Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-24
THE ONLY ISSUE.

In an illuminating editorial on inc
g''present school issue, the So callea
American organ Inaintains:
- first, that II was the. Liberal party
influence that redeemed the schools OF
this city from sordid church control;
Secondly, that the main question now
is whether the Church. interest shall
continue to prevail IN the schools:
Third, that the class represented by
the present members of the board Is
''the less advanced class OF the COM
munity. that which knows the least
and cares the least about the schools.
and about education" The other class
is the enlightened school-loving
class.
The first two propositions, as,is seen,
mutually destroy each other TheS
are contradictory. But they are just
as rational, or irrational, as any anti
"Morlnon,' argument ever advanced
by a sheet that says one thing In one
paragraph and the precisely opposite in
the next
Aside from this. the division OF the
community In a less advanced class
and an enlightened, school-lorlns
class,'' meaning that all who range
themselves on the side OF the
Tribune are enlightened while all the
rest are benighted, is OF considera Bile
interest. 1t reveals the low level OF,
culture which the authors OF that innag-
mary division have succeeded IN at
taining. There is not an Esquiman,
thereiis not a I.aplander who does not
consider himself on the very summit
of human achievement, until he learns
that his rude civilization is not every
thing There is not a roaming Arab In
the desert, who does not hold the
mud -dweIlers'' in the cities in con-
tempt. or who does not feel that he
himself Is the only lord of creation,
until he learns better. SO this II am
better than thou is but a. mark of a
very low grade of culture, when It is
not the rankest hypocricy. Those who
are truly enlightened never Insult their
fellow men by drawing such lines of
distinction.
1t was meant, specially, we presume,
sEas an insult to the Latter-day Saints.
But ii does not reach the goal There is
not Il people; iii all the world more earn
est In their. efforts for education and
the advancement of knowledge than
are the Latter-day Saints. There Is
not a people willing to sacrifice more
for schools colleges and universities,
than The saints. Their belief is that
Intelligence Is necessary for salvation;
that Intelligence is the glory of God,
and that no one can attain celestial
glory in ignorance The history of
the people proves that they have lived
up to this beliet under all Circumstance
es. They may have been driv-
en- from theIi. homes by mer-
cless lnurderous rnobs: they
may have suffered from hunger and ex-
5posure; they may have been assailed in
their Constitutional rights and beer
under the necessity of spending thei,
means and energy in the defense oil
those rights, but they have never neg
lected the children. They have never
neglected to provide, TO the very hes,
OF their ability, for their education
The RESULTS that even as early as 1871
Utah had 25s common schools with 10.
male and 1G1 female teachers. and a
total enrolment of 1922 pupils. Salt
Lake City was divided into twenty-one
school districts, with good publ,
schoolhouse in each.some districts hav.
ing three or four schools. And nov
for men of the intellectual caliber a
those responsible for the so-called Am.
erican" parry. to come and say 1--WE
We want to run the schools in the interest