INDUSTRIES AND FIRESIDES. 239 



Into the little old meeting-house on the plain came scuff- 

 ing upon the wooden floor the heavy boots of some 

 twenty or more laboring men each Sabbath, with twice as 

 many women and children. 



In the gallery sat what few negroes and Indians* were 

 slaves of the settlers. On the rude benches across the 

 main floor the men sat in one section, the women and 

 children in another, and the deacons f in front of the 

 pulpit, looking towards the people. 



A very few could sing a little, and the minister, Nehe- 

 miah Hobart, could preach a good deal, so that a long 

 service was carried through ; and then after a noon hour 

 of social and other refreshment, the afternoon service 

 was undertaken. Sleepiness prevailed very generally in 

 the second service when the sermon was in course. But 

 the spirit of true religion in some persistent way would 

 rise above all natural hindrances and give to human souls 

 a bit of spirituality. The servants and small boys could 

 go barefoot to meeting during the summer, but the girls 

 and women and freemen who had finer self-esteem must 

 appear in shoes, even if they walked most of the way 

 across pastures barefoot with shoes in hand. For about 

 ten years there were no pews in the church, but privacy 

 and comfort soon demanded this change. When the light 

 was cut off from some pews by the height of the parti- 

 tions, pew windows were allowed to be cut through the 

 outside walls at the expense of the owner.| 



Attendance at church grew with the settlement until in 



* The following persons owned Indian or negro slaves in 1749 : Stephen Stod- 

 der I, James Stetson i, John Jacob i, Joseph Bates 4, Aaron Pratt i, Daniel 

 Tower i, Samuel Bates 2, David Bates 1, Daniel Lincoln i, Edward Battles I. 

 Sarah Wapping, an Indian woman, was taken into communion with the church 

 January 7, 1737-38. 



tjohn Jacob was first deacon, chosen March 25, 1722. Joseph Bates, second 

 deacon, chosen March 5, 1726-27. Lazarus Beal, third deacon, chosen March 13, 

 1737- 



+ December 30, 1731, Nathaniel Nichols was voted liberty to do this. March 15, 

 1735-36 Widow Susanna Lincoln was voted this privilege. 



