THE TOWN'S CHURCH AND ITS DIVORCE. 357 



meetings was to care for the public worship. School 

 matters were much smaller — perhaps one quarter as 

 much money being expended on them. 



Because of the large proportion of church business 

 done by the precinct, it was frequently called a " parish " 

 or "society"; but the precinct was always a political and 

 not a religious organization. In the exercise of its two 

 most important affairs — the church and the school — it 

 may be well to note first the management of the church, 

 and afterwards that of the school. 



The first pastor, Nehemiah Hobart, was ordained, as we 

 saw, December 13, 172 1, in a meeting-house upon the pub- 

 lic land, the occasion being a public festival paid for by 

 the precinct taxes. 



The house had no pews, no carpet, no lamps, no organ, 

 no tapestry ; the seats were only benches and the pulpit 

 a plain box high enough to make the hearers look up. 

 The galleries reached across three sides, and their floors 

 were slanted towards the middle of the house. Indians 

 and negroes, whether slaves or free, could occupy these 

 upper places with any others who might stray into them, 

 while the more dignified men and women sat upon benches 

 on the main floor, the women on one side, the men on the 

 other side of the middle aisle. 



Small windows of diamond-shaped panes held together 

 by strips of lead — these brought from England — were 

 placed in the outside walls. They were opened for air in 

 the summer during the service, but in the winter they 

 were nailed fast. 



A janitor was first chosen in the year 1720 to care for 

 this edifice at a salary of fifteen shillings, not quite four 

 dollars; but for this sum he had "to get the casements 

 hung, and glass mended, besides fastening the doors," 

 sweeping once every two weeks. 



There was no bell to be rung, but people had plenty of 

 time, and upon Sunday morning, when they saw their 



