The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-09-10
HALF HOLIDAY OLD
Ancient Workmen Never labored
Saturday Afternoons. :.
Medieval Man, Like MosIem Of East,
Took Bath in Order to Be Prepared
for Worship on sunesy-Lesal-
lied in Some States.

walton. Ask any old person and he
will tell you that he can remember
when all laborers worked on the sew
enth day of the week just as on every
other Gay--from the blowing OF the
whistle at seven o'clock in the morn
ing until six o'clock, or later, in the
evening. The shortening of the reg
ular working day to eight hours. with
freedom on Saturday afternoon. is at
tributed to the work of the trades
unions While the latter body in the
last few decades. certainly has in
fluenced public opinion and legisla-
ton in regard to shorter working
day, II did not PROFOUND a new idea,
but rather revived the old laws of the
fifteenth century,
In the early days of industrial his
tory parliament and the kings. both i'll
England and on the continent. took
very active part in regulating the
| working hours as well as the wages
of their subjects BY doing this. it
was believed the king could protect
his own interests. in addition to those
of the people against INSCRIPTIONS
employers.
An English statute, made by Henry
w. in the early part of the fifteenth
century. fixed the legal hours OF the
country laborers from five o'clock In
the morning until seven o'clock in the
evening. from March until Septem-
Der; but, from September until the
following March they were only to
work from the springing of the day
until the night of the same day.
They were always to have half an
hour for breakfast and an hour and
a half for dinIer, with the privilege
of nap, from May until August, and
were to work on Saturdays only until
noon. Trading in the shops en- Sun
days and holidays was forbidden.
In medieval times the Saturday
half holiday seems to have been al
most universal. Every one must be
pleased with his work" says a Kuten-
berg ordinance. consequently no one
must be overworked." Even Ferdi-
nand l. G45S-9D. one of the NEST
ferocious kings who ever sat on the
throne of the holy Roman empire,
accepted this maxim and ruled that,
I'm the imperial mines, the miners
were to work only eight hours a day.
The old Law also explicitly stated that
work after Saturday at noon was to
be strictly prohibited and that "a pair
of stocks be in every town" that
employers who worked their people
overtime might be thrust into them.
Because there was Saturday half
holiday. however, II must not BE-
thought tia. this afternoon was given
for recreation. Indeed MOTT was
bathing time for the greater part OF
the community.
Most bsrbarians, Judged by modern
In their personal habits. In England.
France and Germany bathing was an
almost unknown custom until after
the crusades. The pilgrims from the
east brought home with them ideas OF
the bath as help in the treatment OF
disease. and bathrooms were grad
ually introduced into the hospitals.
From the hospitals the idea of bath.
ing spread generally. People who
had been treated there saw the value
OF kee ping the body clean In order to
resist disease.
BY the fifteenth century there was
scarcely a large city that did not
possess VIII patronized public bath
ing establishments, although II was
not until the seventeenth century that
the Turkish bath was introduced. and
not until the eighteenth century that
sea bathing. so common among the
American Indians, was tried expert. |
mentally. -
Why Saturday was chosen as bath. !
ing time is not difficult to imagine |
On Sunday everybody was compelled |
TO 40 to church. whether he would or
not AS the Moslem in the east
bathed before entering the mosque. SO |
did the medieval man before entering
his church. only he must take his
bath on Saturday afternoon In order
to BIZ clean the following day. There
was even a distribution OF bath money
TO the children whose parents We're
unable TO pay for their baths.
With the Introduction OF machinery
and the rise OF a cspitalistic class, the
Did common laws OF the lands regard.
ng labor came 10 be neglected. The
craft guilds We're abolished BY law
md their property confiscated. Com
Iination OF workmen In any form In
England WAS prohibited until 1881,
when Il became localized again. In
England Industrial conditions during
he latter part OF the eighteenth cen
ury became deplorable Even the
title children worked from five In the
morning until nine at night. In these
working days OF ~. Is and rs hours,
he Saturday half holiday was forgot
en-, only to be revived after many
ears had passed
Certain states and cities have legis-
ated in favor OF Saturday half holt
ay. This Is true in New York. New
ersey. Pennsylvania. Maryland. Ten
esnee Virginia I'm The city NJ No,v 4