SECT. II.] POSITION OP WOMAN. 317 



timo ideal motives, public spirit, and love of liberty greatly 

 predominated ! 



The degraded position of women among uncivilized peoples 

 has been made too much of, as it is not a permanent but a 

 fluctuating feature. We would not discuss here the delicate 

 question whether the demoralization in these things among 

 ourselves is not concealed beneath more refined forms, whilst 

 it is seen in its nakedness among savages. Though wives are 

 not sold in the market, marriages in the higher ranks are con- 

 ducted pretty much like mercantile transactions. 



Although among the ancient Germans, woman was purchased, 

 she was not considered as mentally inferior to man, but only as 

 physically weaker, and requiring protection. But such a noble 

 conception of woman is rare. In Greece and Rome females 

 occupied a subordinate position. In Sparta, where marriage 

 (as in Plato's republic) was considered a purely political in- 

 stitution, as a means of producing stout citizens, a third party 

 might be the representative of the husband if the marriage 

 proved unprolific. In Athens, where rape was only considered 

 as an offence against the husband or father, and was merely 

 punished by a fine, the hetaeras only were well-educated 

 women. A parallel to this state exists at present in Java, 

 where the Eonggeng, though a hetaera, enjoys a certain 

 honourable position, for even princes dance (dandak) with her, 

 and when she marries, all immoralities of her former life are 

 forgotten. 1 Old Christian authorities looked at marriage only 

 from a sensual point of view, and have seriously doubted 

 whether women had souls. We must, therefore, not feel sur- 

 prised that Chinese, Hindoos, and Mohammedans positively 

 deny that they have any soul. If a Chinaman is asked how 

 many children he has, he only mentions the boys ; if he 

 has only girls, he answers he has no children. 2 Accord- 

 ingly woman is by these peoples treated as merchandize. 

 Among some tribes of the Moors it is considered an act of 

 politeness and hospitality to offer a woman to the stranger. 3 



1 Epp, " Sckilderungen aus Hollandisch Indien," p. 401, 1852. 



2 Duhaut-Cilly, " Voyage autour du monde," ii, p. 369, 1834. 



3 Chenier, " Eecherches hist, sur les Maures," iii, p. 125, 1787. 



