Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-02
S U N DAY CT OSING
1t Was Carried Out Vigorously in the
Old Days.
Severe Punishments Inflicted for
Violatfons-CuriOus Excuses
for Sabbath Breaking.

| History's memory has been awakened with
the reagitation of that ancient question,
as to whether man was made for the Sab
bath or the Sabbath for man provoked
| this time by the worlds fair Sunday open
ing problem). with the result Of showing
some very remarkable pictures of American
Sundays alone.
| Our stern New England fathers not only
very plainly leaned to the theory that man
was made for the Sabbath, but were also
of the unqualified opinion that the Sabbath
| itself was an incorporating and MOTTO
| be-tampered-with institution sort Of pro-
| custean bed which, IL too long, was by no
means to be modified to Mt its occupant.
but the sleeper, on the contrary, must be
| stretched or Topped off. as the case might
| be- to meet It's rigid measurements-the
New Haven code of laws of the seventeenth
century providing indeed that "Profanatio
| Of the Lords Day, IL done proudly and with
| high hand against the authority OF God,
4 shall be punishable with death"
| Resting on the authority of the Scrip
| tural verse. which runs: And the evening
and the morning were the first day., 1t
began at sunset on Saturday. this Puritan
| Sabbath, which to our modern eyes seems
q combination Of fast day and day of pen
ance. and the troubles OF poor human ma
ture which then. as now, ever longed to
mouth Sas '' named js%es Watt being in lsss
common business on the Lords day. at
| least In the evening somewhat too soon"
| If the errtng James had not sadly de-
would instead Of inditing worldly missives
have occupied the time from shutdown TO
bed time on Saturday with catechising
his servants and children and with holding
a service Of prayer and song in his family.
To q minister the time from Saturdays
Saa sSn TIL the thirty h0Srs
| devotion, which, though varying in kind,
| was identical in aim. the Saturday evening
children and servants being observed, Of
course. In ministerial as in lay families.
One preacher wrote pathetically home to
| servant who enjoyed catechising and fam
lily prayers" Upon rising Sunday morning
the day for him till church. after which
this Puritan pastor retired to his study
| for private devotion, remaining there till
| bell. Following the close OF this service
there was another lapse into his study.
from which he emerged only to reiterate
| wants. Then came a season Of prayer, and
after a cold supper-no fires were lit on
Sunday for any purpose but to prevent one one
OF Scripture were read with the melancholy
and hah-hearted aid Of one tallow dip. and
night was I prefaced by another long prayer.
sleeping and Love Making.
The shepherd though. Notwithstanding
this full Sunday program. had one short
avenue OF escape denied his sheep, an ave-
nue. which. though in truth leading most
harmlessIy nowhither. yet permitted the
wanderer therein the innocent relaxation
of a Sunday nap. And how many Sunday
maps were taken under cover of this re
tirement for private devotion" is a secret
that went down u the grave with those ex-
cellent New England parsons and their dis
Greet helpmeets. who, no doubt, had they
chosen, could have told many a tale Of long
forced awakenings by wifely hands of
slumbering spouSeS with soui-stirring re-
rninders of waiting congregations and Sun
day duties already pressing for perform
ance.
The flock. on the contrary, was permitted
no such latitude. but neglect OF patient
sunday obligations must be accounted for
and variations Of the regulation routine
deliberately explained The hearts Of nine
throb Of sympathy for that New England
swain and his sweetheart, who, in 1910 were
accused of and tried for sitting under an
apple tree In Goodman Chapman's orchard
ON the Lord s day. while those who. in
these latter day Sundays. are permitted full
rem rem OF thelr soeiable instincts cannot but
clarke OF Plymouth. who. in 1863, was re
proved and warned mot to harden his neck
about on mems gates on Sabbath eyenin9
10 oraw company out to him.
Plymouth Missdceds,
Even more numerous records were made
OF Plymouth misdemeanors, or else the
flesh OF that region must have becn ,,...,,-
instances are countless OF iransyressions
OF the then existing Sunday Law of ina,
town, one man with a distls.e for .he
customary cold collation. Of The SabbaIh
shape of q Sunday chicken dinn.r heing
SHARPLY whipped" for killing fowl ON ,snns
aay. and though cleanliness Is said TO ,.r
next TO godliness. Elizabeth Eddy for her
iii-tlmed Righteousness of this sort was
as the chronicles read. ''linei % shi.lin@g
Tor wrinsins and hanging out cloIhes"
-.
who drove some cows without aet-i MS
presented before the court "
IL Is difffcult indeed to tell what IN, c,,,,d
do in those days, to escape trans..r,ss,nc
the sunday law, since a DuusttI..e 81 her
was fined 40 shillings for wettins a piece
OF an old felt hat to put in his shoes, with
the object OF protecting his feet from heat
when marching. while Capt Kemb.e. n
bos.onian OF wealth and infiucnce. was
Ing his wife ''publicQuely" upon The co"1-
ssep OF MS own house after AN absence OF
chid w ysaf also For an NV woman 10 Kiss her
Consciences. too. became abnorma,,v
tender In those days. one Samuel Sabinn
Illness ne had visited a neighbor on Su lone
evening and did fear he had transyrasse5
tne law, though he felt sure no harm had
been done thereby" @N
Some Excuses.
And Of course with all these rules ana
regulations as to general department II
goes without saying that attendance on
the cnurch was rfgidly enforced under TIE
blue laws Of New England, and rot only
must one be present at service but one
must approach and retreat from the holy
eoince tseif with becoming slowness. any
unseemly haste being promptly questioned.
one unfortunate so accused protestinr I'm
his trepidation that he ran 10 rssc,,. Al
man from drowning, though no water. save
the dew on the fields through which he
passed, existed for miles around
Ii Is to be feared that then as nou 70
save oneself from blame the truth Vas
sometimes stretched to the point of helm,
completely rent asunder, some OF the eve
plantations of absence from church tha
penalty attached to which was the stools
the whipping post, or a fine at the discra'
extreme. A' ehe
A resident Of New Haven named VILLA n,
Blagden being one May Monday I'm Isa7
Drought TO account for his absence from,
service the day before began his cxplana-
uon: IN good truth, worthy sirs, L wouiI
nave been as prompt I'm my place ycst.r-
morn as any OF You, but as do stand here
when l crossed Balls brook Saturday after
noon about five. on my way from IVORY
the big log that spans it. and thai nsrad,
venture you. Master HifYins have ma RI 81
many a time. since il lies Just below yo,yr
sheep pasture. broke with me and faiI,r
INTO the water, did become dren shell 10
the skin. "
am poor laboring man, good masters.
ana 40 own but the one suit OF clothes. and
peing unlawful TO light fires on tbs
Lords day, did bide In bed till near sun.
my garments" ~ oiS