The moral high ground & Chariton's 1880 City Code

Earlier this month, I wrote about William Mullen's 1888 encounter with Chariton's blasphemy law: "Blasphemy, truth, William Mullen & C.C. Leech."  So I thought it might be informative to look in depth at Chariton's 1880 City Code --- upon which Mr. Mullen's fine for telling off Mr. Leech in blasphemous terms was based.

The code had been adopted by City Council on Jan. 8, 1880, at a time when E.B. Woodward was mayor and J.D. Hull, city clerk, and became effective upon publication in the city's newspapers immediately thereafter.

Much of it was fairly routine stuff, but Ordinance No. 31, while not extraordinary for the time, contains several sections that seem just a trifle too obsessed with public morality for the taste of most 21st century Lucas Countyans. 

I've picked out a few of those sections, including Section 7, a personal favorite: "No person shall, within the city, stand for service, or exhibit, or cause to be stood for service or exhibited, any stallion, jack, bull or boar, unless entirely excluded from the public view or the view of any private family."

You just never knew what might spark an undue interest in the mechanics of reproduction if the eyes of impressionable citizens were not shielded.

ORDINANCE NO. XXXI

An Ordinance defining certain offenses, and providing for the punishment of the offenders.

Be it  ordained by the City Council of the City of Chariton.

Section 1. No person shall, within the limits of the city use any abusive, profane, blasphemous, obscene or offensive language to or about any other person.

Section 2. No person shall use any profane, blasphemous, vulgar or obscene language in or on any public place within the limits of the city.

Section 3. No person shall make, or cause to be made, any loud, boisterous or unusual noise, to the disturbance or annoyance of any other person within the city.

Section 4. No person shall disturb or annoy any place of worship, or  person therein worshipping, or any lawful assembly of persons congregated together, by any rude, boisterous or unbecoming language or behavior, in or near the place of worship, or place of assembly, within this city.

Section 5. No person shall, within the city limits, follow the avocation of a prostitute, neither shall any person, for the purpose of prostitution, resort, or go to a place where a prostitute stays or is kept.

Section 6. No person shall, within this city publicly appear in a state of nudity or in an indecent or obscene dress, or in a dress not belonging or appropriate to his or her person or sex, or make any indecent exposure of his or her  person to any one, or expose his or her person in a state of undress before any window fronting on any street or alley, or be guilty of any lewd or indecent conduct before anyone, or in any public place sell, or offer to sell, or exhibit to any person, any lewd or obscene book, picture, paper, publication or representation, or perform any indecent or obscene play or representation on the stage, or take part, either publicly or otherwise, in playing or performing, or assisting in playing or performing of any indecent or obscene play.

Section 7. No person shall, within the city, stand for service, or exhibit, or cause to be stood for service or exhibited, any stallion, jack, bull or boar, unless entirely excluded from the public view or the view of any private family.

Section 8. No person shall, within the city, publicly, or  so as to be seen or heard by the public, or within hearing or sight of a private residence, play at billiards, pool, ten pins, pigeon hole, carondolet, cards, quoits or other games of amusement or chance on the Sabbath day.

Section 22. No person shall disturb the peace and quietude of the city, or of any person or persons within the city, by fighting or quarrelling with any person or persons. Neither shall any person offer to fight any other person or persons within the city.

Section 23. No person shall, within the city, keep any bawdy house, or house of ill fame, or house of assignation, or any disorder control, to be used for any such purpose; and no person shall be found in or remain in any store, shop, saloon or place of business after the close of the same for business, or in any room or apartment or building not used as a dwelling in company with any common prostitute.

No person shall, within the city, play at cards, dice, faro, roulette or other game, for money, or other things, nor bet, wager, or stake any money or thing on the result of any game, race, thing, transaction or event, nor establish, operate, or keep, or permit to be operated or kept, in any place of building in his possession, or under his control, or assist in keeping or operating any gaming tables, or gambling device, or any room or place for gambling purposes, where any game of chance to skill is, or shall be played for money or property.