The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-02-05
Constellation Of Schools.
SALT LAKE CITY. February. 4

I was surprised at seeing in you
Issue of yesterday morning, that al
effort had been made in semi-pub
lie meeting to give the propose
lschool bill a big black eye, and mucf
more surprised was [ to find thai
Bishop Taylor was the chief aggres
lscr. L am not conversant with the
full text of the bill as proposed in
the Council Chamber, only having
seen the summary of it published in
your columns. but [ could find moth.
ing so serious in that which was
lprinted TO put folks at swords
points, and especially those whom
we have locked up to as having in
charge the efforts 10 enhghten and
develop the minds in the several ge-
ographical divisions of the city.
School matters in this city are
about in this position: There are
twenty-one school districts. and the
very large majority of them are
nothing but primary schools. The
revenue of the large majority of
them is not sufficient to maintain
more than primary schools. The
trustees are not justified by the rev.
enue to hire more than one teacher
and the aid or help-as teachers
must, of necessity, be one of the
larger scholars or very cheap as
sistant. The pupils who attend can
expect but very little more than q
primary education. If the taxpayers
do not like this. they have to send
their children to the University and
thus lose their proportion of the
school tax which they have paid.
The school furniture and appurten-
ances of this majority are very
meagre: hence the attendants have
not the helping adjuncts of a we'll
furnished school-room. The children
of the state in these districts have
not the facilities to be helped along
to develop into useful and profitable
citizens. .1.t
Another point: A large number
of the school houses are going to be
too small-far too smaIl-fOr the
proportion of the school population
that ought to be schco'ed. Figure
this out, Mr.. Editor, by our ScnoOl
statistics and you will see how as
tonishingly true is this statement.
Now, of necessity, these houses
must be enlarged, and then the
schools will only be primary schools.
The revenue, the size and style of
the houses, will not admit of graded
schools.
Another point: l have been in
formed, on very good authority, too,
that one of the principals eff the
mission schools has been to the ex-
territorial superintendent of district
schools and the present county SUI
perintendent of schools in Salt Lake
County and begged of them to use
their influence 10 obtain such school
facilities as to relieve them of the
terrible pressure brought on him by
the .large number of applications
made Cor school tuition. Think OF
this: We travel sea and land to
make proselytes. but turn a cold
shoulder to hundreds living in our
own town, who need nothing more
than the Outstretched hand to lead
them in our own path!
The remedy pointed out by the
bill is simple, l think. Use our
present school houses for primary
schools and have a central or high
school about in the centre of each
ward, and arrange for the
celIdren to grade from these pri-
may schools 10 the high schools.
This plan has been adopted in
Beaver. Payson, Ogden and Logan,
md [ have been Informed that the
citizens in those places are much
better satisfied than with the sys-
-em in vogue before-the same as
We have row in Salt Lake City.
| confess nay ignorance as to the
PROJECTIONS or the imperfe ctions of
the neGUS 0perGndi proposed in
the bill; but if suggestions can be
made to make them what is desired
in the premises, l think this should
be done. and some plan be adopted
to bring out better system from
the almost chaotic educational sys-
tenn which now prevails.
The Fourteenth School District
may be well fixed, and it ought to
be, for the trustees have been able
to raise some exorbitant sums, in
taxes, from the large dwellings, the
large stores and the large stocks of
goods taxable in that district; yet,
this district is in debt. l saw an
yesterday, that the
school trustees of that district want
to sell a strip at the back and a strip
at each side Of that now small
school lot to liquidate the indebted
ness Oh the schoolrooms. But what |
about the Third, Fourth, Fifth and |
Sixth districts, which surround the |
Fourteenth Are not the children
Of the state in these four wards as
much entitled to a good education
as those favored by living in the
OF course; so give |
them a chance to go to a central or
high school at the same rates IF |
tuition as the othersl
It is only a matter of time when |
this consolidation will be done,
sure. If it is punched to death this
session Of the Legislature, it will
up and up again, for it is one of the
inevitable necessities. So let the
present generation have the benefit