control over his wife and ownership of her children. I
could bring forward much more evidence in proof of this fact did the
limits of my space allow me to do this; such cases are common in all
parts of the world where the transitional stage from mother-right to
father-right has been reached. But I believe that the causes by which
the father gained his position as the dominant partner in marriage
must be clear to every one from the examples I have given. I will,
therefore, quote only one final and most instructive case. It
illustrates in a curious way the conflict between the old rights of
the woman and the rising power of the male force in connection with
marriage. It occurs among the Hassanyeh Arabs of the White Nile, where
the wife passes by contract for only a portion of her time under the
authority of her husband.

"When the parents of the man and the woman meet to settle the
price of the woman, the price depends on how many days in the
week the marriage tie is to be strictly observed. The woman's
mother first of all proposes that, taking everything into
consideration, with due regard to the feelings of the family,
she could not think of binding her daughter to a due observance
of that chastity which matrimony is expected to command for more
than two days in the week. After a great deal of apparently
angry discussion, and the promise on the part of the relations
of the man to pay more, it is arranged that the marriage shall
hold good as is customary among the first families of the tribe,
for four days in the week, viz. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday, and in compliance with old established custom, the
marriage rites during the three remaining days shall not be
insisted on, during which days the bride shall be perfectly
free to act as she may think proper, either by adhering to her
husband and home, or by enjoying her freedom and independence
from all observance of matrimonial obligation."[196]

We have at length concluded our investigation of this first period of
organised society, and have ascertained many facts that we can use as
a touchstone to try the truth of the various theories that are put
forward with regard to woman and her position in the family and in the
State. The importance of the mother-age to women is evident. Thus I
offer no apology for the length at which I have treated the subject.
It has seemed to me after careful