Delaware City press. (Delaware City, Del.) 1913-19??, 1913-08-01
Ancient Workmen Never Labored
Saturday Afternoons.
Medieval Man, Like MosIem Of East,
Took Bath in Order to Be Prepared
for Worship on sunday-Leaal-
lied In Some States.

walton. Ask any old person and he
Wall tell you that he can remember
when all laborers worked on the sew
enth day of the week just as on every
other day-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 a shorter working
day. it did not PROFOUND 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 in
England and on the continent, took
a very active part in regulating the
working hours as well as the wages
of their subjects. By doing this, 1t
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
q half for dinner, with the privilege
of nap. from May until August, and
were to work on Saturdays only until
noon. Trading in the shops on 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, t145S-94). one of the most
ferocious kings who ever sat on the
throne of the holy Roman empire,
accepted this maxim and ruled that,
in the imperial mines, the miners
were to work only eight hours 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, 1t must not be
thought that this afternoon was given
for recreation. Indeed MOTT was
bathing time for the greater part OF
the community.
Most barbarians. judged by modern
standards. we're anything but clearly
in their personal habits. In England
France and Germany bathing was an
almost unknown custo = until after
the crusades, The pilgrims from the
east brought home with them ideas OF
the bath as help in the treatment oil
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 keeping the body clean in order to
resist disease.
BY the fifteenth century there was
scarcely a large city that did no
possess well patronized public bath
ing establishments, although 1t was
not until the seventeenth century tina
the Turkish bath was introduced, ant
not until the eighteenth century tina
sea bathing, SO common among thu
American Indians, was tried expert
mentally.
Why Saturday was chosen as bath
ing time Ia not difficult to imagine
On Sunday everybody was compelle,
to go to church, whether he would o
not. AS the Moslem In the cas-
bathed before entering the mosque. 8
did the medieval man before enterin
his church, only he must take hi
bath on Saturday afternoon in orde
to be clean the following day. Their
was even a distribution of bath none
to the children whose parents wer
unable to pay for their baths.
With the introduction Of machiner
and the rise OF capitalistic class, tn
old common laws of the lands regard
ing labor came to be neglected Tn
craft guilds were abolished by La
and their property confiscated Con
bination of workmen in any form 1
England was prohibited until 1871
when it became legalized again
England industrial conditions durin
the latter part of the eighteenth ceI
fury became deplorable. Even tn
little children worked from five in tn
morning until nine at night. In thes
working days of IL, Is and IS hour
the Saturday half holiday was forgo
ten, only to be revived after man
years had passed. -.-E
Certain states and cities have legi
lated in favor of Saturday half hoI
day This is true in New York, Ne
Jersey. Pennsylvania, Maryland. Tei
nessee, Virginia, in the city of Ne
Orleans aud in New Castle count
Delaware.