Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-02-20
HOW SINNERS WERE PUNISHED IN
OLDEN TIMES.

Virginia was STYLED the "Old Do
minion" because during the protector
ate of Cromwell something ike an at
tempt was made to invite Charles IL, 1t
is said, then a refugee, to establish an
independent Dominion within this ter
ritory. Many of the sO-called blue
laws of Virginia are, in their way, as
laughable as those of any other OF the
colonial governments. We may well
wonder if posterity will laugh at us IN
future tIme-twenty years from now
las we love in the present generation
to poke fun at our ancestors, or rather,
as we should say, at our neighbors' an
cestOrs.
Well, the 'blue laws" of Virginia
these are a few extracts:
InI610, attendance at church twice
every Sunday was enjoined, ''upOnpaln,
for the first fault, to lose their provis-
ions and allowance for the whole week
following; for'the second to lose SAID
allowance. and also to be whipped;
ard for the third to suffer death The
laws were subsequently modified as fol-
lows: That every person should go to
church Sundays and holidays, or he
neck and heels that night, and be
slave to the colony the following week;
for the second offence he should be
slave for a month; and for third, year
and day"
I662.-'Every person who refuses to
have his child baptised by a lawful
minister (of the Church of England)
| shall be amereed two thousand pounds
of tobacco. The whole liturgy Of the
| Church of England shall be thoroughly
read at church or chapel every sun
day"
i663.-"If any Quakers, or other Sc
paratists whatsoever, in this colony, as
sembled themselves together to the
number Of five or more, of the age OF
sixteen years or upwards, under the
pretense of Joining in a religious wOr-
shin not authorized in England or this
country, the parties so offending shall
forfeit and pay, for the tirst offence,
five hundred pounds of tobacco, and
for the third offence shall be banlshed
the colony" Puritanical intolerance
indeed, Mr.. Royalist
They did not let people travel ON
Sunday in Connecticut. They tell
amusing stories about the selectmen
stopping people on the highways there
IN ancient times. Well, they did moth
| ing of the sort in Virginia. OF course
not. Let us see: 1852 Enacted,
That the Lords day be kept holy, and
no Journeys be made on that day, un-
less upon necessity. And all persons
inhabiting in the country, having no
lawful excuse, shall every Sunday re-
sort to the parish church or chapel.
Good! that was Jolly. Again: The
court In every county shall cause To be
set up near the Courthouse a
| pillory, pair of stocks, a
whipping-post, and ducking. stool, IN
such place as they shall think conye-
nient; which not being set up within
six months after the date of the act,
the said court shall be fined five thOus-
and pounds of tobacco" Funny, de-
cidedly; but the funniest part Of this
tale is the ducking-stOol. This was a
sort of beam or pole, moving on a pivot
at the middle, and having seat fas-
tened at the further end, wherein a
| ScOl0lQg WOMAN Was toh'CHACAeAJ ACo
down and ducked in a pond or stream
| of water.
This was favOrite pastime of the
royalists in early days. L have never
discovered that the Puritans practlced
ducking in New England. Not they.
They were too strait-laced for any such
amusements. The method of punish
ing scolds was introduced into the city
of New York by the English royalists
most ungallant fellows-not by the
| Dutch
But one more, and then / Will close /;
I679-.'The first offense of hog stealing
shall be punished according TO the for
mer law; to pay one thousand pounds
of tobacco, and in case of inability, to
serve two years in prison upon sec.
ond conviction the offended shall stand
two hours IN the pillcry, and lose his
ears; and for the third ofense he shall
be tried by the laws of England, as in
the case of felony" Poor hog-stealer.
This was hard on him-a predicament
truly laughable.