private static method problem

Question

When a class is defined as a private static, why do I need to make the get and set methods static?

Answer 1

Because you can't return a static member from an instance method.

Answer 2

It seems redundant to have to mark all members in a static class as static but C# requires that you do this. It's just the way the compiler was implemented.

As far as I know there are no members that inherit any modifiers from the type by default. In other words, a public class's members are not all public by default, etc. By requiring that you mark each member as static you are explicitly laying out the contract of the type.