(last update: O2.04."14)
Foreigners discovering our Monte-Cristan way of life wonder (specially if great landowners from Catholic countries, or businessmen from Reformed ones) how the economy of the Presipality can merely be balanced, and how people can earn enough while working so little (typically, the '12 Days of Christmas' are doubled to 24 here). So much the more as, to make obvious the total indifference of the State to religious matters, everyone is allowed, in addition to the Christian Sunday, two weekly half-days of vacation to be taken on Friday and/ or Saturday. These ‘islamic’ and ‘hebraic’ additional leaves, together with unused Sundays, can be ‘stored’ and pooled to take holidays within the limit of one full month at once.
To tell the truth Monte-Cristan citizens are liable to their share of common duties (dating from feudal times) that ignore public holidays but are not overwhelming. Climate being fair, the millenium-old ‘Saracen Watch’ on the heights along the shore is generally not unpleasant and can turn into a familial picnic. Night watch is less pleasant -fires are forbidden- but counts double, and even in winter the weather is generally fine. To keep the street clean, the roads, bridges and irrigation system in perfect state, being regularly done for a century and a half, is a light duty routine.
Several professions obey heavier timetables. Firstly all of these ignore almost all public holidays, and each has peculiar requirement of availability over the week and year. To compensate, if public servants they receive high pay and free food, lodging, bedding, heating, lighting and laundry (or an equivalent allowance if they live with their family); if in the private sector they benefit from reduced taxes and are allowed to buy some 
goods from Presipapal workshops and factories at reduced price. In addition all are held in high regard by the general population for their dedication: Monte-Cristans have a deep sense of common good and solidarity –among themselves.
First, the teachers have to be contend with the school holidays (14 weeks /year, mainly in summer): otherwise teachers are at work
with their pupils 38 hours every week, and of course the preparation of lectures, correction of homeworks and support to children with difficulties are extra.
All professions related to health –physicians, surgeons, dentists, nurses, bonesetters, apothecaries, midwives (locally known as 'Guettes-au trou')…, either working in 
public hospitals (at Monte-Cristo-the-City, l'Hopital Saint-Sulfond, initially named l'Hospice Saint-Jacques -St James Infirmary- from the dedication of the chapel the ruins of which it was buit upon) or in the private sector, benefit only of 3 weekly free half-days and 5 weeks of vacation / year. Additionally they have to act in concert with their neighbouring colleagues to ensure a permanent service 7 days / week and 52 weeks / year.
The same applies to professional Carabiniers; the part-time volunteers are exempted from taxes. Their training schedule is unaffected by public holidays, and they are additionally on duty 1 full day /week, by rotation. Additional mobilization is not discounted but paid extra.
.
Those with the heavier timing are the Gardes de l’Etrier: given their low number they are on duty 12 hours / day, averaged on the year. Monte-Cristans whisper, when no stranger is listening, that sometimes they are sent on ‘very special’ secret errands, in civilian clothes, when officially off duty.
Actually the excellence of Monte-Cristan exclusive products brings them very high prices on export (and in local sales to strangers, while the State makes sure prices for native Monte-Cristans are kept very low). The residence taxes imposed to foreigners, the profits of the thermal baths and Casino, go straight to the State Treasury. This allows to keep the taxes extremely light. Goods heavily taxed elsewhere –salt, tobacco...– are produced locally and in excess.
Life is essentially rural and self-sufficient; agricultural products to be exported, either directly (salted anchovies, smoked scorpion fish fillets, soused squids, octopi and lobster tails, dried fruits) or after processing (flowers and herbs for the perfumery, fruits to be candied, honey and pine
seeds for the nougat and pralines, low quality wine to be distilled into alcohol for the MC Green and Anised Absinth…) are well paid in the inner market, and the Palace makes sure that every Monte-Cristan family benefits from any source of income.
