ABSTRACT
BEFORE I enter upon the subject of government, in the sense in which the term is ordinarily understood, it may be instructive to consider briefly the mode of exerting authority in the different forms of domestic grouping. It has already been seen, when considering mother-right, that, in the case of the family in the strict sense, the subject of authority is by no means simple. Authority may be divided between the father and the mother’s brother, that of the latter being often the greater; or it may be divided between the mother and her brothers; or, in exceptional cases, it may rest with the mother. Again, in some societies, of which that of France is an example, the authority of the head of the family may be greatly influenced by, or definitely subject to, the decisions of a family council.
