Note 32 — Chapter I · DEFINITION AND DISTINCTION FROM KINDRED PHENOMENA.

With most savages rational education is out of the question, the children soon growing independent, and when young being either neglected or much petted and spoiled32; a lesser number of savage tribes show some slight beginnings of education without or nearly without bodily castigation; in a few cases the children are under strict discipline. In this last set of cases there is to some extent a subjection of the children. “With the power over the mother the father gradually acquired the power over the children.” “The patriarch became master of his children and, whenever circumstances required and allowed it, introduced a strict discipline over them”33. We may therefore suppose, that there will be instances of children being treated in a somewhat slave-like manner. We shall presently see that there are a few such cases on record in Steinmetz’s book.