(while some boats go fishing rather far away, most stay close to the Presipality)
Monte-Cristans are fully aware that their pleasant, easy and essentially lazy way of life comes not merely from a fair climate favoring self-growing agriculture, but mainly from the outrageous prices they obtain for their exported goods. Thus they know that their 
wealth and welfare come from exploiting people in other countries (not an unique practice, they would point out). They don’t bother to underline that, for a change, they exploit the wealthy and powerful, knowing that, to be in this position, such people are likely to exploit other: no Robin Hood mythos here. And, to put it bluntly, they do not care ‘a rabbit’s fart’ about the origin of their «Art de Vivre» as long as they keep it!
It must be remembered that every enterprise too large to be managed at the elementary familial level (no nephews or cousins allowed, though some limited forms of fosterage are tolerated) is either State property or a cooperative (translated to foreigners: all people working there, and them only, are shareholders). This applies even to the mansions and manors of the wealthy 
and / or ' noble': one ‘servant’ family owns the kitchen, another the laundry, another the housework and bed dressing, another the stables… Each wealthy Monte-Cristan is allowed a single personal servant, but with wages and status of a ‘junior sidekick’. Craftsmen, artists and scientists are allowed a number of apprentices proportioned to their level of mastery, but with the status of paid and protected pupils.
The laws of the Presipality carefully protect the local «Art de Vivre». To own any property or real estate in Monte-Cristo, land or building, to be allowed to open a store or workshop of any kind, one must be of Monte-Cristan nationality from at least three full generations. And Monte-Cristan citizenship is not easily granted: to be born in the Presipality is not enough, at least one parent must be Monte-Cristan by birth, and the child must be raised and live in Monte-Cristo at least to the age of going to study in a foreign university or volunteering in a foreign army or navy. Marriage (except with the ruling POPP) does not give Monte-Cristan nationality.
Note that, while diplomats, foreigners taking the waters or gambling at the Casino and visitors of any kind are of course allowed to bring their personal servants, introduction of any other non-Monte-Cristan workers is strictly forbidden. Not only they would be very bad examples to the children, but soon they would stink. It’s not at all a matter of racism or xenophobia: merely they’d work too hard for the local climate and thus would sweat. Now, Monte-Cristans *hate* the smell of sweat. Naturally, they distinguish from early childhood between the putrid ‘bad sweat’ (from work or illness) and the fragrant ‘good sweat’ following pleasant physical activities.
To tell the truth Monte-Cristan citizens are liable to their share of common duties (dating from feudal times) that ignore public holidays but are not overwhelming. Climate being fair, the millenium-old ‘Saracen Watch’ on the heights along the shore is generally not unpleasant and can turn into a familial picnic. Night watch is less pleasant -fires are forbidden- but counts double, and even in winter the weather is generally fine. To keep the street clean, the roads, bridges and irrigation system in perfect state, being regularly done for a century and a half, is a light duty routine.
Several professions obey heavier timetables. Firstly all of these ignore almost all public holidays, and each has peculiar requirement of availability over the week and year. To compensate, if public servants they receive high pay and free food, lodging, bedding, heating, lighting and laundry (or an equivalent allowance if they live with their family); if in the private sector they benefit from reduced taxes and are allowed to buy some 
goods from Presipapal workshops and factories at reduced price. In addition all are held in high regard by the general population for their dedication: Monte-Cristans have a deep sense of common good and solidarity –among themselves.First, the teachers have to be contend with the school holidays (14 weeks /year, mainly in summer): otherwise teachers are at work
with their pupils 38 hours every week, and of course the preparation of lectures, correction of homeworks and support to children with difficulties are extra.
All professions related to health –physicians, surgeons, dentists, nurses, bonesetters, apothecaries, midwives (locally known as 'Guettes-au trou')…, either working in 
public hospitals (at Monte-Cristo-the-City, l'Hopital Saint-Sulfond, initially named l'Hospice Saint-Jacques -St James Infirmary- from the dedication of the chapel the ruins of which it was buit upon) or in the private sector, benefit only of 3 weekly free half-days and 5 weeks of vacation / year. Additionally they have to act in concert with their neighbouring colleagues to ensure a permanent service 7 days / week and 52 weeks / year.
