Norwich bulletin., 1911-09-01
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Labor and Best Laws.

Mr.. Editor: The Sunday laws of Con-
necticut in controvertibly were sug-
geted by the Mosaic labor and Sab
bath law, which is as plainly a labor
law as a Sabbath law; and its object
as stated in Deuteronomy was direct
ly the protection of laboring men and
animals; namely, Six days thou shalt
labor and do all they work. But the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord
thy God: in it thou shalt not do any
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, nor thy man servant, nor
thy maid servant nor thine OK, nor
thine ass, or any of thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates; that
thy man servant and maid servant
may rest as well as thou. And re-
member that thou vast a servant in
the land of Egypt" Deut. 5i- 1915,
six days thou shalt do thy work, and
on the seventh day thou shalt rest
and the son of thy handmade, and the
stranger, may be refreshed" Exodus
20: ~.
The Sabbath was included in the list
of feasts, and described as a day of
sladness. Its law was a civil and ma
tiOnal law. having to do particularly
with the treatment of ones serving or
laboring persons and animals, no more
religious than contemporary laws of
several other oriental nations, whose
custom was to promulgate their laws
in the name of the god of the nation,
So far from being the outcome of anti
quated superstition, it was the Mosaic
labor laws We're hundreds, yes, thou
sands of years in advance of most of
the ancient world, supported as it was
by wholesale slave labor, ground out
with horrible mercilessness, instance
Egypt and the Roman Empire, which
are proved to have worked multitudes
Of hah 81 tnr ta n
the government has a right to enact
laws for the regulation and restriction
of hours or periods of labor, it has an
equal right to safeguard the rest time
to the laborer.
Perfectly savage peoples have the
most freedom from statutory restric-
TONS Sunday or other; and he who
wishes that kind of freedom, with its
accom- paniments, is at liberty to emil
CRATE to the lands where there is nc
Sunday no sacred Friday or Saturday
even, where everybody is said to "live
in a state of Nature.
A day set apart for the higher needs
of man is not sign of antiquated
superstition and ignorance or of bigot-
ry, but of Advancing enlightenment
and fundamental civilization. Spain
the former stronghold of the Inqisi-
ton, has been at the same time the
type of bigotry and of Sundays so lax
as to be given to builtights and similar
miscalled sports" as cockfightins ir
it's dependency, the Philippines. Such
laXity hasNnot proved to be for the wei
fare of Spain, nor of any other nalIor
which has had similar laxity. Or
the other extreme, in reverent regard
for the national rest-day are the
Scotch. No observing and thoughtful
student of events can fail to see that
| the Scotch have risen as a governing
element in the worlds affairs, and the
Sunday SPORT nations have gone
down. Our Sunday laws are a defen
sive measure. The man who foalns a
the mouth about Connecticut blue
laws of Puritan days, simply betrays
his ignorance of Connecticut history
The Puritan Code of Laws of Con
necticut colony, established by thu
General Court May, 1885, contains M
Sunday statute, nor even the wore
Sunday" nor, under the condition.
then existing. was such statute fount
| necessary.
1t might be said of this old colon,
as Tacitus said of the Germans
| Good customs avail more with them
| spirit of constitutional government tt
such a degree that it was the author o
| the first written constitution made Oh
this continent, largely the model TO
| the Constitution of the United States
| This spirit. and the exerc Sc of suf
| members, but possessed by all the re
spectacle and law abiding members o
| society. and contributed greatly to thu
| foundation and establishment of Amer
| lean civil and religious liberty.
| But an anarchist is never satisfied
| as long as there are any governmental
| restrictions whatever: in other words
| his mind reverts to primitive saw
| agery; no matter how great the ma
| jority who want orderly and safe so
| ciety, and who would restrict only tn
criminal and the injurious actions
/ We have yet to hear a complaint from
| those who obey in earnest, hearty an,
| strenuous fashion, the first part of tn
commandment beginning six day
| shalt thou labor, and do all thy work,
| against restful day once a week
| though honest, useful necessary worl
! is not the worst thing that can be don
on Sunday. yet for one who is as tire
| as he ought to be after six days, it i
an injury and certainly not the bes1
| The BRAIN especially, is in danger from
hammering away necessarily in ON
| line of stress. Natures rest time TO
man is when one is tired, but not to
1 tired to rest.
Bunyan's man with the muck rake
with his face always to the ground
never discovered the crown With
| reach above his head; and the ma
| who treads in one monotonouS roun
| without cessation, tends to become
| slave to his business, self drive
| though he be; and psychologists an
| alienisis have found that he is not Of
the way either to long life or a hap
py one, but rather to n physical an
| mental wrecking and missing the bes
things OF life. A man needs to look II
and around and TO broaden his outloo
-rG