OCR Text |
Show EDUCATION Pioneers Built Schools, Homes at Same Time its plan for supporting the schools by taxes had to be abandoned because of scarcity of nssney. There were ne standard textbooks in most schools, each child, bringing to class any books his parents owned and Bibles and McGuffey readers predominated. pre-dominated. That education played such a major role In stimulating and speeding the "buildlns" of Utah Is largely because of the high caliber of many of the early day educators. In first rank is Dr. John R. Park, who was culled from his school in Draper in 1S69 to bscome president of the University of Utah. After its beginning In 1850 the university uni-versity had languished for want of . money and other support, but Dr. Park reorganized the setup completely, issued is-sued the first Catalog and launched a program of classical, scientific and normal Instruction. Financial aid was scanty and Dr. Park had to be combination teacher, diplomat, financier and politician. A bachelor, "education was hist wife," and for 21 years, as the beloved president presi-dent of the university, ha bound his students to him with a magnetic personality. per-sonality. Hs built a "university In the 'wilderness" 'wilder-ness" and the stately administration building on the present campus honors hon-ors his name. Hs resigned as president in 1892 because be-cause of ill health and was succeeded by Dr. Joseph T. Kingsbury. Dr. Park was elected the state's first ham Young's family In 18a and later Joined the faculty of the University o( -Utah. Brlgham Towns, academy at Prove) was little mora than a name when - President Young sent Dr. Maeser to be Its principal with but one Instruction, "Don't attempt to teach even the multiplication mul-tiplication table without the spirit of the Lord." He continued as principal, "teaching our educated men and women and turning them out Latter-day Saint;" until 188., when he became general superintendent of the church schools and Dr. James J. Talmadge. a former puniL took over the academy. A gala celebration at Brlgham Young academy In 18M marked the fiftieth anniversary of the start of Dr. Maeser'a teaching career. In addition to these men, outstanding outstand-ing Utah educators whose memories) are still held dear by their former students stu-dents Include Professor Orson Pratt, Dr. John M. Bernhisel. Dr. William M. Stewart Professor Albert Carrington, Professor James Cobb, Dr. F. D. Benedict, Bene-dict, Professor Dan Weggeland, George Careless, Joseph Toronto, Dr. Orson Howard and many others. It was Dr. Howard, professor of (oology and botany at the university univer-sity more than 30 years, who on May 26, 1886, became first president of the Alumni Association of the University of Utah. Many Chare genesis Although private schools were never particularly Influential fat Utah, denominational de-nominational schools have played vital roles. mathematical, practical and all other variety of useful and interesting writings, writ-ings, msps. etc.. to present to the general c'.iurch recorder when they shall arrive at their destination, from , which Important and Interesting matter mat-ter may be gleaned to compile the most valuable works on every science and subject for the benefit of the rising ris-ing generation." As this might Indicate. Interest in the new coloay as not limited to elementary ele-mentary education. t'nlvtrslty of I'tah Created The second law adopted by the legislative leg-islative assembly of the provisional government of the state of Deaeret created the University of Deseret on February 28. 1890. making It the first university west of the Missouri river. Orson Spencer was named chancellor chancel-lor and the "parent school," as the first university session was called, pened November 11, 1890, to train prospective teachers. Ft- . f'y,''t"--'f1 m : .I ls. s t 4 pn-WWIIIInll . fl"' 11 Tirfl llf "tj JOHN ROCKY PARK Hs "fanWacI" Utah's university His flowered, red duster contrasting contrast-ing sharply with bis beaded moccasins, mocca-sins, the scholarly faced "master" glided noiselessly from one group of. students to another. There were ISO boys and girls In the room boys of 8. their bare feet dangling far above the floor as they sat on split logs and laboriously ' studied their A, B, Car girls of 12 In homespun dresses trying to "spell down" the other students In their group; boys of 18 In buckskin pants listening to one of their number read from a geography book. The master took the boys out to drill with wooden guns. A sudden Interruption. A farmer had been kicked by a horse and his leg broken. Turning the school over to his older students, the teacher hastened over to set the broken bone. He wnsnt gone long, though, and was soon back admonishing his pupils that -attention is the mother of mem-. mem-. . orv." "Let the young men, middle aged, old men and all men, married or un-mar.ied, un-mar.ied, who do not know to much to be taught, come forward aa speedily as possible and fill the house and keep the teacher busy and give him a chance to earn his money," ths announcement an-nouncement read. This school wss held In the home of John Pack at West Temple and First North streets, with Dr. Cyrus W. Collins as teacher and Brlgham Young as ons of ths pupils. The Utah Stats