Are you a person of evil design or evil fame?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340043)
Rockingham, Australia
July 16, 2022 9:29pm CST
Some time back, and it might even have been on Bubblews, someone wrote regularly about some of the strange laws which existed in certain states in the USA.
Now there has been an article written about some of Australia’s more inane laws. One of the earliest, in 1849, forbade the flying of kites in the street or in a public place. Maybe kites scared the horses or perhaps it was to try to keep kids off the streets.
Records from 1931 tell of a 17-year-old convicted of playing cricket on the road. A week before, he’d been charged with riding his bike no-hands. You couldn’t beat your carpet in the street, not take your dog into a public garden or park.
Caning was a regular part of school-life with ‘Corporal Punishment’ books being filled out by the dozen for such things as laziness, inattention, disobedience, cheating, carelessness, talking in class, refusing to sing, and more unusual offences such as removing spark plugs from a teacher's car, being caught eating sandwiches in the toilets, and forging mother's comment 'good' on reading assignments.
Life could be tough for adults too, who could be convicted of ‘evil design’ if police thought a person looked like they were going to carry out a crime. For a conviction of ‘evil fame’, you just had to look a bit dodgy. I suppose in some ways we’ve moved on a little.
Photo is mine showing a class photo from 1926. My uncle is on the left of the middle row.
24 people like this
21 responses
@allknowing (136464)
• India
18 Jul 22
@RubyHawk There was this nun who did that. Frustration indeed (lol)
5 people like this
@allknowing (136464)
• India
18 Jul 22
School life was good except that it depended on who our teachers were. There were a couple who had sadistic tendencies and would punish us for nothing.
6 people like this
@RubyHawk (99405)
• Atlanta, Georgia
18 Jul 22
@allknowing Some teachers take their meanness out on the children.
5 people like this
@Beestring (14560)
• Hong Kong
17 Jul 22
Are all these laws removed in Australia now? I think in some places, such kind of laws still exist.
4 people like this
@allknowing (136464)
• India
18 Jul 22
Even our school leaving photo was in black and white and I have a copy which I share with classmates who did not buy it those days.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (136464)
• India
18 Jul 22
@JudyEv You and I belong to ancient times 
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137259)
• United States
17 Jul 22
A lot of those kids look dodgy to me. 
I'm sweet and innocent! You can ask anybody and they'll tell you I say that all the time. 
I'm sweet and innocent! You can ask anybody and they'll tell you I say that all the time. 2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137259)
• United States
18 Jul 22
@JudyEv Either they didn't like having their picture taken or they were threatened with punishment for smiling at the camera.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340043)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Jul 22
@DaddyEvil I think 'evil' would apply to most of them, judging by the expressions. 
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (178701)
• United States
17 Jul 22
That could have been me that wrote those posts! Thank you for the funny laws. Great picture!!!!
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (160677)
• United States
17 Jul 22
I am afraid I might have been found guilty of looking at someone in just the wrong way.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340043)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Jul 22
If you had an unfortunate face, you could be picked up for nothing.
@marguicha (223028)
• Chile
17 Jul 22
There are still laws in every country that are funny. But about evil crimes, our teachers could do almost what they wanted when I was a child. I always thought that my school was a sort of reformatory and was very happy to get out and go to the university 
1 person likes this
@marguicha (223028)
• Chile
18 Jul 22
@JudyEv Now it is much different here. But when I was a child usually the word of a teacher was the word of God
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340043)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Jul 22
@marguicha And parents backed up the teachers so if you were in trouble at school you could also be in trouble at home.
@JudyEv (340043)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Jul 22
Once, parents stood right behind the teachers but now teachers' hands are tied in many cases and they aren't able to discipline kids much at all. That isn't to say I condone caning but some children really try the patience of their teachers.
1 person likes this
@misunderstood_zombie (8142)
• United States
18 Jul 22
That evil design reminds me of 1984 and the Thought Police. I would be terrified to leave my home. Thankfully it's all old laws now. That's a sweet picture of your uncle.
1 person likes this
@misunderstood_zombie (8142)
• United States
18 Jul 22
@JudyEv I guess some people never stood a chance. I'm sure the USA had laws just as unkind.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (180770)
• United States
17 Jul 22
It's a good thing I wasn't going to school in those days. I have the feeling I would have been caned frequently. Our schools used to allow paddling, but it was rarely done, and only to the boys it seemed. I do remember waiting after class to watch Wayne Morschauser get paddled by the art teacher. The teacher looked up and saw me, and I ran out of there as fast as my legs could carry me. I could just imagine the teacher Mr. Donofrio, known to have a temper to say, "Do you want to be next?"
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (106323)
• Marion, Ohio
17 Jul 22
Some of those are scary. Like the evil design and fame ones.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (35615)
•
17 Jul 22
Governments can make some oppressive laws for sure. Some have some validity to them depending on viewpoint, others are totally ridiculous. I don't think anything has changed over the years except for the kinds of ridiculous laws passed.
1 person likes this
@58lordstreet (1668)
•
17 Jul 22
Well I did a few things against the law lol, but the laws for gay people were different then , you had to be 21 for one thing...... or going back further you couldnt be one at all
1 person likes this
