THE FAMILY IN CLASSICAL CHINA. By II . p Wilkinson. (Macmillan.
12s. 6d. net.)-Mr. Wilkinson, n-h, was formerly Judge in the British High Court at Wei-liai-ivek draws attention to the Chinese classics, if rightly used al sources for the early history of human society. By-a careful comparison of the views of numerous anthropologists be shows that the Chinese evidence, dating back to 2,200 E,e. or perhaps earlier, has often been misinterpreted. example, Lord Avebury quotes a French scholar as saying that " the father-in-law, after the wedding-day, neve sees the face of his daughter-in-law again," whereas in the primitive Book of Rites sons' wives are required to visit th • husband's parents daily. Morgan based his theory of t origin of exogamy-or marriage outside the family-on erroneous translation of the Chinese terms for kinsnie The author's own theory is simpler and more comprehensib Mr. Wilkinson emphasizes the immense antiquity and changing character of Chinese habits and customs. It ma be, then, that China will be less deeply influenced by ne ideas from Russia than some people think.
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