Page:History of Barrington, Rhode Island (Bicknell).djvu/97

Rh each lot containing eighty acres in as convenient a form as may be; and for the deviding of it as we are agreed yt every half share put in a lot and the whole shares shall put in two Lots and whomever shall be the first draw shall have the first choice as his lot comes south and so the second and third and the rest successively, and these lots to be drawn as soone as may be after it is soe devided, provided that every whole share shall have twenty acres alowed them either at the heads of their Lotts or in such other places as shall be thought meet.

And as touching the meadows it is agreed that all our meadows shall be laid out into ten acre shares as the former, having respect to Quantity and Quality and that the whole shares shall chuse three Lots on the Neck at one end, and shall have other three lots apoynted by the half shares on the other side Sawomes River lyeing also at one end and together in lew of that which was formerly allotted equally to half shares and whole shares and the persons that are made choice of to make these devisions above said are Capt Myles Standish, Mr Brown, Capt Willett and Mr. Thomas Clark or any three of these. And we whose names are under written doe bind ourselves to stand to what they shall doe in the premises abovesaid.

Besides the "home lots" and meadow lots there were other lands styled "pastors' and teachers' lots," from the income of which money was obtained to aid in the support of the minister and teacher of the plantation or township.

Thus our forefathers recognized religion and education as foundation principles of the town and provided that both agencies should have a permanent place in the establishment of our free institutions. A godly ministry and a free school were the establishments which will stand as the monuments to the far-sighted wisdom of these early pioneers on Barrington soil.

Whittier interpreted the thought of our Pilgrim sires in "" 5