History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

1663-1664.] RAPID GROWTH OF CHURCH AND TOWN. 141
Tavern Keeper Oil the 28'*' of Jiiiie, 1GG3, JosGpli Parsons
Appointed Con- was cliosen to keep the Ordinary "tel the
Towne can better feet them selfs with another
that can doe it commendable and comfortable and
then he haue promised to leaue it to the pleashner of the
Towne." All innholders' licenses were granted by the
courts, and evidently in this instance the town merely designated
the person it desired to have licensed. Mr. Parsons
held a license for the two preceding years, and kept
the tavern till IGGo, when Henry Woodward was appointed.
Public Schools During the first decade of its history, the
Established. children of the town of Northampton es-
caped the discipline of the town school-
master. It is not to be supposed that they were suffered to
remain in ignorance of the alphabet, however much they
may have suffered in making its acquaintance. Whatever
knowledge they possessed was either obtained at home or
at j)rivate schools, taught at tlie different houses. Public
schools were first established in Northampton in IGG-l. The
law of the Province provided
"yt eVy townesMp in this iurisdiction, aft'' y Lord hath increased
y'" to y number of 50 hoiisehold''% shall then forthw"' appoint one
w"'in their towne to teach all snch children as shall resort to him to
write & reade. whose wages shall be paid eith"^ by y parents or mast"
of snch children, or by y" inhabitants in gen''all, by way of supply, as
yo maior p' of those y' ord"' y prudentials of y" towne shall appoint;
pvided, those y* send their children be not oppresed by paying much
more y" they can have y'" taught for in oth'' townes." ^
In 1662, there were sixty- two male residents of Northampton
to whom was apportioned the erection and maintenance
of the common fence. All of them owned meadow land, and
all were householders. In order, therefore, to comply with
the provisions of the law, the town must now employ a
school-master. Consequently on the "28-of the-(ll) mo.
1663 (January 28, 1664), the Towne voted to giue M'' Cor-
1 The law above quoted, while it allowed towns to make schools free, did not so
direct. Free schools were many years under discussion before the towns generally
adopted them. Opinions were divided, the poorer classes favored free schools,
while the more wealthy, especially those without children to send, opposed them.
Free schools did not become general till long after the commencement of the 18""
century.—Judd's History of Hadley, p. 64.