| Show THE NEW WEST SCHOOLS the northwest educational commis eion held its eighth annual meeting in chicago last saturday during its session certain figures were read to that body that is food for reflection to that the mormon community who are in the habit of sending their children to be educated in institutions conducted by thia commission and known as the yew fedt schools one of these schools is found in prove ut the present time iud is receiving the support of many mormon parents the report rend at the meeting referred to shows that during the past year had been spent in the support of thirty schools aud four academics in utah and new mexico and that out of a total of 2725 pupils attending attend ng these schools over per cent of mormon parentage considering that so much has been a P id on the subject of mormon parents allowing their children to bo educated and trained under sectarian influences these figures are certainly astonishing there is another matter also in connection with these new west schools that the people should know wo will take the school in provo for instance when it was first established the peo plo were appealed to irrespective of their religious beliefs to send their children to school promising them that the question of religion should receive no thought or attention by trustees or teachers in either one way or the other 2 ow it is a well known fact that the teachers employed in this school have induced the pupils to attend the congregational services held in tins city these institutions being conducted and supported by the congregational denomination at tho meeting of the commission held in chicago saturday a mr bliss the general secretary of the organization read a paper on Monnon ism which sensible people would call an insult to the mormon parents who arc supporting these schools here is a portion of aliis paper the question or fact is sometimes raised whether Mormon lam is a religion or something else unworthy of eliat designation there has been no much of fraud and wickedness in the practice and lives of its prominent founders and leaders that we grow impatient when men call the product of all thia scheming and cunning a religion yet the word religion is one of great it is utterly impossible to explain the facts which meet one everywhere in utah without granting not only that mormonism is a religion but also that the clinef of its present vitality and power lie in the religions ideas hopes and fears of its adherents the question ia will men and women professing to be members of alie mormon church continue to send their tender children to bo educated in schools that are controlled by men who like mr alias give yent to the feelings of their hearts in auch language |
