New Ulm review., 1921-03-09
BLUE LAWS"
IN MINNESOTA
THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF
THEM, AYERS A LOCAL
LEGAL LIGHT.
HUNTING AND FISHING ARE
TABOO. BUT BASEBALL
is PERMITTED.

The nationwide attempt to foist
old-fashioned Puritan ''blue laws"
anent Sunday observance upon the
people of the United States may seem
somewhat impossible of accomplish
ment, and still the residents of Mime
sofa have no reason to sit back with
complacent air and feel that the
sturdy Western pioneers, who settled
this great commonwealth, never
bothered their heads about such
questions. AS matter of fact, the
statute books of the grand state of
Minnesota today contain "blue laws"
as strict and as rigorous as any that
are being urged for adoption and en-
forcement in the East, the hotbed of
intolerant religious legislation.
Believing that it will interest many
OF our readers to peruse a brief sum-
mary of some of the Sabbath-day laws.
that are now in effect in Minnesota,
but which are not being enforced very.
strictly, we interviewed a prominent
local attorney on the matter and he
has obligingly given US resume of
these statutes for publication in the
Review.
Many Pleasures Prescribed.
The laws relative to Sunday OBJ
servance in Minnesota plainly and
specifically state that there shall be
no hunting, shooting or fishing on the
Lords day. There shall be no horse
racing (nothing being contained in the
statutes relative to- automobile or
motorcycles races as these vehicles
were practically unknown in those
days, and gaming or gambling of any
kind is also prescribed. Worst of all,
the law says that there shall be no
playing" on the Sabbath day. Z
Taken in the broadest sense, this
would mean that golf, tennis, possibly
cards, checkers or even tiddle-de-
winks could not form the diversion of
Sunday afternoon or evening, fol
= who can vouchsafe to say what our
esteemed forefathers meant when they
chose to prescribe "playing' on the
Lords day Indeed, under similar
law in Massachusetts, it has been re-
Gently held that golf cannot be played
on Sunday.
Laws Against Labor.
All physical labor, except works Of
necessity, is also held as, unlawful.
And who can say what is needful labor
under the meaning OF the law, par
ticularly if layman attends the
movies every evening during the week
and then hoes in his garden on Sunday
morning during the summer. time?
In this day and age, the law may also
be construed to include physical
exertions on the family car; getting it
in trim for a pleasure trip, especially
if the head of the family, in the role Of
chief mechanic, should ease his feelings
when, perchance, the wrench slips and
causes painful bruises to be inflicted
upon the flesh OF his hands.
L liz ogdelkICS dioO SCdGc JIldL CnGrG
shall be no Shows" on the Sabbath,
but the supreme court has ruled that
this means outdoor shows, such as
carnivals or a circus, but does not in,
clude inside entertainments" such
as movies or legitimate attractions. .
Many "OTenses'' Covered. vi
Not content with specifying that
many of the things which people now
greatly enjoy on Sunday, should be
prohibited, the law goes even farther
and says that anything which in any
way interferes with the religious re-
pose Of the community shall be in
cluded in the list of acts prescribed.
All noises which are likely to interfere
with the repose of the community are
enumerated as being under the ban.
Fortunately for the ardent Sunday
motorist, automobiles were practically
an unknown quantity when our present
"b!ue laws were enacted, otherwise
the operation Of motor vehicle.
possibly with two or more cylinders
missing, or with the carburetor back
firing, or with tire suddenly and
noisily blowing out, would undoubted-
ly have been included in the list Of
prescribed Sabbath-day pleasures in in
Minnesota. Il
Baseball is Permitted. .
Unquestionably the legislators in
those days were ardent baseball fans,
for this national pastime is especially
permitted between the hours Of / and
6 o'clock in the afternoon, providing
that it be played in a quiet and orderly
manner. What an irony, for only
a baseball game in which both teams,
the umpire and all of the attending
fans would be. deaf-mutes, could be
classed as quiet and orderly!') \
Endorsement Lacking.
Even the present administration 81
Minnesota, which during the past
campaign tombatted Socialism on the