The Newtown bee., 1889-11-15
COMPULSORY CITIZENSHIP AND
 FREE SCHOOLS.

FREE SCHOOLS.
 Ncwtown's early town records, as is true of all New England's early settle ments. At the second town meeting held here, December II, I'll, fine of three shillings was imposed on all who failed to attend town meeting, "eNcept they give reasonable satisfaction" They did not tolerate the neglect of the duties ot citizenship, now so common. But the town then kept a paternal eye on all its inmates, as was to be expected of a day when the town hired and paid the minis ter and divided the land cqually,or near ly SO, between it's landed proprietors, prescribed ear marks for their different cattle and gave everybody the privilege, at first, of taking stone and timber from unfenced land.
 Another strange proceeding of that day was to lease the use of the common cemetery, though, as it was but just laid out, this was probably done as the cheap est way of retaining it from it's wilder ness state and preparing it as a burial place for the dead. A town meeting held December 9, 17l2, voted that Stcph- en Parmclee shall have ''the use of an acre and an half of land, which is the burying place, provided he cleare the bushes and fence it and sowe it with En- glish grass seed." The same town meet ing voted that "Nathanil Pamerly is to beet the drum for the yeare insueing.' The former vote shows that the native grasses were not relied on for cleared land, but grass seed imported from the mother country, or, mayhap, the seed of crops raised on this side the ocean from the imported seed. The drum was used for public assemblies, for NewtOwn then had no church or other bell and it was probably also beaten at 9 o'clock every night to notify that sober generation that it was time to put out lights, pine torches or tallow dips, and go to bed.
 We get a vision of the old punch bowl that graced every house able to own one and the liquors provided for every friend who entered, clergy or layman, in a vote of December 20. l7l2, appointing com mttee of four to run the bounds of the land first purchased of the Indians by William Jeanes and his associates and in- structing them ''to procure four gallons of rune to treat ye Indians and to re- fresh yourselves and charge ye towne debtor for ye rune and all other charge and troble necessary in completing ye same." This may explain why Newtown got along so peaceably with it's savage neighbors and why they so soon disap- peared. The bottle has always been more deadly than the bullet.
 Some years later than the time of which we have been writing, December Is, l733, another town meeting voted that 'all ye swine belonging to ye inhabitants of sd Newtown shall go att (large) on ye com mons intill sd swine, or any part of them, are found dammage feasant by breaking into inclosures and then to be soficiently yoaked and then to go at large in ye com mons" These commons were, of course, the undivided land, belonging to the town, but not yet distributed for use among it's individual propretors.
 Stratford's recent quarto-millenial brought out one of the perils of the faith CTS, the dangers from wild beasts. One of the tableaux Illustrating our mother towns early history was founded on the historical fact that wolves attacked some of her inhabitants while returning home on horseback with wheat that they had bought in Newtown. Stratford paid n bounty on wolf scalps and appointed a set day for her people to gather and hunt the pests. Newtown also did her share to help on the good work by this vote of August Is, 17l3:
 Voted and agreed to give ten shlllings per head for those wolves vt ware killed by the inhabitants before this date. And for further Encouragement after ye date of these presents 1T any inhahitant shall kill or destroy any grown wolf or wolves within ye bounds oi Newtown, he shall have fifteen shilllngs per head and half so much for wolfs whelp vi sucks. Test, John Glover, Recorder.
 Another town meeting of that year, held May 2l, 17l3, was "ajoyrnd until tomorrow night, sun half Il mower high"
 That Fall, Josiah Burritt was voted 20 shillings in 'pay or two thirds money per meeting in his house on ye Lords day from ys date until next May ensew- ing" This was before the church was built, and it will be interesting, if not curious, to give the vote locating tho church and town house, January s, 17l9 Unanimously voted and agreed that thu cross lane, or that by John Platt's, ol rather where the lane vt runs easterly and westerly intersects the maine towI street or the street that runs northerly and southerdly shall be the place to se or erect the meeting house or house fol carrying on the publick worship of God that Is already agreed upon to be built And the place for building of the schoo or town house, or house for holding towI meetings in and for teaching school il shall be the main or town street near un to Abraham kimberly's betwixt sd Kim berly's and John Lakes house, The or iginal layout of the town located Johr Platt diagonally opposite from the min ister's lot on the corner opposite The town and school house wer one building, with one floor devoted t, each. Abraham Kimberly's lot was ol the corner south of the minister's lot The vote for building tn first town and school house, October l TIT, was us follows;
 "yotod that a scool house or town hous shall be forthwith or vt all possible spec erected ot the following dimentions; Twent five feet square and eight feet between joynt