By
Darla Isackson
LDS
parents are rightly alarmed about the quality of education our
children are receiving in public schools. In part one of this
series, I share words of prophets in regard to educating our children.
Part Two will disclose why and how the early Saints disregarded
that counsel. Obviously, the spiritual level of education in public
schools today gives us even more cause for concern than in the
time the warnings were spoken. In future articles I will explore
various practical solutions LDS parents are finding for today’s
educational challenges.
In 1998 an eye-opening book was published called Revealed
Educational Principles & the Public Schools: A look at principle-centered
education through the prophets and LDS educational history,
by John D. Monnett (LDS Archive Publishers, Heber, Utah 1998).
Monnett holds degrees in education from Brigham Young University
and a PhD in the Historical Foundations of Education from the
University of Utah. He has taught in the LDS Church Education
System as well as in public schools and now lives in Heber City,
Utah.
Revealed
Educational Principles & the Public Schools sounds a loud wake-up call to LDS parents concerning
public education. I am a concerned grandmother, and as I started
reading this book, many questions came to my mind such as:
• “If the early prophets took such a stand against public
education, why was their counsel disregarded?”
• “Since all the concerns they stated about the dangers
of secular education seem doubly applicable today, why aren’t
we hearing more about this issue now?” and
• “What are the alternatives? What can a determined,
but financially limited parent do?”
This book, supplemented by other excellent books, answered
these questions in a way that enlightened my understanding and
motivated me to action. I hope to summarize what I learned in
a manner that will similarly enlighten and motivate my readers.
(All “Ibids” referenced in this article refer to the above mentioned
book. Official sources quoted by the author, Monnett, are cited
additionally.)
Early
Education in Utah
First, I will summarize what Monnett tells about early
education in Utah.
The Saints entered the valley in 1847, and Mary Dillworth
is purported to have started the first school in Utah in the back
of her wagon shortly thereafter. The early Utah schools were
organized after the pattern the people were accustomed to in the
east. They formed school boards, and the president was generally
the bishop. He would appoint a teacher who was expected to be
an exemplary person. The teacher had to know how to read, write,
and add figures, but he didn’t need a degree. That pattern continued
for about ten years. Students would come to school (generally
held in the ward meeting house) two or three months out of the
year--at the most, six months. The rest of their education was
home education.
The
Establishment of Protestant “Mission” Schools
As members of other faiths began to pour into the area,
new challenges developed. In 1867, Daniel Sylvester Tuttle, the
missionary priest of the territory and later bishop in the Episcopalian
Church, conceived of a way to stop what he saw as “the threat
of Mormonism.” "We'll have a school, and we'll have the
best school," he decided. "Those Mormon schools won't
hold a candle to it, so they'll send all their children to our
school and one by one we'll baptize them." The Baptists,
Congregationalists, and Methodists soon joined in, with money
from their congregations in the East pouring in to the “worthy
cause” of getting Mormon youth to leave Church-dominated schools.
Generally schools at that time weren't free. Church-led
schools charged a minimal tuition--generally three to seven dollars
per semester. In the event that a family was unable to pay, work-in-lieu-of-tuition
was arranged.
The various Protestant schools offered free tuition.
As hard as it is to explain, Latter-day Saint children, in larger
and larger numbers, were sent to Protestant schools.
LDS
Scriptures are Dropped from Church-dominated Schools
Except for these Protestant schools (often referred
to as “mission” schools), the Saints had control over local schools.
As more and more nonmembers began to settle in the area a problem
arose: the schools established by the Saints were teaching the
Restored Gospel and modern scripture along with the Bible. To
appease the non-Mormon population of the territory, all scriptures
except the Bible were gradually dropped from the curriculum.
A
“Saintly” Curriculum is Provided
The apparent view of early Church leaders was that if
LDS scriptures could not be used, at least many faith-promoting
books could be placed in the classrooms as readers. The great
bulk of curriculum published under the direction of the Church
during this period was what we might call a “Saintly” curriculum.
