Howitt to Fison 20/9/1878

Transcription - Page 6

polygamy but descent through father and strict monogamy
would have become not only possible but absolutley
necessary to provide the unbroken succession
of descendents; of whom the living one was the
sole man existing who could offer sacrifice and
food to the [?manes?] of his ancestors. Disintegration
would as in the Roman people only come in
long after this and probably in consequence of adoption
of vast numbers of aliens into the clans who
had no community of descent or of worship
The Semitic races must have perhaps
separated from the Aryan races when the
common ancestors of both were in the pairing
system. The aryans developing the monogamius
family and the worship of the Eponymous
ancestor - the Semitic races developing the
patriarchal family and the worship of the
all father which culminated among the Hebrews.
I shall send you as soon as possible
Professor Hearn's "Aryan Household" which
is most important in our enquiries. Never
mind marks in it they were points only which I
wanted to note for future references. My wife is finishing
it now and I hope to send it within a week. If I do
not receive your manuscript by next mail I shall
probably send you the draft of mine; and then
when you sent me the whole back I could
finish my draft and perhaps send off
to Morgan without further delay. You