Bismarck daily tribune., 1912-05-15
BLUE LAWS OF OLD
Codes That Terrorized New Eng
land In Colonial Days.
ENACTED BY THE PURITANS.

ENACTED By The PURITANS.
Witchcraft Was an offense Punishable
With Death, and It Was Crime For
Husband and wife or Mother and
Child to Kiss on the Sabbath Day.
Blue laws were no joke. though often
an object of irony and derision. They
were drawn up by Puritan pioneers
a race of stern and infexible men who
in the excess Of their religious zeal and
enthusiasm adopted such sanctimonious
names as otand-Fast-on-High Stringer,
KillSin Smith. More Fruit Fowler,
Fight-the- Good Fight Fowler.
1t may be we'll 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 his blue Laws of Connect
lieut."
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 1876. They were enveloped
in blue colored paper. whence the popu-
lar and subsequently unpopular name.
The Plymouth and Massachusetts
colonies also had their blue laws. cal
culated to send Il chill through every
human vein. Even New York, Mary
land. Virginia and South Carolina-in
fact. all the English colonial settle
ments in seventeenth century America
more or less pronounced indigo tint.
But the true blue laws or code was
that which terrorized early Connecd-
cut. These. known as capital laws and
purporting to punish, according to the
penalties prescribed in the Old Testa-
ment. those offenses forbidden therein.
were enacted in April. 1642. The texts
Of Scripture on which they are based
were added to each law, as dicta pro-
bantia. showing the divine authority
by which they were defending, and are
singular specimens Of Jurisprudence.
For instance. witchcraft is one of the
first offenscs taken up. 1t is enacted
that ''if Il man or woman be witch
or hath consulted with Il familiar spirit
they shall be put to DEATH" And If
any man steal Il man or mankind or
selleth 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 regulation
punishment for breaking these same
blue laws.
The Puritan legislators. having dis
posed Of the ordinary everyday crimes,
went on in due course to enact the
more minute la VS.. covering every con-
ceivabe misdemeanor, from sneezing
in church TO crossing stream other
wise than by the licensed ferry.
1t reminds one Of De Quincey's ironi-
cal observations to the effect that the
habit of murder if persisted in may
lead insensibly to procrastination and
Sabbath breaking.
The following examples. transcribed
literally from the best authorities on
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.
1.-THE Sabbath shall begin at sunset
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 court Of
magistrates"
(Traditiou says a gentleman Of New
Haven after an absence Of some
months reached home on the Sabbath
and. meeting his wife at bis door.
kissed her with an appetite and for his
temerity in violating this law the next
day was arraigned before the court
and fined for so palpable a breach of
the law on the Lords day.
mo one shall read common prayer.
keep Christmas or saints days, make
minced pies. dance, play cards or play
on any instrument of music except the
drum. trumpet and jewsharp."
1t is said by Peters in bis History
Of Connecticut" that these laws were
the laws made by the people Of New
Haven previous to their incorporation
with Saybrook and Hartford colonies
and. as he says. were very properly
<orn,od hluo Iawa-i o. hlOOdV laws.