"Blue Laws" in 1755

Wed Nov 7 02:29:38 UTC 2007

A couple of weeks ago, Joel Berson posted a passage referring to "Blue Laws" from 1755.  However, a date from 1775 also appeared in the full original.
Fred Shapiro wrote:
Although I would hope that the OED will check the original paper if it is available, or at least the microform, there seems every reason to believe that this is a genuine 1755 occurrence of _blue laws_.

I have checked the microfilm, in the "Early American Newspapers" collection.  The 1755 date is correct.  The story is a very long dream vision, of a future in which the Church of England had lost its status and Presbyterians had become ascendant.
"While these visionary Ideas were disturbing my natural Repose, I dreamed, that I heard the Printer's Man, crying the New-York Gazette, of whom, (as I was ever desirous of knowing the worst of Things,) I purchased one, which made such a strong Impression on my Mind, that I perfectly remember the Contents yet. . . ."
The paper he bought (in his dream) was dated May 20th, 1775.  The sentence on the "Blue Laws" was one of a half dozen or so reporting incidents of repression and cruelty directed toward Anglicans or Quakers.

The indication that newspapers were sold on the streets is also interesting, to me, anyway.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Shapiro, Fred" <Fred.Shapiro at YALE.EDU>
Date: Sunday, October 28, 2007 6:51 pm
Subject: "Blue Laws" in 1755
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU

> Joel,
>
> Absolutely fascinating.  I have long been aware of this hit in Early
> American Newspapers/America's Historical Newspapers, but I had assumed
> it was a misdated newspaper because there are so many 1775 dates in
> it.  But looking at the page for a few minutes, it has dawned on me
> that much of this newspaper issue is a dream sequence -- the writer,
> writing in 1755, is dreaming about a future 1775 newspaper issue.
> The "Revolution" referred to is some imaginary British revolution, not
> the real American Revolution of 1775. The article two articles before
> the one mentioning _blue laws_ explicitly says that it is describing a
> dream newspaper issue.   Although I would hope that the OED will check
> the original paper if it is available, or at least the microform,
> there seems every reason to believe that this is a genuine 1755
> occurrence of _blue laws_.  Well done, Joel!
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
> Joel S. Berson [Berson at ATT.NET]
> Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 5:18 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: "Blue laws 1755 antedates 1762; "blue law" (singular) 1792
> not in              OED2
>
> (1)  Well, Fred Shapiro, it's not Paul Scholes' assertion of a
> quotation from Smith's phantom 1767 "History of New York", but it may
> be (see Note) earlier than the "earliest" 1762 quotation!  "Blue
> laws," 1755:
>
> "Hartford, (in Connecticut) May 12. Since the happy Revolution, and
> the Revival of our old Blue Laws, we have the Pleasure to see the
> Lord's Work go on with Success; all different Persuasions do now
> again pay our Ministers, which is said to be a great Help to many of
> our Towns in the back Settlements."
>
> New-York Mercury, 1755 March 3, 1/3 {EAN].
>
> NOTE:  My eye of suspicion having been poked by the phrase "Since the
> happy Revolution" and by a Hartford dateline of May in a March NY
> paper, and wondering what revolution there was in New York in 1755
> (some constitutional crisis, or "the" Revolution?), I looked further
> into this issue.  The "blue laws" item is preceded at a distance by a
> headline "The New-York Gazette. May, 20th, *1775*", and there are a
> few more items on pages 1 and 2 dated May or 1775.  I browsed
> further, but did not see anything blatant that would place the
> contents in 1775 versus 1755; a closer reading might reveal something.
>
> As to the masthead, it is Number 134; No. 133 is dated Feb. 24, 1755;
> No. 13[5?] is dated March 10, 1755; No. 136 is dated March 17,
> 1755.  EAN says the NY Mercury was published from Aug. 31, 1752 to
> Jan. 25, 1768 (after which its title changed), as does the Harvard
> catalog.  If so, the 1775 dates in my issue must be incorrect.
>
> Perhaps I have here, in the spirit of the season, a ghoulish,
> Googlish tale.  But I think not; the 1755 date seems to be
> genuine.  I have no idea where the May 1775 dates come from.  Perhaps
> I should scroll through the microfilm.
>
> (2)  "Blue law", singular, not in OED2.
>
> "He therefore hoped the house would not accept the report then under
> consideration; but that they would gratify the very respectable town
> of Boston in its request, and permit a bill to be brought in for
> repealing this unsocial, illiberal, unconstitutional, rigid blue Law."
>
> ("Speech of Mr. Gardiner in the General Court, on the subject of a Theatre.")
>
> Essex Journal, 1792 Feb. 8, 4/3 [EAN].
>
> (3)  An early "blue laws", interdates 1762 (not in OED2) -- 1781 S.
> Peters Hist. Connecticut.
>
> They declare that a more unrighteous edict is not among their Blue Laws.
>
> Pennsylvania Ledger, 1778 March 11, 3/3 [EAN].
>
> Joel
>
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