The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-02-04
SOME NEW hooks.


WINS nut forth in 1881. and any attempt 10 weeu
out AT this late day the popular prejudice ana
misconception based on ii viii probably mscur-
~ But patriotic gentleman OF Hartford. Mr..
j. II. TRUMBULL prc'crs To think, WIN mli'oh'
that so truth be- in tho field we do isuriously
70 misdoubt her strength and accordingly he
has set the facts and forgerics side by side in
volume entitled Blue Ldos True and False
american Publishing Company. Mr.. Trum-
bulls book indsputabiy shows that the Row. Pc
tors was a rogue. and his so-called History "
libel but ii also shows. what perhaps the author
scarcely intended, that the widespread impress
sion which attributes to New England Colonial
laws a harsh. vnxatous. and in1usitve spirit
Is not without substantial foundation.
1t is plain enough from the citations hero OF
forod us that tho remarkable narrative with
which tho Tory rcfugee astonished tho quid-
nuncs of London. General History Of Con-
nectieut" OWN 'cd II splendid independence OF
lime place and prob bilty. What could sober
criticism do. for instance. with the account OF
Bellows Falls. where " the water is consolidated
bv pressure. by swftncss. between the pinching.
sturdy rosks 10 such dsgroo Of induration
that no iron crow can los forced into IL, and the
stream Is harder than MARBLE. or with the
bridge over the Quinehaug at Norwich. under
which ships pass with all tholr sails standing"
or with the infamous vlllainy Of the Rev
Thomas Hooker. who spread death upon the
leaves Of his Bible and struck ConecticJtn.
great sachcm IA wholly apochryphal pcrsonagel
mad with dscase'? How can any man in his
senses have attached authority 10 a record
which includes the story of tho alarming in
cursions Of tho Wndhnm frogs. or the dcscrip-
ton of those remarkable quadrupeds. the
whappcrnoeker" and the cuba" and which
goes on ~ recount the conviction and punish
ment of an Eps opal clergyman in 1850 for
breaking the sabbath by walking too fast from
church and combins lock Of his wig on Sun
day.
Gross and palpnblo as such inventions are
md sum ,icntly fatal. We should say. to a rcpu-
tation for veracity. II is curious TO note how
glibly tho assertions cf this Peters have been
repeated even by writer's OF n certain weight
For example. tho Bishop Of oxford (Wllber-
forcel consented to wade through this slough of
mcndacity in order to Gull specimens OF the
"Bluc Code OF Connecticut" which no informs
the English public made II criminal in a moth
or TO kiss her infant on the Sabbath day" and
which strictly forbids making mince pics"
d. Controlled by this respectable precedent.
another British eccesiastic. the Rev. Henry
Caswall. calling himself ID. D.. OF Trinity Col
lege. Come ticut. Prehendary Of Sarum," pro-
cocded to set forth in his work on The Ameri-
can Church and the American Union ION the
authority Of Pe,nrs's II story" las quoted by
the Bishop Of Sforl.'D the fundamental prin-
cipcs Of the New Haven settlement" and the
Rev. Isaac Taylor. vicar OF Holy Trinity Twick-
enham. likewise transferred TO the pages OF
his Words and Places" these same mythical
Blue Laws. mince pies. trumpet. drum, jews
harp" and all. rs an edifying and quaint II pic
ture OF life in this Puritan Utopia With such
teachings il is certainly not strange that the
average Englishman should believe the story of
the Blue Laws no less implicitly than the Thir-
ty-nine Articles.
Numerous instances alluoed by Mr.. Trum-
bull make it evident that Pcterss libel has gained
equally wide acceptance in America. In fact.
up to the present hour the wcll-worn specimens
OF New Haven Blue Laws" go the rounds of
the newspaper press and are swallowed by cor
tain Glasses OF readers with notable avidiy and
confidence. W. ray a,,,. that 50 lately as 1861
III. NJ. McN. Walsh. A. NJ. LII. b. Of the New
York Bar. published a handy book entitled the
nr--ya. rDiIu,t r'.,,I.--,'' - ''.4-i-
pears the whole code CONGO ted 10y the renegads
divine as verltabo laws OF New Haven Colony
And what is more singular, Prot 5 'hele de We're
of the University OF Virginia in his recent vol
ume Of Amercanisms en- lorses tho Blue-Law
fables Of = 'tnrs as confirmed beyond doubt
Prof de We're admits that the authenticity o.
the famous laws OF y w Haven. known as the
Blue Laws. has boon often denied, and Dr.
Pctcrss w'il-known book on tn" sgli,t has
been e'larrd ..,'l. hut they are conlme,
ueyonl any doubt by"-whnt by the rnprn
OF the Austria o., Laws of New ENGLAND lWhi.i
were laws proposed Tor Ml,sa'hu-n Its by John
Cotton, hut were never in force in that colon,
or any othcrl. where the Identical provisions
but not one OF those absurlities named b
Peters. which are vulgarly denomnated blu
laws may be found"
Mr.. Trumbull has confronted tho fictitious
regulations inserted in Peterss History Will
The original records the Connecticut Code o
1850 the Fundamental Agreement at New HayeI
in 1899, and the Naw Haven Laws Of 1886. 1t Il
perfectly clear that If every one who has hear
the preposterous legends set anoal 10y the Tor
parsOn could be induced to read this volume
the rcfutaton might prove OF two. But n
Talleyrani said to an innrXiha truth teller
"nobody thanks you for spelling good story.
Henccforward. however. it Is not likely that tn
Did errors will bc repeated in print by writers {
my reputation.
So much for the false Blue Laws "-now 70
The true. MAile the popular notion OF print
live Connecticut legislation can no longe
ground itself on Peters mcnlasious ohroniel,
1t il by no means certain that some reason ma
not be found for it in tho authentic document
hcre collected. Suppose We glance, for exam
pie Mt the first cod1 Of laws established 70
Come tcut ia 1850. Tho capital crimes lively
in number. include the following, AMI certain
ly weure here brought in contact with socict
very different from any whicAlas at any tim
existed in Manhattan Island. l. Ii any MAJ
after legal conviction. shall have or worshi
any other God but the Lord God he shall be pl
b death" THE laws OF New Haven. 1856. ar
more explicit In their definition Of free think