The township clerk is also the collector of the public funds. To him each person born in that township is compelled to render an annual report of his residence, occupation, and certain other facts relating to his life in general.
If any minor or adult commits a criminal act upon which the civil court has passed, this finding is recorded in the township record on the individual's page and, when the criminal has served his sentence, this fact is also recorded. This is a severe law for the criminal, but it is a great stimulus to a law-abiding career.
It is also customary for public courts to confer on worthy persons special marks of honor for extraordinary deeds or acts. A record of such rendering is also kept.
In presenting annual reports to the clerk each father reports for his minor children. This puts the father on a rightful plane of dignity before his children, and the parent who makes a wise use of these provisions can and does reach far better results than can otherwise be done.
No child can run away from home without falling into much more trouble then he imagined he had before. At once his seal number is sent to all the countries and into every sub-division. Any one aiding or abetting such a person is severely punished. When the runaway is captured, the system of reprimand is of such a nature that the minor will be glad to 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."