Watuis.—Savage and Barbaric “ Survivals ” in Marriage. 249 
Art. XXI.— Savage and Barbarie “ Survivals ” in Marriage. 
By the Rev. James Waris, D.D. 
[Read before the Auckland Institute, October 2nd, 1876.] 
1. The present is the outgrowth of'the past. Modern civilization is the 
result of causes and influences which have been in operation from the very 
beginning of human history. The modern civilized man, with his customs 
and ideas and institutions, is the outcome or product of the whole past 
course of the world’s history. Hence all we are—all the things of our 
civilization may be viewed as “ survivals.” It is, however, in a stricter 
and more scientific sense that I will employ the word survivals here. In 
the long progress of mankind, from the lowest savagery, through barbarism 
and up to our present civilization, there have been many stages or grades, 
the lower grade usually passing to the higher. Certain customs, 
beliefs, ete., proper to an old and lower grade, find their way into a newer 
and higher grade—the growths of one age. "These customs and beliefs 
often continue, more or less changed, throughout succeeding ages ; but they 
are inconsistent or incongruous with the more advanced state of things in 
those ages. Such relies of the past living on into the present are survivals. 
E. B. Tylor defines survivals to be ‘ processes, customs, opinions, and so 
forth, which have been carried on by force of habit into a new state of 
society different from that in which they had their original home, and they 
thus remain as proofs and examples of an older condition of culture, out of 
which a newer has been evolved." Speaking only of one class or depart- 
ment at present, I will show you some curious survivals in marriage—some 
customs and opinions and laws, obviously originating in savagery or bar- 
barism, whieh still prevail among ourselves. ; 
2. Marriage is the foundation of civilized life. Marriage of the mono- 
gamus kind, or the union of one man and one woman for life, is the most 
important of all our social institutions. The monogamy now existing 
among the most civilized nations seems to have been preceded everywhere 
by polygamy, and polygamy by what has been termed communal marriage. 
It is almost certain that in the very remotest times, all over the world, the 
sexes lived together promiscuously. From this degraded state the first 
upward step was towards polygamy, or the exclusive appropriation by one 
man of several women. ‘The first step from communal, in the direction of 
individual marriage, appears to have been brought about mainly by war and 
slavery. In war between primeval savage tribes the conquerors were likely 
io kil most of the males of the conquered tribe, but to capture such of 
the females as pleased them. ‘The warrior savage according to his pleasure 
might either kill a female captive or save her alive, If her life im spared, 
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