Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 1.djvu/792

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powell] SOCIOLOGY, OR THE SCIENCE OF INSTITUTIONS 7 21

central aristocratic class. Thus monarchies are integrated through slavery and provincial government.

There is vet another element of the transmutation which we must set forth. This is the consolidation of religious power in the chief of the central city, who is not only a king but high priest of all the units of the monarchy. In the central city resides the central authority. The central tribe, in which are not in- cluded domestic servants, constitutes a distinct body politic with all its hierarchy of units, with its chief ruler who is also high priest, and subordinate rulers who are also subordinate priests. The subject provinces are governed by rulers who emanate from the central city. The people of the central city thus constitute an aristocracy to govern the subject provinces. When things are brought to this pass the pure monarchy is developed. It will be seen that the fully fledged monarchy is a stage of society of l° n g growth, but the steps in its growth are very irregular and often turn back before monarchical society is instituted.

We have said that the emperor is the high priest of the peo- ple. Finally the high priest is fired with the ambition to become the high priest of all religions. Then comes the time of persecu- tion for non-conformists, and then comes that motive for war which is most potent — the doctrine that false religions may be eradicated by force. Then come the profound belief in the thau- maturgic doings of the god of aristocracy as miracles, and its concomitant belief that the doings of false gods are sorcery.

Such are the agencies by which tribal society with kinship regimentation is developed into national society with district regimentation, where the land of the aristocracy is the home of central government, and the provinces subordinate units of the nation. In savage society the most important unit of organ- ization is its body of kindred who reckon membership in the female line. In barbarism the most important unit of regimen- tation is the body of kindred who reckon membership in the male line, and the patriarch becomes the high priest. In the

AM. ANTH. N. S. t X— 46

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