Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1898-12-21
A LETTER FROM THE
CITY BY THE SEA-.
The Campaign of the
"Curfew" Cranks.
'ADGUS" COMMENTS UPON Their METHODS.
HE BELIEVES THAT THE EVILS COM
planned OF WILL NOT BE CURED BY
ARBITRARY LAWS.
'ADGUS" COMMENTS UPON THEIR METHODS

Our beloved municipality has been all
"torn up for the last ten days over the
discussion of the 'Curfew" question, and
whether the Council is going to pass an
ordinance to prohibit our "chippies' of
both sexes. from perambulatiDg the side
walks after nine O'Clock in the evening.
predict that the Council wont do any
thing of the kind, although some of our
city daddies may possibly sieze the oppor-
tunity to pose as the special champions of
few "cranks" who are always grasping
for the un-attainable by means of the i'm
practicable. guess they wont even do
that though, for Atlantic City is too
progressive and too cosmopolitan to ad-
NIT of any serious attempt to enforce the
"Curlew" foolishness. To begin with,
what is the "Curfew", anyhow? Judg-
ing from the conversation of one group
of citizens, which l happened to hear,
there was some doubt in their minds as
to whether it was the name of a patent
medicine, bicycle, or a prize bull As
generally understood, at the pre- sent day,
believe it may be defined as a certain
hour of the night, after which children
under certain age renot allowed upon
the street, unless accompanied by their
q
arrest. The hour where the ''Curfew"
law prevails is usually fixed at 8 O'Clock,
the time announced by the ringing of a
bell, and the age of the children affected
by it under sixteen years.
The first introduction of the "Curfew"
did not apply to wayward children. 1t
was introduced into England by William
the Conqueror, when nearly all the
dwellings were built of wood. and there
was considerable risk from fire, no insur-
ance, and no fire department. such as
Atlantic City now boasts of. King Billy
therefore d. creed that at eight, or nine
O'Clock in the evening the biggest bell in
town or city should be rung to notify
the inhabitants that their fires must be
covered up, and that it was time to
"douse the glim" and go to bed. 1t was
q splendid arrangement, and avoided the
necessity of doing any thinking on your
own hook. Later on, somebody, | don't
know who, applied the same principle to
children, and the ''Curfew" bell has been
heard in various localities ever since.
Up in New England, | am told, it is
still heard in some places, and when nine
O'Clock strikes, all the old maids retire
to their virtuous couches, after first dill
gently exploring the territory under the
bed i'll search of q man.
The advocates of the "Curfew" are
found in the ranks of those who think
that human nature can be changed, and
everything steered in the right direction
by legislation. The old "Puritanical
Blue Laws" of Connecticut would just
about suit Them, provided, always, that
they should be applied to somebody else.
Ii they could pass laws declaring what
a man shall or shall not eat aud drink,
and when he shall go to bed, and how he
shall spend his mt ney, and where he
shall go on Sunday, aud what he shall
believe, under heavy pains and penalties,
they would be supremely happy. Declar-
ing that the earth belongs to the Saints
they Immediately resolve that they are
the Saints. Stripped of all fummery,
this whole .Curfew" business narrows
itself right down to this. We have some
rather rapid boys and girls in town, and
what are we going to do about it :?
That's the whole question in nutshell.
"Shut them up after nine o'clock, say
the "Curfewites" that will reform them.
| doubt it. A boy or a girl who is bad
one minute before 9 o'clock, isn't going
to turn into an Angel by beng sent home
one minute later, or by being arrested
five minutes later. There fs something
more than that needed, and the reform is
fully as much needed among the parents
as it is among the children. There are
hundreds of children walking the streets
everywhere becauset they are not allowed
to have any comforts or pleasures at
home. and this doesn't wholly apply to
the criminal and the shiftless classes
either. If you take a census of our young
people. who tramp the pavement after
dark, you are quite likely to find that
many Of the youthful "high-rollers" hail
from "our best families'. You are just
ss likely to find the deacon's son orna
menting barroom, as you are to find 8
clam-digger's boy, and you can see just
] about as many bigh-steppers of the gen