The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-22
REAL INFORMATION
ON UTAH SCHOOLS
Something the Souvenir Edition
of Bureau of Information
Forgot to Print.
FACTS PERTAINING TO
EDUCATION in STATE
Mormon Church Authorities Did
Not Create Public Schools
of Utah.

Visitors in Salt Lake City who visit
the Temple block are given n booklet,
presumed to he issued under the direc-
tion Of the Church of Latter-day
Saints. This booklet is handsomely
printed, and upon one of the pages the
following is printed:
The bureau OF information is established
Tor the purpose OF furnishing reliable In
Correspondence solicited, If you desire to
learn of the agricultural and mineral re-
sources. manufacturing and stock raising
interests. utahs attractions. institutions,
climate. industries. finances. write to the
bureau. CHURCH works. souvenir postals.
Utah or Salt Lake view books, etc: al
formation. Salt Lake City Utah.
AS to the kind and character OF in
formation which this bureau is dissem
mating, there are q. great many people
in Utah who will question its rcliabil
ity. For Illustration, page 53 of this
reliable - BOOKLET reads thus:
Education..The first school In Utah was
opened just fhree months after the advent
of the Mormon pioneer into the valley OF
ne Great Salt Lake, and from that time
iii the present. schools, have been MAIN
tanned. The first legislature of the ter
Fltofy or Utah was for the establishment
and building OF roads and bridges. the
sShoois N MaT f tn the IN
was opened under the patronage OF
Srigham Young and the people
school houses were invariably among the
line structures in the territory.
The idoal of the Mormons has ever been
mat OF higher education. for II is their
belief that the glory Of God Is intelli-
gencc," and that by education and faith
IN Jesus Christ. man comes TO realiza-
uon OF his better self.
Statement Is Untrue.
Now, this sounds very nicely; it reads
pretty, but il is not true, for the church
leaders were opposed TO the free public
Ehools- ana so late as April Z, 1873, |
Brigham Young opposed free schools,
and did so in ar address in the confer.
cnce of the church at the date men
toned. He did this in a sermon, where
IN he denounced John Chislctt, who
had loEg been n devout member of the |
Mormon church, as an apostate because |
be had dared TO advocate the cstab-
iishing IN the Seventh ecclesiastical
ward of Salt Lake City a free school, |
the first orc in Utah
The Mermons came to Utah in lS47 |
~ was then Mexican territory. While |
Mexico ceded the country in which |
Utah was situate in lS4S, it did not |
become the territory of Utah until |
1900, the act of congress establishing |
The territory being approved Septem-
Der ., 1850
university or DeSeret.
Brigham Young had attempted to
create the state Of Deseret prior to this |
date, and In the Legislature of this il |
r:oNed February IS, 1850, providing for
4 university of the state of Deseret
Nhen ttah was created territory, |
me univcrs't-. of Utah was created by |
inc terIIto't'l legislature. In this uni |
NersitY th3 Deseret alphabet, which con
sisted OF Chirty eight letters. was used, |
and M, 10 1869 the first and second |
.eedeis were. printed in this alphabet |
20: J,c i'll the schools of Utah. This
We : the educational system which Utah |
nd. and about which this booklet; |
@hich says it furnishes ''reliable in
1ormation' about Utah pratcs so
loudly,
There was no school system in Utah
until 1876. Efforts to establish free |
schools up to that time had been fought
by the church leaders. The territorial |
legislature Of that year enacted law
providing for The establishment of dis
trict schools and directing the probate |
Judges 10 divide the counties into dis |
tracts for school purposes
Statutes Tell the Story.
The revised statutes of Utah tell this |
story. The laws were compiled by Nor |
mous-three men, Smoot. Smith and |
Burton They knew what they were
taiFing about, for in the preface to
the laws which they compiled they say,
over their own signatures:
IL preparing this compilation the object |
kept prominently in view has been THE |
OMISSION OF no GENERAL LAW OR !
PART THEREoF Now IN FORCE. !
az 10 the meaning Of the words now |
in force the legislature evidently Intended !
tho work to embrace such laws only AS |
arc in force FOR future action or purpose |
The duty of the committee has |
bceu confined To the collection and re- |
print without alteration Of the laws in |
'orcc.
To get right down TO brass tacks,
the public school system of Utah. Of |
*t*<*N%* |