porated religious societies may, by law, have or be subject. to, with power to have and hold so much estate, real or personal, as may be necessary for the objects of such organization, and no more; provided, that all the powers, derived from any such organization, may at any time be revoked by the legislature. Ib. § 29.

37. Whenever the proprietors of any church, meeting house, or other house of public worship, shall deem it expedient to alter, enlarge, repair, rebuild, or remove the same, it shall be lawful for them, at a legal meeting, called for that purpose, to raise such sums of money, as they may judge necessary, to carry any of said purposes into effect and to purchase any land necessary for the same. Ib. § 31.

38. Such moneys may be assessed on the pews in such church or house, and the assessment may be committed to the treasurer, chosen by said proprietors to receive the same; and the treasurer shall forthwith give notice thereof, by posting up an advertisement at the principal outer door of such house, stating the completion of such assessment, and the day of delivery thereof to him; and if said taxes, or any part thereof, remain unpaid for three months, after the posting up of notifications as aforesaid, it shall be the duty of the treasurer to collect the same forthwith, by sales at public auction of the pews, whereon the tax or any part thereof shall remain unpaid, in the manner provided in the following sections. Ib. § 32.

39. When it shall become the duty of the treasurer, to sell any pew for taxes, he shall post up a notification of the intended sale thereof, at the principal outer door of such church or house, at least three weeks before the time of sale, therein setting forth the number of the pew, if any, the name of the owner or occupant, if known, and the amount of the tax due thereon; and if said tax or any part thereof shall remain unpaid, at the time appointed for such

sale, the treasurer shall sell the pew, by public auction, to the highest bidder, and shall execute and deliver, to the purchaser, a sufficient deed of conveyance of the same; and the money, arising from such sale, beyond the taxes and incidental reasonable charges, shall be paid by the treasurer to the former owner of the pew so sold, or to his assigns. Ib. 33. §

40. The affidavit of any disinterested person, annexed to any original notification, or to a copy thereof, made before a justice of the peace, and recorded on the proprietors' records within six months next after such sale, shall be allowed, as one mode of proof of the posting up of the notifications herein before required. Ib. § 34.

41. Any meeting of the proprietors of a church or house of public worship, for any of the purposes aforesaid, may be called by a warrant from a justice of the peace, granted on application to him in writing, made by any five of said proprietors, which warrant shall be directed to one of the applicants; or such meeting may be called by a notification by the clerk of said proprietors, whose duty it shall be to warn a meeting, on a like application to him; and, in either case, such meeting may be warned by posting up a notification thereof, at the principal outer door of the church or house, fourteen days at least before the time appointed for the meeting. Ib. § 35.

42. The provisions contained in the last five sections are not obligatory on parishes. They may raise money for repairing, &c., by assessment on the property of the members of the parish in the accustomed manner; but if it become necessary to take down the pews of the meeting house, the provisions of the next section are to be observed. See 3 Pick. 344.

43. Whenever any such proprietors shall deem it necessary, for the purpose of altering, enlarging, repairing, rebuilding, or removing their church or house, to take down

any pews therein, it shall be lawful for them so to do; such pews being first appraised by any three or more disinterested persons, chosen by said proprietors for that purpose; and the pews newly erected, shall be sold by the treasurer of the proprietors, by public auction, to the highest bidder, and deeds thereof shall be given, in like manner as when they are sold for the payment of taxes; and the moneys arising from such sale shall be applied, so far as may be necessary, to paying the appraised value of the pews taken down to the owners thereof; and the deficiency, if any, shall be paid by the proprietors of such church or house, within thirty days next after the sale. R. S. ch. 20, § 36.

44. Whenever any parish or religious society, being the owner of any church, meeting house, or other house of public worship, shall deem it necessary for the purpose of altering, enlarging, repairing, rebuilding or removing any such church or house, to take down any pews therein, it shall be lawful for them so to do; and, in such case, the like regulations shall be observed, and the like proceedings had, as are provided in the preceding section. Ib. § 37.

45. Nothing contained in the two preceding sections shall entitle any person to compensation for a pew so taken down, in any case, where such church or house shall have become unfit for the purposes of public worship. Ib. § 38.

46. When after taking all legal steps, a pew is removed, the proprietors of the meeting house may tender the owner of the pew the value of the same, and thereby bar his action for damages. 24 Pick. 347.

If a parish abandon its meeting house as a place of pub lic worship, although it continue to be fit for that purpose, and erect a new one on a different site, it does not thereby subject itself to any liability to the proprietor of a pew in the old meeting house, it not appearing that the parish acted wantonly, or with any intention to injure him. 19 Pick. 361.

1. Overseers of the poor are to be chosen at the annual meeting in such mode as the meeting shall determine. R. S. ch. 15, 33, 34.

lb.

2. The selectmen are to be overseers of the poor where other persons are not specially chosen to that office. $52.

3. The overseers of the poor may bind, as apprentices or servants, the minor children of any poor person, who has become actually chargeable to their town, as having a lawful settlement therein, or who is supported there, in whole or in part, at the charge of the Commonwealth, and also all minor children, who are themselves chargeable to the town, as having a lawful settlement therein, or as poor persons supported by the Commonwealth. R. S. ch. 80, $ 6.

4. Such children, whether under or above the age of

fourteen years, may be bound, females to the age of eighteen years, or to the time of their marriage within that age, and males to the age of twenty-one years; and provision shall be made in the contract, for teaching such children to read, write and cipher, and for such other instruction, benefit and allowance, either within or at the end of the term, as the overseers may think reasonable. Ib. § 7.

5. An indenture entered into by overseers of the poor which does not contain a provision for the instruction of the minor in reading, &c. is void as to all the parties. 5 Pick. 250. 16 Pick. 44.

Overseers of the poor cannot bind out minors to be apprentices until an age less than twenty-one. 16 Pick. 44.

6. No minor shall be so bound by the overseers, unless by an indenture of two parts, sealed and delivered by the overseers and by the master, one part of which shall be deposited with the town clerk, and be safely kept by him. for the use of the minor. R. S. ch. 80, $ 8.

7. All considerations, of money or other things, paid or allowed by the master, upon any contract of service or apprenticeship, made in pursuance of this chapter, shall be paid or secured to the sole use of the minor thereby bound. Ib. § 9.

8. Overseers shall inquire into the treatment of all who shall have been bound by their predecessors in office, and defend them from all cruelty, neglect and breach of contract, on the part of their masters. Ib. 10.

9. In case of any such misconduct or neglect of the master, a complaint may be filed by the overseers, in the court of common pleas for the county in which the master resides, setting forth the facts and circumstances of the case, and the court, after having duly notified the master, shall proceed to hear and determine the cause, with or without a jury, as the allegations of the parties may require. Ib. 11.