60 From Savagery to Civilization 



would not normally begin until the desire for a 

 bride became urgent. 



The introduction of elaborate marriage cere- 

 monies is a method of compelling the members 

 of the tribe or clan to do a considerable quantity 

 of work, mental and physical, more than is neces- 

 sary for meeting the requirements of mere ex- 

 istence. Customs of display, and religious cus- 

 toms of all kinds are other means for causing the 

 members of the community to do extra work. 

 Warfare, and the feasts and celebrations asso- 

 ciated with warfare, are still other devices for 

 causing extra work. 



There are many tribes of savages, semi-sav- 

 ages and barbarous people in the world today. 

 Those people have a great variety of customs, 

 many of which have been declared to be absurd 

 and ridiculous by civilized people. When we re- 

 view these numerous tribes and their customs, 

 one by one, we find one general result. The low- 

 est tribes are those which interfere with natural 

 reproduction the least, and the highest are those 

 which interfere the most. Going over the scale 

 as a whole, it is found that the advancement of 

 any tribe is an accurate reflection of the average 



