200 HISTORY OF COH ASSET. 



the school question began to be a serious one. For some 

 reason Hingham ceased to refund the Cohasset school 

 tax ; perhaps it was because Cohasset had nothing better 

 than "dame schools" and it seemed wrong to excuse the 

 Cohasseters from their share of support in the town's 

 grammar school. 



Finally, June 23, 1725, "Daniel Lincoln and Stephen 

 Stoddard presented a request on behalf of the inhabitants 

 of Cohasset that the town would allow them their propor- 

 tion of what they pay to a school for the year ensuing." 

 But the request was denied. 



The next year (May 9, 1726) another committee — John 

 Jacob, Stephen Stoddard, and Prince Joy — requested, on 

 behalf of the Cohasseters, " that the school may be kept 

 in their place for the year ensuing, their proportion of 

 the time in the same." But this apparently reasonable 

 request was refused. 



Another year passed during which the Cohasseters 

 might ponder and nurse their indignation. 



Then (May 8, 1727) another committee — "John 

 Jacob, Joseph Bates and Prince Joy,- agents for the East 

 Precinct in Hingham" — presented "a petition praying 

 that the town would allow them the school one third part 

 of the year, or the proportion of money they pay to the 

 school." Again the familiar negative vote prevailed. 



But a higher authority, the same General Court at 

 Boston which had granted them relief from municipal 

 stubbornness ten years before in the church matter, might 

 now be invoked. 



Two months after their last refusal the precinct voted 

 to call a meeting " to know the precinct mind concerning 

 petitioning the Great and General Court concerning the 

 school." 



At that meeting (August 14, 1727) John Jacob, who 

 was then a member of the House of Representatives from 

 the town and one of the wealthiest men in all Hingham, 