It consisted of biographical sketches using true events from the
lives of exemplary priesthood bearers to emphasize such characteristics
as living close to the Lord and following the Spirit. These sketches
were published in “textbooks” designed to develop in the youth
those specific characteristics.
What were these books? The most popular, distributed
under the auspices of the First Presidency of the Church, was
called The Faith-Promoting Series. President George Q. Cannon
of the First Presidency began that set with his own experience
as a young missionary in Hawaii and called the book My First
Mission. Introducing the book, he wrote that he had grown
up in the home of President John Taylor and had often heard him
talk about his missionary experiences in France and England.
Listening to President Taylor, young George had developed a burning
desire to become a missionary. He felt that publishing his own
missionary experiences in Hawaii would give the youth in the Church
the same desire. My First Mission, brought out in 1881,
was one of the very first books issued in fulfillment of D&C
55.
A little later, the book, A String of Pearls,
was published. It was a collection of faith-promoting stories
of the early Saints among the Indians combined with some exciting
examples of missionary labors and priesthood experiences.
In 1883, one of the most powerful books in the early
set was written from the missionary experiences and journals of
the Church’s most successful missionary, Wilford Woodruff. The
Faith Promoting Series was the published word of the First Presidency
who felt that through reading the books the youth would understand
the power of priesthood and emulate the activities that had taken
place in the lives of worthy men. All of the accounts were true
and were gleaned from Saints living in the territory. These books
were used as school readers, and encouraged for home reading and
Sunday school classes as well.
Tax-Supported
Schools Deprive Saints of Curriculum Control
Faith-based, education still comprised the main curriculum
of the schools until government taxation for education began,
and curriculum became a political issue. The Church lost more
and more control over what was taught, and the percentage of nonmember
teachers steadily rose. Tax-supported schools became known as
“District Schools.”
Both parents and leaders were concerned about what was
happening. John Taylor, President of the Church from 1880-1887
said, “And above all other things, teach our children the fear
of God. Let our teachers be men of God, imbued with the Spirit
of God, that they may . . . teach their students how to approach
God, that they may call upon Him and He will hear them, and by
their means, we will build up and establish Zion.” (Journal
of Discourses, Vol. 20, p.59)
First
Presidency Asks for Independent Church Schools
The following Epistle, written by the first presidency,
President John Taylor, George Q. Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith,
was delivered at the October, 1886 General Conference: “It is
pleasing to notice the increased feeling of anxiety on the part
of the Saints to have their children educated in schools where
the doctrines of the Gospel and the precious records which God
has given us can be taught and read. Our children should be indoctrinated
in the principles of the Gospel from their earliest childhood.”
[We now use “indoctrinate” in a negative sense; at that time,
Webster’s dictionary defines “indoctrinate” as “to teach or instruct
in rudiments or principles.”]
The Epistle continued, “They should be made familiar
with the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants. These should be their chief text books, and everything
should be done to establish in their hearts genuine faith in God,
in His Gospel and its ordinances, and in His works. But under
our common school system this is not possible.” (Messages of
the First Presidency, Vol. 3, p. 59, Ibid, p. 249-250)
The Brigham Young Academy in Provo and the Brigham Young
College in Logan were commended, and then the First Presidency
concluded, “We would like to see schools of this character, independent
of the District School system, started in all places where it
is possible.”
At the time, John Taylor was the Territorial Commissioner
of Schools as well as President of the Church! It was his job
to hand out federal tax money to support the schools, which was
difficult for him, because his personal stand was that the people
should shoulder the cost of their children’s education in order
to maintain control of what they were taught.
Monnett said, “Because of previous and ongoing conflicts
with government agencies, the Saints were reluctant to release
parental authority and place it in the hands of the State. It
was a case of the interested passing control to the disinterested
when they themselves had been vested with divine authority to
educate their children. (D&C 68: 25-31, 93: 41-50) (Ibid,
p. 40) A year later, in 1887, John Taylor was illegally stripped
of the territorial position under the Edmonds-Tucker Act.