Agricultural college was not established until 1888. Parents paid a tuition fee for each child in these early schools and even after legislation was adopted in 1890 netting ssids two sections of each township as school lands little revenue was obtained, for the land was of almost al-most no value. Tuition wss paid in wheat, potatoes, lumber or other products so frequently that "teachers' salaries. Instead of being be-ing drawn on the bank, were drawn on wheel barrows." Teachers' Condor! Watched The pioneers kept close watch est their schoolmasters, too. for in 1892 appeared this warning notice: "We wish our teachers to Improve their leisure time as much as possible In what is technically called 'posting p" in their profession and not be afraid to ask questions for information informa-tion for fear we would think you do not know everything, for we know you do not . . . We have no objection to a teacher's using a reasonable portion por-tion of his leisure time (if he is 'posted up at a party or dancs or other innocent inno-cent amusement, but wa feel to Insist he shall retire at or before 10 p. m." Ogden had the first definite plan for a school system In ths state, but i ns nrst (Jaxnoue scnooi openen ners In 1873 through efforts ef the Rev. Lawrence Scan lan. later to be bishop of ths Salt Lake diocese, who had two sisters from the convent of Our Lady of Use Lake In Indiana cone to Utah to open St. Marys academy In Salt Lake City. Four years later seven Sisters of the) Holy Cross came from Indiana to conduct con-duct the Sacred Heart academy in Og. den and In 188S Father Scanlan founded found-ed All Hallows college in Salt Lake) City. When Dr. Duncan J. McMillan preached the first Presbyterian sermon ser-mon in Mount Pleasant in 1875 hs learned there was no public school there. Encouraged to remain, he turned. . carpenter, made desks and installed them in an unused dance hall and opened Wasatch academy. Westminster college was not founded found-ed until 1897. but years before that the Episcopalians, Methodists, Congrega-tionalists Congrega-tionalists and Presbyterians had established estab-lished mission schools in many sections of the state. The Episcopal church founded Rowland Row-land hall as a boarding and day school for girls In 1881. A unique Institution was ths Young; Men's academy opened In Spanish Fork In 1872 by 42 young men, who decided to have their own school, cut trees, had them sawed Into lumber and built a building accommodating; 62 pupils all within 80 days. Where such Interest in education as this existed, and with such progressive progres-sive educators as Utah could boast. It is little wonder that schools were such an Important force in the "building" of , the state. JEREMIAH W. SANBORN First president of Utah Stars) A. C superintendent of public instruction in 1865 and served tiU his death In 1M0. when he left hia library and his S45.000 estats to ths university hs had done so much to build. Karl 6. Maeser Ranking with Dr. Park was Dr. Karl G. Maeser, who developed what is now Brigham Young university and established estab-lished the L. D. S. church educational system. A teacher In Dresden, Germany, before be-fore be came to Utah in I860. Dr. Maeser became private tutor to Brig- . . 1 . . ' I ;. . i j Noticing that one of the little girts had be-n crying silently, the teacher kept her after school. Her tooth ached. Hs looked Inside her mouth. went to his bag and with few preliminaries pre-liminaries pulled the tooth. The versatile teacher was Dr. John Rocky Park, "father of the University of Utah"; tha place, his "old school at Drsner; time, the 1860s. Lone, before then the foundation had been laid for the school system . of which Utah la so "proud. Utah's First School Wlttrn three months after arrival of the first pioneers in Salt Lake valley 18-year-old Mary Jane Dilworth gathered gath-ered a dosen students around her la an old military tent and taught ths first school in Utah. Later that winter of 184T Julian Moses breams ths first male teacher in the state wsen h- began instruction instruc-tion in history and Latin as well aa the "three R's" In a room at Salt Lake City's old fort. As fast aa new settlements were founded in the territory the men would take time out from clearing tha land to work together in building a school. The buildings were small and built of logs or adobes, with little regard re-gard for vsntilstion or sanitation, but they wers schoolhouses. ' Brlgham Young, before 1847 closed, ent out sn epistle to church members planning to emigrate to Utah, remarking: remark-ing: "It Is very desirable that all Salnta should Improve every opportunity of securing at least a copy of every valuable val-uable treat las on education every book, map. chart or diagram that may contain interesting, useful and attrae-tlvs attrae-tlvs matter to gain the attention of children and cause them to love to learn to read, and also every historical, I FIRST FACULTY OF BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY tacit row, center, it Karl G. Master, one of Utah's graatett educators. On tha than Brigham Yoemej acadamy stuff were (left to right): Front row Nottio Southworth, N. L Notion, Milton H. Hardy, Benjamin duff awd Zma Y. Card. Rear row John E. Booth, President Matter nd J. M- Tanner. ' |