lect04-第5章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！






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。