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Show THE EDUCATIONAL VISIT- The Schools of Amerioan Fork and Pleasant Grove. Pleasant Grove, Utah County, Feb. 22d, 1875. Editors Salt Lake Herald: On the 18th inst. Mr. James Dwyer and I left Salt Lake city, for the purpose pur-pose of visiting the schools and people in the southern part of the territory in the interests of education. As the schools in Lehi were not in Bessiou this week, wo passed on to American Fork, where we found the schools in a very flourishing condition. They have had free schools in that city for the past six years, and have been benefitted very materially from them. They have no disposition to relinquish the system of holding the property responsible for the education of tho children until a better one is established. estab-lished. Their adoptionof this system indicates that they comprehend the necessity of educating their children equally, or at least giving them equal opportunities of instruction, and that society has an interest and property in every child born into it. Society can protect itself against its worst foea only by educating all children alike. There are three schools in American Fork, occupying comfortable com-fortable houses, but very poor and uncomfortable seats, which they intend soon to exchange for the "TriumDh" desks. These threeschool houses are filled to their utmost capacity ca-pacity and are not sufficient to accommodate ac-commodate all the children of the place. There are 650 children of legal school age there, and but468 enrolled, leaving 182 "out in the cold." With their present enlarged views, with the healthy educational sentiment possessed poss-essed by Bishop L, E. Harrington, the trustees and people, they will doubtless soon perceive the advantage and necessity of building a school house containing twelve or fourteen rooms, and of adopting the graded system. They keep their schools open eleven months in the year, and Mr. J. B. Forbes, who has been engaged in one school for six years, has made his labors count to very good advantage. advant-age. His classes indicate that they have been directed bv a master hand. and by one who thoroughly appreciates appreci-ates the magnitude of his responsibility. responsibil-ity. Air. E. Heuriod is also a teacher ot sterling worth, and is accomplishing much good in the profession. Mr. E. Hunter has not had much experience ia teaching in our common schools, and consequently labors to BOme disadvantage. dis-advantage. He is an excellent teacher of vocal music, which is shown by the Knowledge of music possessed by the children of that place, received under his instruction. On Friday we visited the two schools of Pleasant Grove, in one of which 110 pupils are enrolled, taught by Mr. Lewis 8. Robinson, assisted as-sisted by Mr. Joseph C. Young. The other, taught by Mr. Joseph B. Clark, has 55 pupils enrolled, making a total enrollment of 16o in both schools. There are 414 children between be-tween the ages of 4 and 1G years in this place. This shows that 24'J children through the rate bill system, carelessness and indifference on the part of the people, are deprived of , the privilege of instruction. Bishop Jolm Brown is a warm friend of education and an advocate of a more efficient system than they have at present. He is an indefatigable worker for the general interests of the people. Thoy have a very flourishing flour-ishing co operative store, ot which the bishop is superintendent. It has declared a dividend of from30per! cent, to 60 per cent, per annum for the last six years. They have built a meeting house that would do credit to more able settlements. I was informed in-formed by the bishop that they had plenty of labor capital on hand, that was spoiling, which might bo employ ed in building a fine large school house of a sufficient number of rooms to accommodate all the children of Pleasant Grove. They certainly could not possess a more laudable ambition than to build such a house and establish estab-lish a syBtem of graded schools. : O. H. Riggs, Ter. supt. of common schools. |
