The Olden Time Series, Vol. 3: New-England Sunday | Page 8

authorities, and all others concerned in bringing this person to
punishment, deserve the thanks of their fellow-citizens. The town of
Salem, once so distinguished for the purity of its manners and the good
order of its society, has been disgraced of late, by outrages upon the
peace and quiet of the community, committed by noisy assemblages of
young men at the public corners--and even females have been seen to
exhibit a demeanor in the streets disreputable to the town, and
disgraceful in the highest degree to themselves. This conduct should
receive not only the discountenance, but the decided reprehension of
the respectable part of the community. Every citizen is interested, and
is moreover bound to manifest his interest by his acts, in bringing every
offender to prompt and condign punishment. The stake which every
one has in the good order of the community, is great--it behoves, then,
every one to exert himself to re-establish and preserve it.
* * * * *
In 1819 in New York there were loud complaints of the violation of the
Sabbath, as we see by an account taken from the "Salem Gazette."
NEW-YORK, JULY 14.
_VIOLATION OF THE SABBATH._

A few weeks since, a meeting of the citizens was called, to devise some
efficient means to suppress the violation of the Sabbath. A committee
was appointed to report a plan for that purpose. I wish to inquire what
that committee have done, and when another meeting is to be called to
receive their report.--The evil still remains, and is certainly
accumulating under the most aggravated forms.--Our churches are
nearly deserted on the Sabbath, while every place of amusement and
pleasurable retreat is thronged. Good authority states the numbers that
frequent Brooklyn every Sabbath, at from ten to twenty thousand, and a
proportionable number may be computed to visit every other island and
place of resort in the vicinity. We have forty-five churches, and a
population of one hundred and twenty thousand; admitting one
thousand to attend each church, it follows that seventy-five thousand
violate that command of the Apostle which requires Christians "not to
forsake the assembling of themselves together." Let the citizens
organize societies to suppress the violation of the Sabbath and all other
vice and immorality.
* * * * *
"Sabbath-breakers" had multiplied to such an extent in 1815 that
conventions were held in many of the counties in Massachusetts to see
what could be done in reference to the evil. We have a report of the
Essex convention at Topsfield, Oct. 4, 1815. The Committee say,
among other things,--
Although most men, even if they have no regard for the Divine Being
or the welfare of society, when they know that Sabbath-breaking is
offensive to the great body of the community, will, from regard to
themselves, refrain from it, yet there are some abandoned individuals,
who are so lost to all proper regard even for themselves, as well as their
Maker, and their fellow-men, that in violation of laws, human and
Divine, and in direct opposition to the wishes of the community, they
still continue to travel and labour upon the Sabbath.
Such persons ought surely to be prosecuted, and made to feel that they
cannot violate the laws of the Commonwealth, and profane the Sabbath
with impunity.

If their conduct is suffered to continue, others will be emboldened to
follow their example; the evil will again increase, and eventually
become as great as before.
But if they find that they cannot profane the Sabbath without being
subjected to the trouble, shame and expense of a penal prosecution, this
enormous evil, which has so long been undermining the best interests
of the community, and drawing down upon us Divine judgments, will
be prevented. For past experience has fully demonstrated, that wherever
the laws are prudently, and at the same time promptly and faithfully
executed, the evil will cease.
And among the Resolves passed by the Convention we find these,--
III. Resolved, that we earnestly recommend to Tythingmen, Civil
Officers and the friends of the Sabbath in every town, to prosecute, or
cause to be prosecuted, without distinction and without delay, all, who
are travelling without sufficient reason, or in any way wilfully violating
the laws respecting the Lord's Day.
V. Resolved, that we recommend to all the friends of order, to circulate
as extensively as possible, such tracts and pamphlets as are calculated
to promote the due observance of the Lord's Day.
Voted, that the Clerk be requested to send a copy of the doings of the
Convention, to the Editors of the public papers in Boston, Salem,
Newburyport and Haverhill, and that they be requested to publish the
same in their respective papers.
A full account of this convention can be found in the "Salem Gazette,"
Oct. 31, 1815. It does