"The climate, the rainfall, everything is ideal for crops and for living conditions. In the matter of food, one needs in fact do practically nothing. Fruits of a variety ample to sustain life, grow wild in abundance. Vegetables planted are harvested seemingly without blight or hazard of any kind. No destructive insects have ever impeded agriculture; no wild animals have ever existed to harass humanity. Nature in fact, offers every help and no obstacle towards making a simple, primitive life easy to live. "Under such conditions the race developed only so far as was necessary to ensure a healthful pleasant existence. Civilization here is what you would call primitive: wants are few and easily supplied--too easily, probably, for without strife these people have become--well shall I say effeminate? They are not exactly that--it is not a good word." "I should think that such an unchanging, unrigorous climate would make a race deteriorate in physique rapidly," observed the Doctor. "How about disease down here?" asked the Big Business Man. "It is a curious thing," replied the Chemist. "Cleanliness seems to be a trait inborn with every individual in this race. It is more than godliness; it is the one great cardinal virtue. You must have noticed it, just in coming through Arite. Personal cleanliness of the people, and cleanliness of houses, streets--of everything. It is truly extraordinary to what extent they go to make everything inordinately, immaculately clean. Possibly for that reason, and because there seems never to have been any serious disease germs existing here, sickness as you know it, does not exist." "Guess you better not go into business here," said the Very Young Man with a grin at the Doctor. "There is practically no illness worthy of the name," went on the Chemist. "The people live out their lives and, barring accident, die peacefully of old age." "How old do they live to be?" asked the Big Business Man. "About the same as with you," answered the Chemist. "Only of course as we measure time." "Say how about that?" the Very Young Man asked. "My watch is still going--is it ticking out the old time or the new time down here?" "I should say probably--certainly--it was giving time of your own world, just as it always did," the Chemist replied. "Well, there's no way of telling, is there?" said the Big Business Man. "What is the exact difference in time?" the Doctor asked.