lect04-第4节

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households　in　their　period；　therefore　it　is　that　they　introduced






boundaries　in　Ireland。　These　curious　statements　can；　of　course；






only　be　regarded　as　authority　for　the　existence；　at　the　time　when






they　were　penned；　of　a　belief　that　a　change　from　a　system　of






collective　to　a　system　of　restricted　enjoyment　had　occurred　at






some　period　or　other　in　Ireland；　and　of　a　tradition　respecting






the　date　of　the　change。　But　it　is　instructive　to　find　both　of






them　attributing　it　to　the　growth　of　population；　and　an　especial






interest　attaches　to　the　account　given　in　the　'Liber　Hymnorum'　of






the　newer　distribution　of　land　which　was　thought　to　have　taken






the　place　of　something　older。　The　periodical　allotment　to　each






household　of　a　definite　portion　of　bog　land；　wood　land；　and






arable　land　wears　a　strong　resemblance　to　the　apportionment　of






pasture　and　wood　and　arable　land　which　still　goes　on　in　our　day






under　the　communal　rules　of　the　Swiss　Allmenden　（see　Laveleye；






'P。　et　s。　F。　P。；'　pp。　268　et　seq。）；　and　which　is　an　undoubted






legacy　from　the　ancient　constitution　of　certain　Swiss　Cantons　as






Teutonic　Hundreds。






　　　　Property　in　Land；　wherever　it　has　grown　out　of　the　gradual






dissolution　of　the　ancient　cultivating　communities；　has　many






characteristics　which　distinguish　it　from　the　form　of　landed






property　with　which　Englishmen　and　men　of　English　race　are　best






acquainted。　The　area　within　which　this　last　form　of　property　is






the　sole　or　dominant　kind　of　ownership　is　now　much　larger　than　it






was；　through　its　diffusion　over　all　North　America；　except　Mexico；






and　over　all　colonies　settled　for　the　first　time　by　Englishmen；






but　our　nearly　exclusive　familiarity　with　it　has　led；　I　think；　to






our　very　commonly　over…estimating　the　extent　to　which　it　prevails






over　the　world；　and　even　over　Western　Europe。　Its　parentage　may






be　traced；　not　to　the　decaying　authority　of　the　Tribe　over　the






severalties　of　the　tribesmen；　but　to　the　ever…increasing






authority　of　the　Chief；　first　over　his　own　domain　and　'booked'






