The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1879-02-05
MISCELLANY.
OLD NEW ENGLAND MEETING
HOU USES.
THE BOYS AND THE DOCS.

In the meeting house children were cast
out of the family circle, and, like the high
ways and fences, were put under the swell
lance of inspectors. For two hundred years
the boys were pest to the minister and q
nuisance to the town and the popular dis
gust of New England was expressed by a
vote of Danbury, Mass, in 1850, to choose a
committee "to take care of the wretched
on the Lords day"
Although the bad effect of separating chill
dren from their parents was apparent, the
people contented themselves by dealing with
it in resolution only. For example, we read
in the records of Pennington, Conn.,, in 1772
"Whereas indecencies are practeed by the
young people in time of public worship by
frequently passing and repassing by one
another in the galleries y &C., &c. g Resell
we'd that each of us that are heads of families
will use our utmost endeavor to suppress the
aforesaid evils"
The Puritan system Of seating the meet
ing house made the position of the parents
of more importance than the welfare of the
children Harwich, Mass, in 1923, voted
g that the three hindmost seats below be for
the boys under twelve years old, and three
seats in the mems gallery be for the older
boys to sit in, and the selectmcn get two men
to look after the boys that they sit in their
seats and be kept from playing"
The "men to look after the boys +" were
called Inspectors of Youths The town paid
them for their labor. John Pike, of Dedham
in 1928, was paid sixteen sbllings for keep
ing the boys in subsection six months. -
But when he was hired second time he doub-
led his price.
The annals of every town speak of " dsor-
der in the meeting house by boys and youths
playing" This disorder was SO great that
severe methods were used to check it. At
Norwalk, Conn, in 1851, Thomas Barnum
was set over the boys" with authority, elf
he see any dsorderly, or to keep small
stick to correct such with" At Harwich, in
1924, John King was chosen "to keep the
boys from playing and profaning the Sabbath
day y and the town voted to stand by the
said John King If he should find it necessary
to strike boy or youth in the exercise of his
authority. But this task was, apparently, too
much for one man alone and the town after
wards appointed four men "to take caro- of
the boys on Lords day and whip them IL
found playing" At Truro in 1850, three
men were appointed "to whip the boys that
are disorderly on Sabbath Gays at or about
the meeting houscs' Shortly after this it
was ordered that the towns powder be
dried !" as if bloody contest was expected
with the rising generation
Dogs were numerous and regular in attend
anee at the meeting house, and, as there was
good deal of sympathy between them and
i" the wretched boys" they also were placed
under discipline. At New London, Conn.,,
1862 one of the duties of the sexton was :" to
order in the meeting house and beat out dogs"
At Charleston, Mass, (1666) man was hired
at four pounds year "to ring the bell to
meetings and to keep out dogs in meeting
time, At Dedham (17S4l man was paid
eight shillings year for keeping dogs out
in meeting time and shutting the door,"
Andover did not object to the dogs, but
made them pay for the privilege of coming to
meeting. The law of this town in 1879 said ::
Whatsoever dogs shall be in the meeting
house on the Sabbath day the owner thereof
shall pay sixpence for every time"
At Medford, in 1742, ten shillings was made
the price of a ticket to "any person who al
lows his dog to go into the meeting house on
the Sabbath day in the time of meeting" At
Provincetown, in IT'S, the law was to pay
half dollar or kill every dog that comes in
to the meeting house on the Sabbath day
| VIM. r. Bliss, in N. Y. Observer.