Bachofen was first led to a belief in a former state of society in which women were the recognized leaders through the evidence which everywhere underlies4 the traditions and mythologies5 of extant nations. Upon investigation6 he found indisputable evidence going to prove that every family of the human race had undergone the same processes of development or growth, and that among all peoples female influence was once supreme7.
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According to Bachofen’s theory, as there were at this early stage of human existence no “laws” regulating the intercourse8 between the sexes, human beings lived in a state of lawlessness, or hetairism. Recognizing the difference in the reproductive instinct as manifested in the two sexes, he says that becoming disgusted with their manner of living women rebelled, and rising in arms, conquered their male persecutors by sheer superiority in military skill; and that after they had overthrown9 the degrading practices of communal10 or lawless marriage, they established monogamy in its stead, under which system woman became the recognized head of the family.
Children, although they had hitherto succeeded to the father’s name, were now called after the mother, and all rights of inheritance were thereafter established in the female line. Not only did women take upon themselves the exercise of domestic authority and control, but, acting11 under a strong religious impulse, they seized the reins12 of popular government and completed their title to absolute dominion13 by wielding14 the political sceptre as well, thus declaring themselves unconditional15 masters of the situation.
At this juncture16 in human affairs, the belief began to be entertained that motherhood was divine while the paternal17 office was regarded only in the light of a human relation. Thus, through religion, women were raised from a state of hetairism, or sexual slavery, to a position of independ205ence and self-respect. But that which was gained through a supernatural impulse they were destined18 subsequently to lose through the same source; for, when in Greece, the doctrine19 was promulgated20 that the spirit of the child is derived21 from its father, paternity at once assumed a divine character, and, as under the new order, the functions of the mother were only to clothe the spirit, or simply to act as “nurse” to the heaven-born production of the father, women lost their supremacy, and under the new régime, maternity22 and womanhood again trailed in the dust.
According to Bachofen, however, the cause of mothers did not at once cease to be the subject of contention23 and conflict, but ever and anon fresh battles and renewed struggles proclaimed the discontent and uneasiness of women and heralded24 the fact that the contest for supremacy had not yet ended. But, in process of time, as resistance proved ineffectual, mothers themselves gradually succumbed25 to the new idea of the divine character of the father, and, without further murmuring or complaint, accepted gracefully26 the position of nurse to his children.
The father now became the recognized head of the family, and men at once seized the reins of government. Descent was henceforth traced in the male line, and children took the father’s instead of the mother’s name; in fact all relationships to which rights of succession were attached were thereafter traced through fathers only. The206 complete and final triumph of males having been established by the all-powerful authority of Roman jurisprudence, the conflict between the sexes was ended forever. Thus, according to Bachofen, was the supremacy of women gained and lost.
Through a profound study of the traditions, legends, symbols, and mythologies of antiquity28, this writer was enabled to discover the fact that at an earlier age in human history women were the recognized leaders of mankind; that their influence and authority were supreme over both the family and the community, and that all relationships to which rights of succession were attached were traced through them. In attempting to account for this early period of gynecocracy (the existence of which to Bachofen’s mind no doubt presented a singular and intricate problem) it first became necessary to set forth27 a theory concerning a former condition of society out of which such a state could have been evolved. But as at the time Das Mutter-recht made its appearance, the theory of the development of the human species from pre-existing orders had not been adopted by scientists, and as many of the various means at present employed for obtaining a knowledge of primitive races had not been brought into requisition, even the vast learning of Bachofen did not suffice to furnish a satisfactory solution of the problem.
We have seen that in addition to the discovery that at an early age in human experience female207 influence was supreme, he had arrived at the conclusion that the natural instincts of women differ from those of men; yet, notwithstanding this, so accustomed had he become to the predominance of the masculine instincts in every branch of human activity as to be unable to conceive of a state of society in which the characters belonging to females could have controlled the sexual relations. Evidently he was unable to connect these two facts, or to perceive that that tendency or quality required for the protection of the germ and the species, and which so early characterized the female sex, had constituted the most primitive influence by which the human race had been governed. As in the earliest ages of human existence no arbitrary laws regulating marriage and the relations of the sexes had been in operation, he could discern no condition under which society could have existed other than that of “lawlessness” or “hetairism”—a condition under which women were slaves, and men ruled supreme.
