The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-01-23
More Missionary Monkeying by
Commissioner Boreman.
HIS REPORT ON OUR SCHOOLS
Another Whack at the Mormon Church to
Cover His Own Negligence and
Incapacity.

appeared in our columns, the one in refer
ence to the school moneys fer the year a
couple of weeks ago;
The United States statute creating the office
OF commissioner of schools for Utah Territory
requires the commissioner to make an annual
report to congress through the governor and
secretary of the interior, of statistics and infor
nation In regard to the district and other
schools in said territory" l have the honor TO
submit such report for the year 1889, it being
the second annual report. 1t was my desire and
purpose to have forwarded this In October last
but have been delayed hitherto by the failure
OF county superintendent to furnish the proper
data. The law requires them to do so on or be-
fore the first Monday in October in each year,
whereas this year the majority made their re-
port late in November, and one or two was made
in December. The delay of the county superin-
tendents was no doubt caused mainly by the
negligence of the school trustees ana teachers
whose duty 1t was TO report to the county super-
intendents long prior to October
/ nave been in Office between eight ana nine
months having been appointed thereto by the
supreme court of the territory in April last In
this school period have not been enabled Ia
1amlllarlze myself with the schools of the ter
rltory as should desire, and which a longer
period IN office would have enabled me to do
THE EXHIBITS
herewith, as parts of this report, submit tab
ulated statements or schedules of the school
population of the territory for the year 1889 and
OF the financial and statistical reports for the
year ending June. 30, 1889. l also submit as a
part OF this report a tabulated statement of the
statistics regarding the denominational schools
OF the territory for the year ending June 80 1859
Inc foregoing schedules are respectively
marked, schedules A, b, C and D.
In schedule A 1t will be seen that the number
OF chlldren OF on-Mormon parents is 5000 and
the number of children of Mormon parentage is
49, 452 making grand total of IS 4s2 children of
school age in the territory.
The annual report for 1888 gave the number of
chlluren OF Lon Mormon parents at 1882 and the
numper OF Mormon parentage, 41.31l, making a
grand total OF children of school age III the terri
tory IN 1885, OF %, 953 showing a net increase of
l,44Snon Mormon children and net increase OF
2oSl Mormon children, a total increase of :. $50
chlldren over the year 1855. Schedule \ makes
showing of a different increase The footings
IN the schedule were based upon the reports of
the county superintendent made to me this
year.
Discrepancies will be found in various places
IN these different schedules. These defects are
the result of errors in the reports of the county
superntendentS, where data have been omitted
whereby might correct them. The reports of
the county superintendent are carefully pre-
pared IN some instances, but in others there are
sucn gross errors that they could have been the
result only Of great c&releSsness or incompe-
tency.
SCHOOLS OF THE CHURCHES
In many counties there are denominational
schools under the care and supervision of diff
ferent churches. By reference to the schedules
IL Will be seen that the enrolment OF children is
much below the actual number of children in the
territory. This can, TO some extent, be ac
counted for by the fact that the enrolment has
reference to the district schools and does not in
clude the denominational schools The children
gathered into these latter schools are therefore
not counted among the enrolled children.
The following churches have schools in the
territory, viz: Presby terian, 80: Congrega-
1ional New West schools, "a; Methodist Epis-
copal, u; Roman Catholic, q; Protestant Epis-
copal, g; Evangelical Lutheran, /: Baptist 2
and Mormon, 6. The total number of children
IN these schools, so far as | have been able to
learn, Is about S,00c in non-Mormon schools and
about 1900 in Mormon schools The full re-
ports are not made by the schools and conse-
quently the schedules do not show the full num-
Der. From most Of the denominational schools
no report is made as to whether the children are
OF hon-QdorInon or Mormon parentage There
fore, although ii is not strictly correct l class
all in these UNCONVENTIONAL schools (eXcepting
Mormon schools as non Mormon and those in
Mormon schools as of Mormon parentare
II is to be regretted that a fuller statement
regarding all these UNCONVENTIONAL schools
could not be furnished with this report have
applied for the information and furnished
blanks yet it viii be seen that not half of these
schcols make any report whatever, and from
some OF them these reports are quite meagre
Ihere appears to be in some quarters disin
cllnauon 10 furnish the desired statistics or in
formation. During the coming year renewed
Efforts will be made and those having control of
the schools will not be entirely dependent upon
Tor information, although it would be preferable
to do so. Since the close of the last school wear
have learned of other schools not herein re-
ported but respecting which information will be
furnished in the next annual report Amongst
these new schools is the Ogden military academy
Just established, numbering already nearly one
hundred cadets. Some of the denominational
schools are now, or soon will be, developing into
colleges and semlnarieS. In the next annual re-
port an effort will be made to classify them by
themselves. 1t is not proper to class such
schools with the common schools of the coun-
try. Aside from the UNCONVENTIONAL schools
there are no high schools in the territory No
provision seems to be made for them in the law
although what are termed graded schools NAV
be established under certain conditions
DESERET UNIVERSITY.
In addition to the UNCONVENTIONAL schools.
there was during the year, but one school in the
territory which aSpired to the dignity of col
lege. That was the University of Deseret
located at Salt Lake city. 1t is territorial in
stltution and supported in large measure by
legislative appropriations. With the university
and as part of it, there is a normal department
doing as good work as the circumstances will
permit. The deaf mute institute is also at
tached to the university. During the year end
ing June 30. 1899 there was q total attendance of
3l2 students IN the university, including forty
eight normal pupils and thirty-Seven deaf mutes
The institution is under the supervision of a
chancellor ana twelve regents, all chosen BIZ
ennially by the legislative assembly The chan
cellor and nine OF the regents are Mormons the
other three regents beng non Mormons. The
institution, therefore, is under Mormon control
and, as near as / can learn the students are al
most all of Mormon parentage. The immediate
government of the school rests with the presi-
dent and faculty. The library of the
university, including the Utah Library of
which the university has the use, numbers about
10000 volumes. There is quite valuable mu-
scum beng put in place in the building. The
grounds OF the university are estimated to be of
the value of $4,000 and the buildings 100000:
furniture, $1,000: apparatus, 5000; making
total valuation of 5000 coo for all the property of
the school, aside from the library. The legisla-
tive assembly appropriated $40 90 for the nor
NAL school and So 900 for the deaf mute institute
for the year. The tuition fees amounted TO
about $1,000 Thus the total income Of the uni
yersity for the year was s2l 600. The appropria
ton made for the normal department was in
consideration that the university would furnish
the normal pupils with educational facilities
free of charge.
In his report TO the chancellor and regents.
made a few days since, DR.. Park, president of
the university said:
1.-The grade of qualification, however, of the
most of these students, regret to say, is not
what il should be for an institution OF the grade
of the university. Nor is there that representa-
ton in the higher courses of STUDY. and in the
advanced years of instruction that there should
1.-THE reason for the low grade of initiative
qualification attribute in great measure to the
continued lack OF a sufficient number of schools
in the territory Of higher grade than the COM
mon or district schools Such higher grade
schools, il sufficient in number and appointed to
train their pupils for still more advanced in
str1lction would act as efficient feeders TO the
university But they do not exist There is no
ADEQUATE provision made in our present school
law either to encourage or secure the establish
ment of higher schools IN many OF the places
where a condition exists that demands them
And though the university has no legal author
ity to change or construe the law in any way to
meet the necessities of new conditions and
progressive educational sentiment, yet as the
highest public institution of learning in the ter
ritory. il ought at least TO take the lnlative In
agitating a reform that will secure ample facili-
ties for better public schools ana tnelr syste
md nur