Membership of a Commune comes by descent or purchase; and marriage confers on the wife the communal citizenship of her husband. In the first, that of descent, the right of the Commune depends not on place of birth or domicile, but on descent from parents who are citizens of the Commune, even though they live outside of it. It is not unlike the old Roman municipal law, which was also based on _origo_ from a particular _municipium_. In the second, that of purchase, it is of the essence of a Commune that the stranger should be admitted to membership only on such terms as the Commune itself may think good. In every case it is regarded as a privilege and an affair of sale. A man of any craft or creed may apply for admission, but the Commune is the judge of whether his prayer will be granted or not. More or less inquiry will be made as to his antecedents, his ability to support himself, and his belongings; but, at all events, it is a business transaction, and the price varies according to the value of the communal property, the age, condition in life, and number in the family of the applicant. So much for a wife and each child; a boy is taxed more than a girl, for in the course of time the one may add by marriage to the burden of the Commune, and the other may lessen it by marrying into another Commune. In some, the craft and calling are regarded; in a few, where they are in part a congregation with a common faith in charge, religious considerations may weigh more than any thought of worldly goods. A foreigner is usually charged more than a native. In olden time this discrimination extended to citizens of other Cantons, and the last trace of this distinction was only abolished in 1871 by the Commune of Lausanne. Some Communes are closed, but many remain open for additional members. Under any circumstances, it is a privilege to be bought, and the tariff varies from 50 to 5000 francs, or from ten to one thousand dollars. This operates as a tax on Swiss citizenship, of which the Commune is the necessary basis.[55]