explain these
phaenomena by the foregoing system.

It is evident, that when any one boasts of the antiquity of his family,
the subjects of his vanity are not merely the extent of time and number
of ancestors, but also their riches and credit, which are supposed to
reflect a lustre on himself on account of his relation to them. He first
considers these objects; is affected by them in an agreeable manner;
and then returning back to himself, through the relation of parent and
child, is elevated with the passion of pride, by means of the double
relation, of impressions and ideas. Since therefore the passion depends
on these relations, whatever strengthens any of the relations must also
encrease the passion, and whatever weakens the relations must diminish
the passion. Now it is certain the identity of the possesion strengthens
the relation of ideas arising from blood and kindred, and conveys the
fancy with greater facility from one generation to another, from the
remote ancestors to their posterity, who are both their heirs and their
descendants. By this facility the impression is transmitted more entire,
and excites a greater degree of pride and vanity.

The case is the same with the transmission of the honours and fortune
through a succession of males without their passing through any female.
It is a quality of human nature, which we shall consider [Part II. Sect,
2.] afterwards, that the imagination naturally turns to whatever is
important and considerable; and where two objects are presented to it,
a small and a great one, usually leaves the former, and dwells entirely
upon the latter. As in the society of marriage, the male sex has the
advantage above the female, the husband first engages our attention;
and whether we consider him directly, or reach him by passing
through related objects, the thought both rests upon him with greater
satisfaction, and arrives at him with greater facility than his consort.
It is easy to see, that this property must strengthen the child's
relation to the father, and weaken that to the mother. For as all
relations are nothing hut a propensity to pass from one idea ma another,
whatever strengthens the propensity strengthens the relation; and as we
have a stronger propensity to pass from the idea of the children to that
of the father, than from the same idea to that of the mother, we ought
to regard the former relation as the closer and more considerable. This
is the reason why children co