odern
authors, is quite erroneous, as Westermark has demonstrated in a
masterly manner, by the aid of documents which are absolutely
conclusive.

The duty of the husband to provide food for the family is a general
law among savage peoples. A confirmation of this law is found in the
fact that most often in polygamous races the man has only the right to
as many wives as he can support. Every man must give proof that he is
capable of feeding his family. Even after divorce the husband's duties
continue, and may even be transmitted to his heirs. For example, among
certain peoples, his brother is obliged to marry his widow. The
husband's duties appear to be inherited from the higher apes, among
whom conjugal fidelity lasts longer than the sexual appetite. This
fidelity has therefore deep phylogenetic roots in our nature, and we
shall see later on that we cannot neglect it without compromising our
social state (Chap. XIII).

The following is the definition of marriage as given by Westermark:
_Marriage is a sexual union of variable duration between men and
women, a union which is continued after copulation, at least till the
birth of the child._

According to this definition, there may be monogamous, polygamous and
polyandrous marriages, as well as marriage in groups and limited
marriage. It is evident that permanent monogamous unions, such as
occur in birds and the higher apes, are, according to this definition,
true marriages, of better quality even than those of many men.

Among animals which have a definite rutting period, marriage cannot
depend solely on the sexual appetite, or egoistic eroticism, without
ceasing with the rut. It follows from this that natural selection and
the mneme (engraphia) have derived from the sexual appetite certain
social or altruistic instincts, with the object of preserving the
species by protection of the young. Although not the only means of
preserving the species, such instincts are certainly important.

The family is thus the root of marriage. This explains the custom,
among certain races, of marriage only becoming valid after the birth
of a child. In many forms of marriage by purchase, the wife is even
bound to return to her husband the sum paid for her if she remains
sterile, and among many savages the marriage is only celebrated after
the birth of the first child. In Borneo, relations between the sexes
are free till pregnancy occurs, and it is this which determines the
duties of ma