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4 Old-time Schools and School-books
and they prayed the honorable company to send a man capable of teaching this language. Their request was granted, but by that time Massachusetts had half a score of flourishing Latin schools, and seventeen classes had been graduated from Harvard.
The early schools were supported partly by the subscriptions of the well-to-do, partly by the rentals of lands set aside for the purpose, partly by tuition fees, and partly by taxes. There was no uniformity in the methods the different towns had for meeting their school expenses. Some took one way, and some another, but most adopted a combination of several ways; and while there was usually a town rate, this was only to supplement the other sources of income. Each town in Massachusetts had full control of its own schools, and the people voted in their regular town meetings what they would spend on them, how raise the money,-who should teach, and what should be the amount of compensation. All the details of the school economy were attended to by the town officers.
The pay received by the teachers was meagre, and not always easily collected. In Northampton the first teacher was a town farmer by the name of Cornish, who, in 1664, was voted "six pound towards the scoole & to tacke the benifet of the scollers provided that he teach Six months in the yeare together." The total expense was in this instance shared between town and pupils; but just what fees resulted to Farmer Cornish from being allowed to " tacke the benifet of the scollers " is uncertain. At best, the remuneration could hardly have sufficed |
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