Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-09-11
ODD ENGLISH laws
Every Act Of British Subject Car
Be Regulated.
Statute Books Of the Realm Contain
Much That Is Of Interest, Show
ing How Parliament Regulated
Life Of the People.

4
realm are a vast storehouse of In
formation for the historian and an
tiouarian, and even for the merely
curious they contain much that is OF
interest as showing how, in the lone
ago, parliament carefully regulated
the daily life, the food, the clothing.
the amusements, the business, the re
ligious worship, and even the burlsl
of the people of this country, says
London Tit-Bits
Most of the regulations are, Of
course, now obsolete, and many com
/ prehensive repeating acts have beer
passed in recent years, but there still
remain some little known restrictions
which would cause great consterna-
ton If they were suddenly enforced.
The proper observance of Sunday is
insisted on in many old and unre-
pealed statutes. No one can lawfully
be present at any meeting or assembly
of people out of his own parish on
Sunday for the purpose of indulging
in any sport or pastime Whatsoever
a prohibition which would tend mate
rally to the reduction of the poor
rate if 1t were universally enforced
today, for the penalty, So 4d, is to be
devoted to the relief of the poor. 1t
is hardly necessary to add that only
lawful games may be INDUCED in
within the parish.
Thus, the members of the village
cricket club may legally play a game
of cricket among themselves on
Sunday, but they canont play match
with the team from a neighboring vii
lage, for one of the contesting elev-
ems would necessarily be out Of their
own parish.
Members of the numerous play pro
ducing societies may be interested to
know that the act of Charles /. forbid
ding the performance of plays OF
Sunday is still unrepealed.
Exposing or offering goods for sale
on Sunday may still entail forfeiture
Of the wares; no drover, horse cours-
er, WAGNER, butcher, or higher may
travel or go to an inn on the Lords
day, and any tradesman, workman,
laborer, or person of like degree who
on Sunday follows his ordinary call
Ing works of necessity and charity
excepted), is liable to a penalty of 5s
The game of bowls is a very popu
lar pastime, but how many of tn
thousands who indulge in it are awar'
that it is still enacted that mo man
ner of person shall at any time plal
ut any bowl or bowles in other places
cut of his garden or orchard" undel
penalty of 6s Sd for each offense.
Again, it is unlawful for workmen
laborers or servants, or for seamer
or fishermen, to play at tennis, dice
cards, or quoits, except at Christmas
time, and even at that festive seasol
they must not play in their masters
houses or in their masters presence
Indeed, any one at all who take
part in such games as faro, basset
hazard or roulette, or in any game
played with dice, except backgam
man, does so at his peril, for all these
and few others are unlawful games.
Statutes of 200 years ago still for
bid us to indulge in lotteries, raffles.
sweepstakes, or any scheme where
by prizes are distributed by lot OF
chance. Horse races within ten miles
of Charing Cross can only be held at
properly licensed places, and any one
taking part in an unlicensed race
may be fined e10 or be sent to prison
for two months.
Such exhibitions as the batting Of
lions, bears, bulls and badgers, cock
fighting and dog fights are prohibited
by old acts OF parliament, and curl
Gus side light on ancient habits is
found in the still existing enactment
of Edward l. that fairs and markets
must not be held in the church yards.
The old sumptuary laws, which pre-
scribed the clothes that might be worn
by various classes, have been re-
pealed, but still members of parlia-
ment are forbidden to wear armour or
carry arms within the precincts of
parliament, and no one is to go
armed to any market or fair, but
subjects that are protestants may
have arms suitable for their defense"
A gentleman who INDUCES In pro-
fame swearing or cursing is liable to
pay FIVE shillings for each oath; but
Taborers, sailors and private soldiers
may give vent to their feelings at one
shilling a time. Women, II would
seem. may swear without mourning
any legal penalty at all, so long as
they do not swear in the street.
Under acts of the early Edwards
the king is still entitled to take pos
session of any whale or sturgeon
caught in British waters or cast on
eur coasts. The old lawyers said that
the head of the whale belongs to the
king. the body to the finder and the
tail TO the queen. The reason given
for her maiesty's erQuisite-namely
that the tail contains whalebone for
the queens wardrobe-is singularlS
lnconclusiYe, as every child knOws
nowadays that the whalebone is IL
the head, The sovereign is alsr