34
��UNION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE WITH MASSACHUSETTS.
��not. before this date, been swept away by cold, hunger, nakedness, pirates, sav- ages or domestic thieves. Such were the founders of a sovereign State. Poor and powerless as they were, they were cordially welcomed by Massachusetts. Important concessions were made in their favor, and no new exactions were im- posed. Henceforth, the laws of Massa- chusetts ruled New Hampshire. In pro- cess of time the religion, schools and social customs of the more powerful State prevailed in New Hampshire.
At the time of the union of these two colonies New England contained about four thousand families, or about twenty thousand souls. These had been mostly brought from England in twenty years, in one hundred and ninety-eight ships. Only one of these was lost at sea. This fact indicates that navigation at that day in small, slow-sailing ships, was quite as safe as that of steamers at the present day. A descent from these families is regarded by many as equivalent to a patent of nobility. The New Englanders have been the founders of many new States, as well as promoters of all good institutions in the old. The early laws of Massachusetts were terribly severe. As many as ten offences were deemed capital. The laws of Moses were the models of these enactments. The Rev. John Cotton, the first minister of Boston, sat in Moses' seat, and, as the represent- ative of Jehovah, dictated his will. He boldly asserted that "the government [of Massachusetts] might be considered as a theocracy, wherein the Lord was Judge, Lawgiver and King; that the laws he gave Israel might be adopted, so far as they were of moral and perpetual equity; and that the people might be considered as God's people in covenant with him; that none but persons of approved piety and eminent gifts should be chosen as rulers ; that the ministers should be consulted in all matters of religion, and that the magistrate should have a superintending and coercive power over the churches." Here is a union of church and state unparalleled in power and influence. The meaning of this quotation is, that God alone is king and John Cotton is his prophet, The
��persons and dignities of priests and mag- istrates became inviolable by word or deed. The reviling of officers in church and state, and blasphemy of the Trinity were visited with fearful penalties. Tol- eration was a crime ; the venerable Hig- ginson of Salem, pronounced it "the first- born of all abominations." Liberty of conscience, in any form, was deemed the worst enemy of government and religion. This theocratic government also under- took to regulate the thoughts, words, deeds, dress, food and expenditures of every man, woman and child in the col- ony. The shield of this divine govern- ment was extended over New Hamp- shire ; and her magistrates and ministers attempted to be as severe as those of the Bay State ; but the refractory materials they had to deal with, did not readily and kindly yield to the pressure of pow- er. Some portion of the bigotry, intol- erance and persecution of Massachusetts Puritans, migrated to New Hampshire with their laws. The result was a few prosecutions of witches and Quakers; but no capital convictions. After the lapse of a century, some disabilities and distraint of goods for the support of "the standing order" of clergy, were inflicted on dissenters from the established creed. This petty intolerance continued till about 1813, when the Toleration Act be- came a law in New Hampshire.
These inconsiderable evils of the union were counterbalanced by numerous and important advantages. New Hampshire was elevated in morality and strength- ened in government, by her connection with the larger and stronger state. She also borrowed her school system, her academies and college from the same source. Free schools were established in Boston in 1635. Massachusetts adopt- ed and enforced her admirable system of town schools, free shcools, where every child iu the Commonwealth could learn to "read, write and cypher," as early as 1647. Every town ot fifty fam- ilies was required to establish a school both for the rich and poor. Thus edu- cation was brought to every man's door. This system has since been adopted by most of the States in the Union.
In 1649, the records of Hampton show
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