Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-05-26
BLUE LAW cURlos
The Sunday Laws Of olden Time
Had Many Curious Exactions.
The Theatre In PhIladel-
phla--Some Unusual
Provlsos
Ry GEORaE NOX MCCAIN

| one OF the most interesting contributions
| to the literature on the subject is Gustavus
| Myers 'Ye Olden Blue Laws" preten-
| tious work Of nearly 300 pages
The blue laws Of New England as well
| as those Of other colonies, with odd and
curious instances of their application. con-
stitute the major portion of the work, al
| though Pennsylvania comes in for modest
| share of attention.
| The Sunday laws Of other days and States
| had far wider application than is generally
| known.
Practically everything that today can be
| regarded as amusement or recreation was
banned under the ancient statutes,
One of the first laws was against idleness.
| II was enacted by the Massachusetts colony
| In 1888.
| This did not mean mere shiftlessness or
'loafng," rs we understand IL today
Two women gossiping or talking on the
| street or a group of men in animated social
| conversation came under the definition.
DENNSYLvANIA'S first Sunday laws, in
| l. comparison with those Of the New Eng
| land colonies, were as cambric tea TO nut
| brown ale.
its law of November, 1900, simply decreed
that people should spend the day at home
reading ''the Scriptures Of truth or attend
whatever church suited them.
The law Of January, 1708, was even more
| generous and must have shocked the more
strait laced Puritanical element Of Massa-
chusetts Bay.
1t allowed the dressing Of victuals for
families, cookshops or victualing houses.
1t lcgalized the landing of passengers by
watermen on Sunday and offered no restric
tions on travel
1t permitted butchers to kill animals and
sell meat, and fishermen to sell fish on Sun
day mornings during June, July and August.
Two hundred years ago the milkman had
not progressed to the point Of ringing bell
to announce his presence at the door.
He shouted his message on the street, and
this noisy pedding of a necessity was per-
mitted before 0 in the morning and after
in the afternoon on Sundays.
According to Mr.. Myers cock fighting,
horse racing. shooting matches and other
sports became Sunday indulgences after the
middle of the eighteenth century.
The uncouth ctizenry Of that era evil
dently ran good thing in the ground.
Public sentiment was aroused, church lead
ers took hand and law was passed pro-
hibiting such events.
AS is usually the case, the restrictions
went to the other extreme.
The law of March, 1910, not only pro
hibted the Objectionable sports, but it for
bade plays or games or any kind of diversion
on Sunday.
This was the beginning Of the celebrated
Pennsylvania blue laws.
ONE thing to be said in favor Or the legal
" restrictions of the time is that they were
impartial In their application.
The buyer of articles on Sunday was con-
sidered as guilty as the seller, and could be
convicted for the offcnsc.
While Pennsylvania had no such drastic
| law on ideness as its sister colony in the
northeast, 1t did enact law against noisy
| demonstrations.
Philadelphia ministers were opposed to
loud speech. A soft, we'll modulated voice
was evidently more to their liking.
Pastor Hassellius is quoted as forbidding
| folks Singing when calling their cows,
| and ordering persons with harsh voices to
| sing softly or be mute.
| NIHE province of Penn early forbade the
J. performance of plays or theatrical per-
| formances.
In their stead tight-rope walking, animal
| shows, marionettes, and representations
having a - religious SAVIOR were introduced
into Philadelphia, They had rough shedding.
Mr. Myers has this to say concerning the
first theatrical venture in this city,:
But the ministerial group. who had long
| successfully prevented the frivolous amuse-
ment of dancing was even more opposed to
| the drama, and they soon caused the city
| officials to order the company out of the
| city"
Six years later this same company returned
to this city. They had experienced great
success in other cities.
Governor Hamilton, upon application of
a number of influential Philadelphians.
granted the players, known as Italians
Ministers vigorously protested, but the
| Governor would not cancel it.
With the Endorsement of leading citizens
| the players persisted. 1t was decided TO
! build a theatre in Southwark.
Then their opponents went TO the Lcgis-
lature with petition for law to prohibit
the construction of the playhouse.
Finally the house was completed and
| opened, but the opposition was so powerful
that the company finally left
! 1t is pointed out that at this Southwark
theatre was produced the first play by an
American author
frey. Jr.. and his work was entitled The
Prince OF Parthia." ."
A MONG the crimes and msdemeanors
n charged under these odd old statutes
were the following
An employe of the Schuylkill Navigation
Co. named Murray was summarly con
victed Of opening locks for the passage of
| boats on Sunday in 1853.
The Supreme Court reversed the verdict.
Fashion was hit wallop by the General
Court of Massachusetts in 1884, in which
1t was forbidden to any person to wear lace.
Gold and silver girdles hat bands or even
beaver hats were taboo and could be con-
fiscated sight
A woman was arrested and fined in 1859
for hanging out clothes on line on Sunday
| morning.
That the old arbiters were not without
"A sense of humor is evidenced in the fol-
lowing record in the case of Obadiah Miller
in Taunton, Mass, March 6. 1855:
.Joanc, his wife, was arraigncd for
beating and reviling her husband egging
her children to help her, bidding them
knock him on the head and wishing his
vctuals might choke him"
The woman was discharged. and the
record concludes, PUNISHED at home, " sig
nifying that Obadiah took the law into his
own hands. If he did?
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