MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN HOPKINTON.
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��In progress of time different religious societies became established in this town, but the Congregational alone drew support from any portion of the populace by a direct tax. People were taxed for the support of the Congrega- tional ministry in this town as late as 18 10. The warrant for a town meet- ing called for the 12th of March, 181 1, contained this article :
"To see what method the town will take to raise money for the support of the Congregational minister in town the ensuing year, how levied, and how di- vided between the two meeting-houses. "
At this time a meeting-house had been, for about ten years, in existence at Campbell's Corner, in the westerly part of the town, and since its erection the funds for the support of Congregational preaching derived from taxes had been divided between the east and west meeting-houses, as they were called. However, at the town meeting called for the above date, it was voted to "pass over the article" relating to the proposed support of Congregational religious services by the town, and we think the subject was never taken up again.
. The minister's tax was never collect- ed of any person who acknowledged a belief in the religious principles of any legalized society, other than the Con- gregational. The following vote, passed on the 25th of March, 1799, il- lustrated the method of raising the min- ister's tax :
"Voted to lay a ministerial tax on the Congregational inhabitants at twen- ty cents each on the poll, and upon all ratable estate in the same proportion,
- Congregational inhabitants to be ascer-
tained by consent, individually, to either of the selectmen at the time of taking the inventory. "
People liable to pay a minister's tax sometimes publicly, in town meeting, declared their adhesion to the princi- ples of some one or other of the socie- ties exempted from the payment of that tax.
The lease of the parsonage lands in 1 798, incurred an annual revenue which
��was proportionately divided among the existing societies till the year 1853. In the year 1842, when the town for the first time published a printed report of its pecuniary transactions, the last divis- ion of parsonage money was declared to be as follows :
1st Congregational society, $27.88
2d " " 4-39
Calvinist Baptist, " 13-88
Union " " 16.12
Episcopalian " 9.64
1st Universalist " 4.21
2d " " 10-31
Methodist " 1.43
��The round total was set down at $88.00
The 2d Congregational society dropped out of the list in 1851. The last allowance to this society was fifty- six cents.. The town report of the year 1853, contained the following and last list of apportionments of parsonage money :
Congregational society, $30.09
Union Baptist " 19.04
Calvinist " " 15.72
Episcopalian " 4.40
1 st Universalist " 7.57
2d " " 7.10
Methodist " 4.18
The total of this list was also set down in round numbers as $88.
The above figures are suggestive in presenting a view of the relative strength of the different societies at the specific times stated. It is interesting to note that certain of the societies soon lost all traces of even a nominal existence', after the suspension of the parsonage revenues. For some time they had kept up a show of vitality by making their portion of the parsonage fund a nucleus of an outlay for a few days' preaching in the year.
In the march of the years, the old pe- culiarities of local religious life have given place to new features and forms. It is needless to say that some of the old formalities died hard. Innovations were distrusted. The experience in view of proposed changes was substan- tially uniform in all the churches. Even the staid Episcopalians were ruffled by
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