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ai UUKU I ftcVGems From Area1' ]By WAYNE A. SMITH * Mohawk Male Chorus, Chorus Can tarn us, or perhaps even. Pioneer Valley Symphony, should have, been m Wliately in 1798. The town had a soft spot in its heart for music.Many of us may be of the opinion that only recently hasthere been a public interest inthe arts. Not so. - Whately in 1798 voted 20 pounds (about $60) to revive singing in the town.town for singing, 40 shillings to the west, part to support a cyphering or singing school as the inhabitants of that part should decide”.-o- -o- -o*THESE FACTS and a lot of others about early town meeting activities have, been assembled by Mi's. Frank'G. Pray of Forest Avenue who has shared ler discoveries with us. Mrs. * Pray has spent much time and ffort in putting Greenfield His-orical Society in . order, ar-'anging its Church Street ex-libits for public inspection,-and searching the society’s wealth f material for interesting terns and objects.Town meetings in the earlydays of New England went much further in their service to mankind than those of today. For instance, since the early churches were called meeting houses they were not merelyplaces for worship, but the center for virtually all community activity, including town meetings. Thus it is not surprising to find that town meeting ac- . tion often directed attention to circumstances surrounding the meeting house and thuswhichno town meeting today would be likely, to do.Then, too, there was not usually more tl\an one church to a community ahd. everyone was a member. It was easy to reach universal approval of a motion and np one felt offended or that state or town had crossed re- . ligiou^ boundaries.-o- -o- -o-HERE , ARE 'SOME OTHERDISCOVERIES:Greenfield in 1754 voted to give Joseph Severance fourpounds, 10 shillings for drum-tilings. (Call to public meeting); in 1761 voted premium ]upon vermin), vis: three penceupon a woodchuck. four ponce ]a crow, one penny a blackbird, two penp# a squeril; in 1773, jhouseOf this sum four pounds was served religion in a wayto go to the east part of the
Newspaper Details
Greenfield Recorder Gazette
Greenfield, Massachusetts, US
Sat, Feb 20, 1965
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Douglas R.
USA 06 Aug 2018
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