The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-10-15
PURITAN BLUE LAWS,
Statutes So Severe as to Seem Inn pos
sib1e Were Enforced.

Statutes So Severe as to Seem Inn pos
sible We're Enforced.
1t is generally admitted, even by the
advocates of a. sterner religion than is
usually professed in this twentieth CEN
fury, that the Sabbath was made for
man, and this Interpretation includes
recreation in the injunction to rest. In
the days Of Puritan dominion there is
as little doubt that the idea prevailed
most effectually that man was made
for the Sabbath.
This religion Of people who be-
lieved in taking literal interpretations
of the Old Testament as their guide in
the government Of country which
they had misnamed the LAND Of the
free,' reached the height Of its impos-
sible demands at the middle of the sew
enteenth century. A statute framed in
for breaking the laws of Sunday OBJ
. servance is the severest of any formed
before or since, and shows what day
Of dismal gloom this day of rest must
have been.
In the days of the Puritans an OBJ
servance of Sunday meant an attend
ance at all the church meetings, and it
meant little else. Worship in the pub
lie meeting house was compelled by
law. When the bell tOlled out it's sum
mons, all must go, willing or other
wise, and Notwithstanding the Difficult
-. sc
often meant tramp OF many miles
over rough ground where one carried
his footgear in his hands.
AT the time this severest of all stat
utes was passed in Boston, no ONE
was allowed to go anywhere on Sun
day except to church, unless there was
some extraordinary need Or the errand
was one of mercy. No one was per-
mitted to go from one town to another
on that day or to enter any pubic
house for drink. Guards were sta
toned at the edge of town saturday
night at shutdown to see that no vehicle
passed either in or out Of the city from
! that time until the close of the follow
;nx day. and labor of all sort was pro-
| hibited.i
! Even children were not allowed to
be seen in the street nor young men
| and women to promenade. In fact, it
| was because the worthy town officials
had heard of the grievous misdemea-
nor of childish laughter in public high
ways. and had been Informed that GER
tain young people had committed the
/ offense against God Of walking in the
fields on the Lords day, that the stat
ute regulating penalties for these
faults had been enacted.
/ r. was of no more avail to the Of
fender of that early day to plead ig-
norance of the law than it is to-day.
Still. to make assurance doubly sure
! that all inhabitants knew what these
/ Sunday laws were, ministers were re-
ouired to read them from in front of
the meeting house twice during the
wear Then woe to any one who chose
! TO ignore them, for the hand Of mex
I! orable law, not tempered by mercy,
was upon him.
Parents were responsible for the
Imisdemeanors of children between the
ages of z and Ia. Over that age they
were required to receive themselves
the penalty Of their own misdoing. For
breaking any of these laws the first
time. the punishment was severe
ranrimand from the chief executive Of
the town. If any daring child escaped
for a moment the family corral to
frolic upon the public highway. this
Iuntoward action would not fail 70
bring his parents into open disgrace