Because colonists in New England understood the importance of centering their lives around the church, they were willing to endure long and sometimes unpleasant days in what they called the meeting house. Everyone was required to attend church there on Sunday. The meeting house wasn’t terribly fancy. Instead of long rows of chairs, there were cold, hard, and uncomfortable benches. There was a watchman to keep everyone, who broke the rules, in line. He was equipped with a stick which had a hard ball on one end and a fox’s tail on the other. Children who misbehaved would be bopped on the head. Adults who fell asleep would be terribly and teasingly tickled with the fox’s tail. Anyone whispering, snickering, or even smiling would provoke
