Page:Life in a thousand worlds.djvu/142

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TOR-TU.
137

All these customs and regulations are powerful incentives to the youth to lead a good moral life and naturally tend to a respectful demeanor of children toward their parents.

This world is not only notable for its moral atmosphere, but for the remarkable progress its inhabitants have made in political economy.

They know a few things about laws, but not enough to make them so complicated that no one can understand their meaning. In law, the poor man usually has the same chance as the rich. Money has no weight in the Tor-tu scale of justice. The facts in the case are the only things that have weight, although bribery is possible and is sometimes practiced.

The laws of Tor-tu relating to deeds and titles are the most simple and yet the most effective that have yet come to my attention.

All the land in each county of Tor-tu is divided into lots, and each lot is numbered on an immense diagram at the county seat. This diagram is a miniature relief outline of the county with each lot and plot in the