through many Western towns and villages, even in some of the larger cities The writer happened to he in one such community—n large and orderly town in the mining region—when it was passing through the moral throes that resulted in the nightly ringing of the curfew bell; which in this case happened to be the hig bell of the Methodist chapel, as being of powerful tone and centrally located. "It was found that young people of both sexes were hanging about the street corners until late in the evening, and that the boys were haunting saloonsind billiard rooms, Their parents were either indifferent or were unable to control the children, and axa result the disorderly "hoodlum" class was being rapidly recruited. Several juvenile robberies added to public fecling"on the subject, until suddenly, as if by unanimous consent of all the elements of law and order in the town, the edict went forth that Curfew should ring thereafter at eight p.m. nightly (in the winter); and any child found loafing on the street without excuse after that time, should be taken in charge by the constable.
The independent type of social life found in the States has been much congratulating itself of late on its freedom from the petty trammels of ~'blue-laws" and other forms of Puritanical legislation in interference with the personal liberty. Liberty of the individual subject has become a wearisome shibboleth. And yet here, apparently without opposition, a wave of Line-law legislation is sweeping over the West, trenching on personal. liberty in an extraordinary and unheard of fashion. what is this reaction carrying us? Evidently to further paternalism in government and to sumptuary laws not a few.
Not to mention the prohibition of the sale of cigarettes to minors in certain States,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.