The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-04-19
OLMSTEAD ANSWERS A Diff
CULT PROBLEM ON "WHO'S
WHO AND WHY?'

Duncannon, Pa, April 11.-H. NJ.
Carlin, of this place, recently wrote
to Congressman Olmsted, of Harris
burg, the following letter:
Duncannon, Penn'a
Feb. 27th, 1911.
Mr.. NJ E. Olmsted Dear now as
you are a man of a bright mind i
have a problem wish to put before
you i wish you to give me an ex-
PLANTATION please explain it clearly i
believe you can now the Problem is
on the other sheet pIease make it
out and forward me the solution i
will Give you the credit. Let me
hear from you oblige me your sin
cerely
H. M. Carlin
Duncannon, Penn'a.
R. d. Box 40
AS a married man
BIS a married man
No Relation to each other. Now
they have Daughters Now suppose
Daughter, b marries AS Daughter.
What relation would their Children
Be to each other of the said two
NiNSo vi LllC oulu tWO pan
A marries BIS Daughter, B mar
ries AS Daughter. What Relation
would the children Be?
Mr.. Olmsted's Reply.
He has received from the Con-
gresham a letter answering the per
picking question in this way:
April 4, 1911.
Mr.. H. M. Carlin, R. D. No. 4, Box
40, Duncannon, Pa.
My Dear Sir: Your letter of Feb
ruary 9th was received just in the
closing days of Congress, when we
were sitting nights as we'll as days,
I and | was unable to give it attention
at once, and it was laid aside and has
just again been brought to my at
tention.
The conundrum you submit to me
is as follows:
las a married man; BIS a mar
ried man; no relation to each other.
Now they have daughters; suppose
their wives die; now A marries BIS
daughter; B marries AS daughter.
What relation would their children
be to each other of the said two
wives or the said two pairs? A
marries BIS daughter; B marries AS
! daughter. What relation would the
children be?"
To that conundrum ] make the
following answer:
The question supposes that A and
B are each widowers and that each
has a marriageable daughter. A
marries BIS daughter and B marries
AS daughter We will suppose that
each couple thus married has a
daughter and AS daughter is named
| Mary and BIS daughter is named
Susan. The question is, What rela-
tion are Mary and Susan to each
other?
A being the father of Mrs. B, will,
of course, be the grandfather of her
daughter Susan.
being the father of Mrs. A. will,
of course, be the grandfather of her
daughter Mary.
A, who is the father of Mary, is
also the father of Mrs. B, but Mary
and Mrs. B, having the same father
are Of different mothers. They are
therefore half-sisters. The daughter
of ones half-sister is ones niece.
! (Weiss' Estate, l Montgomery Co.,
2O.) Therefore Susan is the niece of
Mary.
B, the father of Mrs. A, is also the
father of Susan. Therefore, Mrs. A
and Susan are half-sisters. The
daughter of ones half-sister is ones
niece. Therefore Mary is the niece
of Susan.
In brief, Mary is the niece of Sus-
an and is also the aunt of Susan.
Susan is the niece of Mary and is
also the aunt of Mary.
If Mary and Susan had been boys,
say John and Henry, then John and
Henry would have been uncles OF
each other and nephews of each
other. Or, had one been a boy and
the other a girl, then the boy would
be the uncle of the girl and also her
nephew. At the same time she
would be his aunt and also his
niece.