Life in a Thousand Worlds by William Shuler Harris
page 82 of 210 (39%)
page 82 of 210 (39%)
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remain under the directions of his parents until his maturity.
If it can be shown that a parent or guardian uses inhuman methods of punishing children, the act is criminal and is dealt with accordingly. There are no tramps parading periodically over the countries of Tor-tu. There is an international law that each township must care for its own paupers. Every man's forehead seal tells his birthplace and there is no escaping from it. When a person is suspected of crime in a foreign land, the foreign officials can tell not only where the individual was born, but they can also obtain an official record of his life by applying officially to the clerk and paying a nominal fee. Any stranger making a serious effort to cover his forehead is looked upon with suspicion. It is a current phrase of honor among the Tor-tuites: "I am not ashamed to show my forehead." A few hundred years after this "Human Seal Law" went into operation, no one, except the criminally inclined, would think of returning to the old reckless way, although the system was scorned and ridiculed by many Tor-tuites for about fifty years after its advent. In considering the character of an individual, the courts and the people place tremendous stress upon the township record. Each son and daughter early learns the value of a stainless page and strives to keep his record clean. |
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