84 History of Hingliam. 



" It being one chief project of that old deluder, Satan, to keep men 

 from the knowledge of the scripture, as in former times keeping them in 

 unknown tongues, so in these latter times by persuading from the use of 

 tongues, so that at least the true sense and meaning of the original might 

 be clouded and corrupted with false glosses of deceivers ; to the end that 

 learning may not be buried in the graves of our forefathers, in church and 

 commonwealth, the Lord assisting our endeavours ; 



" It is therefore ordered by this Court and authority thereof ; that every 

 township within this jurisdiction, after the Lord hath increased them to the 

 number of fifty householders, shall then forthwith appoint one within 

 their towns to teach all such children as shall resort to him to write and 

 read, whose wages shall be paid either by the parents or masters of such 

 children or by the inhabitants in general, by way of supply, as the major 

 part of those that order the prudentials of the town shall appoint : pro- 

 vided that those who send their children be not oppressed by paying more 

 than they can have them taught for in other towns. 



" And it is further ordered that where any town shall increase to the 

 number of one hundred families or householders, they shall set up a 

 grammar school, the master thereof being able to instruct youth so far as 

 they may be fitted for the university : and if any town neglect the per- 

 formance hereof above one year, then every such town shall pay five 

 pounds per annum to the next such school, till they shall perform this 

 order." 



The best evidence which can be gathered confirms the belief 

 that the meeting-house and schoolhouse stood side by side ; that 

 the inhabitants of Hingham waited for no law to compel them to 

 regard the education of their youth ; but that from the beginning 

 of the settlement, their common-sense led them to see the neces- 

 sity of " so much learning as may enable them perfectly to read 

 the English tongue." 



" It was then," says Mr. Horace Mann, " amid all their pri- 

 vations and dangers, that the Pilgrim Fathers conceived the 

 magnificent idea of a Free and Universal Education of the 

 People ; and amid all their poverty, they stinted themselves 

 to a still scantier pittance ; amid all their toils, they imposed 

 upon themselves still more burdensome labors ; amid all their 

 perils they braved still greater dangers, that they might find 

 the time and the means to reduce their grand conception to 

 practice. 



" Two divine ideas filled their great hearts, — their duty to God 

 and to posterity. For the one, they built the church ; for the 

 other, they opened the school." 



From 1668 to the present time we have definite records which 

 show clearly and distinctly the steady progress and growth of the 

 public schools in this town. Numerous items in the Selectmen's 

 Records show the amounts paid for building a schoolhouse and for 

 wages of teachers ; and in many cases the contracts with the 

 teachers are entered in full upon the records. It is interesting 

 to recall the method of making these contracts. We find the 

 following in 1670 : — 



