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 CHAPTER XI.

PRIMITIVE MONOGAMY.

I. The Monogamy of Inferior Races.—The causes of monogamy—The gynecocratic theory of Bachofen—Inferior monogamic races—Races which are polygamic, although superior—Co-existence of monogamy and pologamy. II. Monogamy in the Ancient States of Central America.—Monogamy of the common people in Mexico and Peru—Civil marriage in Peru. III. Monogamy in Ancient Egypt.—Gynecocracy in Egypt—Its raison d'être. IV. Monogamy of the Touaregs and Abyssinians.—Gynecocracy among the Touaregs—Fragility of Marriage in Abyssinia. V. Monogamy among the Mongols of Asia.—Monogamy in reality in Thibet—Modified monogamy among the Tartars—Marriage in China—Matrimonial legislation in China—Conjugal docility of the Chinese women—Japanese marriage. VI. Monogamy and Civilisation.

I. The Monogamy of Inferior Races.

After having successively studied the inferior forms of sexual and conjugal unions, it now remains for us to investigate the most elevated of them—the one that all, or nearly all, the great civilised societies have ended by adopting, at least in appearance, in their legal systems—monogamy.

Of the great causes which have led to the adoption of monogamic marriage, the first is the sexual equilibrium of births as soon as it was no longer disturbed by the casualties of savage life. Without doubt, in a society