The Olden Time Series, Vol. 3: New-England Sunday | Page 6

districts to see that these laws were duly enforced. All existing laws on the Sabbath were at that time repealed, but some of the laws then passed are still in force.
The following is from Felt's "Annals of Salem:"--
1676.
April 20th. "Ordered by ye Selectmen yt the three Constables doe attend att ye three great doores of ye meeting house every Lord's day att ye end of sermon, boath forenoone and afternoone and to keep ye doors fast and suffer none to goe out before ye whole exercise bee ended, unless itt be such as they conceive have necessary occasion and to take notice of any such as shall presume to goe forth as above said and present their names as ye law directs. Ordered that all ye boys of ye towne are and shall bee appointed to sitt upon ye three paire of staires in ye meeting house on the Lord's day and Wm. Lord is appointed to look to the boyes yt sitt upon ye pulpit staires and for ye other staires Reuben Guppy is to look to and order soe many of ye boyes as may be convenient and if any are unruly to present their names as ye law directs."
On Sundays, P.M. when sermon is ended, the people in the galleries come down and march two abreast up one ile and down another until they come before the desk, for pulpit they have none. Before the desk is a long pue where the Elders and Deacons sit, one of them with a money box in his hand, into which the people as they pass, put their offerings, some _1s._, some _2s._ or a half crown, or _5s._, according to their ability and good will, after this they conclude with a psalm.
While in 1814 in some parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire the tithingmen felt obliged to issue an address of warning to the public, in Boston in 1815 Sunday seems to have been well observed. We copy two notices from the "Salem Gazette."
_To the Public._
AS the profanation of the Lord's Day is inconsistent with the welfare of society and a gross violation of the laws of the State; therefore we the undersigned, being appointed Tithingmen, give notice to the public, that we are under oath, and it has become our indispensable duty to prosecute all, who wilfully violate the laws with respect to the Lord's Day.
And we hereby request all persons, to abstain on the Lord's Day from travelling, from worldly business and amusement, and thus relieve us from the painful necessity of prosecuting for a violation of the laws of the State.
[_Signed by the Tithingmen of Concord, N.H. Salem, N.H. Bradford, Ms. Andover, Reading, Tewksbury, Beverly, Manchester, Hamilton, Ipswich, and Wilmington._]
Aug. 6, 1814.
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BOSTON JUNE 1.--At the meeting on Monday last, the town of Boston evinced its good sense by voting to postpone the choice of Tythingmen till the first Monday of March next. We venture to assert, that in no district in the universe, of the extent and population of Massachusetts, is the Sabbath more decently and sincerely observed.
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Law against keeping barber's shops open on Sunday morning in Salem in 1804:--
SUNDAY LAW IN SALEM--BARBERS' SHOPS 80 YEARS AGO.
Correspondence of the Salem Gazette.
BOSTON, Aug. 5.
About 1804 your Selectmen ordered that after a given date no barber's shop should be kept open on Sunday morning. There was no appeal from their mandate. The fatal last Sunday arrived; the customers of the esteemed Benj. Blanchard, whose shop was at the upper part of Essex street, opposite the Endicott and Cabot mansions, came as usual to have their hair tied; it was the epoch of queues, and it was necessary to their aspect in church that their back hair should be artistically bound with ribbon and their heads nicely pomatumed, even though, like Bonaparte, they shaved their own beards. This last Sunday it was observable that each gentleman, in his turn, after being barbered, instead of hurrying off as usual, resumed his seat. As the second bell began to ring, the last customer was accomplished, and the whole company rose from their chairs, filed out into Essex street, formed a line in front of Mr. Blanchard's shop, and gave three rousing cheers; then, like Burns's "Twa Dogs, each took off his several way," some to Dr. Barnard's North Church, some to Dr. Hopkins's, Dr. Bolles's, or Dr. Prince's First Church.
Salem Gazette, August, 1885.
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The Middlesex Sabbath Association meet in November, 1815, but find nothing to do. No Sabbath-breakers reported, probably.
SABBATH ASSOCIATION.
WHEREAS the Association in the county of Middlesex, for aiding in carrying into effect the Laws of this Commonwealth against the violation of the Sabbath, met at Concord in November last,--and finding nothing which required further proceedings at that time,