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

462 HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
lish" such a school, "otherwise the town exposed
itself to heavy penalties." The report was not accepted. The next year there was a change made in
the fifth school district at the Upper Mills, to take
effect in the early part of the year 1829. " The point
of division was at the place where the lane leading
to Henry Bird's meets the Dedham road; and on
the east side of said lane; and by a line running
north and south from that point "-those west of
this line to have 52 parts of the money raised, to
be called,the 7th school district; the remainder, to
the easterly part, the 5th school district.
Vocal music was introduced into the Gibson
School by the teacher, Robert Vose, Esq., in 1830.
This pleasing and healthy accompaniment to the
regular exercises afterwards became general in other
schools of the town.
The inhabitants of Neponset village, in November, 1831, made a request to the town for assistance
in supporting a school. The subject was referred
to a committee, who reported, in the March following, that said village contained twenty-four families
and thirty-four children, mostly females, of the proper age to attend school, but being about one and
a half miles distant from any town school, they were
in a measure deprived of public instruction, especially in the winter season. Conformable to their
request, therefore, one hundred and fifty dollars were
granted them yearly, to aid in the establishment of
a public school.
In the year 1834, it was reported that the aggregate number of children in the public schools was