202 POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS. 



The acquirement of slaves, which is at first an incident of 

 war, becomes presently an object of war. Of the Nootkas we 

 read that &quot;some of the smaller tribes at the north of the 

 island are practically regarded as slave-breeding tribes, and 

 are attacked periodically by stronger tribes ;&quot; and the like 

 happens among the Chinooks. It was thus in ancient 

 Vera Paz, where periodically they made &quot;an inroad into 

 the enemy s territory . . . and captured as many as they 

 wanted ;&quot; and it was so in Honduras, where, in declaring war, 

 they gave their enemies notice &quot; that they wanted slaves.&quot; 

 Similarly with various existing peoples. St. John says that 

 &quot; many of the Dyaks are more desirous to obtain slaves than 

 heads ; and in attacking a village kill only those who resist 

 or attempt to escape.&quot; And that in Africa slave-making 

 wars are common needs no proof. 



The class-division thus initiated by war, afterwards main 

 tains and strengthens itself in sundry ways. Very soon there 

 begins the custom of purchase. The Chinooks, besides slaves 

 who have been captured, have slaves who were bought as 

 children from their neighbours ; and, as we saw when dealing 

 with the domestic relations, the selling of their children into 

 slavery is by no means uncommon with savages. Then the 

 slave-class, thus early enlarged by purchase, comes afterwards 

 to be otherwise enlarged. There is voluntary acceptance of 

 slavery for the sake of protection ; there is enslavement for 

 debt ; there is enslavement for crime. 



Leaving details, we need here note only that this political 

 differentiation which war begins, is effected, not by the bodily 

 incorporation of other societies, or whole classes belonging to 

 other societies, but by the incorporation of single members 

 of other societies, and by like individual accretions. Com 

 posed of units who are detached from their original social 

 relations and from one another, and absolutely attached tu 

 their owners, the slave-class is, at first, but indistinctly 

 separated as a social stratum. It acquires separateness only 

 as fast as there arise some restrictions on the powers of tho 



