CHAPTER XVII. 



THE town's church AND ITS DIVORCE. 



IN dealing with the two wars and the daily industries 

 of the town we have neglected two important sources 

 of civic power, the church and the school. 



Some reference to them was made in the establishment 

 of precinct autonomy in the year 1717, but a whole cen- 

 tury has intervened between that year and the years fol- 

 lowing the War of 1812. 



During that century the church continued to nourish 

 the spiritual powers of the people, with a slow advance 

 in the methods of supplying religious wants. The town 

 itself in the beginning undertook the task of providing for 

 this element in human nature. It secured by a general 

 contribution of property holders a meeting-house, placed 

 upon public land. In its precinct meetings committees 

 were appointed to secure preachers, and the expenses were 

 paid out of the public treasury by votes of the precinct. 

 These expenses were more than all other expenses com- 

 bined, and yet the question seems never to have been 

 raised whether this religious function really belonged to 

 the precinct business. 



For four years, until December 13, 1721, the precinct 

 carried on worship without the existence of any church, 

 and at that date there were only seven men besides the 

 pastor who took the vows of a Christian covenant. These 

 men were not elected by the precinct to take charge 

 of its religious interests, for that responsibility was 

 supposed to belong to the whole community whether 

 members of the church or not. 



For fifty-three years the main business of the precinct 



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