The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-05-03
IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

The Deseret News of Thursday even
ing. under the headlines, ''To Continue
Experiment. Church Board of Education
TO Give Course in Theology, has the
Following report;
Al meeting yesterday of the general
Church board OF education. Il was de-
cided 10 continue next year the expert
Granite high School Of giving public
school students an opportunity to study
theology In connection with tnelf Sesu5,
hope that the experiment VIII he sue
csssful
The Church and Granite stake during
the past year erected q building near
the Granite high school building; IN
which theology should be taught daily,
and To which the high school students
the daytime and take regular work IN
theology The building was not COM
pleted in time to successfully tT' our
the idea last year. a special instructor,
to conduct the work, ~,
be principally from the. Old and the
New Testamenis for which credit is
given In the Granite high school ano
also at the state University AS the
Students can receive as much credlt
for theological work as for other work.
lt Is believed that largo numoer OF
them viii avail themselves OF the op-
portunty OF taking regular theolog-
teal course.
From this it appears that the teaching
OF church theology began in the Granite
high school last wear. the purpose of it
being to give public school students an
opportunity to "study theology in con.
uection with their regular school
work - The theology spoken of here,
of course. is a sectariau theology. This
instruction was begun, as plainly stated,
IN the Granite high school last year;
and its purpose was 10 inject the study
OF certain church theology into the
public school studies so as to give the
students au opportunity to study that
theology in connection with their regu.
lar school work,
But no theology has any place in the
regular school work of pupils. The
State Superintendent, Mr.. \. c. Nelson,
has expressly ruled against all this sort
Of thing. and there was apparent ac-
duiescerce by the church authorities in
that ruling, when Superintendent Nelson
made it against the so-called 'relig-
ION classes But the usual evasion and
trickiness appears to have accompanied
that acquiescence. The religion
classes have been continued in many
Of the public schools, and at the recent
conference Apostle Grant especially
commended the school authorities of
Wasatch county for the facilities which
they provided fer these "religion
classes, - which, as Superintendent Mel
son expressly ruled, ought not to meet
in the public schools at all.
II appears that the church authorities
concluded that after all they were pur.
suing things Il little too far in the Gran
ite stake by using the Granite high
school openly and in defiance of the
Superintendent g ruling, for instruction
in theology; and so they have erected
building near the Granite high school.
in which theology is to bc taught daily
ana to which the high school students
can go at their convenience during the
daytime aud take regular work iu
theology.
This theological work viii. of course,
attract the pupils away from their regu-
lar school work TO . greater or less de-
gree, according as they are either in.
clined or coerced To these studies in the
ology "from the Old and the New Tes.
tamcnts, for which credit is given in the
Granite high school aud also at the
State University Here is a new de.
vc'opmcnt OF the intrusion of Mormon
scctarian instruction in the public
schools. There is credit given in the
Granite high school. il appears, for
work IN these Mormon theological
studies. Here is clear intrusion of
the church Into the affairs of the State
and credit given contrary to law and
in opposition TO the declared separation
purely sectarian; and these credits are
given in public institutions that arc
supported by the general taxation of all
the people. The idea of giving credit
in the state University for work in
Mormon theological studies is some
thing that We had not heard of before,
aud il is Il distinct aggression upon the
! function Of the State. aud q perversiou
altogether of the idea of public school
instruction aud public school study. II
IS in effect grating of Mormon the
ology upon the public school instruction
Of the State, which is al once unlaw.
| full, impudeut. aud an aggression upon
public rights.
| POKING FUN AT BRYAN