The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-14
Given Out Yesterday By Attor-
ney-GeneraI Bishop.
UNIVERSITY GRADUATES
THE GRADES OF CERTIFICATES
ISSUED TO THEM.
Normal Certificates and Diplomas
Issued as Far Back as 1876 Not of
the Same Force a. State Certiii-
cates-Ihe Law Construed.

Acknowledgement Bishop yesterday
gave out the following opinion, which
will be read with much interest by all
concerned in educational matters:
Office of the Attorney General
Salt Lake City, Utah,
August 13, 1896.
Hon. John R. Park, State Superinten-
dent Of Public Instruction, Salt Lake
City, Utah:
Dear Sir-In answer to your ques-
ton, DO all normal certificates and
diplomas issued by the University OF
Utah, dating as far back as 1876, have
the force of state certificates; and if
not, what normal certificates and d.
plomas are meant, and when do they
begin to be valid as state certificates"
In answer to this question [
would say no, for the following rea
sons: The last provision of section "a,
page 107, of the laws of Utah of 1892,
provides that all normal diplomas is
sued after the passage of this act, by
the University Of Utah, shall entitle
the holder to a third grade certif1cate;"
and by the laws of 1894, page 102, sec
ton 8, the word first" is substituted
for the word third so that from
March 10, 1892, to March 8, 1894, the
university diploma entitled the holder
March 8, 1894, to April 5, 1896, the uni
versity's diploma entitled the holder to
a first grade certificate. Section al
of the laws of 1896, page 500. provides
that 'tall normal diplomas issued after
March l. 1882, by the University OF
Utah shall be accepted by the board of
examination in lieu of an examination,
and the holder thereof shall receive
from the board of education a gram
mar certificate, valid for three years
without renewal The same section
also provides that "the holder of a
state diploma or state certificate as
provided by law shall be exempt from
further examination during the term
of the validity of such certificate
Section 172 of this chapter, page SIS,
repeats all laws inconsistent with this
chapter. Section 2 of this chapter,
page 457, defines the different classes
of state diplomas and state certifi-
Gates. State diplomas are of two
grades, namely: High school and gram
mar; and state certificates are of but
one grade. namely: grammar. Section
4 provides that High school diploma
is valid in any of the departments OF
the public schools. 1t is obvious that
the term High school diploma" men
toned in section 4, is the same as
first-class state diploma, mentioned IN
section 2; and that the grammar g1ratis
diploma is the same as the second-class
mentioned in section 2; and that the
certificates in the grammar and pri-
mary departments, which are good foT
five years, belong to the class termed
state certificates in section 2.
The last paragraph of section 5,
chapter SO, of the laws of 1896, page
275, provides that graduates in the
normal course snail receive a certifi-
cate which for the term of five years
thereafter shall be sufficient evidence
of the holder, without examination,
as to scholarship to teach in the COM
mon schools in the grade or grades
mentioned in the certificate, and the
university may provide for granting a.
degree with an accompanying normal
diploma to graduates in the normal
course who have satisfactorily taken
the course of study prescribed and
leading to a degree and the degree
with an accompanying normal diploma
shall be sufficient evidence of the hol
der to thereafter teach in the common
and high schools without examination
as to scholarship The first para
graph following the words provided
that in section 5 of chapter $50, on
page 46S, provides that all normal
certificates anG normal diplomas is
sued by the University of Utah shall
have the force of state certificates, and
the holders of any such normal diplo-
mas, after having had two years sue
cessful experience in teaching in this
state shall be entitled to a state high
school diploma.
TWO CLASSES OF CERTIFICATES.
1t is clear from the last paragraph
of section of chapter SO, page 275, of
the laws of 1896 above quoted, that the
legislature has provided for two classes
of certificates, tie first being for grad
yates in the normal course, which are
good for a term of five years, and are
evidently intended to be of equal grade
with the state certificate of the gram
mar grade mentioned in section of
chapter 130 page 467. of the laws of
1896; the second class provided for in
this section is granted to graduates in
the normal course who have taken, in
addition to the prescribed course, a
course leading to a degree and evil
IDENTIFY intended to be Of equal rank
with the highest class of certificates
issued by the state board, termed in
section 2, chapter $50, state diplomas
of the high school grade
The earliest provision I find regard
ing graduates in the normal course and
the certificates which they are to re-
ceive is in section 5 of chapter of
the laws of 1892, page 10, the provision
being, that graduates in the normal
course shall receive a certificate which
for the term of five years thereafter,
shall be sufficient evidence of the hol-
der, without examination, as to schol-
arship, to teach in the common schools
in the grade or grades mentioned in
the certificate
No where do I find any provision.
even in the most remote degree indi-
eating that certificates or diplomas is
sued by the University of Utah, prior
to the taking effect of the law of 1892,
shall entitle the holder to teach in the
public schools or a state certificate of
any kind, unless it be in the sub divi-
sion quoted in section 5, page 46S of
the laws of 1896, which says that nor
NAL certificates and normal diplomas
issued by the University OF Utah, etc.
shall have the force of state certifi-
Gates, etc.
I am of opinion thar if the legislature
intended to make this language apply
to such certificates as were mentioned
in your letter and which the University
has been in the habit of granting since
1876, thar it would have used the words
normal certificate and diploma which
shalt have been issued by the Univer-
sity of Utah etc" This view is strength
ened by the language used in section
al, page sos. of this chapter above
quoted. Doubtless in the provision there
that all normal diplomas issued after
March 1, 1S92.ehe date of March 1 instead
of March 10th has been used inadvert-
antly as the law passed giving effect
to these certificates was approved ON