372 HISTORY OF COHASSET. 



The support of churches has become purely voluntary, 

 without any supervision by the town government. Thus 

 there are many citizens who bear none of the burden of 

 public worship. It may seem unjust to distribute the bur- 

 den so unequally ; but we Americans who divorce the 

 church from the state feel that the ones most benefited 

 by the church are the supporters of it, and the ones most 

 injured by neglecting it are those themselves who neg- 

 lect it. 



There is only one point at which the town still holds a 

 public and universal allegiance to the churches, and that is 

 in exempting them all from taxes. The town's approval 

 of public worship, indeed the town's effort to furnish pub- 

 Jic worship, is shown by this exemption. 



This period of one hundred and eight years, from 17 17 

 to the year 1825, thus witnessed the gradual relinquishment 

 of town responsibility for public worship, from the beginning 

 when the precinct did everything for the parish, to the end 

 when nothing was done by the town except the abatement 

 of the taxes on church property. 



NOTES CONCERNING THE CHURCH. 



1773. Selectmen's account : 



Paid to Ezekiel Lincoln for Ringing the Bell and takeing Care Meeting- 

 house and toiling the Bell i;^ 15J. 8a?. 



June 1799 Agreed with Zealous Bates, John Pratt and Zenas Lincoln, a com- 

 mittee, for building tower and steeple on the meeting house for four 

 hundred dollars. — Caleb Nichols' account book, p. 46. 



1816 Nov 17. This evening the Singers went to Mr Flints to sing. — J. W. diary. 



1818 Mch 15, Sunday. Capt Levi Tower published Intentions of marriage from 

 the pulpit. — J. W. diary. 



1822 Feb. 3. This day had a stove in the meeting house for the first time. — 

 Joel Willcutt's diary. 



