Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-06-23
UTAH SCHOOLS.

ri
buildings used exclusively for religious
worship from taxation His idea is
that the law should not be operative
iii favor of one church, but that the
Temple ought 10 be assessed for taxing
purposes.
The same scribe is out with y lying
statement to the effect that the Church
q leaders have always been opposed 70
tile education of the children, and that
D the public school system of Utah il;
f duo entirely to the GENTLE element.
We have no fault to find With the
position Of our friends outside the.
Church on the school question. They
4 have done their full share toward the.
Al development OF our schools But. is ~
a necessary or Is it even eXpedient to
belittle the magnificent efforts OF the
Z Jsatter-day Saints in behalf of eduea-
&6tions during the formative period Of
n tile. territory Can the spokesman OF
Z the so-talled & American party hope
ii to galn. amy advantage for the party by
lying about the Lsltter-day Saints!
The Constitution of Utah, which was
tho work OF an assembly largely Nor
mon z IArt. zx.) makes ! T. the duty of
the Legislature to provide for the os-
Establishment and maintenance OF uni
form system Of public schools, which
shall be open to NIL children Of the
State. ana be free from sectarian con-
troll. Section 2 of this Article makes
the common schools free 1t reads: a
THE Public School system shall in-
&clude kindergarten Schools, common
schools, consisting of primary and
grammar grades: high schools; an -
&licuItursl college: a University, and
such other schools as the Legislature
may establish. The common schools
shall be FREE. The other depart
silents OF the system shall be supported
MS provided by law. Provided, That
high schools may be maintained FREE
sin all cities of the first and second
cl;lss now constituting school districts.
md in such other cities and districts
MS may be designated by the Legisla-
n lure, u M as43
Here is tho Constitution adopted In
.8;5sl sa5, by IN assembly largely Mormon
that is to gay, composed of citizens a
+ majority OF whom were Church mem
# bers, and presided over by Hon. John
4 Henry Smith, a prominent Church
4 leader, providing for free cominoa
schools and free high schools, and yet
i5tlie veracious Tribune scribe says the
IL 9irblie school system OF Utah, of Salt
lake, is due entirely to the Gentle
slement.'''' What could the aGentila'
y, ~.
\ al convention against the opposition of
the Mormon members?
AS far back as in 1870, Utah's edu-
cational record was one of the Very
best, as 1T Is now and has always
T been. This was long before so-called
liberal n,isrule had cursed this City.
The United states census for that year
gave the following figures:
Utah had 85 per cent average at
at schools OF children between
to Is years; while the average for
the United states was 81; for PennsyI-
wanna, 30; New York, III Massachu-
q sets, 70. District of Columbia, 81;
and California "a, The figures on IL.
literacy were: Utah, II: United States.
e6; Pennsylvanla, 10; New York, 81;
massachusetts, Il; District OF Col.
nmbla. 40, and California, 10. Tho fig
urcs on convicts were: Utah. 3; United
states, 8: PENNSYLVANIA, 8: New York,
II; Massachusetts. u. District OF
Columbia, .; and California, q
That, 1t seems to us. is n record 10
~ be proud OF. Utah does not suffer by
the comparison The iliiteracy Of the
State was a shade higher than that
OF PENNSYLVANIA, New York, and Cali
fornia, but very much lower than
4 that of any of the other states men
toned aud was way above the general
-.yerage of the country.
"a In lSIO4l there We're 325 students in
attendance at the Dcscret University,
TO which was attached a primary de-
& partment With 355 students, or q total
OF $50 enrolled, And one Of the prin-
cipal objects OF this institution was to
qualify the students to become teach
5 ers of the children. There were al
that time 26s common schools in Utah
With 1a7 male and ISL fc,nale teach
ers. and a total enrolment of $685.
children, and an average daily attend
ance of l2,s19 The amount of building
funds raised was s32.9os.fo
The statistics speak for themselves
The Etitter-day saints haze atWays
done all III their power to further
education. They know that intelligence
is the glory of God and that no ons
can be saved in ignorance. They
know that the Gospel appeals to the
minds ~ the enlightened, and not t,
the ignorant. The Prophet Joseph
and the Patriarch Hyruna, werc arden
promoters of education. Presiden
Young did more for the cause of edp
cation than=any of his detrsctors, o.
any of the detractors$of Utah now liv
ing will ever do. And today. unde
the wise policy of President Joseph +
Smith and those associated with hin,
the Church is spending large sums an
nually OF the general funds for tn
maintenance OF excellent Church
schools. Speak about Mormon OPP
position TO education. You might a
- well speak about the opposition of tn
sun to being a light bearer in tn