As Herr Bachofen was doubtless unaware29 of the fact that the human animal is a descendant from creatures lower in the scale of life, the idea of connecting his history with theirs had probably by him never been thought of; therefore, judging primitive society, not by the instincts and the natural laws governing them which mankind had inherited from their progenitors30, but, on the contrary, measuring them by the standards of later ages when the grosser or disruptive elements had208 gained dominion over the finer or constructive31 qualities in human nature, he was unable to discern any way in which the conditions of female supremacy everywhere indicated in the traditions and mythologies of antiquity could have originated, except in an uprising of women, and a resort to arms for the protection of their womanly dignity.
In referring to the military exploits of the women of Lycia, and, in fact, of various portions of Africa and Asia, at a comparatively late stage in human history, Bachofen says that the importance of Amazonianism as opposed to Hetairism for the elevation32 of the feminine sex, and through them of mankind, cannot be doubted.
There seems to be considerable evidence going to prove that there have been times in the past history of the race in which women were brave in war and valiant33 in defending their rights. Indeed, the accounts given of the struggles of the Amazons in maintaining their independence against surrounding nations—notably, the Greeks—are tolerably well authenticated34.142
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Although the fact seems to be well substantiated35 that in certain portions of the earth, and at various periods in the history of the race, women have maintained their independence and protected their interests by force of arms, it seems quite as certain that actual warfare36 carried on by them has been confined to peoples among which male supremacy had but recently been gained, and among which a resort to arms represented the last act of desperation to which they were driven to maintain their dignity and honour. We have reason to believe, however, that even these cases have been exceptional; at least, from the facts at hand, we have no reason for thinking that at any stage in the history of women’s career, armed resistance to masculine authority has been uniform or protracted37 among them.
According to scientists, among the lower orders of life, males are considerably38 in the excess of females, and among less developed races men are more numerous than women. It has been shown in a former portion of this work that the advancement39 of civilization is characterized by a corresponding increase in the number of women among the adult population; hence their evident lack of numbers among primitive peoples, to say nothing of their probable aversion to war and bloodshed, would at once preclude40 the idea that their dominion was achieved through armed resistance to a foe41 so superior in numbers and in fighting qualities. By a natural law governing propagation210— a law which determines the numerical proportion of the sexes, and which creates an excess in the number of that sex best suited to its environment, primitive women, had they relied on physical force, would have had little chance to maintain their independence.
In a former portion of this work it has been observed that it was neither to lack of numbers nor to their want of physical force that women were divested42 of their power; that it was not through their weakness, but through the peculiar43 course which the development or growth of males had taken, that under certain conditions women became enslaved.
Not merely from the facts laid down by naturalists44 regarding the peculiar development of the male, but from later researches into the conditions and causes which have influenced progress, it is plain that no restrictions45 on the range of sexual liberties could have originated in males. Hence the demand for a more refined state of society must have begun with females. This fact seems to have been perceived by Bachofen, but, as according to his reasoning, at an early period of human existence, women were slaves, exercising none of the powers necessary to personal control, it is difficult to conceive of any manner in which it was possible for them to rise to the social position and moral dignity ascribed to them in Das Mutter-recht.
According to the theory set forth by this writer,211 however, religion was the cause of the important change which at this time took place in the positions of the sexes. Although, according to him, the religion which prevailed during the ages of “lawlessness” was of a low “telluric chthonic” type, it was nevertheless the cause, or at least one of the causes which led to the abandonment of promiscuity46 and the establishment of the monogamic family. It will doubtless be remembered, however, that this age of lawlessness or hetairism which Bachofen has described, represents a very early stage of human existence, in which, according to his reasoning, the baser instincts ruled supreme; nevertheless, within it, he would have us believe that a religious system had been evolved capable of lifting women from a state of degradation47 to which they had been consigned48 by nature, or at least to which they had always been committed, to a position of influence and womanly dignity in which they were able to assume supreme control over the forces by which they had been enslaved. With sexual desire as the controlling influence in human affairs, and with women in bondage49 to this power, it is difficult to conceive of any manner in which such a religion could have arisen.
As all religious systems are believed to represent growths, and to indicate a result of the degree of progress attained50, it is evident that had a religion appeared at this early age which was capable of elevating women from a condition of degradation,212 as indicated by the early state described by Bachofen it could not have been the result of natural development, but, on the contrary, must have proceeded directly from a divine source; in which event it would doubtless have remained upon the earth still further to aid development and bless the race. Such, however, was not the outcome of this remarkable51 but premature52 religion; for it is asserted by this writer that what women gained by religion they afterward53 lost through the same source—that in Greece, the loss first came through the oracle54 of Apollo, which declared the father to be the real parent of the child.
Bachofen assures us, also, that through the Bacchanalian55 excesses which followed the dominion of males in Greece, hetairism was again restored, and through this means gynecocracy reappeared. From this it would seem that although under the earliest stage of hetairism women were without power and wholly under the control of men, with the return, at a later age, of a like state of society, the basis was at once laid for female supremacy.