land；　and　secondarily　over　the　tribe…lands。　The　early　growth　of






the　power　of　the　Chief　is　thus　of　the　utmost　interest　in　the






history　of　landed　property；　and　I　propose　to　discuss　it　at　some






length　in　the　sUCceeding　Lectures。　Meantime；　let　me　say　something






on　the　transmutations　which　Patriarchal　Power　is　observed；　as　a






fact；　to　undergo　in　the　assemblies　of　men　held　together　by






kinship　which　are　still　found　making　a　part　of　Aryan　communities。






　　　　The　Joint　Undivided　Family；　wherever　its　beginning　is　seen　in






such　communities；　springs　universally　out　of　the　Patriarchal






Family；　a　group　of　natural　or　adoptive　descendants　held　together






by　subjection　to　the　eldest　living　ascendant；　father；






grandfather；　or　great…grandfather。　Whatever　be　the　formal






prescriptions　of　the　law；　the　head　of　such　a　group　is　always　in






practice　despotic；　and　he　is　the　object　of　a　respect；　if　not






always　of　an　affection；　which　is　probably　seated　deeper　than　any






positive　institution。　But　in　the　more　extensive　assemblages　of






kinsmen　which　constitute　the　Joint　Family　the　eldest　male　of　the






eldest　line　is　never　the　parent　of　all　the　members；　and　not






necessarily　the　first　in　age　among　them。　To　many　of　them　he　is






merely　a　distant　relative；　and　he　may　possibly　be　an　infant。　The






sense　of　patriarchal　right　does　not　die　out　in　such　groups。　Each






father　or　grandfather　has　more　power　than　anybody　else　over　his






wife；　children；　and　descendants；　and　there　is　always　what　may　be






called　a　belief　that　the　blood　of　the　collective　brotherhood　runs






more　truly　and　purely　in　some　one　line　than　in　any　other。　Among






the　Hindoos；　the　eldest　male　of　this　line；　if　of　full　mental






capacity；　is　gene　rally　placed　at　the　head　of　the　concerns　of　the






joint　family；　but　where　the　institution　survives　in　any






completeness；　he　is　not　a　Paterfamilias；　nor　is　he　owner　of　the






family　property；　but　merely　manager　of　its　affairs　and






administrator　of　its　possessions。　If　he　is　not　deemed　fit　for　his






duties；　a　'worthier'　kinsman　is　substituted　for　him　by　election；






and；　in　fact；　the　longer　the　joint　family　holds　together；　the






more　election　gains　ground　at　the　expense　of　birth。　The　head　or






manager　of　the　Sclavonic　House…Communities　（which；　however；　are






much　more　artificial　than　the　Hindoo　Joint　Families）　is






undisguisedly　an　elective　representative；　and　in　some　of　our






examples　a　council　of　kinsmen　belonging　to　the　eldest　line　of






descent　takes　the　place　of　an　individual　administrator。　The　whole






process　I　will　describe　as　the　gradual　transmutation　of　the






Patriarch　into　the　Chief。　The　general　rule　is　that　the　Chief　is






elected；　with　a　strong　preference　for　the　eldest　line。　Sometimes






he　is　assisted　by　a　definite　council　of　near　kinsmen；　and






sometimes　this　council　takes　his　place。　On　the　whole；　where　the






body　of　kinsmen　formed　on　the　type　of　the　Joint　Family　is　a






purely　civil　institution；　the　tendency　is　towards　greater






disregard　of　the　claims　of　blood。　But　in　those　states　of　society






in　which　the　brotherhood　is　not　merely　a　civil　confraternity；　but






a　political；　militant；　self…sustaining　group；　we　can　perceive






from　actually　extant　examples　that　a　separate　set　of　causes　come






into　operation；　and　that　the　Chief；　as　military　leader；　sometimes






more　than　regains　the　privileges　which　he　lost　through　the　decay






of　the　tradition　which　connected　him　with　the　common　root　of　all






the　kindred。　True　patriarchal　authority；　however；　revives






whenever　the　process　of　expansion　into　a　group　is　interrupted　and






whenever　one　of　the　brotherhood　plants　himself　at　a　distance　from






the　rest。　A　Hindoo　who　severs　himself　from　a　Joint　Family；　which






the　law　as　administered　by　the　English　tribunals　gives　him　great






facilities　for　doing；　acquires　much　greater　power　over　his






family；　in　our　sense　of　the　word；　than　he　had　as　a　member　of　the






larger　brotherhood。　Similarly；　in　the　developed　Joint　Family　or






Village…Community；　as　the　little　society　becomes　more　populous；






as　the　village　spreads；　as　the　practice　of　living　in　separate






dwellings　extends；　as　the　land　rather　than　the　common　lineage






gets　to　be　regarded　as　the　cement　of　the　brotherhood；　each　man　in






his　own　house　practically　obtains　stringent　patriarchal　authority






over　his　wife；　children；　and　servants。　But　then；　on　the　other






hand；　the　separated　member　of　the　joint　family；　or　the　head　of






the　village　household；　will　himself　become　the　root　of　a　new






joint　brotherhood；　unless　his　children　voluntarily　dissolve　the






family　union　after　his　death。　Thus　all　the　branches　of　human






society　may　or　may　not　have　been　developed　from　joint　families






which　arose　out　of　an　original　patriarchal　cell；　but；　wherever






the　Joint　Family　is　an　institution　of　an　Aryan　race；　we　see　it






springing　from　such　a　cell；　and；　when　it　dissolves；　we　see　it






dissolving　into　a　number　of　such　cells。