The same applies to professional Carabiniers; the part-time volunteers are exempted from taxes. Their training schedule is unaffected by public holidays, and they are additionally on duty 1 full day /week, by rotation. Additional mobilization is not discounted but paid extra.
.
Those with the heavier timing are the Gardes de l’Etrier: given their low number they are on duty 12 hours / day, averaged on the year. Monte-Cristans whisper, when no stranger is listening, that sometimes they are sent on ‘very special’ secret errands, in civilian clothes, when officially off duty.
Actually the excellence of Monte-Cristan exclusive products brings them very high prices on export (and in local sales to strangers, while the State makes sure prices for native Monte-Cristans are kept very low). The residence taxes imposed to foreigners, the profits of the thermal baths and Casino, go straight to the State Treasury. This allows to keep the taxes extremely light. Goods heavily taxed elsewhere –salt, tobacco...– are produced locally and in excess.
Life is essentially rural and self-sufficient; agricultural products to be exported, either directly (salted anchovies, smoked scorpion fish fillets, soused squids, octopi and lobster tails, dried fruits) or after processing (flowers and herbs for the perfumery, fruits to be candied, honey and pine
seeds for the nougat and pralines, low quality wine to be distilled into alcohol for the MC Green and Anised Absinth…) are well paid in the inner market, and the Palace makes sure that every Monte-Cristan family benefits from any source of income.
(while some boats go fishing rather far away, most stay close to the Presipality)
Monte-Cristans are fully aware that their pleasant, easy and essentially lazy way of life comes not merely from a fair climate favoring self-growing agriculture, but mainly from the outrageous prices they obtain for their exported goods. Thus they know that their 
wealth and welfare come from exploiting people in other countries (not an unique practice, they would point out). They don’t bother to underline that, for a change, they exploit the wealthy and powerful, knowing that, to be in this position, such people are likely to exploit other: no Robin Hood mythos here. And, to put it bluntly, they do not care ‘a rabbit’s fart’ about the origin of their «Art de Vivre» as long as they keep it!
It must be remembered that every enterprise too large to be managed at the elementary familial level (no nephews or cousins allowed, though some limited forms of fosterage are tolerated) is either State property or a cooperative (translated to foreigners: all people working there, and them only, are shareholders). This applies even to the mansions and manors of the wealthy 
and / or ' noble': one ‘servant’ family owns the kitchen, another the laundry, another the housework and bed dressing, another the stables… Each wealthy Monte-Cristan is allowed a single personal servant, but with wages and status of a ‘junior sidekick’. Craftsmen, artists and scientists are allowed a number of apprentices proportioned to their level of mastery, but with the status of paid and protected pupils.
The laws of the Presipality carefully protect the local «Art de Vivre». To own any property or real estate in Monte-Cristo, land or building, to be allowed to open a store or workshop of any kind, one must be of Monte-Cristan nationality from at least three full generations. And Monte-Cristan citizenship is not easily granted: to be born in the Presipality is not enough, at least one parent must be Monte-Cristan by birth, and the child must be raised and live in Monte-Cristo at least to the age of going to study in a foreign university or volunteering in a foreign army or navy. Marriage (except with the ruling POPP) does not give Monte-Cristan nationality.
Note that, while diplomats, foreigners taking the waters or gambling at the Casino and visitors of any kind are of course allowed to bring their personal servants, introduction of any other non-Monte-Cristan workers is strictly forbidden. Not only they would be very bad examples to the children, but soon they would stink. It’s not at all a matter of racism or xenophobia: merely they’d work too hard for the local climate and thus would sweat. Now, Monte-Cristans *hate* the smell of sweat. Naturally, they distinguish from early childhood between the putrid ‘bad sweat’ (from work or illness) and the fragrant ‘good sweat’ following pleasant physical activities.
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