, 1880-04-04

Pope Lea. a1lut rs IIoNSlanls TO Use Ills
owl, words, do justice to AUuinas, by care
fully studying his work, and can tell him
that he will never again write such an art-
Gle. Sd.
THE PURITAN SABBATH.
IT'S HISTORY IN ENGLISH LAW AND USAGE.
Springfield Republican.
Through the early centuries of English
history there seems TO have been little or no
legal difference in the days Of the week.
Parliament sat on Sunday, for in 1918 and
1905 three statutes were made on the day,
and up to 1916 any act done OIL Sunday, ex-
cept in proceedings of courts, was Of the
same binding force as If done on any other
day. Nor did the early restraining laws
make any distinction between Sundays and
other holy days. Thus the statute OF 2S Ed
ward Ill, cap. "A, the first English Sunday
law of which we have knowledge, says: !:
'Shewlng Of woods (by merchants) shall be
made ut the staple every dayin the week ex~
cept the Sunday and solemn feasts of the
year." There was no further legislation
upon the subject for nearly 100 years. but in
1|4444s an act was passed (27 Henry VI, s. ELI
titled, "Certain days wherein fairs and
markets ought not to be kept" Which
provides that all manner Of fairs and
markets held on the principal fcasts,
Good Friday, or any Sunday in the year ex-
ccpt the four in harvest, "shall clearly cease
from all showing Of any goods or merchan-
discs necessary viotual only except)," on
pain of forfeiture of the goods; and in recog-
milton of the fact that there had previously
been no such restriction, itcontinues: "Nev-
ertheless, of Ills special grace (the King)
granted to them power which of old time had
no day to hold their fair or market, but only
upon the festival days aforesaid, to hold the
same authority and strength Of his old grant
within three days next before said fcasts or
next after" In 1404 a law was passed q Ed
ward ~. = directed specially to leather
dressers and shoenakers, forbldling the SELL
feasts. This statute was repealed in 15::s, and
reInacted in part in 1904. Ill 1872 was passed
SAN act for keeping .holydays and feasting
days" Is and Edward VI, 3d.. said to have
been drawn up under the INSPECTION ct ct
illustrates the view taken of Sunday in COM
mon with other holy days BY all Christians
until about the beginning Of the seventeenth
century,-tllat the day itself had no sacred
character nor higher claim to observance.
This Pretestant @ % law had no penalties, but
was repealed the next year by the Catholic
Government Of Mary, and restored in 1901,
tr;i;a.1 sun nas e Cste. - ~ % ~ nee mno
~, sl1l ~ t,e Heeise '. ot ~, ~
alne vi tMt u!eat maue ID thg year ear ~: .t d15 ea
az al ~ %yuuges iu peupie " hao to"n tesa, ~ a
s.n ~ tno ftlouo tianes uo suSpeaueu ol ;.o
senet so1e uas ~ uue sun, thoso Why ,s, mis
III u,e country, noMever' t' may neEiy ,.f1;
.t au WltiluuI ianit a1eeAo - tno Euitl, ~.
,i pAtlol1 o. lnelE ne!us, lSsl. VIII Lie
! 1oss o. lavo[ao,e M 9Ep95tun;i1y, tne comt'lona III
TIES oler9G ~ Olrlis FroVldeheG s1lo4lu pe
oestroyea." Inc hrst laW compelllnE @ M cnnrcn
a a1ttenaanGe was passed II 10y q Ellzanetn:
\, pinVlulng Ihat persons having no excuse
snould altena pnolic worship at Inc parish
churches upon ouldays anu other holidays,
Oh pam OF church censure ano line OF Il
pence. ..--
In the reign of James l. the Purltans came
( 70 have soms power; calling themselves
Gods people and others Egyptians and
Amalekites, and from this time their lnillt-
ence appears III legislation, the statutes re-
9ulring more and more strict observance OF
Sunday, and calling the day " Sabbath - and
the !" Lords day." appellat1ons not prevlous~
y used: In 1902 was passed second law
4 JAG: ~ against tue selling OF shoes on
Sunday, and IN l61, Il Gar. l.: y 1t was
enacted that there should be mo meetings,
assemblies, or concourse Of people out OF
their own parishes on the Lords day,
for any sports or pastimes whatsoever; nor
any bear-baiting, bull-baitIng, interudes,