The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-08-12
Mellow Puritanism.
(New York Times)


 On Tuesday the 3OOth anniversary of the forna- tion of the Massachusetts State Government will be officially commemorated by a great meeting on Boston Common In an article Tn the July New England Quarterly, "New England in the l730s, MT H. B. Parkes shows us the mitigatad Pulitan- ism which had sprung up in the course of a cen tury. The older, more rigid and superstitious form existed but was fading. The young ladies of Bos- ton eager readers of novels. The works of Aphra Behn and the Restoration comedies were on sale at the bookstores. Presumably, this would not be suffered now. The other day Boston poker player had to forfeit twice his earnings under statute of 1740 enforced for the first time.
 The older Boston was lively town It had ,157 licensed drinking places. In others, unlicensed gambling went all night In l75O every eighth house was said to be drink-shop. In the seven teenth century it had been predicted that Satan had chosen the colony for his millennial residence The witchcraft delusion seemed to confirm the theory in the minds of the stratest sect not a little fattered to be the object of such diabolica designs In the 173os solemn Underwriters in the newspapers complained that the younger generation was all for dance and parties. The city WomenfolX
 trpped about the street with jewels and patches, in scarlet hoods and great hooped
 petticoats. There always something hap | pening in Boston-a fire or a frolic riot or an execution; and the hoped petticoats,
 wedged in among the crowds, were the terror of the bystanders
 A victory any anniversary was made the ex- 
 the street The taverns crowded. Servants, children, went out for lark Sometimes prefigur- ing later events, festivity reached point Of riot Drunken bands of sailors laborers and Negroes paraded the town smashing property and molesting women" The solemn etter-writers fled to their homes and inkstands and eveled their wrath against "a rude and intoxicated rabble' The luxury of the West Indian mercants, their purple and fine linen their silver and their portraits, have been almost tresomely dwet on. Few of us remember, if We ever knew that in that little seaport swarming with sailors and foreigners were perhaps 5000 Indians and Negroes These last required to be in- doors by in the evening, but the law was rarely enforced
 Rarely enforced: that is the appropriate com ment on a good deal of Puritan" legislation. A rogue in the pillory peted by the mob; murderer haled to church of a Sunday and marched through crowded streets, remind that Boston was but 3 miniature of Hogarths London, noisy and brutal 1T large part, but enjoying itself in its hand, thee , was plenty of refinement good taste, distinction The countrymen, despised by the Bostonians, lovec to visit the city Here is pleasant picture:
 Parsons to attend convention,
 gentlemen to put their daughters to
 school, and meet their old classmates at
 the nns dine with the Boston clergymen, walk down Cornhll to the bookshops to turn reproductions of Raphael and Michael e Angelo Rubens and Poussin to discuss
 with the bookseller the latest publications f from England.
 S Washing becoming the fashion You couli n Iget bath for five shngs. The first waSh-basi' was imported in 1740. The of forks had begun Even in the country there dancing and frolck . ing Even there the passion for color expressed II itself Sundays "the men tricked themselves ou y in long red coats with three dozen buttons"