The sexual question : $b A scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological studyForel, Auguste
Science
The sexual question : $b A scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological study
Forel, Auguste
Sex
Among the Botocudos, marriage is performed without ceremonies and only
lasts a short time; it can be broken off on the slightest pretext, for
the pleasure of changing; divorce then becomes as frequent as
marriage. This is also the case in Queensland, Tasmania and the Samoan
islands. Among the Dyaks and Cingalese, quite young men and women have
already had several wives or husbands; a man often marries and deserts
the same woman several times, to take others during the intervals.
Among the Mantras there are men who have been married forty or fifty
times.
In Persia a woman may marry for periods varying from one hour to
ninety-nine years. In Egypt similar customs are met with; a monthly
change is allowed, so that a man may marry twenty or thirty times in
two years. Among the Maues of Sahara the women consider it
fashionable to marry as often as possible, and a long married life is
considered by them as vulgar. The Abyssinians, negroes, etc., marry on
trial or for limited periods. Among the Greeks, Romans and ancient
Germans, divorce was very frequent.
In nearly all savage tribes, and in a number of civilized people the
man possesses an unlimited right of rejection. The Hovas compare
marriage to a loosely tied knot. Among the ancient Jews, Romans,
Greeks and Germans, discontent of the husband was a sufficient reason
for rejection. On the contrary, among a number of savage races
(Westermark mentions about twenty-five) rejection and divorce are
extremely rare and marriage lasts for life.
It is especially where there are children that divorce is rare. With
most races, sterility of the wife and adultery constitute the
principal causes of legal divorce.
Among civilized races marriage for life is much more common than with
savages. This was the case with the Aztecs, etc. Among the Chinese
there exist seven reasons for divorce: sterility, unchastity,
negligence toward parents-in-law, talkativeness, desertion, ill-temper
and chronic disease. In Japan the laws are similar, but in spite of
this divorce is rare in China and Japan.
In Christian countries divorce was formerly permitted and was only
prohibited by the Council of Trent. The modern Catholic says: "Man
must not separate what God has united." Among many savages, on the
contrary, divorce is left to the free will of the married couple.
Elsewhere it is sometimes the man, sometimes both husband and wife who
have the right to exact divorce for divers reasons, such as
drunkenness, adultery, prodigality, etc. In Europe, as elsewhere, it
is the desire for change which is the most common cause of divorce.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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