Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1912-06-21
BLUE LAWS OF old
Codes That TerrOrIzed New Eng
land In Colonial Days.
ENACTED BY THE PURITANs.

WItehoraft Wac an ofsnss Punishable
With Death, and Il wss . Crime For
Husband and Wife or Mother and
Child 10 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
q race Of stern and inhexlble men who
IN the excess OF their religious zeal and
enthusiasm adopted such sa~nctimonious
names as Stand Fast ton high stringer.
Kill-sin Smith. More Fruit Fowler.
Fight-the-G food Fight Fowler.
Il may be we'll TO say here that each
Of these names cited was actually Civ.
en- to and borne by a mau. and names
records OF New England, says him.
mans In bis -Riue Laws OF Connect
lieut."
These men went atralRht to fhe old
Mosaic law Of Holy Writ for their
code. In fact, each section Of the capital
laws has its Bible text a~ppendpd-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 1864 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 a chill through every
human vein. Even New York. Mary
land. Virginia and South Carolina-ln
fact. all the English colonial settle
ments in seventeenth century America
bad laws. orders and resolutions of
more or less pronounced indigo tint.
But the true blue laws or code was
that which ~terrOrized early Connect.
cut. These, known al capital Inws and
~purporting to punish. according to the
penalties prescribed in the Old Tesla
ment, those offenaes forbidden therein,
were enacted In April. 1912. The texts
Of Scripture on which they are based
were added to each law. as dicta pro-
GAAAAAa onOn AlE Az a AlAE huAADAAAy
by which they were defending. and are
singular specimens Of Jurisprudence.
For instance. witchcraft is one OF the
Arst oHenses taken up. Il is enacted
that IF n man or woman be q witch
or hath consulted with u familiar spirit
they shall be put to death" And III
any man steal a man or mankind or
aalInNk him - H. 10 Rur.ra L. hla hanA
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 laws. covering every con-
ceivable misdemeanor. from sueezlng
In church to crossing a stream other.
wise than by the licensed ferry.
II reminds one OF De Quincey's ironi-
col 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 on
American colonial history. relate most
ly to the heinous crime of Sabbath
breaking:
"No one shall run on the Sabbath day
or walk In his garden or elsewhere ell
cept reverently 70 and from meeting.
mo one shall travel. cook v~ictuals,
make beds. sweep house. tut hair or
shave on the Sabbath day.
mo oma shall kiss her child on
the Sabbath or fasting day.
"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 ia fault shall be pun
ished at the discretion Of the court Of
magistrates"
CTradition says q gentleman OF New
Haven after an absence OF some
months reached home on the Sabbath
and. meeting his wife at his door.
kissed her with an appetite and for his
tsmerity in violating this law the next
day was arraigned before the court
ana uneu Tor 20 palpuDle q Dreach or
the law on the Lords dayI
"Eo M 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."
IL IL said by Peters In his "Hlstory
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. "Wers very properly
termed blue laws-L O. bloody laws.
'for." says be. they we're all sancti-
ned With eKcommunlcntiOn. eonasca-
ton. hnes. Punishment. whipping. cut
ting on the ears. burning the tongue
and death"-Nsw York Sun.