For the children of Salem Village Sundays consisted of sitting still on hard benches through two three-hour sermons. They had to work hard, pray, and have no fun.
The adult Puritans of Salem Village, Massachusetts who were mostly somber and severe in their daily lives, demanded that their children act accordingly. Both children and adults were expected to work hard and observe all religious rules set out by the church and its leaders. Even relaxation was associated with the meetinghouse, as their place of worship was called. However, the pious example the adults supposedly set for their offspring was, in many cases, an absolute sham bordering on nonexistence.
Avoid Evil Temptations
On Sunday morning the children of Salem Village trudged off to church with their parents and other adults. There they endured a three-hour sermon while regulated to hard benches. Throughout this service the children heard words of warning to have extreme caution against all sorts of evil temptations. Evidently at some point in these droning sermons the children, a select few adolescent girls, ceased to listen for soon evil mischief was to raise its horned head.
Of course, the minister knew the names of everyone in the village and woe it was to any child who wiggled, or fell asleep, or showed any signs of impatience during the long three-hour church services. They could be certain of encountering the minister's wrath later.
A Brief Respite
What relief the children must have felt when, at last, the final prayer was said and they were somewhat free from their confines.
But, alas, that was not the end of the religious observance for the day. In the afternoon another long sermon was to be endured. There was no getting out of it either. It was the law, set down by the church leaders. And all could look forward to a rerun of the long ordeal on the following Wednesday to come.
Adult Gossip: Fuel for Youthful Over-Reaction
Perhaps looking forward to the brief respite between morning and afternoon services helped the children to endure the ordeal. Now they had a brief opportunity to talk to friends. It was also a chance to hear the things that the adults said to each other, things that certainly made an impression on their young and budding minds. And therein many problems arose. Were what their parents and other adults said news, or was it bordering on malicious gossip?
Recommended Reading:
Children Beware of Demons: Cotton Mather Gives Warning, available on October 14, 2006.
Growing Up in Salem, Massachusetts: Rebelling Against Adult Rule
Cotton Mather: A Believer in Witchcraft.
Cotton Mather Condemns Witches: Salem and Boston
Source:
Jackson, Shirley. The Witchcraft of Salem Village. Random House, New York, 1956.
