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 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN HOPKINTON.

��civil compact forbade public assess- ments for the benefit of religious soci- eties. The point was considered and sustained, and the collecting and dis- bursing of parsonage incomes ceased in 1853. The school fund was anni- hilated by the annual appropriation of the interest, with a certain part of the principle, for the support of common schools. The interest of the training field fund was annually devoted to mil- itary expenses till 185 1, when the New Hampshire militia system was abol- ished, and we presume it was then ab- sorbed into the general treasury.

The "surplus money" was for a time a thorn in the side of the finan- cial body corporate. This product of the surcharged governmental treasury at Washington was received by Stephen Sibley, formally authorized receiving agent of the town.* Mr. Sibley ren- dered a report of his official services as receiver in 1838, and his report was accepted. On the 2 7th of April, 1839, the subject of the disposal of the sur- plus money came up for consideration. In the warrant for a town-meeting held on that date, an article was inserted to see if the town would divide the yearly interest accruing from this revenue equally among the ratable polls, and if, when so divided, the amount should be considered as a discharge of an equal sum of the annual poll tax. The town voted to pass over the article. At the annual town-meeting in March, in 1843, a vote was passed to divide an- nually one year's interest of the surplus fund, at the rate of six per cent., equally among all resident persons lia- ble to taxation, until further ordered by the town. The matter rested till the 29th of November, 1845, when it w ^s voted to reconsider the foregoing vote from and after the 1st of the following April. In March of the next year, an

services 1838, $4.31. The amount of sur- plus money received in two installments was not far from $6000, but it is a singu- lar fact that neither in the records of this town, nor in those of the State Treasurer's office, at Concord, appear any figures to certify the sum.
 * In 1837, the town paid Mr. Sibley
 * 2.17 for services as receiver, and for like

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attempt was made to reconsider the vote of the 29th of November, but the article was indefinitely postponed. The contest over the surplus money arose from the protest against the anti-Amer- ican idea of taxing the people to sup- port individuals. The fund was ab- sorbed into the town treasury.

INTER-COMMUNICATIVE.

We now touch briefly the subject of messages, the facilities for the convey- ance of which having increased greatly since the earlier days of the town. At first, the ability to transmit messages depended upon the gratuitous accom- modations of public travel. A person wishing to send a letter to a relative or friend, prepared it and forwarded by any person who happened to be jour- neying that way. By this popular method of transmitting messages, the taverns became general distributing post-offices. Sometimes a strip of tape tacked above the fireplace of the pub- lic house became a support for letters. The transient traveler looked over the list, and, selecting any bound in the direction he was going, took them along. By this method, the time re- quired for conveyance from one point to another was governed much by un- certainties. Months were sometimes required for messages to reach their destination, at distances now accom- plished regularly in less time than a day. The introduction of a public mail service removed a great inconven- ience. The earlier mails were carried through this region by horsemen, and afterwards by drivers of vehicles. Sub- sequently, the public stage became the means of conveyance ; the railroad crowned the accommodations in this direction till the telegraph* afforded the transportation of the most moment- ous matters.

The first post-office in Hopkinton was established April 1, 181 1. John Harris was the first postmaster. The post-office at Contoocook was estab- lished March 5, 1831. Thomas Burn-

toocook in 1866. Levi W. Dimond was the first operator.
 * A telegraph office was opened in Con-

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