If there's one event that one must remember about the Meiji era, it's the downfall of the samurai class.
この本の印刷された年代で見ると、祖父は三十前後の壮年で、末弟が十七八であったらしい。
Looking at the date when this book was printed, it seems that my grandfather was around 30 and in the prime of his life, and his younger brother was 17 or 18.