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

330 HISTORY OP NORTHAMPTON. [1769.
Patroiiiug the Meet- Titliiiig-men wGre instructed in 1769, "to
ing-House on Sun- prevent disorders among the young people
and children in time of worship in the
house of God, tho' they be under the necessity of walking
about the house to suppress them." Unruly indeed must
have been the young provincials, when it became necessary
to order the meeting-house to be patrolled during service in
order to keep them within bounds. From the numerous
votes passed, and by-laws adopted at different times for
their regulation, and noted in these pages, it may be safely
inferred that the young in those days had no very great
respect for sacred things. Apparently the good people,
while they insisted that every one, old and young, should
attend public worship, did not impress upon their children
the propriety of the outward observance of their cherished
ceremonials. All attempts to manage the younger element
in the meeting-house seem to have been without result.
Three years after, the above vote was renewed, and a committee
chosen to draft a by-law touching this matter, but
no definite action by it is apparent.
Pascommuck Peo- For Several years the people living at Paspie
want Sabbath commuck and Bartlett's Mills (Easthamp-
ton), had been agitating the question of
better accommodations on the Sabbath. They lived at
considerable distance from the center of the town, and
many times in the year, especially during the winter
mionths, it was difficult for them to get there ; the meetinghouse
was crowded, and they desired that services might
be held in their vicinity. Accordingly in 1769, a committee
was appointed " to consult and agree upon some measures
for the ease and relief of the good people at the farms
in their attendance upon the public worship of God which
they are desirous of & have motioned it to the town to consider
of at this time," and to report at some future meet-
ing. At a meeting held in March of the following year,
the committee suggested that the whole matter should be
placed in the hands of another committee, who should be
instructed
"to view the situation of the Said Farmers Settlements & also the
lands in those parts of the Town which are Suitable & likely soon to be
settled & upon such general view to pitch upon a spot for a meeting
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