President
Wilford Woodruff Carries Out Counsel on Church Schools
President Taylor died in Kaysville in July of 1887.
The new prophet, Wilford Woodruff took up the gauntlet. He made
the announcement in the 1988 April General Conference that the
Church would be officially organizing schools for all the Saints,
then sent a letter to all thirty-two stake presidents which said:
“We feel that the time has arrived when the proper education of
our children should be taken in hand by us as a people. Religious
training is practically excluded from the District Schools. The
perusal of books that we value as divine records is forbidden.
Our children, if left to the training they receive in these schools,
will grow up entirely ignorant of those principles of salvation
for which the Latter-day Saints have made so many sacrifices.
To permit this condition of things to exist among us would be
criminal. The desire is universally expressed by all thinking
people in the Church that we should have schools where the Bible,
the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants can
be used as text books, and where the principles of our religion
may form a part of the teaching of the schools. To this effect
it will be necessary the funds be collected. The Church will doubtless
do its share; but it cannot carry the entire burden. The Saints
must be appealed to . . . so that academies may be established,
good Faculties employed, and education be made so cheap that it
will be within the reach of the humblest in the land.”
The letter was signed by Wilford Woodruff, who was not
only the President of the Church, but Chairman of the Church Board
of Education and George Reynolds, Secretary (Ibid, p. 246-247)
What
Did the Church Schools Teach?
The Church schools were usually referred to as “Academies.”
“Not only scriptures, but other gospel doctrine and lessons were
integrated into academy instruction. As Utah’s pre-eminent teacher
and educator wrote, “the cornerstones of Zion’s schools is theology”
and religious teachings are “to permeate all other work.” (Karl
G. Maeser, a Biography by His Son, p. 168) “The entire school
day in the church schools was gospel-centered. Theological classes
were conducted daily, there were daily devotional exercises, and
weekly priesthood and missionary meetings. Brother Maeser recommended
in the Juvenile Instructor that the curricula for stake academies
should include:
- “For
the Advanced Grade: Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants,
Story of the Book of Mormon, Deseret Sunday School Leaflets,
and the Compendium.
- “For
the Primary Grade: Sunday School Cards, Picture Bible Charts,
Articles of Faith, Lord’s Prayer, Ten Commandments, etc.” (Juvenile
Instructor, Vol. 23, p. 32)
“Coupled with daily theological instruction, a general
theological class including testimony bearing and student talks)
was held each Wednesday. Theological instruction was obligatory
and all students were expected to participate. Also conducted
weekly were missionary meetings patterned after those at Brigham
Young Academy and designed to increase scriptural knowledge and
prepare students for future missionary service. Priesthood meetings
were held during the week for young men attending the academies.
In the words of one academy principal, they were “given further
opportunities to bear their testimonies, learn public speaking,
learn the duties of the priesthood, and acquaint themselves with
the scriptures [and] the history of the Church.” (Ibid, pp. 165,
166)
Brother Karl G. Maeser, the first superintendent of
Church schools, encouraged superior training in academic areas,
he emphasized that nothing was to be ‘taught in any way conflicting
with the principles of the gospel. Church doctrine was not only
taught openly, but its “spirit underlied all teachings and disciplines.’
(Circular for the Brigham Young Academy, 1885-1886, p. 4, BYU
Archives.) Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? How would it be to
have all our children today in such schools, instead of just a
fifty-minute seminary class, at best?
What
Happened?
So what happened? Why did the Church schools fail? Why
did the Prophet, Moses-like, have to go back up the mountain and
get a lower law because the Saints would not live the higher law?
Part
Two in this series will attempt to answer those important questions.
For
more information concerning the book Revealed Educational Principles
& the Public Schools, or to obtain copies go to: www.archive
publishers.com or call Brother Monnett at 435-785-8090
