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.
* * * * *
The Middlesex Sabbath Association meet in November, 1815, but find nothing
to do. No Sabbath-breakers reported, probably.