“To begin with, the Marsites, as I have explained, have no cities and towns. It is a well-known fact that, in the lowest stages of savagery, even among your _present_ savages, man has no cities and towns and no particular fixed habitation. A single individual, or at best a few, roam together with no permanent residence; but as civilization advances, the individuals form a closer union and choose a more permanent place of residence. From this closer association and co-operation, man, like the gregarious animals, reap advantages and these advantages continue to unfold man’s social nature; and in order to satisfy this social nature to the fullest extent, during a certain stage of civilization, he builds large cities. At this city stage of intellectual development, he feels the need of association and co-operation, but he does not yet see and feel the disadvantages, the uselessness, and other evils of cities and also of a lonely country. But as man’s intellectual powers continue to unfold, as his sensibilities become more acute, and as he employs more and more machinery to perform his manual toil, he slowly but gradually discovers the evil effects of dividing the population into cities and country; for both are faulty, both are unhealthy, both are inconvenient, and both are useless. “After man has discovered this, he begins to locate his large buildings in beautiful parks, at short intervals, in straight lines, on the perimeter of a rectangular community. (See p. 58.) The large size families and the nearness of the buildings satisfy his social nature; the arrangement of buildings, in straight lines, gives commercial and mechanical advantages; the large families give him social and domestic advantages which greatly conduce to his health, prosperity and happiness. The _form_ and _size_ of our communities give us the greatest commercial and agricultural advantages. We all live right on the edge of the agricultural land from which all wealth must be produced, either directly or indirectly. With us a farmer need not come to town to sell his produce, nor need a townman go into the country to farm. “Thus you see that some labor and some commerce is managed exclusively by the individual, such as keeping his private apartment, buying his own meals, clothes, etc. Some by the family, such as buying the goods for the family store, etc. Some by the community, such as agriculture, mining, etc. Some by the neighborhood, such as railroading, etc. Some in the Fano and some in the Modano. All is justice, equity, order, kindness and harmony. Everybody and everything has, by the force of free competition, drifted into that for which each is best fitted.” CHAPTER XVI. GOVERNMENT. After Midith and Viola had returned from the postoffice on their bicycles the following evening, Mr. Uwins requested Mr. Midith to give us the promised explanation of the Marsian government.