The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-21
B. !. ]. EDUCATORS
GIVEN THEIR CHOICE
Must Either Refrain From
Teaching Certain Branches
OF Resign Positions.
Continued from Page One.

/
y. l.. faculty, is president that the mat
| tor began 10 como TO n head. Al this
| conference Apostles Francis NJ. Lyman
! and Charles W. Pcnrose are reported on
! good authority 10 have made addresses
aimed directly at the offending educators
and Immediately thereafter Professor II. II.
| Cummings. superintendent of the church
schools. began an investigation OF the
teachings promulgated in the Provo iDstl-
tuition. This probing. II is stated by
made with the utmost thorouShness and
lasted for ten days.
Professor Cummings made report TO
the general educational board expressing
his conviction that teachings regarding
evolution and the higher criticism which
had found their way into the university
doctrines Of the church.
The next move in this roliSio-educa-
tionQl difficulty was TO officially deter
mine whether not the teachings com
planned of were contrary to the doctrines
held by the Mormons. To accomplish this
a committee consisting of Francis M. Ly-
man, HeDer j. Grant Charles w. Pen
rose George +. Richards, Anthony w.
WINS. all men who by virtue of their &C.
clesiastical position are given the power
To- determine what is and what is not IN
harmony with inspiration. was appointed,
and these, with President George II
Brimhall and Superintendent II. II Cum
mingS. conducted another investigation.
This inspired committee brought the
three educators ON the carpet for the
purpose OF questioning them as to their
beliefs and teachings. This committee
did not report back TO the general board
of education. but was directed TO make
its findings direct To the board OF trus-
tess OF the B. Y. u.
And this report substantiatod the re-
port previously submitted by Supcrin-
tendent Cummings and recommended TO
the board Of trustees that these three
professors be required TO refrain from
teaching doctrines that have not re
ceivcd the approval OF the church,
Quick Action Taken,
When this board OF Il, y. T.. trustees
there was no hcsitancy, indccision or di-
vision in regard TO the action taken. |
Those OF the board attending were:
President Joseph +. Smith, head OF the |
Mormon church; John Henry Smith, sec
ond counselor to President Smith; Susa !
Young Gates. Willard Young, Richard w. !
seph Murdock of Wasatch. Warren
Dusenberry Of Provo. Steve a. Chapman
of American Fork. The members OF
the board not attending were Senator |
Reed Smoot Jesse Knight and Lafayette |
Holbrook. all of Provo.
Without a dissenting vote, this board |
unanimously passed a resolution TO the |
effect that no doctrines should be taught |
i'm the Brigham Young university not In |
harmony with the revealed word of God !
as interpreted and construed by the |
presidency and apostles OF the church |
and further resolved that the power and |
authority To determine whether amy pro- |
tuition is out of harmony with the doc
trincs and attitude of the church be |
delegated TO the presidency Of the uni
Versity.
All in Hands of Three Men.
This, delegation OF authority places in
George IL Brimhall, and Professors
Keeer and Hinckley. all orthodox instruc-
tors of the b. Y. U.-the right 10 say
what Is or what Is not in harmony with
the church teachings and doctrine and |
to draw for the other educators the lines !
within which they must conflne their
Should the professors who have been
outspoken In their convictions be not !
satisfied with this delegation OF authori-
ty. they have the right of appeal TO tho |
board of trustees, and in case OF such |
appeal the final determination of their
tate may be delayed for a considerable
bers Of the board are busy men OF
varied interests and the calling OF them
again together would probably require
careful preliminary arrangements.
While some members OF the board OF
trustees which passed the drastic rcso-
luton were extremely reticent when
questioned as To whether or not there
was any conflict between the doctrines
of the Mormon church and the ac-
credited teachings Of modern science.
Warren II. Dusenberry OF Provo said:
The board found that all the teachings
in the university must be in harmony
with the doctrines OF the old and New
the Doctrine and Covenants, II was
agreed not TO Insist upon the stories Of
Jonah and the Whale Balaam's ass. and
a few other similar things. Teachers
may believe what they please. but must
dcsist from teaching views that are not
orthodox 1t is not question Of wheth-
wrong Evolution is not a proper study
for young people"
Balks on Definitions.
= salt Lake member of the board who
when interviewed, asked for and received
the promise that his name would not be
used and that he would not be directly |
quoted. fought shy from start to finish
whenever an attempt was made TO gel
him TO state directly whether or not the
Mormon church doctrine was In conflict
with the doctrine OF evolution. He in
sisted that the revealed word OF the
church was in harmony with all true
science, no matter by what name ii |
might be called. but politely and firmly
declined to point out any modern teach
ing OF science that might be objected to
from a religious standpoint. On this
point he referred the interviewer to the
apostles, who, he declared alone have
The power and authority to determine
such questions.
This man insisted that the action
taken by the board Of trustees in requir-
ing the complete harmony Of the teach
ing OF instructors with church doctrines
was wise. conservative and necessary
pointing out that as the church schools
were maintained by church funds IL was
no more than right and proper that moth
ing should creep in TO undermine the re-
iisous faith of the students
Dodging Freedom of Thought.
Pressed for an answer To the question
as to how much freedom Of thought and |
what spirit OF Independent investigation |
properly belonged within tho scope OF "A
school conducted under church auspices
there came the same answer. an abso-
lutte refusal to enter IN any way into
that phase of the question and declara-
ton that that was matter entirely
within the province of the presidency OF
the school in question.
But the church organ has definitely
stated that tho church holds to the doc
trine Of divine revelation. Interchangeable
and perfect except as modified by later
revelations, while science and the "higl-
er criticism" arc the product OF the Inn
perfect unInspired mind and therefore
subject 10 error.
The matter has already aroused more
than passing. local attention and the
outcome will be awaited with great inter
est by educators Of the entire west re-
gardless of their religious views