New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-30
0lDIlME BLUE LAWS VI CONNECllCUI.

for its later removal. No one permitted In
New-Haven in 1850 to cross a river except py
the aid of an authorized ferryman. II young
SVEN OF the town wished to row his WOMB
friends across the river he was not allowed 10 py
the law. debtor in prison, If he swore that ne
had no estate sold to pay for the dept
Whoever brought cards and dice into the 40
mon had to pay a fine of 20 English money!
whoever wore clothes trimmed with silver solu
or bone lace at above two shillings' cost the
yard was presented to the grand jurors ana
fined" A sweeping regulation was to the effect
that no one should keep Christmas or saints
days, dance or play cards Married people hao
to live together or be imprisoned. divorce beng
allowed only IN remarkable cases. In ISL the
caro- playing regulation was stu IN ICrce' as III
that year seven young men in New-HaVen were
arrested for the crime, punished ana maue 80 80
pay fines and costs amounting to nearly %
apiece The ministers Of the church could not
perform marriage ceremonies that office going
TO the legal fraternity If a man struck MS Wlie
he fined. but if woman struck her nus
band she might be whipped by town court or
der. Every man in the colony had to have his
hair cut round like poll by pumpkin set on
his head, a bowl
Some of the old blue laws" were even more
curious. If child, for instance, struck his
father, he might be put to death. man VINO
had married two wives could be put to death.
"a man who curses God in express and high
handed manner" could be put to death, as could
a man who said that the Christian religion is
polite device to keep ignorant men in awe,
one who lay in wait and put out the eye OF an
other" whoever, protesting the Chrlstlah
religion, shall deny the Song Of Solomon to be
the infallible word of God" For this latter
grave offence the first penalty was severe pup
lie whipping. Death was to be ordered only on
a repetition If a man used tobacco in his own
house even. a stranger being present, he was
fined; If he used it journey, five miles from
any house he was allowed to smoke; but the
moment he met any came in sight OF the
house of settler he had to knock out his pipe
ashes In those days any single person wishing
to keep house without servant had to obtain
permission from the selectmen. No man could
present petition on a small or bad piece OF
writing paper" except on penalty Of a heavy
fine If any one set fire to a wood and 1t burned
house, causing any ones death, he could be
sentenced to execution himself.
Odd instances are numerous of these old laws.
In 1916 the entire colony stirred to its vitals
by the arrest of a Mrs Eaton for slandering the
Rev. John Davenport the town minister. Mrs.
Eaton had said that the Rev. Mr. Davenport's
sermons had made her sick to the stomach
and after she reached home she ordered her son.
who had the manuscript, Ito make waste paper
of It," This case went before the Legislature
Attendance at church compulsory, as II
later became at the college chapel and is to-
day at Yale. and penalties were heavy for fall
ure TO keep church engagements. In 1916 a
William Blayden was arrested for being late to
meeting on two sundays His defence was that
on the first occasion he did not hear the church
drummer, while on the second he had to stay
abed to allow his clothes to dry from wetting
they received when in the rain the day before,
These excuses were not acceptable TO the court
and Blayde1 was made to stand trial. at which
he was found guilty and whipped for pro
fanely breaking the Sabbath, wOrshipping not
God, nor watching for the blessing of God upon
himself"
Just how many Of these ancient regulations
finally got to the State statute books is un-
certain. There has been, in fact, long and
spirited controversy over the authenticity of the
blue laws" themselves. Judge Simeon E.
Baldwin, of the Connecticut Supreme Court, does
not believe that there were any blue laws"
and his position is upheld by many other stu
dents Of the subject. The collection of such
regulations by one Peters and given out in Eng
land is believed now by many historians to have
been an attempt Peterss part to turn the
laugh of pleasure minded Britishers the stiff
necked w-Haveners. careful discussion OF
the Peters blue laws made two years ago
would seem to show that only about third OF
the regulations he drew up were actually laws
in New-Haven. At the same time all of the
New England States, well as New-York and
several of the Southern States, notably Vir-
ginia, had very strict laws now of an Anticipated
pattern, and Connecticut shared in this list.
Few of these old regulations however, ever
made their way to the statute books. Such as
did were amended dropped entirely in the
numerous reVisions to which the Connecticut
statutes have been subjected in the last century
and over. To-day out of all these curious and
antique old laws none are TO be found on the
Connecticut books except those quoted at the
head of this article There still exists on the
statutes a modicum of the old strictness regard
ing Sunday observances. but even this is not
all lived up to in the letter of the law.