ANCIENT PROHIBITION LAWS.
It would seem to be much easier, on a wave of popular delusion or fanaticism, to enact absurd prohibitory laws than to secure the removal of these objectionable enactments from the statute books. In 1794. the Puritans of the New England States of America passed a number of laws for the observance of Sunday, including the following 1. There shall be no manner of work done on the Sabbath Day, and there shall be no bargaining, trading, or otherwise indulging in worldy pursuits during the period designated as the Sabbath Day. 2. The Sabbath Day shall begin at sundown on Saturday 3. No beast of burden, man ser - vant, or maid servant, shall be called upon to do any manner of labor on the Sabbath Day. 4. No husband shall kiss his wife, and no. mother shall kiss her* child, on the Sabbath or any day of fasting. 5. No person shall undertake a journey, travel, cook victuals, shave, or otherwise defile the Sabbath Day by other untoward conduct. 6. No one shall run on the Sabbath Day, or walk in his garden or elsewhere, except reverently to and from his or her place of worship. 7. It shall be unlawful for any person to - disturb the peace of the Sabbath Day by indulging in unworthy or worldly conversation on the public roads on that day. It may be easily imagined what soi t of reign of terror was set up in the early days, when Praisegod Barebones and other fanatics gloried in spying on their neighbour and gloated over their punishment for domestic foundlings or walks in the garden. Wonderful to relate, these laws are still in force, and in Philadelphia are today being used by the police for the petty persecution of small traders who are not of the political color. The x-esult is that a 'crusade has been started by a number of citizens who are demanding the repeal of these obsolete statutes. Their method is to lay all sorts of informations and to-insist upon conditions, so as to arouse public opinion against the obnoxious laws. It- is not recorded that the crusade has been successful. *
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Bibliographic details
Motueka Star, Volume IV, Issue 190, 16 June 1903, Page 4
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362ANCIENT PROHIBITION LAWS. Motueka Star, Volume IV, Issue 190, 16 June 1903, Page 4
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