amily is
the unit of society. Any member of it is only a fraction of that unit.
For the sake of the family every member of it must sacrifice almost
everything.[226] Sometimes the development of the individual character
and individual initiative is checked by the family system. An eldest
son is often required to follow his father's calling irrespective of
his tastes. Nowadays some eldest sons go abroad, but their departure
attracts attention and you seldom find such a thing happening among
farmers. The family system, by which all is subordinated to family, is
convenient to farmers for it means increased labour and economy of
living. Sometimes there may be two married sons living at home and
then there is often strife. Generally speaking, the family system at
one and the same time keeps young men from striking out in the world
and compels their early marriage so that the helping hands to the
family may be more numerous. The family system concentrates the
attention on the family and not on society. There is no energy left
for society.

"Again, the family system gives too much power to relatives and leads
to disagreeable interference. In the case of a marriage being proposed
between family A and family B, the families related to A or B who will
be brought into closer connection by the marriage may object. On the
other hand, the family system has the advantage that the relatives who
interfere may also be looked upon for help. Not a few people are all
for maintaining the family system. But the spirit of individualism is
entering into some families and here and there children are beginning
to claim their rights and to act against relatives' wishes. One hears
of farmers sending boys, even elder sons, to the towns, and for their
equipment borrowing from the prefectural agricultural bank instead of
spending on the development of their business."

At a Christmas-day luncheon I met four students of rural problems, two
of whom were peers, one a governor of an important prefecture, and a
fourth a high official in the agricultural world. One man, speaking of
the family system, said "the success of agriculture depends on it."
"In my opinion," someone remarked, "the foundation of the family
system is common production and common consumption, so when these
things go there must be a gradual disappearance of the family system."
"No," came the rejoinder, "the only enemy of the family system is
Western influence." "Yes," the fourth speaker