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of disputes in the "larger family" over which he presides. The training in discipline and self-control which this "larger family" makes necessary is of definite value as a preparation for a form of government which rests not upon law but upon custom. The third sphere in which the Chia-chang exercises his authority is moral and ethical, and in this realm it is his duty constantly to reinforce the ethical values which the familist system has produced. In these three fields the duties of the Chia-chang correspond exactly to the duties of the village elder; and it is exactly those forces—filial piety and ancestor worship—which support the Chia-chang which likewise enhance the position of the elders.
Filial piety can most briefly be defined as a code of morals and ethics whose chief concern is with correct behavior between individuals, particularly relatives. But so complete is the conditioning process which filial piety exerts upon the individual that the correct attitudes of behavior become an integral part of his character. One of the most powerful of these attitudes is reverence for age and respect for the arbitration of the aged, a circumstance of great importance in village government, which is dominated almost entirely by older men.
Ancestor worship, the universal religion of China, likewise favors the aged, and in common with religion in general is a conservative force constantly stressing the traditional way of doing things. The ceremonies of worship are important because they tend to reinforce status, and all types of familist government in China, including that of the village, are very dependent on a well-worked-out system of status to strengthen discipline and facilitate administration.
Familism is also the controlling factor in the administration of the single clan village, but this unit is the largest in which this can be said to be entirely true. Within the clan are several lesser groups, the natural and "larger families," which are much the same; the "economic family," which is the working unit of maintenance; and the "religious family," which is the practical unit of social control. A definite system of integrating authority through the heads of the successively larger groupings is characteristic of clan government.
The ancestral temple is the religious center of the clan, and serves the important function of holding the clan psychologically together. It is also the seat of clan government, under the presi-
VILLAGE GOVERNMENT IN CHINA, 1933
161
of disputes in the "larger family" over which he presides. The training in discipline and self-control which this "larger family" makes necessary is of definite value as a preparation for a form of government which rests not upon law but upon custom. The third sphere in which the Chia-chang exercises his authority is moral and ethical, and in this realm it is his duty constantly to reinforce the ethical values which the familist system has produced. In these three fields the duties of the Chia-chang correspond exactly to the duties of the village elder; and it is exactly those forces-filial piety and ancestor worship--supporting the Chia-chang which likewise enhance the position of the elders.
Filial piety can most briefly be defined as a code of morals and ethics whose chief concern is with correct behavior between indivi- duals, particularly relatives. But so complete is the conditioning process which filial piety exerts upon the individual that the correct attitudes of behavior become an integral part of his character. One of the most powerful of these attitudes is reverence for age and respect for the arbitration of the aged, a circumstance of great importance in village government, which is dominated almost en- tirely by older men.
Ancestor worship, the universal religion of China, likewise favors the aged, and in common with religion in general is a conservative force constantly stressing the traditional way of doing things. The ceremonies of worship are important because they tend to reinforce status, and all types of familist government in China, including that of the village, are very dependent on a well worked out system of status to strengthen discipline and facilitate administration,
Familism is also the controlling factor in the administration of the single clan village, but this unit is the largest in which this can be said to be entirely true. Within the clan are several lesser groups, the natural and "larger families',' which are much the same; the "economic family", which is the working unit of maintenance; and the "religious family", which is the practical unit of social control. A definite system of integrating authority through the heads of the successively larger groupings is characteristic of clan government.
The ancestral temple is the religious center of the clan, and serves the important function of holding the clan psychologically together. It is also the seat of clan government, under the presi-
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