482 SYSTEMS OF CONSANGUINITY AND AFFINTY 



manner, by means of which they are reduced to as many great classes as there are 

 primary relationships, including those last named. No distinction is made between 

 lineal and collateral consanguine! except that they are distributed into classes. In 

 a word all consanguine! are either fathers or mothers to each other, or brothers or 

 sisters, sons or daughters, grandparents or grandchildren. It follows that a 

 knowledge of the degrees numerically forms an integral part of the system, with 

 certainty of parentage within prescribed limits. 



1. All the children of my several brothers, myself a male, are my sons and 

 daughters. 



Reason. I cohabit with all my brothers' wives, who are my wives as well (using 

 the terms husband, wife, and marriage in the sense of the custom). As it would 

 be impossible to discriminate my children from those of my brothers, if I call any 

 one my child I must call them all my children. One is as likely to be mine as 

 another. 



2. All the grandchildren of my several brothers are my grandchildren. 

 Reason. They are the children of my sons and daughters. With myself a 



female the relationships of my brothers' children and descendants are the same. 

 The reason must be sought in the analogy of the system. Since my brothers are 

 my husbands their children by other wives would be my step-children, which rela- 

 tionship being unrecognized they naturally fall into the category of my sons and 

 daughters. These must be the relationships or none. 



3. All the children of my several sisters, myself a male, are my sons and 

 daughters. 



Reasons. I cohabit with all my sisters, who are my wives. Explanation when 

 fully given as in 1. 



4. All the grandchildren of my several sisters are my grandchildren. 



Reason. They are the children of my sons and daughters. With myself a 

 female, the relationships in the last two cases are the same. Reason. I cohabit 

 with all the husbands of my sisters, who are my own husbands as well. This 

 difference, however, exists, I can distinguish my own children from those of my 

 own sisters, to the latter of whom I am a step-mother. But since the step-rela- 

 tionships are not discriminated they fall into the category of sons and daughters. 



5. All the children of several own brothers are brothers and sisters to each other. 

 Reason. These brothers cohabit with all the mothers of these children. Among 



their reputed fathers these children cannot distinguish their osvn father; but 

 among the wives of these brothers they can distinguish their own mother ; 

 whence, as to the former, they are brothers and sisters to each other, but, as to 

 the latter, while the children of a common mother are brothers and sisters to 

 each other, these are step-brothers and step-sisters to the children of their mother's 

 sisters. Therefore, for reasons stated in similar cases, they fall into the relation- 

 ship of brothers and sisters. 



6. The children of these collateral brothers are also brothers and sisters to each 

 other ; the children of the latter are brothers and sisters again ; and these relation- 

 ships continue downward, amongst their descendants, indefinitely. 



An infinite series is thus created which forms a fundamental part of the system. 



