The history of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, By a committee of the Dorchester antiquarian and historical society ...

430 HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
The house was probably located near the corner
of Pleasant and Cottage streets. It was, doubtless,
a frail structure, and continued for some years in an
unfinished state.
In the year 1657, " Thomas Wiswall desired, in
behalf of the scoole, that a flower [floor] be laid
over head in ye scoole house, and a studdy made in
it for the vse of the scoolemaster," his son Ichabod.
Mr. W. was promised by the town five shillings in
money, towards the undertaking, and'" timber in
his lott for Juice." Quite a different method from
that pursued by our modern building committees.
The contrast, also, between that rude school-house
and our sumptuous edifices, is as great, almost, it
would seem, as between the savage and the civilized
states of life.
History does not inform us whether Mr. Wiswall
had his wishes gratified in relation to the " studdy."
It was customary, in those times, for the teacher
to receive a part of his pay in the produce of the
earth. Mr. W., therefore, at the same time, " desired
14 bushels of Indian come in part of pay for his
son's teaching scoole, wCh Mr. Jones ordered him to
take at Dedham, Mr. Jones to have 4 bushels of Mr.
Patten, 2 of ensigne Foster, again, and peas of brother Brecke for the rest, and allowed them in their
rates againe."
The amount of salary given the teacher at this
time is not specified, nor the proportionate quantity
of cash; not unlikely it was about one half in produce. The whole salary may have been some ~20
or ~25 per annum. In 1692, Mr. Mills was paid by