Show A nel aki by the general coard of education for he Chur cli at a meeting of the general board of education for the church held on thursday may ad a new and important step was taken it was determined ter mined that in connection with the general educational movement recently established degrees should be created and diplomas issued in conformity with them three have already been created and bestowed as follows doctor in letters the title to consist as elsewhere of the initial letters D L D A diploma in this degree has been issued to professor karl G maeser doctor in science and didactics title D S D diploma issued to professor james E talmage doctor in mathematics and didactics D M D diploma issued to professor J M tanner everything connected with this important educational movement being of intense interest to all latter day saints throughout the world the reader may be informed in detail regarding it we here insert in full a copy of the diploma issued to brother maeser the two others being similar in every respect except in the matter of namo and title and the character of the ecclesiastical office of the holder cf the document holiness to the lord the general board of education of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints to all to whom these presents may come greeting enow ye that satisfactory evidence having been brought before us that professor earl G maeser is a high priest in full standing and fellowship in the church of jesus christ of latter day saints and he has pursued to a successful completion theoretically and practically the various branches of a liberal education in theology science letters anc the arts we do thedore declare him the said karl G maeser to be a doctor ia letters and didactics D L D unto all the schools of the said church in witness whereof reef we bavei caused this diploma to be signed by the president and secretary of this board and to be sealed and issued at salt lake city utah on this the second day of may anno domini one thousand eight hundred and eighty nine in behalf of the general board of education WlL FOED SEAL president GEOEGE secretary it is needless perhaps to state that it is the desire of the general board the titles associated with the degrees shall be recognized and in the school and among the people it will observed be that didactics is included in each degree this is necessarily the case the training of teachers being a chief and important part of the calling of those receiving these diplomas the three gentlemen upon whom the newly created degrees have been conferred professors maeser tal anage and tanner constitute the ex amiling board which will pass upon the qualifications of all applicants for teachers certificates and diplomas A thorough and complete academic curriculum has been adapted by the general board for the government of abo examiners those who pass an examination under it will be entitled to the degree of bachelor of didactics B D this fact will doubtless prove a healthful stimulus to young people who conclude to adopt teaching as a profession the title of pro fessor has been used with unwarrantable freedom by persons who have not been intrinsically entitled to it With iia the system which is the subject of the present writing it will only be used by those who fairly earn it by obtaining the academic diploma the development of this movements move menty as progresses doubtless cause the fact to dawn upon the minds of the young that it will be unnecessary for them to go east except perhaps in special instances in order to obtain an education that will meet the general requirements of life so far as we are informed there is a distinctive and notable feature connected with the diplomas issued under the church system they are we believe the only documents of the kind extant across the face of which appears the name of jesus christ the inauguration of this movement among the latter day saints marks the dawning of a brighter day for the education of the youth of tho people of god on the earthy the diplomas are the handiwork of T W clayton the noted penman it is doubtful whether that skilful artist ever executed anything that did him more credit the documents are so well done that they would he pronounced things of beauty by tho most fastidious connoisseur |