The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1912-07-19
Blue LAWS OF old.
Codes That Terrorized New Emo.
land In Colonial Days.
ENACTED BY THE PuRlTANs.

@WrO - TIE TO0t AND
wltehsrast Was an offsnss Punishable
| With Death, and Il Was Crime For
Husband and Wife or Mother and
Child to kiss on the sabbath Day. b
Blue laws were no joke. though often
an object Of irony and derision. They
were drawn up BY Puritan pioneers
. race of stern and inflexible men who
In the excess Of their religious zeal and
enthusiasm adopted such sanctimonious
names as Stand Fast High Stringer,
kill-Sin Smith. More Fruit Fowler,
Fight-the- Good Fight Fowler.
It may be well to say here that each
of these names cited was actually CIV
en- to and borne by man. and names
of the same sort are to be found in the
records OF New England. says Him.
mans In bis "Blue LAWS OF Connect
lcut'
These men went straight to the old
Mosaic law OF Holy Writ for their
code. In fact. each section Of the capital
laws has its Bible text appended--a
grewsome combination Of sermon and
death warrant.
The original blue laws were those
written of New Haven, Connecticut
colony. at the first more or less un-
written. or at least imprinted. but sys-
tematized and printed by Governor
Eaton In 1866. They wer3 enveloped
In blue c0l0red paper. whence the popu.
lar and subsequently unpopular name.
The Plymouth and Massachusetts
colonies also had their blueTlaw c6l-
culated to send a chill through every
human vein. Even New York. Mary
land, Virginia. and South Ca rolinA LIN
fact. all the English colonial SETTLE
ments In seventeenth century Amei icn
had laws. orders and resol utions OF
more or hess pronounced tndt.go tint.
But the true blue laSrx or ctsde was
that which terrorixed early Connec.d-
cut. These. known AZ capital ID VS. an q
purporting to punish, ACCORDING. to th. \
penalties prescribed In the Old TeSta-
ment. those offenses forbidden therein.
were enacted In Aprh. 1G42. The texts
Of Scripture ON which they are based
were added to each law. as di:ta pro-
! bantia. showing the divine authority
by which they were defending. and are
singular specimens Of Jurisprudence.
For instance. witchcraft b one Of the.
first offenses taken up. It is enacted
that III man or woman be u witch
! or hath consulted with familiar spirit
they shall be put to DEATH" And IF
any man steal a man or man kind or
:,elleth him or he be found In his hand
he shall be put to death"
Yet the good colonists made slaves
OF the Pequot Indians as the regulati m
punishment for breaking these san V
blue laws.
The Puritan legislators. having dis :
posed of the ordinary everyday crimes.
went on In due course to enact the
more minute laws. covering every con-
, ceivable misdemeanor. from sneezing
In church to crossing stream other
wise than by the licensed ferry.
1t reminds one Of De Quinceys froni-
cal observations to the effect that the
habit Of murder II persisted in may
lead insensibly to procrastination and
Sabbath breaking.
The following examples. transcribed
literally from the best authorities OH
American colonial history. relate most
~ to the heinous crime OF Sabbath
breaking:
mo one shall run on the Sabbath day
or walk in his garden or elsewhere ex-
cept reverently to and from meeting.
mo one shall travel. cook victuals,
make beds. sweep house, cut hair or
shave on the Sabbath day.
mo woman shall kiss her child on.
the Sabbath or fasting day.
"The Sabbath shall begin at 90 nset
on Saturday.
III any man shall kiss his wife or
wife kiss her husband on the Lords
day the party In fault shall be pun
ished at the discretion Of the conrt Of
magistrates"
(rradition says a gentleman hfsNew
Haven after an absence OF uome
months reached home on the, iSabbath
| and. meeting his wife at his doox.
kissed her with an appetite.Aud. Tor his
temerity in violating this law thu, naxt
dny was arraighed before the court
and fined for SO palpabte a a,breech Of
the law OH the Lords dsiy.)
mo one shall read common aprayer,
keep Christmas or s9lnts' days make
minced pies. dance. play cards or play
on any instrument of music except.the
drum. trumpet and jewsharp."
It is said by Peters In his 'aHistory
of Connecticut" that these laws were
the laws made by the people OF New
Haven previous to their incor porat3on
with Saybrook and Hartford colonies
and. as he says. "were very properly
termed blue laws-i g., bloody laws,
''for." says he. "they were sll sancti-
6ed with accommodation. condsca-
tion. fines. banishment, whippdne. cut
ting on the ears. burning theS tongue
ana dsath."-Mew York sg15 H.