eurasia(优雷夏)-第13节
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were appointed by the Minister of that department on the recommendation
of his assistant chiefs； of whom there was one in every district who was
elected by the people after having passed a successful examination
showing their ability to do the work required of them。
Every person appointed to office； as well as those elected by the
people； had to be examined physically； mentally and morally in the same
manner as those applying for a license to practice a profession or desiring
to marry。 All were placed on the same footing。 The law for divorce was
enforced by the Department of Health； as doctors were； from their
knowledge of human frailty； the best judges to decide whether a man and
woman should live together in the married state or be separated； and while
the law provided for a compulsory decree of divorce for adultery； which
was a felony； it also allowed divorce for incompatibility of temperament。
A court of six Government physicians； three males and three females；
heard all divorce cases in every district。
The Minister of Health gave me the reasons why the marriage law was
passed fixing twenty…one years of age as the time when young men and
women could marry。 He said it was done to allow the youths of both sexes
to become well acquainted with one another before being united in
marriage； and also to be well trained in useful callings； so that both parties
to the marriage contract would be able to assist each other； for many an
innocent young girl had ruined her life by marrying a man at an age when
she was ignorant of the duties of wifehood and motherhood； 〃but by
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keeping our boys and girls in training schools until they are eighteen and
then teaching them trades in the Army until they are twenty…one years of
age we fit them for the duties of life。〃
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CHAPTER XVIII。
A VISIT TO THE MINISTER OF STATE。
Before returning to the United States of America I called on the
Minister of State； who is also the presiding officer of the Parliament； and
told him that I would regard it as a great favor if he would tell me how
such changes had taken place in the Government of his country ； 〃for；〃
said I； 〃from what I read about your Government when I was a boy it was
an absolute monarchy； and one man's will was the law of the land。〃
〃You have the key to the problem in that statement；〃 he replied； 〃for I
am free to confess that it would have taken centuries to have brought
about our present system of government under so…called democracy。 Near
the middle of the last century an absolute ruler in our country by a stroke
of his pen freed twenty…three millions of slaves； while in your country it
required four years of bloody war at a cost of ten thousand millions of
dollars and the lives of one million of brave men； and through the
widespread demoralization that ensued through your bravest and best
being killed or giving to the corrupt element in your country （for a
dishonest man is always a coward） the opportunity to inaugurate a reign of
monopoly where graft and bribery flourishes and the slave element that
you freed are a menace （and will be as long as they remain in the country）
to society。
〃The last absolute ruler we had was one of those great men that God in
His infinite wisdom brings into the world at stated intervals to exercise a
dominating influence in human affairs and to give a fresh impetus to
human progress。 Of the great men that we class with him are the following：
Confucius； Buddha ； Julius Caesar； Oliver Cromwell； Abraham Lincoln。
The first thing he did when he became Emperor was to summon sixty of
the most liberal minded men and women in the empire to the palace to
draw up under his supervision a political； civil and penal code； which with
slight modification is in force at the present time； and he called all the
newspaper editors into conference and asked them to assist him in
promoting the welfare of the people and then he issued a decree granting
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liberty of speech and of the press throughout Eurasia； which he announced
as the name of the Empire in future； and the reason that he gave for it was
that his people were composed of a great many nationalities and by
dividing the empire into districts and numbering them in arithmetical order
he abolished the old political divisions and he also decreed that the present
language we speak should be the official language of the empire for the
ancient language of the ruling class had created a bitter feeling amongst
great numbers of the people and besides the present had become the
commercial language of the world。
〃He reorganized the Cabinet into fourteen departments and held the
Minister at the head of each department responsible。 He converted the
Army and Navy （who were eating up the hard…earned wages of the
working men and women of our land in idleness and dissipation）； into a
great industrial army and assigned them to work under the different
departments as they were required； weeding out the worthless and
reducing to the ranks all officers that conducted themselves in a manner
unbecoming a gentleman and by election of officers giving every soldier
equal opportunity to rise to the highest rank。 This great measure
eliminated the aristocracy in the Army and made the Emperor the idol of
the soldiers； so that from that time forward every effort of the aristocracy
to oppose the Emperor in giving to the country a Government by the
people was futile for the Army supported him with a force that was
irresistible。 He ordered the districts laid out according to latitude and
longitude； making due allowance for population； the smallest district being
one degree of latitude in breadth and two degrees of longitude in length；
and the largest （which were situated in the frozen regions of the Arctic or
in the great desert） five degrees of latitude in breadth and ten degrees of
longitude in length； and when they were surveyed he ordered that the land
should be assessed without improvements at its full value； and the owner
had to swear that he would sell to the Government the land at its assessed
valuation。
〃The aristocracy almost to a man swore to a low valuation； so when
five years had passed the Emperor issued a decree appropriating to
Government use all land over and above six hundred and forty acres held
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by private owners and paying for it one…fifth of the total assessment for the
previous five years with twenty per cent。 added for improvements； the
aristocracy had to accept it and their power was broken forever； for the
Emperor leased the land to the cultivators of the soil at the rate of four per
cent。 per annum of the price that the Government paid for the land；
dividing the land into small farms and giving the renter the right of
purchase at any time。
〃The aristocracy and the Church have been in every country the
enemies of liberty and human progress。 The Emperor saw the evil effects
of the liquor traffic and to abate the evil he abolished the manufacture and
sale of liquors by individuals and placed their manufacture and sale in the
care of the Department of Manufactures and year by year he added
tobacco； drugs and chemicals； sugar； salt； tea； coffee； coal oil； stone coal；
charcoal and all the metals； and placed the coinage and currency of the
Empire under the control of the Department of Finance known throughout
the world as the Bank of Eurasia。 He established our pres
