"Blue Laws" in 1755

Wed Nov 7 04:59:12 UTC 2007

Unfortunately, the messages that Fred and I exchanged recognizing the
dream and the genuineness of the 1755 date were off-list.  My
apologies to ADS-L.

Joel

At 11/6/2007 09:29 PM, George Thompson wrote:
>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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> >
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>
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