and status, and is neither in the 

 absolute ownership of the individual nor, therefore, the 

 subject of unfettered bequest or free exchange. With the 

 rise of industry and commerce capital on the large scale 