It is evident that Herr Bachofen’s confusion arises from a misconception of the early importance of women. Although perhaps more than any other writer upon this subject he has been able to recognize the true bias56 of the female constitution, yet, as he has mistaken the relative positions of women and men at the outset of the human career, and as he has been unable to perceive the213 previously57 developed influences which governed these relations, he has failed to furnish a satisfactory solution of the problem of the early supremacy of women, which from the evidence adduced, not only by the traditions and mythologies of past ages, but by later developments in ethnology, may not be doubted.
Prior to the appearance of mankind on the earth, had there been developed within the female no higher element than that which characterized the male, and had she appeared on the scene of human action as the willing and natural tool of her less-developed male mate, it is plain that she would have been unable to elevate herself to the position of dignity which Bachofen assigns her, and which, until a comparatively recent period in the human career, she had occupied.
As among the orders of creation below mankind the structural58 organism of the male has been materially changed through his efforts to please the female and secure her favours, it is evident that under earlier and more natural conditions of human life, the appetites developed within him were still largely controlled by her will. From logical conclusions to be drawn59 from the hypotheses of naturalists, it is not likely that at the outset of human life those restrictions on the nature of the male imposed by the female throughout the animal kingdom were suddenly withdrawn60, or that the destructive elements which all along the line of progress had been in abeyance61 to214 the higher powers developed in organized matter, were immediately and without good cause put in absolute command over the constructive forces of life.
With a better knowledge of the past history of mankind, comes the assurance that such was not the case, but, on the contrary, that for thousands of years women were the ruling spirits in human society; that the cohesive62 quality—sympathy, which is the result of the maternal63 instinct, and which conserves64 the highest interests of offspring, was the underlying65 principle which governed human groups—in fact, that it was the principle which made organization possible and progress attainable66.
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1
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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2
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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supremacy
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| n.至上；至高权力 | |
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underlies
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| v.位于或存在于（某物）之下( underlie的第三人称单数 )；构成…的基础（或起因），引起 | |
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5
mythologies
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| 神话学( mythology的名词复数 )； 神话（总称）； 虚构的事实； 错误的观点 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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7
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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8
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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9
overthrown
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| adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词 | |
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10
communal
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| adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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12
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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wielding
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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15
unconditional
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| adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的 | |
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juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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17
paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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promulgated
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| v.宣扬（某事物）( promulgate的过去式和过去分词 )；传播；公布；颁布（法令、新法律等） | |
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21
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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maternity
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| n.母性，母道，妇产科病房；adj.孕妇的，母性的 | |
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23
contention
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| n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张 | |
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24
heralded
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| v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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25
succumbed
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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26
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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29
unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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progenitors
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| n.祖先( progenitor的名词复数 )；先驱；前辈；原本 | |
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constructive
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| adj.建设的，建设性的 | |
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32
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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authenticated
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| v.证明是真实的、可靠的或有效的( authenticate的过去式和过去分词 )；鉴定，使生效 | |
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35
substantiated
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| v.用事实支持（某主张、说法等），证明，证实( substantiate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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37
protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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38
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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39
advancement
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| n.前进，促进，提升 | |
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40
preclude
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| vt.阻止，排除，防止；妨碍 | |
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41
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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42
divested
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| v.剥夺( divest的过去式和过去分词 )；脱去（衣服）；2。从…取去…；1。（给某人）脱衣服 | |
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43
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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44
naturalists
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| n.博物学家( naturalist的名词复数 )；（文学艺术的）自然主义者 | |
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45
restrictions
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| 约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则） | |
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46
promiscuity
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| n.混杂，混乱；（男女的）乱交 | |
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47
degradation
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| n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变 | |
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48
consigned
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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49
bondage
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| n.奴役，束缚 | |
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50
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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51
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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52
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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53
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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54
oracle
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| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
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55
bacchanalian
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| adj.闹酒狂饮的；n.发酒疯的人 | |
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56
bias
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| n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见 | |
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57
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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structural
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| adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的 | |
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59
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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60
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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61
abeyance
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| n.搁置，缓办，中止，产权未定 | |
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62
cohesive
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| adj.有粘着力的；有结合力的；凝聚性的 | |
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63
maternal
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| adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的 | |
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64
conserves
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| n.（含有大块或整块水果的）果酱，蜜饯( conserve的名词复数 )v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的第三人称单数 ) | |
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65
underlying
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| adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的 | |
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66
attainable
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| a.可达到的，可获得的 | |
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