Again, when Noah went into the ark, taking with him an assortment of
all species of animals, he took some kinds by pairs and some by sevens,
from which we might suspect, at least, that he observed the laws of
nature respecting polygamous and monogamous animals. But he took only
one wife for himself, and only one for each of his sons. Why not two
or half a dozen instead? Polygamy would certainly have accelerated the
repopulation of the earth most wonderfully; but Noah was monogamous.
To say, in view of such facts, that monogamy originated with the
paganism of ancient Greece and Rome, is blasphemy.
6. The argument that polygamy will cure the "social evil" is exactly
equivalent to the argument that the removal of all restraint from the
sale and manufacture of intoxicating drinks, thus making them cheap
and common, is the best remedy for intemperance. An equally good
argument might be made for the cure of theft, murder, and every other
vice and crime, by a similar plan. Such reasoning is the veriest
sophistry. None but a biased mind could produce such flimsy arguments.
But we forbear. We have already given this subject more attention than
it is worthy of, though we have failed to characterize the vice of
polygamy as it deserves. We leave this for the reader.
Polyandry.--Perhaps we should add a word or two respecting this custom,
which seems to be a still greater outrage against nature than that of
polygamy, being the possession of a plurality of husbands by one woman.
This practice is in vogue in several countries at the present time,
being very common in Thibet, where it is not an unusual thing for a
woman in marrying the eldest of a family of brothers to include in the
contract all of the other brothers as well. Polyandry was also common
among the ancient Medes. Indeed, the Medes practiced both polygamy and
polyandry. A man was not considered respectable unless he had at least
seven wives; neither were women considered worthy of general esteem
unless they had as many as five husbands. In that country, the fact
that a woman was already married was in no degree a barrier to subsequent
marriages, even while the husband was living, and without the trouble
of a divorce. Those who maintain the propriety of polygamy would do
well to consider the historic facts respecting the opposite practice.
There appear to be as good grounds for believing one to have a basis
in the human constitution as the other.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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