FAMILY (Let. familia, family). The Ro mans used the word to denote personal property, and further, to denote the descendants of a com mon progenitor. In our use the word has this last meaning, and also the more especial reference to the group, father, mother, and children. The prevailing idea has long been that the monogamic family was the original type. and that on this all society has been based, other forms being re garded as degenerate. This conception has been accepted since Aristotle, who wrote (Politics i. 1) that the original family consisted of the husband and wife and the ox, which last is the slave of the poor man. This patriarchal family was the simplest and earliest form of govern ment and became the model of the monarchy later, the sons with their families standing in co ordinate relation to each other under the head ship of the father. In Rome the idea of the family was closely connected with the State and the inherent power of the father (patria potcstas) was the basis of the social and political life. This conception of the family has been called in question in recent years by the investigations of Bachofen. McLennan, Morgan, and their follow
ers. They find evidence that primitive man lived in a condition of promiscuity. Westermarck. Maine, and others deny this. The question is not yet decided. Far too little is known of primitive conditions to make a decision possible. Investi gations have shown, however, that among many nations the family, in our sense of the word, can scarcely be said to have existed. Further. many historical nations have legends of the creation of the family. Among advanced nations are customs which seem to point to earlier conditions. The present indieations are that monogamy must be considered as the highest form of the family the human has yet attained. No people is definitely klIONVI1 to have lived entirely on a basis of Iiromiseuily, though some have closely approaehed it. There are, however, at least three types of families which are distinct. The lowest of these is where the wife is the head. (See