Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-08-27


| OF the Latter-day Saints unlYrs"y Fl"
| tho board of trustees, are c4lea 'l'o
| the columns OF the Desfret He"s' 80
| that they can be read by may peoP'e
who may not receive he pamphe'
| which contains them, AMI wHch' pup'
| llshed by the board glvei ma y part'c-
ulars concerning the irttpiol over
,.,i.h prosossor pouI ,reshes We
commend his remarks tothe ionsiuerd-
tion Of all friends OF trueedudltioni
The principal business Of mankind ~
the training OF the youth and upon the
future OF It's youth deperis the success
or the failure OF any people. The prop
lem which has confronted the Laltel-
day saints has always ben mat OF pro-
vidlng for their young people nm educa,
ton In accordance with ne Ideals ana
in harmony with the dulles mat must
be performed by this pole IL mas
been claimed that in or,er TO DO inns
complete system OF ducation from
the primary department W 70 ana IN
Guiding the university Wull be reqult
ed; ana certainly there are arguments
In favor Of this VIEW which II Is III no
sense my purpose 70 coitroyert. But II
those arguments are Wholly true, we
are confronted by a situton that IL al
most, II not altogether Impossible TOT
us 20 meet. And / venture 10 beneVe
that a complete system Is not the only
solution Of the probhm. Not alone
does the vast expense { such system
place II out of the question TOR the
time being, but also or relation 10 the
State as loyal citizen thereof ana as
supporters OF its necessary institutions
makes II our duty TO support ana pat
ronize the public school system. Such
has always been the attitude OF our
people, and | see no indication OF
change in this attitude. | therefore
suppose that our conditions or circum-
stances--let them be called either prov
dence or fate, as you will-have so
shaped themselves tat we shall not
maintain complete system Of schools
In the sense of takinl the place OF the
State system. We smll simply ada 10
the state system whatsoever we deem
advantageous to the cause OF educa-
ton in our midst and essential to those
ideals which as a people we cherisn'
Our efforts hitherto n this direction
have taken the form OF an addition TO-
and not that OF Substitute Tor, the
public school system.
have no doubt thet schools support
ed by the Latter-day Saints, with their
rational and scriptunl doctrines, their
broad and tolerant views, and their
devotion 10 truth In my OF its aspects
will enable them TO WELD a righteous
influence for good owe the lives OF their
young people, and through them over
the dostinies OF who'll communities. II
we seize upon the hight moment for
instructng the youth In definite and
systematic manner, hero can be no
real question as TO the results. All edu-
cation begins I'm the home and In the
early surroundings; and do not mean
that the influence OF the parents, es-
pecially that of the mo.hers, Is not con-
siderablei but there comes a time when
the youth begins to ask which OF all
the religious denominations Is right,
THE CRITICAL PERIOD.
That time, as powerfully illustrated In
the case Of the boy Joseph Smith. is
just when the dictates OF reason begin
to demand cause, a proof, an explain
alton, for beliefs, actions, and creeds,
This Is the time when youthful minds
awaken TO the importance OF the prob
lens Of life. religion, and Immortality
Results Of investigations to ascertain
the age OF life at which religious CON
versions usually occur, were published
two years ago by psychologist, Geo
A. Coe, They showed that s per cent
Of the conversions occurred before the
age Of years; per cent between the
ages Of and IL; IA per cent between
the ages of ~ and 10; 80 per cent from
l6 to is years OF age; 16 per cent from
10 10 20 years, per cent from p TO %
years; and | per cent from rs to 30
years See Literary Digest. March s,
1907.
The questions which are invincbly
asked by the youthful mind at this
time. should be definitely, candidly,
truthfully, and fully answered This
period OF youth and adolescence oorre-
sponls, In the main, with what we term
the hlgh-schoo period OF life, II that
period Is we'll taken care Of. the great
est difficulty has been overcome A
youth rightly trained at this age, can
never forget the lessons Of these days,
nor can he cease to respect the source
from which the good instruction came,
II we Wish 10 make converts Of our
youns people, this Is the time, Of all
times in which TO do Il, and If we ara
10 be confined by our limited resources
10 any one period Of life for imparting
Church school instruction, then that
period is the time OF youth and early
manhood and womanhood. This IL the
most favorable age, because II is. in
very truth, the golden period OF life
the flower Of ali our days. II Is the
time when life courses quickly through
the veins, and Joy seems TO emanate
from the eyes, the countenance, and
even from the motion Of the limbs and
body, II Is the time OF the rosy cheek,
the sparkling eye, the Arm, light foot
step,and the CHEEKY voice that Is sweet
er than the murmur OF pleasant waters.
II II the time when the voice seems
naturally 20 burst into songs that sur
pass tho tones OF any musical lnstru-
ment, and into laughter that makes the
heart OF svery listener forget It's sor-
row, while such music, such life. such
hope and promise Of the future, are
gushing forth from the inmost being Of
the unsullied and unvhXed soul OF
youth. And II Is a conviction OF mine,
not shared by all people, that this Joy
Gus period OF life ought not, by any
act or policy or discipline Of ours, to be
turned Into one Of solemnity or gloom
and that, while we should cultivate, and,
with all our might, mind and strength,
should train these young people to hab-
It's Of sober and earnest thought, to
strenuous and persistent endeavor, so
as "a develop strong, yrtuous, noble
manly. and womanly characters we
should never forget that everything
young Is or ought 10 be happy
Why should school work and duties
be so contrlved as 20 be n
burden7--as 10 be dlstastetul TO
young persons7 The answer Is, that
they should not. The KlndorRarten has
solved for us the great problem OF
education by showing. once for all, the
natural basis Of healthy and perfect
education that Ia a pleasure
AZ well ms pront: work that Is al
ways delightful, and study that Is re-
creation and development ms uncon-
sclous rs growth Itself To such an
Ideal condition OF school life we look