Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1894-02-22

But though drinking was 80 general,
there was surprisingly little drunkenness
IA Puritan days. says writer ii Htrpers
Weekly Cotton Mather complained that
every other house 10 Boston was an ale
house; tu, New England throughout the
seventeenth century was sober and law
abiding. The tavern keepers always men
OF social aud political importance, a. the
"prrcedcnce lists" Of Harvard and Yale
reveal-were constrained TO see 10 it that
no man drank more than quart of beer
out Of m-al times, that there was no sing
ing or dancing or gaming on their prem
i~vs, nor any smoking Of tobacco
The minister. the magistrate, the
dtacons, ald the constabes had an un-
pleasant habit OF publicly chiding the over
boi,terou7, or those Who tarried too long
with the wine, and the tilhing man would
force himself upon the company Of tie
stranger in the inn, aud sternly counter
mand his order for drink If II seemed to
him excessive. There were. too iiues aud
Imprisonment, the stocks. the piliurv. the
drunkard's closk "A bsrrel with holes for
| be td and arms, or the blboes for the in
| tuxicaied, and, for the incoTriglOl dis
| franchsement and the shameful badge
| portrayed by Mr.. Volk
! We laugh at the sumptuary laws Of
| earlier times--ihe regulations for bakers
AMI feather bed makers, and almost every
| other tradesman and every laborer. Some
| OF them are ludcrous enough; but 1t j.
not certain that in small and isolated com
muulties, in new couutry al least, they
were not IN the main we'll suited to the oc-
casion. however 1t may have been in more
populnus England. from whence they were
| brought. Even the penalty of fine, i'm
| prisonment or whipping post, which await
ed the youth who persisted in counting
maid without the formal consent of her
parents, amusiug though 1t seems To day,
may not have been unbenetcial In so prm-
| tive Il society.
| The New England settlers were bothered
| with a few theories of government. The
foundations of the republic were laid
broad and deep; hut they were concerned
mostly with their daily life and those
about them, and they tried to prevent
wickedness and to punish 1t In the way
which seemed most simple and most d.
| rect, and should best serve as a warning
| to others.
1t is well to bear in mind, however
since contrary notion has obtained
credence, that as compared with Europe
in their time they were far from cruel in
their punishments, save only In cases Of
offense against religion. Que of the hard
est lessons we ourselves have to learn is
tolerance of belief. Two centuries ago
the necessity was never dreamed of. Men
who showed contempt for the "word
preached" were placarded and publicly
piloried; those who disputed were Gagged
In the market-place and there preached to I;
those who could not be silenced were
driven into exile.
But of actual bloodthirstipess, OF the
tortures which make the criminal history
of Europe 50 terrible, New England knows
little. Men were hanged-alas! they
were burned, too.-but not for trhes; and
their taking off was made public holiday.
But incessaDt exhortation and public
preaching TO the condemned preceded their
execution, not the rack nor any other i'm
plement Of physical torture.