The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-07-22

1t was mentioned a few days since, in the local
column of this paper, that man, named MCDONALD
had been arrested and fined on Locust Point for
working on Sunday. 1t was further stated that
the officers who made the arrest had been subse-
quently set upon and beaten, in an outrageous and
cruel manner by MCDONALD and his friends.
The law under which the arrest was made, and
the fine imposed, is an old statute of 1928, C. 16,
entitled, "An Act to Punish Blasphemers Swearers,
"Drunkards and Sabbath-breakers, and passed
in the days of the Proprietary Government Shy the
"Right Honorable the Lord Proprietor, by and
with the advice and consent of his Lordship's
Governor and the Upper and Lower Houses of
Assembly" By the first section of the Act it is
prescribed that ''if any person shall hereafter
within this province, willingly, maiciousy and
"advisedly, by writing or speaking, blaspheme or
Course GoD or deny our Savior JESUS CHRIST to be
1.-THE Son of COP, or shall deny the Holy TRINITY,
Cor the Godhead of any of the three Persons, or
1.-THE Unity of the Godhead, shall utter any pro-
flame words concerning the Holy TRINITY, or any
''of the persons thereof" such offender, shall, or
''the first offence, be bored through the tongue,
land fined twenty pounds" or, in case of de-
ond offence be burned in the forehead with the
letter and fined forty pounds or suffer twelve
months imprisonment; and, for the third offence
suffer death
By the second section of the law, profane swear
ing, in the presence of any magistrate minister
'the commissary- general, secretary sheriff, coro-
'ner, provincial county-clerk, vestryman
'church-warden constable, " is made punsha-
bic with fine, for the first oath or curse, of two
shillings six pence and 'for every oath or curse,
latter the first" of five shilings.
By the third section, drunkenness in the presence
of any of the above-named officials is made pun
ishabe with fine of five shillings.
By the sixth section, magistrates and others,
charged with the enforcement of the law and be-
ing guilty themselves of cursing, swearing or
drunkenness or emitting TO punish these offences
in Others are to forfeit for each and every offence
ten shillings
By the tenth section, it is enacted that ''no per-
''son whatsoever shall work or do any bodily la
''bor on the LoRD's Day, commonly called Sunday,
land that no person, having children servants or
Slaves, shall command, or Willingly or willingly
suffer, any of them to do any manner of work or
labor on the LORDS Day works of necessity and
charity always excepted''). fine of two hun
dred pounds OF tobacco is imposed for each and
every violation of this law.
Now with the exception of the recent revival Inv
Mayor SWAMI OF the penalties against drunkenness
and such occasional instances of arrests for Sab.
bath-breaking, as the one chronicled in our paner
of Monday, the act has become practically dead
letter. In spite of the errors of the first section,
and in express violation ofits provisions, Jews and
Unitarians not only hold but publicly profess and
maintain the tenets of their respective creeds with
out fear of fine, Imprisonment, or death; the pun.
ishment of boring and burning having been subse-
quenly and graciously RENTED by the Act Of
1919, c. 40. Oaths, also, may, occasionally, be
heard in our streets, and sometimes, even in the
mouths OF the official persons, to swear in whose
presence is penal offence In fact the law itself is
relic Of q by-gone age-a SOUVENIR of another and
tar Different state of society. Belonging to the